《Dungeon Raider System》


 Fun facts

    <h4>Chapter -1: Fun facts</h4>


    Last edited 05/05/24


    During my investigation to write this novel I''vee across some ''facts'' I found amusing and thought of sharing them. Some of them already found their way into this novel and maybe I''ll add others too.


    Please keep in mind that DRS is a work of fiction, even if it''s based on actual mythology and lore. Also, not all the following facts are based on trusted sites or academic papers.


    1.- The horned rabbit,monly known as ''Jackalope'' in the U.S., is one of the mostmon and widespread cryptids, It even appears in the Wyoming hunting & fish department official website.


    2.- Many animal species were regarded as cryptids until their existence was proven, several years after the first sightings in some cases. Some examples of these animals are: Komodo dragon, typus, Okapi, Giant squid, Narwhal and Kangaroo.


    3.- When captain John Hunter sent physical evidence of the existence of the typus, it was deemed as a hoax by the scientificmunity.


    4.- The reason why so few mummies made it to this day is due to the widespread belief that they were an appropriate medicine for the bubonic gue, among other qualities attributed to them.


    5- Out of ce artifacts (oopart for short) are artifacts found in a context that challenge the established timeline. One of the most known ones is the fragment of the Antikythera which is believed to be some sort of analogputer created by the antient Greek.


    6- Kukulkan''s Pyramid, also knowns as ''castle'' by the locals, has an exact amount of 365 steps, one for each day of the year.


    7- Cleopatra is closer to the invention of smartphones than she is to the creation of the pyramids on the established timeline.


    8- There''s over 200 geoglyphs in the Colorado desert, among which is a group called the ''Blythe intaglios''.


    9- There''s a rudimentary wall located in California in the hills of San Francisco bay area.


    10- There''s a ce called ''Skinwalker Ranch'' in Utah, where multiple unexined events have taken ce including shapeshifting creatures, strange sounds and roars in the night and animal muttion.


    11.- There''s a ce in Vermont near the stenbury mountains referred to as ''Vermont triangle'' where people have been reported missing. UFO sightings, bigfoot sightings and strange lights and sounds have also been reported. There''s several simr ces around the US.


    12.- Some astounding anthropological discoveries had been made by house owners performing renovations on old houses. There''s records of secret rooms or even entire underground buildings. This is particrly the case in some ces in Europe where using old buildings as foundation for newer buildings was a fairlymon practice.


    13.- Two original frescoes were recently discovered in a ''ck room'' banquet hall in Pompei. Such findings, while unusual, are notpletely out of the norm. Such is the case of the known ''ancient roman artifact'' used as a coffee table for fifty years.


    14.- Electromaic anomalies can be found all over our. One such ce is the road leading to ''Lago Chungara'' in Chile, where the maic pull is so powerful there''s record of cars that despite being turned off, slowly move uphill.

 Chapter 1: Breakup

    <h4>Chapter 1: Breakup</h4>


    *beep beep, beep beep*


    "This stupid rm again!"


    Uriel woke up with the left foot and a cranky attitude. It didn''t matter how many times it happened before, once again he got lost in his studies untilte night.


    Uriel poked his hand out of the sheets and patted blindly, his eyes still closed, and found what he was looking for. A light tap on top of the vintage rm clock should have been enough to stop it from ringing, but it fell right behind the night stand, forcing him to get up and reach for it.


    *ouch*


    Uriel yelped in pain as his little toe shed against the feared night stand leg. The only silver lining of his already spoiled day was the invigorating effect that pain had on his still sleepy brain.


    ''This is not how an rm clock is supposed to wake you up, but I can''t really argue with its results.'' He inwardly thought as he put it back on its ce.


    After rubbing his foot lightly he rushed to get a quick shower before ss, hoping to catch at least some of the warm water before it runs out. Just as expected though, being thest one to wake up due to his unhealthy studying habits made it impossible for him to get any warm water and he ended up under the merciless rain of the cold shower, just like always.


    Shivering in cold, the young student picked up whatever clean clothes he could find that were clean enough to avoid passing as a beggar in front of his ssmates and put them on as quickly as he could, without wasting a second to check his appearance in the bathroom mirror.


    After living with his uncle for so long, even his modest amodation in the male dorm rooms was an upgrade. At least now he was free to do whatever he wanted, that is, as long as he had enough money, which he did not.


    His schrship was barely enough to cover for his living expenses and not much else, his situation wasn''t unique, but that didn''t make it any easier for him.


    One step outside the male dormitory and he noticed the presence of his ''friends'' right at the entrance. They were chit chatting andughing as always and, without the need to even listen to them, Uriel was already able to guess the subject of their mockery, himself.


    Not wanting to deal with them with the bitter mood caused by his morning bad luck streak, Uriel tried to keep his head down and walk past them unnoticed.


    "Hey Uri, where are you going so fast?"


    Mark Jacobs, the third son of the Jacobspany, stood in his way. They were clearly waiting for him toe out.


    "I''m runningte for ss, so if you excuse me..."


    Uriel replied with a smile as fake as a three credit bill.


    "Don''t be like that, bro, I''ve been waiting for you. You see, I need someone to bring me a coffee, but I''m runningte for ss too. C''mon I''ll give you a twenty so you can get yourself a coffee."


    Mark said hiding his true intentions behind an amiable smile, even faker than Uriel''s.


    "Sorry, I can''t, my girlfriend should be on her way here."


    "Come on, man! I know you need the money, I''m just being a good friend." Mark waved the bill right in front of Uriel with a smirk. Noticing how stubborn Mark''s attitude was today, he gave up and extended his hand to grab the bill, but Mark let it fall on purpose.


    "Woops! my bad." The group burst intoughter as Uriel crouched to pick it up.


    ''This is just what I needed today, I wonder if this is what they call Murphy''sw'' He thought to himself on his way to the nearest coffee shop.


    Even though he ran as fast as he could, by the time he made it back to the dorm''s entrance, his girlfriend was already waiting for him at the entrance.


    Her visage was enough to sweep any man''s feet, she was wearing a cute flowery daydress and ssy high sandals, the designer bag that she used to carry around her notebook was simple enough to look like an ordinary handbag, but it was of high quality.


    Everything about her screamed she was a beauty, from her dark wavy hair that flew even with the most gentle breeze to her full lips that always drew a dazzling smile.


    Uriel sighed when he saw her and everything would have been perfect if not for one single detail. She was talking and giggling along with Mark.


    "You''re finally back Urinal!" Markughed.


    "Don''t be like that! why are you bullying my boyfriend?" She said in a childish tone that oozed pity and shame in equal parts.


    "It''s just joking among friends." Mark came over to Uriel''s side and ced his heavy arm over his shoulder, being taller and stronger than Uriel, it actually took him a lot of effort not to spill the coffee he was carrying.


    "I brought you your coffee, so..."


    "Hey, where''s the change? I told you you could grab a coffee for yourself, not that you could keep the change. It''s not my fault you didn''t get one." Uriel''s eyes widened in surprise, he knew how much Mark despised him but he had never attempted to humiliate him so tantly. After hesitating for a few seconds, Uriel took the change from his pocket and handed it to Mark. "I was just messing around, I know you''re poor. You can keep the change."


    Mark extended his hand yet Uriel feared he would intentionally drop it forcing him to pick the coins up from the floor.


    "It''s ok, I''ll just go to ss now."


    "Don''t be like that,e on man, just grab it."


    To no one''s surprise, when Uriel reached for the money Mark dropped it on the floor. Feeling embarrassed by his so called friend, Uriel turned to his girlfriend who now looked at him as if she was expecting for him to do something about it.


    But the hard truth was that he was unable to do anything to keep them from bullying him. Be it social status, riches or even physical strength, Uriel was at the bottom of the group, if not at the bottom of the whole college.


    It was only thanks to his outstanding grades and results in the admittance test that he got a schrship and permission to live in the college dorms, he couldn''t risk fighting back and getting expelled by either misconduct or political pressure. He just couldn''t make enemies of anyone.


    "Let''s go Tina."


    Uriel said under his breath, swallowing saliva along with his wounded pride after picking up the money from the floor. He felt offended, but truth be told, if he wanted to participate in his first incursion he needed to get as much money as possible or he wouldn''t be able to even afford the ticket. Tina followed him because they had amon ss to attend, but when he extended his hand towards her she didn''t take it.


    "We need to talk."


    She said as soon as they were alone. She was the only daughter of one of the most important figures in the city. Although her father wasn''t part of any international conglomerate, he had businesses all over the city and his daughter meant everything to him. In other words, she was a spoiled rich girl.


    Not only that, her looks were outstanding to the point everyone considered her the top beauty from freshman year.


    Of course she wasn''t perfect as she always struggled in her studies. But even taking that into consideration, she was still way out of his league and the only reason she was together with Uriel was because he helped her pass her exams.


    Just as she was mustering the courage to break up with him, the best possible excuse came to mind as Uriel''s old flip cellphone rang.


    "I''m here trying to have a serious conversation with you, and you can''t even pay attention to me for one full minute. I had it, we''re done!" She ran away, faking a cry without even giving Uriel enough time to turn off the damned phone.


    Trying to get a hold of his own feelings at the same time as he was struggling to reject the iing call, Uriel found himself in a daze. He had always known this moment would eventuallye, but he didn''t expect it to happen so fast. It just didn''t feel real.


    The worst part wasn''t even the fact that he was now single again, but that he would be forced to attend to the same sses as his now ex girlfriend.

 Chapter 2: Just another day in college

    <h4>Chapter 2: Just another day in college</h4>


    Uriel sighed before pushing the heavy ssroom door, he knew that if it was closed it meant that he was reallyte, but his schrship demanded him perfect attendance and he couldn''t afford to lose it on a whim.


    "Late again mister Uriel!? How many times have I told you, if you can''t even get up from bed at a proper time don''t bother taking my ss." Professor Panagiotis said with a scolding voice, but let him in anyway. As much as it pained him, Uriel was hands down the best student he ever had and if somehow Uriel managed to graduate, he could pull him into working on his projects with very little effort.


    It took Uriel only a quick nce to notice that his usual spot was already taken by Tina''s expensive handbag, leaving him with no choice but to sit in whatever spot he could find.


    "Can we begin ss now, mister Sage?" Profesor Pangiotis snickered, triggering thebinedughter of all those present. After the prolongedughter, the ss calmed down allowing the professor to continue with his lecture.


    Pangiotis grabbed his tablet and tapped a few times on the screen, then he dragged his finger along the ss surface and out of it, projecting its content in front of everyone. It was a picture that presented a few utensils and earthenware on top of a small table, there was a small arched window behind that allowed to see a small dried tree in the background. Most students received a notification on their mobile devices, be it tablets or cellphones, allowing them to download the picture immediately for closer inspection.


    Unfortunately for Uriel that wasn''t his case, he had a ''vintage'' flip phone and was limited to watch from afar. This was the reason why he always preferred to sit in the front row. Being in the corner made it difficult for him to see the content of the picture and he leaned forward while squinting as hard as he could, but his eyesight wasn''t that great either.


    "Ouch! you''re pulling my hair!" A girl in the seat directly in front of Urielined.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to" Uriel apologized profusely, but the girl scoffed at him and turned back to see the picture.


    "Now, who can tell me what''s in this picture?" Professor Pangiotis asked in a stern voice, he was renowned as one of the more strict professors in the whole university and his ss was actually one of the most difficult ones.


    The reason why so many students took the anthropology ss with him was because he was the third most important professor in the whole university, his contributions ranged from anthropology to historic research. Passing his ss, even with a low grade, was the brand of sess.


    Many students raised their hands in an attempt to be noticed by such an important person, after all, many years ago Pangeotis formed part of the world congress that allowed all nations to join hands and work together giving birth to the world government. Although his contributions were minimal, he still benefited from the reputation boost that such position implied.


    Most answers ranged from ''It''s a set up for religious purposes'' which was the known synonym of ''I don''t have the slightest idea'', to ''They set the table to eat''.


    "Are you really on college level? how did you even get through highschool?" All the answers made the professor frown in disgust. Uriel, who after many attempts to look at the picture gave up and asked the guy right next to him to show him his tablet. It took a little convincing, but after Uriel offered his notes from today''s lecture his ssmate was more than happy to let him have a peek.


    "It''s an artwork!" Uriel said raising his hand the second after looking at the picture.


    "Who said that!?" The strict professor asked and the ssroom went quiet. Uriel gulped down a lump of saliva, but he soldiered up and kept his hand raised.


    "This idiot," Kenny facepalmed. "and to think I was looking forward for his notes from this lecture."


    "You are correct, mister Sage. I''ll forgive you for today''s disrespect, but dare toete to ss once more and I''ll kick you out myself, did you hear me?"


    "Y-yes!" Uriel heaved a sigh of relief, he wasn''t ustomed to being in the spotlight. Most of the time he did his best to remain hidden in the crowd, but he just got excited after finding out the correct answer that no one seemed to know and couldn''t help himself from answering.


    "Although this is obviously earthenware from the ssical Greek era, this picture was taken in 1987 with the purpose ofmunicating an artistic message. If you''re serious about your studies, you must at least be able to tell what serves an actual purpose from what is intended as a form of art."


    "Uhm, professor..." The mean girl in front of Uriel lifted her hand calling out for the professor''s attention. He, of course, was really annoyed by this as he didn''t like answering to any questions during lectures, or after them for any case, but he wasn''t so reckless as to purposely offending someone who mighte from a rich family. The fate of his research funding, hence his whole career, could be at stake.


    "Yes, miss..." He lingered for a couple seconds because he didn''t know her name.


    "Cassandra... Professor Pangiotis, why should we care if something is considered art or if it serves a purpose? I mean, what''s the difference, really, that picture was taken many years ago and it''s about a civilization that no longer exists."


    "Well miss Cassandra, you shouldn''t judge what''s worth learning just by how useful you think it is. Anthropology itself was only studied to satisfy the curiosity of people from the old times, but in the end it gave birth to many useful branches of knowledge such as forensics. Not just that, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that it yed a major role in forming the world government itself."


    Many students gasped by this revtion and, even though his own contributions were minor, he wasn''t lying. "Anthropology is the study of humans, we take interest in every aspect rted to mankind, from religion to politics. It shouldn''te as a surprise to any of you. You may think that it''s an easy subject since this course is offered to freshmen, but in reality is offered in your first year only because of its importance. Even mister Sage''s remark pointing out that the picture I showed you was a piece of art could seem simple, but it takes a lot of studying and effort to get to the point where you can tell the difference in what can be considered useful from what only serves amunicative purpose."


    When ss finished, Uriel attempted to find an opportunity to talk things over with Tina, but she darted out of the ssroom without giving him the chance. He followed her outside the faculty building, only to be stopped at the exit by Mark and his goons.


    "Hey! you lost your chance already, leave her alone Urinal!" Mark said pushing Uriel without using too much force. He knew Uriel was a wimp and no matter how influential his father was, he could still get in trouble if he attacked another student out of the blue and the other resulted wounded.


    "Leave me alone Mark, I''m not in the mood today." Uriel said trying to push past him, but it proved to be impossible.


    "You just don''t get it, do you? She''s way out of your league, don''t embarrass yourself any further. I''m just saying this cause I''m your friend. Now, get lost before I lose my patience!"


    Clenching his fists with all his might and gritting his teeth was the only thing he could do to feel better, even if he had the strength to beat Mark, which he did not, it would only end up in getting expelled and that was something Uriel couldn''t stand. Studying was the only way for him to climb out of poverty and maybe, just maybe, find out the truth about what happened to his parents.


    Therge clock tower on campus resounded signalling it was noon already and the students nearby hurried their pace to get to ss. In a daze, Uriel let a couple minutes pass, all he could think about now was of Tina. When Uriel came back to his senses he rushed towards the gym, it was time for the mandatory physical training imposed by the army.

 Chapter 3: Physical training class

    <h4>Chapter 3: Physical training ss</h4>


    "Alright maggots, take ap around the gym and you better give it your best or I''ll make you keep running until you drop dead." Captain Silvermane shouted with a grin on his face. He was a middle age man with a muscr physique and a torso much more developed than his legs, it gave him a somewhatical appearance, but his deep angry voice countered every possible mockery before it came to be.


    Uriel didn''t know much about him, the only times he talked to him was to scold him about being a wimp or getting tired too easily. One of the few things he knew about the captain was that Silvermane wasn''t his real name but a nickname, oddly enough, his hair was ck and he didn''t have a clue about the reason behind people calling him like that.


    If he had gray hair it would have been be obvious, but even the well trimmed beard on his square face was ck. Like any aspirant archaeologist, Uriel couldn''t stand being in front of a mystery without attempting to solve it which was the reason why he took a nce at the captain any time he thought he could do so unnoticed.


    Before running the first quarter of thep he was supposed to, Uriel was already sweating profusely. He just wasn''t built to do any physical effort, every single one of his talents was of an intellectual nature and he just didn''t see the point in sweating.


    "You there! Yes, the wimpy one! If you finishst again I swear on the g you''ll regret it!"


    ''Oh! Crap! He''s talking to me!'' Uriel thought as he doubled his efforts.


    "Don''t say I didn''t warn you, you''re thest one again, Miss Cassandra." The man stood in front of her with a threatening demeanor, but the girl remained unfazed as if the hulking man in front of her was invisible. She didn''t even seem to be tired, she just didn''t care.


    "I see you''re pretty good at pointing out the obvious."


    "Oh, and now you got an attitude. Drop and give me five!"


    "What''s the point?" Her cold reply didn''t make any sense to Silvermane, he wasn''t a bad guy nor was he unreasonably strict and, despite using harsh words all the time, he was well liked by everyone. Yet, he was a simple minded man and he couldn''t understand the reasoning of the girl in front of him. "I said, what''s the point..."


    "Do you not understand the importance of staying fit? I''m only being strict to increase your chances of surviving!"


    "Pfff, yeah, nope, I can do that pretty well by myself. I don''t need to do this stupidps, or anything. The only reason I''m taking this course it''s because it''s mandatory, but there''s no need to be any good at it."


    Her words opened Uriel''s eyes, he had been doing his best all this time to avoid getting scolded by captain Silvermane. He couldn''t believe that he never realized there was no need to try hard on the physical training, he only needed to attend. It was only thanks to that girl, Cassandra, that he was now free from this physical torture the captain called training.


    "You really don''t get it, you think you''re all high and mighty because you''re studying and will be schrs, but don''t forget that the army could eventually draft you in case of an emergency and if that happens, it''s better if you''re fit enough to not be a nuisance."


    "I said it already, what''s the point? All I need is to get a strong trait and that will be it." Cassandra scoffed at the captain making him flush in anger.


    "It''s funny that you mention traits, because if you happen to get a physical trait you''ll be forced to fight on closebat and if you''re not ready..."


    "Whatever." Cassandra looked the other way signalling that she wouldn''t be listening to anything else the captain had to say.


    In the end and, despite having every intention to give up on his physical training, Uriel couldn''t drag his feet as he wanted because captain Silvermane became even more strict after his argument with Cassandra. The first time he attempted to ck off he was targeted by the captain who scolded him in front of everyone, that''s when he realized that he couldn''t handle the pressure as well as Cassandra did.


    "Gather ''round kids, I got something to say." Captain Silvermane cleared his throat before continuing. "As you all know, the army is in charge of your first incursion that will take ce next week and if you want to participate you need to pay for your tickets. This is a once in a lifetime chance and if you don''t take it you''ll regret it for the rest of your life. It doesn''t matter if you want to be academics, join the army or work behind a counter all day, whatever you decide to do will be a lot easier with a trait and this is the only time the army will be assisting you in getting it safely. That''s all, ss dismissed."


    Uriel knew exactly what he meant by that, he himself didn''t want to have anything to do with hunting or fighting and he couldn''t care any less about the army. One thing he did know, though, was that if he wanted to be an archaeologist he would have to often face danger. He could only pray to get a trait strong enough to defend himself, but not that strong as to be forcefully drafted.


    Anyway, thinking about it would make no difference if he wasn''t able to get enough credits to pay for the ticket and he only had one week left.


    Although he wouldn''t recognize it, even to himself, he was kind of counting on Tina stepping up for him and paying for his ticket. She was rich after all and Uriel had never asked anything from her, but now that she broke up with him he deeply regretted not asking for it in advance. ''How pathetic, I can''t even pay for my own ticket.'' Uriel fell into a self deprecating line of thought as he kicked a stone in the ground.


    Uriel, though, wasn''t one to linger on such depressing thoughts and he quickly made up his mind and hurried his steps, he had a week left and there was still a spark of hope in the form of a job.


    "Wele to Starborgs, how may I help you?" The young girl behind the counter greeted Uriel with a smile. He was so nervous he couldn''t help but stutter.


    "I- I would- I would like to work here please!" He bowed his head in despair. It was thest ce in a long list of possible jobs. Worst part was, even if he got the job, he wasn''t sure if he would make enough money to pay for the ticket for the incursion.


    The girl behind the counter grimaced in reply, her smile turned upside down and her attitude became cold. "We''re not hiring at the moment, but feel free to take a form from the counter."


    ''There''s really no hope for me.'' Uriel cursed inwardly as he retreated from the Starborgs after being unable tond a job. His situation was far from being unique, or even rare, because he was just another victim of the government.


    It was just 500 credits, just 500 credits. But that was a lot more than what he had. He knew he was about to miss the opportunity of a lifetime just because he was too poor, but that didn''t mean his world was over.


    He could still study hard and be a respectable archaeologist, maybe he wouldn''t be able to investigate ruins on site because of the dangers that posed, but at least he would still be able to teach and make a living, just like professor Pangiotis.


    Finding some relief in this thoughts, he set up his old digital camera in front of his desk. The same he bought from a flea market for spare change when he was still in highschool. It was most likely stolen, but he couldn''t afford to care about such matters.

 Chapter 4: Vlog

    <h4>Chapter 4: Vlog</h4>


    "Hello friends, and wee to my Vlog, this is Sage and I''ll be talking today about the codex I''m currently working on. I know it doesn''t sound too exciting and I''ve spent a month already with my head stuck in those old books, butst night I found something really interesting." Uriel talked to the camera pretending to be talking to his suscribers, even though he knew there was no one listening to him. Since he didn''t have a smartphone and his digital camera was so old, the only way for him to make his vlog was to record himself and then upload the video using the college''sputers. He was dirt poor, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t do things he enjoyed.


    The sad truth, though, was that even if he had the possibility to upload the content directly to the inte, he would probably still be talking to himself. He only had a hundred suscribers and he was certain that most of them were bots and the rest were most likely people that just followed him back.


    "This old scribbles I found in the library made my head spin. Every ancientnguage is different and their origin can be traced up to six thousand b.c. or that''s what they''ll have you believe, actually, they all have amon origin and I''m really close to proving it. If you see here and here..." Uriel pointed out to a section of a print out picture. "You''ll notice the resemnce between those two characters, and if you look there and there, it''s exactly the same! Of course something like that would be impossible, not only because those two civilizations were in different countries, but also because... and here''s the most interesting part..."


    Uriel kept going for a while, his eyes glimmered with emotion as he kept rambling about his many theories about the true origin of humannguage and human civilization. Taking advantage of the fact that he lived on campus, he immediately ran towards the tech room to upload his vlog.


    Even though theputer he was using was high tech, it still took a long time to upload because the old digital camera only allowed the exchange of data using an old cable that was almost obsolete.


    Unfortunately for him, going back to his dorm made all of his problems crawl back to his head. He was still penniless, there was less than a week left for the incursion and his girlfriend had broken up with him and he knew Mark was probably hitting on her right now.


    "If only I had the money to... what am I saying, even if i had the money there''s no certainty of getting a trait and with my luck, even if I got one it would be total crap." He said with a wry smile as he stepped into the dorms.


    *beep beep beep beep*


    The clock, the night stand, the cold shower, Uriel reyed the worst day of his life as if he was following a script, but it wasn''t a coincidence at all. He stayed upte again studying, with his head stuck in some old book without a care for the world.


    Time flies when someone does what they love and Uriel really enjoyed ancient history. From the first civilizations, like the Sumerians to the ssical era, he knew almost everything there was to know about them. He wasn''t just an archaeology enthusiast that would read only what he found to be amusing or interesting on a whim, he studied everything, even those books he thought were full of crap.


    Now hurrying out of the dorms he was pleased to notice there was no one blocking his way. Although Mark used to do it all the time, now it was obvious for him that the only reason he did so was to meet with Tina, his now ex girlfriend.


    Of course Mark would be interested in her, she wasn''t just rich, she was the sole heir of one of the most influential people in the whole city and, even though the Jacobs corporation was a big deal in the country, money would only go that far. Theycked the influence to enter the city in full, which was the reason why Matthew Jacobs, the current CEO in the Jacobspany and his father, sent Mark to college so far from their home.


    Uriel''s insight on ancient history also gave him an edge to understand current matters such as these, but he wasn''t interested in current affairs.


