“What the fuck was that?” Shina demanded, her initial professional demeanor forgotten. She turned a dial on her watch, and Energy Instinct felt it release a pulse. The arcane signature reminded Nil of Lise’s magic. She ensured no one, probably nothing, could listen in on the conversation. “You were supposed to look out for her. What the fuck did you do, Nil?”
It was tempting to explode at the woman, but it took all the self-control Nil could muster not to. “I’m pretty sure you saw what happened. What option did she leave me, Shina?”
“What do you mean what option? You—”
“Fatima snapped. Whatever happened back there, let her ability, symbiote, soul weapon, or whatever the fuck that was take over. That wasn’t her anymore. I did what I had to do.”
“So you destroyed her arms? She was your friend, and it was so easy for you. You disintegrated everything forearm down. There might be no fixing that. You have no idea how much Symbiotech invested in Fatima. She was a valuable asset, and now—”
“Maybe the Fountain of Pyrene can do something about it,” Nil said. “Assuming she has the necessary Schema Credit.” The statement won him a stare. “What did you expect me to do? Just lie there and take it while she murdered Xiang? My defense is useless against Fatima. If I hadn’t disintegrated her arms, she would’ve stabbed through my rib cage and destroyed my internal organs. I don’t know if there is coming back from that, Shina.”
“Xiang should’ve just surrendered. You could’ve done the same.” The visage leaned closer to Shina, tilting its head like a confused puppy as it studied Shina.
“You really expected both of us to accept defeat for our strung-out teammate who tried to kill us? That’s an insane ask. What’s wrong with you?”
“You forget the contract, Mr Roy,” Shina spoke through clenched teeth. “You can’t act against Symbiotech’s interests.”
“Not to my disadvantage. If you could take the matter to the courts, which you can’t since it occurred in the arena’s confines, risking my life or personal victory to protect Symbiotech’s interests would never hold up. It's not a part of the contract, either. Besides, self-preservation is my way of protecting your company’s secrets.”
Nil winced as he climbed out of bed. The skin on his back and legs still felt tight, and the muscles underneath felt damaged. Recovery would take a few days. The healers had warned him of weakness for close to a week. Nil had no intention of waiting that long. He hoped to find an appropriate quest first and visit the Fountain of Pyrene. It would get rid of all the damage he suffered from prolonged energy release and, hopefully, the new scars he had running across his abdominal muscles just below the diaphragm. It was a mixture of pale, pink, jagged curves and clean, narrow lines.
When Nil placed his right hand in the case, the symbiote squirmed. It traveled from his spine down his arm and into the container, moving like a slug. Shina slammed it shut almost as soon as he pulled his arm back.
“What was that, Shina?” Nil asked frankly. He did his best not to sound combative and to be as compassionate and nice as possible. “Were you helping Fatima dope somehow? That thing happened with her daggers and armor in the end. It was too powerful for a Mortal Realm Summoned’s ability. That was a soul weapon, isn’t it?”
Shina glared at Nil for a moment, and then her shoulders slumped. The fight appeared to leave her. “You could’ve enjoyed the same,” she said. “Eventually.”
The woman put down the case and flumped in the armchair facing the aetherscreen—Andrew’s seat. She grimaced, jumping up and brushing off the crumbs covering it. After dusting off her bottom, she sat again. Her movements appeared sluggish. She didn’t seem like her usually composed self. Nil wondered whether she had spent the evening or the hour or so after it drinking.
“You don't know the reality of what's out there, Nil. Things will become apparent once you reach the peak of Bronze and start encountering the Scourge in your quests or the arena. Not long after that will come the Scourge Gods. We need to prepare for them, but the fucking Nexus doesn't give us any of the good stuff. These bastards want to keep us down and not compete with the Control Worlds. They're scared of what we can become if we learn to develop power seeds or soul weapons without their say-so. It's like the story of Prometheus. Literal gods are scared of what we can do if we get our hands on fire.”
“So you created a monster?” Nil's question didn't get the reaction he wanted or any. Shina appeared deflated. “I developed a Cursed Energy detection power as a quest reward, you know. I'm aware of what fueled Fatima's weapon.”
The revelation snapped Shina to attention. “Have you shared this information with anyone?”
“Of course not. NDA. Look. I understand you’re under great stress, and I don’t want it to affect our working relationship. You need me for your research, to fill whatever hole Fatima left behind, and for marketing. I need you for the symbiote and subsidized the ludus fees.” Nil grabbed the sheets from the bed and wrapped them around his waist. Even though he’d been around Shina in his underwear before, he suddenly felt more vulnerable and exposed than before. Nil kept his tone soothing and calm, hoping to get something worthwhile to Layla. “Anyway. The word ‘cursed’ also carries far too many negative connotations. People would jump to the worst conclusions possible.”
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“That's the issue, isn't it?” Shina sighed. “Unfortunately, that's the only moldable piece of magic the Nexus will let us Summoned carry and bring back. I don't know if you have any knowledge of what we get from them. If the aether the arena and Nexus give us is thought of as bland porridge, Cursed Energy is chocolate. We need it to compete with the Scourge, who are already using it to reinforce their champions. I know there are risks involved, but you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs.”
