“You were fucking amazing!” Andrew exclaimed, rewinding the last few minutes of the battle royale and restarting from when Nil arrived at the arena’s heart. “You literally kicked his ass with your eyes closed! Brutal Battery has turned into a god damned machine!”

“Nil was amazing before he became a Summoned,” Susan said, pouring Nil a fresh glass of orange juice. She placed a fresh paper straw in it and pecked his cheek while handing it to him. “How do you feel?”

“Half annoyed by missing second place by a hair,” Nil answered, taking a long sip of his drink. “But, the magic painkillers almost make up for it.”

After getting kicked out of the match, the arena construct teleported him to the winner’s chambers—a section of the arena complex he didn’t know existed. A pair of healers attended to his wounds, growing new skin and flesh to remove the bits left crispy by prolonged Expend usage. Their work kept him from immediately signing up for a quest and employing the Fountain of Pyrene’s magic.

The healers let his friends in once they were done with their work, but Andrew hadn’t stopped gushing since. The arena construct’s attendants had already peeked in to ensure all was well and dropped off a selection of food and drinks. Apocalypse Arena treated its ‘winners’ well.

Katherine sat on the bed next to Nil, leaning against him and watching Andrew as he shadow-punched Nil’s side of the fight against Shawn. Susan fussed over them, especially the injured fighter, like a mother hen between telling her new boyfriend to calm down.

As the recording continued, Nil couldn’t help but feel impressed with himself. It wasn’t just the blind fight versus Viktor but the brief duel with Shawn, too. The element of surprise played a big role, but it felt good to defeat a foe that had dominated him in the past. If it were just a matter of martial skill, there was no question who’d be the winner. Nil ensured it didn’t get to that point by risking it all with Expend’s second function. His hands were wrapped in bandages currently, and he couldn’t grip anything, but it was a good trade-off.

The battle royale’s ending was frustrating to watch. Shawn conjured a dense layered sphere behind Nil and detonated it in the final moments, pushing him out of the barrier. Within a moment after that, he fainted. According to the stats provided by the construct, there was less than a second between the two incidents.

First: Selia

Second: Shawn Clarke

Third: Nil Roy

Fourth: Adam Bright

Fifth: Iqbal Khan

Participants passed for exemplary performance: Gwyneth Morgan, Lilian Ford, Liam Wozniak, Harvey Patel.

Nil was pleased to see Lily on the list. She was the only other Golden Aegis participant who ranked high or performed well enough to pass the qualifiers. The duo and solo matches still remained, and Nil was eager to learn if anyone else he knew made it through. Most of the other successful Summoned came from Shawn’s ludus—Iqbal Khan was none other than Winter Hunter. Nil had no clue who the final two members on the list were.

While his friends talked, Nil checked in on how people he knew had approached the battle royale. Viktor and his team had rushed to the heart of the arena. They collapsed a few buildings and turtled at the top of a tower. Elisha did what she did best, launching artillery-style long-range energy balls while Lily protected her. Meanwhile, Viktor laid low and jumped engaged teams from the rear. Instead of a weapon, he had brought a pouch of metal plugs into the arena. They made up for lightning’s weakness—nearly impossible to accurately aim—by acting as lightning rods. They took out a third of the competitors, and Nil was surprised that the arena construct had only passed Lily.

Adam and his companions had taken a more direct approach. The brute never seemed to tire and swiftly recovered from most injuries. He rushed into fights and got everyone to focus on him. Chain-knight ensured he didn’t get overwhelmed and slowed down enemies with his conjurations. Meanwhile, Iqbal zipped through the battlefield, either taking down foes in one hit or whittling them down with stabs and building cold. It looked like Adam did most of the work with his ability and excellent kickboxing and judo skills. Nil doubted the other two would’ve made it to the end without him.

At first, Nil expected Liam and Harvey to be the Mind Mage and one of his companions. He was wrong. The first was the Psionic he had heard about. The man conjured pink ethereal blades. His weapons didn’t seem overly powerful at first, but people cut by it appeared to grow disoriented as the fight went on, becoming slower and unstable. Then, Harvey, a rogue, came in and took them out. Their team was much like Nil’s, employing speedy hit-and-run tactics and specifically targeting the tired or injured survivors of skirmishes.

Shawn and his friends took things slow. It appeared Selia—the arena construct refused to divulge her last name—tired easily. So, they played the long game, avoiding fights unless they couldn’t help it. Shawn fought at close range while simultaneously shielding his companions. He and Gwyneth’s cat downed most opponents. Selia slunk around and occasionally trapped people in walls or the ground. It seemed the team primarily focused on protecting her and ensuring she got through the match.

Losing out on the second spot somewhat disappointed Nil, but he didn’t have much reason to complain. The victory got him two-hundred-and-fifty Schema credit—it wasn’t enough to join a new ludus, but combined with his current savings, Nil was halfway there—two Schema Tokens, which he immediately added to Spark and a Bronze Ascension Token. The final price wouldn’t come in handy for a few months, at least, but it was still pleasant to have.

* Might: Iron 1

* Finesse: Iron 0

* Mind: Mortal 7

* Spark: Iron 4

Brutal Battery: Mortal 9

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

* Absorb: Mortal 9

* Expend: Mortal 9

Energy Instinct: Mortal 7

Feats:

* Haunting Visage

* Armsmaster’s Disappointment

* Through Sheer Grit

* The Power Of Belief

With Spark at Iron-Three, getting Mind to Iron wouldn’t be too challenging. Thanks to The Power of Belief, it wasn’t necessary, but Nil wanted his resistance to psychic attacks as high as possible. Since the match ended, Nil had already checked the quest list a couple of times. The lack of Iron Ascension Tokens was no surprise. It would be a while before he got to ascend. He was keen to see how Brutal Battery would grow from the upgrade and what kind of sub-abilities the Schema would offer him.

