Faucault couldn't believe his eyes as several drops of sweat ran down his face. He never anticipated finding himself in a situation like this. He was smart enough to deduce that Uyari would try to go after him to rescue Dr. Escudero and spoil his plans to obtain the amazonite. He always thought two or even three steps ahead. But this was something he could've never predicted. Now, instead of dealing with just one jungle girl, he was up against two. Two guardians so different and yet so similar. Naka'i and Onsa. Monkey and Jaguar. An unprecedented event: the day when two jungle guardians from different clans would fight together had arrived.
"W-who is she!? W-where did she come from!?", Faucault stuttered while looking at Y'shaati.
"It's the blondie I told you about!", Marco pointed at the girl. "I told you she was real, but none of you listened to me! She's been with Lucas since the beginning!", he added furious.
"WHAT!? How!? How the hell could I've missed this!? Shit... and you bunch of cowards, stand up at once! You gonna let two savages defeat you so easily!?"
The few mercenaries who could still move began to rise from the ground and formed a barrier to block the girls' way. Despite being disadvantaged, they still followed their leader's orders.
"I said you would lead your men to a terrible fate. Your men are dying right now, being eaten alive back there in that tunnel. And what's inside that lost temple behind you is even worse. It's over Faucault, you can't win! Release Dr. Escudero at once! Surrender now and pay for your atrocities or suffer the wrath of the allmother!", Uyari said as a final warning.
"Fucking bitch! And what the fuck are you assholes waiting for!? Don't just stand there and kill them both NOW!!!", Faucault ordered waving his arms in desperation.
The mercenaries advanced to confront the girls, believing that if they all attacked together they could defeat them without much trouble. However, they didn't count on Uyari's great combat discipline and Y'shaati's brute strength. The fight began and in just a few seconds the men received all kinds of kicks and hard blows while they nimbly dodged the poor attempts to hurt them. Not even with their weapons could they lay a finger on the girls. Faucault was losing his mind more and more as he watched his men being defeated one by one, falling like flies.
"You already lost. You will pay the consequences for all the people you killed back in the camp, you murderer!", Grandpa said while still being held captive. Faucault looked at him with an insane gaze.
"SHUT UP, OLD MAN!!! You wanna die right now, huh!?", Faucault threatened Dr. Escudero pointing a pistol in his head. "All right, I'll grant your death wish! You are no longer of use to me, anyway..."
"No!! Dr. Escudero!!", Uyari exclaimed as she saw the danger to Grandpa's life from afar. She and Y'shaati were busy and too far away to stop him.
"See you in hell, doctor...", the madman sentenced. Surprisingly, before he could pull the trigger, an arrow pierced through his arm, making him drop the gun to the ground and scream in pain. "AAAAAARGGGHHHHH, FUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!"
From the heights, Dr. Isabel, still riding Ikta along with Lucas, watched in amazement, not believing the precise shot she had made with the bow. After all these years, it seemed she still had the touch.
"My goodness... did I really hit it!?", she asked herself. "Excellent shot, Dr. Isabel!!", Lucas celebrated.
Grandpa seized this instant of confusion to push Marco away who was distracted looking at Faucault, bleeding and cursing.
"Arrgh! Hey!", the blond boy let go off the rope, leaving Grandpa free. Unfortunately, in his attempt to escape, the doctor took a bad step and tripped over a stone block, losing his balance and rolling down just to fall straight into the water. With the rope still wrapped around him and constricting his torso, the old man would sink and end up drowned or being eaten by piranhas, whichever came first.
"NOOOO GRANDPAAAA!!!", Lucas screamed in horror. While still dealing with a couple of mercenaries on her own, Y'shaati managed to see Dr. Escudero's precarious situation. Without a second thought, she brushed off her opponents and made her way through the mercenaries by jumping on their heads and shoulders with acrobatic grace. Upon reaching the edge, she heroically plunged into the water in order to save the old man's life. Isabel and Lucas watched this with concern.
"Ahh! Iara, my wee girl! Hi-yo Ikta, take us down there, chop-chop!!", the woman tried to order the Onsa. However, the feline decided to take another course of action, sprinting forward but staying high up as previously instructed by Uyari.