    He took a nce at the clear sky that reminded him of the many days where Tina woulde pick him up whenever he woke upte, which was most of the time, and sighed knowing that she wouldn''te today.


    The buzzing sound of his ''vintage'' flip phone, which was the only crappy phone he was able to afford, snapped him out of his reverie. There were so many missed calls now that he was forced to put it in silence. He wasn''t interested in buying anything or spending money on useless stuff and that''s precisely the only type of call he would receive now that he didn''t even have a girlfriend.


    ''Why didn''t I get a job as soon as college started? maybe if I did I wouldn''t be in this situation right now.'' Of course he knew the answer, it was because once he got admitted to college he was allowed to enter the library which was precisely where he was heading now to the library to return the books he had previously borrowed.


    He was greeted by Mister Scofield, the librarian, a man on his forties with a look that would suit a butler much more than a librarian. His neat appearance and elegant movements made him quite popr with the female students and most of his colleagues were jealous of him. His handsome appearance and ssy outfit gave him the chance to be with any girl he wanted, but he wasn''t interested in that kind of thing. He only had eyes for his books and couldn''t care much about anything else. Scofield read anything that fell in his hands and he would have been a great partner for Uriel to talk with, but their interests couldn''t be more different.


    Scofield was only interested in literature and, even though he read literally anything, he wasn''t really interested in archaeology in the slightest. Still, he would sometimes chat with Uriel about this and that, especially when Uriel brought up an interesting topic like mythology.


    "What''s the matter fellow bookworm, you seem to be down." Scofield said in his usual tone of voice, but showed his genuine concern with his eyes.


    "It''s nothing mister Scofield, I just... Nevermind..."


    "Don''t be shy, if you couldn''t finish those books I could let you borrow them for a couple more days." The librarian pushed the books back towards Uriel who had previously ced them on top of the counter.


    "No, I finished them yesterday. They weren''t that interesting, but I did find a couple pictures that helped. That''s not it, the first incursion ising and I don''t even have enough to pay for the ticket."


    "Uhm, did you try getting a job?"


    "I did, but no luck."


    "What about cutting a deal with apany? I hear they love supporting young students."


    "I tried that too, but as soon as I mention my interest in archaeology they back out. Even small corporations have no interest in my skillset I suppose."


    Mister Scofield lingered for a few seconds, then he started cleaning his sses with his handkerchief. "What''s so important about the incursion? Most people don''t even get a trait. Besides, if you happen to get a really strong trait you could end up being drafted, I''ve seen that happen to many promising students who drop their dreams the minute they get their hands on the first paycheck after going hunting or scavenging."


    Uriel trusted mister Scofield, much more than he trusted anyone on campus, he was the closest thing he had to a friend. They sometimes chatted about their personal matters, even if it was mostly small talk, but he still hesitated before dropping all his personal problems on his acquaintance. "You see... I think you might have noticed I love books, I really do, but there''s things I can only do in person. I would love to stop reading and start writing my own books, going to the archaeological sites and making discoveries that everyone missed."


    "I see, books are great but they have their limitations. You can only learn as much as the author knew and all your discoveries would depend on the quality of those books." The problem wasn''t rted to books at all, but it was the onlymon ground in between them. It made it easier for them to understand each other. "And if you wanted to investigate on site, a trait would certainly make things easier and safer depending on what you get." The librarian continued with a friendly face.


    When Uriel saw the smile forming on mister Scofield''s face he felt a bit upset thinking that he didn''t really understand his situation and that he was mocking him. But all changed when he heard his next words. "Say young bookworm, how would you like to work in the library?"

 Chapter 5: Library

    <h4>Chapter 5: Library</h4>


    "Really!?" Uriel said in disbelief, an opportunity like that was too good to let it pass.


    "Well, you wouldn''t be working for the college exactly. I would be hiring you myself and paying you a part of my own sry. It won''t be much, but it should be enough to get you through this conundrum." Noticing the young student''s excitement mister Scofield felt the need to rify.


    Fearing that mister Scofield could withdraw his offer if he took too long to reply, Uriel quickly extended his hand sealing the deal. He didn''t know what would he need to do, but he could see himself sitting for long hours behind the counter reading anything he wanted, just like the librarian did.


    All of his hopes where short lived when the librarian showed him to a small room filled with cleaning supplies and janitor''s clothing. His face twitched for a few seconds, hesitating for a brief moment before wearing the janitor''s overall and picking up the broom.


    Mister Scofield nodded in approval as he watched the young student start cleaning the ce without the need for him to even say anything. The library wasn''t crowded by all means, but there were some students reading with their heads down, some were using theputer terminals to search for the books they needed.


    The first time Uriel set foot inside the library it didn''t seem so big at all, he felt that no matter how big it was it would never be enough for him. Thousands over thousands of books filled the air with the leathery smell he loved and it gave the ce a cozy feeling. Now, instead, it felt like an endless maze covered in dust and trash.


    He danced through the floor with the broom as he cleaned the ce thoroughly. He knew how important it was for the ce to be well kept, after all no one likes to read in a messy ce. And everything would have been fine, if not for the fact that he was so engrossed in his task that he didn''t notice how Kenny, one of his ssmates who was acquainted with Mark, took a video of Uriel in an overall and shared it on his social media tagging everyone he knew.


    ©¸ Check this out! Urinal is a janitor now!


    ©¸Lmao, Fits him right!


    ©¸Hang on, I have to see it with my own eyes.


    Mark, the one responsible for thest message grinned widely.


    Despite his best efforts, Uriel was far from finishing his task. About one third of the library''s floor was spotless, but the rest had been untouched. He cleaned as fast as he could so he could make the most of his time after, but he also did the best job he could to prove to Scofield that he made the right choice by hiring him.


    And the librarian''s thoughts were precisely those. He was deeply impressed by Uriel''s good attitude and by how much effort he put into his job. He had wrongfully assumed the young student wouldck in motivation just like anyone his age, but Uriel instead took it upon himself to clean the whole library. "Young bookworm, there''s no need to push yourself so hard, you don''t need to clean everything right now, if you keep that up you''ll leave the other janitors without a job." Mister Scofield said awkwardly after faking a cough.


    Uriel didn''t back down and, instead, headed to the bathrooms with a smile on his face. Brushing and scrubbing toilets was less tiring than brooming, it was a bit ufortable and the stench was bothersome, but he was ustomed to doing chores. Of course cleaning your own toilet wasn''t nearly as disgusting as cleaning a public toilet, especially since some repulsive people made a mess of them without even the slightest consideration towards the ones in charge of cleaning them.


    Thanks to the repetitive task, though, Uriel soon found himself immersed in his own thoughts.


    ''Cleaning toilets has been considered one of the worst chores in human history and I can see why. Still, people from the medieval age truly had it worse, I have cleaning supplies and disinfectant, those poor bastards tasked with cleaning thetrines used to get sick and die without even making enough money to pay for a doctor.'' Although it wasn''t in the same way he wanted, he did experience at least some proximity to history and time flew by inside of his mind. when every single toilet was spotless and he was ready to go back to his dorm and bury his head in some book like he always did, but he quickly forgot about it when he stepped out of the bathroom.


    "Don''t you look handsome in that uniform, Urinal?" Mark, smirked as he nced at Uriel''s messy appearance. He was standing right outside the bathroom along with Tina Celes, Uriel''s now ex girlfriend.


    "Uri!? what are you doing?" She covered her gaping mouth with a hand. Uriel wasn''t sure why, but he felt embarrassed by her reaction. He couldn''t understand why did he feel so humiliated when all he did was perform an honest job.


    "Why are you standing like an idiot? you missed a spot!" Mark said, kicking the bucket to the ground causing a wet mess to cover the floor Uriel worked so hard to clean before.


    "Uri, how could you do something like this to me!? Now everyone will know me as the janitor''s ex girlfriend!" She cried in shame and turned on her heels.


    Mark didn''t miss the chance to snap a picture of his heartbroken ''friend'' and ran towards Tina to console her, leaving Uriel to clean up the mess he made.


    "Tina, I''m sorry I didn''t know he would be here. I bet he did it only to embarrass you." Mark said as he ced his hand on her back, giving the impression that he was embracing her as they walked out.


    Mister Scofield watched the interaction in front of him, but he didn''t intervene in any way. He limited himself to watch. "A man needs to face their own issues to grow as a person, but still, I think that guy took it too far." The librarian whispered, his own life experience allowed him to notice that this was a chance for Uriel to grow into a better version of himself. In the end, all mister Scofield did was clean up his sses and take a mental note of that Mark guy.


    The following days passed by and he felt as if he was submerged into a mist, his thoughts werepletely lost. He did everything he was supposed to do, the only difference was that he didn''t put his heart into any of it.


    He went to ss enduring the scorn of his ssmates, he participated in the physical training neither being the best or the worst, then he went to work. It was all the same, his usual routine.


    The only one who could perceive the change was, of course, Mister Scofield. Watching a young bookworm like Uriel hitting rock bottom was painful to see for Xavier Scofield, he saw much of himself on him and really wanted to help Uriel.


    "I''m done for today mister Scofield." Uriel said as he headed to the exit.


    "Aren''t you forgetting something young bookworm?" The librarian''s voice resounded in the now empty library. Uriel thought back on the list of tasks he was supposed to perform today and he was certain that he hadpleted each and every one of them.


    "I finished everything. Oh! is it because I''m not taking any books with me today? I don''t really feel like reading so..."


    "That''s not it," Mister Scofield shook his head. "Tomorrow is the incursion, you can''t go if you don''t receive your pay can you?" he said as he pushed a closed envelope on the counter. "Don''t forget I paid you in advance so you can go to the incursion, you''ll still need toe back and work here at least until you earn your worth."


    "Yes Mister Scofield!" Uriel ran to his dorm to pack up his clothes and prepare for the big day tomorrow.

 Chapter 6: Incursion

    <h4>Chapter 6: Incursion</h4>


    A young student walked through campus, a heavy looking backpack hanging from his shoulder and a wide smile portrayed on his face. Besides that, there wasn''t much to mention about his appearance, he had a lean build and was a bit taller than average, but everything else about him screamed he was just one in the crowd.


    It was the morning of the set day for the freshmen incursion and students from all over college gathered around the army representatives. Intuitively, they all got together with the people they knew, dividing the crowd into those who studied science and those who studied humanities, and then those who were aligned with the different career paths.


    Near the front row, Tina Celes was surrounded by her female friends. She was really popr and everyone wanted to remain as close to her as possible, but a young man made way pushing past people until he was right besides her.


    "Tina! Fancy meeting you here." Mark said as if they had just bumped into each other by coincidence.


    "Mark, it''s so nice to see you. Have you seen Uri?" Tina asked with a concerned look. She knew how much he struggled and, even though they weren''t boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, she still wanted to pay for his ticket. The ticket fee was nothing but pocket money for her and she still needed Uriel to help her in her studies, but he was nowhere to be seen.


    A young man with a buzz cut wearing a neat military uniform stood next to captain Silvermane, he looked at the students with a warm smile on his face, squinting his eyes. "This year''s students are shit." The young man said in a low tone of voice, without even shifting his face.


    "Sir, yes sir!" Captain Silvermane replied hastily. It was odd looking at a much older man being so respectful towards someone so young, but in the army that didn''t matter at all and a captain was nothing against a colonel.


    It could seem like a hypocrite thing to say something like that while smiling, but smiling was actually required of him. Although society counted on many of those students to get their traits, most of them wouldn''t be able to acquire one and some of them may not even return. Incursions were actually a lot riskier than they let people know and a smile was a small price to pay to keep people from finding out the truth.


    Humanity fought against the unknown creatures called cryptids for years in hopes of retaking their territory, with no sess whatsoever.


    Those creatures possessed a strange field of disruption that messed with human technology, unnatural strength and uncanny powers. All humans could do was wage war and take shelter within their city walls, losing more and morend in the process.


    Citizens didn''t know about this and the government intended for it to stay that way. How could they say they actually lost more than half of their territory? how could they say that they were actually scared to be facing extinction? that humanity was actually on itsst foot?


    No, they couldn''t let the public now about the harsh truth. The propaganda machine fed them with lies to protect them, to keep things running.


    "Brother!" Mark''s face brightened up when he realized that the colonel in charge of the operation was his own brother, Ethan Jacobs.


    "Ah, little brother, I was just talking about you." Ethan winked at captain Silvermane, hinting that he thought his own young brother was included in his remark. Captain Silvermaneughed heartily at the colonel''s joke, not because he wanted to ingratiate with his superior, but because he too thought Mark was a shitty aspirant.


    "Wow, you never mentioned your brother was a colonel in the army!" Tina was bbergasted. Mark bragged about the smallest things and couldn''t believe he wouldn''t brag about the one impressive thing about himself.


    What she didn''t know, though, was that Mark didn''t brag about his brother not because he was humble, but because his brother''s achievements were much greater than his own and he was jealous of him.


    While all of this took ce Uriel was at thest row having a hard time trying to see what was going on in the podium in front of everyone. It didn''te as a surprise though, he was so used to sleepingte that he had a hard time waking up early in the mornings.


    It was then, that the colonel''s voice came out of the drones that were hovering around the crowd. "Good morning students, I am colonel Windfire and I''ll be in charge of today''s incursion." His words caused everyone to start murmuring. "I know, I know you''re excited but keep in mind that this isn''t a game. You could end up getting seriously injured. Now don''t be scared, if you''re not careless and follow my instructions nothing bad will happen." The group of about five hundred students in front of the colonel seemed to heave a sigh of relief at the same moment. They all felt reassured by his words that he apanied with a confident smile.


    After that, colonel Ethan started his propaganda speech whichsted for about half an hour in which Uriel''s thoughts drifted away. Instead of watching the man speaking in front of everyone, he looked at the people around them. They all held their sight at the colonel in admiration, their look was that of people filled with dreams and wishful thinking and Uriel couldn''t help but get engulfed in the joyful atmosphere.


    Unfortunately for Uriel, he also missed important parts of the colonel''s speech, such as the instructions he needed to follow or the safety measures he had to take.


    When colonel Ethan fell silent after finishing his speech several soldiers aligned with the students and started rounding them up in groups of ten. Uriel took notice of this only a second toote as he was grouped along with nine other people he didn''t know. Each group wasprised of ten students, two heavily armed corporals and a lieutenant and Uriel''s group wasn''t an exception.


    The corporals collected the fees, the signed permission form from the college that stated that this students were allowed to participate and also handed each student a non disclosure agreement.


    Before he could react he was already outside of the campus and into a strange armored vehicle with the engine already going. None of the students had the time to ponder about their situation or talk excitedly about their dreams and hopes as the vehicle set off at an incredible speed.


    The road ahead of them had been previously cleared by the army leaving the streetspletely at their disposal. It was both an incredible feat and the simplest trick, all they had to do was take control of the traffic lights.


    "We are currently heading out of the city, as soon as we reach the POI you''ll be required to step out of the vehicle carrying all your belongings, if you leave anything behind it stays behind."


    The lieutenant, a woman in herte twentiesmanded. Her cute face and gentle voice was heavily contrasted by her shy uniform, her voice carried the authority that only a person ustomed to giving orders could possess.


    "Uhm, excuse me miss." One of the students, a young man with brown hair and a worried expression on his face lifted his hand. "What''s a POI?"


    "It''s short for point of interest, it''s the way we refer to the ces where the cryptids are located. But don''t worry too much, this is a huge operation, with this amount of soldiers you have nothing to fear." The lieutenant replied in a chuckle.


    Uriel always wondered why they never took younger people to acquire traits and now it made sense. Incursions were more dangerous than they let people know.


    Trying to shake off the odd feeling he was getting, he nced at the people that he was teamed up with. The girl in front of him had droopy eyes and a sleepy expression stuck in her face. Then, there was the guy who asked questions, he seemed to be more calm than before, but fear leaked out of his face. They both seemed to be pr opposites, the girl seemed to bepletely unfazed while the guy next to her was on the verge of crying.


    Since the vehicle was a bit cramped, he couldn''t look directly at the others without being noticed. The situation was already awkward as it was and he didn''t want to make it any worse, but he still took a small peek and noticed a huge brutish looking man who was obviously older than the rest.


    For a second he thought that maybe he too was a soldier, but he was wearing casual clothes, making it evident that he was also a student.


    Eventually, the vehicle came to a stop and the door in the back was open.


    "Move out, now! now!" One of the corporals said as he pushed the students out of the vehicle like cattle.


    "Don''t touch me!" A young girl with heavy make up, painted nails and many piercings on her ears yelped as she was being pushed roughly.


    "Hurry up kids, this ain''t your fancy school." The lieutenantmanded. Her calm and gentle demeanor had shifted into a strict one. She didn''t seem evil in the slightest, but now they could see that she was no pushover.


    When thest student stepped out of the vehicle, it quickly turned and left them in the open.

 Chapter 7: Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 7: Encounter</h4>


    "Wait! What!?" The scaredy student shouted in fear.


    "Calm down, you don''t need to worry about that. Before we continue there are a few things you must know. First, cryptids somehow mess up our electronics making them useless, that''s why the ATV had to leave so soon and that''s also the very reason why you wimps are allowed toe to incursions."


    "You''re not making any sense, something like that is not possible!" One of the students, short in stature and with a geeky look to him, said out loud.


    "Oh, but it is! Not only they mess with our electronics, we can''t even capture their picture on camera. Cameras don''t work, well..." She paused for a brief second. "They do work, but they simply don''t appear in the photographs. The same happens with thermal screening, movement detectors, drones,ser sight, only mechanical traps work on them."


    "What about weapons?"


    "Regr guns don''t do much damage, even those that can harm them are sort of useless because some cryptids can regenerate. This is a safe-ish area and it''s all under control, just let us do the fighting and whenever we defeat one of them one of you will be asked toe near, all you have to do is be close enough to the dying beast and you''ll get a trait. Understood?"


    The students nodded before gulping down their saliva, their throats now dry in worry. They knew little about the creatures, even their appearance was a mystery, the only way for them to know what they looked like was through hand drawn pictures, but none of them knew exactly what to expect.


    "All we have to do for the time being is to wait until the others arrive to their positions. Once everything is set we''ll circle the area and find as many cryptids as we can, but as you all know this isn''t a one day trip, it willst for three full days."


    "Uh, miss, if those creatures are so dangerous, why did wee in small groups?." A girl with a meek appearance that had gonepletely unnoticed by Uriel up to that moment spoke in a shy voice.


    "The reason why we all came separated is because big crowds attract the attention of bigger creatures, we can still handle them but it will be easier to do so once you get your traits. Also, smaller creatures are difficult to find and we can cover a lot more ground if we''re separated."


    When she finished speaking a re was shot in the distance drawing an arc in the sky, it was soon followed by another, then another and the lieutenant nodded at one of the armed soldiers who quickly took out a regun and shot upwards.


    About fifty res covered the sky making an almost perfect circle of immense proportions. "The hunt has begun." The lieutenant started walking towards the center with a smile and everyone followed her. Every unit knew exactly what they were doing, but Uriel himself didn''t know what was going on because he got distracted in the middle of the colonel''s speech.


    Thendscape behind them was dense in vegetation with only a few dirt roads, but in front of them nts became scarcer and scarcer until soon it became a barrennd.


    "Do you think we''ll be fine?" The cowardly student asked to no one in particr.


    "Of course we''ll be ok! They do this every year and no one ever dies." said a feminine voice behind Uriel.


    The group advanced for a while, the lieutenant in front of the group peeked at a strange device from time to time and adjusted the course as she walked. Everyone was excited, acquiring a trait had be something like a rite of passing, marking the moment in which a boy became a man, or a girl a woman. Excitement soon became boredom once they noticed that nothing happened. There was nothing in sight, no movement at all.


    "I must say, this is nothing like I pictured it." Said the geeky student as he adjusted his sses.


    "Still, I''m really grateful of the physical training course, if it wasn''t for all the exercise we''ve been doing I bet we''d be like that guy." The coward student pointed towards Uriel who was sweating and panting already.


    "Wait, isn''t that the Urinal guy!?" one of the studentsmented.


    "He is! This is going to be epic!" The cowardly student said as he snapped a picture of Uriel struggling to keep up the pace.


    Cursing his luck, Uriel didn''t reply and limited himself to grit his teeth as he usually did whenever he faced situations like that. He couldn''t afford to spend what little breath he could muster into something as trivial as fighting back.


    Laughter and mockery apanied the group for a while and it helped them blow off some of their worries, until they were able to hear gun shots in the distance.


    "Halt!" The lieutenantmanded as she lifted an arm while looking worriedly at her device. "It''s nothing, keep on walking." She then said as she resumed the walk.


    "Uh, excuse me, is someone in danger? shouldn''t we head over there to help?" The same female student that previouslyforted the coward guy asked the lieutenant. She was a sight to behold, at least from behind, she wore tight denim pants more suited for a night out than to walk out in the open.


    "Don''t worry kids, it''s nothing." The lieutenant replied.


    "But they might be in trouble, why else would you look at yourmunicator then?"


    "This is not amunicator, this device allows me to measure how close we are to a strong enemy. For a minute I thought we had lost our way because we shouldn''t have been able to hear anyone so early today, but it seems like they took a detour. It only means they were lucky enough to find some cryptids to kill on the first day."


    "This is bullshit!" The huge student that looked a lot older than the restined. "We''ve been walking for hours and none of us has a trait yet."


    "It''s just the way it is." The lieutenant shrugged.


    "This only goes to show your ipetence."


    "Fall back now or you''ll regret it." The soldier woman said with a chill inducing voice, yet the student did not stop.


    "If you were any more capable we would have killed a few of those things already." He scoffed.


    "Listen, I''m not in the mood to do this right now so I''ll be clear and don''t make me repeat myself. This is not your school, it''s an army operation and I am allowed to use deathly force against you if I deem you as a threat to the group. Like it or not we''ll be stuck in here for three whole days, now shut your mouth, I don''t want to hear any of it."


    The bickering caused amotion in the group. Everyone got so distracted they didn''t notice a small figureing directly towards the group. It was a small creature, much like a rabbit, but it was bigger and leaner.


    "Here here here!" Said Uriel as he beckoned to the creature, it was his first time seeing a wild animal and he was curious.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." The droopy eyed girl said as she ced her hand on top of Uriel''s shoulder.


    "Why? isn''t it just a hare?" Uriel replied, a bit startled by her words.


    "Can''t you see the horns on top of its forehead? that''s a cryptid."


    "A cryptid!?" Uriel shouted, calling for the attention to everyone in the group.


    The armed soldiers were the first ones to react as they moved right in front of Uriel and started shooting at the creature. The soundsing from their rifles was deafening leaving him no choice but to shut his eyes and cover his ears. When he finally opened them, he saw the creature lying limp in the ground already.


    "Horned rabbit down." One of the corporals said as he finished it with a shot to the head. "Kill confirmed." He said after the sound died in the vastness of the barrennd.


    "Nice job everyone! The one who called it should be the one getting the trait. Hurry up and walk over there." The female lieutenant said looking towards the general direction of the fallen cryptid not knowing who exactly was the one responsible for finding it, but before Uriel was able to take the first step a heavy hand was ced on his shoulder and he was pushed back a whole meter and a hulking figure walked past him.


    "This one is mine!" The huge student said as he picked the rabbit. "What now? should I eat it or something?"


    The lieutenant facepalmed at him, but she didn''t reply. There was no need to do so because as soon as he finished speaking the corpse of the rabbit started to disappear and a shimmering light surrounded the student.


    He spread his arms letting the strange light into his body with a smirk and his eyes closed. Once it finished, the earth shook beneath his feet. Uriel who was still tired after the heavy walk had much trouble to remain standing. He separated his legs instinctively and crouched, in a desperate attempt to not fall to the ground.


    "This is amazing! I can feel the power flowing in my veins! Now the world will finally acknowledge the strength of Jackson!" He broke in a wickedughter.


    "Why are you speaking in a third person now you moron?" The female student with piercings and denim pants said scornfully.


    "This is the beginning of my rise to power!" Jackson replied, but was quickly interrupted with a mockingughter. The oneughing was no other than the lieutenant in charge of the unit.


    "Your rise to power? You got ame skill, perfectly fit for a brutish thug like yourself. From now onward you''ll be called Shaker, because that''s all you can do, shake the ground."


    The rest of the students apanied her words with aughter of their own, even Uriel was tempted tough. He didn''t want to make fun of Jackson, though, because he experienced on first hand the power of his trait and he was overwhelmed by its extent.


    He deeply regretted not being able to get his trait first, he thought of all the great uses that such a trait could have and, despite the lieutenant saying it was a weak trait, Uriel felt he could achieve great things with it.

 Chapter 8: Campfire in the barrenlands

    <h4>Chapter 8: Campfire in the barrends</h4>


    "Hey Shaker, why don''t you show us your might now?" A male student mocked Jackson, but Jackson didn''t think it was funny and he walked towards the unsuspecting student and picked him up by the the cor shaking him in the air like a cocktail.