Rage bubbled inside Nil, and he was glad Shina's eyes were on the screen instead of him. Fatima, the man that killed Aisha, Aisha, and he were all sacrificial eggs in Symbiotech’s omelet. He didn't buy her spiel regarding doing it for the good of all for a moment. Shina cared about her research and Symbiotech’s profit margin above all. Nil took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, adopting a neutral expression.
“I'm sorry for how I initially reacted,” Shina said, taking a pill container out of her coat pocket and tipping its contents into his mouth like mints. “Losing Fatima is a big hit, and I took my anger and concerns about facing the shareholders out on you. It wasn't fair.”
“Losing Fatima?” Nil frowned. A lump formed in his throat. “I didn't kill her, did I?”
“No. But the arena won't give her to us. They say something is wrong, she's corrupted, and they refuse to release her into our world.” Shina shuddered and twitched. She helped herself to Nil’s juice. The woman grimaced after a sip but then downed it all in one gulp. The tension appeared to slide off her back and shoulders instantly. “Fuck knows what they're doing to her. Or how the powers above will react to our work.”
Relief washed over Nil. Of course, he was horrified by Fatima and what and who she had become. However, there was a brief period when he thought of her as a friend. He didn’t mind if the arena, Nexus, or the government brought her to justice for messing in tabooed fields. Whatever the consequences of such actions were for her, she had it coming. However, he didn’t want to be personally—more accurately, physically—responsible for her demise.
“Do I still have a chance to get a soul weapon?” Nil asked. He hoped whatever she consumed would loosen her lips further. Dr Patel appeared more sleep-deprived and strung out than usual. A possible reliance on prescription pills wouldn’t surprise him.
“Well, we need a new subject now that Fatima is gone. The data from her will help achieve a more stable version.” I need the board’s approval, and I don’t know if they’ll approve you, but you’re an almost perfect candidate. They’d be stupid not to. It just might take us a while to get there.”
“What makes me so perfect?” Nil asked.
“You seem to come back from every quest with more Cursed Energy.” Shina studied the digital readings on the symbiote case. She stretched out her words and hesitated a bunch of times as she continued. “In fact, the levels have increased significantly since the last reading. I wouldn’t be surprised if you absorbed some of Fatima’s Cursed Energy while destroying her arms.”
“Why do you think that is?” Nil frowned, feigning concern as he studied himself in the mirror. His eyes lingered on the scars. Katherine claimed they were sexy, but he disagreed. “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Not my department,” Shina shrugged, seeming to melt into the chair. “Something. Something. Resurfacing old seed. Something Something.” She sighed, waving at him and pointing at the tray of little pastries and finger sandwiches the staff had brought in for Nil and his friends. He carried it over to her, and she grabbed a Danish Pastry in one hand and a Cinnamon Pecan Twirl in the other. “I love these.” She devoured the latter in two bites. “I’ll move this up the ladder. Don’t worry. Before you know it you’ll have a badass Cursed Weapon just like Fatima did.”
“Thank you,” Nil said. “Is there anything more we need to discuss? If not, I’d like to catch up with my friends. Perhaps get dressed first.”
“Yeah. Do what you need to.” Shina yawned. “I’ll just be a minute. Don’t mind me.”
The arena construct’s minions were nice enough to leave a fresh set of clothes in the recovery room. He slipped into the attached bathroom, splashed water on himself, dried, dressed, and left. Shina didn’t move in the meantime. She remained in the seat, looking dazed as tears ran down her face. Her eyes focused on the Danish pastry. He would’ve tried to comfort her if Nil weren't stewing internally.
“Wait,” Shina said just as he was about to leave. Absent-mindedly, she waved at the bedside table. “Your pretty Korean lady friend forgot her lipstick.”
“Thank you.” Nil pocketed and departed.
A pair of seated guards stood outside the door. They nodded at Nil as he walked away. When he peeked over his shoulder, he saw one of them following ten feet behind. The man made no attempt to look inconspicuous. He entered the building’s lobby and bar after Nil but stayed by the door, his eyes following every movement.
Several familiar faces from the battle royale lingered, talking to coaches, sponsors, and journalists who broke into the room. Others had off-color skin, extra limbs, and odd hair. Some gravitated toward Nil, and he made polite conversation, trying his best not to be dismissive. Some of the parties, namely Garuda Systems, especially interested him. However, he didn’t want to be seen talking to anyone until the mess with Symbiotech passed. He had a bunch of great information and couldn’t wait to share it with Layla.
Fortunately, Andrew and the others arrived quickly. Nil couldn’t help but notice Shina’s guard move closer. He wondered whether there’d be a constant tail on him now. Nil made casual conversation with them. When Adam swung by, he introduced his friends to the brute. They continued to talk until Katherine had to leave.
“Everything okay?” Katherine asked, hugging him.
“Yes. You forgot your lipstick.” Nil tucked it into her pocket. “I’ll see you once I’m back.”
“Don’t keep me waiting too long, alright?”
“Of course not.”
Katherine, Andrew, and Susan departed, leaving him to deal with the competition. He felt alone in the room full of people and had little interest in socializing. Then, Lily found him and introduced her to all his new friends. Some were from the battle royale, and others came from the adjacent events that had already passed.