After Casius spoke those words, a night out of hell began for the hunters who were now trapped on the prison. The loud banging on the sound would last for half an hour and then stop only for it to start over again startling everyone. Sleeping was impossible since any hit on the reinforced tal door could be the one that makes it give in.
The alloy fra shook after every hit and they could do nothing about it, safe for praying that is. None of those present had any religion or faith on a higher power, but even Uriel was tempted to begin praying as the door seed to weaken after every hit.
"They can't keep this up all night, can they?" Sharp asked, failing to keep her fear from showing.
"I think they can. We only had a cuple brief encounters with the fog while we were in the wetlands, but it's never been like this." Uriel replied.
"What do you an it wasn't like this?"
"I think this fog is able to summon those who died, but the thing is... we don't have anyone we loved that passed away it seems, or maybe it can only summon people that we think died from our consciousness. Either way, we never saw people like this."
"So... you're saying they could be the real deal or sothing made up by the fog after reading our minds?"
"I'm no expert on cryptids, but I'd say both options are possible." Just as Uriel finished speaking, the banging on the door began once again, only this ti the door that withstood a thousand hits was finally starting to break.
"It's not going to last, we need to push it!" Sharp shouted and she rushed in to hold the door. Uriel soon followed suit and even the wild girl seed to grasp the situation and gave them a hand, though Horace refused to help.
"It doesn't matter, we're dood anyway. If it doesn't break now, it'll break soon..." He crawled his face and pulled his hair in despair, but then the banging stopped and a new voice joined in.
"Co on guys, you're making work even after death... just co outside and you'll see it's not half bad." It was their deceased companion, the one who got killed by the rogue hunter boss. His voice sounded tired, but in high spirits which made both Sharp and Horace hesitate.
"He might be telling the truth, maybe dying is not that bad..." Horace muttered.
"I know it sounds stupid, but I'm so tired... my muscles ache and I can't even channel flux energy. I think this might be it. I can't hold it any longer, I'm sorry." She grunted as she gave her last effort to keep the door in place.
As the supposed strongest mber of the party, she knew the mont she faltered would be their last, that's why Sharp really did gave it her all to keep the door in place but she was too weak and pained to keep going and after speaking those words she fell on the ground.
Contrary to her expectations, though, the door didn't give in. In fact, it was as if she wasn't making any difference at all. She had no ans to know that Uriel too was a heavenly rank, let alone that the seemingly weak girl was a holy rank hunter.
"You did great, Miss Sharp, but we got this now. Try to get so rest before morning because the trip back is going to be exciting." Uriel said, as he effortlessly kept the door in place.
Uriel wasn't bothered by the fact that the creatures besieging the prison might be undead, what bothered him instead was their numbers. He didn't know exactly how many they were, but he was certain they couldn't defeat them in the open.
He had yet to see the wild girl fight, but she seed to avoid all sorts of fighting and would evade even the weakest of cryptids. Her trait was quite powerful, but it was useless if she didn't possess any will to fight. Still, he was relieved that she understood the situation and helped keep the door in place.
The last couple hours until dawn where the most difficult ones. From ti to ti, traits would be activated from the other side of the door and more than once Uriel felt overwheld by the powerful hits. Just when dawn was about to break, a familiar voice spoke from the other side, one that sent chills down his spine.
"Move aside, I got this." It was Rusty.
"Don't do it, don't activate your trait corporal!" Uriel shouted the first thing that ca to mind. After all, he was well aware that his trait would make quick work of the alloy door, but he didn't count with one thing. Rusty really hated his guts.
"Well, well, Isn't this the useless lieutenant!" Rusty, or what remained of him, snarled and not long after the alloy door began shifting color until small holes ford on its surface. After that, there wasn't much door to hold on anymore and the wild girl turned herself into a puddle of water that flowed downstairs the few steps of the staircase.
The grim figure of Rusty's revenant was revealed, though the only tell was his missing leg. His face was distorted and his mouth gaped, but the most unsettling feature were the dark cavities where his eyes were supposed to be. It looked like a human, but made of all sorts of disgusting things.
Uriel activated Dash and retreated, expecting Rusty to activate his trait again, but that didn't co to happen. All the revenants remained outside as the mist slowly crept downstairs, like foggy tentacles blindly probing on their way. It gave Uriel a brief mont to ask Rusty a question, though he was unsure whether or not he would answer even if it truly was him.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Isn't it obvious? I wanted to reunite with my family, but I got more than I bargained for."
"And the rest? Are they still alive?" Uriel knew that at least Nika had to be fine because he noticed her attempt to unlock his phone inside the museum, but he didn't ask this just to confirm his friends were fine. By asking that question, he would be able to find out if it truly was Rusty or not.
"Don't worry about them and worry about yourself instead." Another revenant appeared on scene, patiently waiting for the mist to fill in the prison.
"Corporal Young, you too!? And Mayhem?"
"Mayhem... Mayhem..." Young's revenant repeated with sadness, though the expression on her face didn't show any emotion.
It was only when the mist made its way downstairs that the revenants began moving towards the hunters who opened fire against them, but the bullets didn't cause them much damage. The first light of day wasn't that far, but even if the light of day would make them disappear, Uriel realized a close combat was unavoidable by that point.
Rusty was the first one to make a move, but Uriel knew how dangerous his trait was and used Dash to easily dodge his onslaught. Revenants seed to be sturdier than the people they resembled, but they were far slower than them.
"What's the matter? Are you afraid of a lowly corporal?"
"Huh? One that can kill with a touch, yes." Uriel shrugged after using the closest revenant as a at shield, which happened to be the one that ressembled Sharp's friend Casius. Rusty's trait caused all the iron on the revenant to rapidly oxidize and it crumbled down in a green goo.
"So you read my file, it seems you're not that incompetent after all." Rusty said in a mocking tone, slowly retreating and giving way to Young. Usually, a fight would be more advantageous for those in greater numbers, but the revenants had the intelligence of the people they resembled and they wanted to avoid being used as a at shield.
It was Young's revenant turn to attack Uriel now, but this ti he didn't bothered dodging. Little did he know her trait wasn't to beco young once a year but to drain life force to rejuvenate. When Uriel blocked her fist, he imdiately felt the life being sucked out of him, but there was little he could do to stop her as she had her hand tightened around Uriel's wrist.
"I don't think this will make look younger, but at least..." Young's words were cut short when Uriel crossed her face with a high kick. She was able to regenerate almost imdiately, but that allowed Uriel so space.
"I hope you guys don't mind keeping a secret." Uriel turned back to Sharp, who was already gobsmacked by the prowess displayed by soone she thought was an ascended at best, but her shock beca a daze when a clay figurine appeared on Uriel's hand.
He carelessly dropped it on the floor and small golden cracks ford on it, then a blue light erupted and a jaguar cryptid appeared.
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