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Hotel Emperador

Chapter 8 - Descended Sun

By Whitepython.

"Sixty Minutes..."

The sound of a bell ringing mixed with the screeching of heavy scissor gates and the spectral voice of The Operator and filled the luxurious hall from a former era.

Both raptor and wolf walked outside the small wooden box after the undead entity spoke.

The largest sand clock on the panel at the bottom of the elevator spun upside down. With it, the sand inside the large container fell down inside its empty side in a slow rhythm.

This time the rookie hunters worked together on the unholy ritual. More items were offered in sacrifice to the undead entity. This bought them more time.

Xaduardo programmed his cellphone with an alarm to be notified when 45 minutes had passed by. The hunters wanted to be sure they could leave on time.

"It's up to us to make sense out of this mess," Alroc affirmed still as hopeful as he was a couple of hours ago at the café. "If this is a huge misunderstanding, then we can save McRue."

Both hunters moved in silence towards the double door entrance. Xaduardo felt uneasy. Every time he was walked across those gates, either in the real world or through this dimension; something sinister was waiting for him.

Raptor and Wolf found the double doors closed but unlocked. The archway with the plant pods was devoid of activity. A luxurious but solemn ambient received both rookie hunters, yet it had a macabre vibe on it.

At the center of the suite there was the familiar large table and picture window. But also the reptile spotted a known figure looking outside through said window. The figure wore a dark and worn out trench coat. There was an old gray mane along the head of the figure. It was more than clear that he was he the lion they came looking for. Xaduardo approached the figure. If McRue was faking loyalty to the cult, this was the perfect opportunity for him to escape.

"Stop right there Xaduardo," McRue's voice commanded. The raptor froze his brown and green clawed feet.

"Let's get out of here before any of those cultist return," the Raptor spoke. His voice sounded hopeful.

"Who asked you to come here to rescue me?" McRue scolded the reptile.

"You don't want to be rescued -oh great leader-?" the wolf spoke with a voice that reflected sarcasm and a tint of hatred.

"We spent so much time looking for you even if Rantego forbid us to do it," the raptor complained.

"I don't care what has Rantego done or stop doing," The lion replied without any interest in his voice.

"But why sir?" The raptor cried for an explanation. "Why have you betrayed us and left us behind! A real leader isn't supposed to do what you just did..." the raptor spoke with his soul broken in two. "A leader is someone who was born to help others."

"According to whom?" the lion turned around to dig his eyes on the raptor. A pair of small, golden eyes locked on him. They were the same eyes that destroyed Xaduardo yesterday. His gaze was alert even if most lions of his age already had a tired and sad one. A Triangular nose and black lips appeared above a feline chin with a small gray beard. The fur along his muzzle was white and gray like his mane. His feline mane ran over his head all the way down to his shoulders and between his pectorals before getting lost into his trench coat. His mane looked dry and devoid of the shine that fur carries during its youth.

Even if he had broad shoulders, his slim frame fitted in perfection inside his long trench coat. The tip of his fingers were also clear gray with the tip of his claws sheathed.

Under his trench coat a pair of gray pants poked out which looked in better condition than the trench coat. His plantigrade foot paws were dirty blond with dark gray fur along his toes.

"You don't even know what a leader is," the lion explained. "I don't care what you think a leader is, but I will not permit whichever dumb label you've built in your mind around it come and tell me what to do. Not you, not anyone else!"

"We risked everything to come and find you," Alroc spoke still with anger in his voice. "We made a lot of sacrifices to rescue you from hotel Emperador. You turned out to be nothing but a traitor and a demon worshipper! After you told me so many times to never listen to demons."

"I couldn't care less about your little dramatic tales. Besides, things changes Alroc," The lion replied with discomfort in his accented voice. "In particular after the God of light himself has betrayed you and a demon shows you a path of hope."

"Betray?" the raptor asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I gave God everything I had and he paid be back with taking everything from me."

"You aren't making any sense!" the wolf growled in frustration.

"You are young. I can show you reality and make you see beyond the lies you were raised with. I can take you with me into the path of truth along with the goddess."

"What truth?" the raptor inquired with anxiety.

