The day before the Mortal Realm event and one month after signing the contract, Nil returned to Symbiotech’s headquarters in Southall. For the past month, he had submitted a urine sample to the ludus’ medical office at the end of every week. They wanted his second stream of the day and weren’t particularly interested in his alcohol intake or whether he partook in any illicit substances. In fact, a labtech had joked that marijuana products would benefit him following his hellish training regimen. The CBD in it would especially help him deal with his aches and pains.
Nil brushed off the topic of discussion and moved on to the testing. The researchers wished to check his electrolyte balance and measure the levels of blood, protein, and creatinine in the urine. Symbiotech needed the information for their research.
The receptionist signed Nil in and handed him a visitor badge before directing him to the testing room. They took fluid and hair samples from Nil again and subjected him to stress tests. He was just starting to get frustrated when Shina showed up. She wore a lab coat and looked a lot more like a scientist than a suit, unlike their last couple of meetings.
“I wasn’t expecting you to sign up for an event already,” she said. “But as luck would have it, we have a rough prototype ready for you to test.”
“Nothing like a field test to tell whether this partnership is worthwhile, right?” Nil asked, glancing at the visage lingering behind her. It was being weird again, sniffing around and rubbing its face against walls. “I meant more for you than me. I love Golden Aegis.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, Nil. Armored or not, I’ll get good use out of you. We’re researching brutes and energy-based powers. The data we’ve been gathering from you is a lot of help. If you didn't have a big day tomorrow, we'd be extracting spinal fluid again. Even if the armor doesn’t work out, you can still market our products. I’m sure you’ve encountered our medical supplies and tech in the ludus.”
“I have. The skin sealant spray is amazing.” Nil showed her his forearm. “Fatima sliced up my skin super well yesterday, but there’s not even a scar.”
“Make it into the Iron Gauntlet and say that in front of a camera with that beautiful smile of yours, and Symbiotech will make its money back.” Shina led him through their development lab into a side room. A variety of firearms and barrelled weapons lined it. A padded metal case sat on a table against one wall. Shina opened it, revealing a bubbling sphere of white slime. “Stick your hand inside it.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Nil hesitated. After burning himself by sticking his hand in the Cursed Pupae, the squirming organic mass made him nervous.
“Given how much money we’ve spent on it, it better be,” Shina said. “I’m not saying accidents and mistakes aren’t possible, but I can assure you that we’re very good at what we do. Besides, we have excellent medical facilities on the premises. If something goes wrong, we’ll fix you in no time at all.”
“That isn’t at all reassuring.” It took a moment of convincing before Nil forced himself to stick his hand in the slime without channeling Absorb. It came alive instantly. He expected it to feel cold and wet. Instead, it was like how Nil imagined pulling on a wet suit. The slime traveled up his arm, coating his skin in a matte layer that solidified into a fabric-like texture. It inched like a slug, moving across his torso and halfway up his neck. The symbiote covered all of his arms, abdomen, and crotch and came halfway down his thighs. Nil checked himself out in the mirror. “I look like an unusually muscular figure skater.”
“Or very modest wrestler.” Shina chuckled. “It’s not meant to be the only thing you wear.” She pointed at his groin. “I don’t know how things are for viewers in other worlds, but here on Earth, you won’t do well if your double-o-and-seven are on display.”
Nil had changed into his underwear before donning the slime. When he peeked inside, he found that it had perfectly molded over his genitals, leaving a very prominent outline of the shaft and testicles. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. He imagined it would leave people clutching pearls and lodging complaints.
“I’ll be wearing shorts and at least a vest,” Nil said. “I like being mobile and minimizing the amount of crap people can grab.”
“I’ll sort you out a t-shirt with the company logo on it,” Shina replied. “The Mortal Realm events don’t get as many viewers as Apocalypse Arena, but that should be enough. Should we run some tests?”
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“Lets.”
Shina evacuated the room, and strange arcane symbols flashed on the walls. The lights changed, and Nil waited patiently for something to happen. Then, a bunch of things happened at once. First, the room went dark. Then, a flamethrower activated, and the stream washed over his back. Nil felt the heat, but it wasn’t uncomfortable at first. The discomfort slowly built up over time, edging closer to uncomfortable with every passing second. Then, growing, impossible pain followed. The fire stopped as soon as Nil threw his arms up. A blast of ice-cold water cooled him down immediately.
