With the Roaming Boss before them, Colin instantly raised his Mythic Xiphos and readied the Consume Skill on whatever spell it used first. In his other hands, the Drenching Dagger waited in an icepick grip and held it down here his thigh. Rielle had raised her bow and had an arrow ready for when the Demon attacked. Her companion had given her an accurate description of the Demon that had killed him, and she was hesitant to let him die again.

“What took you so long, DevilWalker? We’ve been waiting for you,” It said, clacking its staff into the ground as if the sound would add a note of seriousness to the statement.

Colin’s options swam through his head, and he had at best three good options. First was running away since they were already in a weaker state from the last battle. Attacking quickly and hoping to get in a solid hit or two before it got him. Then there was the third option, merely indulging the Roaming Boss that seemed like it wanted to talk. Couldn’t hurt to do so until he had healed back up to full.

He was about to respond when the Demon turned on its heel and started walking down the path it had come. It paused at the door to the hall and looked back at the pair, “come, DevilWalker. We have things to discuss.”

More than a little confused, Colin assented and moved to follow it, refusing to put away his weapons, however. This creature had killed him once, and it was likely to kill him again. They fell into step behind the Demon, and it started to speak, “DevilWalker, first I should make something crystal clear. We here know what you are.”

A sudden sensation of dread crept into his stomach, “what I am?”

“You’re the final Demon Lord Candidate,” It answered bluntly.

Colin tightened his grip on the Mythic Xiphos and considered changing his choice with following the Demon. It led them down the same hall where Colin had first encountered the Demon and was instantly greeted by the sight of a trio of Juvenile Dracowolves. They snarled and barked at Colin and Rielle but stopped doing more than glare when the Roaming Boss gave then a look.

“How do you know that?” Colin asked, his voice dangerously low.

“All Demons with high enough intellect got a missive from Hell’s Steward. So most Demon’s know that the final Demon Lord Candidate’s name is DevilWalker,” it informed Colin. “And I heard someone yell your name right before you died.”

His grip loosened a little at the thought that so many Demons knew what he was. Since, amidst his research, he’d discovered that Demon summoners were a real thing here. If A Summoner got the bright idea to ask, then they’d have to tell their contractor.

Then, as if it read his mind, the Demon spoke, “Fret not, Candidate. The same missive that told Hell about your existence also passed along a decree. That no mortal or celestial is allowed to be told who any of the Demon Lord Candidates are. They are not allowed to discuss it at all,” the Robed Demon told them as it walked down the hall and opened an unmarked door.

“Then, is that missive part of the reason we aren’t fighting?” Colin asked, genuinely curious and trying to buy a little time. One way or another, this thing had put him through a lot of pain before he died. That meant that it was dead as soon as his health and mana were back up to full. Thankfully, the system hadn’t recognized their encounter as combat, so it was regenerating at a decent pace.

“No, that is both a personal and professional reason. Personally, I want your help, DevilWalker. Professionally, the Dungeon Master wanted to have a discussion with a Demon Lord Candidate if any of them entered the Dungeon,” the Demon answered.

“Why the fuck would I do you a favor?” Colin asked, instantly furious that this THING that killed him once had now told him why they weren’t engaged in combat. “You killed me and set my experience back several hundred points,” he spat.

“You assume that what I offer won’t make up for that in the long run,” The Roaming Boss informed him, keeping calm despite Colin’s apparent anger. It paused turned towards Colin; its skin covered eye sockets looked directly at his face, “What you have now is a mere imitation of the power you could have. But, in exchange for a simple promise, I can help you get stronger.”

“I will rephrase what I said a moment ago. Why the fuck would I trust you enough to even consider this? You killed me,” Colin said.

The Demon turned to walk down the hall and continued speaking, “Your choice, DevilWalker. I assume that you are not interested in getting the Channel Effigy Skill.” The Demon said, attempting to entice Colin.

Jokes on him though, Colin had no idea what those were, and he refused to ask the Demon to explain, so there was no way he would be tempted.

That was when Nox leaped out of Colin’s shadow and stood immediately in the Demon’s path.

The Roaming Boss paused to consider the equally tall Goblin before him, and his mouth twisted in an evil grin, “A Shadow Goblin? Interesting friends you have here, Candidate,” the Demon spoke, delighted by the being in front of it.

