AA. 55 (Patreon)

“Ready?” Xiang asked, tightening her vambraces. 

Golden Aegis partnered with several small companies, one of which was a small Artisan Firm that made armor for Iron and Bronze arena fighters. Xiang’s cuirass and boots were made of the same matte dark-brown material. All three pieces carried the same Spartan helmet emblem. She also wore navy blue tights, a shirt, and a hooded coat. It seemed the rogue-mage had prepared for stealth long before she announced her team. Nil suspected she had prioritized him and Fatima all along.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Fatima wore no armor. In fact, her outfit was no different from Nil’s, opting for a form-fitting vest, tight shorts, and ballet pumps. They were both a dark grey and almost blended in with her new charcoal symbiote, which covered her completely from the nose down. Of the trio, she appeared the calmest. In fact, Nil saw a hint of excitement in her eyes as she manifested her blades. They were longer and skinnier than the versions she used in training. It seemed her ability had grown since Capture The Flag. Spiky growths extended from the hilts and wrapped around her fingers like knuckle guards. Energy Instinct detected the same shimmering aura around them, and the fiery pink flecks were extra dense.

After training with Katherine, Nil felt much more confident in his chances. The additional attributes, especially Spark, go a long way. Brutal Battery’s growth from Iron-One to Iron-Two was almost one-and-a-half times that of Iron-Zero to Iron-One. He couldn’t wait to see how his capacity would continue to grow. Nil wondered what realm he needed to reach before Absorb would take a blow from the great sky octopus.

“I’m feeling pretty good about this,” Nil said. “I think we have a chance at taking the top four spots.”

“Why top four?” Xiang asked. “The first five are guaranteed to make it through.”

“Because the prize for fifth is pretty terrible. Fifty schema credits and a token. I want an ascension token and don’t care what rank it is.” Nil frowned as something he hadn’t considered occurred to him. “How will we divvy up rewards if all of us make it to the top five?”

“Pool the rewards and divide equally, maybe?” Fatima asked. “The credit and attribute tokens should be easy to divide equally. We can deal with ascension tokens afterward. Maybe do division based on individual position and performance.”

“That sounds acceptable.” Xiang nodded. “I suggest we divide everything equally except ascension tokens and respect how the arena construct divides them.”

“Of course, this is assuming we all make it to the final five.” Fatima added, “Anyone who doesn’t make it to the end and qualifies for the Iron Gauntlet gets nothing.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?” Nil asked.

Both women shook their heads. “It’s only fair,” Xiang said, and Fatima parroted her opinion. “Anyone who doesn’t get through doesn’t need the rewards.”

Symbiotech had given Nil clothes identical to Fatima’s for the qualifiers except a lighter shade of grey. Both carried the company’s logo. The vest had it on the front and back, while the shorts only had it at the bottom of the right pant leg. Meanwhile, the symbiote’s bright white color made him stand out like a beacon in the dark arena. Nil didn’t mind. His job was to attract and hold the enemy’s attention.

A pillar of light rose from under the trio’s feet and merged with the domed barrier above. It was no different from the Mortal Realm event. However, the two moons in the sky and the pair of shadows eclipsing the larger of the pair told Nil that they were no longer on his Earth. A shared Schema interface floated just outside the pillars, counting down to zero. Fatima had already tried pushing through the light wall but failed.

“I count nineteen other pillars,” Nil said. “Fifty-two isn’t divisible by three either. Which means the team sizes aren’t consistent.”

Xiang nodded. “I saw the same. Maybe not all luduses got the same information.”

“Maybe there are twos and ones of people who have already transcended to the Iron Realm,” Fatima stated. “Or there were last-minute additions, and there are twenty teams of three.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Nil said. “We’ll just need to survive longer and kick butt.”

All three of them received a pouch from the arena construct. They contained emergency medical supplies, a water bottle, and food. The battle royale was supposed to last the entire day, but the barrier would shrink every hour, forcing the teams together. Nil hoped they wouldn’t need to use the pouch’s contents anytime soon.

The pillar of light disappeared as soon as the countdown reached zero. As discussed before the event, they ran clockwise along the barrier’s border. Fatima broke away from them and disappeared out of sight. The arena construction had brought them to the ruins of an alien city. The surrounding structures had a medieval feel and were mostly made of wood and stone. None in their immediate vicinity had more than three stories, giving the team’s stealthiest member plenty of hiding spots and high ground for scouting.

It wasn’t long before they heard the sounds of teams clashing. Fatima appeared on a rooftop, barely illuminated by the glowing local flora. The bioluminescence of plants touched by cataclysm-rocked regions seemed consistent despite the world. Nil had seen plenty of such specimens in Iron Gauntlet vids, too. 

Fatima pointed at the best possible route for them. All three of them agreed that getting involved in early battles was a trap. Multiple teams would converge, and it would be a bloodbath. Most who walked away from the skirmishes would be injured and vulnerable to stealthier fighters. So, the trio moved closer to the battle but kept silent and low. Information was key to victory, and they hoped to gather as much information as possible.

Fatima’s guidance took Nil and Xiang to the rooftop of what looked like an old temple. The nearby guard towers would’ve given them a better view but would probably end up a contested crow’s nest. Nil also expected artillery mages like Elisha to target them for easy takedowns.

