First breakthrough

"This is incredible, you're incredible!" Nika said after gulping down a celebratory beer the night after Uriel sealed off the jaguar spirit. "That will keep those nerds mouths shut."

The whole camp was immersed in a joyful mood after the first breakthrough during their whole investigation. Not only it was a huge step forward for research, but those tasked with the camp security were extremely blissful now they didn't have to worry about the jaguar cryptid.

"Don't be like that, Miss Nika. I'm one of those nerds too." Uriel replied a bit embarrassed.

"Come on, don't call me Miss, I'm just a couple years older than you after all." She nudged on Uriel's arm handing him a beer.

"You know I'm not of drinking age yet."

"What!? Are you not an adult?" Nika gasped.

"I am, just not old enough to legally drink yet."

Since Uriel didn't take the beer she handed him, she opened it and drank it whole herself.

"Let me get this straight, you are old enough to drive, to sign up for the army, to go on dangerous incursions and you can even buy firearms, but you can't drink?"

"That's just how it is." Uriel shrugged.

"I never understood that from your country." Professor Friedriksen scowled. He stayed close to Uriel the whole time after the young college student figured out how to use the figurine trying to chat with him as much as he could. "But you shouldn't let something like that stop you now, we are technically in Mexico, or what used to be Mexico anyway, and this occasion calls for a proper celebration!"

Contrary to professor Schlieman, Friedriksen was intrigued instead of spiteful about Uriel's background and the more he spoke with Uriel, the more he came to genuinely like him.

"That's okay, I've never tried any alcohol and I don't think it's a good idea to drink during research. I think it would be highly unprofessional." Uriel's reply almost made professor Friedriksen spit his beer, he too was a researcher and he was quite tipsy already.

"So, are you going to try to uncover the entrance to the underground structure tomorrow?" Professor Friedriksen said in an attempt to shift everyone's attention towards Uriel.

"Actually, I'm already working on it. You see, at first I didn't know if the carvings on the jaguar figurine would have any sort of effect. There's a huge amount of ancient artifacts and so far, none of them had shown any sort of supernatural ability, at least to my knowledge. But then I started thinking a bit outside the box." Uriel explained.

"Yes, I can see the reasoning behind it, ever since the cryptids arrived we had to open our minds to a lot of nonsense." Professor Friedriksen nodded solemnly.

"It's not really nonsense, I mean, old civilizations had their beliefs. To them, the existence of gods and incredible feats were not only possible but the actual truth and who knows... For all we know, they may as well be."

"Are you proposing the existence of some sort of proto civilization?" Friedrikson was left astonished.

"It would make sense and explain a lot of things. Where do cryptids come from? Why so many civilizations were so similar despite their distance? There's just too many unanswered questions." The few researchers that were in the surroundings reacted as if someone had spit on their mother's grave, stating something like that was nothing short of blasphemy for a well respected field like archaeology. Professor Friedriksen, instead, limited himself to silently nod. "I know what you're all thinking, but hear me out. The great jaguar is nothing but a stone platform with four short stairways and a couple sculptures, and yet, it's still a piece of unparalleled technology we can't even begin to understand. Is this not proof enough that the ancient Mayans had greater technology than ourselves?"

The archaeologists and researchers from different fields went silent. They could discuss all they wanted using the knowledge from the books they've read and the many classes they took or taught in college, yet none of them figured out how to activate the figurine. Worse than that, none of them had the slightest idea that it could be an artifact related to the cryptid that was roaming the land, but this college student came out of nowhere and solved it making a breakthrough on his second day on site. Besides, as crazy as his theory sounded, they couldn't argue with the facts.

"So, what comes next?" one of those present asked, but Professor Schlieman didn't give Uriel the chance to reply.

"I'll tell you what comes next, we should try and activate every single POI on site and see what happens!" His words came accompanied by a drunk hiccup that would have triggered a friendly chuckle if not for professor Schlieman's terrible personality.

"We can't do that," Uriel shook his head. "We don't know what could happen if we do it carelessly, there might be a proper order or set conditions for activation. For all we know there could even be a self destruct mechanism! We need to tread carefully or we might risk the whole operation."

"I've spent six months in here already, I say the time for being careful is over!" Professor Schlieman rebuked, trying to rally his colleagues, yet all of them looked at Uriel for approval.

"If you were in charge, you'd be able to do as you wish, so I guess it's a good think you're not actually in charge." Uriel's confidence didn't dwindle in front of all those scholars. No amount of post grade studies or renown was going to change the fact that it was he himself who made the first breakthrough.

Deeply resented by his defeat, professor Schlieman went to sleep early, but no one even missed him and the rest of the night was filled with joyous celebration. Maybe a bit too joyous for Nika who in the end had to be carried on arms towards Uriel's tent because of how much she drank.