"Since I was born, I was taught to follow the teachings of the light which I always did. Going through the course of my life, I met and married the love of my life. She was a beautiful lioness and the perfect lover for life. She too followed the teachings of the light. She loved God like I once did.

"We both had the burning desire to start a family. To raise it under the teachings of the light in the same manner we were. But she wasn't able to get pregnant. We begged and prayed to God for a miracle when all the doctors we visited said that such thing was impossible. We offered many sacrifices and prayers to him. My lioness offered herself to make a pilgrimage to all the major holy sites in the northern lands if he conceded our pleas. We felt so blessed when the miracle occurred. My wife got pregnant with a beautiful baby lion.

"In complete gratefulness to God, she took the religious trip. But the plane she took happened to have a major technical failure midair and crashed. Everyone aboard died, included my wife and unborn son."

The lion stopped for a moment. His serene face became disturbed for a moment in the middle of the narration before he forced himself to resume.

"I never understood why God granted me the deepest desire of my heart just to take it away from me. That was cruel. Everyone in the church and hunting circles insisted it was a trial. I tried to see things in such ways. I used the pain as a motivation to become an excellent demon hunter and keep me distracted. No matter how much I tried in the outside to look strong, on the inside I kept on crumbing down.

"That bottled frustration changed a while ago. When I first stepped into this dimension ready to stop this cult, I was more than shocked when I was greeted by my wife cradling a cub in her arms. At first I thought it was a twisted trick. Then I learned that nothing was being demanded from me in return to meet my own son and enjoy the company of my wife. At the beginning, I couldn't understand it. I realized that this was a blessing from the goddess Scaoubohr. She is merciful and kind toward mortals with wounded souls. As a matter of fact my family is here, safe in another part of this hotel.

"I decided to embrace the teachings of Tenabochi once I understood that living here meant that I could recover what God took from me. I took the next step and decided a week ago to reach the goddess in person. I left my former life aside to start the life that God denied me so many years ago. She is my wife. I have no questions about it. We are so close to each other like when she lived in the real world. She is even waiting now for another cub of mine."

The raptor felt sick to his stomach after hearing that last part. What kind of dark magic could this be demoness be using to make an undead entity to become pregnant and be able to give birth?

"...You always told me that demons were masters of deceive," Alroc interrupted. "I remember the words you used that night in the cemetery. You said that 'If demons could be benevolent, we would have maniacs performing dangerous invocation rituals all naked in their basement in the middle of the night all over town!' "

"What happened in the past doesn't matter now. We are not in the cemetery any longer Alroc."

"Quit that crap!" the wolf snarled. "You forced me stop her from doing the very same thing you just did!"

"I already told you that I don't care about your dramatic tales."

"I came all the way here to demand from you an explanation. Why did you lie to me? You knew that benevolent demons were real and yet you forced me to act under a lie!"

"Back then it was my duty as demon hunter."

"But it wasn't your duty when you saw a benefit for yourself? You corrupted piece of shit!"

McRue was a leader admired for his strong resolve and the maturity he demonstrated in the face of misfortune. Xaduardo couldn't believe that all the things the lion was admired for were smoke and mirror.

The Raptor couldn't help but allow the wolf to release all of his anger and frustration against the lion. That man who used to be among the topmost demon hunters in the entire world.

"She... She killed herself! Because of your crooked lies!"

The whole suite sank in silence for a moment. The erratic behavior the wolf has demonstrated made complete sense for the reptile now.

"She was my childhood love..." Alroc cried in pain as his voice broke down "...You and your fucking bird took her away from me!"

"What?" the lion looked shocked for a moment before dismissing the matter off of his mind "She was going to die soon if I remember well anyways. One less weakling wasting the time of demons."

"You fucking..." The lupine peeled his lips back to expose his fangs. He licked his exposed teeth as he snarled. The fur on his neck rose and his short ears were pinned back while the rest of his body shook. Alroc's eyes portrayed the same murdering rage he displayed for Rantego yesterday morning at the briefing room.

Alroc pulled out his gun from his tactical vest. However, when Xaduardo tried to stop him. He found the dangerous end of the gun aimed at him.