    "Like this?" Jackson smirked evilly, the rest of the group could only watch in despair as their young ssmate was being roughed up. The soldiers stood idly, letting him do as he pleased and by the time Jackson was finally done with the poor guy he was puking his guts in the ground,pletely dizzy.


    "Hey, why didn''t you stop him?" The pretty female studentined at the solders, but the lieutenant shook her head.


    "Why should we? He shouldn''t have made fun of him if he wasn''t nning on facing the consequences. I said this before, this isn''t school and as long as no one gets hurt it''s all in good fun."


    The previous joyful mood suddenly turned grim. They were used to making fun andughing at the expense of their ssmates all the time, but never did it cross their mind that someone could retaliate like that. Violence was strictly forbidden on campus and they assumed it would be the same during this trip, even though the lieutenant kept reminding them that they were off city walls, they didn''t put two and two together until it was toote, and now one of them was brutally tormented by Jackson.


    Now they were wondering if Uriel too was ning on exacting revenge on them and, even though he didn''t look like much, there was no telling on what kind of trait he could eventually acquire.


    The long walk towards the mysterious POI proved to be a challenge for Uriel who wasn''t used to physical activity. When the rm sounded marking that six hours had passed, the lieutenant turned towards the corporal with the regun, nodding at him to shoot it and, at the same time many other res traversed the skies. This time it didn''t look like a circle but something that resembled an oval.


    Thanks to the res, every unit was able to pace themselves so they could all reach the center at more or less the same time. It was an effective way ofmunication considering that the presence of those creatures messed up with electronics and they couldn''t use cellphones or radios to speak.


    "It seems we''regging behind a bit, this means we won''t be able to rest unless we make up for the time being." The lieutenant said with a disappointed expression on her face and everyone turned to re towards Uriel, deeming him to be the cause of their misfortune.


    Feeling dejected, Uriel shifted his gaze towards the ground. His legs were already shaky and if he didn''t get some rest there was no way in hell for him to keep up with everyone.


    "Are you ok?" The droopy eyed girl asked him worriedly.


    "Yes, I''m just tired that''s all." He replied with the nicest smile he could muster, which actually resembled a twitch on his face rather than a nice gesture.


    "I''m Luna." She said extending her hand towards Uriel.


    "I''m Uriel, it''s nice meeting you." He said shaking her hand.


    "So, that''s why they call you Urinal, because it sounds simr..." She lingered for a few seconds. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to bully you, I just realized the reason why, that''s all." She quickly apologized for her blunt words, but that didn''t stop the bitterness in his heart as his face cramped into a grimace.


    In the afternoon the soldiers made a campfire and secured the area giving the students the time to eat properly. All of them took out lunchboxes from their backpacks and started eating as they chatted merrily.


    Uriel, though, didn''t have enough money for a proper meal. All he had for breakfast, lunch and dinner was instant noodles. Vegetables and meat were a luxury most second ss citizens like him couldn''t afford, but he was content with his meal as it had most of the nutrients a person should need.


    After heating up some water he started slurping his cheap noodles, making a sound that seemingly bothered the pretty girl in front of him. Luna sat besides him despite his bad manners and she quickly attempted to start a conversation with him. Her droopy eyes and sleepy face gave the impression that she would prefer to keep to herself, but instead she was really talkative, something Uriel didn''t appreciate much. Still, the young girl relentlessly talked to him receiving only monosybles in reply until she finally mentioned something that piqued Uriel''s interest.


    "Do you know why are those creatures called cryptids and not monsters, aliens or beasts?" She asked in between bites of her meal.


    "No, why?" He replied.


    "No one really knows where did they came from, that''s why they can''t call them alien. For all we know they could have been always dwelling somewhere underground, in fact, there was extensive lore about them even before they appeared. Take the horned rabbits by example, there had been many sightings of them. I believe people around this area called them Jackalopes." She excitedly exined.


    "Uh, I''ve heard about those, but I thought it was just sick rabbits with warts on their heads." Uriel replied.


    "Well... that is... that''s actually true, but that''s precisely what''s odd about it. You see, even though they found many of those cases, the existence of true horned rabbits could never be disproven."


    "That''s not how science work. You don''t go disproving stuff that doesn''t exist to begin with, you seek for an exnation and proof of existence, not the other way around." Uriel replied.


    "That would be true in most cases, but in my line of work..."


    "What''s your line of work?" He interrupted her asking in honest curiosity.


    "Well... I want to be a cryptozoologist."


    "A what now?" his eyes widened at the same time the sun started to set.


    "It''s the study of the animals that remain undiscovered, like Nessie or the Kraken. The strange beasts that arrived are unknown animals too, hence why they call them cryptids." Her face remained sleepy as it was and only her tone of voice betrayed her excitement when mentioning those creatures.


    "I remember now, isn''t cryptozoology a pseudo science?" Uriel muttered cing his hand over his chin in deep thought.


    "Pseudo science!?" For a brief second Uriel thought he caught a glimpse of anger in Luna''s face under the dim light of the campfire. "How can you call the science that studies cryptids a pseudo science, when cryptids are now scourging the earth? Do you even understand why this operations are called incursions? It''s because we''re not on human territory anymore, this is their home now and we are the ones intruding. These creatures aren''t animals, they''re supernatural beings with incredible powers and abilities and the only science that can provide any information about them is cryptozooly!" Her voice raised up to a volume and the rest of the group was able to hear her clearly.


    The coward student came near and sat besides Uriel and the pretty girl Uriel saw before followed suit and sat besides Luna.


    "I heard that too, that those creatures took over the southern hemisphere. Some even say they came from the south pole and that''s the only reason why we are still standing. I''m Sam by the way." He was friendly and he seemed truly interested in the subject, but Uriel still felt awkward near so many people.


    "I don''t know about the south hemisphere. I do, however, know a lot about cryptids, both my parents were cryptozoologist back when cryptids were only a myth, a legend." Luna said, much to Uriel''s surprise, she was as calm as before and it made him believe that maybe he was just imagining things.


    "I still don''t buy it. Just because there''s some lore about these creatures doesn''t mean they''re the same things as the ones attacking humanity right now. It would mean they were always present and there''s no evidence to support that im. The fact they''re called cryptids is just because they''re unknown, not because they''re the same ones from tales and legends." Uriel and Luna remained silent silent after that but both Sam and the pretty girl started chatting excitedly until sunset.


    When the rm sounded again the corporal shot his regun and res lit up the night sky drawing a much smaller circle than before signalling that they every group was much closer to the POI. The students fell silent and watched the show with awe, res looked a lot more impressive during night time disying the full extent of their brightness.


    "There''s something wrong..." Sam said watching the same spectacle as the rest of them, but instead of awe, his face was stiff and his hands trembled. "There''s a re missing." He said after gulping down a clump of saliva.


    Although his words seemed grim, the group remained the same. They didn''t believe that someone would be able to count the res in the sky in so little time, and even if he was right, it could mean a lot of different things.


    "Anyway, I don''t believe the government could keep something like the disappearance of cities hidden from the citizens." Urielmented.


    "I disagree," Said Luna. "I mean, I don''t know about the southern hemisphere or other secrets, but there''s a lot of secret information and lore about cryptids on the inte."


    "Like what?" The cute girl nudged on Luna''s side in a friendly manner, prompting her to speak again.


    "Back then, there were a few sightings of a slender creature, tall and shadowy that crept around these ces. Its height was fearsome and it looked like a man, but its proportions were all wrong. With long fingers and a fashionable suit, the creature was called... the Slenderman." The shadow of the night seemed even darker and Luna''s sleepy face now seemed creepy and distorted under the campfire light.

 Chapter 9: Campfire tales

    <h4>Chapter 9: Campfire tales</h4>


    "It is said that it only appears on nights such as these, particrly on lonely roads. People who survived the encounter were scarred for life, despite not being hurt in any physical way. There was one horrific telling of one of them, but I don''t think you''re up to hearing it tonight, not tonight..." Luna lingered and then fell in deep silence.


    "Come on, don''t leave us hanging, just tell us!" Sam cried.


    "Fine, but don''t say I didn''t warn you." Luna made a pause and then continued. "It happened to a man on his twenties, he was out with his friends, camping in a pretty popr spot near the creek up north. They were having a good time near a campfire, just like we''re doing tonight and everything was well until..." The young men and women hurdled together, even some of the ones who didn''t form part of the conversation were paying close attention to her words. Only the sounds of nature could be heard in the distance and the fire danced in front of the group. Inadvertently, even one of the soldiers was listening to Luna''s tale.


    "A man appeared behind them, he was dressed in a suit and seemed to bepletely harmless and they thought ''hey, let''s invite him over'', and so they did, but it proved to be a grave mistake. The man, who seemed to be normal in the distance started treading towards them at an incredible speed and then it stopped a few steps from the campfire." Luna''s drowsy manner of speech only added up to the fear crawling up on everyone''s heart. A creaking sound echoed in the distance and everyone was startled by this, even the soldier that had joined them to listen to the story. Then another sound followed by yet another one. It was as if twigs were being stepped on by something heavy, one by one in an orderly fashion. Sam shivered and cowered behind Uriel who seemed to bepletely unfazed by the eerie sounds that came closer and closer.


    "The slender creature stood still and the group of friends stared at it in horror." Luna mercilessly continued the tale. "Yet it didn''te near the fire, instead, it opened its maw wide as a snake and emitted a growl that sent them off running wildly into the darkness and as soon as they stepped out of the campfire light, one by one they were all in by its long ws, ripped apart in a way that it would have been impossible for the police to recognize the bodies, or what was left of them for any case."


    "Hey, are you serious!? that can''t possibly be true! you''re just making this up." Sam cried loudly.


    "Am I? The only survivor was the one who didn''t run away and kept close to the fire the whole time. When he made it back to the city he ended upmitting suicide, not even a month after his return. He said that keeping close to the fire saved him, but the creature remained nearby until sunrise showing him all kinds of unsightly horrors and trying to scare him out of the campfire." When Luna''s tale was finished another sound came out from the darkness, only this time was a lot closer and louder. They yelped in fear and the soldier gripped his weapon.


    "Lower your weapon corporal!" The female lieutenant said, surprised by the cold reception she got aftering back from performing her watch duty.


    "I''m sorry ma''am, I''m just watching the kids as youmanded." Much to everyone''s surprise, the voice that came from behind the mask of the armed soldier was feminine and sweet. No one would have imagined the soldier carrying so much weight in between equipment, ammo and weapons was a woman.


    "Wait! there''s something wrong with her!" Sam shouted in fright just before the soldier lowered his weapon. The soldier woman hesitated briefly, but then did asmanded by the lieutenant.


    "What do you mean there''s something wrong with her? she looks the same to me." Uriel asked Sam who clung to his back as if his life depended on it.


    "Can''t you see she came back without the other soldier?"


    "That''s because someone needs to stand watch, you moron!" The pretty girl with heavy make up replied and Sam heaved a sigh of relief.


    The lieutenant took a spot in the campfire near the students, while the soldier was ordered to watch the perimeter.


    "So, what are you kids up to?" She asked after taking a gulp from her canteen.


    "Nothing much, apparently we''re telling horror stories." The cute girl replied, trying to hide the fact that she too was scared out of her wits just a few seconds ago.


    "I would love to hear one of those, it''s been a long while since thest time I heard a proper horror tale. Hang on a second, now that I think about it I read them all the time, only they''re called casualty reports." She gazed up at the sky and fell silent.


    "Casualty reports?" Sam gulped for the umpteenth time that night.


    "Yes, most of them are nothing but idents or people who fall in the line of duty, but some of those reports are quite unsettling. Actually, when you doubted my identity you just reminded me one of those tales."


    "Come on Miss, don''t leave us hanging!" when it became clear that she wasn''t going to share any of the stories, the pretty girl begged.


    "Uhm, sure, but don''t me me if you have trouble falling asleep afterwards. As you may have guessed, I get lots of battle reports all the time, the sheer amount of paperwork I have to fill would scare you even more than the story!" She chuckled. "Anyway, among those battle reports there''s one I couldn''t shake off my head for a long time. One of the units stationed in the rim of the city came back with half of its members, they either dead or badly wounded, the strange thing about it was that none of them was hurt by neither ws or fangs, they were hurt by bullets and by the traits of their own team mates." The lieutenant''s voice was serious and she took a pause here and then as if remembering the facts. "You see, it''s not rare for soldiers toe back wounded or in body bags, but not when they''ve been stationed so close to the city. When debriefed they said that a couple of them went out their outpost to patrol, but then only one of them came and, when they let him in, he acted just like always and said that his partner was dyed and they didn''t think much of it.


    Of course they tried to contact him with their radio, but it wasn''t working. Fearing the presence of a cryptid nearby, they headed out leaving the one who came back along with another soldier inside the outpost. Oddly enough, as soon as they stepped out of the building their radio began working and they were able to make contact, but the one who replied was the same soldier that was supposedly inside!" Some of the listeners gasped in surprise, Sam was particrly affected, yet the lieutenant continued her tale.


    They went back inside as quickly as they could, only to find out a trail of blood and guts leading nowhere, along with a stter of blood on the wall. Being the professionals they were, they proceeded to secure the area and wait until the ones patrolling around came back. Not even five minutes passed when the same soldier that had supposedlye back before and then vanished, appeared in front of them covered in blood. Fearing they were facing a cryptid with strange powers they shot him down, but that was the real soldier."


    "No way!" Sam cried out loudly, clinging so hard to Uriel it actually hurt.


    "Calm down, it''s just a tale." Urielined.


    "Just a tale you said? This is an army report, it actually happened!" The lieutenant replied with a cold re.


    "What happened then?" Luna asked, intrigued by the possibility of a new cryptid she knew nothing about.


    "Well, apparently the creature liked to y mind games and they spent the whole night fighting each other, that''s why most of them were hurt by human weapons or traits. Eventually, they just gave up and retreated."


    "Do you know a way to identify the creature?" Luna insisted.


    "As a matter of fact I do. The creature could mimic human speech and we suspect it was actually able to obtain its victim''s memories, it even behave just like the real person. But you see, there was something about it that gave it away in the end, humans have round pupils..."


    "And...?" Several people asked at the same time.


    "Well, the creature had vertical ones, like this." She said as she blinked revealing a pair of yellowy vertical pupils to everyone''s horror.

 Chapter 10: Night scare

    <h4>Chapter 10: Night scare</h4>


    *Ahhhh*


    The group shrieked and yelled, some even ran away as fast as they could not daring to look back, not even considering the threats of the night in the barrends.


    During themotion Uriel fell on his back with Sam still clinging to him, the cowardly student''s nails dug deep into his flesh causing him great pain. Luna was the only one left in ce being more curious than scared.


    "Uh, are you a cryptid ma''am?" She managed to ask, but all she got in reply was a merryughter from the lieutenant who was having a hard time not falling over. She was sping her belly and tears appeared on her strange eyes that now possessed a vertical pupil.


    "Of course not you silly, this is just part of my trait." The lieutenant replied.


    "I knew it, why would a cryptid announce its presence like that, it just didn''t make any sense to me." If she had been startled, it was impossible to know. Or it would have been impossible, if not for the fact that in her shock she grasped Uriel''s hand and held on to it tightly. When she realized this, she quickly took her hand back, her cheeks blushing in bright red shyness.


    "Come back now kids! I was just messing with you, you guys are so gullible. For the love of the g, juste back!" She shouted, still, it took several minutes for the ones who had ran out toe back.


    They were still scared and the only reason they came back was because far from the campfire the darkness was almost absolute and the fear of the unknown was greater than what lied in in sight.


    "Is it safe?" The geeky student asked beforeing back.


    "Of course it is! It was just my trait, my trait! I''m lieutenant Dragonfang, it has little to do with actual dragons, but I like the sound of it.


    That should be enough exnation as to why my eyes are like that, but in case you dont''t know it, some traits modify people''s body" Lieutenant Dragonfang, who had been dying introducing herself only to be able to make that joke and scare the students, said with her usual tone of voice.


    "You are so mean! What would you do if one of us has a stroke or something?" Sam shouted and the lieutenant simply shrugged.


    Everyone gathered back near the campfire in the midst of awkwardughter. Some of them were still trembling and they couldn''t stop themselves from staring at the lieutenant with a hint of distrust.


    "I''ve heard that reptiles blink that way, they have a third eyelid." Luna spoke to the air. "Haha! And you called my trait weak!? I can control the earth, while all you can do is blink in a creepy way! You should be called lizard! No, Lizzy would suit you best!" Jacksonughed.


    "That is my name! I am actually called Lizzy." She blinked in disbelief thinking on how could she miss a coincidence like that. "But don''t be fooled, my trait is not nearly as crappy as yours is." She winked.


    "Hang on a second, where''s the pretty girl? the that was sitting next to Luna, I mean." Sam asked.


    "She must still be scared ofing back." Luna replied a bit unsure herself.


    "I don''t know... she didn''t strike me as a coward..." Lieutenant Dragonfang said nibbling on her thumb nail worriedly. But before she could even stand up and call for the soldiers to seek for the girl who had to be lost somewhere in the dark, a dark figure appeared from behind the group and, when it came close to the campfire a cute girl wearing heavy make up was revealed.


    "Ah! there you are!" Lieutenant Dragonfang said and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. "What happened to you? what took you so long?"


    "I ran too far and lost sight of the campfire, fortunately I heard yourughter and was able toe back following the sound." She said as she sat down right next to Sam.


    Uriel was much relieved by this, because he was already tired of being in between the two of them whenever they exchanged words. ''Now they''ll be able to talk properly'' he thought, trying to distract himself from all the chaos.


    Just like Uriel guessed, Sam and the cute girl started chatting happily. Sam was still a bit shaken by the joke lieutenant Dragonfang pulled on them, but the girl made a great job in calming him down, especially after a short while when she started kissing him out of the blue.


    Startled, the young student resisted a little at first, but soon let himself go guessing that it was her way of dealing with stress and he was just lucky.


    Awkward as it was, they didn''t mind showing their affection in public, the girl because she was too daring and Sam because something like that had never happened to him before and it was highly unlikely that such an opportunity would repeat itself.


    Uriel turned to the side trying to avoid the awkwardness of having a couple kiss right beside him. Up until a week ago he had a girlfriend, but they never did something like that. They''ve held hands but that was mostly it, he did get a peek on the cheek every so often, but Tina came from a renowned family and she couldn''t afford to have her reputation stained.


    Of course the pretty student that was going at it with Sam didn''t have that sort of issue, he judged.


    ''She must wear all that make up to attract that kind of attention, like a peacock.'' He thought inwardly and snorted.


    Now that he was gazing at the vastness of the barrennds, Uriel noticed some lights at the distance and he guessed, correctly, that they were the campfires made by other groups. He couldn''t judge the distance as he was only able to see the closer ones, because the light emitted from a small campfire doesn''t travel that far even at night.


    Had Sam not been distracted, he might have noticed something strange going on, but his mind was on cloud nine at the moment.


    "Shouldn''t we go to sleep?" The geeky student that had been mostly quiet asked the lieutenant, who promptly shook her head.


    "The first day is always the toughest, it''s a long walk and a long night but you can''t sleep until sunrise is near. While it''s true that this ce is mostly safe in daytime and cryptids are difficult to find, at night it''s them who seek for us and we must be on the wary. But don''t worry, thest re signal shoulde soon and then you''ll be able to sleep in turns."


    "Hey, don''t you want to go somewhere more private?" The cute girl whispered in Sam''s ear as she took him by the hand and he nodded silently as he stood up ready to follow her. Different scenarios crossed his mind and none of them were innocent.


    "Hang on! where do you think you''re going?" Lieutenant Dragonfang asked in a stern voice that almost snapped Sam out of his reverie, almost.


    "It''s just going to be a short walk, it''ll be fine." She giggled.


    "No one is allowed to move without permission." The lieutenant replied in a cold tone of voice, but the young girl wasn''t willing to give up just yet.


    "Can we? pretty please" She winked coquettishly.


    Lieutenant Dragonfang was torn in between letting them have their fun as youthmanded or y it safe. So far it had been the safest and easiest incursion she had participated on, she had been checking the device the whole day and most of the night but there hadn''t been any strong signals.


    Just when she was pondering the situation, the rm started beeping on her pocket. It was only a mechanical clock, hence immune to the cryptid''s strange powers, and it was set to mark the time where she was supposed to send a re.


    The problem was that both of the corporals were now standing watch about a hundred meters from the campfire and they were supposed to ask for permission before shooting the res.


    "Geez! of all times why did it have to be now!? hang in there a second I''ll go fetch one of the corporals and then you may do as you wish." Lieutenant Dragonfang said as she walked into the night disappearing from sight after just a few steps.


    Sam couldn''t believe his luck and a wide idiotic smile crossed his face. The smile on the girl beside him, instead, was one of mischief.


    "Come on, lets go now." She said in an alluring tone of voice.


    "Let''s do as miss Dragonfangmanded, it''ll be just a minute." Sam replied.


    "Should I go with someone else then?" She muttered as if she was talking to herself, but looking towards Uriel. Her new target,though, didn''t hold her gaze and pretended not to hear her.


    Then, from out of the shadows the creepy sound of footsteps apanied by a panting sound came out as someone came running.


    Everyone turned their heads to see who it was. They might have thought it was Lieutenant Dragonfang if not for one single detail: The sound came from the other way.

 Chapter 11: Missing flares

    <h4>Chapter 11: Missing res</h4>


    The noises stopped when someone stepped into the light and it was none other than the pretty girl in denim pants, only her clothes were now dirty and she was sweating profusely.


    "Howe no one bothered to seek for me!? I spent all this time Lost who knows where, trying toe back here!" She sounded genuinely upset and puffed out her cheeks.


    Sam looked towards the girl who just arrived, then turned to see the one beside him. The face of the girl next to him was frozen in the same mischievous smile she had, only now it was eerie instead of alluring.


    Sam took out his cellphone and attempted to unlock it but, just as he feared, it was off as if the battery had ran outpletely.


    "Who- who- what are you!?" Sam asked as he stood up, but there was no doubt about it, it was a cryptid.


    The whole group watched in disbelief as the smile on her face became wider and wider, impossibly so, its cheeks parted showing all of her teeth and even her throat was visible. Its anatomy seemed to be human, but no human would be capable of doing something like that.


    Chills and shivers ran down through everyone''s spine in an instinctive reaction, much like that of a prey in front of it''s Predator.


    Uriel didn''t have the luxury of time to make sense of anything. Several res made an arch in the sky, including one nearby, providing just a bit of light in the background and everyone ran towards the nearest one as if they has agreed to do so.


    When Uriel came to his senses he was already far from the campfire with only Luna by his side. "What the hell was that!?" he said loudly but in a hushed voice fearing that something might find them.


    "I don''t- I don''t know, do you think Sam is going to be fine? should we go back?" Luna asked.


    Uriel''s thoughts were a mess, but her calm voice and the warm touch of Luna''s hand somehow managed to soothe him. He took a few seconds to ponder what had happened, but his rationality couldn''t exin any of it.


    "Was that thing a cryptid!?" Uriel asked, still panting after the race.


    "It''s not likely to be someone''s trait, at least I don''t think so..." She shook her head in theplete darkness.


    "At any rate, we should walk towards the nearest re, there we''ll find Miss Dragonfang and the soldiers, they''ll protect us." His words died in the darkness as they now noticed there were several res missing in the sky, it couldn''t be called an oval or a circle because only two thirds of them were fired.


    "No, no, no! this is bad, this is really bad!" Uriel was on the verge of crying.


    "We should have listened to Sam."


    "The same Sam who made out with a crytid? I don''t think so..." Luna said with a scoff.


    They walked towards the nearest re and noticed that Shaker was already there and the soldiers were turning on theirnterns. shlights would have been a lot more useful if not for cryptids'' ability that would shut electric devices off rendering them useless, forcing the army to carry old school gear such as gas fuelednterns.


    "Halt!" The corporal shouted in a rough voice making her sound tough and unforgiving.


    Knowing that taking another step was dangerous, Uriel lifted his arms in a sign of surrender, still holding on to Luna''s hand.


    "We''re not one of those things- I mean, we ran together by the hand and never let go, we aren''t cryptids."


    The lieutenant seemed to ponder for a few seconds, but she ended up nodding at the soldier to lower her weapon.


    "It''s not likely that both of you are shapeshifters so you maye near."


    They did so in a haste and took refuge behind the same corporal that had been pointing her gun at them. When Uriel attempted to let go of Luna she didn''t allow it. "We shouldn''t get separated." She said as she took a hair tie from her wrist and she stretched it tying themselves together. Being tied together would keep them from getting separated, as well as proving they were both humans, as long as there was only one shapeshifter at least.


