Equipped with a mimic tear and the proper gear, the Nox Swordstress returned to the Great Chair Sanctuary. He reached out to touch the teleporter, manifesting near the Ancestral Woods. He lay in wait within the temple, anticipating the arrival of the enemy. In the very center of the temple, a puddle of silver liquid flowed silently across the floor.
Gawain and Lillian followed the map, twisting and turning through the ruins. After dealing with a fair share of obstacles blocking their path, they finally arrived before the massive temple from Gawain's memory—the arena for the Mimic Tear boss fight.
To be honest, Gawain wasn't entirely sure what would happen once they entered. He didn't know if a tear was truly lying in wait. Following his old habits, he temporarily sheathed his weapons. He wondered if this world's Mimic would be like the "artificial stupidity" from the game—if you unequipped your weapons, it would only know how to punch you with its bare fists.
Lillian watched Gawain's actions with a hint of confusion. Was there some trick to this empty, spacious temple? She sharpened her focus, remaining on high alert.
Gawain walked slowly into the temple. As expected, he spotted a puddle of liquid lying some distance ahead. it blended perfectly with the environment; had he not been looking for it, it would have been difficult to detect.
However, the Nox individual hiding in the rafters of the temple wasn't doing a very good job of concealing himself. He was crouched right there, posing as some kind of grandmaster. Gawain didn't intend to be too ruthless; he figured a small lesson would suffice later.
Gawain stopped before entering the aggro range of the Mimic Tear on the floor. He then communicated with Asimi through their mental link.
"See that puddle of liquid ahead? It's one of your kin. I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself. Go and take it out."
"Huh? Me?"
Asimi lacked confidence. Although she had been accumulating power while residing within Gawain, she had only managed to mimic and learn a fraction of her host's abilities. This being her first actual combat, she felt a bit timid. Just sensing the aura of the kin before her, it felt quite powerful.
"What are you afraid of? I'm right here backing you up. Besides, you'd better come clean about how much of my power you've been secretly siphoning lately. It's time for some field testing."
At the same time, Melina was also encouraging the little silver blob to go out and fight. Having spent the last few days constantly cuddling and stroking the creature, she had grown quite fond of it. She had even allowed Asimi to mimic and learn some of her own abilities.
And so, Asimi slowly separated from her host's body, dropping to the floor as a large mass before gradually taking on a human form.
The sight left the Nox Swordstress—who had been plotting how to deal with the hidden enemies above—completely stunned. Wait, isn't that a highly toxic Silver Tear? How did it manifest from within that man? And why does this tear feel... different from the others?
Gawain waited for her to complete the mimicry. Looking at the face that bore a striking resemblance to his own, he nodded with satisfaction. The mimicry was indeed spot on. Although she was a head shorter than him, it wasn't a major issue.
Wait, why is she a head shorter than me?
His heart skipped a beat as he took in her full appearance. It turned out he wasn't the only subject of mimicry. Asimi now possessed a face that looked like his, but was clearly more delicate and refined.
She wore a set of Banished Knight armor but without the helm; instead, she wore a hood. Draped over her shoulders was a traveling cloak identical to Melina's, bearing the same emblem as Gawain's. Her hair was the same auburn bob as Melina's. Even her height seemed to be the exact average of Gawain and Melina's heights divided by two.
He gave Melina a slightly reproachful look. Melina turned her head away as if admiring the scenery, though the uncontrollable twitch at the corner of her mouth betrayed her true thoughts.
In fairness, it wasn't Asimi's fault. The primary reason was that the connection between Gawain and Melina was currently too tight. The power Asimi absorbed came from the joint influence of both parties. Her mimicry combined their traits, making her, in a sense, the "crystallized product" of the two.
However, it had to be said that she looked quite good. Gawain wouldn't admit it out loud, of course. He could tolerate everything else, but why did she have to mimic the one-eyed trait too? Was it because Melina habitually kept her left eye closed even after the seal was released?
Forget it. Dwelling on this is pointless. Focus on the battle.
Knowing she had backup, Asimi summoned her courage and began her first battle since awakening her consciousness. While the combat instincts of a Silver Tear were etched into their genes by the Nox upon creation, Asimi—as the first individual to possess true self-awareness—had a flaw: she was prone to the hesitation characteristic of living beings.
