“I’m giving all of you the same job,” Layla said, addressing the Death Gauntlet team, Cara Sue, and Zora. Besides the five of them, Susan and Andrew were also in attendance. “Get involved in all events with Cleansing Tickets as prizes. We need at least four. All who succeed will win a Silver Ascension Token, Ten Schema Tokens, and Five Thousand Credits. You might even earn bonuses.”
The list of rewards drew a wolf whistle from Andrew. The caseworker ignored him.
“That’s a huge payout and tempting.” Cara Sue frowned. “But do you expect me to do this on top of my CIT responsibilities?”
“Yes. Everyone here will have other quests on top of it. I know it's a lot of pressure, but it can’t be helped. You’re not the only Nexus agency we’re putting on the job. There is a team of seven from another Seed World with the same quest.” A giant screen flickered to life behind Layla. It showed a world covered in storms and shadows. “This year’s Cleansing involves a former Scourge World that was invaded by the Void.” The image shifted to show giant tentacle creatures, odd insects, and twisted humanoids at war with Cursed Ones, Cursed Beasts, and Scourge Champions. “This Cleansing will give us a chance to reclaim several Wells of Power and artifacts. The Control Worlds need the planet.”
“That’s all well and good, but why us?” Cara Sue asked. “Wouldn’t any other team running or completing the Cleansing achieve the same results? Why does it have to be Nexus Agents?”
“Because the Scourge wants their world back, and as we know, the arena construct refuses to discriminate between Scourge Champions and us,” Layla continued. “It only recognizes Cursed Ones, Cursed Beasts, and the Void as the real enemy. The blasted intelligence doesn’t seem to accept or can’t compute that the Scourge breed, worship, and work with all but the Void. So, the Nexus has decided that we can’t trust average Summoned, who are not affiliated with us, for the job. We need people like you. The rewards should make the stakes clear.
“You don’t have to run the Cleansing afterward. We only want the ticket under our control. You can pass it on to someone with the same quest who failed, or we can find someone else.”
“Fine.” Cara Sue sighed. “I’m in for the ticket hunt. No promises regarding the rest.”
“That’s acceptable.” Layla turned to the other four. “What about the rest of you?”
“Already accepted it,” Nil replied. Shawn and Selia echoed the sentiment.
“You had me at ascension token,” Zora said. “If I get one and am ready to ascend, I might not help with the Cleansing. I’ve been stuck at Bronze for far too long.”
“We’re already searching for substitutes. I have people trying to poach talent from a few other luduses. Don’t worry; they’re all cooperative individuals who are willing to follow a leader. The last thing I want is to unsettle the dynamic we have going in this room.” Layla’s attention turned to Andrew. “Before you depart, I want you to sit down with everyone here except Nil and Susan. Discuss what they want out of a soul weapon and start chassis designs. In the interim, you will create weapons that will fill the hole during the Cleansing. Shawn’s and Selia’s were a good start, but I’m sure you can do better. We’ll help with material costs and experimentation. Time and experience on the Control World should help with the quest.”
“You got it, boss,” Andrew replied. “But it will be difficult to come up with something good without their regular input.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Layla said before moving on. “Zora, I’ll send you a second quest by the end of the week. In the meantime, I’m sending you and Cara Sue vouchers to spend on spell emporiums and trainers. It might be wise to invest in mobility, defense, and swift magic recovery spells. The Cleansing is long, and you can’t afford to rest for long outside of the checkpoints.”
The meeting remained on the topic of Cleaning for a while. Unlike Shawn, Nil and Selia didn’t know a lot about the events. Apparently, it was a method of reclaiming high-value worlds from the Scourge and, occasionally, the Void.
It was a multi-stage race with several checkpoints where people got to rest and recuperate. Access to the checkpoints required trophies or tokens collected from Cursed Ones and other teams, respectively. Arrival at the checkpoint dictated exit time, and they were unskippable. Collected trophies and tokens opened the path forward, weakening corruption and stabilizing the realm. There was something about rations, supplies, and life support magic, but Nil’s mind began to drift.
More sessions with Watcher awaited. Nil couldn’t wait to share his recent discoveries and developments with the mysterious entity. The defensive Source energy was a game changer, giving Nil precisely what he needed: a way to Absorb energy without letting the source touch him. The immovability limited its usability, but elemental attacks carried by a physical component weren’t as big a threat anymore. If he robbed ice scarabs and fireballs of their kinetic energy, they’d fail to do him much harm. Nil hoped that training and practice would help him get past the limitations.
The Source Sphere, the technique Nil had written off as a training tool, had proven its power. Nil also wanted to explore it more. Whenever the Source touched something, the contact particles reacted, consuming themselves to disintegrate the material. The Source Sphere’s high rotational speed minimized the contact points and the speed flung the energy, causing a wide area of effect. It had limited reach, and the shape forced Nil to use mostly thrusting attacks. As a result, it didn’t make the energy weapons redundant. Nil needed them when dealing with martially talented foes or needed to deal with multiple targets in swift, measured movements. However, he foresaw it becoming the perfect tool for taking out giant Cursed Ones.