    "Hey Shaker, now that You have a trait You should help us to secure the perimeter." Lieutenant Dragonfang said, but the man didn''t seem too thrilled.


    "Oh really? what''s in it for me?" He asked with a crooked smile.


    "For starters, You get to stay in our group, also, you''ll earn some credits for every cryptid You y..."


    "Now you''re talking! You can count on me!" He cut her short.


    "I mean no disrespect, but what could someone who just acquired his trait could possibly do?" Luna tilted her head confounded.


    "You''re only saying that because you didn''t see me running, I never thought I could run so fast but ever since I got my trait I feel invincible! I could probable beat the crap out of cryptids with my bare hands." Shaker said excitedly, but Luna wasn''t yet convinced.


    "That''s right, you probably can, even the weakest trait modifies the body at a cellr level, but don''t get too cocky... It made you stronger, not invincible." Lieutenant Dragonfang warned him.


    Not even a full minute passed when someone else came running from the same path they came from, probably following the re as they did.


    "It''s me! don''t shoot please!" The cute girl that was previously mimicked by the cryptid said amidst sobs lifting her arms in the air in a sign of peace when she noticed the soldiers pointing their weapons at her.


    "Are you now?" Lieutenant Dragonfang said doubtfully. "These two came together and since only one shapeshifter cryptid was reported I''m fairly certain they are not cryptids, how can we know for sure that you''re not one of those things?"


    "I- I don''t know, please! I''m scared!" She took another step forward.


    "Do not move or we''ll open fire, consider yourself warned." Lieutenant Dragonfang was not one to y games, well, she was, but not in the face of impending danger.


    "Miss Dragonfang, I think she''s the real one, her clothes are dirty an she seems to be tired. The creature that infiltrated our group previously was wearing clean clothes..." Luna said worried that the girl she had just been acquainted with might get killed.


    "There''s no certainty that the creature didn''t mimic that now, but that gives me an idea... take off your clothes." The Lieutenantmanded. "Whatever that creature is, it''s able to mimic people''s attire perfectly, but I don''t think it''ll be able to create materials out of thin air. I bet it is either an illusion or it shifts its body to look like clothes but won''t be able to take them off, the same as we can''t take off our fingers." She exined her line of thought.


    Uriel thought it was a gamble, but he didn''t like the alternative any better. He too didn''t want to see the girl being shot at in front of him.


    "No way! those guys will see me naked! I''d rather die than being humiliated like that" She covered her bosom with her arms looking modest and shy, it was worlds apart from the way the cryptid behaved previously.


    "Ask them and the soldiers to turn their backs and I''ll do it."


    "Take off your clothes now, this is an order." Lieutenant Dragonfang didn''t have to raise her voice to sound authoritative, hermanding voice was more than enough to make people do her bidding. Although she didn''t like the situation either, turning their backs on a possible enemy was a stupid thing to do and keeping everyone safe was more important than decorum.


    The poor girl sobbed some more, but the Lieutenant left her no choice. Shaker didn''t take his lecherous eyes from her, not wanting to miss a second of the show. Just when the girl was about to take off her shirt Uriel had an idea.


    "Wait! you can take off your piercings, that should be proof enough!" The girl''s eyes glimmered with hope, but Shaker red daggers at him.


    "I didn''t think of that..." Lieutenant Dragonfang asked her to toss over the earrings towards them and when she received them she proceeded to examine them.


    They were made of metal, apparently silver, and there was nothing odd about them. "Alright, you''re clear, but stay close to your ssmates." Only then did she allow her to join the group and, when she was close, the lieutenant looked at her device and she was relieved to see that nothing was out of ce. They were safe... For now.

 Chapter 12: The thing that lurks in the shadows

    <h4>Chapter 12: The thing that lurks in the shadows</h4>


    When all the res touched ground and it became obvious that no one else wasing, Lieutenant Dragonfang made up her mind.


    "Shaker, keep the rest safe, we''ll go seek for survivors. Do not let anyone out of your sight and if someonees by, stall them until wee back." Shemanded.


    "When will youe back?" Luna asked.


    "It''ll be more than five minutes but definitely less than half an hour, if by that time we''re not here head towards another camp, not ours. Follow Shakersmands, he''ll be the one responsible for your safety and he''ll also pay the consequences if something happens to you while we''re not around, understood?" She red at the huge student and nodded. She obviously knew he wasn''t a suitable candidate for a team leader, but she also knew he was the only one with a trait among the students and she needed both corporals to save the rest of the group.


    "Why can''t we go with you?" The pretty girl begged.


    "Wake up child, this is a battlefield now, get yourself a trait and don''t die."


    With that, Lieutenant Dragonfang disappeared along with the two corporals. Uriel wasn''t an optimist by anyone''s standards, but he felt that things could have been a lot worse.


    While being attacked by a shapeshifter was the stuff nightmares were made off, he had heard about gigantic beasts that were able to turn office buildings into rubble in seconds. All things considered, a shapeshifter was the lesser evil.


    What worried him the most wasn''t any monster, but Shaker''s arrogant nature. He feared he might try something weird with the pretty girl and he tried to figure out what to do in order to keep her safe, at least until he remembered how everyone in the group made fun of him reminiscing about his humiliating nickname and no one stepped up to defend him, not even Luna.


    There was a reason why he was an outcast and it had little to do with Mark or anyone in particr, it was because he knew from experience that people were nothing but bystanders of all the abuse he had suffered through the years, first at highschool and now at college.


    Thepany of books was much more preferable than that of people, for a brief second he felt reassured by the books weighing on his backpack. Unlike many of the students present, he took a couple books with him in hopes of catching a bit of free time to read.


    He thought he''d be able to read to his heart''s content during this trip, but never in Uriel''s wildest dreams would have crossed his mind that a girl would attempt to make conversation with him, or that the supposedly safe incursion would be a messy chaos.


    "Shouldn''t we at least try to light a fire?" The cute girl asked worriedly, their only source of light was a dimntern.


    "Not here, not yet..." Luna replied dragging her words, making it sound ominous enough to make her point clear enough.


    Standing in the dark, the scared students hurdled together like penguins in the cold, listening to the sounds of the wilderness as if each and every one of them was a death threat. Their senses were sharpened by theck of sight, which is why when the sound of gunshots in the distance echoed in the barrends they got even more scared.


    "That''s it, we''re moving." Shakermanded, doing his best not to stutter.


    "Wait, Miss Dragonfang said..." Luna tried to rebuke, but she was quickly cut short by Jackson the Shaker.


    "Shut up midget! I''m in charge and I say we''re moving!" He shouted angrily.


    The group moved towards the direction Shaker pointed out, which was the nearest campfire towards the north. Every minute they stalled was one minute closer to dawn, they only needed to survive until dawn and then everything will be safe again.


    They walked blindly, doing their best not to get separated and as close to Shaker as they could since he was the one entrusted with their only source of light. Meanwhile, the cute girl kept her phone at hand watching it closely because as soon as a cryptid got near, its screen would turn off.


    When the gunshots died, there was no sound left in the vast open space. The absence of sound made it even worse on them as there was nothing as cruel as a vivid imagination to torment them. It didn''t take long until they were scared by the sound of their own footsteps and no matter how fast they moved the campfire in the distance didn''t seem any closer.


    "Don''t worry, it will be fine." Uriel said trying tofort himself, but everyone took it as if he was addressing the whole group.


    "Hey, don''t try to act cool in front of the girls you wimp." Shaker said in a raspy voice, his throat was clenched in fear just as everybody else''s.


    "I can see it, the campfire, we''re saved!" The cute girl shouted as she ran mindlessly towards the source of light, but she was suddenly stopped by Uriel.


    "Wait, something is off... there''s no one over there." His tone of voice was as grim as his words.


    "They must be close, maybe they didn''t encounter anything and they''re already asleep." The pretty girl said trying to convince herself.


    "No, there''s also the issue with the missing res, we can''t assume they''re safe." Uriel said, the very sound of his voice irked Shaker and he was getting more and more annoyed by the second.


    He wanted to y hero and act cool in front of everyone, he had a trait that would carry him to great heights. He was deeply offended by the wimp trying to steal his spotlight, it took all of his savings to sign up for college because there weren''t any schrships for adults.


    He was still a child when the cryptids appeared and he remembered it as if it was yesterday. He never had a care for studying and all he did was y thug in highschool, it had never been his intention to be a professional.


    When the cryptids arrived Shaker tried to enlist in the army, but he failed the psychological evaluation and the only way for civilians to acquire a trait was to get into college. With that goal in mind he worked hard, he became a corporate drone and prepared to join college, but it took him no less than ten years to finally save up enough money to do so. It was a huge effort and he wasn''t willing to let a kid get all the attention that was meant for him and him alone.


    His thoughts were quickly shut off when a soothing sound reached his ears as the group was getting closer and closer to the campfire.


    "Is that a... river?" Uriel asked Luna, but she didn''t have a clue. Instead, the pretty girl replied.


    "There''s no rivers nearby, at least not any that could be called as such. The only thing that resembles a river is a small creek that used to be popr back in the day. Hang on a minute, didn''t Luna tell a story about this very creek?" The pretty girl gulped down so loudly everyone could hear her.


    "Luna, please tell us that you made everything up and we''re safe here." Uriel asked thinking on the story about the slenderman she told them earlier.


    "I- Uh- I''m sorry, I can''t lie about this. I don''t know if any of it is true because I found it online, but I did some digging and the facts checked up so... I don''t think we''re really safe, but it should be safer if we stay close to the fire... I guess." She answered honestly.


    "Oh shit!" The cute girl yelped as she banged her cellphone with her hand.


    "What''s wrong?" Uriel asked.


    "It went off! My cellphone... It went off" Her face was twitching, cold sweat ran down her forehead and her eyes were wide open. The screen of her cellphone was turned off suddenly and that could mean one thing, there was something nearby, a cryptid to be precise.


    Fortunately for the group, they were close enough to the campfire to reach it after a short sprint.


    Despite the rush, they all noticed the sound of their footsteps had changed on thest few meters they ran. It was as if they had stepped on water and every step they took made a thud sound, but when they reached the light of the campfire they noticed something horrific, something that would haunt them in their dreams for a long time.


    The wet sound of their footsteps wasn''t caused by water, it was blood.

 Chapter 13: A hop and a thud

    <h4>Chapter 13: A hop and a thud</h4>


    "Get to the fire, quick!" Uriel shouted.


    "Don''t listen to him! I''m inmand, stay near me, I''ll keep you safe!" Shaker yelled as the wet sound of footsteps could be heard in the distance.


    Both girls fell into a panic, Luna was bound to Uriel with the stic band she used to tie themselves together and couldn''t go near Shaker even if she wanted to. On the other hand, the pretty girl hadn''t missed the lustful gaze Shaker directed at her and didn''t trust him in the slightest. Even so, they were ordered by miss Dragonfang to obey hismands and they knew that failing to do so would certainly bring consequences even if they survived.


    For a brief second Luna pulled on the hair tie that kept her tethered to Uriel as if trying to walk towards Shaker, but Uriel tugged on it and ran towards the fire.


    The sounds that came closer were spaced by several seconds, as if something was walking slowly towards them.


    Realizing he was all by himself, Shaker felt shivers running down his spine. The sounds came closer and closer until a small figure could finally be seen. Shakerughed as he kicked it sending it flying off into the darkness.


    "Hey, it''s just a bunny! A cute little bunny!" The pretty girl cried. Luna, on the other hand, got upset for apletely different reason.


    "You shouldn''t have done that, one of us could have gotten a trait out of it."


    "You''re free to go an look for it, no one will stop you." Shaker scoffed at the girl.


    ''This is my chance, If I go over there I might be able to finally get a trait... but..." Uriel thought to himself, but soon realized he was still bound to Luna.


    "Hey Luna, I think I should go fetch it." Uriel said trying to undo the tie on the stic band.


    "I don''t think it''s a good idea, that thing wasn''t a bunny, but a cryptid. Although it was small and should be dead, we don''t know much about them and it could be dangerous." She replied.


    "Dangerous!? That small thing!? You''re making meugh!" Said the huge man, but he wasn''tughing. "You can go, we''ll be waiting for you here." He continued and pointed towards the general direction where the rabbit was sent flying but then he noticed something was off.


    Where there had been nothing but a dense darkness, now a couple of red dots glimmered faintly almost at ground level. Then, another couple of red dots appeared next to it.


    Soon enough they were surrounded by them and everyone knew it meant trouble, those lights in the middle of the night were eyes. The group watched in disbelief as the eyes grew in number and then in horror when they raised above the height of a rabbit and almost at their own eye level.


    "Hey, those things can''t be bunnies!" The cute girl yelped.


    "That''s what I''ve been telling you, they''re not, they''re horned rabbits and..." As much as Luna would have loved to talk about the taxonomy of cryptids, she was quickly interrupted by a swift figure darting towards her.


    Uriel pushed Luna''s downwards saving her from being stabbed in the eye by the protruding horn on a rabbit''s head. The creature fell right in the campfire and, luckily, it caught fire and ran off towards the darkness where the dozens of eyes were lurking in silence. Thanks to that they were able to catch a glimpse of their enemies.


    It was brief, but Uriel noticed how the horned rabbits stood on their hind legs, their fur wasn''t white nor brown, it didn''t look like fur at all. They all looked as if they had been skinned alive and their extremities were oddly long and menacing, their horns were muchrger than what they had seen before and Uriel could have sworn he saw fangs on their maws.


    "Hurry up and get near me, I''ll take care of them." Shakermanded but Uriel could smell something fishy in his tone of voice. Actually, everything about Shaker was suspicious, from the way he behaved when a student much smaller messed with him to the way he looked at the cute girl.


    He didn''t like people much, but he liked Shaker even less.


    "Luna, you too, don''t get near him. His trait will cause you to lose bnce and you''ll be helpless."


    The time for hesitation was over and both girls sided up with Uriel.


    A flurry of rabbits came jumping at them while they did their best to dodge. Their strong hind legs allowed them to jump at an incredible speed allowing them to be something simr to fast moving bullets.


    "One hit and you''re done, keep dodging!" Uriel shouted as he twirled as best as he could without getting tangled with Luna.


    One of the horned rabbits that had fallen near the campfire performed another jump from their blind side aiming for Shaker''s back but he nimbly dodged it and caught it in the air.


    Lieutenant Dragonfang''s words now seemed like a prophecy as Shaker''s trait was near useless in battle, but his enhanced reflexes and strength provided him enough power to defeat horned rabbits without breaking a sweat.


    The onught remained for a while and Shaker became ustomed to it, he wasn''t scared anymore and he seemed to be enjoying himself in the midst of the battle.


    ''What kind of a psychopath is this guy?'' Uriel thought.


    The eyes lurking in the shadow were greatly reduced at an incredible rate as Shaker defeated them. The cute girl picked up one of the horned rabbit''s corpses from the ground in an attempt to acquire a trait, but nothing happened.


    "This isn''t working, why am I not getting a trait!?"


    "I think it''s because Shaker was the one who defeated it. Didn''t you notice how soldiers used their weapons from a distance? The first one to touch the creature was Shaker." Luna replied as soon as the opportunity arose.


    "If things keep like this we won''t be able to get a trait and I''m getting tired already, we can''t keep dodging like this forever. Stalling is no longer an option!" Uriel said worriedly and finally untied the hair band that was hindering his movements, he dropped his backpack that was hanging on his back and took out a heavy looking book from it.


    As soon as he was tackled by a horned rabbit he attempted to swing at it, but his speed was nothingpared to the cryptid''s bullet like speed and missed. When the next attack came, he took another swing failing again, only this time he was a lot closer.


    Fearing that his spotlight would be stolen by the young archaeology student if he somehow acquired a stronger trait, Shaker drew near him activating his trait to shake the earth trying to prevent Uriel from seeding on his endeavor.


    "Go away!" Uriel shouted, but Shaker yed deaf.


    As time went by there were less and less horned rabbits making it easier for them to dodge, but a lot more difficult to defeat them.


    ''This idiot won''t let me get a trait, even if I somehow manage to defeat one I''m sure he''ll try to do something weird.'' Uriel pondered as he dodged yet another horned rabbit.


    It was time for him to step up and take a risk, or else he would miss his chance to get a trait, but first he needed to do something to distract Shaker long enough for him to kill a cryptid.


    Thanks to Shaker''s efforts there were fewer and fewer horned rabbits, but since he was putting all of his effort on keeping Uriel ''safe'' and preventing him from acquiring a trait, Luna and the cute girl were left defenseless. Except, they were anything but defenseless.


    It turned out that the cute girl was really good at martial arts and Luna, while looking like a harmless tiny girl, was actually a lot tougher that she seemed. Working together, they took the chance after one of the rabbits had missed a hit and ran towards it.


    The pretty girl stomped on it with all of her strength while Luna hit it with a ming stick she took from the campfire. The creature looked like a skinned rabbit, but it was almost the size of a dog, it writhed in pain after being struck with the stick, but it wasn''t enough to kill it in a single blow.


    Thankfully, that was enough to keep Shaker distracted long enough for Uriel to move on the offensive and he jumped forward after a rabbit that was just about to spring forward in a tackle. Uriel shielded himself with the book as the horn of the rabbit pierced the cover and was left hanging helplessly.


    Without losing any time, Uriel kicked it repeatedly until both the book and the horned rabbit were an indistinguishable mess.


    A light shone bright in the middle of the night as the horned rabbit started vanishing and Uriel received the light that came out of it into his body amidst mystical looking sparks of energy.

 Chapter 14: Useless trait

    <h4>Chapter 14: Useless trait</h4>


    Uriel felt the power traversing his veins, every fiber on his body, even his hair and nails, was immersed in the empowering aura that came out of the rabbit. Itsted no more than a few seconds, but he felt it as if everything was moving on slow motion.


    He moved his head from left to right, the world around him was seemingly frozen. His mind raced, but his head moved slowly, too slow to keep up with the speed of his thoughts.


    He saw Luna and the cute girl struggling to kill the cryptid they had caught, he also took notice of Shaker''s bitter reaction when he realized that Uriel had received his trait. Shaker''s face distorted, but it was toote, There was nothing he could do now to impede him from acquiring a trait.


    The light that came from the corpse of the horned rabbit fizzled out, the power surge ended and Uriel was... disappointed.


    He didn''t feel any stronger or faster, in fact, after tasting the slow motion effect everything seemed to happen too fast for his liking. He was left in a daze while horned rabbits took the chance to attack him from all sides bruising him up.


    He had heard that once someone gets their trait they would instinctively know how to use it or feel the change, but Uriel couldn''t figure out the nature of his trait. If anything, the only positive effect he could feel was that he wasn''t so tired anymore and the damage he suffered from the crytpid''s onught was minimal. This was nice, but not nearly as good as he expected.


    Thanks to their team effort, the girls took down three horned rabbits and both of them were able to to get their traits.


    After experiencing something quite simr to what Uriel had just gone through, their bodies changed in a noticeable way. Uriel could see how Luna''s usually droopy eyes were now wide open, her hair that was of a dark color was now ashen white. The pretty girl''s change was even more astounding, she became a bit taller and her eyes turned red and bright.


    "Is it over?" The pretty girl asked.


    Luna was still trying to make sense of her trait, but there was a faint smile on her face hinting that she was quite satisfied with the result, at that moment the first light of day hit her,plimenting her soothing face.


    Now the group was finally safe, during day time cryptids weren''t as big of a threat as they were during the night. This allowed Uriel to scan his surroundings, he was finally able to see the small creek nearby.


    It was the first time for him to see a natural source of water, he was deeply amazed at the sound it made and the small pebbles on its bottom. He was born and raised within city walls and never had the chance to venture out in the wilderness, a fate that most people born after the arrival of the cryptids shared, including the rest of their group.


    "Is it safe to... you know... put our feet in the water?" The pretty girl asked hesitantly, to which Shaker replied by pushing Uriel onto the creek. The poor student fell hands first on the shallow water and gotpletely wet and muddy.


    "Why did you do something like that!?" The cute girl said angrily. She didn''t like Shaker one bit and she felt she owed Uriel big time. Shaker simplyughed as he took off his boots and ced his feet on the water, but the girl wasn''t willing to let it go.


    "Apologize right now or..."


    "Or what?" Shaker said, daring the girl to take action.


    The girl''s eyes gleamed brightly and she looked at the man straight into the eyes. Shaker returned the look with an arrogant face and stared directly onto her red eyes for a few seconds, until he was unable to hold it anymore. There was something deeply unsettling in her re, something that tickled his inner most fears and worries.


    "Fine, I''m sorry, It just seemed like something fun to do but I didn''t think it''d be a big deal." Much to everyone''s surprise he apologized honestly and even helped Uriel to get back on his feet.


    The group spent a short while enjoying themselves, feeling much relief with their sore feet submerged under the clear water of the creek and basking in the sun like cats. It was as if their wounds and bruises became less painful, their bodies less tired and their minds more clear.


    Uriel thought for a brief second that the creek had some sort of healing effect, but his rationality quickly kicked in. ''Magical thinking is but the first stage of religious beliefs'' he remembered what he read in an old anthropology book. Believing that a natural source of water had magical abilities was beyond scientific thought and the exnation was much more simple than that as usual.


    Their traits allowed them to recover much faster than before. While it was true that Uriel didn''t know the extent of the changes within his body, he now was certain that he did acquire a trait.


    ''It''s not about whether I have a trait or not, but if I am able to tap on its power. I need to find out what am I capable of now.''


    Extending his arms in front of him, Uriel focused his mind on feeling every inch of his body. By thinking back on how he felt when he was surrounded by the strange light he was able to identify some sort of energy coursing through his body, only a thousand times weaker than before.


    "AHHH!" Uriel shouted startling the rest of the group.


    "Uh- What are you doing?" Luna asked.


    "I''m trying to activate my trait."


    "It doesn''t work like that. You either know how to or you simply don''t have a trait." The cute girl exined. "For instance, I somehow know what I can do now. My eyes, they feel different, it''s like they''re burning hot but it''s not painful or bothersome and, judging by how Shaker reacted, I''m willing to bet that it makes people scared." She whispered thest part to keep Shaker from hearing her.


    "Can you try it on me?" Luna asked curiously.


    "Are you sure?" She nced at Shaker, who was still affected by her trait. He was at a distance brooding in silence. "I don''t think it''ll be pleasant"


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine." Luna was so rxed all the time, even in the face of danger it was almost as if nothing worried her. She somewhat reminded him of Cassandra, the girl who always camest during Captain Silvermane''s lessons.


    When the cute girl stared at Luna she didn''t seem to be affected. Instead of fear, her curiosity was piqued.


    "This is interesting. Have you heard about the uncanny valley theory?" She dragged her words as always. Despite knowing that it was likely that she would start exining in her annoying manner of speech, both Uriel and the cute girl shook their heads prompting her to speak.


    "Have you noticed how whenever you look at something that resembles a human but it''s not human, you get this eerie feeling? It gets to a point where it''s so unsettling that people''s heart begin to race just by looking at pictures. People with deformities, animals behaving like humans, things like that.


    "A fear so primal could only be exined if at some point in human history all of humanity was hunted by something simr to humans, but not quite human. It''s the same fear that prey animals experience when facing predators, it''s so strong that some of those prey animals can''t withstand it and their heart just gives up. When you used your trait on me, I felt something of the sorts, I can''t really exin it any better."


    Uriel didn''t know about that girl''s trait because he didn''t experience it himself, but he had to admit that Luna''s theory actually made sense. There was a lot of archaeological evidence that could back it up, like the therianthropes in ancient Egypt and many other cultures where they worshiped creatures that were simr to humans but also to animals.


    He would have loved to talk about that with Luna and he was starting to actually believe that cryptozoology may as well be considered true science now, but this wasn''t the time for that.


    "That can''t be it, I must have a trait, you all saw the light surrounding me!"


    "We can''t be sure until they measure your power. I''ve heard the army has a device that allows them to measure the exact amount of energy a person has, that''s an indicator of how strong they are. But of course, some traits are more useful or powerful than others by themselves." The pretty girl said. "Anyway, if it wasn''t for you we would have been dead already. I''ve been practicing martial arts since I was a child, but when those things came at us I froze. Even if you don''t have a trait, you have a good head over your shoulders and I think that''s even better."

 Chapter 15: Sage

    <h4>Chapter 15: Sage</h4>


    As the morning sun rose up in the sky their stomachs began to grumble, receiving a trait was a draining process and, even though they didn''t feel tired in the slightest, they still needed to rest and eat just like a regr person.


    Of course they were a lot more resilient than a regr person, but that didn''t mean they were immune to hunger, cold, exhaustion or thirst.


    Unfortunately for the group, they left their belongings back at their own campfire and the only one who brought his backpack along was Uriel who wouldn''t part with it. It was the only one he had and he didn''t have enough money to buy another. But the bad news weren''t over, because the only food he brought with him was instant noodles.


