Dungeon Raider System

Sharp turned to run as soon as she snapped out of her astonishment. She didn't know how to make heads or tails about that cathclysmic event, all she knew was that something that huge had to be related to the strange feeling on the back of her head she had been experiencing weeks prior.

"What's going on?" Asked Horace without daring to look over his shoulder. Sharp's expression was all the information he needed to run behind her.

"That's why I asked you guys for help, we need to warn the city guards that a titan level cryptid is on course towards the megacity." Uriel replied. The fact that he was able to keep up with their pace without so much as breathing heavily went over their heads as they were too scared of whatever it was that caused that reaction from Sharp.

The group continued running for about half an hour without a care for any cryptids. With that humongous cloud tailing them it came as no surprise they didn't encounter any cryptids.

"It's catching up with us." Sharp shouted as motivation to keep her crew on the run, but it had the opposite efect on Horace whose legs refused to move anymore.

"I can't..." The poor ranger gasped for air.

'This is the part where he says something heroic and then asks us to go on without him.

"You guys have to carry me!" Horace finished with a cry.

"It's fine, we can take a small rest." Said Uriel with a disappointed expression on his face. He didn't expect much coming from that particular individual, but deep down he wished he had someone in the rangers to admire.

"We can't rest now, ajust a few kilometers more and we'll reach the next outpost."

"Miss Sharp, that thing is still far away. We lost about six hours while you took your sweet time considering my request, what's fifteen minutes more?"

Sharp inspected Uriel with curiosity for a few seconds, thinking that maybe his trait had to be related to physical endurance or maybe running speed. It was the only explanation that came to mind when she realized that he wasn't even sweating, but then she changed her mind since he insisted so much in taking a rest in spite of the thing that drew near them.

The 'rest', if it could even be called like that, was nothing but a five minute pause to boil water forcing them drink and eat while walking. Rangers excelled in covering huge distances in a short span of time due to their training, but also because they knew how to make the most of the physical prowess bestowed upon them by their traits.

Sharp was just an instructor, but she was promoted once the leader of their squad died. Because of that, she lacked the charisma needed to keep morale high, in other words, she was a follower and not a leader.

But that wasn't Uriel's case, at least not anymore. He was now accustomed to giving commands and making decisions in the nick of time. His calm demeanor and decision making made him seem more reliable on Sharp's eye than he should have been due to his rank and she began suspecting he wasn't who he said he was.

Her two companions didn't notice anything strange with him and they just liked him because he was the only one able to reason with Sharp.

The rest of the day was mostly spent on running in silence and taking small breaks. Something Uriel greatly appreciated, but the wild girl not so much. She loved listening to other people even if she couldn't understand their words.

This forced Uriel to keep her entertained with a constant supply of treats, which left a dent on his finances, though he recovered all he spent and then some more when the level three physical training was complete and he was awarded with 1k trites.

When the next outpost finally came in sight, it didn't take long for Uriel to notice that something was off. It didn't look abandoned like that time where the horror level cryptid imprisoned him and forced him to follow certain rules. There were rangers on their posts and the doors were closed, but something in his gut told him it was a bad idea to enter that place.

"I think we should spend the night elsewhere." Uriel proposed.

"And why the fuck is that?" Sharp let out annoyed. They ran most of the day and even she, a heavenly rank, was tired. Just looking at him fresh as though he just took a shower was bothersome, but the fact that he'd been siding with her to insubordinate companions was even more aggravating.

"Don't you think it's weird they keep the lights on even though it's daytime still?" Uriel pointed towards the spotlights which were commonly used only during emergencies. Those spotlights were made using old technology, similar to the lighthouses that used to light the way for ships and they didn't work with gas.

The old lighthouses used to burn whale fat and use reflective surfaces to enhance and direct the light, while the rangers spotlights burned plant based ethanol.

They didn't provide that much light, but in exchange they were very cost efficient, though not so much as to leave them on during daytime.

"They're just getting ready for that strange weather." Horace said amidst panting. The race was beyond painful for his ascended body and he could barely move their muscles.

Simmons, the other ranger that formed part of the crew, was just as tired as Horace in spite of him being a heavenly rank hunter like Sharp. The difference between them was the time that passed since they each acquired their traits.

Sharp was a veteran among rangers and the only reason why she didn't hold a better position was that she never considered herself to be worth it and always refused to be promoted. She was a ranger at hear, though, she loved the wilderness and just like most rangers, she hated every minute she spent confined within four walls.

But now wasn't the time for freedom, what they needed now was safety over everything else.

That's one of the reasons that led her to ignore Uriel's warning, but there was also the ever growing distrust she had about him. She knew he wasn't being honest, even though she couldn't tell exactly what was he hiding.

The double doors to the ranger's outpost opened as soon as they were in front and two rangers rushed in to greet them and the group headed inside, though Uriel hesitated about whether he should follow them.

It was only when he looked at the wild girl beside him that he made a decision. So far, her instincs had proven to be far greater than his' and she didn't show any sign of distress. She was actually excited to see more people and held a huge smile on her face, which eased Uriel's concerns.

"See? There's nothing wrong here." Sharp voiced out as soon as she stepped in the courtyard.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Uriel muttered under his breath as he gazed at his surroundings. He couldn't see anyone, but his mystical sense alerted him of the presence of at least ten other people hiding.

"Any news from the east side?" The man in charge asked.

"I don't know you, where's Casius?" Asked Sharp in a not so friendly tone.

"He had some errands to run back in the city, but you'll be able to see him soon enough. Now tell me, what's the deal with that cloud?"

"I can't say for sure, we were already on the way here when it appeared and I don't feel like going back to the outpost to find out more about it." Sharp replied, a bit anxious when she realized she didn't know the two men who came to greet her.

"And I can't blame you! Hah, you can leave your weapons at the armory and then come to the dining hall. I bet you guys are starving." The man said with a smile.

The group did as the highest ranking officer said and they left their guns at the armory, though Uriel and the wild girl had none to begin with. Sharp seemed a bit reluctant to leave her firearm, but she was so drained all she could think was of having a warm meal and a cool shower to help with her sore muscles.

Everything seemed to be right and the group chatted merrily on their way to the dining hall, but once they stepped in they were greeted by the ten or so men that Uriel detected when he entered. They were all carrying intermediate rifles, enough to seriously injure even a heavenly rank hunter like Sharp, and they were all aiming directly at them.

"Show your hands and don't dare to activate your traits, I'll make an example of the first one to channel even a hint of flux energy!"

"I don't get it, why are you doing this? You're rangers just like us!" Sharp cried, more surprised than offended.

"Oh, you say that because of this?" The man pointed at the star on his uniform, then took it off and threw it towards Sharp and she was able to read the name on it.

"What did you do to him? Where's Casius!?"