"Back the fuck off! I'll do what I came here to do. Or else, I swear I'll kill you too!" Alroc threatened. "This filthy demon worshipper dies here." The wolf aimed his glare filed with hatred on the reptile with the same accuracy like he did with his weapon. The saurian stood frozen in fear next to the wolf.

"We must take him to be judged by the church!" Xaduardo tried to make the wolf come to his senses.

"No way!" Alroc kept his hateful glare on the saurian. "His blood for her blood!" the wolf returned to aim his gun to the lion. "You made me destroy her opportunity to be healed. She even begged and pleaded for her life at the graveyard. You don't even deserve the opportunity to beg!"

The wolf used his thumb to remove the safety from the gun before his finger moved from the trigger guard to the trigger itself. Alroc's hand shook in rage as he aimed the gun towards the lion who now looked afraid for his life.

"Goodbye traitor!" Alroc uttered in hatred. "Once I kill you I'm going to look for your family and I'll kill them too!" The raptor saw this as his opportunity to stop the wolf from completing his threat. He dashed towards his fellow demon hunter.

Two gunshots filled the luxurious suite. Then, silence reigned in the room.

Both demon hunters were wrestling against the wall on the right for the gun. Xaduardo squeezed the wolf's wrist and slammed those furred hands against the wall. He was desperate to force Alroc to drop the weapon as the wolf cursed against him.

"This is how you plan to solve all your problems as demon hunter Alroc? By shooting people you don't like?" a familiar voice spoke. "You two are nothing but a pair of stupid cubs."

When Xaduardo turned around, he found the lion standing still on his spot. One of the chairs next to the feline had a hole on the back. a second hole was on a corner of the large picture window.

The raptor knew that the wolf was too unstable to stay in control. The lion would not be his leader anymore. He wasn't blessed with leadership skills, but he had to seize control of this situation against two natural born leaders. Or else, this would end awful bad.

...and he had less than an hour to achieve what he hasn't done during his entire life.

"None of you deserve to be made hunters. You can't even stop a disarmed demon cultist. If I were still the leader of that clan I would expel you two. You'd be the first one I would kick Xaduardo. You are the most pathetic one..."

The raptor took the offense heartfelt. He saved the life of this lion and this is how he gets repaid? Maybe he should be the one who pulls the trigger this time.

The enraged dinosaur leaned all of his weight on his left leg to ram his body towards the wolf at his right at full force against the wall. Alroc released a loud groan in pain as he was pressed at full force against the wall. This made the gun fall down. Xaduardo picked it up at once and aimed the gun at the lion.

"You don't have what it takes to fire that gun," McRue spoke with disdain. "I bet you are here because Alroc dragged you by the tail. You always were the most useless member of my clan. You are nothing but a shadow sticking behind others. That's why I never gave you big cases to solve. Your only role in my clan was to cleanse imps and fetch papers. You were so pathetic that I had to do your first case for you."

That would have been more than enough to send the raptor down into a spiral of depression. To make the raptor drop everything and collapse in tears. His leader was never hopeful of him. He was kept around as an errand boy.

That would have been enough to destroy his spirits forever. By some strange reason the truth didn't hurt the raptor. If McRue was a natural born leader, how could have he fallen for the tricks of a demoness? If Alroc was a natural born leader why was he at the verge of a breakdown? Xaduardo realized that he had been lied all of his life. But not about God, the lie was about leadership.

"I... I can be useful and..."

"Silence!" the lion roared. "Alroc, if you want to see your beloved doe once again, Join us. I am pretty sure the goddess would be more than happy to demonstrate her good will on you."

"W...what?! Are you..."

"I am quite serious about this; Wolf. Your doe will return to you if become a Follower of Tenabochi. Cast the God of lies aside and you will find true enlightment among us like I did."

The raptor could see the wolf was struggling with himself. His bloodthirsty eyes seems to have ended with the offer. The Lion retrieved a small onyx blade from his coat which he threw at Alroc's feet.

The raptor looked at the black weapon for a moment. It was more than clear that it was the same blade he saw at the first ceremonial table he found. The one with the two skulls.

