Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 944: A jaguar’s grudge

"A shaman!? You must be joking, you’re the Ocelotl that kept getting in our way back then!" Nika said, though the jaguar’s humanoid appearance was more than enough proof that he was telling the truth. Furthermore, the jaguar in his humanoid form looked exactly like Uriel, if Uriel was to wear nothing but a rag to cover his modesty that is.

"I’ve seen some strange things, but this...," Uriel pondered as he saw his own face reflected on that of the ancient shaman that passed as his jaguar, wondering if maybe it was the other way around and he grew to become just like the shaman. "anyway, I don’t have time to play with you now, so just get back into the figurine." Uriel said after taking out the figurine from his museum which was supposed to capture the jaguar, though instead of the golden artifact what came out was the useless clay figurine.

"I’m afraid that won’t be possible and you will have to fight me if you want to pass." The jaguar shaman shook his head.

"We’ve been together for a long time and I’m sure you already know this won’t end well for you." Uriel said with a smirk that was meant to scare the jaguar, though instead of the feline’s meek demeanor the shaman replied with determination.

"I know that very well and I also know that you could bypass me and enter the next chamber without the need to fight me as I’m not allowed in the next chamber, but this is how things are." The shaman crossed his arms and stood defiant in front of Uriel.

"Why? Why does it have to be this way?" A hint of emotion leaked through Uriel’s stone facade as just the thought of being forced to kill the jaguar who had accompanied through so much and had become a true friend to him made him bitter.

"Why you ask?" The shaman looked offended as it uncrossed his arms and started walking from side to side as he continued speaking. "My life has been hell for the past few years! When you first summoned me I thought the time had come where I would finally be free of my duty. You were meant to pass the trials, venture inside the chambers in succession and set me free, but no... everything went wrong when you decided on your own that you wanted to escape the dungeon instead of pushing forward."

"I would have died though..." Uriel said but the shaman ignored him and continued on his rant.

"I was happy in fulfilling my duty, I was happy not knowing the human language, but more so... I was happy not being harrassed by that Lunatic!" The jaguar shouted.

"Do you mean Luna?" Nika glared at the shaman, ready to give him more than a scold for referring to her cute little Luna like that, though just the mention of her name made the jaguar’s expression freeze in a somber manner.

"You also only ever summoned me as a last resort! Do you have any idea what it is like to lose consciousness after a fight to the death with things that should not be named only to wake up in a similar situation? Over and over and over, all I did was fight! And to top it off, you didn’t even fed me! I should be at the horror level by now, but you hoarded all the rewards for yourself! Do you call this a companionship? Don’t make me laugh, even slaves were treated better!" The shaman snarled pitifully at Uriel waving his hands all over the place.

"Looking back, I did treat you unfairly..." Uriel attempted to speak, but was cut short once more.

"Don’t even think about it! Don’t even think about apologizing now. You owe me and the least you can do is release me from my duty in the way it was meant to happen." The jaguar turned to Uriel and crossed his arms once again blocking the entrance to the next chamber.

Seeing his jaguar in a human like form was odd enough, seeing that they looked alike was even more so, but even more strange was that their bond remained intact which meant Uriel could sense exactly how the shaman felt and although there was a hint of fear, excitement and anticipation were overwhelmingly superior.

"Have it your way." Uriel said at the same time he summoned the red thread of fate and activated Dash to lunge forward for a quick win, realizing too late that the effects of Dash also affected the shaman who not only blocked the dagger with ethereal claws but also countered with a powerful kick that sent Uriel flying to the roof only to fall flat on the ground.

"You won’t be able to win this fight by cheating. I don’t just know all your tricks, I know how you come up with them." The shaman poked fun at Uriel.

"I was stuck with a useless cat all this time when you were this strong. I’m the one feeling cheated."

"Who are you calling useless!" The shaman darted towards Uriel with a punch to the face that Uriel didn’t attempt to block, though this time he dug his heels to stand his ground and returned the favor with a punch of his own.

Nika watched the fight unfold at a safe distance grateful that for once Uriel didn’t activate Dash which allowed her to follow all their movements. From the kicks below the belt to even the hair pulling, all the dirty tricks one could possibly think of came and went from both sides. It looked kids quarreling in the playground, if kids possessed unnatural strength that could tear through buildings that is.

"Did you always fight dirty like this?" Nika asked, wishing she had brought some popcorn or chips instead of MREs. It had been so long since Nika saw Uriel fight without using Dash that she had given up on trying to get a glimpse of his moves, though without Dash he was nowhere near as fast as her.

"No," Uriel lied so blatantly the shaman had to take a step back from the fight and glare at him. "Okay, yes, but you can’t argue with the results."

"I know, I just feel kinda bad for our past enemies." Nika mumbled to herself.

Uriel took a pause to gather his breath as he realized that no matter what he tried, the shaman truly knew all of his moves even before he came up with them. This resulted in them reaching a stalemate after a few moves and them having to back up only to start it all over from scratch.

’If I can’t outsmart him, then all what’s left is to overpower him.’ Uriel thought to himself.

"Not going to work." The shaman declared.

"You talk about cheating, yet you’re reading my mind!"

"I am a mighty shaman from the dark times, but I am not capable of something like that. I just know how you think, that’s all. Using all of your power will only result in me gaining the same power."

"So, you’ll match my power since you and I are still linked." Uriel pondered whether or not he should sever the bond with the jaguar, though even if he wanted to he didn’t know if such a thing was possible. Contrary to Nika who technically possessed his shadow, the jaguar was better described as an extension of himself.

Uriel’s complete demeanor shifted as he finally understood what the trial was about. It was a combat trial just as he thought, but It wasn’t about the power to defeat the enemy or even the wits to outsmart him. It was about growth. Rather than unleashing his flux, activating skills or even summoning a weapon, Uriel proceeded to take off his shirt and walk directly towards the jaguar.

"That’s more like it!" Nika exclaimed with a slight blush on the cheeks after grabbing Uriel’s shirt to swing it in the air marking the start of the final confrontation between Uriel and his beastly counterpart.

At first it didn’t seem like much changed as they were soon entangled in a skirmish, though now Nika could perceive the sincerity of their movements. Each move was paired with an equal, meaning that since Uriel did not use his weapons anymore the shaman also didn’t use his ethereal claws. It remained a tie, but they didn’t get injured and instead focused on learning about each other.

For Uriel it meant facing the weakness of his ineffective moves that were solely based on the imitation of more skilled fighters as they were reflected on the shaman’s fighting style, but to the shaman things were different as he watched how Uriel improved at a fast rate.

"You have passed the trial of the chamber of the forest, may this path lead you to what you are seeking." The shaman made way for Uriel and Nika to pass.

"You’re not coming with?" Asked Uriel, but when he turned to see the shaman had already faded away into nothingness.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