Nil entered the square containing the red beacon first. As soon as he crossed its threshold, a giant spider web collapsed on him, wrapping him from head to toe. A powerful blow struck him a moment later, and a hail of them followed. Something attempted to pierce him from the opposite side, too, but failed. Brutal Baterry’s stores rapidly filled and teetered dangerously close to capacity.
The old tactic of releasing all of his energy through his entire body came to the rescue. Every inch of Nil stung, and he gritted his teeth as the spiderwebs blew off him. He had almost forgotten about the symbiote. In fact, he barely felt its presence anymore until Expend ripped it off him along with his vest, leaving a nakedness along the spine. He hoped some still remained under his mostly intact shorts. It was a miracle he hadn’t lost the garment, too.
Nil regained his vision just in time to see a man several inches taller than six feet flying off him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a spider the size of a Great Dane, skittering backward. Its bulbous bottom constituted more than half its torso. The brute leaped at Nil as soon as he landed. His shoulder and arms swelled, and his skin cracked, taking on a red, rocky texture that looked a lot like Fatima’s blood blades.
A single Absorbed blow from the man returned his energy levels to around twenty-five percent. Then, the spider struck him from behind, giving him another tenth of his stores. Nil could do little but defend against the frontal barrage and occasional rear strikes. As Brutal Battery approached capacity, Nil prioritized parrying attacks instead of blocking. He didn’t want to know what a full-force attack from the brute or a spider bite would feel like. The luminous green patterns on the latter’s torso suggested it was venomous.
Summoners used Spark as their primary attribute. Nil guessed it affected the strength of the minions and the number a swarmer could summon. It wouldn’t surprise him if it also increased the power of their toxins. Given the number, the spider commander could command Nil was sure her Spark was in the Iron Realm. As a result, a spider bite would result in a conflict between potent venom and Nil’s just-about Iron Realm Might, and he doubted the latter was enough to prevail.
Fatima came to the rescue.
The plan involved her lying in wait until Nil engaged the defenders and then stealing the flag. Nil was relieved when she went against it. The beatdown and venom would leave him too weak for another round if the blue team succeeded.
The daggers of blood sliced through the critter’s rear legs and bulbous bottom. Luminous green fluid flowed from the latter wound, and it awkwardly stumbled away, clicking loudly. Nil waited until the brute struck him again before going on the offensive. The blow pushed Brutal Battery beyond capacity and almost knocked him off his feet. His ribs groaned, and Nil was sure he had heard a crack.
The taller man had greater reach and packed significant power into his blows. However, he seemed to overcommit to each, leaving himself vulnerable after them. So, Nil took a risk and ceased channeling Absorb. When the next blow came, he was ready. Nil sidestepped it, slipping behind the brute. A trio of Expend-powered strikes followed.
Nil started with a punch to the kidney, making the man stagger forward. He grunted, and the rock-like skin cracked and chipped away. He followed up with a low kick to the back of the left leg, dropping the brute to his knees. Finally, an elbow strike to the side of the head knocked him down. Given the man’s defenses, Nil doubted he’d stay down for long.
Fortunately, the giant spider was no more. Fatima had chopped up most of its legs and sliced its head in half. Once again, she appeared mostly unharmed. When holding back wasn't a concern, the woman was truly a terrifying foe. Nil doubted he’d win a fight if she came at him with the intent to kill.
“You alright?” She asked him, panting.
Nil nodded. “Thanks for the save. My defense was on the verge of collapse when you came.”
“I noticed. I think this is the first time I’ve seen you like that. The bastard punched hard. Huh?”
“He did. His defenses and strength are incredible.”
“The regenerator is even stronger,” Fatima commented. “Brutes can be bloody terrifying. It's a good thing most are bloody slow and clumsy when chasing.”
“You’re the last person who should talk about being terrifying.” Nil glanced at the brute, who groaned and twitched. “Have you caught your breath?”
“I’m ready. I don’t know if I have enough in me for another round, though.”
“Let's make this one count, then.”
Nil carried the flag. They raced toward the blue beacon, not bothering to conserve energy or stamina. In the distance, lightning crashed, and explosions sounded. It was a three-on-three battle and Nil couldn't be sure who would win.
The spiders, though significant in number, didn’t pose much of a threat to Lily. Her stone armor didn’t appear to require openings for sight or breathing. Meanwhile, Viktor’s lightning would scorch them en masse. Anya knew to prioritize their Summoner, putting the woman down first. Nil didn’t know what to think of the much-talked-about barrier mage or the regenerator.
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Layla had mentioned a man with high Spark and Finesse who used barrier magic in close combat, weaving offense and defense into a powerful fighting style. It felt like too much of a coincidence, but he wondered whether they were the same person.
It is possible. Maybe she brought it up because the example was fresh in her mind.
Nil didn’t know how they’d deal with such an ability besides hoping to win a battle of attrition. Lightning could potentially fry the regenerator’s nervous system and leave him stunned enough to finish the round, but Viktor's stores were low. Both fighters sounded far too challenging to take down. The best brutes were especially known for their ability to push through extreme punishment and keep going when most would collapse. A regenerator sounded especially potent at the role.
“I think we’ll need speed to win this one,” Nil said.
