AA. 28 (Patreon)

Fatima conjured a pair of eight-inch blades and held them in a reverse grip. They reminded Nil of the new and fashionable scimitar-style chef knives. However, they had a strange hexagonal pattern, all of which appeared to connect, and they were made of solid, crystalline material. It almost looked like she had used blood for the constructs. They hummed, vibrating so fast that the air around her shimmered. Nil guessed she belonged to the knight or rogue discipline with a combination of passive boosts and active abilities, much like Serpent Tactics.

Nil started the fight while channeling Absorb. He had blown through most of his stores while trying to raise his rank on the obstacle course, so he stayed on the defensive. Facing Winter Hunter taught him to expect the unexpected. There was no telling who could add energy effects, magic, or poison to their regular attacks. He doubted Absorb would’ve held up against Sakura’s Cutting Light either. Just swinging while he had his defenses active was no longer enough. It felt like a decent tactic while facing monsters or whatever else the quests threw at him, but not for Apocalypse Arena hopefuls.

Fatima bounced on the balls of her feet, hopping back and forth. She studied Nil as he stood unmovable, defensively, keeping his hands open for a grab. Fatima’s build and weapons suggested she was a speedy foe, and he doubted trying to strike her with a Finesse score of seven would turn out well. Nil had seen her on the running track and obstacle course. He expected her to be faster than him but didn’t yet know how fast.

“Fine.” Fatima rolled her eyes. “I’ll come at you first.”

Unlike Winter Hunter, she didn’t come at him in a straight line. Instead, she twirled, ballet leaped and weaved. Nil worried that the second he got distracted or committed to a move, she would try to slip into a blind spot. She looked like the type of fighter who would go straight for the kidneys or a similarly vulnerable point. Her approach and demeanor appeared intended to throw the opponent off guard.

Nil didn’t move a muscle as she approached. Instead, he used Energy Instinct, hoping the ability would give him a read on her. Unlike Winter Hunter, Fatima didn’t leave a prominent trail. Only luminous pink flecks came off her blades and hung suspended in the air behind her before slowly fading. The visage stood on the sidelines, frowning as it closely studied the woman.

Then, they clashed.

Fatima slashed with her left. Unwilling to let the blade touch him, he leaned backward at the last second, and the edge passed a hair’s breadth from his chin. Fatima rotated with the same movement, dropped into a squat, and swung her right knife at his lower flank. Nil kicked at her with his left leg, and the woman pulled out of the attack at the last second. She spun away from him, creating distance.

“Good instincts,” the trainer commented. Nil ignored the compliment and went on the offensive. His power forced him to be reactive, and it didn’t feel like the best move against his opponent. Speedy fighters didn’t hit with a lot of force. As a result, Nil lacked the means to build up Brutal Battery. He either needed to wait out his opponent until they made a mistake or disrupt their offense-focused fighting style.

A right guard blocked Fatima’s defensive slash. Nil let the blade slice across his left forearm. He needed to know whether they had any magical capabilities. The duel wouldn’t kill him, and Golden Aegis had decent medical facilities. He could afford to take some risks. 

Brutal Battery’s stores grew by a surprising amount, and the blade cracked. Much to Nil’s surprise, blood streamed from the contact point. Despite him channeling Absorb, the knife had successfully cut him. The wound was only skin deep. Fatima’s wide eyes betrayed that her failure to slice deeper had surprised him. 

As Fatima retreated, Nil’s blood went with her. It hardened around the edge that cut him, repairing the damage. The knife grew as well, turning into more of a dagger. He didn’t let up, keeping her on the back foot. Expend-powered strides gave him the speed to close in on Fatima. Nil could already feel how the increased Finesse improved his balance. It also enhanced the instincts he had built over years of sparring. He noticed how his opponent’s footing changed, and she shifted her balance to her front foot. Another attack was coming.

No. It's a feint.

As predicted, Fatima interrupted her spin halfway, and the right slash didn’t land. Instead, her left blade shot forward from her other arm’s shadow, targeting Nil’s abdomen. He grabbed the wrist of the attacking limb. First, he pushed it away from his torso and then pulled Fatima off balance. Then Nil did a heel spin of his own, so they were back to back. She attempted a blind backswing with her free arm, but it missed. Then Nil’s elbow struck the back of Fatima’s head.

The stumble told him he had jolted her brain and nervous system as expected. Nil knew his opponent had speed, but Might and Absorb made them useless. Her struggles only charged him further. He twisted the held arm behind her back, ignoring the shallow cuts her other blade opened across his ribs. Nil kicked the back of Fatima’s knee, and she fell forward. He forced her into a prone position and then grabbed her flailing free arm as well. Once he had both under his control, the woman could do nothing but kick uselessly. He kneeled on her back, and she stopped resisting.

“You win,” she spat.

“We have a surrender!” The trainer laughed. “Damn, Sunil—”

“It’s just Nil.” Nil released Fatima and stood. She groaned as she rubbed her shoulders rising.

“Whatever.” The trainer approached him with a canister with Symbiotech’s logo on it. When he sprayed Nil’s wounds, a light foamy layer settled on his skin. It turned pink around the scars and solidified. “Impressive technique nonetheless. How long have you been training?”