"Use my dagger to kill Xaduardo. Don't be afraid of his gun. He doesn't has what it takes to shoot it unlike you. I can see a lot of potential in you wolf. You are angry and hurt like me. Help me offer that lizard to the goddess in sacrifice. Help me undo the clan I built and we shall together reach the goddess Scaoubohr through the most excellent Tenabochi."

The raptor opened his eyes wide in shock after hearing such thing. The wolf squatted down and picked up the offered weapon as he dug his lupine eyes on the saurian.

"Renounce to everything and begin a new life," McRue tempted the lupine. "If you love your doe as much as I love my wife there is no need to even think about this Alroc. Don't you want to see her one again?."

The wolf kept his eyes on the raptor as he gave one step forward. Xaduardo gasped loud as he aimed the gun at the wolf. His stomach tensed as his lower jaw twisted to the side. However, the wolf growled and shook his head as he squeezed the dagger by the pommel.

"My beautiful doe is gone for good. Bringing her back with demonic magic is a sacrilegious act to her beautiful self. I will be reunited with her in the collective of the ancient forefathers after my last day comes. There's no such a thing as a goddess. There is only the God of light. Your so called goddess is nothing but a filthy, lying and cheating demon. You and your shitty cult can go and die in a fire again!" The wolf aimed the tip of the dagger to the feline while he reunited himself with the saurian.

"I had my hopes that I could make you realize the truth. It's a shame that I'll have to kill you like I'll have to kill the rest of the clan. I'll make it up for my mistake at the cemetery by reuniting you with your doe tonight."

The raptor aimed the gun to the lion when the feline moved towards the rookies, but the feline advanced towards him as if the gun meant nothing. A wide grin exposed his feline fangs.

Xaduardo had once again that terrible day flashing in his mind where his grandmother died in that alley. He couldn't bring himself to shoot and kill the lion like that drug addicted maniac did with his grandmother.

Xaduardo began to walk backwards between the table and the wall on the right towards the back of the room as the gun shook in his clawed hands.

"Xaduardo! Don't play games. Kill him!" the wolf commanded as he remained behind the saurian. Xaduardo rose the front sight of the gun at the level of the lion's face. His clawed finger moved to the trigger when out of sudden a loud sound from the left could be heard. One of the doors along the opposite wall was forced open. Seven figures wearing dark robes and ceremonial silver-like masks appeared. Some of the masks had several eyes and demonic runes drawn on it. Other masks were decorated with multiple horn-like protuberances and more of those demonic runes. They were the same figures the raptor saw when he first walked into this version of the presidential suite.

The raptor aimed his gun towards the group across the table and squeezed the trigger. A single gunshot landed towards one of the invaders who approached the demon hunters.

A scream of pain followed the gunshot. One of the cultist landed on the floor while he cried in pain. The lion looked behind him towards the group of cultist as he roared in protest. The raptor was in complete shock after firing out of reflex, not because he meant to.

The robed figures felt back to examine what was happening with the figure that fell as the lion struggled with his next decision.

The raptor aimed the gun at the group before him. What could he do now? He remembered the Alderocobaladrite. They had to use it and finish this. But how can he setup the item and defend himself and Alroc from their enemies? Everybody has always made Xaduardo feel like he was a useless follower except for his grandmother.

Why has he listened to these people Anyways?

McRue was more corrupt and twisted than himself or even Alroc could have ever imagined. What if he could rise to become the leader now that the hero has fallen and the other was broken? Weren't you supposed to be born a leader? That's what society has always chanted since the dawn of time.

What if the only way to solve this situation was to take a hard decision and follow through?

He already has pushed himself through this entire investigation doing things that only a leader was supposed to do. He has performed the actions he admired once in McRue; the lion who was a fake leader. He wasn't sure if everything he knew about leadership was accurate or not. He didn't knew if a leader was made or born. All he knew is that he had to bet everything he got on taking leadership and push himself on following with a hard decision. He had to discover here and now what a leader was, or else his life and the life of his clan mates would be lost.

"Alroc! Break the Alderocobaladrite right now" the raptor spoke with renewed strength.

The wolf retrieved from his vest a silk bag which contained the grapefruit-sized skull with its many horns and protuberances. The raptor turned around in time to see the expression of horror the lion had on his face when he recognized the item the hunters carried with them. It was enough for the lion to leave behind the rest of the cult while they were busy with their wounded cult mate.