    Instant noodles were the kind of food only the poorest of the poor people would eat. They were healthy-ish, at least healthier than how they used to be, but they had a bad reputation and so most people would try to stay away from them, but now...


    "These are delicious!!! What vor is this!?" The cute girl said after taking the first sip of the cup Uriel handed to her.


    "Uh, I believe it''s cheeky chicken..." Uriel said blushing up, he was a ashamed of sharing such a cheap meal with the rest of the group, especially with the girls. Hunger, though, made it seem like the most delicious breakfast they ever had and they happily epted Uriel''s generosity.


    "What nickname should I take?" The cute girl asked after slurping thest bit of noodles left in the cup.


    "What do you think about Medusa?" Uriel said without putting much thought into it.


    "Medusa? What''s that?"


    "It was a Greek mythological beast that turned people into stone." Lunamented. The pretty girl didn''t like beingpared to a beast of old but she changed her mind after Uriel continued.


    "Yes... she became a monster, but she was once the most beautiful woman on earth. In fact, she was turned into a beast out of jealousy, because a goddess couldn''t stand being second to a human and she cursed the woman so no one would ever be able to look at her again."


    Her face brightened after being indirectly called beautiful by Uriel and she shyly covered her cheeks.


    "What about me?" Luna stared at Uriel with a stern face.


    "Shouldn''t you know about something like that? you''re pretty knowledgeable, besides, I don''t even know what your trait is."


    Her face remained unchanged, but somehow Uriel could feel her disappointment. Then, looking directly at her, the only thing he noticed was the change in her hair color that resembled the shimmer of the moon in the night sky on a clear night.


    "I got it, what about Moonlight?" His words seemed to have sparked new life on Luna.


    "I like it... and it''s also rted to my trait, I guess."


    "Then what should we call you?" The cute girl whose real name was unknown by Uriel, but now was called Medusa asked.


    "I don''t know, I don''t know what my trait is..."


    "We could call you something like... ''Smart''... maybe?"


    "That''s the least creative nickname... maybe we should call him ''wise''" Despite being ttered by the nicknames they were trying to choose for him, both girls failed miserably.


    "why not just call me Sage? it''s myst name so..."


    "You''re telling me you''re smart AND yourst name is Sage!? If I had known that names have an impact on your abilities I would have changed myst name to years ago." Medusa chuckled.


    "It''s not that, I think myst namees from a nt that was prettymon where my ancestors were from."


    "A nt? isn''t it a herb used for cooking?" Luna asked.


    "It is! and it''s delicious!" Medusa said and soon she realized the blunder she hadmitted, because if she had been called beautiful in an indirect way by Uriel that also meant that she was calling him delicious.


    When res were shot again, they were happy to see that one of them was really close to them and they hurried over to see if it was Lieutenant Dragonfang.


    The walk was short and soon enough they were able to see that it was, indeed, Lieutenant Dragonfang. There was also one of the corporals and two students along with them. Sam and the other one was the geeky student Uriel didn''t know by name.


    "Miss Dragonfang, where are the others?" Medusa asked, but the lieutenant shook her head with a grim face.


    Not everyone survived the nocturnal onught and, by the amount of res in the sky, Uriel judged that less than half the people who embarked on this incursion made it alive.


    "Get ready kids, we''ll regroup with the rest of the units and then head back. I''m sorry you weren''t able to get your traits, but it''s too dangerous to keep going." She said apologetically. "Oh! and no matter what you see, stay close to me. It should be safe, but then again, this incursion seemed to be going just fine at first and it turned into a shit show..."


    "Don''t worry about that ma''am, we all got our traits now." Medusa said showing her glinting crimson eyes.


    "Oh, that''s good... that''s good indeed." She lingered for a few moments. "You did a good job Shaker and I''ll make sure you getpensated for your efforts."


    Shaker, who after being affected by Medusa''s trait had remained silent, had his mood somewhat lifted by the promise of rewards.


    The group moved swiftly through the barrends, even Uriel was now able to keep up the pace somehow, but not without effort. Sweat trickled down his forehead and his breathing was jagged, but he endured and kept walking as fast as he could. At least until he saw what looked like a modern city in shambles in the location that Uriel guessed was right in the middle of all the units.


    "Is that a city?"


    "No, not anymore, it''s a lost city. Please don''t ask anything about that, you''ll know in due time." Lieutenant Dragonfang replied.


    "Uh, sure. By the way, I''ve been wondering, what happened to them?" Uriel took a nce at Sam who wasgging behind.


    "Don''t bother yourself with that, you''ll soon get all the answers you want... and then some more." Lieutenant Dragonfang replied.


    So far she had been really helpful and patient with them, even with Shaker who had a nasty attitude most of the time, and she always answered their questions. But now Uriel was wondering what did she mean with that.


    Uriel was curious, he knew they spent the night fighting just like them, he also guessed that both Sam and the geeky student had a chance to get their traits, but he couldn''t be sure if they actually got one. It was a given that they saw people die and were traumatized, he thought back on how scared Sam was before, but now he lookedpletely devoid of emotions.


    Following the army''s n, if the incursion failed they were to gather near the colonel who came along. Then, and only then, would they be able to call for evacuation. Of course they couldn''t walk directly towards them, especially those who were on the opposite side of the ruins in the middle.


    The whole goal of incursions was to get inside the ruins salvage as many useful things as they could and clear the cryptids to keep nearby cities safe. Allowing students to gain their traits was a secondary objective because it was on the government''s agenda, but the army could care less about it.


    They needed technology, scraps, stic and even fuel. Ever since cities were enclosed with walls they became safer, but it made the production and refining of resources a lot more difficult.


    It was a win win situation for government, big corporations, the army and even the citizens. Unless, of course, something like what happened on thest night urred.


    They lost countless students, soldiers and gear. Lieutenant Dragonfang knew that someone will have to take the fall, but it wouldn''t be colonel Ethan. He was both good at his job and well connected, it was more likely that every single sergeant, lieutenant and captain will be held ountable for their own losses and, unfortunately for her, her losses had been too great.

 Chapter 16: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 16: Reunion</h4>


    It was just past noon when they arrived at the colonel''s position and it was already crowded with soldiers and students alike. Something that Uriel didn''t miss was how the colonel''s unit was the biggest, best equipped and, coincidentally, it was also the unit where all the rich students were assigned to.


    Life wasn''t fair, no matter how much the government propaganda imed that everyone was equal in front of the g, it was painfully obvious that there were those who thrived and those who barely survived. And Uriel belonged to thetter.


    As resented as he was, he couldn''t help but run towards Tina as soon as heid eyes upon her. She was looking left and right with teary eyes, seemingly looking for something or someone.


    "Uri! you made it! I''m so d!" She sighed in relief.


    "Tina, what about you? are you hurt somewhere?"


    "No, I''m perfectly fine, Mark took good care of me the whole time and colonel Ethan too, he''s really impressive, you should have seen him fighting against those things." She replied.


    "I''m d you''re fine too." Uriel scowled trying to hide how jealous he felt, she had been his girlfriend for a short while, but after the breakup they never talked things over and he still secretly hoped to fix things somehow and go back to how things were before.


    "Please tell me that you got a trait! If you didn''t I can still convince colonel Ethan to give you a chance if you didn''t." She said in a sweet tone of voice.


    "I got a trait, but I don''t know what it does or how to activate it."


    She gave him an awkward look, everyone knew that people who got their traits knew instinctively how to use them and after getting her own she knew it from experience too. Still, she decided to remain silent and she limited herself to look at him.


    "You look pale and you have bags under your eyes, what''s that? why are your boots red?" She asked.


    "This? I think we stepped on some blood."


    Uriel didn''t notice it, but people close by turned to look at him. Those from his group were the only ones whose boots were covered in blood. It happened during the night, when they walked blindly towards the abandoned campfire, and they didn''t bother washing it off.


    "Did you fight against those things?"


    "Yeah, we killed a few... Actually I just killed one bunny, but the rest of my team did a little bit better." Uriel shrugged.


    "Those things aren''t bunnies! those are beasts! monsters! you really don''t know the first thing about it... and you should clean the blood as soon as you can, some cryptids are attracted by blood."


    In a normal situation, students would begin to mingle and chat about this and that, but in the huge crowd that gathered near the colonel''s camp there was a grim mood and the only ones chatting were Uriel and Tina, but soon their conversation was interrupted by Uriel''s annoying ringtone.


    Tina looked upset, but she wasn''t his girlfriend anymore and so, he took out his ''vintage'' flip phone which screen wasn''t even touch and it read ''unknown caller''.


    "Am I speaking to mister Sage?" A seductive feminine voice came out of the speaker.


    "What is it?" He grunted.


    "Archaeologist Sage?"


    "Just tell me what you have to say or I''m hanging up."


    "Don''t hang up, please."


    ****


    It took a long while for every unit to be reunited but once they all arrived at the meeting point near colonel Windfire''s tent all the higher ups were swiftly called in.


    Some students murmured about feeling unsafe, especially because they were told that big crowds attracted bigger threats.


    Inside the tent, every soldier present carried somber expressions on their faces.


    "We need to find a solution, even if we started walking right now we wouldn''t reach the city before nightfall."


    "Can''t they meet us along the road?" One of the soldiers proposed.


    "What about an air evac?" Another asked.


    "No, no, no! It''s impossible! We are stuck in here, there''s a huge FOD in between here and the city." Colonel Ethan replied to everyone.


    "What if we call for reinforcements from the city and we make a two sided attack?" One of the lieutenants present put forward.


    "That too would be impossible, there''s a walking nightmare around, I don''t even want to think how powerful it is. Even with the whole might of the army there''s no certainty that it''ll be enough to defeat it and we can''t count on external help." Colonel Ethan''s face reddened in anger.


    "Shouldn''t we scatter then? that way whatever creature is waiting for us there will have to choose between targets and it might allow some of us to sneak past it."


    "That wouldn''t work either. It''s a known fact that cryptids can somehow detect energy signatures, now tell me, who do you think will stand out the most? of course the stronger groups. Only the weaker ones might survive." Ethan was being consumed by fear, anger and anxiety. So far everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong.


    He knew he was safe from any consequences from the army because for once, it wasn''t his fault, but a failure so big would hinder his career and would definitely look bad on his file. That is if he somehow managed to survive, which didn''t seem likely.


    Also, it didn''t matter how strong he was or how many soldiers he had at his disposal, it was impossible for him to defeat a cryptid emitting a Field of disruption so strong.


    Everyone''s devices showed a huge disruption field on their only way back to the city, it was so strong that every drone they sent was shut off at a distance so huge it was impossible to determine how strong the creature actually was. But that alone didn''t mean it was necessarily a strong enemy, it could have been a mass of weak cryptids, except for one thing.


    One of the units, Lieutenan Dragonfang''s to be more precise, reported the presence of a huge cryptid blocking the retreat path.


    During the night, one of the students under hermand acquired a trait that, among other things, allowed him to see as clear as day even during the night. That student was no other than Sam, that was the reason why he looked so disheartened when Uriel saw him and also why Lieutenant Dragonfang acted so mysterious.


    "We could..." One of the lieutenants gulped down his saliva before continuing. "We could group the less important students and tell them to return on their own while we scatter into smaller units and try to take a roundabout. By hurdling enough weaklings together we could fake a strong signal and by scattering our stronger units we might go unnoticed"


    "That would be the same as sending them to their deaths!" Lieutenant Dragonfang shouted.


    "Yes, indeed... But that might give us a chance to return safely." Colonel Ethan formed a crooked smile, finally showing his true colors in front of everybody. Those who knew him, already knew about his twisted personality, but those who didn''t were greatly surprised by the sudden change in his demeanor.


    "Then it''s settled, we''ll do as lieutenant Frostbite proposed. Lieutenant Frostbite, since this was your idea It''ll be your duty to make the arrangements." Colonel Ethan said in front of everyone, washing his hands from the responsibility that mighte with that decision.


    Soldiers didn''t have much choice, they could put ideas on the table, but in the end everyone knew it was colonel Windfire the one who made the final call. That didn''t mean they have to agree with it, and lieutenant Dragonfang was clearly against the use of students as cannon fodder but, as much as she would have liked to rebuke, after themand has been issued a soldier''s duty was to follow it blindly.


    "Needless to say you can''t tell any of this to the students or they will refuse to y their part. This meeting is over." Ethan waved his hand dismissing everyone.


    After the soldiers got outside, Mark entered the tent alongside Tina and the rest of their unit. Needless to say, everyone in that unit survived the night, they were better prepared and possessed a bigger team, better gear and stronger soldiers, but not even that was enough to face the cryptid blocking their retreat.

 Chapter 17: The chosen ones

    <h4>Chapter 17: The chosen ones</h4>


    "Alright everyone, listen up! I''m lieutenant Frostbite and I''m tasked with exining you how are we going to evacuate this ce." He shouted making absolute silence in the crowd.


    "Uh, mister Frostbite, can''t we just go back in the armored vehicles?" A student asked.


    "It''s lieutenant Frostbite and no, we can''t do that. We''ll depart in two big groups." He said in the most kind, reassuring and confident smile he could muster, but it was nowhere near colonel Ethan''s. Instead of calming the students, it only made them distrust the man in front of them even more.


    People beganining and asking more questions, but the lieutenant wasn''t a patient man nor was he interested in replying to their questions. He had a job to do and that was all he cared about.


    Before separating the two groups he needed to know how strong everyone was. They couldn''t risk abandoning people with strong traits, not just because it would be a loss for the army, but also because they might have a chance at surviving on their own and they might seek for vengeance if they realized they''ve been abandoned.


    The students were lined up into several rows and, one by one, they were asked to ce their finger on a strange device that looked like a box with a small analog screen. It was a scanner that would measure the amount of energy emitted by the ones with traits, allowing them to separate the wheat from the chaff.


    Uriel was almost at the end of his row which gave him a privileged look of what was going on. Most students would ce their fingers on the machine and then curse at their luck, while others cheered loudly. Apparently, the amount of people unhappy with their traits, or theyck of one, was a lot higher than those who seemed pleased with theirs.


    Medusa, Sam and Luna, coincidentally, were pretty content with their results and they were ced along with the strongest students, the ones who would be allowed to stay behind.


    "What did that woman want?" Tina asked aftering back from colonel Ethan''s tent.


    "It''s none of your business." Uriel said in a scoff.


    "It''s not even a month since we broke up and you''re already flirting with other girls!?"


    "I said it''s none of your business. Anyway, why would you care, you''ve been going around with Mark all day."


    "You! how dare you say something like that!? He was your friend to begin with and he''s beenforting me after our breakup." Her beautiful face turned into a frown.


    "Come on! He''s been hitting on you like there''s no tomorrow and you know it!"


    Soon enough their lover''s quarrel became the center of attention and it was much appreciated by all the people waiting bored in line, until it was finally Uriel''s turn to be measured.


    "ce your finger in the device and don''t take it out until I tell you to do so." A masked soldier pointed at the device on the table in front of Uriel.


    He ced his finger inside and the machine did its work. A light shone and then a beep sounded.


    "Ok, you can take it out now." The soldier said as he studied the results. "Go over there and wait for instructions." The soldier continued.


    "Wait, is it good? am I strong or something?" Uriel asked worriedly and the soldier stared at him with pity.


    "Strong? not so much, it says you''re just a bit above a regr person, I''d say... you''re average even considering people without traits."


    "But, how is it possible!? I know I got a trait, I can feel it!" He said cing his hand over his heart.


    "I didn''t say you didn''t have a trait, but my guess is you don''t know what it does, am I correct?" After receiving a nod in reply the soldier continued. "This usually means that you did get a trait, but it''s so weak it barely even modified your body. Let me put an example: If you were able to run one kilometer without getting tired, now you''d be able to run about one kilometer and a half. Now go over there and stop wasting my time." The soldier sounded rude, but he was quite helpful. Little good it did to Uriel, though, who was left with a disappointed expression on his face. He lowered his gaze and did asmanded.


    "Don''t worry Uri, I''ve been told that your group will go back first, it will be safer."


    "What? That doesn''t make any sense! Bigger groups are supposed to attract stronger cryptids!"


    "I said don''t worry, it''s the army after all." Far from reassuring him, Tina''s words worried him even more. He could smell something was off, but he couldn''t put his finger on it.


    The one good thing about Uriel''s poor results was that it distracted them long enough to end their fight and now they were speaking normally again.


    Since Uriel was almost at the end of the line it didn''t take long for the soldiers to finish sorting the students and, just when lieutenant Frostbite was about to report to colonel Ethan Windfire that the preparations were finished the titanic beast was spotted in the distance by one of the soldiers.


    The creature was the size of a building but it was so far it was impossible to see it with the naked eye and it was only thanks to old school binocrs that the watchmen were able to see it.


    The appearance of the creature threatened to foil their n to forsake the weaker students in order to give the rest a chance to survive and if the colonel didn''t take any measures panic would ensue.


    But what measures could he possibly take? What could he do?


    There was absolutely nothing a medium ranking officer like him could possibly do in a situation like that. A creature so huge was bound to be too powerful for him, or for anyone for that matter. Never, since the arrival of the cryptids, a creature that size had been defeated.


    The only reason why humanity was able to withstand the presence of such creatures was because they kept away from them, cowering behind concrete walls which did little to protect them but they were great for hiding the energy signature that came off from cities.


    But in the case a creature like that was set on attacking a city, there was little the army, the government or all the big corporations together could do to stop it. Or maybe they could, but why bother.


    Just when the colonel was about to lose hope, a new report came bringing much brighter news.


    "Sir, there''s an aircraft on its way here." The soldier said after performing an impable salute.


    "An aircraft? But there''s no ne avable and even if there was, they wouldn''t be able tond. Hang on a second, is it a helicopter?" Ethan asked in hopes of at least being able to escape along with the elite uniteprised of the wealthiest students.


    "No sir, it''s a... Zeppelin."

 Chapter 18: Zeppelin

    <h4>Chapter 18: Zeppelin</h4>


    "A what now!?" The colonel couldn''t hold his excitement and rushed out of the tent. He gazed towards the direction the soldier pointed out, but of course he was unable to see anything. With a swift movement he snatched the binocrs from the soldier''s hands and looked again.


    A beautiful, majestic, gigantic zeppelin was indeed on its way towards them. The only problem was if it was going to make it before they got spotted by the nightmarish creature.


    "Cancel the evacuation n, we''ll wait for the zeppelin." Ethan said with his imperturbable smile.


    If there was one thing he knew, it was that the only corporation that could have a zeppelin nearby was the Mapplepany and his father, Matthew Jacobs, was good friends with some of the higher ups in saidpany.


    As time passed, Uriel was able to notice a change in the soldiers'' attitude. They were moving quickly from side to side and they were breaking camp too soon.


    When the sun was about to set there weren''t any tents standing anymore and soldiers kept busy burning the trash along with the few pieces of furniture the army brought with them. This was a standard army practice to avoid leaving behind any traces of their passing since some of the cryptids were smart and cunning and they didn''t want to risk leaving anything they could possibly use.


    Once the zeppelin was close enough to see it with the naked eye all the students hugged each other in joyful tears and even soldiers expressed their relief out loud, even those who didn''t know anything about the creature, because after the ughter they survived all they wanted was to be back home safe as soon as possible.


    Colonel Windfire gave themand to shoot res up the sky as soon as the zeppelin was on sight and, to their surprise, the zeppelin shot a re towards them signalling their rescue was on its way.


    All Uriel could see, besides the res, was a few dim lights blinking in the distance. His eyesight wasn''t that good and he was too poor to buy sses, as if that wasn''t enough, the constant strain of reading everyday at every hour had taken a toll on him.


    "They''reing for us! we''re saved!" Cried Sam as he hugged Medusa. The girl seemed taken aback by his sudden self confidence, but she too was in a joyful mood and let herself be embraced awkwardly by the usually cowardly Sam.


    The zeppelin hovered over the group for a couple minutes before starting its descent and it was a slow process, much slower than they would have liked. It was almost as if it didn''t move at all.


    In the mean time, the army made a circle around the students to protect them from possible threats and secure thending zone.


    There were a few encounters with cryptids during the time it took for the zeppelin tond, but the soldiers made quick work of them without a single casualty. Although Uriel''s unit was able to perceive only gunshots and asional explosions at a distance, sometimes there were shes of light and strange noises they guessed were due to the different traits the soldiers were using.


    After touching ground, the zeppelin''s loading tform on its back opened and fell heavily to the ground. Several students gasped in awe when they were able to see the immensity of the ship in front of them, and Uriel was no exception. It reminded him of an alien ship from sci fi movies with all the bright lights and strange technology appliances on its sides.


    Without wasting a second, colonel Windifre entered along with the elite unit and only after they were safe inside did the other units start moving. Once inside the zeppelin all units were dismantled and students were separated ording to the power of their traits.


    Uriel received a red band which meant he was an evolved, while the rest of his unit excluding Shaker all received cyan colored bands meaning they were of the ascended rank.


    The difference in power among those ranks was like heaven and earth, those with red colored bands had traits that gave them ess to weak skills in the best cases, while in the worst cases like Uriel''s their bodies were only slightly modified.


    Still, Uriel was thankful once he noticed that most students didn''t even receive an arm band because they weren''t able to acquire a trait at all. Some of them weren''tpatible while others simply didn''t have the chance to.


    Everyone was conducted towards a spacious room with a cafeteria, a lounge and windows to look at the scenery. The ship itself was huge, but only because the balloon on top needed to be immense to lift the weight of the rest of the ship.


    "This must be as big as a... I don''t even have anything topare it with." Uriel said.


    "I do..." Sam shuddered at the thought of the titanic creature he saw before, wishing for the zeppelin to take flight as soon as possible.


    There, in front of the crowd, a man in a business attire followed by other men dressed with long coats greeted colonel Windfire. Despite the student''s shock after being rescued in such an amazing vessel, the lounge was so silent you could heard a pin drop on the floor.


    "Mister nagan! Thank goodness! You saved us." The young colonel extended his hand towards the man who just arrived.


    "Ethan, good graces look at you! you''re all grown up now,st time I saw you, you were this high." nagan said pointing at his hip. "Tell me, how is Matt doing these days?"


    "He''s busy as always... nevermind that, I''m so d you came for us, I''ll make sure to mention your deed to him so he''ll he able to thank you properly." Mister nagan was one of his father''s business partners, but now he belonged to one of the biggest, if not the biggest, corporations in the world: The feared and respected Mapple corporation.


    It was an international conglomerate and it started as mostly a techpany before ''the arrival'' of the cryptids, but now its power and influence was so immense it may as well be considered a country on its own.


    "Actually, we have been informed of a certain VIP that might be here and that''s the reason why we came, I didn''t know I would meet you here." nagan said.


    "A VIP? do you know his name?" Colonel Ethan asked, to which nagan shook his head.


    "I don''t, maybe it''s you!" Heughed heartily.


    "Wow! your family must really be amazing!" Tina said as she tugged on Ethan''s sleeve. The students nearby gasped in surprise too and murmurs broke wildly all over the lounge.


    "Colonel Windifire is something else entirely!"


    "Even my family is nothingpared to the Jacobs..." One of the rich students nearby muttered.


    "We''re only saved because colonel Windfire was sent to apany us." A girl cried with teary eyes.


    During all themotion Uriel was unimpressed. He didn''t miss the jokingly tone Mister nagan used.


    "I don''t think it''s because of him..." Medusa said.


    "Don''t be silly babe, It''s obvious this is because of him. Just who among us could be more important than him? He''s a colonel in the army and he''s the second son of one of the most importantpanies in the whole country." Sam said as he attempted to grab her hand.


    "First, why are you acting so weird? Call me that again and I''ll knock you out cold. Second, I don''t think it has anything to do with him or his family because..." She lingered for a few seconds and then continued in a dismissive tone. "Just because!"


    Sam blushed up after being confronted by Medusa, but he was saved from further embarrassment when the ship started moving.


    The ship''s take off came unannounced, but everyone noticed the slight tremble apanied by the strange feeling of taking flight. Although it was perceived as slow in the distance, it was only because of the ship''s proportions. In reality, the ship was swiftly moving upwards and onward at the same time, propelled by huge hasps on its sides.


    After the whole situation with colonel Windfire, yet another one started when someone noticed a different colored arm band on one of the student''s arms.


    "I know what red and cyan mean, but what does yellow mean?" Uriel asked pointing towards a girl with ashen hair much like Luna''s.


    "No way! It''s a heavenly rank!" Sam shouted in excitement. "She''s on the same level as the colonel!"


    "Hang on a second, I know that girl..." Uriel ced his hand over his chin pondering for a few seconds. Her aloof expression, her cute but intimidating face, she looked a bit different after acquiring her trait, but there was no doubt. "She''s Cassandra! She''s on professor Pangeotis'' ss with me!"


    "Oh man, you''re so lucky! I wish she was on my ss" Sam sighed. "Is it me or she''sing toward us? Hey Sage, how well do you know her?"


