The brothel’s interior was dark and silent. The air smelled of roses, honey, and spice. Nil’s sensitive nose picked up a sweaty odor, and something rank underneath. It reminded him of sewage. Since everybody on the streets and balconies was focused on the fiery orange glow in the darkening evening sky, no one saw Nil scale the side of the building. Clotheslines crisscrossed the flat roof, and colorful dresses, skirts, blouses, and a variety of garments Nil didn't recognize were hanging from them. He anxiously stepped into the fabric maze.
It took Nil a while to find the way in. He had to look for several minutes before he found the trap door hidden by the fluttering clothes. Absorb did nothing to silence the hinges. He didn't have time to wait and find out whether anyone had heard him and leaped in. Susan spoke in his ear, and he sensed Hati nearby as he progressed.
Take it slow. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you sense any danger. Hati is on standby.
Energy Instinct detected thicker black smoke in the building. It was coming through the floors. Stray pink and purple flecks accompanied it. Nil didn’t bother going slow.
Restless In Body And Mind meant he could keep still and watch or read anything. However, it also did wonders for his senses and instincts as he sped through the floor and found the stairs. Whenever he sensed someone, he had a peek, ensuring they weren’t who he was looking for. He had never met Prince Albert or Mila’s grandfather before. He had received detailed descriptions of both and made a note of all the distinguishing features. Nil had the mage describe Mila, too. If years of time dilation had made her older, she likely looked significantly different from the pre-pubescent girl he remembered.
Most rooms contained one or two sleeping women. Occasionally, they had men with them. The scent of liquor and usually some sort of smoke hung heavy in the air. Nil sighted bottles and long glass or ceramic pipes. Unwilling to inhale whatever drug they had consumed, he didn’t linger in one space for long.
Unlike his companions, Nil didn’t get the opportunity to visit the Nexus Market and pick up fancy or role-appropriate clothes. The Nexus had sent him in wearing simple grey trousers, a white shirt, and brown work boots. He didn’t look too different from the people on the street or brothel patrons, except cleaner. As he explored and worked his way down the building, he pulled his shirt up over his nose. It probably did little good against the fumes, but it didn’t hurt to try.
The new feat proved its worth when he descended two floors. A man with a curved black blade leaped out of the shadows and stabbed at him. He had no arcane presence, but a slimy purple energy dripped from the blade. It was so faint Nil’s sensory ability barely detected it. Nil knew at a glance that it was no ordinary weapon and refused to take any risks. He activated Toggled Supercharging, speeding himself up for just long enough to just about dodge the blade, grapple the man, and slap a hand over his mouth. Choking him out after knocking the weapon away was no effort at all. He didn’t need any abilities for it. The basic Might-provided strength was enough.
When another explosion rocked the world outside, he gave up on stealth and raced down to the ground floor. More people came at him, but Nil took them out with powerful, well-aimed strikes. It wasn’t too challenging, and Nil easily put most of them down. Given the time limit and dire nature of the quest, he gave up on holding back. He Supercharged strength and attacked his opponents with Absorb active. Bones cracked, and Nil didn’t wait to find out whether they had survived his attacks.
The mage said all Scourge sympathizers and allies would be executed. They’re dead anyway.
“Where are the prisoners?” Nil asked, pinning one attacker against the wall. He twisted an arm behind one man’s back as his friends groaned or lay immobile on the floor. The man grunted and groaned but didn’t answer, continuing to struggle as Nil tightened his hold. “The sooner you tell me—”
The man frothed at the mouth, and his eyes rolled up. He started seizing, and Cursed Energy spilled from his mouth. When Nil released him, he fell and continued thrashing. He backed away from the man, confident there was nothing to be found. Nil had no choice but to head into the basement and find the source of the billowing black smoke. The density leaking through the floorboards and the abundance of pink and purple flecks suggested that he was close.
Every passing second left Nil more frustrated. He failed to find another door or stairs to head to the level below. So, he used the tools at his disposal to make an opening. A couple of Expend-powered blows proved sufficient for breaking through the floor. He added a Supercharge to the mix and fell through to the floor below. Nil kept Absorb active, hoping to block enemy attacks, but nothing came.
The Cursed Energy was so thick in the air Nil had to deactivate Energy Instinct to study his surroundings. His heart dropped. A man matching Mila’s grandfather’s description lay in the middle of a magic circle, sliced open from groin to throat. A Cursed Pupae squirmed on the ceiling above it, fleshy tentacles digging into the body below.
Objective updated!
Eliminate the Cursed Pupae before it completes its assimilation.
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Rescue the remaining prisoners before the Scourge ritual is complete.
Find and kill the Scourge Champion.
Nil jumped into action without a second thought. He charged at the Cursed Pupae. Tentacles whipped at him, and he took them on with Absorb.
