AA. 54 (Patreon)

One of the building’s armored guards interrupted Nil's training the third evening after their arrival, two days before the battle royale. He and the women had tired each other and parted ways to do their own thing. Nil could feel his Finesse on the verge of ascending and was in his third hour of dodging and catching darts.

“You have guests,” it said in a metallic, genderless voice. It sounded like reverberating metal.

“Guests?” Nil raised an eyebrow. “I’m not expecting anyone. Who is it?”

The armor sounded hollow as it walked away. Nil watched it go, wondering who could’ve come to see him. He didn’t expect Shina until the battle royale, which was on Saturday. There weren’t many people who he expected to come to see him, but he wasn’t sure who. Nil rushed to his room, scrubbed himself under a steaming shower for a few minutes, and dressed in fresh clothes before rushing to the building’s lobby. 

A trio of beaming faces greeted him. 

“What are you doing here?” He asked, at a loss of words. 

“We’re to cheer you on, of course,” Andrew answered, standing with an arm draped around Susan’s shoulders. “Katie says you’re allowed guests to help you with training. So we’re here to help.”

Katherine smiled at him from behind the pair. It almost seemed forced. She fidgeted and struggled to maintain eye contact. “Only until ten,” she said. “The construct will eject us afterward.”

“You can’t go above the second floor either,” Nil said. The level contained open training rooms for participants to train under their coaches and teachers. He hadn’t used the level and hoped the rooms would be free. “Are you sure you want to watch me train? The bar and lobby might—”

“No,” Susan interrupted. “We didn’t come here to interrupt your training. You do your thing. We’ll watch and make fun of you.”

“A variety of opponents might be great,” Nil said. “Will you let Skoll and Hati use their magic?”

“I don’t see why not.” Susan grinned. “No rules and superiors are limiting me in here.”

Nil hadn’t descended from the upper floors except to visit the cafeteria and hadn’t realized how many participants had brought their trainers along. He spotted Shawn and his sickly teammate talking to a much older woman. While walking by, he heard tips regarding their formation, but not enough to get a decent idea of it. 

When they stepped onto the second floor, Nil found several other participants walking and talking with older individuals in the hallways. A Golden Aegis trainer stood by the target range with Elisha. Nil had never attended the man’s classes and believed he primarily worked with the ludus’ handful of mages.

It was early evening, and most were filing out for dinner or to clean up before it. So, Nil didn’t have much trouble finding a free space. The room was basketball-court-sized and full of giant rocks and boulders. Elevated benches lined the training areas, and runes covered the walls.

When Nil closed the door behind him, the glass frosted over, and Susan summoned her twin wolves, each as tall as a horse. Nil received excellent agility training, dodging and evading the canines as they played chase and launched at him. Occasionally, lights flashed, blinding him, leaving Nil to rely on sound and touch to evade or Absorb. Then little shadow tentacles came to life, grabbed his ankle, and tripped him. 

The beasts were only toying with Nil, but he struggled to cope. When Susan meant business, he was sure they were a terrifying threat. He could see why the Nexus valued her so much and had rewarded him with a bonus for saving her life. The woman went on two quests a quarter and didn't discuss them. Nil was sure she dealt with terrifying threats, tracking and culling Cursed Ones with Skoll and Hati’s assistance.

After a couple of hours, “Any luck with the Finesse?” she asked. It was eight in the evening, and neither she nor her wolves looked tired. Meanwhile, sweat-soaked Nil's fresh clothes. He regretted changing into them.

Nil shook his head. “I can almost feel it, but the breakthrough just isn't happening.” He sighed. “Thank you, though. It was a great bit of fun, and tracking the magic sharpened my understanding of the sensing ability.”

“Well, that's a shame. Maybe we can try again tomorrow evening.”

“I appreciate it, but I'd rather rest up for the battle royale,” Nil said, rolling his aching shoulders. Hati had once playfully pinned him by the arms, pushing Brutal Battery beyond capacity and nearly dislocating his shoulders. “Going in tired or bruised won't do me any good. I'm happy to grab dinner with you guys.”

“In that case, do you mind if we watch a show instead of hanging out with you?” Andrew asked, smiling sheepishly. “We’ll be back to cheer you on Saturday, but there is a deal for Lion King tickets tomorrow. I think sales are down because of the Silver Gauntlet tournament, so they're practically giving them away. Good seats, too.”

“Go for it. Have fun. Maybe visit a few decent cocktail bars afterward.” He smiled at Katherine. “Thank you for coming, too. I was worried when you didn't answer my messages.”

“I just needed some time,” she replied with a half smile. Katherine looked at Andrew and Susan. “Why don't you two head on out? We have a couple of more hours before they kick me out. I'll help Nil train his Mind until then.”

The couple didn't protest. Susan hugged Nil, kissed him on the cheek, and wished him luck. Andrew punched his arm before bursting into laughter and doing the same. An awkward silence followed the pair. They sat next to each other as Nil caught his breath.

“I didn't expect to see you so soon after the bomb I dropped,” he said after five minutes. The visage stood against the opposite wall, watching him. Nil tore his eyes away from Aisha’s face. “I'm sorry—”

“You have no reason to apologize, Nil,” she said. “And I don't want you to think you scared me away. Because—” Katherine smiled, moving closer. “—you haven't. I just need some time.”