    "It''s not because of me, I never spoke to her." Uriel shook his head.


    "It''s because of me... she''s my sister." Luna said in a somber tone.

 Chapter 19: Apocalypse now

    <h4>Chapter 19: Apocalypse now</h4>


    Cassandra made her way among the crowd as if she was an idol of the old times, back when the news would be filled with celebrity gossip instead of government propaganda. Walking in between her mesmerized fans, people stared at her with admiration in their eyes and some of the most daring even attempted to speak to her, but they were quickly met by an icy re.


    "I see you made it, midget." Cassandra scoffed.


    "I''m d you''re alright too Cassie" Luna said impassibly.


    "You know I hate that name, geez! Anyways, I''m Heavenly Sword now." Cassandra said.


    "That is... uh... too long..." Luna said in a stutter.


    "Speak properly would you!? Why did I even bothering here?" She said as she gazed at her sister''spanions. "Hey you! do I know you?"


    "I- Uh... ah... I take the anthropology course with you." Uriel said after flinching.


    "For the love of... Huf! is the stutter contagious or what? Hmm... I remember now, you''re the idiot that pulled my hair the other day! I see you made new friends, Luna, and they''re just like you, that''s good. Nowe with me." With that, both sisters left towards the colonel who was already waiting for them.


    The reason why she was called by the colonel was because he suspected that Cassandra might be the VIP Mister nagan was talking about, but Uriel didn''t even bother trying to take a guess because he was still in a daze.


    Cassandra wasn''t just pretty, she was a force of nature and, if before meeting her in person Uriel was already interested in her, now he was starstruck.


    "Uh, Uriel, are you still there?" Medusa said hovering a hand in front of him but he was unresponsive and the rest of the group chuckled.


    The trip back to the city was safe andfortable, the flight assistants made sure to hand over hot beverages to students and soldiers alike, they also provided snacks to go along with the drinks, something Uriel in particr really appreciated.


    ''Nothing tastes better than free food!'' he heaved a content sigh after eating his full.


    "Dear students, no, that''s not it..." Colonel Windfire made a dramatic pause he rehearsed just a few minutes before standing up in front of everyone. "Fellow citizens, because that is the correct way to address you now, I stand before you..."


    Uriel made his best effort to stay focused on the colonel''s speech, but as soon as the propaganda started his mind drifted. There was no space inside his mind for useless information and he was still drowsy and tired.


    His tired expression, his distracted demeanor and his carefree attitude, all changed the minute Cassandra was invited to stand besides the colonel.


    "This is Sword, the only one among this year aspirants to acquire a Heavenly rank trait and I''m d to announce that she will be joining the army ranks."


    Uriel''s attention was drawn towards the apparently emotionless girl on the podium thinking that maybe she would introduce herself, but she quickly stepped out and left the scene leaving him disappointed.


    ''What am I thinking, Tina just broke up with me, I shouldn''t be acting like this." He softly pped his cheeks to regain focus.


    "As you all know..." Colonel Windfire continued his boring speech, but now he had Uriel''s full attention. "We had many victims this year. I would like to tell you that something like this has never happened before, but it''s time for you to know the truth. You''re not kids anymore and your days of being sheltered end today.


    "Year after year, you may have heard about the army forcefully drafting the strongest students... I''m sorry to say this, but that''s not the truth. Even if we wanted to forcefully draft students, we would be left with reluctant soldiers who wouldn''t perform their duties. No, that''s not it. Those students weren''t forcefully drafted and taken out of the city to a training facility, the sad truth behind that is... they''re all dead."


    The students reacted just like kids who were told Santa doesn''t exist. They couldn''t believe his words, but there was no trace of his usual kind smile nor did he squint his eyes. Colonel Windfire was dead serious.


    "You may be wondering how could something like that be the truth, howe none of you knew about it. It''s only to protect you, to protect your childhood... your innocence. If this was the old times, some of you may still be in highschool and your only worry would be which career path to choose, but those days are over, times are difficult and you''ve been deemed worthy of acquiring a trait. That''s a responsibility as much as it is a privilege, from now on you''re all considered adults and proper citizens of our beautiful country."


    He proceeded to exin how they were forbidden to share this information with people inside the city, remarking the fact that it was considered a capital offensea, and the only ones who would be notified about the deceased students would be the closest rtives.


    Finally Uriel understood why everyone''s mood turned grim whenever the army announced the drafting of young students, why they wouldn''t let kids acquire traits in spite of it being a ''safe'' process, why so many people joined the army despite the pay being so low and also, why lieutenant Dragonfang acted so strange in front of them.


    Humanity was actually fighting a losing war.


    ''Maybe Sam''s theory isn''t so crazy after all... maybe there are entire cities being wiped from the map...'' He thought back on the lost city he briefly saw during his incursion.


    Among the students, there were those that seemed shocked after the grim revtion made by the colonel, but there were also those who didn''t bat an eye, as if they had known it from before.


    Most of those students were, precisely, the rich ones.


    ''Just how unfair is this society that only the ones with enough money are allowed to know the truth of what happens behind the scenes? it''s as if even if the world was to end, they would still keep everyone in the dark just so they kept doing their jobs. They still need their drivers, maids, plumbers... janitors.'' His very own thought was a revtion, it was like opening his eyes to the truth for the first time.


    ''No way, this can''t be it... could it be... Did the world already end!?'' Uriel''s eye twitched and he inadvertently took a step back. ''this is... the world after the world ended. We are a lost civilization!''

 Chapter 20: Roommates

    <h4>Chapter 20: Roommates</h4>


    After the students were taken back to the campus not a single sound could be heard but the heavy steps of the discouraged students walking back to their dormitories. Lieutenant Dragonfang''s words turned out to be true, Uriel did find out the answers he was seeking for, and then some more.


    The sudden realization that the apocalypse came and went without any fanfares made him shudder.


    As soon as Uriel snapped back to reality, he noticed someone following him closely on his way back to his dorm, someone he didn''t expect.


    "Uh, Sam, what are you doing?" He asked.


    "What do you mean what am I doing? I''m going to my dorm room..." Said Sam.


    Trying to make it less awkward, Uriel hurried up his pace.


    "Are you sure it''s this way?" Uriel inquired after noticing they were still walking the same way after a long while.


    "Uh, yes... I''m right there." He pointed towards the same building where Uriel lived.


    "No way! We''ve been living in the same building and never noticed, how crazy is that?" Uriel was excited, for the first time in his life he had someone he could call a friend living near him. In all truth, though, he never had a friend before anyways.


    "Yeah, I guess... I would have thought you were following me, if not for the fact that you were walking ahead of me all this time." Sam said with a wry smile. He wasn''t in such high spirits as Uriel.


    At least until they got to the same door.


    "Uh? I think you got the wrong room..." Said Uriel.


    "No, no, this is my room I''m quite sure. Look, that''s my bed." Sam pointed to the bed right in front of Uriel''s.


    Each room in the male dormitory they were located had six beds, but Uriel had never actually met most of his roommates because of his odd schedule and unhealthy habit of staying upte studying.


    Whenever he woke up, his roommates were already gone, which was the reason there was never any warm water for him, and he only came backte after everyone was already asleep.


    "I guess we''re roommates..." Uriel shrugged trying to hide a smile that wanted toe out.


    "Could it be? Are you the weird guy who''s never here? I mean, It''s not that you''re weird, well, you are weird but... that''s not it! You''re always either gone who knows where or sleepingte, I never saw you awake, not even once! we always joke about you being a ghost, a robot or something" Sam said, now he too was smiling excitedly.


    Although he wouldn''t use a word like ''friend'' to call Uriel, at least he was harmless and a nice guy. For a long while he had been wondering who might the student assigned to the bed in front of his'' be and now the question was finally answered.


    The rest of the week was off for the students who participated in the incursion. As an excuse for their moody behavior most of the students replied that they were simply too tired after the ''party'' offered by the army, when in fact, they were traumatized because of their sour experience in the incursion.


    When ss started again Uriel made sure to arrive on time at professor Pangeotis lecture. There were several unupied spots because most of the students that were missing either died at the incursion, joined the army or simply quit their studies.


    The empty seats were an awful reminder of their terrible experience, but Uriel wasn''t as depressed as the rest of his ssmates.


    He survived, he still had a job at the library, he found out he was roommates with Sam, he managed to acquire a trait and, best of all, there was a cute girl now sitting besides him.


    That girl wasn''t Tina though, she was almost as tall as Uriel, she wore tight fitting clothes and a ck leather jacket with a fearsome depiction of the head of a woman with snakes instead of hair.


    "What are you doing here Medusa?" Uriel whispered.


    "You said you were in the same ss as Cassandra the other day and figured I wanted toe too..." She said blushingly.


    "Didn''t you pay attention to colonel Windfire''s speech? she was drafted, I mean, really drafted." Thest part he whispered so low it was almost inaudible.


    "I know, ok?" She replied a bit upset that he didn''t get the hint. She signed up for the anthropology ss only because Uriel was in it, unknowing that it was one of the hardest lectures in the whole college.


    "You two..." Professor Pangeotis was about to scold Uriel, but the room was almost empty and he was in no mood for witty remarks. "Please remain silent while we''re in ss."


    The lecture was about lifestyle in medieval times. He showed a lot of pictures of garments, weapons, tools and even buildings, all the while pointing out different aspects of their possible use and cultural meaning.


    It was an important subject that Uriel loved... as a child. There was absolutely nothing new to him, some of the pictures the professor showed to them were taken from books he knew by hand.


    Soon, he started to get bored and wished he had one of those fancy tablets the other students had or even a smartphone. That way he would be able to secretly browse other books or even further his studies about the ancientnguage he theorized about on his vlog.


    Finding himself alone within his thoughts he realized something that had gonepletely over his head up to that point. He was sitting in thest row to avoid Tina, only this time he had no trouble to look at the pictures being shown in the screen in front of the ss.


    ''How can this be, I thought I was nearsighted... could this be a side effect from my trait?'' He still refused to ept that his trait was limited to a body modification, but if his sight was somehow cured it wasn''t that bad of a deal.


    Still, he wanted to find more about his trait.


    It was then, that a small piece of paper was pushed over in front of him.


    ''Do you want to eat lunch with me after physical training?''


    Thinking it was a nice opportunity to ask for help, Uriel quickly replied with a short ''Yes'' in reply.


    The lecture ended just a few minutes before noon and Uriel walked towards the physical training facilities yawning. He wasn''t tired, though, simply bored. He couldn''t figure out why everyone thought why professor Pangiotis ss was so difficult, all they had to do to pass with good grades was to read huge boring books untilte night, every night.


    ''Oh, right... I guess it is difficult after all.''


    Reaching his destination he was greeted by Captain Silvermane''s shouting as usual.


    "Alright maggots, don''t even think on cking off or I swear on the g you''ll regret the day you were born!"


    Now the nature of his nickname wasn''t as mysterious as Uriel believed before.


    ''It must be his trait, why else would he have such a nickname. If Miss Dragonfang''s trait is rted to reptiles, I bet captain Silvermane''s must be somehow rted to... body hair!?'' That thought made him cringe for a few seconds, but then he picked up the pace to avoid getting nagged by the captain.


    The man seemed to be staring at the crowd with a curious look, as if he was looking for something he misced.


    "Where is the wimp? Where''s miss Cassandra?" He asked.


    "She was drafted." Replied Uriel amidst pants.


    Of course captain Silvermane knew all too well the meaning behind those words and his face became sour for a brief moment. When Uriel realized this he quickly added.


    "She got a Heavenly rank trait and decided to enroll"


    "That''s excellent news! See guys!? that''s what happens when you work hard in the physical training!" He yelled to the top of his lungs with a wide smile that refused to abandon his face,pletely forgetting that Cassandra was anything but a hardworker and she wasn''t interested in the slightest on the physical training course.


    So far, the only low note on Uriel''s day had been the absence of Cassandra who he was looking forward to meet again. He was interested in her, not in a romantic way, but he wanted to know more about her trait.


    Or at least that''s the story he thought to himself.


    Anyway, he had the perfect excuse to speak to her since he was friends with her sister, but he had no way of contacting Luna.


    During the ss he didn''t want to stand out in any way, but the difference between those who didn''t have a trait, those who had an evolved trait and those with an ascended one became evident.


    Despite his newly found stamina, he quickly found himself struggling just to keep up and ended up sweaty as always.


    After a quick shower, he left the facilities and he was surprised to find that Medusa was already waiting for him.


    "What? how did you get here so fast?"


    "Oh, I saved some time by not taking a shower!" Medusa said.


    "And you want to hang out dirty?" Uriel replied without minding his words.

 Chapter 21: Cheeky chicken

    <h4>Chapter 21: Cheeky chicken</h4>


    "How dare you tell ady she''s dirty!?" Medusa tapped the floor with her foot.


    "I mean, you are..." Realizing his blunder, Uriel quickly changed his words. "Looking great today!"


    "Oh! thanks... I guess..." She replied shyly.


    They walked side by side on the campus, although Uriel was mostly on a tight schedule these days, he was certain Mister Scofield would understand if he took the evening off. After all the first year students had been through, the least he could expect was to be given a small break.


    "Hang on a minute please, before going for lunch I have to call my boss and tell him I won''t being in today." Uriel said as he took out his flip phone from his pocket, but it didn''t have battery and it was off.


    When Medusa noticed this, she quickly took out her phone in fear that a cryptid might be lurking nearby, but Uriel hurried up and exined.


    "Don''t worry, It''s nothing, I just forgot to charge it."


    "Whew! Don''t scare me like that!" She said after heaving a sigh of relief, but she still confirmed that her phone was working properly.


    "I can''t call him and he''ll get worried if I don''t show up, would you mind apanying me to the library?"


    "You work at the library!? that''s incredible! I knew you were smart but I didn''t think it was like that." She said in amazement.


    "Don''t make assumptions, I''m just a janitor there. If it wasn''t for mister Scofield''s help I wouldn''t have been able to pay my ticket."


    "I see... maybe It would have been better that way..." A somber expression that started as a shiver crawled up to her face.


    "I bet many students think that way, but I don''t... I came back after all. There''s something I wanted to ask you, but this is not the right ce and I''d rather discuss it over lunch." Uriel was set on asking her for help to discover what was his trait about and how to tap on its power.


    "Uh, sure..." Her past expression gave way to an odd feeling in her stomach, a mix of nervousness and anxiety. Something that felt bad and good at the same time, something she had never experienced again. It was simr to fear, but at the same time, simr to excitement.


    Medusa kept silent during their trip to the library, she waited outside for just a few minutes until Uriel came back and then they kept walking around the campus.


    "Oh crap! I don''t have any money on me!" Uriel said out loud. "I''m sorry, I''ll have to make a quick trip to the dorms too."


    "I''m not a tourist, stop dragging me around campus! Besides, I invited you today... The truth is, I want to thank you for what you did for me back then." She blushed lightly.


    "What do you mean what I did?" Uriel couldn''t think on anything, nothing worth a meal at least.


    Medusa walked on the grass, under the shadow of an oak tree, and took out a nket out of her backpack. She then sat on it and patted the spot right next to her.


    It was a beautiful sunny day, the rustling of leaves was like the soothing song of mother nature, and there was a pretty girl sitting in front of him. For a brief second he thought it looked like the very picture of a ''pic'', something he had seen on movies but never experienced himself.


    "I was so scared, despite all my training in martial arts I was helpless and you helped me survive that night. Had I listened to Shaker I would have probably fallen due to his annoying trait, but that''s not it." She lingered. "You saved my dignity... I... When Miss Dragonfang asked me to..." A single tear was about to fall off her cheek when Uriel stopped her.


    "Hey! there''s nothing to thank me for. Anyone would have done the same in my ce."


    "You know that''s not true, silly... Anyway, I brought lunch with me to repay you, I hope you like it." Uriel gulped down his saliva in anticipation.


    All of his life he had tasted nothing but processed food and he knew she was wealthy, not rich, but wealthy enough for his standards. As she put her hand inside the backpack to take out the food Uriel thought on all the possible dishes he had only seen on TV dramas and read about on magazines or books.


    As if that wasn''t all, it was a girl''s cooking, the legendary cooking skills of a girl his age.


    Although he had a girlfriend before, they never did this kind of thing together because she always imed that she needed to keep her image or that her father was too strict and didn''t allow her to have a boyfriend. Tina kept Uriel a secret the whole month they were together, but Uriel understood her situation and never insisted on having dates or doing couple''s stuff. There was also the money issue, even if he wanted to, he wouldn''t have had the money to pay for a date, not even a pic like this.


    All the excitement built up to that moment died the second Medusa took out from her bag two small instant noodle cups.


    "It''s cheeky chicken! I''ve really grown fond of this." She said with a smile as she took out a vacuum sk filled with boiling water. All of Uriel''s dreams of tasting different vegetables, meat or even fish, crashed onto a disappointing pack of instant noodles.


    "I- uh, sure..." He said with a wry smile as she filled his cup with water.


    Although it wasn''t quite what he expected, he had to admit that being served by a beauty didn''t feel bad at all. Even if those were the same instant noodles he was ustomed to, eating with someone was apletely different experience.


    When Medusa started eating from her cup she held her hair to prevent it from getting inside and only took a small bite, but after a short while they became morefortable with each other and started slurping them in the most exaggerated way they could making annoying noises and having fun.


    They didn''t say a single word during the whole meal but Uriel felt some sort of intimacy.


    "Oh right! I brought this too..." she said taking an orange for dessert.


    "Is this an orange!? I''ve only seen them in movies! Wow, it''s texture is not what I expected." He said caressing the fruit''s skin.


    "Yes, I love them after a good cup of cheeky chicken." She chuckled.


    The sweet and citric taste sent Uriel in a two way trip to heaven. He had never, ever, eaten anything but synthetic food. For Medusa it was just a fruit, but for him it was a whole world of experiences. From the juiciness to the vor, even the crunchiness was a surprise for him. He could only describe it as an explosion inside his mouth.


    "So, what did you want to ask me?" Medusa said blushing slightly and pressing on her cheeks with the palm of her hands, her pretty and tough girl appearance heavily contrasting with her meek attitude.


    "Oh, that!" He said aftering back from his culinary experience.


    "I wanted to ask if you would like to help me uncover the nature of my trait... I know there''s something else, there''s a hidden... What happened? why are you frowning?" He changed the course of his speech when he noticed she was upset for some reason he couldn''t understand.


    "It''s nothing, continue..."


    "But..."


    "I said, continue!" She said loudly.


    Not wanting to upset her even further, Uriel proceeded tell her about the hunch he felt and how he could sense some sort of energy coursing his body but didn''t know how to tap into it.


    "I see, but what do you want me to do?" She shrugged.


    "I was thinking, since you have a trait maybe you could tell me how does it feel like or how do you activate it." He said in a pleading tone.


    "I don''t know much about traits, maybe you could ask Luna. I mean, I would love to help you, but all traits are different and they should feel different too."


    Dejected, Uriel sighed and lowered his gaze. It wasn''t sadness but the mix of all the negative emotions he had experienced so far in life. Ever since his parents disappeared it was as if an unlucky star shone all the time over his head.


    Medusa stared at him for a few seconds and thought he was even cuter than she had initially thought. She had been feeling drawn towards Uriel, but up to that point she didn''t know the reason, because he wasn''t that attractivepared to others. There was, however, a certain charm to him, something that she couldn''t exin.


    "I''ll help you!" She said decisively.

 Chapter 22: Not so useless

    <h4>Chapter 22: Not so useless</h4>


    Half an hourter at the physical training facility.


    "Harder! do it harder! You''re almost there!" A girl eximed excitedly.


    "I''m at my limit" Uriel huffed and puffed while pulling the stic cord at the band machine.


    "I guess you don''t have super human strength." She shrugged after witnessing his poor attempt at pulling the band. "Let''s try sprinting now." Medusa said.


    "Hang on a minute, I really need a break. I got an Idea, why don''t you record all this?" He said as he took out his old digital camera from his backpack.


    "This is Sage''s private vlog, I''m here with Medusa trying to figure out my trait, we''ll be performing different experiments to test out the extent of my trait and find a way to activate it." He spoke at the camera.


    "You should''ve started recording before attempting to pull the stic band." Medusa pointed out his mistake.


    "We already discarded superhuman strength, but we can still try other things." Uriel replied a bit regretful, after realizing he would need to perform several physical trials that would most likely be as tiresome as pulling the stic band.


    The reason why they came back to the physical training facility wasn''t just because it possessed all the necessary equipment to test Uriel''s physical prowess, but also because after noon the ce was deserted since most students would cherish what little free time they had and would hardly spend it working out.


    "Experiment one: Sprinting." Uriel said after pointing at the athletics track and then took a position that resembled that of the athletes.


    "You need to run up to the 100 meter mark, I''ll time you." Medusa, who had her cellphone on heart, said as she pulled up the chronometer app on her phone to measure his results. "On your mark, ready, go!" She shouted.


    Uriel ran with all his might focusing on speed rather than endurance, he ran the fastest he ever had in his life and then...


    "23 seconds, that''s...me actually." She looked disappointed, but Uriel was just starting.


    "Super speed, enhanced endurance and pain resistance discarded." He said with a jagged breath. He was slow, tired and his muscles ached.


    "Experiment two: jump."


    He said at the camera, but just likest time, it was a failure. He jumped a bit higher than he was able to, but it wasn''t by any means something remarkable.


    "Experiment three: quick reflexes."


    The set up for this experiment was Uriel standing near the wall of the gym and Medusa holding a bag of tennis balls with a murderous gaze. She was nning on taking revenge for the misunderstanding she considered herself a victim of, because she had thought that Uriel was going to ask her out, not to test his trait but on a date. Still, she didn''t have any ill intentions towards him and asked Uriel if he was sure it was safe.


    "Don''t hold back or this will be useless." He said.


    "It''ll be my pleasure..." She grinned.


    Medusa threw the tennis balls like bullets with malign precision. Nine out of ten were hits and of those nine, three were right on Uriel''s vital points.


    "Hold back! Hold back! stop!" He yelped after each hit, but she mercilessly kept shooting the harmless, yet painful, projectiles until she had let out all her pent up stress.


    "Whew, this was really therapeutic." She said when the bag was empty and Uriel was all bruised up.


    "Quick reflexes and regenerative abilities have been discarded." He said at the camera with a grunt.


    "Experiment four: Endurance." [...] "Experiment sixteen: flexibility"


    "This is useless, we''ve ruled out all the physical capabilities I could think of already." Medusa said after the long session of experiments, but Uriel wasn''t ready to give up just yet.


    "The scientific method needs observation, an hypothesis, data gathering and then analysis. there might be something interesting in the recordings, but I''ll check that outter. We should try abilities unrted to physical prowess now. Do you have any ideas?" Uriel tried to keep a solemn expression on his face, but with all the bruises he looked funny instead.


    "Well, my trait feels like... It''s like my eyes are burning, but it''s not painful."


    "That''s it?" Uriel expected more than a short exnation.


    "That''s why everyone says that you either know how to use your trait or you don''t have one. It''s not like I have to do something to feel it, it''s always there."


    "Yes, but you also said yourself that all traits are different, we can''t assume I don''t have a trait just because it''s different."


    "Well then, let''s try some of the possibilities..." She replied and they immediately got down to work.


    "Experiment seventeen: invisibility."


    "Experiment eighteen: teleportation."


    "Experiment neen:ser sight."


    [...]


    "Experiment thirty five: see through."


    "Really? see through? and how will you put it to the test?" Medusa asked intrigued and confused in equal measure. Only then did she notice that Uriel was staring at her. "Hey! Stop looking at me, don''t act like a pervert!" She flinched as she covered her intimate parts as well as she could thinking that maybe, just maybe, he could have the ability to see beneath her clothes.


    "Don''t go thinking stuff like that, I was trying to look inside your backpack."


    "And?" She asked, still a bit intimidated.


    "And your bra is white..." Uriel said with a deadpan expression.


    "I knew it! all men are the same, you''re a pervert!" She yelled, but more than angry she was disappointed. "You''re a pig! no, you''re even worse than a pig, because at least those perverted freaks would acknowledge it while you pretended to be something else... I thought you were a nice guy." She got teary eyed.


    "Calm down! I was just joking! I just took a wild guess, I didn''t know it was actually white." He eximed calmly trying to avoid getting a p to the face.


    "Really?" She sniffed.


    "Really, in fact, let''s rule out see through and every possible trait rted to eyes. I don''t feel anything weird in my eyes and they didn''t change color or anything." Uriel replied.


    "Hang on a minute... now that you mention it, the reason why traits are called like that is because most of them are rted to a physical change. Some are not so evident, maybe I should... examine your body and see if there''s anything unusual." Heat rising up to her cheeks.


    "Who''s the pervert now, uh?" Uriel chuckled, but refused politely. He didn''t like the idea of being naked in front of a girl.