"That's... that's the... who gave you that?!" the lion lost his cool attitude with the presence of the cleansing item. He turned his attention to the group of cultist standing behind him "We need to kill those two right away and get that item! If that skull is destroyed here we will be wiped out!"

The raptor aimed the gun back at the six cultist that remained in the room. They walked towards him even if the raptor's hand shook while aiming the gun.

"If you don't kill them. They are going to kill us!" Alroc protested. "We should have killed McRue when we had the chance."

"No! The church has to decide the best course of action!"

"Are you insane?! These psychopaths are ready to kill us!"

Maybe Alroc was right. The raptor had to be careful with the last bullets. The wolf shot two bullets prior to be disarmed and the raptor shot a third bullet when the cultist arrived. This meant that the gun had only two shots before it became useless.

The raptor held his breath and aimed the gun at one of the cultist's legs and shot once. The sound of the bullet was followed by a loud groan of pain which once again made the group of now five man to stop.

"Break that skull right now Alroc!"

"I can't! It's too hard. I have bashed it against the wall and it doesn't crack even a bit!"

"Stay collected and keep trying..."

The lion pushed the cultists away who were trying to aid their wounded partner like they did with the first one. The raptor aimed the gun at the lion's face. He held his breath as his clawed finger caressed the trigger as he shook in fear.

Xaduardo hesitated again. Does he has what it takes to kill the man he has admired for so long?

The split seconds the reptile spent in hesitation were enough for the lion to throw a hard punch against the raptor's jaw and knock him down. And with this, the gun rolled away from his hands.

Xaduardo could feel a strong burning and painful sensation over his face as he could taste blood in his maw. The rest of his senses were disoriented as the world spun around him. He fell on the ground. He suffered from both the punch he received and the slam against the ground.

His ear canals were able to listen screams, snarls and cries of pain among curses. But the raptor wasn't able to tell what was happening.

"Xadu, I need you here. Now!" the wolf spoke to the saurian. The raptor forced himself to look for his friend even if his head was buzzing and his muzzle was aching after that strong hit. He found Alroc trying to flip the heavy table sideways to create a barrier between them and the cultist. Further words were not necessary. The raptor forced himself up to push the table even if he was disoriented. The reptile saw the cult standing near the entrance reunited in a tight formation. McRue was nowhere to be seen. Both demon hunters were able to flip the table sideways. This barricade kept them away from the lion and the cult, and hidden at the back of the suite.

"Ignore me and go kill them. Now!" the accented voice of the feline spoke in desperation. Xaduardo had to do something right away.

The wolf pulled out next his Flash bang grenade. He removed the safe before he threw it. The saurian remembered the item was some sort of watered down grenade from the ones used in military service. He also had enough training to know what to do. He ducked behind the table. He closed his eyes and covered his ear canals with his hands.

The explosion was loud even with his ears protected. When he pulled his head out, the reptile saw all the decorations in the room thrown in all directions and the large picture window cracked.

He placed his attention on the cult next. They were rolling on the floor trying to recover from the sudden explosion. Some were covering their ears and others removed their mask to rub their eyes. The lion was bearing a deep wound along his left leg. His pants were soaked up in his blood. He was also recovering from the explosion, but he didn't seem as affected as the cult. The raptor looked back at the wolf in an attempt to make sense out of this. Xaduardo noticed a long series of bloody marks along the wolf's right arm. The lupine sat next to the broken dagger. Only the black hilt with a small portion of the broken edge could be seen.

"Are you okay Alroc?" the confused reptile asked.

"Don't worry about me. Where's the gun?"

"I don't know..." the raptor looked around as his head still ached from the hard blow. "Where's the Alderocobaladrite?"

"I... When McRue attacked" Alroc spoke as he tried to focus on something else aside from his wounds "I threw it to the back of the room to keep it away from him. I used his knife to try to cause a deep wound. He used his claws to try to scratch my face but I blocked him with my arm. The blade broke inside his leg when I tried to run back.

"I also have tried to break the Alderocobaladrite, but it's too hard. I have only managed to crack it. Maybe a bullet could destroy it. If not, we need to figure out another way to destroy that holy item."