Once he had recovered, the next test began. The symbiote didn’t hold up against liquid nitrogen as long, and Nil felt the discomfort and pain much sooner. Sections of the armor hardened, cracked, chipped, and flaked off, draining Brutal Battery significantly. His energy levels dipped as the armor repaired itself.
“I know it's not a lot, but it should suffice for a Mortal Realm event,” Shina’s voice said over the speaker. “The drain will lessen as the symbiote adapts to you and bonds. It will hold up against hot a lot more than it does cold.”
“What about lightning and other energy attacks?” Nil asked.
“They're still in the works. They’re reasonably uncommon, and the likelihood of you running into them is low—not impossible, but low. The most you face at Mortal Realm will be a few dart or bolt spells and maybe a few weapon enchantments. Just do me a favor, alright?”
“Depends on what it is.”
“Look out for Fatima, please. We like to keep our partners separate, but she’s taken a liking to you. We tried to convince her otherwise but she insisted on signing up for Capture The Flag so the pair of you can be in the same team. And once Fatima settles on something, she cannot be talked out of it.”
“Does she have a similar armor?” Nil asked.
“I wouldn’t discuss the particulars even if I could,” Shina said. “Just in case the pair of you end up opponents. But I’ll share that it's designed to ensure very little can slow her down, just as yours is made to minimize what can put you down. We like to cover the client’s greatest weakness and bolster their strengths.”
Three more rounds of tests followed. Nil needed medical attention afterward. A clear solution washed away the surface burns, and another helped the new skin to grow. Unlike the Fountain of Pyrene, it didn’t soothe the enraged nerves, and some discomfort remained, but it was nothing Nil couldn’t handle. Shina and the medical staff showed him how to stow the symbiote so it didn’t continue draining his and Brutal Battery’s energy. It retreated along his spine, and Nil felt a slight tingle. They did more stress tests afterward, and Absorb didn't interrupt its ability to coat his body or grow over exposed patches after suffering damage. However, Expend blew it off him, and Shina suggested that he avoid full-body blasts. As long as a square inch of the symbiote remained, it would recover.
The visage continued to act like a clown during their time in Symbiotech’s offices. Layla had told him the visage would change as Nil grew and went on more quests. The soul weapon was growing with him, developing a personality and interests. However, at times, the visage felt almost cartoonish and moderately annoying. The symbiotes didn’t intrigue it as much as the neighboring rooms.
Nil got lost on his way out and stumbled into a child in a wheelchair. She looked bewildered when her eyes met his. Nil shot her a polite smile and waved, but she wheeled herself away. The visage followed the child for a moment but then ventured too far from him and could go no further. When it returned to Nil, it carried the same pouty expression Aisha wore when they had a disagreement.
To satiate the visage, Nil tried to go the way the child had gone. He mostly wanted to apologize for surprising them and was curious about what she was doing in a research facility. The hospital gown suggested she was a patient, but he recalled Katherine telling him that Symbiotech didn’t practice medicine. There were a few medical malpractice suits filed against them, but they were deemed frivolous.
Staff and cameras littered the building, so Nil didn’t push his luck. Shina felt like a decent person, and Symbiotech had done him no harm. He didn’t see the point in looking at a gift horse in the mouth. He couldn’t afford to piss them off and lose his sponsorship. So, he asked a passing lab assistant for directions and exited the building.
All of the ludus’ trainers insisted that people take the evening before events off. So, Nil took it easy and visited family. On his way back from Symbiotech’s offices, he stopped by Southall. In Nil’s humble opinion, Little Punjab had some of the best Indian food in all of the United Kingdom. He had visited some of the Indian Michelin restaurants in London. The food was excellent, but the tweezering and pruning didn’t hit the mark. Nil bought Sam’s favorite Aloo Paratha—fried flatbreads stuffed with spicy potatoes, fish tikka for Emily, and Tandoori Chicken for his father. He grabbed an extra assortment of kebabs and several portions of mutton biriyani. It was enough for four meals. Nil expected his family to have the leftovers over a couple of days. They would also probably take some for their lunches. The family were ecstatic to see him. Nil returned to the ludus after dinner and went to bed early. Anxiety and excitement regarding the coming day made it difficult to fall asleep but after a few laps around the obstacle course, he succeeded.