"Ahhhh!! No wait, that's not what I meant!"
Meanwhile, the brunette finished the last men who dared to confront her. The group was considerably reduced to no more than ten mercs. They all backed away in intimidation as she walked among their fallen comrades with spear and knife in hand.
"W-what the hell you think you're doing!? You seriously can't kill a savage girl!?", Faucault asked enraged while kneeling and holding his injured arm. He had already pulled off the arrow from it.
"T-this girl ain't normal! H-her strength doesn't match her size! She... she must be a witch or something!!", one of the mercs said nervous. "W-what do we do now, boss?", asked another.
"Useless idiots... Marco, pick my pistol and shoot her right now!", Faucault demanded. The boy turned to look at him, surprised.
"W-wait what? You serious? W-why me!?", Marco asked startled.
"Because I'm the boss here and I'm ordering you to kill her!! Now shut up and shoot her!!", Faucault screamed, spitting saliva like a rabid dog. However, instead of obeying, Marco turned to look at the entrance of the temple. The path was open and clear. Their objective was literally just a few steps away. The boy was no fool and knew that confronting Uyari would be a big mistake. He already saw what this "savage" was capable of.
"What are you waiting for!? Just DO IT!!", Faucault ordered again, sweating a lot. But this time, he noticed something strange in his hesitation. It was obvious that he was no longer convinced by his words.
"Wait. No... don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare!", Faucault warned. The boy came up with a treacherous answer.
"I-I-I have no plans to die here! You didn't listened to me before. We're in this situation because of you... and I believe I'm capable enough to get what I want by myself now!"
"WHAT!?"
"That treasure will be mine!", Marco said just before running in the opposite direction and entering the temple on his own. The boy had turned his back on his leader and his companions. Jaw-dropped, Faucault stood up and forgetting everything else, set out in pursuit of the traitor.
"Grrrrr!! Come back here, you fucker!! You won't steal my amazonite!!", Faucault shouted as he entered the temple as well. Seeing this, the rest of the mercenaries knew that confidence and leadership in the group had vanished. Looking at each other, they all decided to follow Marco and Faucault's steps. None of them had come this far as to leave the jungle empty-handed.
"Curses! They're all fools!", Uyari exclaimed angry upon seeing the grave mistake they were all making by entering that place. However, at that moment, Y'shaati suddenly emerged from the water along with Grandpa.
"Y'shaati! Dr. Escudero!", the brunette quickly approached to help them out of the water, as a group of piranhas was very close to reaching them. As they were dragged back to the surface, Grandpa started coughing water, but fortunately he was just fine. A few seconds later and the old man surely wouldn't have survived. The blonde on the other hand, had a few little bite marks around her naked body. She had taken the brunt of it while protecting him. Thankfully, this were only scratches for her.
"Thanks to the alllmother you're fine... you took a very high risk there, monkey...", Uyari said to Y'shaati, impressed by her actions.
"Y'shaati protect friends", she replied after shaking her head to dry herself.
"Cough, cough... ohh, I'm terribly sorry... I got you in this mess... I should've been more careful... cough, cough... thank you sincerely, dear...", Grandpa said soaked from head to toe while trying to catch his breath.
"Don't say that, Doctor. I'm the one to blame for all this...", Uyari said as she helped him back to his feet.
"Cough... I'm just slowing you down. Don't waste more time with me. I'll be fine. Go on girls. Seek Faucault and put an end to this, once and for all...", the old man encouraged both of them. She knew he was right. They had an obligation to fulfill.
"Alright then. We'll finish this now. Are you ready, monkey?", Uyari asked holding her weapons.
"Y'shaati ready!", the feral girl nodded.
"Good, let's go!"
Both girls turned around and ran straight into the temple. It was now or never. The fate of the jungle was at stake. Shortly thereafter, Ikta descended to the ground along with Isabel and Lucas. The boy dismounted the feline and ran to meet his grandfather. The gods had given them a third chance to be together again.
"Grandpa!!!", the boy hugged him with tears in his eyes. "You're safe! Forgive me for everything I said to you the other day..."