    They kept trying all sorts of different traits and abilities until it was dark already, but all their experiments resulted in failure.


    "Hey, at least we had fun..." She said trying to cheer up her friend.


    "It was fun." Uriel said trying to hide his disappointment behind a friendly smile.


    "Hey! there''s something we didn''t test, although I don''t know if it will be possible to do it now." She hurried up to say trying to find an excuse to hang out with him again.


    "What is it?" Uriel''s curiosity was piqued.


    "What about weapon mastery? It''s going to be difficult since guns and weapons are forbidden on campus but..."


    "Not all of them, I actually have a knife on me at all times!" Uriel said with intense emotion as he produced a small swiss army knife from his pocket.


    "What!? That''s not a weapon, it''s a tool." She said looking down at the old knife. "It is beautiful though." She had to admit that it was masterfully crafted and it possessed beautiful carvings.


    "You could say it''s an antique, it was passed down to me when I was a child."


    "Wow, giving a knife to a child seems like an irresponsible thing to do."


    "Maybe, but if not for this knife I would have nothing to remember them from..."


    His face became sour as he thought back at the time when he received the knife as a gift from his parents. It was his single most valuable possession, not only because it was meaningful to him, but also because it was truly beautiful and well preserved. If he sold it to a collector he could make as much tens of thousands credits, maybe even more.


    Then, right in front of their incredulous look, the knife disappeared into thin air.


    "WHAT!?" They both yelled.


    "it disappeared! I saw it disappear!? Did you hide it?" Medusa asked.


    "No, I don''t have it anymore, it''s just not there." Uriel was bbergasted.


    "Can you make it appear again!?" Medusa''s excitement leaked out of her glimmering eyes.


    "I don''t know, I don''t even know how did I make it disappear." With that, he closed his eyes and focused on the knife, then it appeared on his hand just like before.


    "Wow! This is so cool! I don''t know if it''s good for battle, but your trait would be a killer in parties!"


    "Parties? yeah, like I''d ever get invited to one." He scoffed.


    "Try something else, here, can you make this disappear too?" She said as she handed him a bottle of water.


    "No, it''s not working."


    "What about this?" one by one she handed him all of her belongings but nothing else disappeared.


    Still, Uriel was finally able to activate his trait and that was good enough for him. He had also documented the whole process in case it could prove to be usefulter.

 Chapter 23: Museum

    <h4>Chapter 23: Museum</h4>


    After his tiresome endeavor, Uriel found himself tossing and turning on his bed. He was thinking on all the possible ways of using his trait, but making a small utility knife disappear and reappear was almost the same as carrying it like he had been doing up until that moment.


    ''I need to understand why does my trait only work with my old swiss army knife. If it has to do with how meaningful it is for me it could work on some of my belongings too. I need to find out what else can I make disappear.''


    After closing his eyes shes of a striking building came up to his mind and, by focusing on it, the picture cleared and became more vivid. The sight of the magnificent building was so dazzling Uriel almost got up from the bed. ''Now this is my kind of dream'' he thought.


    Tall marble pirs and the huge entrance made him feel insignificant, as if he was an uninvited guest or someone who didn''t pay the entrance fee, but since it was his dream he could do whatever he wanted. He ventured up the unadorned stony staircase to get inside and was greeted by the most impressive museum he could ever dream about. In fact, even if he attempted to, he doubted he could make something like that building up.


    ''It must be a recreation of all the pictures of museums I''ve seen in my life, good job brain!'' He thought excitedly. The anticipation of what marvels his mind would show him almost drove him nuts, but he still advanced inside.


    He didn''t possess a body inside his dream, it was just an ethereal point of view as if he was watching a video recording. Everything shone in a golden light, the marbled walls, the beautiful tiles, even the distant ceiling. Dreaming of a museum like that was the best experience an archaeologist could ever hope for and Uriel was no exception. Even if it was all fake, he still wanted to see what mysteries lied inside.


    There were several luxurious pedestals and, as he ventured inside, they became more and more grand as if building up the anticipation. There was, however, a problem with the beautiful museum.


    It was empty.


    There were no frescoes, no tapestries, no artifacts, no relics, nothing.


    Just when Uriel realized this and was about to get disappointed, he came into the main exposition room. At its entrance there was a sign covered in ancient scriptures, but he was too excited to see the artifacts and ignored it remembering that people inside a dream cannot read.


    There stood an incredibly marvelous pedestal. A true work of art on its own, it''s surface was covered in eye catching carvings and yet, the artifact on top of it stood out even more.


    Uriel gazed at it in disbelief it was... The artifact was...


    "Hey Uriel, are you awake?" Sam whispered.


    "No, I''m dreaming, don''t bother me." He scoffed.


    "Oh, okay then." Sam fell silent and turned over on the bed in front of Uriel''s.


    ''How rude, interrupt someone''s dreams like that... anyway, why is my pocket knife on top of the pedestal?'' Uriel wondered.


    "Wait!" he said out loud without daring to open his eyes. "Sam, can you hear me?"


    "Shut up, let us sleep!" One of their roommatesined.


    "Yes, I can hear you, why are you being so loud?" Sam replied in a whisper.


    "That''s it! I''m not asleep!" Uriel said out loud, this time receiving a pillow to the face for being too loud, but it was worth it because now he was sure he wasn''t dreaming.


    Excitedly, Uriel came back to the museum and stared at the artifact on top of the pedestal. It was his swiss army knife, not the real one, but the one stored inside his make believe museum. He studied the knife for a long while and, when he couldn''t find anything new and was about to give up, he lowered his gaze to look at the carvings on the pir.


    They looked like writing, but he couldn''t be sure because they looked simr, yet different to any ancientnguage he knew. They were simr to runes, but also to hieroglyphics and even to rough pictographs simr to those found in prehistoric caverns.


    Then everything became clear to him, it was the ancient alphabet he had theorized about for so long. It couldn''t be a figment of his imagination because he didn''t know how to read it, but he was certain that there was meaning behind it. Trying to decipher the carvings on the pedestal and looking at them from all sides, finally something clicked. Now that he was in front of an item he was familiar with, he searched specifically for the word "knife". Unraveling the ancientnguage turned out to be an impossible feat, but that didn''t stop him from trying over and over.


    ''I wish I had something to write on, it would be so much easier if I was able to take notes.''


    Thinking about writing made him remember the sign at the entrance and that gave him an idea.


    ''Considering this is a museum, it''s only obvious that the entrance says what kind of exhibition this is.'' Thenguage on the sign was the same that was carved on the pirs and, although he was unable to speak it, after deciphering the alphabet he knew instinctively the meaning of the words and now he was able to read them.


    ''Pre apocalyptic era exhibition'' Uriel finally seeded in reading what the sign said. The fact that an era was called ''pre apocalyptic'' was all Uriel needed to confirm his theory that he was in the post apocalyptic era. But all this went over his head as he was too excited to care, he simply ran towards the knife and started reading.


    [Artifact] Swiss army knife: The most convenient of all knives, known for its versatility and durability. Its use was widespread among campers and people who enjoyed outdoor activities.


    [Passive] While inside the museum it provides a slight physical boost.


    ''This is incredible! My trait is not useless at all! If I find more artifacts I''ll be able to be stronger and get even more artifacts. I could fill this museumpletely! This is the best possible trait I could have wished for!''


    Archaeology, the passion of Uriel''s life, is the study of human history through items, artifacts and all sorts of remains. A trait like that was nothing short of a dreame true for him and he couldn''t believe his luck.


    ''Who cares about shooting fire, invisibility, flight or whatever, I can be stronger by simply storing artifacts!'' Bursting with Joy he felt like crying.


    There was, however, a downside to his trait and it wasn''t long until he figured it out.


    ''Dammit! Where am I supposed to get more artifacts? I''m so poor I was barely able to survive up to this point, there''s no chance that someone like me can get into an auction and buy stuff. If I could do that I''d be swimming in all sorts of artifacts already.''


    This realization would have been depressing for anyone, but Uriel wouldn''t let something like that throw him down. No other person would have worked so hard to find the truth behind a trait asplex as his'' and he was certain that he would be able to think of something.


    After all the physical exhaustion caused by his many experiments and the mental effort he just made, Uriel got sleepy and ended up falling asleep, for real this time.


    He would have overslept just like usual, if not for Sam kicking him out of bed.


    "Wake up or the hot water will run out." Sam whispered to avoid waking up the rest of the students.


    Without the need for a second call, Uriel got up and headed towards the showers.


    "Why did you wake me up?" He asked.


    "I want to ask you something. Medusa... I saw you guys walking together the other day, are you two close?" Sam probed.


    "Close? I wouldn''t put it that way, we''re friends... that''s all." Sam''s face brightened up at Uriel''s reply.


    "Then you wouldn''t mind hooking us up together, would you? If you be my wingman I''ll totally wake you up everyday!"


    "Uh, sure... but I don''t know if she''ll be interested in you, all I can do is maybe give you her number, but the rest would be on you." Uriel shrugged and then red at Sam. "Anything else?"


    "No, why do you ask?" Uriel replied,pletely unaware on Medusa''s feelings towards him


    "Because I want to take a shower..." Uriel replied.


    "Oh, sure! sure!" Sam said awkwardly as he left Uriel alone, and he was finally able to catch a pleasant hot shower on his dorm.

 Chapter 24: Next step

    <h4>Chapter 24: Next step</h4>


    For a regr person, a hot shower in the morning was just the usual thing, but for Uriel it was a whole new experience. After the pleasant hot shower he found himself on a joyful mood.


    Morning ss and physical training were uneventful and the day progressed until it was time for Uriel to head to work. As soon as he set foot inside the library he was greeted by mister Scofield.


    "Are you alright young bookworm?" The librarian asked with a concerned gaze.


    "Yes, I just need to figure out a way to make more money." He sighed as he was getting ready to pick up the cleaning supplies But Mr. Scofield stopped him.


    "I think you should go to the Cryptid hunter agency. There you could find more about your trait... and maybe participating on a few incursions could help you get some money. You''re an evolved now and, while I enjoy yourpany, I don''t think working as a janitor really suits you."


    Although Uriel was really eager to follow the librarian''s advice, It took no less than two weeks for him to find the time to head over to the Cryptid hunting agency. It was the ce where civilian incursions were organized and the favorite gathering spot for everyone who made a living thanks to their traits.


    "Good day sir, how may I help you?" The receptionist in the counter asked Uriel with a professional tone of voice. She was used to see young, shy students like him every year, but never one so out of ce.


    Uriel looked flimsy even for a college student, he was like a fish out of the water. Everyone inside looked tough and intimidating, it was nothing like the orderly behavior of the army men, everyone exuded a wild aura of fierceness instead of the discipline and cold calm of soldiers.


    "I- Uh- I was just looking..." He meekly replied to the receptionist.


    "You are new to this, correct?" Her tone indicated that more than asking, she was making a statement and Uriel simply nodded in reply.


    "You can take a look at our prices listed on the sign hanged on the wall right there." She pointed towards a white sign with ck letters. For a brief second Uriel was impressed, but not by it''s size or the huge amount of information on the sigh, but because he was able to read it properly even at that distance.


    His eyesight had recovered a bit as a side effect of acquiring a trait and now he could see almost as well as any regr person.


    "Wait, why do you charge people for going to incursions? I thought only the army charged for it. It''s only going out of the city, shouldn''t it be free?"


    "While going out is not forbidden, you know tickets to go outside the city are expensive. We also need to prevent any citizen without preparation or enough money to gear up, participate on dangerous incursions. There''s also the cost for life insurance, vehicle and gear rental, you can even hire personnel from our agency to take you to hunting spots or guide you across the wilderness. A single evolved won''t be able to hunt by himself, no matter how strong he thinks he is." The receptionist exined a bit annoyed. It was her job and she dutifully performed it, but after repeating the same thing over and over, day after day for almost three years, she couldn''t help but feel frustrated.


    Uriel thanked the receptionist and then read the sign carefully.


    [Incursion ticket fee: Evolved 1k credits, Ascended 5k credits, Heavenly 25k


    The ticket includes life insurance, basic means of transportation and a tier 1 battery]


    [Gear: Tier 2 battery 300 credits, tier 3 battery 1k credits.]


    [Armor: light armor 100 credits, medium armor 250credits, heavy armor 500 credits.]


    [Weapons: basic 750, intermediate 12,5k, advanced, 50k.]


    [All armors and weapons are custom made.]


    [Disimer: there''s no return policy.]


    ''Those fees are insufferable, why would mister Scofield send me here if he knew I don''t have enough money to even participate in an incursion?''


    He kept reading the sign and found out that the cost that seemed to be extremely high was, indeed, a bargain. They provided a vehicle, life insurance, medical care and, most importantly, the possibility of being rescued in case things went wrong. Thatst part was most likely the heaviest expense for the agency but, just like transportation and medical treatment, it was indispensable.


    ''Who would venture out of the city knowing they wouldn''t be rescued if they get injured or lost?''


    "Ehem..." The receptionist who had been professional up until that point cleared her throat, then proceeded to speak. "Are you interested in participating in an incursion?"


    "Not really miss, I mean yes, but I can''t afford it at this moment."


    Now that she was certain that he didn''t possess a strong trait or came from a wealthy family she thought that the student in front of her was not worth her time she grew even more impatient.


    "Then make way for other people, why are you wasting everyone''s time like that? you''re clogging the line already." She said in a scoff.


    Usually she wouldn''t say something as disrespectful as that, but since many college students had just received their traits it was high season in business and she was already stressed. Besides, it''s not like there would be any consequences for her if she spoke like that to an evolved. She was an ascended and outranked Uriel, even if he wanted to make aint no one would listen to him. Besides the ce was filling up and many people people started to build a line behind Uriel.


    Everyone stared at the insignificant student that was wasting everyone''s time. Embarrassed Uriel quickly apologized as he left the line, only to be grabbed by the arm by the person right behind him.


    "Sage!? What took you so long? howe you''re alwayste for everything!?" Said the woman who was grasping his arm.

 Chapter 25: Hunting party

    <h4>Chapter 25: Hunting party</h4>


    "Uh? Lieutenant Dragonfang! What are you doing here?" Uriel said in a daze.


    "What do you mean? didn''t you get the call?"


    "Call? what call?" Confounded, he looked at his flip phone and there were more than fifty missed calls. After a quick check he noticed that Medusa and Sam had been calling him.


    "Hello? you still there?" Lieutenant Dragonfang stared at Uriel who had spaced out.


    "Uh, yes... I... I''m sorry, I always turn off the sound because my phone tends to ring at the most inconvenient times" Only then Did Uriel notice that Lieutenant Dragonfang wasn''t wearing her army uniform but casual clothes. A tight fitted skirt and a blouse with a couple undone buttons, her attire was nothing fancy, but its simplicity brought up her figure and mature charm.


    If he didn''t know her from before, Uriel would have thought that she worked behind a counter, just like the receptionist he spoke with before.


    "Like what you see?" She chuckled.


    "No, that''s not it..." He replied apologetically and blushing up to his ears.


    "What do you mean no?" She frowned for a brief second and then continued. "Anyway, I quit the army and I''ll be working independently. After what happened... I can''t bring myself to trust them anymore."


    The reason why she joined the army in the first ce wasn''t because she wanted money or power like many people of her generation, she only did it because after learning about the true state of humanity and the truth behind the ''forceful drafts'' she thought she needed to do something to prevent young people from dying pointlessly.


    However, as soon as she got a battle oriented ascended trait she was sent to help young people acquire their traits and she eventually got used to fighting, and unfortunately, to watching them die too.


    "Uhm, that''s understandable..." Uriel replied not knowing what else to say.


    "I''m d you see it that way. Now I''ll be joining incursions as an independent hunter and since I don''t know or trust anyone in the association, I thought of inviting our former unit to join me. To be honest, I didn''t want to invite you, but all your ssmates said they would onlye if you came along." Miss Dragonfang''s words made no sense to Uriel.


    He wasn''t strong and the only one who knew about his trait was Medusa, which was even stranger because she knew it wasn''t that strong of a trait. As if that wasn''t everything, all of them turned out to be of the ascended rank and he was the only evolved among them.


    ''Just why do they want me to go?''


    "I know what you''re thinking, why do they want me to go? is it?" Miss Dragonfang giggled at Uriel''s stupefied look. "They all had their reasons, but one thing they all agreed on is that you have a good head over your shoulders." She shrugged.


    "I''m sorry miss... but I don''t have the money to join, besides... I don''t want to be near Shaker again, that guy is dangerous." Uriel said in honesty.


    "Shaker is it? Don''t worry about him, he joined the army, I think he''ll fit right in. Also, don''t worry about the money, I''ll be paying the fee and everything, so... what do you say? Your friends will be really happy if you say yes."


    "If you put it like that then I can''t refuse. When do we leave?"


    "Right now, of course."


    Uriel''s face turned blue, then he started asking for time to get ready, then pleading to at least give him enough time to prepare himself mentally and finally he started begging for just one more day to learn about independent incursions, but miss Dragonfang was already speaking to the receptionist and she ignored himpletely.


    "Congrattions Mr. Sage, you are now registered as an evolved hunter. Don''t forget that your hunter card acts as an ID and also as a bank ount card, it gives you citizen level ess to public facilities and hospitals. Be careful out there!" The young receptionist said with a smile and a gentle attitude, it was nothing like five minutes ago when she had just humiliated him from taking too much time asking questions.


    Uriel was dragged by miss Dragonfang towards the garage, although she didn''t know anyone in the agency, she was already familiar with the building and the inner workings of the cryptid hunting agency.


    "Uriel!? Look guys It''s Uriel!" Sam said loudly as soon as he noticed his arrival, both Luna and Medusa smiled widely and were just about to greet him when miss Dragonfang spoke.


    "Do I need to repeat myself, Lightbringer?" She red at Sam. "Do not use your real names under any circumstance, you hear me?"


    "Yes ma''am." He lowered his gaze.


    "Oh, I do need to repeat myself after all, I forgot Uriel is just joining us. Listen Uriel, the reason why we can''t use our real names outside the city is because there might all sorts of different people out there, not just from this city, and they might be hunting in the same ce as us. The cryptid hunting agency organizes most of the incursions so it doesn''t happen that often, but anyway, it''s too risky to reveal your name because if you happen to anger someone they might go after your family, that''s why we use our nicknames." Miss Dragonfang exined.


    "You say that like they might attack us or find where we live or something..."


    "That''s what I mean, cryptids are not the only danger out there." She cut Uriel short. "Although incursions are organized with the intention of killing cryptids and diminishing their numbers to make it safer for everyone, the actual source of ie is salvaging valuables from POIs and gathering flux orbs. There are some groups of people that specialize in stealing other people''s loot. Heck, even good honest people might feel tempted if you stumble upon something really valuable." Miss Dragonfang exined as they got inside an armored transport vehicle.


    When Uriel entered, he was relieved when he realized that he already knew the driver, it was the corporal with the purple hair. It wasn''t really a surprise for him, given that she was loyal to her and even participated on their meeting before the zeppelin arrived.


    "What''s up kiddo!" The former private greeted him.


    "Uh, hi Miss..." He lingered for a while because he didn''t know her name.


    "I''m evolved Phlox" She smirked as the engine roared.

 Chapter 26: Following the tracks

    <h4>Chapter 26: Following the tracks</h4>


    This was the second time Uriel went outside city walls, but it was nothing likest time. The heavy traffic made their way almost insufferable and it took them much more time than they expected, still Uriel didn''t miss the opportunity to sightsee.


    "Whew! Finally some fresh air!" Medusa opened the window as soon as the armored vehicle entered the wilderness.


    "You never get used to it, after a while you''ll feel suffocated inside the city." Miss Dragonfang smiled.


    "I have a question, I know our objective is to hunt cryptids but, how will the agency know how many of them we kill? It''s not like we can record it, will they be fine with just our word?" Sam asked.


    "Of course not!" Miss Dragonfangughed merrily. "Whenever you kill a cryptid, you have to wait until it disappears, then it will drop an orb... those things are used to create ammunition and gear, even weapons for melee fighters, so they''re really valuable."


    "Dammit!" Uriel cursed.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "If I knew that from before I would have picked some, after all, Shaker killed a lot of horned rabbits. I even lost a book and got nothing in return..." Uriel still regretted losing his book, even if it was to save his life.


    "If you calling back alive and with a trait a loss, then I don''t even know what a win is." Miss Dragonfang replied. "Besides, it''s not finders keepers. The one who did the killing gets the orb, unless you''re in a hunting party like this were we share our loot in equal parts."


    The inside of the vehicle bobbed and bounced as it ran across the uneven terrain, but it felt more spacious than before since there were less people in the group. Two lines of seats on its sides allowed everyone to see thendscape over the window in front of them, but Uriel soon got distracted, and not exactly by the beautifulndscape.


    Miss Dragonfang was sitting right in front of him and her modest but shapely bosom performed a discrete jiggle every now and then, mesmerizing Sam, the geeky student and Uriel alike.


    "What are you staring at? huh?" Medusa, who was dressed in her usual clothes that reminded Uriel of the ''rock & roll'' style of old, nudged on his ribs with a frown on her face.


    "I... uhh... nothing I''m just sightseeing." He replied.


    "Yes... sightseeing..." Sam echoed, but the geeky student had something different to say.


    "Look, there''s a dog!"


    "Don''t look at it!" Luna, who had been silent most of the time, shouted.


    "For the love of the... whatever! why are you being so loud!?" Miss Dragonfang said in a scolding tone of voice.


    "It''s a ck dog! You can''t look at them, they''re death omens." Luna exined.


    The dog wasn''t even in their way, it just stared at the group from the top of a small hill on the distance. But as soon as they came close it started running behind the vehicle.


    "That thing? that''s a cryptid, but it''s not nearly as dangerous as the things we''ll be facing. If something like that scares you off, maybe we should turn back right now." Miss Dragonfang replied.


    "Turn back!? We can''t turn back now. We spent a lot of money paying for the tickets!" Phlox asserted. "Don''t worry about that thing, we''ll leave it behind in no time." She said as she stirred the wheel from side to side, making turns and dodging any obstacle in the way. Within just a couple minutes, the dog was nowhere to be seen anymore and Luna was finally able to rest easy.


    "Hey Luna, I mean no offense, and believe me, I have an open mind about cryptozoology now but... why did you get so scared by a mere dog?" Uriel asked.


    "That''s not a regr dog, didn''t you listen to miss Dragonfang?" Sam attempted to silence Uriel afraid of what Luna could say, but she replied anyway.


    "ck dogs are supposedly creatures thate from hell... well, no one knows where do they actuallye from, but they drag people to their deaths. It''s not just a dog that happens to be ck, sightings reported them as ck dogs with bright red eyes that were able to disappear in the blink of an eye. Not just that, people who saw one, always ended up..."


    "Let me guess, dead?" Miss Dragonfang said mockingly. "I know I don''t look like that, but I''m actually pretty strong. I''ve killed like a dozen of those before and they''re as weak as the horned rabbits you faced before."


    Uriel''s eye twitched as Miss Dragonfang stated the horned rabbits that gave him so much trouble were nothing but weaklings.


    "Lieutenant D... I mean, Miss Dragonfang, we''ve arrived at ourst drop off location, should we advance?" Phlox said as soon as they passed the spot where they started walking.


    "Proceed." Miss Dragonfang replied.


    "What, we''re not going to walk from here? I thought it was impossible to go on from this point on a vehicle." Uriel said curiously.


    "That was an army operation with more than a thousand people involved, some of them were ascended and even a couple of heavenly rank. We were supposed to draw as much attention as possible, now it''s the opposite. We''ll be going to our previous camping spot and we''ll leave the vehicle there." The hunting party leader, Miss Dragonfang, replied.


    "Yes! I''ll be able to get my stuff back!" Medusa celebrated loudly and the rest of the team joined her. All of them, except for Uriel, because he didn''t leave anything behind.


    Even if they were weathered, their belongings still meant a lot for them, especially for the geeky student who, like Uriel, wasn''t wealthy enough to afford losing his stuff.


    It was precisely that student that eventually got Uriel in a strange mood. It was awkward to spend so much time around him without knowing his name. Uriel was just about to ask the geeky student what his nickname was when Phlox, the former corporate, spoke loudly.


    "Hey nerd! help me out here, will you?"


    A couple seconds passed and when no one replied she spoke again, but no one replied to her. Uriel stared at the geeky student expecting him to say something, but he didn''t.


    "Hey Ur... I mean, Sage, I think she''s talking to you." Medusa whispered in his ear, it was still difficult for her not to call him by his name.


    "Me? No way... I''m not a nerd... Look at that guy" He replied pointing at the geeky student.


    "First, you are a nerd. Second, you''re the only evolved here besides me, there''s no way I''m speaking like that to an ascended. Especially someone with a trait so powerful..." She directed a quick nce at the geeky student and then proceeded. "And third, since you''re the only other evolved, it''s your duty to help in chores... like setting up the tents."


