The Oracle Paths

"Hmm?"

A hissing, discordant hum exploded in all of their heads, momentarily making them dizzy and causing the more feeble-minded to faint. The inhuman droning sound was enough to make one break out in a cold sweat, instilling in the few survivors a primal fear.

Struggling to hold the creature's gaze as it oppressed them indiscriminately, Jake managed to squint and put a name to the overpowering alien levitating like an indifferent god above them.

It was an insect. More precisely, a kind of spider, but with more legs.

The thing had a span of less than two meters and twelve hairy legs, but its shiny black abdomen was completely hairless. From the mandibles, to the multiple pairs of eyes, this thing looked like some kind of alien spider, although genetically speaking it most likely had no common DNA with its Earth counterparts.

Where the creature differed from a classic spider was that it had a long neck in proportion to the rest of its body, straightened vertically like that of a giraffe or diplodocus, making its head and mandibles much more flexible. Its foremost pair of legs, curled up against its thorax, were also distinguished by their seven opposable fingers, a condition conducive to the development and handling of tools.

Jake was at first certain that this monster was an enemy, but he began to doubt it when he recognized the equipment the creature was wearing. It was a kind of futuristic armor made of shining metal, but its surface was covered with lines of bluish light drawing multiple symbols and runes. One of its prehensile front legs held a large rectangular energy shield, while the other leg held a long scythe dripping with blue blood.

Its head was concealed under a helmet whose visor had a total opacity. If the alien had not voluntarily deactivated it when he arrived, Jake would never have been able to see what was underneath.

All this gear bore too much resemblance to the regular Oracle Guardians' outfit to be just a coincidence. Its arrival coincided with that of the impending rescue.

So why was this fucking spider attacking them? Was it just sheer arrogance, or a poor control of its powers?

As much as Jake was dying to question the creature, to scream out his resentment, there was nothing he could do. Resisting this mental pressure was already taking all his energy.

Oblivious to their plight, the alien swept his gaze over the survivors with scrutiny as if it were looking for something, then shook his head with a disappointed look.

"It is not here. They're not here either. The Nexus should be further down..."

Everyone could hear it grumbling in an annoyed tone, and the pressure pressing them to the ground seemed to subside for a brief moment as the spider lost interest in them before suddenly flaring up.

The alien fluttered hastily to the Floor Boss, its attention suddenly caught by the bracelet on its wrist.

"Oh my... What do we have here?" The spider lovingly caressed the silver bracelet as if he were courting an unnaturally shy damsel... Or rather, justifiably terrified.

Jake's clone was obviously not pleased with this "promiscuity" and he began to roar ferociously, struggling with all his might to break his spiritual chains. His huge muscles swelled to an extreme level, and for a second the other survivors thought the Digestor would manage to escape, but a gentle poke of one of the spider's pointy legs made him lose all his fighting ability.

The lava veins went out instantly as a black, corrosive substance rapidly circulated through his bloodstream. Soon, the mighty Digestor was using all his strength and abilities not to free himself, but simply to stay alive...

Continuing to examine the bracelet as if the Floor Boss' hateful roar did not exist, the spider at some point decided to grab the bracelet with one of its prehensile legs and gently tug on it.

The metal bracelet was neatly torn off, hand and wrist along with it. Weighing the object in his shiny black hand with amusement, the alien smiled fondly.

"About six tons. That's unexpected. Ahem, thanks for the gift." Patting the Digestor's shoulder in thanks, the spider turned to the other paralyzed survivors and said,

"Pretend I'm not here and best of luck to you all. You may carry on with your discussion as you wish. I won't interfere, I promise."

The alien mockingly apologized with an ungainly bow before disappearing in the direction of the central volcano. Eventually, it returned to inspect the other unconscious or immobilized Digestors, and ripped off their arms too, to see if they were hiding a bracelet somewhere.

The shrill grunts and groans of pain were laden with resentment and a deep sense of injustice, but that didn't stop the alien from mutilating them for a few grams of alloy liquid.

It turned out that this was not an irrational act. Several of the Digestors were powerful clones of Jake, whose evolution was similar to the one he had defeated earlier. Some of them actually carried some amounts of the precious alloy with them. They just hadn't figured out or decided what to do with it yet.

