Dungeon Raider System

Chapter 84 : Offer thy heart

Now that his mission was accomplished Uriel had nothing to do but wait for his demise. Bleeding out, maimed and burned, he had little hopes of making it alive on his own.

'What did I do to deserve this? Will no one come to save me? I've tried my best for so long but no one gives me a break. Ever since my parents abandoned me my fate was sealed, I was always destined to die like a dog, at least they might find my body in a couple centuries.

I bet the ones who do find me will be puzzled, will I be considered one of those out of time artifacts?' Uriel chuckled at the irony.

Pain and misery had always been a part of his life. Anyhow, even waiting for death on top of a pyramid was a much better fate than dying in the gutter like many of the inhabitants of the slums. Deep inside he had come to accept his fate, in fact, he even wished for a quick death. Unfortunately for him, bleeding out wasn't a quick or painless process.

He was feeling cold, numb and pain all over his body. He was exhausted and could barely stand on his feet, or whatever was left of them anyway. Still, even if he had come to terms with his own death, even if he had already accomplished what he wanted, he refused to die without putting up a fight.

He patiently waited for his pursuers, trying his best to stand proud in the face of imminent death displaying the mental fortitude only someone accustomed to pain and suffering could.

When the bone chilling shriek that signaled the presence of the nameless was heard in the distance he didn't falter, when the ominous creatures that would fill anyone with boundless horror appeared at the foot of the pyramid he didn't attempt to retreat.

The mist had dissipated, but so did sunlight as a crimson sunset adorned the scene.

Uriel fired his high tech rifle with a twisted grimace, an expression of madness and despair only a person at death's door could muster. Flashes of blue light illuminated the scene at every shot, giving him barely enough visibility to spot the creatures.

Just as expected, the alloy projectiles that would tear apart even a monster rank cryptid couldn't even leave a dent in the nameless horrors. The barrage of bullets came to a halt when the rifle lost its charge and Uriel glanced at his last tier 3 battery.

For a second, Uriel pictured himself as one of the ancient inhabitants of this city defending the castle from the cosmic horrors, but when the creatures walked the steps with an air of reverent ceremony his mind drifted towards his dagger.

The Mayan ceremonial dagger had an inscription in the ancient language that read: "Offer thy heart". 'It's obviously an instruction left by the past inhabitants of this forgotten place, but who would be stupid enough to stab himself in the heart with a rusty old knife? Unless...

maybe it needed to be repaired and charged with energy just like the buildings.' After activating his battery pack Uriel placed the dagger directly next to it. The dagger greedily drained all the energy from the battery pack and shimmered brightly in a cyan light as the creatures drew near, though Uriel could only hear their footsteps.

He didn't know what to expect from the artifact, even if it was a powerful weapon he was in no condition to wield it properly now but that wasn't his intention. All the pieces came together when he thought of himself as one of the inhabitants of Chichén Itzá, he was no warrior nor was he defending the castle, he was a sacrifice.

Just like the Mayans of old, Uriel was standing on top of Kukulkan's pyramid with the intention of offering his own life. He had nothing to lose and he had no hope, not anymore at least.

The inexorable nameless horrors that had chased after him for so long could do nothing but bear witness to his sacrifice, in a sense, they were completely harmless. Uriel stood atop the building and glared at the nameless horrors, not with fear but with utter disdain.

'It's do or die.' Uriel lifted the shimmering dagger high above his head, glimpsing at the night sky for what he thought would be the last time, and swiftly thrusted it through his own heart.

The orichalcum dagger melted inside his body that now started glistening in the same shade of cyan as the pain from his many wounds subsided and a fresh feeling enveloped him. Uriel then experienced something similar to when he acquired his trait and the whole world seemingly froze in place.

For a brief instant he was able to see his surroundings as clear as day and then everything faded into darkness as a thunder echoed in the distance.

A powerful tremor raged from within the roots of the earth and Uriel was at its very center, seemingly unaffected by the extreme earthquake that threatened with breaking the world apart.

At that very moment, Uriel's heart stopped beating and he collapsed in the floor after letting out his last breath.

There was no pain, no warmth, no light, there was nothing but his thoughts as the world rapidly shifted in front of his eyes. Night and day winded in front of him in an endless loop for what seemed an eternity, until everything became meaningless.

The sight of a great citadel suddenly appeared in front of Uriel's sight. Although it somewhat resembled the ancient ruins of Chichén Itzá, bathed in gold with silver lining the buildings exuded an aura of opulence and magnificence beyond imagination rendering the similitude as nothing but architectural.

Uriel didn't know if he had been transported or if it was some sort of mystical vision, but nothing changed the fact that the city in front of his eyes had to be what the first explorers of the American continent called 'El dorado'.

The legendary city made of gold.