“It's generally a choice between an offensive ability, something defensive, and a balanced option,” Susan told him as they discussed the possibilities. “When I first ascended, my ability just let me summon Skoll and Hati. They were ordinary, dire wolves with no magical abilities. I used my Iron Ascense to enhance their size, durability, and strength. The sub-ability later developed also to grant accelerated regeneration. Bronze ascension gave them their light and shadow manipulation powers.”

“Expend gives you a fuck tonne of offensive potential already,” Katherine added. “I’d suggest you pick something that’ll help you recover quicker or further lean into your greatest strength—shrugging off physical attacks. Leave offensive upgrades until Bronze or even silver.”

“I had the same thought,” Nil mumbled, watching the screen as Andrew skipped to one of his fights earlier in the battle royale. His chest tightened as he watched Xiang and Fatima fight. Guilt tightened its chokehold. Despite his reservations, Nil had grown too attached to Fatima and overlooked all the clues. The visage wasn’t hovering around him and the party. It was sticking to the woman brimming with Cursed Energy. If he figured out the puzzle sooner or gone along with the idea to force her surrender, Xiang would’ve had a chance of completing the match.

“Don’t blame yourself for any of that nonsense,” Katherina whispered in his ear. She moved off her chair and onto the bed next to Nil. “That can’t have been pleasant.”

“I—”

She pressed a finger to her lips and continued with her volume low. “I can tell something was off there, and your lovely sponsors are probably involved. We don’t know if someone is listening, so it's best if we speak about this later.”

Andrew shot Nil a wink. “You can tell us everything later. Somewhere isolated and shielded from outside ears.”

“Like, a scrap yard.” Susan smiled, completing the thought.

The suite’s doors opened almost on cue, and a flood of people rushed in. Many had phones and cameras out. Several individuals wearing logos from aethertech and other biotech companies accompanied them.

“Mr Roy! How long have you left on your Symbiotech contract?”

“How do you feel about losing to Shawn Clarke by less than half a second?”

The two brazen men appeared to encourage the little crowd waiting outside, and the rest flooded in after the pair. The following barrage overwhelmed Nil, but he also found the attention flattering. He had made a positive impression.

“Does your contract allow you to take on multiple partnerships? Garuda Systems is willing to equip and sponsor you. We project you are testing brilliantly in British and Asian markets and believe we can make a bunch of money.”

“Don’t listen to him. Nordic Aether will make you more money than you’ll know how to spend.”

“Garudatech will also supply you with latest levi-bikes—”

“What happened with your teammate?” Another reporter asked. “Why did she go mental and turn on you? Do you know if she was doping?”

“Isn’t she a Symbiotech partner, too?” The Garuda Systems rep raised an eyebrow.

“That’s enough, everybody,” Andrew said, putting himself between the swelling crowd and Nil. “This is a recovery space. You vultures don’t belong here.”

“We have the right to speak to Mr Roy!” One of them protested.

“Not like this in a fucking recovery room.” Andrew didn’t back down when the taller bear of a man got in his face. “The press and meeting rooms are down the hall. Speak to the other victors, and if Nil wishes to talk, he’ll see you there.”

“Watch your tone, civvy—”

“This might be Apocalypse Arena property, but I’d pick my next words carefully,” Katherine said, flashing her badge. Susan did the same and joined her. The two women flanked Andrew. “Mr Roy put a do not disturb sign on the door for a reason. I advise you to request it, or I’ll have no choice but to summon the guards.”

“Why don’t you leave me your cards and contact details?” Nil said, staying in his hospital bed and pointing at a table with fruit bowls by the door. “I’m too full of painkillers and tired to be any use to you right now. Once I’ve recovered enough, I’ll—”

“Sunil Roy will not be talking to anyone without his publicist and—” Shina stomped into the room, pushing through the crowd. She paused when she saw Andrew and the two police officers with their badges out. The visage snapped to attention. It had spent the past hour wandering around the room. Now, it rushed to study Shina closely. “—his manager present. I’ve already summoned building security. I’d advise you to clear out before they arrive.”

The combined threat did the job. All the intruders filed out without making a peep. Shina watched them sternly as they passed and closed the door behind them. Then she turned on Nil and his friend. “I need to talk to you,” she said. “Alone.”

“Andrew is my manager, and Katherine is my girlfriend,” Nil said. “We’re fine to speak around them.”

“Neither has signed an NDA, and we have sensitive matters to discuss.” Shina maintained a cold but professional tone as she spoke. She held up the thick case she carried. “I also need to claim the symbiote, and I can’t expose company secrets in front of them.”

“Why don’t you lot go check out of your hotel?” Nil said. “I’ll message you once Shina and I are done talking. We can hang out afterward.”

Andrew and Susan did as requested straight away, but Katherine took her time. She returned to the bed and kissed Nil before grabbing her purse. “I’ve been called in tonight, so I can’t join you for the closing ceremony.” She traced a little shape in his palm, and her eyes darted to the bedside table. “Are you fine going stag?”

Nil nodded, figuring out what she was trying to tell him. “I’m a big boy. I’ll manage just fine. My legs feel fine. Why don’t I just pop down to say goodbye before you head off.”

“I’ll find you,” Katherine replied, kissing him again before she marched to the door. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Miss Patel. It's nice putting a face to the name.”

Then she left, leaving Nil alone with an obviously fuming Shina.