Once its harvest was complete, the greedy, sociopathic alien flew off again, this time disappearing for good into the magma chamber of the volcano.

When the spiritual pressure eased and they could move again, they heard the spider sigh in the distance,

"Why is it that the Nexus of these Dungeon Digestors is always on the bottom floor? Can't they put it on the first floor? That would save everyone time..."

The Evolvers and the other Digestors stayed frozen in disbelief after the alien left, exchanging confused looks.

What the hell has just happened?

Jake was one of the first to jump to his feet, but most had not yet regained consciousness. Yet his reaction was not the shell-shocked blankness that transfixed most.

On the contrary, it was a reaction of utmost lucidity and cold bloodedness: He struck out, and he was not the only one.

In less than a third of a second, all the unconscious or still stunned Digestors were mercilessly chopped down. Without any qualms, Jake took their lives, his Aether and Soul Tribute forcibly sucking out a significant percentage of what once made them powerful.

Those that Jake could not execute in time were eliminated by other Evolvers with an equally keen survival instinct. Mufasa killed a few, Shere Khan a few others. Fumdalf and the chimera protecting Will took out another.

However, no one dared attack the Floor Boss, even though he too was wounded. They were brave, not suicidal.

Everyone understood that.

Help would not come. Not right away. Not as planned.

Something had happened that changed the game. Jake had no one to turn to but himself to get out of this mess.

These Digestors were not weak. They were weakened by their long fight and the abuse inflicted by this cruel spider, but in the end they carried his Myrtharian Bloodline. Their Aether stats were often higher than his and the environment guaranteed them a quick and perfect regeneration in no time.

Any one of them could have faced Jake in a duel without being at a disadvantage and some of them were even stronger. If the spider hadn't hurt them badly, they would never have suffered such a devastating defeat. Their death was absolutely unfair.

But that's the way of the world. Life was unfair. Some were born rich, beautiful and healthy, while others started at the bottom, poor, ugly, and sometimes disabled or retarded.

All they could do was seize the opportunities when they presented themselves.

That was what Jake and the other Evolvers did.

This succession of flawless kills satisfied his Myrtharian ego and his bloodline was greatly stimulated. Jake felt something stir inside him and the Aether flow in his cells increased by over 50% in a fraction of a second.

His Spirit Body also gained two levels, bringing him to a new level of mental clarity.

Without taking the time to look around, Jake also rushed to collect the loot condensed from his victims. Each of these Digestors was an elite among elites and the majority dropped at least one piece of equipment, accessory or Aether Skill.

By the time he and the other survivors finished collecting their rewards, the Floor Boss had fully recovered and was staring at them coldly, a magma ocean of seething fury swirling in his shimmering eyes. The torn off hand had already been replaced by a brand new limb.

Wary, the Digestor did not immediately attack, nor did it let out its signature roar. Against all odds, he glanced at the central volcano, then at the ceiling of the cave above him, apprehension flashing fleetingly across his face before turning his attention back to the survivors.

Not yet attacking, he checked them one by one, his gaze lingering a little longer on some of them before settling on Jake. When the tension became unbearable, the Digestor opened his mouth and declared in a deep voice,

"I'm dying to destroy you, you know."

Those were his first words.

"But I'm scared." He confessed right after without the slightest shame. It was as if he were talking about the weather or his breakfast. "For that reason... I'll let you live. Just for today. We will meet again."

The next moment, the Digestor was gone, teleported far away.

*****

At the same time on the surface, an Oracle Guardian with six arms lay in a pool of his own blue blood. His armor seemed to be intact, but on his back, at a certain point the chest plate had been pierced. A black liquid was seeping out of it.

Grunting in pain with a disgruntled look, the alien muttered,

"Kokoon... That bastard got me good."

As he seemed destined to be stuck here rotting in this state, the clatter of a cane was heard, growing closer and closer, and another voice, aged and malicious, but devoid of hostility, pierced the silence,

"Who would have thought that the valiant Citro would ever be bullied by a new recruit. The Oracle Guardians nowadays are not what they used to be..."