"How many bullets did you loaded in the gun?" the raptor hoped there were more bullets that he knew about. His eyes looked in exasperation for the firearm that he dropped.

"I had five shots in the magazine. This means we will have to make the last one count..."

Alroc replied. And the raptor felt stressed as the worst scenario came a reality now. He knew that the flash from the low power grenade won't be able to stop the cult for long. He suspected it wouldn't be as effective thanks to the mask they wore. He and his friend had one bullet to destroy the Alderocobaladrite and keep the cultist at bay. On top of that, they...

Out of sudden, a familiar song began to play in the raptor's pocket along with a vibration. Xaduardo realized that it was the alarm from his cellphone. This meant that both hunters had less than fifteen minutes to reach the elevator and escape

"And we don't have much time to make it count either..." Alroc spoke once he realized the same as the saurian.

"Alright," Xaduardo spoke once he returned to focus on the current situation. "You are bleeding too much. Stay here while I look for the skull and the gun."

Xaduardo poked his head back from behind the table. He spotted the cult was struggling to recover from the sudden impact of the grenade. However, the lion had almost recovered. He was trying to use his wounded leg to approach the hunters and finish his job.

The reptile wished he could make time stop so he could find that skull. The raptor looked in desperation for the item as he moved towards the broken window at the back of the room. His paranoid mind made him look behind him as he was expecting to be received by another of those heavy punches in any second now. But the lion was busy clearing his head from the stunning explosion.

Behind a chair, the raptor was able to see one of the horns of the demonic skull turned into a holy item. The raptor pushed the chair aside to fetch it. The reptile then returned where the wounded wolf was taking cover to pick him up.

"Here is it. We need to go now. McRue is coming and the rest of the cult are recovering."

"Where is the gun?"

"Forget it! Here..." the raptor slid his hand into his shirt to force out the purple claw that almost destroyed his protection circle last night. He slid the sharp tip into the crack and forced it deep into the item with his thumb. The skull demonstrated a larger crack upon contact with the item.

"What is that thing?"

"It's the claw of a demon." the raptor handled the skull to the wolf "I don't have time to explain now. Let's get to the elevator!"

The raptor commanded as he helped the wolf to get up and leave the table behind. But when they rose to their feet, they found out that the stunted cultist were almost recovered and grouped at the archway hall.

"You two will stay with us for eternity. If you destroy the Alderocobaladrite and remain caught in this plane you will die as well," the wounded lion spoke. The cultist pulled out of their robes their own ceremonial blades. Five robed strangers and the lion blocked the only path to freedom that the rookie hunters had.

"You won't erase my family in this dimension, neither our dream to meet the goddess. Surrender or else we will sacrifice your bodies to the goddess Scaoubohr"

The demon hunters returned to take shelter behind the table. The raptor knew that he had to take the leadership now. Everybody in his life has been wrong about him. He was not a useless coward. He knew it! He was strong, he was heroic, he was brave, and he was capable.

He was a true leader.

"Alroc. I am going to buy you time. Escape while you can. Destroy the skull on your way to the elevator!"

"Are you mad? I'm not leaving without you!"

"I'm in better condition to fight, and the skull can be destroyed pretty easy now. There is no need for both of us to be obliterated by the Alderocobaladrite if one of us can be spared"

"I refuse to leave you..."

"I have taken charge of this mission, I am the leader now. I command you to go away and unlink this dimension from hotel Emperador or else our whole clan will perish."

The wolf gasped in surprise. Then, he protested with a growl.

"Uttering nonsense in your final moments..." the wounded lion spoke. "Give me back that skull before you two do something stupid."

The raptor gave the wolf a quick nod. Which the reptile hoped it could also work as a final goodbye.

Xaduardo clenched his teeth as he came from behind the table. He carried one of the chairs that were laying around. He rammed it against the cult at full force.

The group of cultist were forced to disband their formation as the reptile ran towards them. He used the same strength he used to pin the wolf down yesterday morning at the meeting with Rantego. The chair almost broke when it crushed one of the cultist against the wall. The reptile then threw a hard slam with the chair on his left where another demon worshipper was, giving him a rough blow.