“I'm happy to go back to being friends.”

“That's not what I'm saying.” Katherine finally met his eyes. “Things are complicated for both of us. But that doesn't mean we should put happiness on hold. How about we just keep things casual? There is no need to reverse or accelerate. Then, as things get better for me at work and with my mum, and you figure out a better way to deal with this thing that looks like your murdered ex, we can reassess things.”

“So, friends that care about each other to an inappropriate degree?” Nil asked, grinning.

Katherine laughed. “That's one way to put it, I suppose.” She leaned close and lightly kissed his lips. “Just don't hide things like this from me, please? And pick a better time or place to drop heavy information.”

“Got it. All big revelations are to happen with my family as an audience.”

Katherine playfully smacked his arm. Her superior Might attribute made the light blow sting. “So? Would you like some help raising your Mind? I can throw things at you simultaneously. If we're lucky, we can raise two attributes with one stone.”

“Sounds good to me. I think there is a Mind Mage and a Psionic in the battle royale. A bit more psychic defense might go a long way.”

“You might actually need a couple of points then,” Katherine said thoughtfully. “I could use my ability, but you might not want to be around me or sleep with me afterward.”

“Unlikely, but let's try anyway,” Nil said.

Nil couldn't tell whether Katherine was exaggerating or it was his newest feat, but the psychic assault wasn't as bad as he had expected—or so he thought at first. Darts made of bright pink energy flew through the training space, peppering the ground and walls. They shattered the same way as Xiang’s chakrams and released a faint shockwave. Despite the lack of physical stimuli, each pulse sent Nil staggering. It felt closer to the antlered Cursed One’s scream than the sky octopus, Oth’s, stare. An internal thud reminiscent of a plastic lunch tray smacking him in the face accompanied the sensation.

Luminescent tentacles simultaneously assaulted Nil. Absorb ensured they didn’t hurt him, and Brutal Battery’s stores didn’t climb as fast as when fighting Skoll and Hati. However, the accompanying sensation reminded him of suffering Armsmaster’s Disappointment. Nil’s heart raced as the memory of every failure flashed through his mind. Except he felt terrified, too. A pallid, twisted figure stood in her place whenever he glanced at Katherine. She looked like a more stretched-out version of herself. The features were angular, and a long serpentine tongue licked pointed teeth. Nil lasted five minutes before he collapsed, clutching his head. 

Mind has progressed to Mortal 5!

Instead of celebrating, Nil threw up. It took him twice as long as the psychic assault to recover from it. Deep breathing helped calm his racing heart and throbbing temples while Katherine rubbed his back.

“I told you it's horrible,” she said. “My ability focuses on inducing terror in my opponent and breaking down mental faculties until the target is little more than a blubbering mess.” Katherine’s eyes glowed as she spoke, and her free hand’s fingers danced. It looked like she was weaving a cat’s cradle of warning arcane energies. Nil instantly felt better. “I can do the opposite, too. My offense is pretty useless against Cursed Ones and the Void, but I can deal with the Scourge just fine and ensure my companions don’t fall to enemy psychic attacks.” Katherine paused, stepping away from Nil. “You don’t want to be around me anymore. Do you?”

“That was terrifying but not so bad that I don’t want to be around you anymore,” Nil answered, wiping his mouth. He accepted a water bottle and drained it within seconds. “Do you have any mints?”

Katherine nodded. She found what he needed after a minute of rooting through her purse. “I can promise you that you won’t face anything as potent in the Mortal or Iron Realm.”

“Well, I know what to expect, and my Mind reached Mortal-Five. Hopefully, between it and ‘The Powerful Of Belief,’ I’ll have enough resistance to shrug off most of what my opponent can throw at me.” Nil paused for a moment, mulling over all the information they had gathered. “What’s the difference between a pure Mind Mage and Psionic?”

“The first almost exclusively focuses on psychic attacks, debilitating effects, and illusions,” Katherine explained. “A pure Mind Mage of my realm could probably turn you into a catatonic, drooling mess if not lobotomize you from across the room. Meanwhile, Psionics like me also create physical manifestations like my darts and whips. They’re not particularly strong but don’t leave us utterly useless against other people like us, individuals with abnormally high Mind scores, or entities immune to Mind Magic altogether. There is a slight trade-off, and I’m glad I picked the Psionic path.”

“Good to know. So if I spot a Mind Mage and Psionic on the same team, I’ll prioritize the first,” Nil said.

“Honestly, you’re better off just running away. Your current resistances won’t hold up against someone talented for long.” Katherine smiled, sitting on the ground next to him. She ran her fingers through Nil’s hair. The sweat didn’t seem to bother her. “You’re serious about this whole arena thing, aren’t you?”

Nil nodded. “The more I find out about it, the more I’m sure that this is what I’m made for.”

“After seeing what it did to some friends and colleagues, I made a rule not to date anyone mad enough to get involved with Apocalypse Arena.” Katherine sighed. “I guess that was a pointless decision.”

“So we’re dating now?” Nil asked, raising an eyebrow.

Katherine shrugged. “Get up. We’re going again. I think we have enough time to get Mind up to six, if not seven. Just try not to look at me during.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t.”

They kept going for another half an hour before Nil gave up. It was the most tortuous experience of his life, but he received an unexpected notification.

Mind has progressed to Mortal 6!

Spark has progressed to Iron 2!