“Since the cataclysm,” Nil answered. “My parents wanted me ready in case I ever got summoned or got in trouble.”

“Good instincts and better technique,” the man commented, facing the other Summoned. “I’ve had a look at Nil’s file. He has an active defense and offense ability, which can’t function simultaneously. We just saw him use nothing but the first and pure technique to win.” He looked at the still-groaning opponent. “What did you think of your opponent, Fatima?”

“I can see why Symbiotech picked him,” Fatima grumbled. She locked eyes with Nil. “How did you know my blade wouldn’t shred you?”

“I took the risk with the first attack and bet on my defensive ability,” Nil answered. “It's a surprise you still cut me, to be honest. I'd be in big trouble if you landed a blow along the neck, thigh, or inner forearm. It feels like I got lucky, to be honest.”

“Don’t do that.” Fatima glared. She sounded more annoyed than angry or hateful. “Luck had nothing to do with it. You’re the better combatant of us. I might have a higher Finesse score, and my ability rank is probably greater than yours, but you still won.” The woman rose to her feet, approached Nil, and offered him a hand. “Good spar. I thought I had a chance because you’re new and probably inexperienced.” She lowered her volume and leaned closer. “I guess Symbiotech found both of us at the same place.”

Nil almost gave away his surprise. He only nodded and shook her hand before walking off the ring. Ted passed Nil on his way to his spar, flashing him a little smile. “Good one, mate,” he whispered. The trainer didn’t waste much time on commentary and advice before initiating the next fight.

It was interesting to watch the weapon-wielders fight. Nil guessed he had an advantage since he had trained in martial arts for over a decade. The rest didn’t start training in their discipline or with a weapon until after their first summoning. Ted used a sickle on a chain as his weapon, moving significantly faster than Fatima. He was sure-footed as he fought an axe-carrying arcane warrior, but Nil saw more than a dozen faults and openings in the man’s fighting style. The arcane warrior had better technique, but attempts to inject magic into the spar interrupted his flow, and Ted came out victorious.

The spray residue hardened and became uncomfortable. When Nil brushed it off, he found his wounds had already closed. Only angry red lines remained. The Symbiotech products were surprisingly potent.

Why the fuck haven’t I heard of them before?

Nil played the role of sparring partner twice more. He lost against the arcane warrior. The man’s axe failed to penetrate his skin like Fatima’s blades. However, the man also wielded fire and wrapped his axehead in it. The heat and burns eventually got too much for Nil, and he threw in the towel. His opponent had greater reach, too. After a short rest and more of the Symbiotech rest, he faced Lily and won. Absorb and Expend helped him break through her rocky defense. She shaped stones into a club, too, and the force behind her swings almost overwhelmed Brutal Battery’s stores. As a result, he could use Expend freely and eventually came out on top.

The trainer gave everyone individual instruction afterward. Nil retreated from the class and sat in the backlines, hydrating and studying the combatants, trying to think of ways to overcome challenging foes like the arcane warrior.

“You’re almost decent,” a woman said. She had spent most of the past hour sitting at the edge of the underground training room, eating a bowl of cereal. Nil hadn’t heard her approach. He struggled to put a finger on the woman’s age. She appeared a few years younger than him, but yer eyes and body language suggested maturity. Ascensions slowed the aging process so Nil couldn’t be sure. “Your technique is excellent, and your instinct is great. You need to up your Finesse, but that will happen with time. I see one major issue, though. If you don’t fix it soon, you might get stuck in bad habits.”

“What is it?” Nil asked, raising an eyebrow. The woman looked familiar. He had met several people the previous evening, but they were all a blur now.

“You treat your fighting technique and ability as two separate entities. They need to be one. It's interrupting your flow. If you’re not careful, the defensive half of your ability will become a crutch, and you won’t get decent use out of your offense.”

“I’m working on it,” Nil said. “Switching between the two isn’t easy. I need to time the offensive half as well.”

“So, don’t switch,” the woman continued. “Dual mode abilities generally have the same problem. Switching between modes is challenging, and takes focus, and time, especially early on. Activating a mode from neutral is much easier. You’re facing an individual and not several people simultaneously. The enemy’s capabilities and environmental factors are the only concerns. Identify your opponent’s ability, and stay neutral if it doesn’t have anything that’s an immediate threat. Then, activate your defense and offense as and when needed. Be proactive and only react when needed.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you. I’m Nil.”

“I know. I’m Isabella.” The pair shook hands. “You’re the ludus’ new unarmed combatant. It looks like wasting time on martial arts training sessions will be wasted on you. My guidance might prove more valuable.”

“Oh?” Nil tried to recall the staff directory. He recalled the name from it. “What do you teach?”

“I train the knights and arcane warriors. It's for people whose powers involve active close-range abilities and spells instead of passives and conjurations. I think you could benefit from training with me.”

“That would be great,” Nil said, sitting up straighter. “Thank you. When do you meet?”

“I have two afternoon sessions: one after lunch and one after dinner. I suggest you use your mornings to train attributes and join me for the latter. It's a smaller group, and I can give you more one-on-one attention. You're welcome to attend both if you want to be ready in time for the upcoming Iron Gauntlet qualifiers. It will be a lot of hard work, and you’ll be exhausted by the end, but my mentees usually get decent results.”