Light leaked through the bottom of Susan’s door, but no one answered when Nil knocked.
“Do you think she’s out?” Selia asked, her words heavy with concern.
“Who goes out with music playing?” Nil pressed his ear to the door. “She might be in trouble. Attacked. Poisoned. Anything is possible with the Symbiotech fuckers.”
“What are you thinking?” Selia frowned. She dropped onto her knees and tried to peek through the crack under the door. Nil had already tried it and saw nothing.
“I don’t know,” Nil replied. “She and the dogs might’ve discovered something big. Maybe someone tried to shut her up.”
“Are you sure that’s possible with the new upgrade? Susan is pretty fucking powerful.”
Ascending her power to Silver Realm had come with two powerful gifts. The first significantly empowered her dogs, improving their physiology and abilities. The second helped her borrow their power and wield it for herself. Her current training involved keeping her senses enhanced semi-permanently. She had also splurged on several new spells with light and darkness focus. She would need to ascend her body before effectively utilizing both. Nil believed that it was unlikely most people would be able to get the jump on her, but anything was possible.
“Susan! Are you there? Is everything alright in there?” Nil knocked on the door harder than last time.
“Want me to phase through the door?”
Nil shook his head. “What if she is in a compromising position? Susan might not appreciate that.”
I can’t let Andrew down.
“Maybe we should ask your dad,” Selia said. “The ludus has got to do a wellness check if necessary, right? ”
“Good call.” Nil nodded. As the ludus manager, Udit had a master key to every room in the compound.
The door opened a crack just as Nil and Selia were about to leave. Much to their surprise, it was Andrew who peeked out.
“Hey, Sunny-boi!” Andrew grinned. He looked way more in shape, tame, and generally better looking than when they last met. His bare torso bore a flat, muscled abdomen instead of the flab Nil remembered seeing last time. It was clear that the man had ascended to Iron Realm—or at least his body had. “What are you doing here?”
“Checking on your girlfriend,” Nil answered. “What the hell, Andy? When did you get back?”
“Last night. Congratulations on your wins, by the way. Susan told me about them. I thought I’d do you the courtesy of letting you celebrate.” Andrew peeked at Selia. He stuck his hand out, and the door opened slightly. Andrew had no clothes on. Just a cushion covered his groin. “We haven’t formally met, New Girlfriend. Andrew Harper.”
“No. We haven’t.” Selia chuckled. She shook Andrew’s hand. “Selia. Just Selia.”
“Forget that for now,” Nil said. “You’ve been back an entire day and didn’t call or message?”
“I thought about it a bunch, but uh…” He glanced over his shoulder, and they heard laughter from inside the room. “We kept getting sidetracked or distracted. I haven’t slept or eaten since we got back.” Andrew yelled over his shoulder. “Should we get some food? I don’t think I can get back into it after seeing Sunny-boi’s puppy dog eyes.”
“Can I have ten minutes for a quick wash?” Susan called. “I stink.”
Andrew returned his attention to Nil and Selia. “See you in the cafeteria in fifteen?”
“Come up to my suite,” Nil replied. “Susan knows the way. I’ll make something nice.”
“Are you sure? We’re pretty ravenous. I don’t know about Susan, but I could eat a horse and its entire bloodline.”
“I’ll figure something out.”
----------------------------------------
Unfortunately, the ludus didn’t have any decent fried chicken shots in the vicinity, making it challenging to procure Nil’s favorite guilty pleasure food. The cafeteria didn’t offer it either since most Summoned had no interest in anything so greasy or heavy. They occasionally offered crispy Chinese-style chicken with jasmine rice, but it wasn’t quite the same. He ordered from the local Turkish restaurant instead. He had a soft spot for the lamb ribs. The rice, bread, salad, and sauces that came with it also saved Nil a lot of work. He only pan-fried all the fish in his fridge so they’d have enough protein.
Exhausted and famished after her match, Selia snacked on peppers, tomatoes, and cucumber. “I was almost convinced Shervon metabolized my poison,” she said with a mouthful of food. “Fear, panic, and exhaustion must’ve won him his previous matches. In all honesty, he wasn’t that difficult an opponent.”
“Are you mad?” Nil asked. “Shervon Gray was most likely one of the most terrifying fighters around. Stamina. Speed. Rage. Soul Weapon. Four Arms. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how I’d deal with him. Between that red impervious skin and sonic hammer, my chances would’ve been slim.”
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“Are you mad? Source weapons and Expand blasts would’ve sorted him out—” Selia snapped her fingers. “—like that.”
“That would involve getting within his reach while Expending without breaking limbs or getting my head crushed. Shervon’s grappling and martial skills were way better than mine. I don’t think you realize how oppressive your phase shifting and fighting skills are. Shervon and I might be better in terms of raw martial ability, but neither of us can combine it with our ability as well as you.”
“But that thing you did with Jaqueline—”
“Wouldn’t have worked on Shervon,” Nil insisted. “I know that Brute archetypes are supposed to counter Rogues, but that’s probably more relevant for passive abilities like Winter Hunter or that spider-walking archer from my Capture The Flag event.”