Behind him, he could hear someone passing by at great speed. It was obvious to him that the wolf had made his escape. However, his small victory was short lived as a sudden sharp pain attacked his right shoulder.

The raptor tried to run away but the pain repeated itself on his left leg, forcing him to fall on the floor.

The reptile was in pain. His whole body screamed to him to beg for mercy. But he was a leader now. He had to buy the wolf enough time to destroy the skull and this dimension for good.

The raptor rolled onto his back so he could see three remaining cultist approaching him with murdering intentions. Blades in hand ready to end his life in any minute now.

"I will dispatch him myself," McRue spoke. "Kill the wolf before he kill us all."

The cultist fell back, leaving the raptor alone with the lion who was limping towards him ready to put an end to his reptilian self.

Xaduardo felt his heart beating fast. Adrenaline rushed into his body until his temperature dropped to his feet. The most primal fear for his life overtook him as he felt about to cry and beg to be spared.

He couldn't do that. He was a leader about to save his whole clan from being slain by their former and corrupt leader.

A familiar cry of pain came from the end of the archway. This got the attention of the lion and saurian for a brief second. Has the cult killed the wolf? Has this mission failed?

"God has failed once again to stop me from enjoying my family. He sent his weakest pawn to do the job of a real hunter," McRue celebrated his victory.

God denied the Lion a miracle. But could God grant the Raptor one?

"H...holy light lend me your might..."

The wounded reptile uttered as his wounded leg and arm felt numb. Blood was leaving the wound on his extremities as he chanted his small prayer over and over again.

That's when he noticed the missing gun under one of the many chairs flipped down where the table once was set.

This was his miracle.

The raptor used his still healthy leg and arm to push himself backwards towards the flipped chair and away from the limping lion. He stretched his good arm under the chair to try to hook his index claw against the trigger guard as the lion approached.

The small excitement he felt when his fingers caressed the grip of the gun was killed when he felt a sharp ache against his healthy knee.

Xaduardo screamed loud in pain. A tear of pain escaped his eyes. He looked at McRue who was standing over him. He was using his healthy leg to stomp over the raptor's knee. The face of the lion spotted a wide, sadist grin as his eyes expressed the anticipation of the bloodlust he was about to unleash on the saurian's body.

The lion moved his leg back to lean down towards the fallen saurian. He stretched his wounded leg back as his healthy one flexed by the knee. His manned head was a meter away from the reptilian's face. He exposed his right hand with his sharp claws unsheathed and painted in red. "Now is your turn to die," the lion spoke in confidence.

"I am not dying alone at least..."

The raptor brought the gun up in a quick motion from under the chair and aimed the barrel towards the lion's head.

The raptor was ready to break the last resistance. He was ready to kill.

Xaduardo's exhausted and weak body pushed itself to the last drop of physical strength. The reptile squeezed the trigger when both rear and front sights of the gun were aligned with the space between those two golden feline eyes.

"I am no errand boy. I was always a leader. One better than you..."

The firearm pushed his arm backwards in what felt as a hard recoil on his weak extremity.

The Limping lion could only draw on his face the shock he felt. Time slowed down as the surroundings around the former legendary demon hunter and the rookie hunter washed away and shifted to a white color.

It was clear that the wolf had managed to disrupt the dimension with the Alderocobaladrite. The alternate hotel Emperador was about to be deleted along with everyone in it. Xaduardo knew that this was the end of the mission. He was a leader able to complete it.

Time ran slower and slower. Xaduardo was able to see a ring of fire coming from the end of the gun which left behind a wave of fire that spread before the muzzle of the firearm.

The handgun spawned from its depths a white and silver bullet that spun clockwise towards the man he once idolized. As time ran every slower and slower while the dimension disintegrated, the bullet approached the lion's forehead. His face became devoid of life once the bullet sunk inside his head. The feline's body fell in the same slow rhythm the dimension disintegrated as time flowed in dribs and drabs.

The raptor allowed his weak body to lay limp over the white light that consumed the cursed dimension created by the demoness and her cult.

The last thing he was able to feel before being consumed by the white light for good was the tingling brought by deep satisfaction. After all, he realized his upmost goal in life.