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“You got it, boss!” Zora exclaimed, mock saluting and snapping Nil out of his daydreams. She spun on her heel and marched out of the office. Cara Sue rolled her eyes, following close behind the woman.
“Now that we’re alone, we can discuss what our beloved Death Gauntlet team will be doing in the interim,” Layla said.
“You mean on top of getting tickets?” Selia asked.
Layla nodded. “You might have enough skill and strength to each get one of the tickets available to your world, but none of you are ready for the Cleansing. So, I’ve spoken to the Control Worlds about your reward, and we’ve thought of an amazing opportunity. You’ll gain access to cultivation resources and knowledge and get plenty of opportunity to improve your attributes and abilities.”
Susan smiled knowingly. She sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. Andrew looked between Layla and the rest of them, as confused as Nil felt. He broke the silence in the end.
“Enough suspense,” he said. “Please enlighten us.”
“I’m sending all of you to Control World with Andrew and Susan. You’ll be there for a little over a year, but it will be exactly for three months of your home world’s time.”
A heavy silence hung over the room. Everyone but Susan appeared surprised.
You have been invited to the Control World, Ashe Fall, for thirteen lunar cycles. It’s the home of Yggdrasil’s Daughter and Council Arcanum.
While on Ashe Falle, you’ll assist the masters of Onyx Dragon Academy and take care of their young apprentices. Your responsibilities will involve assisting Watcher Behind The Stars with his lessons, preparing his meals, and whatever other assistance he might need.
You’ll be paid 2 Schema Tokens and 200 Schema Credits per month of service. Room, board, and uniform are a part of your compensation.
You’ll receive ample time to explore the world and study its knowledge, but Nexus will limit the manuals and texts you can copy into your Schema Interface. Watcher Behind The Stars is your host, and you may enter Apocalypse Arena with his permission.
Nil reread the Schema message. The mention of Watcher caught Nil’s attention. He hadn’t encountered the mysterious teacher’s full title before.
It has to be him. How many people go by a term as ominous as Watcher?
“Everyone here has caught the attention of powerful figures, and either they or individuals in their employ have agreed to assist in your growth,” Layla explained. “You’ll be expected to work for them during this period, and they might even allow you to accompany Andrew when he goes out with Samara to study magic in the field and procure materials. I doubt I need to explain to you how valuable an opportunity this is and the amount of work that went into arranging all of this.”
“That’s an immense opportunity.” Shawn’s mouth hung agape, focused on nothing in particular. Nil recognized the odd eye movements. He was reading the contents of his Schema Interface. “I’ll be studying under a descendant of Gaia? Wasn’t she the first druid?”
Layla nodded. “Stories say she was the first mortal to learn magic from Yggdrasil and share it with the rest of humanity. A large chunk of the multiverse owes their prosperity and survival to her bloodline and students.”
“Who will you be studying under?” Nil asked Selia.
“It doesn’t say,” she answered, frowning. “The only information I have is that I’ll be serving the Weave and shadowing a Spider. What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m not allowed to speak about it, but you’ll find out in due time,” Layla replied. “I’m sure you’d prefer more material rewards, but trust me, this is far better. It’s very rare for Summoned from a Seed World as young as yours to gain such an opportunity. None of my cases or agents I’ve led have received such invites. A part of this is to give you a chance at the Cleansing. The fact that the higher-ups are willing to take this big a chance on you means you’ve all impressed some powerful entities.”
“You don’t need to sell it any harder,” Nil said. He accepted the quest. “I’m in. There is little for me to worry about since you’re taking good care of my family. Just do me a favor and look out for Emily. She’s not as strong as she pretends to be and is really not suited for combat.”
“You’ve got me word. I’ll take good care of your sister and ensure she doesn’t get herself killed. Given her age and ability, she only needs to go on four quests a year, and I’ll pick her choices personally.”
“This just got a whole lot more fun,” Andrew said, finally getting past his shock. “We’re going to see the multiverse, Sunny-boi!”
“Aren’t you glad that didn’t end up your arena title?” Selia laughed. “If Nil’s in, I’m in. I don’t like this mysterious bullshit, but it sounds interesting. It would be stupid to give up an opportunity to see a Control World.”
All eyes moved to Shawn.
“Why wouldn’t I? There is nothing keeping me on Earth. Three months away, but a year of training time sounds incredible to me.” He nodded, finally looking past the Schema Interface. “This might actually give us a chance to beat Wilson Luduses.”
“Excellent!” Layla clapped her hands together excitably. “Go home for now. Take a few days to rest. Maybe have some fun. Your time on the Control World will be far from easy.” One of her clones handed Andrew an ornate box made of pale wood. “Be sure to speak to Cara Sue and Zora. Find out what they need and start work on it straight away. They’ll need powerful magic batteries and spell storage crystals for what is to come.”
Andrew accepted the gift. His eyes gave away his excitement. “You got it.”
Nil gripped Selia’s hand under the table, and she smiled at him. She seemed giddy as well. They all were. After everything he had learned and heard about Control Worlds, he couldn’t wait to learn more about them. His family and Bunty wouldn’t be happy about the absence, but he planned to tell them to look out for events where Cleansing tickets were at stake.