“I got enough of that for the rest of the round. The question is whether you can keep up.”
By the time the pair reached the top of the pyramid, the sounds of battle had ceased. The blue beacon had lost a part of its luminosity. Fatima pointed at a side street. It was the flag. A skinny man with an inch or two on Nil carried it. His significantly taller, broad-shouldered companion followed close behind him. No one pursued them. The defenders had failed.
“This isn’t going to be as easy as I had hoped.” Fatima sighed. “Which one do you want?”
“Barrier guy,” Nil answered. “You should be able to cut loose versus the regenerator without the fear of killing him.”
“Taking a life doesn’t scare me. I only worry about the consequences.”
Nil descended the pyramid the same way he had the first time. Meanwhile, Fatima hopped and skipped like she was prancing through a field of flowers. She seemed in her element, having fun.
Aren’t you, too?
It was fun.
Nil’s energy stores were at approximately seventy-five percent when he landed. He switched to a neutral state, running without any enhancements. The enemy had seen them and changed course to meet the pair halfway. It came as no surprise when the brute overtook his companion. Nil wondered whether the man had an Iron Realm body with the Steady Charger feat. He appeared exceptionally surefooted and fast for someone of his build.
“Might increase power and therefore speed,” Layla had explained. “Finesse is necessary to use the power well. Gross motor skills are essential for balance, after all. The latter attribute indirectly makes you flexible as well. So, when you switch around the superior attribute, you get agility. That's where you'll eventually end up.”
Unfortunately, the quest didn't give Nil extra Finesse growth as he had hoped. So, he ran just as fast as his Iron Realm Might would allow, taking extra care not to trip or stumble. As the brute closed in, Nil prepared to activate an ability, but Fatima emerged from an alley just behind him. She zipped past him, slashing his legs. An angry scream burst from the brute as he stumbled to his knees. Nil took the opportunity to race past him using Expend and meet the barrier maker.
The man shot Nil an icy glare and skidded to a halt. He threw up a wall made of translucent silver hexagons in an attempt to block the Expend-powered leap. Nil broke through it. The barrier shattered like glass, robbing him of a good deal of momentum. When Nil met his opponent, a fist surrounded by a sphere made of the identical hexagons awaited him. The man ducked under NIl’s left hook, making no unnecessary movements. Then, the most perfect uppercut he had encountered since starting his career as a Summoned struck Nil’s jaw.
It felt like being struck by Lily’s stone club. After dominating opponents with his martial ability for the past few weeks, Nil didn’t expect someone to land such a clean hit on him and had remained in a neutral state to time Expend perfectly. The force whipped his head backward, and he stumbled backward. The strike rattled his teeth, and he saw double with darkness lining the edges of his vision. Nil had enough sense to channel Absorb before the barrier-maker’s second attack. When the sphere-encased sphere struck Nil, the hexagons exploded, and the force pushed the almost full Brutal Battery past its capacity. He staggered backward and nearly lost his balance.
Absorb has progressed to Mortal 7!
Brutal Battery has progressed to Mortal 7!
The barrier-maker pointed both open hands at Nil, and a dome formed around him. It steadily shrank, and Nil felt an uncomfortable pressure in his ears. He didn’t want to know the consequences of whatever the man was attempting and had no intention of finding out. Since Brutal Battery was at capacity, Nil didn’t bother with conservation. He pressed his palms against the hexagons and blew half his load.
The barrier shattered.
An invisible force struck Nil. This time, he had braced himself for the shockwave, even though he wasn’t sure whether it was coming. An Expend-powered bound carried him to the barrier-maker. Despite his burnt palms, he made a fist, punched through his opponent's protective wall, and struck him in the middle of the face. Nil felt the man’s nose break. Despite losing power, it was a brain-shaking blow, and he expected the strike to buy him some respite.
Nil’s hopes were shattered just like the wall of interlocking hexagons.
The man clapped Nil’s ears and then struck his solar plexus, folding him in half. He switched to Absorb just in time for a haymaker to the back of the head. Even though Nil's ears were ringing and he couldn’t breathe, he had enough sense to tackle his opponent and take the fight to the ground.
Thanks to Absorb, none of the barrier-maker’s strikes hurt Nil. He rained the man with clumsy blows while struggling to regulate his breathing and focus his vision. It felt like he was getting the upper hand. The man’s defense weakened with every passing second, and his barriers came up slower and less frequently.
Unfortunately, Nil’s advantage didn’t last for long.
Suddenly, Nil saw nothing but translucent hexagons. When he swiped at his eyes, he failed to reach them. A spherical barrier encased his head. Clawing at it got him nowhere. He struck it with an Expend-powered blow, and the hexagons cracked but stayed together. It was much sturdier than his previous constructs, and it contracted around his neck. The barrier-maker picked just that moment to strike Nil’s gut.
Between the growing panic of being unable to see anything and his air running out, Nil could do little but fall off his foe and scramble away. Logic and sense left him when he felt himself suffocating. A powerful blow struck his leg, and something broke, only adding to the growing panic. It wasn’t long before Nil couldn’t breathe at all. His movements grew sluggish, and the world went dark. It was over. He had fallen to a superior foe.