* * * * * * *

"I am free now. I am grateful to you"

Xaduardo looked around in confusion. He realized he was lying on the floor a gigantic, wide open space made of white light. It was like laying down over a large and white plain out in the open under a white sky. The light gave him warmth and peace.

The raptor rose to his feet. He expected to be invaded by a sharp pain. He realized that his body wasn't wounded at all.

As he tried to adjust to the new world, his first thought was that he died and he was in the collective of the ancient forefathers. As he kept on trying to make sense of everything, he saw a strange figure standing a few meters away from him.

It was a golden spirit showered in light. He was chubby and had a short height. It kept its hands behind its back. By some reason it looked like a bear.

Xaduardo could also distinguish that the soul was wearing white clothes which looked like they belonged to a priest from older times. A red and fresh flower poked out of his breast pocket.

"My name when I was alive was Reinmundo Finrul. I was a holy man invited to be a guest at Hotel Emperador 200 years ago when the Oracles of the True Enlightenment began with their first rituals. The man who used to own the hotel back then employed lies to invite me to be a guest at his hotel.

"He and Tenabochi were friends. Tenabochi is an evil and sinister soul. He has a love for taking good and holy men who are consecrated in any way to the light and corrupt them beyond repair. He also loves to force holy servants of the light in his rituals without mercy like it occurred with me."

"Tenabochi and the rest of the cult captured me and slain me at Hotel Emperador. They buried and cemented my remains under the elevator. I was forced in soul to never rest. I served through demonic magic as the entity known as The Operator. They forced me to kill and to drop to the beasts of the void anyone who didn't followed the established protocols for 200 years. My soul has suffered with every death I had to cause or witness at the hotel. I always wished to be at the collective of the ancient forefathers. To be reunited with my beloved ones who had departed the world through their natural deaths."

Xaduardo listened in silence. If this story was true and if he was before a spirit of a dead being, this meant that he was also dead.

"I suffered a lot because of this. I am grateful that the God of light has decided to take pity on me. I have been welcomed into the collective of the ancient forefathers. Once in the presence of God, I appealed to him and the Angels in your favor. It was your sacrifice that set me free according to the last passenger I took. A gray wolf. I know he spoke with truth for there was pain in his heart.

"I wish to bring the holy light onto your life as my deepest gesture of gratitude. I desire to be reunited with my beloved ones who died in the anguish of never knowing about the dark fate that befell onto me. I don't want you to suffer the same thing I suffered in order for me to be free. It would not be fair. God and the Angels who blessed your mission since the beginning gave me permission to be The Operator for one last time. I'll ask you in return to please move my remains to holy ground so they can't be tampered by demonic intentions ever again."

Out of sudden, the bell of the elevator doors rang along with the sound of the metallic scissor gates could be heard behind the raptor. He turned around to spot the familiar spectral elevator bathed in blue light.

Xaduardo was unable to believe this was happening to him. Was he dreaming? Was he still alive? Was this a trick? What if this was an entity send by the demoness to seal his soul in the void in revenge for his acts against her cult?

"Your Grandmother says that she loves you. That you are her brave boy. You can be counted on for anything. You will always excel like she said. And she's happy with you and proud of you and she will always love you..."

A single tear ran down the raptor's face. All the doubts left his soul in that instant. He moved his reptilian self inside the elevator without looking back towards the wandering soul. He could hear the heavy scissor doors closing behind him. The wooden box turned pitch dark. And with that, he lost consciousness.

He snapped awake. He gasped. He tried to breathe in as much oxygen as possible. Sharp and agonizing pain punched him back into existence. His blurry vision revealed around him paramedics who were removing a defibrillator off of his chest. Alroc the wolf was staring down at him with a wide grin of satisfaction and watery eyes. The lupine had his gray furred chest exposed. A paramedic was trying to tug him back. He was in the middle of being bandaged. Deeps wounds were on his arms and chest. The reptile welcomed the pain and chaos around him. They were proof that he was alive and back in the world.

The raptor felt himself being loaded in a stretcher. An oxygen mask was placed over his muzzle as he was taken through the door that divided the hotel lobby.

Before passing out, he smiled at the sculpture of the seven angels at the main lobby of the hotel as the paramedics carried him out.