When Nil returned from the quest and checked his internal ludus mail, a pleasant surprise awaited him: sign-up forms for several Mortal Realm events. He sought out Isabella before filling them in.
“Which one of these will give me the best shot at qualifiers?” Nil asked her.
“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” She asked. “Your body might be Iron Realm, but your ability is nowhere close.”
“I gained a rank during my quest. Maybe the stress of an event will push me even further.”
Isabella stared at Nil long and hard. He couldn’t tell if the woman wanted to make him stew. When he didn’t look away or fidget, she sighed. “No event has a greater or lesser chance of getting you into qualifiers. You need the recommendation of two ludus staff to do it and be a token or rank short of ascension. Since ol’ Toriko is smitten with your fighting abilities, the one you need to impress is me.”
“Okay. So what event would you have me to prove my worth?”
Isabella took the aetherscreen from Nil, scrolled through it, and clicked on an event. She filled in his name and did the rest of the sign-up process before handing it back to him.
“Capture The Flag?” Nil raised an eyebrow, reading the details. “Why capture the flag? The pay from that is horrible.”
“It is where you’ll have the best chance of pumping up your ability ranks,” Isabella answered. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re on defense or offense. There will be a bunch of moving parts for you to juggle. Defending against multiple opponents will certainly pump up your defensive mode.”
“So, win Capture The Flag, and you’ll recommend me?”
“That’s not what I said,” Isabella replied. “Perform well and get close to Ascension rank, and I’ll recommend you. We don’t know what ludus we’ll be matched up against. If it is Arthurtech where half the people have been training since they were in diapers and before getting Summoned, your chances won’t be great. Also, I know you’ve been doing well, but it's mighty bold of you to think you’ll win your first-ever event.”
“Doesn’t hurt to be hopeful,” he said, grinning.
Isabella rolled her eyes and sent him back to the training room. When the launchers activated again, Nil wondered if she had increased their speed and power. The little cannonballs flew at him more frequently and hit harder. By the time Nil caught one, switched to a neutral state, and then activated Expend, he found himself dodging a fast-flying sphere and then taking another to the thigh.
“Are you trying to bloody cripple me?” He yelled after the trainer.
“You want to get into the qualifiers or not?” Isabella waved at him dismissively before moving on to the armored knight in the neighboring training area. Nil still knew nothing about the person. They had rejected all of his requests for a duel.
“Ol’ Metal McMetalface has been at Golden Aegis longer than any other Mortal Realm,” Fatima said when Nil enquired about the mysterious Summoned. “No one knows anything about them, and the staff won’t answer any questions.”
“Have they been in any events yet?” Nil asked.
“Not that I know of. I bet they’re someone important’s kid.”
The knight didn’t eat in the cafeteria. Nil had seen them cooking in the communal kitchen and then carrying the food into their room. Apparently, none but the knight had an attached bathroom on the floor. They didn’t wear the full armor all the time. When Nil crossed paths with them on the communal floor, the knight wore baggy clothes and a hoody with their helmet. It was odd, and Nil couldn’t help but wonder whether something fishy was going on.
If he were to give the knight the benefit of the doubt, he would say they had some sort of curse. If Don’t Fear The Iron Maiden prevented a Summoned from wearing armor, there was likely a trait that forced them to wear it or always hide their face and identity. A more pessimistic assumption would be that they were a fake Sumnmoned or Cursed Energy vessel masquerading as a regular Nexus chosen.
Nil had no evidence to support his suspicion. He also felt guilty for making assumptions based on someone’s oddity. However, he kept an eye on the knight during weapon training sessions and other classes, specifically while using Energy Instinct. Unfortunately, the ability gave Nil no feedback besides the odd swelling and deflating presence about them. The visual feedback showed nothing besides a transparent bubble. It wasn’t much to go on.
You’re behaving like a stalker.
After a couple of days of watching the knight and popping into the kitchen while they were cooking, he decided to focus on training instead. Nil wanted to raise Absorb’s rank and, despite the grueling training, couldn’t feel himself getting any closer to his goal.
----------------------------------------
“You did what?!” Andrew exclaimed, ripping his eyes away from his game for a moment. Two days remained until the Mortal Realm event, and instead of pushing through Sunday, he took the day off to hang out with his friends. It was mid-October, and the temperature had started to drop, yet they decided to hold on to an evening barbecue at the junkyard. “I didn’t know Summoned could recommend a friend. Do you get some perks if I turn out to be a good draftee? I won’t owe you anything, will I?”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“No.” Nil laughed, glancing at Katherine and Susan. The pair sat in the hot tub laughing about something. The women glanced at him as he tended to the grill, waved at him, and then burst into laughter before returning to the conversation. Even though none of them were drinking, a pleasant air hung over the little gathering. “It's not standard, as far as I can tell. But people with an aptitude for Artisan are rare, and I said you’d be keen to help with investigations and work as an independent agent instead of working for one of the big conglomerates.”