Three groups fought below. Nil immediately identified the golden, fiery chains and spotted Adam a moment later. Three similarly dressed individuals—probably a team—attacked him simultaneously. While glowing crimson darts peppered all of them. Meanwhile, chain-knight was locked in combat with another person, and he saw no signs of Winter Hunter.

Nil grabbed Fatima’s arm when she stepped forward, shaking his head. “Tempting, I know,” he whispered, glancing at his soul weapon’s visage, hovering just behind them. It wasn’t trying to warn him of anything and didn’t seem particularly interested in anything but the party. Nil guessed it meant that they weren’t in any immediate danger. In fact, the visage hadn’t acted odd since they arrived at the venue. The magic and energies Nil detected with Energy Instinct fascinated it, but nothing more. The manifestation always stayed close to the team, looking placid. “But it’s not worth it.”

“But—”

“We target whoever survives and tries getting away as planned,” he insisted.

“Fine,” she grumbled.

One of the individuals fighting Adam charged at him with a spear that appeared more fluid than solid. A shadow flashed past him, and he fell, screaming and clutching his lower back. The man’s weapon turned into a viscous goo and splattered on the ground. When one of his companions glanced away for a moment, Adam capitalized on the opening, grabbed him, and flung him into the third opposing team member. A moment later, he disappeared out of sight, and the sound of clobbering followed.

“They’re not as bad as I expected,” Fatima whispered after the chain-knight successfully choked out his opponent with the chains. A moment later, the projectiles peppering the battlefield ceased, and a petite silhouette entered the light. Nil recognized the shape: Winter Hunter.

A fourth group joined the fight, engaging chain-knight, and Winter Hunter fled into the shadows once again. Despite the distance, Energy Instinct highlighted the frigid blue trail she had left behind. Meanwhile, the chains radiated a brighter and more incandescent energy than before. Nil knew at a glance that he didn’t want to get hit by them. 

The new team had two melee fighters who engaged chain-knight straight away. Instead of entangling them, he spun his conjurations, forcing his opponents back and creating a blur of gold-orange magic. The third fighter launched a bolt of green at him and the magic exploded against the chains. When the fragments touched the ground, the local fauna came to life. Chain-knight failed to see the silent tendrils creeping toward him, but they successfully wrapped around his right leg. 

Emerald light flashed around the mage, and a sphere the size of a beach ball manifested over his head, arcane symbols and shapes flashing around it. The spell flickered out, and she collapsed a moment later. Winter Soldier stood behind her, emanating a frigid azure aura. The mage screamed for help, but a stomp to the head cut it off abruptly. Her teammates hesitantly glanced between chain-knight and Winter Hunter. Then, they ran, heading towards the temple atop which Nil and his companions stood.

“We have our first prey,” Xiang said. 

Nil nodded. “Hang back here, and don’t conjure your chakrams unless I’m in trouble.”

“But—”

“Save your magic, Xiang. Fatima and I can take care of this without drawing too much attention. If the enemy sees your light, losing them will be a challenge.”

Xiang nodded and stayed on the roof while Nil leaped. He had charged Brutal Battery to just under half before bed the previous night. The landing pushed a quarter of the way to full. He didn’t check to see whether Fatima was following. He knew he could count on her.

Absorb helped him sprint toward the noisily approaching pair without making a peep. Meanwhile, the fleeing pair of melee fighters were locked in a heated, breathless conversation.

“I told you attacking was a mistake,” one hissed. “Maya is too flashy. The match has just started, and we’re just two.”

“It's not my fault she left herself vulnerable,” the other replied. “We went over this in training. She needs to prepare bramble traps before attacking. Idiot had enough time for it.”

“Yeah. Shift the blame. That helps.”

“Shut up.” He nodded at the temple. “Let's get in there and regroup.”

Nil hid in an alleyway, waiting for the pair to pass. He pursued them with Expend-powered strides. They didn’t hear the crunch of stone under his feet until it was too late. Nil rammed the larger of the pair with his left shoulder, putting a tenth of his maximum stores into the attack. The force knocked the man off his feet. He flew several feet before bouncing a couple of times and face-planting in the cobbled street. 

The other, a skinnier man carrying a scimitar and buckler, swung at him. Energy Instinct highlighted the edge as it grew crimson, and Nil evaded instead of blocking. A shield bash followed and hit like a burning sledgehammer even though Nil had switched to Absorb. His stores didn’t climb, and the symbiote squirmed, dulling the heat. 

The man didn’t let up and came at Nil with his scimitar raised above his head. Fatima emerged from the shadows and severed the weapon-carrying limb. He collapsed, screaming. She knelt on his back, weapon pressed to the back of his neck.

“Say you surrender,” she whispered, sounding far more scary than usual. 

“I surrender!” The man yelled. A silver light flashed around him, and he disappeared along with the severed arm, leaving nothing but his rectangular belt pouch behind.

“Do we need to do the same with the other guy?” Nil asked, claiming the six-inch-by-six-inch container. It was identical to his but felt slightly heavier.

Fatima shook his head. “He’s out cold. I’m one hundred percent sure he won’t wake up before the runes activate and teleport him out.” She hesitated, glancing at the immobile fighter. “If not, he’s in no shape to continue. Someone else will take him out. I bet everyone heard Mr Scimitar scream.”

The pair ran toward the temple. Fatima swiped the unconscious man’s supply pouch as they passed.