El Tigre Servant of Death 4
Manny contemplated Che's spirit amazed and intrigued, while Che told him how he and Cuervo ended up in the cave. Manny's worries grew as the spirit continued the story.
To come here Cuervo and I decided to provide ourselves with the best we could find against the supernatural inhabitants of this cave. –explained Che.- I grave-robbed some tombs to built up my body and took from my grandfather some cursed items, while Cuervo stole an energy beam from dr.'s Chipotle's lair. All ended up being useless.
Manny observed the spirit moving around slowly, like the words he tried to use harmed him.
We arrived to this cave around a day ago; we had all we thought may need against the creatures in here. Once we entered this place all went wrong, the spirits of the cave gathered around us like vultures, they were silent, but stared to us, waiting for something to happen. –
How did you two managed to travel through this complicated morphing maze? –asked Manny curious.
Well, the stranger gave Cuervo a compass that was supposed to guide us through the maze and it also was supposed to alert us about the changes in the tunnels. –responded Che worried.
It didn't work? –
Quite the opposite Tigre, –said Che staring at many sadly.- it worked well, far too well for my pleasure.
It took us almost no time to reach room like these, covered in paints that told the story of the ancient Aztecs. Then... it began. –Che's expression turned gloomier while he kept talking.- The guards of this place appeared.
Guards? What kind of guards? -
Mikla's army: A thousand skeleton warriors that came to capture us. When we faced them we were clueless of whom they were, we only saw that they were filled with a dark matter. They launch an attack like a team of elite warriors, coordinating each of their strikes precisely against us; it almost kills us, but we defeated them and went to find the skull. –
Once arriving to the skull room Cuervo used her laser to cut an entrance to the door, it was dark inside. I went in first and then my body was crushed. –
Did you see the one who crushed you? –
Only when he grabbed my spirit, it was a giant skeleton/snake/warrior; I cannot describe it accurately, only that he was huge and the dark matter inside him felt horrible. When he twisted his claw all the skeletons we crushed were fixed and marched against Cuervo. –Che's face turned sadder.- She tried to fight back, but the monster was too strong, then someone came out and grabbed her. With his last strengths she was able to release me and I flee.
Don't remember anything else? –asked Manny bitterly.
I couldn't see Cuervo's fate; she was dragged by what seemed to be a human. –
That must be Mikla. –thought Manny while looking into the tunnel he should follow.
Then... –Che continued timidly.- I heard her scream, she told whoever was in there to stop, then there was a light Cuervo's screams of anger and then... silence and darkness.
Manny contemplated the paints on the room once more and then the solitary spirit; he could understand now what he was facing. He walked to the tunnel, the bird entered into it.
Rivera I beg you: Please save Cuervo. –begged the spirit.
Che's was invaded buy fear when Manny turned around. His face was roaming with a calm but fearsome anger.
I will save her and I will release you and her from this cave, but I won't do this for neither of you. So watch out because after I complete my mission you and she would pay for what you caused. –
Manny left Che in the cavern, he was finally able to understand a lot of things and knew with who he was dealing with. Now he needed to end this mission and rescue Frida and save Cuervo from the consequences of her acts.
Manny went into the tunnel with the bird flying in front of him; Che's ghost stared at him until the hat's light disappeared in the darkness.
Manny walked taking every possible care, the possibility of traps was in his mind all the time, but now on what concerned him were the undead warriors Che mentioned before. He wasn't prepared for indestructible immortals, while on the other hand if death didn't tell him anything about beating them, must be because he already co do it. Or at least that was what he thought.
The bird started to scream, Manny noticed that he was out of the range of the light.
"Where are you?" muttered Manny while desesperatly trying to find it and make it stop before all the things in here were conscious of their presence.
Suddenly his torch turned off, the total and utter darkness covered him with no way to see in any direction.
"Not now!" protested Manny; he urgently tried to turn on another source of light. A second torch appeared but went off too.
Manny tried to turn another light, but then he felt something, something slimy touched his right leg, and it produced pain. He tried to hold, but the pain he felt was totally different from anything he had felt before, like it was pure essence of pain.
"Come on Manny think, you need to get away from what is here" thought him. "But for that you need light to see it..."