“Fuck you and your lying asshole,” Nox spat. “There is no way you know that Skill! It’s lost to time, only Oasis Lamia clans know the Channel Effigy Skill, and they died out before the first Demon Lord,” Nox lashed out. “I was there.”

“They did, Goblin. But I happen to have access to the Skill and can teach it to the Demon Lord Candidate. It might just give him the edge over the other Candidates, especially given that they are likely much stronger than him,” it said, sweetening the pot with reason.

Nox’s face twisted into a snarl, “no. No! You’re lying. No Lamia would give away that knowledge to anyone,” he turned to face Colin, his gaze intense. “Don’t tell me you are considering this?”

Colin shrugged, “I’m not, but to be fair, I have no idea what Channel Effigy is.”

A sigh escaped Nox as he shook his head, “The Lamias are a race of snake half-snake women from the deserts on the south-east Continent. They are well known for doing amazing things, but no one is sure how. The only thing anyone could confirm about this was that they all had a Skill called Channel Effigy.”

“I did a favor for an Oasis Lamia Clan Matron, and she paid me with this skill,” the Demon explained. It stopped walking and faced him one more time, “I swear that everything I’ve told you is true, Candidate, and I can give everything I offer. So I swear on the Hell Prince’s unholy name.”

A Demon has sworn an oath on his Lord’s name. The consequences are dire if this oath is broken.

“Well, let Heaven Damn me,” Nox breathed. “It’s true.”

“And you can give me this skill?” Colin asked, even though that prompt was proof enough for Nox, he chose to remain skeptical.

“Of course, Candidate. Though I believe you have ascertained this correctly, I cannot learn this Skill. Not for lack of trying, however,” The pallid Demon stated. “But it was given to me in the form of an item that I will happily give to you. If you agree to my arrangement,” the Demon stated, his free hand moving to the side of his robe.

“What does this skill actually do?” Colin asked.

“Oh, that’s the interesting part. From what I was told, this Skill allows you to access powers, skills, and abilities from beings known as Pagan Gods. The only downside to the Skill is that you have to be on friendly terms with the Pagan Deity you with to Channel, but it’s usually worth it. I was hoping to channel some Archdemons with the Skill, but I cannot absorb the Skill. Something about my soul not being compatible, beh,” the Demon spat, his hand clenching at a spot on his robes.

Colin checked his Health and Mana, finding both nearly full again. He looked up at the Demon and asked, “what do you want me to do for this item?”

“I want you to dismantle this Dungeon. Shatter the Nexus at its deepest level and allow us to leave this place,” it stated, tone frank and happy, believing it had sold the deal. Destroying the Dungeon in exchange for the Skill was an excellent deal, especially for someone of the Candidate’s stature. If he got the right Pagan God to like him, it could mean the difference between losing and slaughtering his enemy.

Listening around them for a moment, Colin determined his choice.

Readying his skills, Colin drew the Mythic Xiphos and struck at the Roaming Boss in two quick moves.

The Demon reacted with enough speed that Colin was sure that it knew he was going to do something violent. “Mamon’s Coil!” it announced, twisted coils of black wire burst from cracks in the stone beneath Colin. Just as before, they wrapped around his ankles and thighs, anchoring him in place.

You have taken 5 points of damage and now have 270/282 health remaining. You are suffering from Binding Greed. You have been rooted and take 5 points of damage every five seconds until either the spell wears off or you break loose.

And without thinking, Colin grinned and sliced his blade through the two on his right side, activating the Consume Skill.

The wires broke into particulates, then into smaller grains of dust that magically flowed towards Colin’s blade and sunk into it with an orange glow.

Absorption complete in 59 seconds.

Instinct drove him to trigger the Skill again on the other wires, and the timer decreased to 25 seconds.

While good to know, the Skill was too expensive to keep using, so he used his regained freedom to grab one of his throwing knives and throw it.

At the same moment, Rielle had gotten out of the shock of Colin’s sudden attack and had drawn back on her bow. She released the arrow, and it soared through the air, passing Colin’s knife and breaking against a hastily created bubble of red-tinted energy. The knife impacted the Demon’s shield a second later, the sound of their collision echoing like steel against steel.

