The Oracle Paths

As that reddish glow deepened in his eyes, the Nosk's ferocity only increased, but somehow he was getting slower. This was not obvious given their terrifying speed, but it became more and more clear as the fight dragged on.

The luster of the long hair-like dendrites was also dimming, their bluish radiance slowly but surely fading. These translucent tentacles were the Nosks' innate energy reservoirs, and they could even plug them into their own people or an available power source to recharge their batteries.

In addition to having a portable power source that was hard to gauge, this Nosk was unlike any that Jake and Will had encountered in the past. This one was a huge albino Nosk over 3 meters tall and its armor covering every inch of its body was far more advanced and intimidating. It was a genuine technological jewel, which unfortunately had no use here.

To overcome the vitality of such a Nosk, it was clear that the miasma swirling around him was not as harmless as it looked from their safe position under the shield. The Nosk was resisting these miasmas by freezing them with the absolute zero zone isolating his body from their reach, but his terrifying ice magic was woefully limited in its success.

Then Jake saw it. When the Nosk missed his target. Or rather, when his blade deliberately struck the void in the wrong place.

The alien fought like all Nosks with a black blade produced by an accessory on his wrist gauntlet. His blades were virtually indestructible, but he had already generated more than a dozen of them to carry on the fight.

When he thrust the black sea with all his might to no avail, the thirteenth blade generation snapped and the alien imperceptibly lost his balance. He recovered immediately, but the demon took the opportunity to break through his guard and grab one of his almost extinguished dendrites. The monster, shrouded in wisps of dark energy, yanked and the appendage was torn off.

A white liquid giving off a bright light disturbed the blackness of the slimy ocean, but the pain snapped the Nosk out of its frantic torpor. Briefly regaining his senses, his gaze focused coldly on his opponent and he attacked again, the broken blade already replaced.

Jake and Will breathed in loudly as they saw the alien's incredible composure. His death was imminent, but his emotions hardly fluctuated despite the perverse influence that the miasma and other demonic spells cast by this demon probably had on him.

"He's a great warrior." Cekt complimented, his eyes glinting with admiration. Then suddenly thinking of something, the Wendok's face darkened and he let out a long sigh. "If all the Evolvers in the Mirror Universe were like this Nosk we certainly wouldn't be in as bad a situation as we are today."

Jake thought he heard deep despair in his master's words, but it was only a fleeting impression. When he probed the little alien's expression, Cekt had returned to normal.

Cekt continued to silently observe the duel, not trying to save the Nosk or kill the Digestor. Instead, he took the opportunity to teach the two humans accompanying him a few things about his experience as an Evolver and Player.

"You see the reddish aura hidden under the miasma enveloping the demon? That is its Spirit Body. The demonic form it uses to fight physically is conjured by its spiritual energy. If you don't have the proper mental techniques, you can rely on electricity, heat or light, but their effects are very weak on this type of demon. The best thing is to understand what they are born from and what emotions they draw their strength from in order to counter them with what they abhor. Obviously, being fearless or even enthusiastic in front of a Demon of Fear is out of reach for a beginner. In this case, a good spirit, a holy artifact, holy water from an angel, a saint, a much more powerful Evolver, or an Aetherist dabbling in Holy or Cleansing Spells will do the trick very well for a minor cost."

"Ah, the Nosk has fallen into an illusion again. It looks like he's fighting coherently and intelligently, but it's just his powerful instincts. Notice the untimely tremors of his muscles? These spasms are the symptoms of the sheer dread in him. If I am not mistaken, in his illusion he is drowning or suffocating. Because he is unable to dispel the illusion, he has no choice but to ignore the symptoms, but that is obviously no small feat..."

"I'm sure you're wondering how he can still fight with that evil aura having corrupted almost his entire mind?" Cekt chimed in for the umpteenth time as the Nosk managed to land a miraculous hit against the miasma demon.

"In fact, he relies on his True Will to keep himself grounded. It is a very special energy that the soul generates to protect the things that define it, but it can also take other forms, like the ones this evil spirit uses. The dark energy weapons they condense seem normal, but they are enhanced by his True Will of Killing and True Will of Fear, which are similar but different from what you usually call killing intent. In theory, if an attack barely touches you these special intents derived from the True Will stat can literally kill you if the will to live of the person in front is insufficient. The True Will of Fear, on the other hand, will make every assault unconditionally terrifying, causing flabbergasting, paralysis and sometimes cardiac arrest."

Jake and Will passively listened to the teachings of the old Aetherists, absorbing all this information like sponges eager for knowledge. Nevertheless, the duel eventually came to an end and the free lesson came to an end.

The valiant albino Nosk was now on his knees, threatening to collapse if he did not have his two blades connected to his wrists as temporary crutches. The icy radiance erupting from his body had dried up and the light from his dendrites was completely extinguished. Only one of them still emitted a faint flicker, but it was like the recalcitrant flame of a candle blown by the wind of a hurricane.

The demon in front no longer hid its appearance under a cloak of black smoke and its palm was pressed against the alien's forehead, its eyes glowing with a deeply evil demonic gleam. Spiritual fluctuations emanated from the place where they were both connected, as the demon voraciously consumed the mind of its victim.

The defeated warrior, powerless, had already lost the ability to fight. If Cekt didn't intervene, he would undoubtedly die here in anonymity and general indifference. No one would ever know that a valiant Nosk warrior had fought his last battle here.

Jake and Will could hardly describe what they felt, but they could not help but feel sick to their stomachs as they witnessed the demise of such a warrior. Subconsciously, they saw in the doom and gloom unfolding before their eyes a foretaste of their own demise.

By accepting to play the sordid game of the Mirror Universe, by standing up against their destiny, it was perhaps the end that awaited them all without exception at the end of the journey.

"Ahem, that was a good fight. Thank you, for your selflessness." Cekt broke the tragic mood with a dismissive sneer, as he strode purposefully toward the demon as if he were walking through his own backyard.

"Now, scram."

Cekt shooed it off with an impatient wag of his hand and the Digestor became a shapeless pile of miasma again, then the dark smoke dispersed completely with the rest of the miasma on the floor never to reappear. The little alien was as invincible as ever.

Saved by the Aetherist, the Nosk immediately regained consciousness and his wild eyes focused on Cekt with unprecedented sharpness. It was as if he was blaming him for ruining his death.

Finally, after a short reflection, the Nosk thanked him for his help and declared that he was now indebted to the little alien, who remained completely stoic.

How many people had Cekt saved in his lifetime? Thousands? Millions? The people who owed him were so numerous that he didn't even count them anymore.

Perhaps in deference to the Nosk's efforts and commitment to his long struggle, the dead demon dropped something. In addition to a crystal sphere, there was also a long spear forged from blood-colored steel. The weapon was enveloped in black miasma saturated with a sinister energy and aura.

"As expected from a Floor Boss." Will sighed enviously.

"It wasn't the Floor Boss." The Nosk protested apathetically in a choppy, guttural accent.

Jake and Will gasped as they learned that this monstrous demon was not the floor boss.

"Uh, where is he then?" The businessman asked politely.

"I don't know."

This answer took them by surprise. It was strangely similar to that of the White Drake they met on the Fifth Floor. It was as if from the Fourth Floor, the next bosses of this Dungeon had vanished.