"My dear boy! Oh, there's nothing to forgive... I am the one who should apologize! I will always listen to you from now on!", the old man said sobbing.
"Archie!!", Isabel said as she joined the hug. "Please, never do this to us again! I was so frightened!", she said with a broken voice.
"Never again, I promise..."
While this brief and tender reunion happened, Ikta approached the main entrance of the lost temple as well, fearing for her sister's safety. However, something prevented her from going in there. Thanks to her animal instinct, the Onsa could sense a powerful evil aura coming from that dark place. She grunted, knowing there was nothing she could do to help.
"Sweet beans, you actually managed to tame one of those black jaguars? How did you do it!?", Dr. Escudero asked surprised to see the feline.
"Och, its a long story, we'll explain to ya later. The important thing is that yer safe! I just... I just hope miss Uyari and dear Iara will be careful in there...", Isabel mentioned worried. "Uhm, Iara...?", Grandpa asked lifting an eyebrow.
"They are both in there? I... I didn't even get to thank them for saving you... dammit...", Lucas said regretfully.
"Don't worry, those two are very strong ladies, they're gonna be alright. You'll see!"
"I... I hope so..."
/////////////
Inside the temple, Marco ran erratically and aimlessly as if he were a scared little child. He was well aware of the betrayal he had committed. Faucault would surely not forgive his treason. But the only thing he wanted now was to find that long-awaited treasure and get out of there as soon as possible. A few rays of sunlight filtering through several holes in the ceiling were the only source of light in that dark and damp place. The walls were covered with hieroglyphs and figures of the ancient Icamiaba civilization. Huge stone pillars covered with moss, spider webs and vines supported the unstable structure that gave the impression that it could collapse with the slightest disturbance. The place was like a complex labyrinth, at the end of each corridor it was necessary to choose which path to take next: left, right or center. However, the boy's desperation led him to take a route that he couldn't have guessed was the right one. It was also a miracle that he didn't fall into one of the countless deathtraps that the Icamiaba designed to protect the amazonite. Apparently, luck was on his side. However, unbeknownst to him, Faucault was closely following his footsteps.
A little further back, the surviving mercenaries scattered throughout the labyrinth in an attempt to decipher the correct route that would allow them to move forward. None of them knew that their fate was already written as they walked down the wrong corridors, where a different but certain death awaited each of them. One man stepped on a stone block that activated a mechanism that fired an arrow that pierced him right between the eyes. Three of them reached a dead end where the walls closed instantly, crushing their bodies. Another pair walked across a false floor, falling into a spiked pit that killed them instantly. Two were buried when a pillar collapsed and the roof caved in on them. Another was decapitated by a swinging guillotine that appeared out of nowhere. Eventually, each of the mercenaries were eliminated until there were none left.
Marco continued to move forward until he entered a room with a huge statue in it. There was no other way beyond, it seemed that this was the last room.
"What the? This is it? Where's the treasure!?", he asked himself, frustrated. The blond boy began to inspect the place, trying to discover any clue of the amazonite.
"No no no, shit! Did I take a wrong turn? Maybe there's a secret entrance around here?", he said looking carefully at every wall and corner. Everything indicated that there was nothing else.
"Grrrrr!! Why did these damned savages had to make everything so complicated!? Fuck fuck fuck!!", he started kicking the base of the statue in anger. Accidentally, this caused another mechanism to activate and the statue to move horizontally. Indeed, a secret path had been revealed in front of him. The boy was on a roll.
"Ahh!? YES!! That's what I was talking about!", he said euphorically just before proceeding.
He had arrived in a room very different from all the previous ones. This place looked more like a huge, spacious cavern where the walls of the temple merged with the natural mountain rock formation. There were leaks and long tree roots everywhere. But the most important thing was at the bottom of this chamber: a single beam of light illuminated a gigantic ancient mural several meters high and wide, showing a bloody battle between the Icamiaba warriors and some unknown enemy that couldn't be identified. The humidity and the passage of time had severely deteriorated its image. And exactly in the center, rested the much desired crimson-colored jewel. The very reason why they had all traveled to this edge of the world. There lay the amazonite in all its beauty and splendor.