The Demon recoiled as it raised its hands in an attempt to keep it’s shield up, while Colin drew and threw his new kinetic throwing knife and tossed that one next. The knife flew faster than aerodynamically possible and impacted the protection. The Demon cringed under the blow, and the shield fell, the second it did, Rielle fired another arrow, this one a Blight Arrow and slid six inches into its torso.

It screamed as it stumbled back with the blow. It’s chest heaved up and down as the robe around where the arrow passed into it started to crumble and decay away. With a shaking freehand, it gestured at a space between Colin and Rielle, proclaiming, “Dual Cast, Life Arrow!”

Two shafts of red light coalesced and fired towards both Colin and Rielle. Both moved too fast them to dodge or block, so both collided into them and hurt only partly as bad as the first time.

You have taken 52 points of damage and now have 213/282 health remaining. You are bleeding. You will take 2 points of damage every second until a regenerative healing spell or potion is applied.

The spell left a weeping wound in him and Rielle, though she looked a little worse for wear than himself. The spell had blasted off a chunk of flesh near her hip, which she was holding and trying to keep from bleeding out onto the floor.

Colin drew the Drenching Dagger and sprinted, he could take care of the wound, but he needed to get rid of this thing first.

Before he got within range, the Roaming Boss aimed the head of it’s staff towards Colin.

The maniacal grin that Colin had on full display made it pause for the last second he needed. With the prompt he just got, revenge was about to be his.

Absorption complete! A single length of Mamon’s Coils will spring forth from the ground at a location you designate. The coil will last for twenty seconds and shall drain health from the one it is wrapped around. You will lose the spell in twenty seconds if you do not use it.

Without a second thought, Colin aimed the spell just behind the Demon and swung the blade.

The spell wound itself around the Demon’s ankle, it flinched at the contact but still aimed its weird staff at him. With what remained of his MP, he activated Kinetic Vigor, Aligned Strike, and Empowering Mana(Fire), which affected his Speed Attribute.

With the precious few seconds he had until his MP bottomed out, Colin amputated it’s staff arm halfway to it’s elbow. But before Colin could try for the other, the Demon curled its hand into a fist, an infernal flame glowing around it fist as it yelled, “Asmodeus Fist!”

It jabbed at Colin’s gut, and it contained enough force that the wind was knocked out of his lungs, and his insides felt like they were being cooked.

That was when a green-gold flame engulfed that same hand, and the entire Roaming Boss was immersed in Rielle’s Heavenly Blight. Colin gave it a few seconds before signaling for her to stop before the Demon burned away. He needed it intact.

What little strength the Demon had left was insufficient for the simple task of, well, keeping it alive. Before he finished it off, Colin bent over the simmering body and reached inside what was left of its robe. On its left side, a pocket was sewn into the inside just above its hip. He pulled out a small box from the inside pocket and quickly stashed it away. Now that the item had been saved from the body’s disintegration, Colin savored the next step with glee.

With his Mythic Xiphos, Colin finished off the Demon with a guillotine motion to the Roaming Bosses neck.

Congratulations! You have killed the Roaming Boss Janaxi and have gained 355 EXP to each assisting member of your party. You now have 4810/9115 until level 11. Your Living Mythic Xiphos is now Level 6. The minimum and maximum potential damage has increased. Your Kinetic Vigor subskill is now level 7. All increases done by Skill are now marginally larger.

“Hell yeah,” Colin cheered, raising the Xiphos in the air. He’d killed the thing that had killed him, and it felt incredibly good. It had killed him, and he’d come back to life with the complete intent to kill this Demon, and he had done it. But this was just a single instance of this multi-dimensioned place, and that meant it wouldn’t stay dead.

That very thought pissed him off and spurred him on. His vengeance wasn’t complete, and he did not like that thought at all. Colin lowered the sword and cleaned it off on Janaxi’s fading robes before sliding it away. He ran through what he knew of this place and came to a straightforward conclusion. If this thing was going to die, permanently, they would have to dismantle this Dungeon.

He added that to his list of goals and groaned at the size of it.

Reaching into his Dimensional Bag, he pulled out a Regeneration potion and walked it over to Rielle, who was still bleeding her health away. He popped the cork off and handed the expensive magic brew to her, and she downed it in one swallow. She gagged once at the taste and passed back the vial back as she watched the piece of her that had been magically removed, regenerate in the span of a few seconds.