“That’s kind of incredible.” Andrew purposely let the zombies swarm him and stepped away from the game. He had added more arcade games to the space outside the mobile home and erected a wooden structure with a plastic roof to protect them from the elements. He slapped Nil’s shoulder. “Thanks, Sunny-boi. I don’t know what to say. It's been a lifelong dream to be an Artisan. Summoned or not, thanks for sticking your neck out for me.”
“Of course, Andy. You’ve been doing the same for me ever since I got Summoned. It's the least I can do.”
“Aw shucks. Don’t make a grown man blush.” Andrew glanced at Katherine. “Have you told her yet?”
Nil shook his head. “I’d rather Layla and her superiors decide and contact her. This thing might get messy, and I don’t know if she’s too attached to her job to separate it from Earth-side quests.”
“Very pragmatic of you.” Andrew adopted a more serious expression. “How’s things going with you? Sue tells me she likes you. It's obvious to me that you like her as well. Why aren’t you making a move? A little relationship can’t detract too much from your training, can it?”
“There is something I’m going to tell you that you can’t share with Susan or anyone,” Nil said. “Promise me, Andy. This needs to stay between us.”
“Of course.” Andrew looked offended. “You come first, Sunny-boi.”
It was challenging to start. Nil stared at the grill before him. The beef ribs were almost done, but the charred vegetables needed a few more minutes. He bought time, fussing over them as he thought of the best way to phrase things without sounding crazy.
“Asiha’s death fucked me up more than you think,” Nil said.
“It's been seven years, though. Don’t you think its time you give something new a chance.”
“Easier said than done when I see her wherever I go.”
“What?!” Andrew frowned, not bothering to veil his concern. “I’m not sure what you’re saying right now. Are you trying to tell me that you’re haunted?”
“I suppose you could call it that.” Nil sighed. “I’ve told you about the soul weapon, Cursed Energy, and negative traits, right?” Andrew nodded. “Well, I didn’t tell you that I already had one at the time of my summoning. It's called Haunting Visage. The soul weapon adopted Aisha’s image, and it's been following me for about seven years.”
“What the fuck?” He hissed. “That’s so fucked up.”
“I thought I was crazy for a long time and saw whatever doctors and therapists the NHS sent me to. Nothing helped.” Nil sighed. “Every relationship I tried to start crashed and burned because Aisha was always hovering. A hot ball of guilt followed every hookup. So, I accepted the fact that I’m crazy and destined to spend my life alone.”
“But—”
“Now I know that’s not the case, and I am trying to treat the visage as what it is,” Nil continued without letting Andrew interrupt. “It's not Aisha. The thing standing to my left, smiling and watching the coals, is my soul weapon’s consciousness. It tries to help me sometimes by pointing out things I miss and warning me of threats because that's its job, not because the visage is Aisha watching over me because of whatever magic Nexus brought to our world.”
“I understand,” Andrew said, placing a hand on Nil’s shoulder. “Well, not really. I don’t think anyone in our world has been through something so fucked up and can understand or empathize. But I understand why this relationship is so hard. You should know, though, Sunny-Boi. Katie might really like you, but she won’t wait around for ever. She’s hot, smart, and driven. If it weren’t for her job and quests eating up all of her time, someone would’ve scooped her up already.”
“I know, Andy, but I can’t just make all of this fucked up baggage go away. I need to deal with this at my own pace; otherwise, it won’t be fair to either of us. If she moves on, so be it. I won’t be happy about it, but I’ll deal. Then once I get past this shit, maybe I’ll find someone new.”
“I’ll tell Sue to back off. Take all the time you need. Does your dad or Emmy know?”
Nil shook his head. “Besides the doctors and my psychiatrist, Dr Mendez, you’re the first person I’ve told.”
“Fucking hell, man. I can’t believe you’ve kept this to yourself for so damned long. No wonder you’re a neurotic ball of nerves half the time. I’m sorry, man.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Nil said. “Whatever bastard brought Cursed Energy into our world and tried to manufacture Summoned and soul weapons is to blame.”
“I promise to help you fuck them up. Regardless of whether the Nexus reaches out to me and makes me an Artisan, you have my support.”
“What are you boys talking about?” Katherine made the pair jump as she popped up behind Nil, dripping from the hot tub. He did his best to stay respectful and not let his eyes wander. She looked delightful in her crimson, two-piece swimsuit. She slung an arm across Nil’s shoulders and leaned against him. Andrew smiled, but his eyes carried a hint of concern. The visage lingered next to him, and Nil did his best to ignore it.
“Sunny-boi is buttering up his caseworker, so she turns me into an Artisan.”
“I can see why the Nexus would want you,” Katherine said before kissing Nil’s cheek. “Is food going to be long, handsome? I’m starving, and everything smells bloody amazing.”
“Won’t be long,” Nil replied. When he turned his face toward the beautiful woman, she kissed him. “Why don’t you and Sue get dry and pull on something warm? I’ll have a plate ready for you by then.”
“Thank you.” Katherine smacked his bottom before jogging away to share the update regarding dinner.
“Ghost of dead girlfriend or not, I don’t know how you can resist that, Sunny-boi,” Andrew said once she was out of earshot.
“Shut up and get the plates, Andy.” Nil didn’t want to admit it, but he had just asked himself the same question.