Meanwhile, her opponent seemed to "glitch." Its programmed routine was to mimic the opponent's combat style and skills, but now its opponent was a fellow tear. They were both taught by the same master; neither could find a way to break the other's guard.
However, because the boss Mimic had been infused with a vast amount of power from the "Cradle" earlier, it was a pure stat-monster compared to an ordinary tear. It simply defaulted to the templates etched into its genes.
The tear on the floor began to collapse in on itself, gradually taking the form of a knight. Holding a greatsword, it was surrounded by the powers of Frost, Storm, Lightning, and Glintstone. Glintstone was the power wielded by the Nox; Frost, Storm, and Lightning were the attributes of the Storm Lord's lineage from Stormveil.
Seeing her enemy buff itself with four different attributes at once, Asimi was surprised. This was definitely not something an ordinary tear could pull off.
It seemed her opponent was a specially enhanced type. She could even sense the power of the Great Cup within it. This made her determined to win; if she defeated it, she could absorb that power into herself.
She glanced back and saw the two pairs of encouraging eyes. Her fear vanished instantly. Sensing the two distinct yet harmonious powers filling her body, she manifested the forms of two weapons.
In her right hand was the Sword of Night and Flame. Strapped to her back was a Grafted Blade Greatsword. In her left hand, she clutched a Sacred Seal.
Gawain felt a bit uneasy when he saw the Sacred Seal. Just what kind of "Trekker" technology are these Mimic Tears? It's not like she stole my unique Miracles too, right? That's soul power derived from the First Flame.
Of course, there was another possibility: Melina had taught Asimi something when he wasn't looking. The tear intended to use incantations from the Lands Between.
As expected, a golden light erupted from Asimi's left hand. She immediately cast several incantations on herself—buffs like Golden Vow were applied without a second thought. Then, the mimicked Grafted Blade Greatsword on her back began to shimmer as its unique skill took effect.
In reality, these incantation buffs weren't like the weak versions in the game that only lasted for tens of seconds or a minute. While the peak effectiveness might not reach the level of a "buff-stacking showcase," a single cast provided enough duration to last an entire battle.
Looking at those incantations—clearly originating from the Royal Capital—Gawain suddenly felt a twinge of envy. Melina hadn't mentioned anything about teaching him incantations.
The few incantations from the Lands Between he knew were either bought from Corhyn or learned from books in the castle. The only ones related to the Capital were the Ancient Dragon incantations he'd scavenged from Ranni's collection. If possible, he would very much like to learn that Blessing of the Erdtree incantation.
Once her buffs were set, the Sword of Night and Flame in Asimi's right hand was simultaneously enveloped in flames and blue glintstone light. Fire and Night merged, clashing with her opponent's storms. It was like a miniature reenactment of the War against the Giants.
The battle between the two Mimic Tears wasn't a turn-based exchange like NPC combat in the game. If he had to describe it, it reminded him of a movie he'd seen long ago—this was like a fight between Venom and Carnage.
Because both were fluid in nature, they could employ incredibly flexible tactics. There was no need to stick to a single form; often, they would become completely entangled, merging until they were indistinguishable, with various biological traits erupting from the mass.
Through the chaotic mixture of storm, ice, lightning, fire, and glintstone, bits of tissue left over from the battle were scattered everywhere. Gawain, watching from the side, could only use the unique power flowing within Asimi to distinguish which part belonged to her.
It had to be said that with the power of the "Cradle," Asimi's opponent was superior in terms of raw stats. The problem, however, was that Asimi had one—no, two—mobile fountains behind her.
Whenever she took a bit of damage, the two protective "parents" would simultaneously cast healing incantations and miracles. Whatever she lost was replenished immediately, often to the point of overflowing. The outcome of the battle became obvious.
Asimi went from being suppressed at the beginning to gradually seizing the "Cradle" power from within her opponent. Her silver body slowly began to shimmer with blue and golden light. The ice and lightning in the center of the storm were gradually replaced by fire and glintstone.
Seeing that the victory was more or less decided, Gawain stopped watching. He gave Lillian a signal and unleashed a burst of pyromancy. The blast collapsed the section of the rafters where the Nox Swordstress was hiding. The Swordstress had been so focused on the battle below that he hadn't noticed he'd long since been compromised. He tumbled straight down.
Lillian was far faster than anyone could have imagined. Her figure turned into a bolt of cerulean light, flashing instantly to the spot where the Swordstress was falling. Her dagger was pressed against his throat before he could even land.