His companion taken care of, he pulled the small box out of his pocket and grinned. With any luck, this Skill would be useful. He found a clasp and managed to get it open to discover a small glittering diamond, sitting in a bed of black velvet. There was an air around the object that mystified Colin, it was a sense of fulfillment like this would bring him closer to perfection. Much like the perfection this diamond showed.

He reached into the box, and the prompt made him smile.

Filled Skill Gem (Channel Effigy). Weight: 3 grams. Item Quality: 10 This 15 carat, emerald cut diamond has been magically forged and put towards the purpose of holding the knowledge of the lost Skill; Channel Effigy. The Oasis Lamia Chieftain traded the direct knowledge of this Skill for the salvation of her people. Unfortunately, that salvation was short-lived, but the knowledge of this Skill has survived in this Gem. Druid Only Skill. Exception found. Congratulations, Antagonist of Pride, You have found a skill that you can learn. Would you like to do so now?

Colin considered saying yes. He really wanted to say yes, but something was overriding his want to absorb this. His dangerous idea alarm was blaring, and it was rarely wrong. He put the Gem away and remembered where they were.

He was actually surprised that none of the other denizens of the area were coming over to kill him now that Janaxi was dead. Instead of looking for anything that would ruin his day, Colin just counted his blessings that nothing was trying to kill them, and he took a quick look around.

A few moments later, they were inside a large janitorial closet where Nox immediately jumped into Rielle’s shadow. He considered commenting on it, but since he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know the answer, he didn’t say a word. Rielle moved a few steps away from Colin and sat down on an upside-down tin bucket, holding her side as the potion and her natural out-of-combat healing fixed her up.

Removing the Skill Gem from the box again, Colin pulled the prompt back up and said yes.

The Skill Gem’s glittering turned into an actual glow as it hovered out of his fingers. It then held its place at about eye level with Colin for a few seconds before it flew at his forehead. Sticking there as the Skill’s knowledge passed into his memory. He knew the means to use the Skill, the powers it could grant, and the Theoretical Quantum Mechanics that would be manipulated with his mana to use the Skill. The knowledge somehow filled a small piece of the void within his soul that he didn’t know existed. The experience was enlightening, fulfilling, and put him at peace for a moment.

That moment lasted until the ‘download’ ended, and he realized that he was on the floor, convulsing as if he was having a seizure.

The shaking and twitching slowed to a stop as his motor control came back to him, A new prompt window awaiting him as his eyes focused.

You have gained a new skill, Channel Effigy Level 1. Through practices that call upon beliefs that many consider pagan, you can call upon beings that look at you favorably to gain strength. What form this strength will take depends on the favor level you have with the deity, this skills level, and the deity to decide to channel. The deity you channel may need a ritual or payment to gain their ability, that knowledge will be obtained when the deity looks favorably upon you. Deities that look at you favorably: Loki.

Colin shakily got to his feet, and just breathed for a few seconds as his body returned to a state of homeostasis. It was time to move on, and he admitted that he was curious about his new Skill and how to use it. He thought about using it and got a new prompt.

To use the Channel Effigy Skill with the god Loki, you must say the words; ‘Loki bar flærða tíma,’ and the god will hear you.

Curious, but with no need to activate it, Colin dismissed the prompt and checked his health and mana. Both were up to full again, and Rielle confirmed that hers were full when asked. So both walked out of the closet and was immediately greeted by a Dracowolf that was promptly dismantled.

The rest of the day was spent carefully taking out small groups of these Demon’s on the first floor and gaining what loot they could. Most of which was Copper Bit’s that ended up being a couple hundred by the end of the day. They even leveled up a few of their skills like Colin’s Short Blades and Personal Blades skills, but their character levels didn’t get quite close enough to level again.

But at the end of the day, all three agreed that it would be best not to come back for at least a few more levels. With Janaxi knowing that Colin took the Skill without agreeing to what he wanted, he would be pissed enough to prepare for Colin’s demise.

Walking back to the entrance, he took the time to think about what he was going to have to do for experience. The idea he came up with was something he was hoping to put off for a while to avoid getting a label on his head. He’d have to be careful, or the name DevilWalker would be synonymous with mass murder.