"Use your green aura!" he heard in the darkness.
Manny felt stupid for not remembering that before; he stood up and tried to concentrate, gradually his claws emitted enough light to see his body. Then the darkness tried to warp them.
"WHAT DA!" screamed terrified while seeing the glow of his hand being devoured by blackness. Then he felt even more surprised when the darkness got ignited in green fire.
"That thing is like a living being, it feel pain, so burn some of it and the rest would run away." repeated the strange voice.
Manny followed its orders blindly, he watched his leg and saw the dark stuff and burned it away, also the thing over the torches, all was gone, but the pain remained.
"Well done Tigre" said the voice.
"Thank you!" said Manny while trying to treat his wound.
"Let me see It." said the voice above him.
Manny was astonished when the bird got over his leg and started to rub his feathers over his wound. Surprisingly his wound healed.
"That should do the trick, but be careful, next time use the aura to protect yourself" said the bird with a perfect use of English.
"You can talk?" asked Manny
"Of course I do, but know is not the time to ask questions. Better move or we won't make it." said the bird flying away.
Manny stood carefully and checked the hat, then he run towards the bird. He felt curious about the critter, but even most about what was what attacked him or what was waiting for him now.
There was movement, somewhere in the darkness a strange figure lurked into the only place inside the cave with light. It was a stone stricter and the only visible thing of it was a passage illuminated by torches.
"Come!" roared a voice from the inside.
The creature stepped into the illuminated road revealing a humanoid skeleton. It wore and Aztec armour but made of iron, his steps however were almost noiseless.
The creature reached the end of the torch road, there were skeleton warriors wearing different uniforms from different ages and countries around a throne covered by the shadows. Someone was sitting on it.
"What?" asked the creature of the shadows.
"Sir, there are intruders inside the cave." responded the skeleton.
There was a dark blast of energy from the throne; the Aztec skeleton barely evaded it while the other skeletons stepped back.
"Of course I know there are intruders in the cave! I know if any living being get in here! What I want to know is who is him!?" roared the creature.
"It seems to be a man dressed in a feline suit sir. It wears a pair of bronze boots and an odd shaped helmet."
"Bronze boots he?" said the shadow.
A claw of pure darkness appeared from the throne and smashed the Aztec skeleton.
"It seems that the newest breed of some of my oldest enemies has survived my gift." said the creature looking to his army. "Come then! I have something else I wish to give to you."
Manny kept walking silently with the bird guiding him, the darkness tried to return a couple of times, but the bird's shout and the green aura protected him just in time. Soon the paints in the walls announced him he was near.
The wall in that area was decorated with a creepy red tone; all the draws resembled human sacrifices and wars, with a big leader crushing people. In an instant the right wall of the cave turned into a massive stone door, Manny recognised the draws on it, it were similar to the one's in Death stone.
"Here we are: Mikla's lair" announced the bird. "From now is a straight walk into danger; with horrors that exceed your imagination."
Manny felt nervous, he found the hole that Cuervo made in the door. After inspecting it he noticed that there was more rubble in the outside than in the inside.
The bird went in first and Manny followed him. Manny shot some flares from the sombrero to illuminate the area; the inside was huge, bigger than the rest of the cave. The flare that flew further revealed a structure that resembled an Aztec pyramid, judging by the distance it was huge.
"We must go Tigre, you have two hours before your time limit is over." said the bird. Manny nodded but after he could move he noticed that something was coming.
A skeleton arrived running to Manny's presence; it was dressed like a Conquistador. There was a fire like light coming out of him.
"The great Mikla sent you a message intruder" said the skeleton pointing to him. "Those fools who fight against Gods become residents of hell"
Before Manny could react, the skeleton ignited and exploded in a burst of flames that temporarily blinded Manny. When he could see again he saw that two roads of fire illuminated the cavern and an army of thousands of skeletons appeared.
"Seems like the welcome committee" said the bird.
"Well..." said Manny pulling out his claws and summoning the aura. "Then we shouldn't make our host wait."
For the skeleton's surprise a roar blasted them away, when the dust began to clear they saw Manny charging against them covered in a green fury.
To be continue...
El Tigre is ready to face his enemies and his destiny. The time for the battle for Frida's life is near...