Dungeon Raider System

Thanks to the efforts of the Fallen corporation soldiers under Sam's command, the revenants dropped like flies and although they were able to regenerate, it soon became clear that they consumed a part of the fog in order to do so. From the distance, it seemed as though the heavy flak rounds and the coil bullets were the ones causing the fog to dissipate, but Sam knew better.

Thanks to Water warlock, his golden eyes were able not only to pierce the mist but also to faintly perceive the flux energy being pumped onto the revenants through the mist.

"Keep pushing, we need to seal the breach!" One of Sam's hybrids commanded and the soldiers started taking cautious steps forward as the fog vanished until the broken wall was on sight and a building team comprised of doppelgangers with traits convenient for building stepped forward.

The few people that survived cheered loudly as the fog was completely eradicated from the city, but some lamented themselves for losing contact with the revenants of their lost ones.

Right outside the wall, the two holy rank hunters were rushing to the epicenter of the fog in an attempt to draw the titan's attention and deviate it from its current course. In spite of their immense power, they lacked the confidence to face it outright and limited themselves to thin the numbers of the revenants summoned by the titan.

After taking enough distance from the city and clearing enough cryptids to create some sort of clearing in the middle of the fog, it was now time to finally activate their traits.

The first one was Mister Scofield, who channeled such great flux the earth began shaking. His eyes gleamed so brightly that the few rangers still appointed in the east wall were able to spot him in the distance.

"Hold your ground, little Jon." Mister Scofield said in a deep voice, but he didn't leave any time for the young Hunter to reply.

Mister Scofield's trait allowed him to visit fantasy worlds contained inside books and wield the power of fantasy, granting him a physical boost depending on how many different worlds he visited and how complex they were.

It was one of the reasons why he loved reading so much, but he wasn't ashamed to admit that he became addicted to novels in front of the few people who knew about his trait.

With power brimming on his entire body to the point where the dirt beneath his feet became a fine dust and a flux energy pressure so intense it reached the city, the old librarian gazed at the young hunter.

"What about you?" Mister Scofield's thunderous voice reverberated.

"I'm not going to do it, not until that freak stop looking this way." Jon said looking over his shoulder to point towards the breach in the city wall where he could still feel Sam's unsettling gaze set upon him.

"Suit yourself, but you should worry more about what is right in front of you." Mister Scofield replied. He too was aware of Sam's curious gaze, but he didn't think much of it since he felt Water warlock's presence back when he was inside Uriel. He didn't know what kind of power caused the flux anomaly inside Lightbringer, but he assumed it was harmless given that Uriel never posed a threat.

As soon as the breach was sealed, Sam's presence could no longer be felt and Jon finally gathered his confidence to go all out, though Sam took his glare from the holy rank hunters and the only reason why his presence dissipated was due to the wall being repaired.

"It's time," Lightbringer shouted, his voice standing out from the cheerful celebration of those who survived. "Proceed with the offensive as planned."

On his command, the soldiers proceeded to wear off their armor revealing the true appearance of his soldiers. While the skinwalkers were able to mimic any human they wished and those possessed with eclipses were able to retain their human appearance, that wasn't the case for wendigos.

After consuming too much human flesh in order to become stronger, the wendigos became deformed version of their past selves. Their faces and skin filled with bumps and strange blisters, their broken teeth resembling black cliffs on a red valley and their eyes, their eyes were the stuff of nightmares.

The same people who not long before acclaimed the Lightbringer's name now fell silent, still wondering if the people in front of them were hunters with unfortunate traits, cryptids who somehow managed to infiltrate the city or something far worse.

But their worries lasted but a second, as the ever hungry hybrids turned on the unaware citizens and fell on a feeding frenzy, leaving no one to tell the tale.

***

While those events were taking place in the east district, Uriel was just exiting the sewers in the north district. His clothes reeked and he didn't even want to think of the ungodly waste stuck to his shoes, but in spite of his poor appearance he emerged victorious from a place filled with cryptids.

"Master Hunter?" The maid asked after realizing Uriel wasn't moving from his spot.

"We're late." He muttered as he looked at the sky with a concerned expression. Although the city was supposedly insulated against any energy flux signature coming from the outside, it became apparent to Uriel that it was no longer effective and the only reason for that was that the wall was broken.

"Does the weather worry you, Master Raider?" The maid asked, unaware of the reason why Uriel looked so worried.

"You could say that..." Uriel replied and then fell silent. Uriel didn't know how big the gap in the wall was, but he was aware that it was only a matter of time until the whole city was covered in fog and also revenants. The more victims the fog caused, the stronger it would become and more revenants would appear.

Thankfully, though, Uriel knew for experience that revenants were slow and also not particularly strong. If anything, their most troublesome aspect was that they possessed the same traits as they did when they were alive.

That's why he decided to head back to the Pegasus and worry about the revenants later. Unfortunately, the breach in the wall didn't go unnoticed by the citizens and the whole city fell into a panic until the hole was fixed by the Fallen corporation. Some thanked the heavens and others the flag, but no one even suspected they were far from being sage, no one but Uriel that is.

He kept asking himself why would the nosferatu build an underground structure. There shouldn't have been any need for it since it was openly cooperating with the Fallen corp. and with the city. The fact that it already possessed a 'veil' didn't make any sense either, unless someone provided a steady supply of flux orbs to replenish the energy.

It got Uriel to suspect that Sam wasn't truly acting on behalf of the city, but for his own profit. But the only way to confirm it was to speak directly to him, but after how things ended between them Uriel wasn't too keen on accusing him of anything without proof. All he wanted now was to get out of the city with his friends and start over somewhere safe.

However, by the time Uriel reached the Pegasus, he realized that things wouldn't be so easy for him. The news that the Fallen corporation had turned against the citizens spread like wildfire, just as the casualties they caused.

With the two holy rank hunters busy outside the city and the wall in between them blocking their senses, the Fallen corporation was free to kill or turn people into hybrids. Their numbers and power expanded rapidly and Uriel finally understood Sam's endgame, but the worst part had yet to come.

"She's gone...," Luna muttered as she rocked herself on a chair with her eyes lost in the void and then continued. "Medusa left, she picked the Mapple corporation over us."

"That can't be, I know her, she's not like that." Uriel asked, without bothering to introduce the maid who stood awkwardly behind him.

"You knew her before she became a heavenly rank, but she's changed. She's not acting like herself, she barely hugs me these days. I need hugs." Luna fumbled the last part. After Nika was petrified, she promised herself she wouldn't rely on other people anymore, that she would be the one to provide support to her friends, but without Nika or Medusa holding her hand she felt lost.

"I thought you didn't like to be touched." Uriel asked, with a confused expression on his face. Nika was always attempting to hold Luna in her arms, but she always evaded her.

"I don't, but... it gives me comfort... I need comfort." Luna shed a tear, though she looked more traumatized than sad.

Ever since Uriel obtained the dagger, maybe even before that, he had been forced to make so many decisions. It would be one thing if the consequences only affected him, but now he needed to make the hardest choice in his life.

To leave his friends, Sam and Medusa, behind or to look for them and try to save them.