"Ahhhh.... Ahhhhhh!!", he gasped as if he had been completely hypnotized by the scarlet glow of the jewel. A dark desire to possess it compelled him to walk towards it without regard. Almost like if the amazonite itself were taking control of him.
"I found it... I found it, hahaha!", he laughed as he removed the jewel from the pedestal that held it. "Oomph, shit! It's pretty heavy. No matter... oh, ya beauty! Surely you must be worth a fortune. I'm gonna be filthy rich thanks to you, hahahahahaha!". But as he took the jewel away from the light, Marco began to feel a strange sensation inside of him. A shiver ran through his body from head to toe. He began to feel very dizzy and his vision became blurred.
"Agghhhhh! The hell...?", the boy looked at the amazonite again. Seeing himself in the reflection of the jewel, he could notice that the color of his eyes had changed from blue to red.
"What the fuck!? What's happening...? This is... ah! AAAAAAAHHH!!!", he screamed in horror as he realized that his arm holding the amazonite was swelling while his muscles and veins were twisting. Absolutely terrified, he dropped the jewel to the ground. His arm and his eyes returned to its normal state a few seconds later. The boy was breathing heavily but relieved to see that whatever was happening to him had stopped.
"Ahhh... what the fuck was that...?"
"Hahahahahaha! You disappoint me, Marco...", said a familiar voice from the entrance of the chamber. Faucault had finally catch up to him after tracking him closely. "Ahhh! Dammit!", the boy said startled to see him.
"You had enough balls to betray me. After all I did for you... and now that you have it right in front of you, you're chickening out now!? Tch, you're no different from Lucas... you two are just spoiled little brats!", he exclaimed stepping up and pointing his shotgun at him.
"No no no wait wait!! All right, all right you win! Take it, its over there, I don't want it anymore!! The girl was right... there's something wrong with that thing!!"
"You had potential, boy. You had the strength to have it all, but you were weak to take it!", Faucault shouted just before punching Marco in the face. The boy fell to the ground. The man walked over to the jewel and picked it up.
"At last... the amazonite its in my grasp... and it's better than I had imagined, hahahaha!!!"
However, as Faucault raised the amazonite into the air, he also began to show exactly the same symptoms as Marco. On top of that, he could feel his heart racing like a machine, while an intense migraine flooded his head. His moment of glory had arrived, but he would have to pay a high price for it.
"Uh!? Aaaaagggghhhh.... rrrrrgghh.... YEEEEEEAAAAAAOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!", he produced a shriek so inhumanly impossible that even its echo managed to crack part of the mural, feeling some kind of pain like never before in his life. However, the mercenary leader had no intention of letting go of his new treasure. On the contrary, he clung to it even tighter. Marco witnessed all this, speechless.
Advancing carefully through the corridors of the temple, Y'shaati and Uyari heard the creepy screech.
"Beast roar...?", the blonde asked unsettled.
"I don't think so... ah, Goddesses!", Uyari exclaimed as both girls stepped in a puddle of blood with their bare feet. The brunette suspected the worst when she noticed that the red liquid originated from the inert bodies fallen in the deathtraps. So many lives lost today could only be the fault of one single man. This had gone too far.
"This was a carnage. We must stop this madness, no matter the cost!", Uyari said as she ran side by side with Y'shaati.
Arriving at the entrance of the hidden chamber, the guardians finally managed to discover the stage that would host the final confrontation in this long journey. In the center, Faucault lay kneeling, motionless, staring at the ground in complete silence with the amazonite in hand. Marco remained in a corner, trembling in fear as if living a nightmare. Outraged, Uyari spoke to them. Justice was about to be served.
"I can't believe what you two have done. Your foolish ambitions have desecrated an ancient shrine that was meant to remain secluded, only to receive in return something as trivial as a handful of filthy money. This ends right now! The gods demands a punishment, and you will pay for it!"
However, Faucault didn't even flinch at Uyari's words. Instead, he inspected the arrow wound he had received in his arm earlier. It was now fully healed and without a scratch. His expression looked calm and composed despite what had happened earlier. It was as if he was a completely different person now.
"Fascinating... fascinating, indeed...", he whispered.
