Dungeon Raider System

Chapter 74 : Pride is for the living

"Nikaaaaa!" Uriel screamed from the bottom of his soul as he desperately clung to his only chance at making it alive. He tackled Nika as hard as he could pushing her towards the opened chamber behind her and they both fell down the trapdoor.

Flanagan, who didn't expect an outcome like this was left dumbfounded, but something like that wasn't enough to worry him in the slightest. He knew that even if they ran, they wouldn't be able to escape from him for long as he was the only one able to see through the mist generated by his bracelet. All he needed to do was to remain calm and follow them and he would eventually catch up to them.

He stroked his bracelet one more time before slowly walking towards the hidden chamber, humming an old tune with the confidence of someone certain of their own victory.

It was only thanks to the inclination of the ladder that both Nika and Uriel were able to slid down instead of falling straight to their death. Although the stone was polished with incredible precision, the rough edges of the steps carved on the stone were as sharp as knives and they ragged their clothes and caused many wounds on Uriel's exposed skin.

Even as an evolved, he was still vulnerable to physical trauma and, if it wasn't for Nika's quick reaction who clung to the ladder with one hand and to Uriel with the other, he would have ended with all of his bones broken after landing.

"What got into you, kid?" She said after lighting a much needed flare. Nika was still a bit stiffened by the sudden rush of adrenaline, but as much as she wanted to punch Flanagan right on his smug face, she had lost all hope. "We lost already, all you had to do was do whatever he asked you to do."

"And then what? Die like a dog?" Uriel said as he composed himself and started limping down towards the ossuary across the underground passage. When they reached the catacomb filled with bones they were forced to slow down their pace and lower their voices just like the first time they crossed it.

"You're such an idiot! We could have found a way to convince him to let us live." Nika whisper-shouted.

"Of course you'd think that, you think everything can be solved by flirting, don't you?"

"You know nothing about the real world! You know nothing about me! You're just a spoiled brat who's living in a dream!" Her tone of voice slightly raised, causing the bones around them to clatter in warning. She then fell silent.

"You say that... but you don't know much about me either, do you? It's true I let myself get carried away a little but I still think we can defeat him if we work together."

"Work together? I'm not working together with you anymore, as of now you're on your own kid." Nika said after stopping in her tracks.

"What do you mean I'm on my own, will you turn me over to Flanagan? You know he'll kill you as soon as you're not useful to him anymore!"

"No, I'll just escape and leave you alone." She shook her head.

"But you're my bodyguard, how can you do something so low? don't you have any sense of pride!?"

"Pride is only for the living, you can live with pride but you can't die with it. All deaths are the same: dirty, ragged, messy and pointless. As a bodyguard, my duty is to protect you... I would have taken a bullet for you as long as I thought there was at least a chance for me to survive. What you're doing now is plain suicide and I don't want any part on it."

"But we've been through so much to get here and I know we can still make it. You and I, we can take him on." He said with a decisive look that gave off a masculine appearance to the usually youthful Uriel.

"It's a shame you're dying a virgin. You know, I would have totally taken your V card at the ossuary. if you weren't so uptight you could at least have had a good time before dying..." She placed the flare at Uriel's feet, thanks to it's brightness his shadow became more consistent and she was able to activate her trait but she took one last glance at Uriel.

"If you happen to make it back alive, I'll totally do you." She said with the usual seductive wink, only now it was completely ruined by her teary eyes, then she vanished into Uriel's shadow leaving him alone in the underground passage.

"Nika? Nika are you still there? Can you hear me Nika? I can turn this around, I swear I can! Please don't leave me!" Uriel desperately tried to contact her, the sound of his voice activated the now familiar clattering of bones but he didn't mind.

Even if the dead rose up from their tombs, even if every single skeleton came back to life by the supernatural powers of the ossuary his situation couldn't get any worse than it already was. He cried and yelled but whether Nika heard him or not, she didn't reply.

Realizing he was now by his lone self, Uriel picked up the flare that coincidentally light up the pile of bones left behind previously by the female skeleton that warned them not to disturb the place, only now he realized something he missed before. Inside the pile of bones a small glimmering orb reflected the bright light of the flare, it was a flux orb.

The thought of it dropping an orb didn't even cross his mind, after all he had no way of knowing that the skeleton was in fact a cryptid. After performing its duty, the former Mayan priestess chosen to guard the ossuary had nothing else binding its soul to the earthly plain.

The orb crumbled into a fine glimmering dust as Uriel crushed it on the spot. The dagger on his belt became sharper after absorbing the minuscule particles, it looked nothing like it did when he first picked it up. It was almost as if it was brand new, even its hilt had been repaired. The coppery blade also became heavier, prompting Uriel to adjust the belt. He also got a promising system notice:

Flux orbs (10/10)

It was only a declaration that he had reached the ten orb mark. Uriel would have loved to examine the ceremonial dagger or, at least, check his stats and maybe allocating a new stat point either into speed or strength. Unfortunately for him, at the same time that was taking place, a clattering sound in the distance announced he was being followed.

The bone walls on both sides started trembling forcing Uriel to give up on that for the moment and pick up the pace.