Icy blood, unique to the Nightfolk, dripped from a small wound. If the Swordstress moved even slightly, the cut would deepen. The combat style of the Sellians—the "Sorcerer-Killers"—was just that rapid. If they could break your guard, it was a one-shot kill. (Of course, if they couldn't chip the armor, they were out of luck.)
Leaving no room for tricks, Lillian withdrew her dagger and delivered two kicks that incapacitated the Swordstress's arms, pinning him to the ground. She knew that in a failed mission, these people were likely to commit suicide to prevent information leaks.
"Not bad. That move was pretty slick. How come I haven't seen you use it before?"
Lillian sheathed her dagger with a look of pride and kicked the enemy again as he tried to struggle.
"Naturally. It's a technique I developed myself. Who says teleporters have to be fixed in place? Of course, this short-range blink has some limitations. The further the distance, the harder it is to control."
"If you'd used that on me the first time I came to Sellia, it would have been quite a handful," Gawain said. "I probably would have taken a hit."
Lillian pouted slightly. She had indeed considered it for a split second back then. But then she realized her attack had no hope of piercing his heavy armor, so she gave up. That move was only effective against an unprepared "glass cannon."
Gawain looked at the lingering light in the air, realizing this was likely a variation of teleportation circles that achieved a blink-like effect. As expected of the descendants of the Eternal City who understood teleportation technology most deeply; this was nearing Astel's level of teleportation, though with a range limit.
By now, Asimi had cleanly won her battle. she devoured her opponent until not a shred remained, seizing and digesting the "Cradle" power. Returning to her oval shape, she looked distinctly different—her form was more defined, less like a simple slime.
Gawain used a Miracle to heal the Nox Swordstress's injuries and then used gravity to pin him to the ground. Every part of his body except his mouth was immobilized; he couldn't resist.
Gawain reached out and snatched the man's hood off. As expected, he had the appearance of a Nightfolk. Only this race could thrive in such a place for so long. The Swordstress glared at him with pure indignation; being restrained like this clearly didn't sit well with him.
"What exactly do you want?!"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Gawain replied. "Didn't you see this girl here? She's your descendant. Yet you lot have no honor—you went straight for a sneak attack without a word."
"Then again, I'm a reasonable man. Compensate me with your hidden treasures and technology, and I'll act like this never happened. There might even be extra benefits for you."
The Nox Swordstress turned red with rage, his silver-white face flushing visibly.
"As I thought! You are no different from those bandits! Stop wasting time. I will tell you nothing."
Gawain sighed and waved Asimi over.
"Look at you, getting all worked up. Haven't you realized what that tear that just took yours out actually is?"
"Asimi, come and see your nominal creator."
The Nox Swordstress suddenly realized something, his eyes fixed on the tear in human form. He noticed now that she... seemed to possess self-awareness?
Asimi walked up to him and scrutinized him. Her blurred memories from before her awakening confirmed that she had indeed been created by these Nox remnants.
However, she felt no affection for this "creator" who had provided her with no help. Had it not been for a stroke of luck, she would have just been another piece of expendable fodder.
After looking for a moment, she dissolved back into a blob and crawled back inside Gawain. It was much more comfortable in there.
"Uh, she might be a bit shy. Don't mind her. But that's the gist of it."
"You see, you lot can't even keep track of something this important. If I hadn't found her early, she would have crawled all the way into the city after a few more miles. Now... are you willing to speak properly?"
The Nox Swordstress fell silent. Finally, he nodded. Once the restraints were released, he rubbed his aching arms and asked:
"Why are you doing this?"
"Didn't I say? I want your treasures and technology. In exchange, I can help you so you don't have to spend the rest of your lives hiding and scurrying about."
To be honest, the Swordstress was hesitating. A Mimic Tear with self-awareness was exactly what the Nox had been waiting for—the unique individual with the potential to be the Lord of Night. But could he truly trust this stranger?
Suddenly, he touched the glintstone ornament at his ear. A command from the rear interrupted his thoughts. After a moment's stun, he looked up and said hesitantly:
"I have no authority to make decisions on the matters you speak of. But I can take you to meet our leader. However, there is one condition."
"A condition? Out with it then. As long as it isn't too much."
"Can you take off your helmet? She wants to see your face."
"Huh?"
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (201 chapter - Ongoing)
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