"What did you say?"
"Do you hear that? The voices... gently penetrating like raindrops in my head. You hear them too, don't you?", he said with a disturbing smile.
"What? You think this is a game!?", she asked again in annoyance, giving a step forward.
"Wait!", Y'shaati shouted, squatting down like an alerted animal. She immediately detected that something was wrong with him. "Y'shaati feel... bad thing. Y'shaati no like!", she warned her partner.
"Uh? What do you mean?", the brunette asked estranged. Faucault stood up and walked towards the girls.
"Now I understand everything. The amazonite has shown me the truth. I was wrong... this is the true power! The only power that matters! Nothing compares! Now, I don't need anything else... I don't even need to leave this place. Everything is here for me to claim it. Now I can have it all here... but to keep it, I must feed it! I must consume it all!"
"We will never let you spread the ancestral corruption the Icamiabas sealed. We will give our lives if necessary to prevent it!"
"Oh, don't bother, little girl. You two are just an appetizer, hehehehe. Your people out there and all the tribes of savages are the main course!", the mercenary said licking his lips.
Falling in his provocation, Uyari gripped her spear tightly and sprinted to make a great leap to attack Faucault, thus initiating the final battle. But before she could connect the first hit, Faucault caught Uyari by her neck, stopping her completely. The brunette's momentum didn't move the mercenary's body a single centimeter. He began to squeeze her throat, realizing the great strength he now possessed.
"Aggghhhhh... uuuuugghhh...!!!", the native girl tried to breathe as she kicked the air to free herself, to no avail.
"Where are your gods now? You should start praying to them...", he taunted before tossing her against the wall.
"Ah! Uyari!", Y'shaati exclaimed as she immediately tried to help, running and pouncing on the mercenary to make him free her. The blonde's superior strength was enough to knock him down. Standing over him, she began to beat his chest savagely with her fists.
"No hurt friend, ook ook ook!!!", she said believing that would be enough to stop him. But Faucault didn't even utter groans of pain. On the contrary, he seemed more interested in the qualities of this unusual girl.
"Well... you sure have power, hahaha! I wonder where it comes from...", he said after parrying her blows with one hand.
"Ah!?", Y'shaati gasped in surprise. Then, Faucault brushed her off easily with a simple push. The feral girl backed away, wondering what kind of enemy that evil man had become. On the other side of the chamber, Uyari stood up in pain, but with the same determination to stop the mercenary's threat.
"Come on, here I am... show me what you 'jungle ladies' are capable of, hehehe...", Faucault bluffed, waiting for their attack.
"Grrrrrr!!! Hyaaaa!!!", once again falling in his psychological game, the brunette charged at him. This time, she tried to be more disciplined in her way of attacking, using her spear and knife and moving nimbly through the environment to her advantage. But Faucault was blocking all of her attacks effectively. She couldn't find a way to land a single blow on him. She was beginning to feel frustrated. Taking advantage of that exposure, Faucault managed to grab her arm and twisted it aggressively.
"Hnnghh!! Argh!!", Uyari moaned feeling intense pain. However, with the knife in her other hand, she managed to stab him right in the arm which he was holding the jewel.
"Ah, so that's your strategy? Good thinking. But its pointless, I won't let go of the amazonite...", he said without feeling any kind of afliction.
"Y'shaati quick! W-we have to get the amazonite out of his hand!", Uyari suggested as she struggled with him for a while. This was her chance to attack him from behind. Without wasting seconds, the monkey queen ran over there and delivered a powerful kick right to his arm. That strike would have severed the limb of any ordinary human, but clearly Faucault was no longer an ordinary human. Incredibly, he withstood the blow. Both girls were left stunned.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! You can't hurt me...", Faucault bragged before delivering a tough knee to the brunette's stomach and a headbutt to the blonde's face. Right after, he lifted Uyari's whole body with one arm and threw her against Y'shaati. The girls collided and fell to the ground a second time. Once again, they had failed. Marco, who still remained sheltered in a corner, could only watch the violent combat. As both guardians tried to stand up, Uyari noticed that Faucault was preparing to fire his shotgun. Now he was strong enough to use his heavy weapon with one arm.