It was a mistake. The tips of the tentacles transformed into metallic hooks that glowed with noxious purple, leaving icy trails on his skin. They weren’t enough alone. However, Nil felt his skin freeze, crack, and bleed where two lines intersected. A scream escaped Nil as he switched to supercharging durability. It suppressed the pain, and the following injuries didn’t hurt as much. Empowered steps propelled him closer. He closed the distance and grabbed a fistful of tentacles near their base. A powerful tug ripped them free of the pupae. They moved independently, slithering freely along the floor, and disappeared into the vivisected corpse.
Nil refused to take any risks against the opponent. He threw an arm up across his face, blocking tentacles that came at his face. He then plunged his right fist into the pupae and used Expend. The slow channel proved more effective than an instant release. He disintegrated the strange entity from the inside, disintegrating and melting it. The flesh came apart and rained on Nil and the ground. But he found no heart. He was still in the midst of destroying the Cursed Pupae when he felt a sharp pain to the side. It wasn’t a surface discomfort but deeper. Nil felt it within his gut, somewhere past his kidneys but not as far as his navel.
His heart leaped into his threat when he looked down. It was Mila’s grandfather. His front hung open, and fleshy snakes writhed within. He stood wearing a sickening grin with a hand plunged inside Nil’s stomach. He could feel himself freezing from the inside.
Toggled Supercharging has progressed to Mortal 5!
Nil released a quarter of his stores through the abdomen. It blew the man’s hand off. A backhand fist proved enough for a decapitation. Energy Instinct helped him locate the Cursed One’s heart in the depths of the corpse’s chest. He plucked it out and crushed it. Then, Nil collapsed, clutching a ping-pong-ball-sized hole in his abdomen. Burning hot flooded from the wound.
Expend has progressed to Iron 1!
Help.
What happened?
Help!
----------------------------------------
Pain.
Pain pulsed through Nil’s torso.
Then, he opened his eyes, and they also hurt.
Nil’s hands darted to his midriff. There was no hole. Instead, a warped patch of skin and flesh sat to the left of his abdominals, just below Fatima's smooth and jagged lines. His mind immediately darted to whether the Fountain of Pyrene could fix it. A thick, wet tongue lashed his cheek a moment later. It was Hati. The wolf looked smaller and felt somehow weaker.
“Are you okay?” Susan asked, appearing in his range of vision. She stood over him, looking pallid and drained.
“What happened?”
“Hati brought you to me. I fixed you.”
“You fixed me?” Nil asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat up. He glanced between the stains on her sleeve and his clean abdomen. “I didn’t know you could heal.”
“I can’t in the traditional sense,” she replied. “A piece of Hati went into patching the wound.” She hesitated, studying him. “And the organs. It will take him a while to recover.”
Nil jumped to his feet, realizing he was no longer in the brothel. “What about Mila and Prince Albert? The Scourge Champion.”
“Nil?” A pretty young woman—more precisely, a girl in her late teens—drew his attention. She looked no different from any other person her age at first. Then, he noted the familiarity. Nil knew the eyes, the smile, and the hair. Except it wasn’t as done up but in a rough bun. His lips broke into a smile when he recognized Mila Stark. “You’re okay!” She exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. “I knew you’d come if I ever needed you.”
“I didn’t expect to see you so soon, though,” Nil replied, wincing. The young queen-to-be pulled away, looking apologetic. “You bit off far more than you can chew.”
“We weren’t expecting a Scourge Champion,” Mila said. Her shoulders drooped, and her eyes drifted to the floor. “They shouldn’t be here.” Mila’s lip quivered, and words came out, warbling. “I’m sorry. Grandfather said we were rushing into things, and I didn’t listen. My new magic and time in the—”
“No, Lady Stark,” the old mage said, marching into the room. He appeared on the verge of collapse as he walked, using his staff for support. “You were right to come. The Scourge Champions would’ve completed their ritual with or without our presence. Thanks to you. They were slowed, and the Summoned ensured it failed.”
“But grandfather is dead.” Mila hugged Nil again but gentler than last time before sprinting out of the room. The old mage bowed to Nil before following.
“Where are the others?” Nil asked, looking at Susan. The mention of the Scourge Champion had snapped the last traces of slumber out of him. He scanned the room, spotting the remaining mage that summoned them and the assorted apprentices, but they were not the people he wanted to see. “And Prince Albert?”
“Sakura and Katherine are dealing with the Scourge Champion now,” She answered. “Prince Albert is still alive.” Susan’s strong hand forced him back down on the cot. “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re not going anywhere. By Skoll’s estimates, he’s peak Iron Relam or in the early ranks of Bronze. Trust the girls. They wouldn’t need you even if you were in shape for this.”
“But Albert and the ritual—”
“He is safe, and it's over.” Susan squeezed Nil’s shoulder. It was a reassuring gesture. He wanted to trust her but couldn’t help but feel concerned.
It's like working in a kitchen. You need to delegate and trust your colleagues.
“So what do I do?” Nil asked. “Just wait for them to finish the quest for me?”
“Yes. That’s precisely what you do now. You’re good, Nil, but not so good you can take on a foe almost a realm above you. Take it slow. Identify your weaknesses. Get better.”
Isabella was right. I’m not ready for the Gauntlet of Ten.