Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 448: Half truths

Without electricity, the previously dark and damp prison was even more unwelcoming. Not that it made any difference for those affected by the rattlesnake poison, but it made a huge difference for the remaining prison guard because he was trapped by something far worse than any monster he ever encountered.

"Where are you? I just want to talk." Uriel probed in the darkness without ever letting go of his revolver. "Come on, I just need to ask you where the antivenom is and then we'll be out of your hair."

Needless to say, the guard wasn't inclined to reply. Not that he didn't know the answer, but he was certain that as soon as he opened his mouth his skull would be pierced by a bullet just like it happened to his boss.

Uriel, though, didn't have any issues knowing the rogue hunter's location. He was so flustered, his presence was as easy to perceive as if they were in broad daylight. The reason why Uriel spoke to him like that was to make sure the rogue hunter wasn't actually able to see him and the fact that his flux presence flickered with anxiety was all the confirmation he needed.

"Make a move and it'll be your last." Said Uriel after using dash to place himself right behind the rogue hunter.

"What kind of monster are you!? You killed the boss like he was nothing."

"That's because he was nothing to me and that applies to you too. Now keep quiet and listen very carefully." Uriel pressed the cold tip of his magnum against the rogue hunter's head and he reacted by loudly swallowing his saliva.

"Please... I have children."

"Oh! Really? Were you thinking of them when you threatened to attack my friend?" Uriel replied and pressed the trigger. Of all the possible things the rogue hunter could have said, he said the one thing he shouldn't have.

Uriel was raised in the slums and his concept of family was different to the one most people considered common sense. To him, being an orphan was way better than being raised by an abusive parent and the rogue hunter's plead was actually what sealed his fate.

This time, the loud bang called for the attention of the guards outside and they rushed in through the basement door, blindly opening fire in the dark. The subtle light that came out of their weapons briefly illuminated their faces before a huge feline shred them to pieces one by one.

For once, Uriel was actually glad the lights were out since that spared him from witnessing the massacre the jaguar brought upon his enemies. It wasn't the first time he killed people, it wasn't the first time he ordered his jaguar to kill people for him, but after learning how to feel his own presence something became clear to him.

He was the only one to blame for his actions, even if Water warlock affected his emotions, the only one he could blame was himself.

This line of thought was particularly inconvenient for him, especially after the mess caused by his jaguar spirit. It was the kind of picture no one wished to ever see in their lives, but the feline acted as though it was completely natural.

'I guess it is natural for cryptids to kill humans, but then... what does that make people like me? People who kill cryptids and humans.' He didn't backtrack on his own thoughts and still considered that murder was valid depending on the circumstances, especially if it was a kill or be killed situation. The reason why he felt conflicted was that he feared losing his humanity like in the past.

Uriel remained lost on his thoughts for a while until the lights came back on again and he took the chance to administer the anti venom to Sharp and Horace. The wild girl didn't need any since she was a holy rank hunter and the rattlesnake poison had no effect on her.

"What the hell happened in here?" Asked Sharp as soon as she opened her eye. She saw the walls panited in red, the pieces of human flesh scattered all over the prison and the bullet holes all over the place. Then, she directed her gaze towards Uriel, the one she suspected was behind the massacre, though he was still asleep and in restrains.

Needless to say, he staged it to make himself look innocent. Killing rogue hunters wasn't a crime, especially in self defense, but he also didn't feel like explaining how did it come to happen.

"Wake up everyone, we need to get going." Sharp said as she attempted to break the alloy wire wrapped around her wrists, but although the venom's effect was starting to subside, she still couldn't channel any flux and her strength was halved.

"Use this." Uriel said as he handed her the pocket knife, pretending to still be half asleep. Sharp directed a strange look at the knife, then she proceeded to release herself and the rest of the hunters.

"I'll see if it's safe to go out." Sharp muttered, but Uriel stopped her.

"Look at this place, it's covered in corpses and the lights are out. Do you really think it's safe to go out right now?"

"Are you an idiot? I say we take our chances, if they come back we're screwed. What do you think?" Horace asked the wild girl, though she limited herself to rub her eyes and stretch after the nap she took.

"That's why I'm going alone while you wait for me... If I don't come back in five minutes then stay here until morning."

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"No, you can't leave this place." Uriel said, this time in a firm tone of voice.

"I know she's as incompetent as they come, but you're a rookie and need to learn to respect your seniors." Horace said, disregarding the irony of his own words, but Sharp wasn't bothered by this. In fact, the one thing she cared about was finding out why Uriel was so against leaving the prison.

"They know we're here and even if there's cryptids nearby, it's still safer to face them out in the open than staying in this place with a single entrance." She took a couple steps closer to the entrance, but Uriel rushed to block her way.

"I told you before I can get us out of here alive, but I need you to trust me." Uriel's voice echoed in the prison, but then happened what he feared the most.

"Open the door, it's safe to come out." A male voice shouted from outside after banging on the door a couple times.

"Casius!? Casius, is that really you?" Sharp let out a gasp. She knew her friend and she was absolutely certain that as long as there was any life on his body, he would never let any rogue hunters take control of a ranger outpost.

"Yeah, it's me, silly. We took care of them, let's grab a drink and forget all about this." Casius said.

"Don't listen to that voice, it's not him." Uriel kept his eyes fixed on Sharp's one eye.

"Are you saying it's one of those copycat things? The ones you called doppelgangers? If so, we can prove it by just handing him the silver coin."

"No, it's not a doppelganger, but it's also not your friend. It's actually a cryptid that creates copies of people who passed away and uses them to lure people out of the light."

"Shut up rookie, I'm done with your shit," Horace butted in. "What happened here is pretty straightforward. The rangers ran away when the rogues turned against them, but they came back to save us. Move, let me open the door."

"No, i can't let you risk your lives like that." Uriel refused to move, even when Horace came dangerously close to him.

"This is the last warning, move or else..." The ranger attempted to push Uriel, but contrary to his expectations it was him who was knocked back half a meter. He didn't think much of this, though, since he attributed it to the rattlesnake poison.

"Let me get this straight. You're saying there's a cryptid outside that's responsible for killing the rogues, but somehow it doesn't have an FOD?"

"I don't know if it has an FOD or not, but I'm telling the truth."

"What's taking you so long? Are you putting on make up?" The voice outside chuckled. It was some sort of an inside joke, since Sharp would never wear any make up and she didn't care to look feminine at all. It was the kind of joke only Casius, or someone with his memories would know.

"Is there a way to prove it?" Sharp asked Uriel.

"Hey, you can't be taking him seriously!" Horace complained, but Sharp glared at him to silence him.

"Not that I know of, the only way would be to look at them, but that would be too late."

"Hey Casius, I think I'll stay here until morning." Sharp said in an apologetic tone of voice. She didn't now whether it was a cryptid or not, but she knew there was more to Uriel than her one good eye could see. She also didn't miss how he didn't budge when Horace pushed him and it made her realize that Uriel wasn't affected by the venom.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that." Casius voice resounded from the other side, accompanied by the sound of dozens of hands banging on the reinforced alloy door.