“Isabella says I’m more an Arcane Warrior than Rogue. My approach and fighting style is just stealthier than that of most.”
“And you’re now adding magic on top of that.”
Nil was starting to understand why Layla disliked the archetype system. They became irrelevant as a person’s power seed grew and developed. The designations were more accurate when talking about a person’s attribute distribution.
It took Andrew and Susan just over half an hour to join them instead of the promised fifteen Minutes. Much to everyone’s relief, the takeaway followed seconds after their arrival, and everyone dug in hungrily. After the usual greetings and banter, Nil finally had a much-needed catch-up with his dearest friend. Andrew’s quest didn’t go as they expected.
“We thought you successfully chased away the Scourge, but we were wrong,” Andrew told him. “The bastards infected our soldiers with some sort of curse or plague. It was like some sort of zombie virus. We lost our Summoned guards, but they protected the fort well enough until the local Control World came to the rescue.”
“Hold on a moment.” Selia forgot her food for a moment. “You went to a Control World?”
Andrew nodded. “Turns out Samara is a bit of a celebrity. The time flow was different there. So, technically, I’ve been away for a bit more than a year. It was a bit of a culture shock, and it took me a while to get used to the change. But—”
“Was it one of the oriental-style cultivation worlds, medieval or modern?” Selia interrupted.
“A hodgepodge of a bunch of things,” Andrew answered. “Imagine Victorian magitech London but with a hint of cultivation. I think a bunch of different developed Seed and Beacon Worlds got together and built their ideal society. It was kind of inspirational, really. Samara wants me back in a few months to continue my education.”
“And I’m going with him.” Susan grinned.
“You’re moving to a Control World?” Nil’s eyes widened.
“It's not going to be permanent,” Andrew said. “About a year or so in their time, but the volume of high-quality work is insane. It should accelerate my progress to Bronze Realm. Apparently, talented artisans are few and far between. So, the Nexus is going all out to invest in my growth.”
“And I’ll be his muscle during fieldwork,” Susan added. “Layla thinks the experience will make me more useful for work over here.”
“And here I thought you’d be around to upgrade the gauntlets to Bronze.” Nil sighed.
“I should be back by the time you get the ranks high enough and procure the materials,” Andrew replied. “It's not like I can get your Soul Weapon to Bronze, until I’m there myself. So, this will be good for all of us.”
Andrew carried on to tell them more about the Control World, his time there, and everything he had learned. Samara had also arranged a new tattoo for him. It was a storage device only for individuals with artisanal abilities. It only let Andrew store equipment and a small quantity of materials. He also had a couple of new firearms. Selia was especially fascinated with his creations, and Andrew promised to build her something before he left in eight weeks. She only needed to accompany him to the Nexus Market and pay for the materials.
The soulsmith also apologized to Nil for not seeking him out after returning. He claimed to be genuinely concerned about the Death Gauntlet matches, but after hearing about the victories, Andrew thought it okay to make up for lost time with Susan instead. Nil understood and didn’t hold it against him.
“I’ll see if I can do some finetuning before your bout with Pietro,” Andrew said once they were done eating. The women sat in the living area, discussing the Symbiotech case and CIT’s investigation. “Is your dad and Emmy okay with all of this?”
Nil shook his head. “But they understand why I need to do this. It's not fun like the Gauntlet of Ten or the qualifiers. I hate that I don’t have any choice but to kill my opponent, but if I don’t do it, someone else will. Failing that, more people will fall victim to whatever the fuck they’re up to.”
“I get it, Sunny-boi.” Andrew dried the dish Nil had just watched and put it away. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I just want to ensure you’re okay with all of this. It's not you. I wish I could also take you to the Control World. We’d have a bunch of fun, you’d get a bunch of ranks, and maybe even expand on all the cultivation stuff.”
“It would be fun, but I’m needed here,” Nil said. He glanced over his shoulder at where Selia and Susan sat. “Our relationship also just started. It would be weird to go away for such a long time right now. Long distance is shit, and more so when there are universes between you.”
“I wouldn’t even know how to take you with me if I wanted.” Andrew shrugged. “I just thought it would be fun.” He also glanced at Selia. “I like her. We’ve just met but Selia seems a much better fit for you compared to Katherine.”
“I try my best not to make comparisons.” Nil smiled. “I’m glad you’re back, Andy. Even if it's for a bit. These last few months haven’t been easy.”
“Well, I’ll be here cheering you on for your last match. Maybe some random shit I learned in the Control World will make all the difference.”
“Nil! Andy!” Susan called from the couch. “Should we have a welcome-back party this weekend? Maybe a also little celebration for the Death Gauntlet Team’s victory.”
“Sure,” Nil replied. “It should be fun. I’ll find us somewhere nice.”
“Dinner is on you then,” Andrew said. “I didn’t make a lot of credits. Samara believes experience, tokens, and knowledge are enough.”
“Sure. I’ll make a few calls. Is it okay if I bring my family?”
“Will you finally introduce me as the new girlfriend?”
Nil nodded. “Prepare to be judged though. Emmy has wanted to officially meet you for a while now.”