"Dance for me, bitches!"
"Watch out monkey!", Uyari pushed Y'shaati to save her. Miraculously, both avoided the shot. The mercenary quickly began to reload his weapon.
At that moment, a concert of gunfire, chaos and destruction began inside the cavern. For several minutes, the girls could do nothing but dodge Faucault's bullets. They ran and jumped all over the place to survive in any way they could. However, the mercenary was clearly missing his shots on purpose. He was simply toying with them, like a predator playing with its helpless prey before devouring it. The walls of the chamber, including the mural, were covered with shrapnel from the gunshots. Faucault tried to reload his shotgun once last time, but this was no longer an option. His pocket was already empty.
"Oh? Looks like the fun ran out too soon...", he said sarcastically.
"He's out of ammo! This is our chance! Let's attack him together! Try to immobilize him and I'll finish him off!", Uyari mentioned before launching a coordinated offensive with Y'shaati. In a few seconds, the blonde rammed and pinned Faucault's legs to prevent him from escaping. At the same time, Uyari grabbed her knife and launched herself like a wild feline.
"This is the end for you, demon!!!", the brunette yelled at the top of her lungs. And so, she managed to penetrate her knife right into the mercenary's left eye. Blood splattered all over his face. It was over. There was no way he could survive such fatal attack. But what happened next left the girls completely shocked.
"Arghhh! Shit... that actually hurt a little, hehehehe... hahahahaha!!", Faucault laughed.
"I-It can't be... it's not possible!", Uyari stuttered with a nervous voice. Y'shaati could only stare frozen.
"My turn...", he muttered before unleashing a series of brutal punches at Uyari and a hard kick at Y'shaati. The girls went flying off until they crashed into the wall. The punishment had been too severe for them. Both fell defeated and completely unconscious. Now there was really no one who could stop him. The worst possible outcome was becoming a reality.
"I'm still not in full control of my own strength... but it feels so good, hehehehe...", he said with a sinister grin as he slowly walked towards where the girls were. Apparently, it didn't matter much to him that he had lost an eye and was gushing blood from his socket. He just merely covered the cavity with a dirty bandage. Because of that and his swollen arm, his appearance looked even more disturbing now. He took a few minutes to admire the beauty of his victims.
"Hell, it's a real damn waste for such pair of young babes to end up like this. It would be nice if someone took advantage of this opportunity... don't you think so, boy?", he said before turning to look at Marco, who was still watching.
"Uh!? What? No, please don't hurt me!", the blond boy begged covering his head with his hands.
"Tch! Believe me, son... if I wanted you dead, I would have killed you by now and you wouldn't have even noticed. Now come here and do as I tell you!"
Still unsure, Marco got up and walked over there. Meanwhile, Faucault bent down and stripped both girls, removing their loincloths and leaving them totally naked. He then took a rope out of his coat and began to tie them together, sitting them in a corner.
"Here, a small proof of how merciful I can be...", said the mercenary, handing him one of the garments.
"What? What do you want me to do with this?", the boy asked in confusion.
"You said you liked the blondie, didn't you? Well, I'm giving her to you. There she is... have fun. Do with her as you please, hehe! Congratulations, today you will become a man. I'll take the other one for me. I have unfinished business with her..."
Understanding what he was referring to, Marco seized the opportunity to flatter his leader, ignoring what he had done to him earlier. He knew it was the most convenient thing to do if he wanted him to spare his miserable life.
"Oh, t-t-thank you so much sir! You are a true captain, I-I never doubted you! I will always be a loyal servant to you, I swear it for my mother's life!", said the boy bowing in front of him.
"Save your words, maggot... don't think I don't know what you're doing. You're just another worthless piece of... hnngghhh...!!", before he could say anything else, he felt a sudden throbbing in his head. At the same time, the jewel in his hand began to glow brightly. That ghastly sensation caused him to produce a chilling inhuman screech, very similar to the one he made when he first touched the amazonite. But this time it was much louder, and could even be heard from outside the temple.
"YYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!"
Lucas, together with Isabel and Dr. Escudero, were able to hear to it.
"What the heck was that...!?"
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