    Uriel had no choice but to follow hermand. She wasn''t only her senior, but she had also been in the army.


    ''Now that I think about it, everyone here is more powerful and better trained than myself, I''m again at the bottom.'' He sighed as the unloaded the tents from the vehicle.


    "Why are you guys setting up the tents now? aren''t we supposed to go hunting or something?" Medusa asked cing her index finger on her lips on a pensive pose.


    "What if wee backte? we won''t be able to do any of this without daylight." Phlox exined.


    With that, the group made all the preparations and even enjoyed a frugal lunch together. They were in high spirits, but something seemed to be worrying Miss Dragonfang.


    As soon as they were ready, they set off to explore their surroundings. This time, the strange device used to detect the presence of strong cryptids was on Phlox''s hands, but it was mostly useless since Sam was the one in charge of spotting them.


    Exploring the area where the abandoned campfire near the creek was they found its water flowing ever so clear and the remains of the campfire remained the same. Miss Dragonfang crouched and touched the ground, then she stuck out her tongue which was long and bifurcated now like that of a snake.


    "This is... odd..." She muttered, but everything seemed in ce for Uriel who still remembered how they sunk their feet in the shallow water of the creekst time they were there and wanted to do it again.


    Miss Dragonfang then led the group to one ce, then another, repeating the same process over and over again. Uriel couldn''t make anything of her strange behavior, but he didn''t miss any of it. He also took notice that her tongue waspletely normal and human like one second, then the next it was like that of a snake.


    ''That''s her trait! She can shapeshift to a certain extent... shapeshift... shapeshift...''


    "Are you tracking the shapeshifter!?" His loud yelp startled everyone and they red at him.


    "Of course I am, why else would we bothering all the way here? there''s shorter ways to the lost city..." The former lieutenant replied.


    "But, why? aren''t we supposed to be hunting cryptids?"


    "Because..." Miss Dragonfang lingered for a few seconds. "We''re here to avenge those who died."

 Chapter 27: True objective

    <h4>Chapter 27: True objective</h4>


    "Revenge!? You dragged me all the way here just for revenge and didn''t even bother telling me up until now!?" Uriel shouted in anger.


    "Don''t be mad, Sage. She only did it because we asked her to." Medusa said trying to calm her friend down, but Miss Dragonfang lifted a hand to shush her.


    "What you say is true, I understand you feel cheated, but none of us could go on with our lives, not like this..." She exined.


    "But... why drag me along? I don''t need any of this! I thought we would be hunting some rabbits and making quick money." Uriel said, still a bit offended, but his anger subsided thanks to Miss Dragonfang''s serious tone of voice.


    "That may be your case, but you don''t know what happened to those who couldn''t escape in time... That thing... I... I was forced to kill a student thinking it was the shapeshifter." Miss Dragonfang argued.


    "I get it, but... How did you get everybody else on board with this madness?"


    "These two witnessed their ssmates getting killed..." She said pointing towards Sam and the geeky student. "Medusa was impersonated and, worst of all, Lightbringer even made out with that ''thing'' thinking it was Medusa. How do you think someone can move on with their life like that?"


    Her words were nothing new, but when she mentioned Sam making out with the shapeshifting cryptid pretending to be Medusa, she cringed.


    "Now it makes sense why you were acting all weird with me..." She spoke in an using tone, finally understanding why Sam tried to get close to her.


    "Luna, you..." Uriel attempted to speak, but Luna cut him short.


    "I just want to learn more about cryptids and see if I can find any evidence to prove my theory that these creatures had been inhabiting earth long before the so called ''arrival''. I had nothing to do with any of this and the only reason I wanted you on this incursion was to ask if you''d be interested in coborating with my research." Luna said unfazed.


    "It''s not fair that none of you told me what was really going on..." He said in a sigh. "I get where you''reing from, but I''m risking my life here, even more than any of you. I''m only an evolved and this is surely going to be dangerous." He continued.


    "Let''s get real here." Miss Dragonfang made a quick pause to emphasize her words. "You''reining on how unfair it is that you didn''t know about the true objective of this incursion, when in fact it''s an opportunity. Who else would hire an evolved that just acquired his trait? Besides, I''m not letting anyone die this time, all you have to do if you get asked to prove your identity is to take off a piece of garment and everything will be alright."


    Deep inside, Uriel knew that Miss Dragonfang was right, the ticket fee was extremely pricey for him and she paid for it, without her help Uriel would most likely end up like a corporate drone in a smallpany until the end of his days.


    Participating in an independent incursion was a privilege only the richer students could afford and it was an incredible opportunity for someone like him.


    "Fine..." Uriel said with a bitter aftertaste. Maybe if they had told him the full story or if, at least, they gave him enough time to prepare, he would have been jumping with joy after getting invited to an incursion free of charge.


    After the small argument the group continued investigating the area for a while longer until theck of clues forced them to go back to their camp.


    "I don''t get it..." Said Medusa. "Why does the army help college students in acquiring their traits, but not the general poption?"


    "The reason behind that is simple. College students undergo a series of admittance tests, some of which are designed to spot any possible troublemaker." Phlox replied.


    "I see..." Medusa said, but her face told another story.


    "It''s not just that, Medusa. What do you think would happen if anyone was allowed to have a trait?" Uriel asked after pondering miss Phlox''s reply.


    "Uh... We would have a lot of stronger people and we could finally win the war against the cryptids."


    "Wrong, this isn''t a war, the war is already lost. What they''ve been teaching us at school up until this moment is nothing but a sweet lie to keep people working with their heads down. Besides, if everyone had a trait that would lead to chaos and, who would work? there wouldn''t be any workforce and society would fall into a power based hierarchy."


    His reply left Miss Dragonfang dumbstruck, not only because he quickly figured out the lies within the government propaganda, but also because it took her three years in the army to get to the same reasoning.


    "What they said is true, I guess... You do have a good head on your shoulders after all." Miss Dragonfang said under her breath.


    Before dusk, Phlox came by and handed every member of the group some gear along with a set of light armor. It didn''t offer much protection, but it came with an oval shield on the arm which came in handy. The best part was that it didn''t encumber their movements in any way and it was possible to wear it on top of regr clothes. Medusa didn''t seem too thrilled to ruin her ''style'', but in the end she wore it without anyins.


    They all looked like boxing practicers in a sparring match, but they were also relieved to have at least some sort of defense. The only ones who looked apart from the group were the two former soldiers.


    Phlox was wearing her usual medium tier armor, which covered every inch of her body, even her face, while Miss Dragonfang, instead, was wearing her regr clothes.


    "Uh, Miss Dragonfang, why are you not wearing any armor?" Sam asked, concerned that the strongest member of their hunting party was defenseless, but the mature woman simply showed him her naked arm. One second it was normal, then the next it was covered in scales.


    "Cryptids like the rabbits or even that dog you saw before wouldn''t be able to leave a single scratch on my skin." She said with a smile. "Your armor will protect you against bruises, but be careful against piercing attacks because it will do little to protect you against those."


    ''Great! Now it turns out our armor is useless against horned rabbits. All they do is try to stab people in the face and I don''t even want to think on the ck dog''s fangs. I bet every damned cryptid will have fangs, horns or piercing ws.'' Uriel shivered thinking that their armor was, essentially, just for show.


    That night was quiet and, although everyone was a little bored, no one wanted to listen to any of Luna''s tales. At dawn break, the group headed towards the lost city. It was a few kilometers walk, but thanks to everyone being either evolved or ascended, it took them a short while to reach the first building.


    It was a small gas station in the outskirts of the city and it was covered with markings on the walls. They didn''t look anything like graffiti, it was more like an orderly list of names.


    Lieutenant Dragonfang picked a spray paint can from the ground and marked her name and a number on a nk space.


    "This building acts like a visitors log, it''s not a rule, but most groups will mark their passing as soon as they can." She exined.


    "Are we not going to enter the building?" Medusa asked.


    "I don''t think it will be possible for us to find anything valuable in there, all this markings mean at least that many people have been inside already. Besides, even if there was, we''re just starting our incursion and the extra weight would only be a hindrance if we need to fight."


    The group was about to get ready to move forward, when Uriel stopped them.


    "I think we might find something in there. You said that the weight might be an encumbrance for us but, following that logic, all the other hunting parties should have thought the same." Uriel pointed out.


    "Uhm... Interesting. I don''t think you''ll find anything but, let''s use this as a practice. I''ll give you guys two minutes to scavenge as much as you can, starting now!"

 Chapter 28: Scavengers

    <h4>Chapter 28: Scavengers</h4>


    "Wait a moment please!" Luna interrupted.


    "Now that''s what I call a spoilsport." Miss Dragonfang said in a reproachful tone after having her moment ruined.


    "I''m sorry, but, how do we win? What do we get if we do so? or what happens if we take longer than two minutes?" Luna asked.


    "Uh, let''s see... If you take longer than two minutes that would mean you''re dead, at least that''s in this hypothetical scenario. So, if you take longer than two minutes you won''t get a share in our earnings."


    Suddenly, the students were not so eager to participate and the mood became sour.


    "But, if you do find something useful you get to keep it." With just those words, the tables were turned and now their morale was sky high. Now it wasn''t just an exercise, but also a friendlypetition to get the best possible loot.


    Even Phlox seemed eager to participate and started walking to the same position the students were, but Miss Dragonfang stopped her with a re.


    As soon as their leader gave the go, everyone hurried up towards the building making quick work of the boards covering its entrance.


    Except, of course, for Uriel who struggled to remove even one of the boards because his strength was nowhere near hispanions. When he realized this, he gave up and entered by the door that had been previously busted open by Medusa.


    It was dark inside and there was no electricity, giving Sam, who had enhanced sight, a huge advantage.


    Uriel paid no mind to what everyone else was doing and hurried inside, he had lost a few valuable seconds and couldn''t afford to waste time hesitating. When he saw that most of the shelves were almost empty and only a few items in poor condition were left behind He made up his mind and hurried to the register machine.


    Just when he was about to reach his objective, he bumped into Medusa who was already on her way back. She had searched the register machine in hopes of finding some credits and had taken all its contents with her, then hurried outside. No matter what, nothing would be worth the risk of being denied the profit share of the hunting party.


    Uriel too wanted to get something from the register, but Medusa was quicker and, by the time he arrived there was nothing left for him. There was, however, a small old safe with a key lock right beneath the counter.


    ''There''s no time to find the key and it looks to heavy to carry it outside.'' He thought and turned his back on it, only to remember that he had just the tool for that kind of situation.


    He opened his palm and the swiss army knife appeared instantly. Hurriedly, he pulled out the lockpick and started to work on the safe.


    "One minute!" A woman''s voice could be heard from outside, making Luna twist on her feet and run outside empty handed.


    Now the only ones left inside were the male hunters. The geeky student walked outside calmly carrying a stic bag and after a few seconds Sam followed with his arms filled with stuff he picked from who knows where.


    Uriel, though, remained inside still struggling to pick the lock. Sweat trickled down his forehead and his hand became shaky as he attempted to pick the lock over and over.


    The tool twisted inside the lock many times, but Uriel wasn''t experienced enough to pick it in a hurry. He had practiced picking old locks when he was a child, but that wasn''t a memory he wanted to bring up right now.


    Putting together all of his focus, he managed to open the safe with a click and then ran outside in the nick of time.


    "You barely made it, Sage." Miss Dragonfang said with a mischievous grin.


    At first, Uriel thought she was just joking about leaving them without a profit share, but now he wasn''t so sure.


    "Alright! let''s see what you brought." Miss Dragonfang examined their loot with a frown. "Moonlight, you yed it safe and didn''t want to risk losing. While there''s nothing wrong with that strategy, it also means you werepletely useless for the team. Sometimes you need to take risks to help others, especially when in a pinch." She said taking the opportunity to teach a valuable lesson.


    Luna remained expressionless as if she had known what miss Dragonfang would say to her from before, but she still nodded in eptance.


    "Lightbringer, you brought all sort of things but they''re all worthless... I would have expected more from someone who can see in the dark." The team leader''s evaluation seemed to hit hard on Sam''s self esteem as he lowered his gaze embarrassed.


    "Atomic, uh... you did fine. Those canisters contain lighter fluid. These could prove to be useful but even if we don''t use any of it, they''re still really valuable. Good job!" Miss Dragonfang addressed a beautiful smile to the geeky student.


    Being the first to get out, Medusa should have been the first to show her loot, but she took her time sorting it.


    "Uh, miss Dragonfang, is this money any good?" Medusa scratched her head showing a stack of bills and old coins.


    "Not as money, not really... That''s old money and can''t be exchanged in the bank... but actually, those coins still hold some value and they too coulde in handy." Miss Dragonfang said and then stared at Uriel who was seemingly empty handed.


    "And you, mister Sage... You too came back empty handed, but you took your time trying to pick that lock and seeded. While you didn''t get any reward, I think you did great and your skills will certainly be useful. You can me your failure to get anything on bad luck." She chuckled.


    For a quick second, Uriel felt the need to exin himself, but he decided to remain silent and simply shrugged in reply. All he wanted now was to check his museum as soon as possible.


    Walking down the asphalt road while focusing on his trait was easier than he thought, there were no obstacles in the distance giving Uriel enough time to safely enter the museum.


    Everything was pretty much the same as before, only now the empty pedestal next to the one where the swiss army knife was located held an old Remington Magnum on its top, the same he found inside the safe on the gas station.


    It was dark and he didn''t know what was inside the safe, he also didn''t have any time left to hesitate, so he had simply put his hand inside and felt he could store the item that was kept inside the safe.


    Without further ado, Uriel read the carvings below the revolver.


    [Artifact] Remington Magnum: A .44 caliber revolver designed for hunting trips. It''s long bullets travel at a faster speed than regr ones, causing greater damage.


    [Passive] When stored in the museum, it will slowly regain ammunition.


    "Nice!" Uriel said still inside his trait, but his words were heard by everyone and they turned to look at him.


    What they found left them speechless, it even took Medusa a few seconds to find her words, because Uriel held his gaze in a suspicious direction.


    "Were you... just... staring at my ass?" She said blushingly, not knowing if she should feel angry or ttered.


    "I... uh... uh... no?" He stuttered, a bit startled by everyone''s reaction.


    "You bastard!" Sam said, offended that his friend was trying to make a move on Medusa after knowing his feelings for her and despite saying there was nothing in between them.


    "It''s actually... I was just spacing out." Uriel rebuked when things were starting to get out of hand.


    That exnation seemed to be enough for everyone even for Sam who realized it was just a misunderstanding.


    Just like Luna''s annoyingly slow manner of speech, Uriel was known for spacing out from time to time.


    "Ah! It''s so good to be young!" Miss Dragonfang chuckled jokingly.


    "It''s not like that! I wasn''t staring, I swear!" Uriel said in a futile attempt to preserve his honor.


    "Listen kid, we are currently in a dangerous incursion, a single bad move might be yourst and you need to be careful." Phlox said sternly. "But... if you''re really that desperate you can stare at my ass all you want." She pped her butt trying to look seductive, but failing miserably because of the chunky armor she was wearing, triggering theughter of the whole group.


    "Come on! Can''t you guys act like adults!?" Uriel, who couldn''t blush any harder, said embarrassed.


    Although both Miss Dragonfang and Phlox were joking around cheerfully, it wasn''t without reason. Remaining calm and collected was the top priority during incursions and walking around with a bunch of stressed students was nowhere near an ideal scenario.


    As they walked, Phlox started picking up some trash she found on the way and cing it in a strange device she was wearing instead of a backpack. Uriel wanted to ask about what she was doing, but because of his past blunder he decided to remain silent and try to figure it out by himself.


    He watched as she pierced an empty stic bottle with a long stick, then she waved it behind her back and the bottle fell directly on the device. The machine then buzzed and a thin stic fment came out and was immediately rolled on its side. When the whole process was finished a small clump of waste fell to the asphalt.


    By watching her, Uriel noticed that Phlox was gathering not only stic bottles, but pretty much anything made of stic or tin.


    The machine was able to recycle materials and store them conveniently rolled on the side.


    There was one small question he couldn''t keep to himself, though.


    "Miss Phlox, why are you recycling now? isn''t it better to pick up garbage on the way back?"


    "You would think that, but that''s not the case. This machine doesn''t just recycle materials, it also feeds my rifle." She said patting the weapon hanging on her chest. "And I have the feeling I''ll be needing a lot of ammo in the following two days." She said with a somber expression.

 Chapter 29: Lost city

    <h4>Chapter 29: Lost city</h4>


    Reaching the outskirts of the city took way less than Uriel expected. He would have liked to study his newly acquired artifact more thoroughly, after all, a weapon like that was precisely what Uriel needed during an incursion. Nevertheless, visiting his mental museum not only took a lot of focus, it also left himpletely unaware of his surroundings and he didn''t want a misunderstanding like the one he just experienced to happen again.


    The first buildings they encountered were all marked with spray paint and Miss Dragonfang decided to ignore them. They were mostly small houses in ruins, though Uriel suspected they were like that even before the arrival of the cryptids.Being raised in the outskirts he had a clear picture of what poor neighborhoods looked like.


    All that could be heard were their footsteps and the whistling wind giving the ce the chilling aura of a forsaken ce.


    Despite possessing a trait that allowed him to see better than most people, Sam was even more scared than he was during his first incursion. His nickname, Lightbringer, was given to him after he managed to spot the titanic beast in the darkest of nights. Thanks to him, many lives were saved that day giving him an incredible boost in reputation and although the nickname itself sounded cool and powerful, he knew he was nothing but a college student with little to no training for battle.


    Medusa, as always, seemed to bepletely fearless as she kept walking with confident steps and a faint smile on the corner of her lips.


    Luna''s case waspletely different, after speaking with her for a while, Uriel knew more or less how to read her usual poker face and he could tell that she was excited. So much so, her eyes almost glimmered.


    Even Atomic, the student Uriel thought looked like a regr nerd, seemed to be unfazed by the possible danger that posed walking in a no mansnd.


    But all that changed once they reached the lost city''smercial district, when Miss Dragonfang made a pause. There were lots of four story buildings, most of them having less than ten names written on their walls. After choosing a promising looking building, Phlox pointed her device directly at it. The first results seemed to please her, but she wasn''tpletely satisfied and took ap around the whole ruinous building, then she nodded at Miss Dragonfang.


    "This is it, ording to the results there''s no strong crytids inside. You might find one or two small fries but you''ll be able to take care of them easily." Said miss Dragonfang, yet the students remained stunned in front of the ominous looking building.


    The weathered walls, broken windows and boarded door made it look like a ce where only serial killers would dare enter.


    "What are you guys waiting? chop! chop!" She said as she pped her hands softly.


    "Isn''t it... kind of... dangerous?" Sam said, his lip twisted and his cheek twitched in anxiety, but the former lieutenant dismissed his worried look and waved her hand pointing at the entrance.


    "Come on, wuss, we''re wasting time." Medusa said grasping the piece of armor behind his neck and dragging him towards the building.


    "No, but, seriously... This is too dangerous." Cried Sam as he was being dragged away.


    "Buildings that are boarded from the outside are usually safe, the only cryptids that could get in should be the stronger ones and there''s no signs of any being nearby." Miss Dragonfang exined.


    This time the one who opened the door was the geeky student, Atomic. The wooden board sealing the entrance from the outside creaked in a high pitch as the nails were dislodged from their nesting ce and the door produced a cracking sound as the whole lock broke due to the immense pressure.


    ''This guy is a lot stronger than I thought.'' Uriel reflected as hepared his own strength to that of the student he previously deemed as weak looking.


    Uriel followed the group closely from behind, excitement and fear coursing through his body in equal measure. The first few minutes they moved slowly, examining everything they could, trying to make the least amount of noise possible, but after a few minutes:


    "Iing!" Said Medusa as she dropped a bunch of scrap stic from the third floor. Then Luna too dropped an old microwave and some tin cans too.


    Uriel kept himself busy, gathering all sorts of items in hopes of finding an artifact, with no luck so far. He was certain that he would be able to store more pre apocalyptic artifacts on his museum, but apparently, one of the requirements was for the artifact to remain in good condition.


    Every electronic device, home appliance and even furniture was either broken or weathered. Still, it was a nice experience working together with the rest of the group.


    Without even realizing it, everyone assumed a different role: Atomic would bash the locked doors, Lightbringer would spot valuable items which Uriel then sorted, Medusa dropped them to the first floor and Luna wouldstly carry everything outside.


    "Look at that, they finally got the hang of it!" Phlox said a bit impressed by how hardworking the young students turned out to be.


    "They grow so fast." Miss Dragonfang wiped a fake tear from her eye and feigned a snort.


    "I can''t believe this, I studied so hard and made so many sacrifices, only to be a glorified janitor, no offense Uriel." Sam said, realizing toote that Uriel could take it as an insult.


    "Time''s up!" Miss Dragonfang pped and the students lingered for a few seconds. There were still lots of valuables to be found, of money to be made, but the team leader wasn''t joking around this time. "Hurry up, you idiots!"


    Her shout echoed inside the building snapping the young students out of their reverie. The loud noise was sure to attract whatever creature currently lurking in there and they didn''t want to risk bing cryptid food. With quick steps, they ran down to the exit of the building, leaving everything behind.


    "What''s wrong with you!?" Sam confronted Miss Dragonfang.


    "You should ask yourself that question, your team leader gave amand and you ignored it." She replied coldly.


    "I get it but, is there a reason why we couldn''t stay just a while longer?" Uriel asked, more curious than anything.


    "You guys know the reason already. Most cryptids sleep during the day, but they are able to sense our energy signature and stronger cryptids will notice stronger energy sources so..." She lingered expecting someone from the group to continue her sentence.


    "So, we need to move constantly to send off track whatever is following us and to avoid waking up the stronger ones." Luna said.


    "Correct! now grab whatever you can and lets head over there." She pointed towards a random direction and they quickly did as shemanded.


    As they made their way inside the city, they noticed the battle traces in the walls. There were bullet holes in some and stains on others. There were also ck, carbonized stains on the ground. Some buildings were missing entire chunks of walls and, despite being a lot easier to get inside, Miss Dragonfang didn''t choose any building that seemed even remotely close to crumbling down.


    By the second building they had gathered more than enough scrap for Phlox to use as ammunition. In fact,pressed stic was so valuable now that it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to assume that Phlox was carrying a small fortune on her back.


    "If we''re lucky enough and I don''t have to fire a single shot, this alone could pay for this whole incursion." Phlox smiled.


    "Then I guess it''s time to head back to camp, we''ll take a different route so stay sharp Lightbringer."


    Sam nodded at Miss Dragonfang and did his best to remain focused.


    Unfortunately for the group, they entered one of those old neighborhoods with convoluted streets that led to nowhere without even realizing it. Only someone born and raised in there would have been able to reach their destination without making mistakes. The group had only a general idea on where did they want to go, but no real clue on how to get there.


    After what seemed like nothing but a normal turn to the right, they found themselves in the presence of the first cryptid after roaming the city for so long. It was a ck dog just like the one they spotted on their way to the city, but this looked more fierce and a lot less eerie than the one they saw before.


    The creature was baring its fangs menacingly as it emitted a menacingly low growl, it was so close none but the former lieutenant had the time to react.


    Miss Dragonfang kicked the ground swiftly and within the span of a second the dog''s head dropped unceremoniously on the ground.


    "See? those things are weak." She said walking back towards the stunned wannabe hunters. Everything happened so fast they didn''t even have the time to be startled by the creature.

 Chapter 30: Eclipse part 1

    <h4>Chapter 30: Eclipse part 1</h4>


    "That was incredible!" Medusa gasped and the rest of the group didn''t miss the chance to celebrate the result.


    When it became evident that they weren''t going to keep walking, Sam finally asked.


    "Shouldn''t we go back? it''s gettingte."


    "Pffft, yeah, and miss on the orb? no thanks. It may be a weakling, but those things are too valuable to leave behind." Phlox replied. "Besides, we still have a lot of time, it''s not even noon yet."


    As they waited for the ck dog''s corpse to disappear, Luna took her time to study the remains. Without any hint of fear or disgust she examined every part of the carcass under the awed gaze of herpanions. The shape and size of its fangs, the color and texture of its fur, even its ws. Unfortunately for her the corpse vanished before she could finish, then a small opaque ss like bead fell on the ground with a clinging sound.


    After Phlox picked the orb up and stored it in her backpack, they quickly resumed their incursion. Moving forward through the maze-like neighborhood, the hunting party was finally living up to their name. Now, instead of cowering and hiding, they were actively seeking for cryptids to hunt.


    "Horned rabbit, over there!" Sam shouted pointing towards thewn of a house in shambles.


    Medusa was the first to reach the target and made quick work of the cryptid while the rest of the ascended students sighed in disappointment after being unable to participate in battle. Medusa almost felt bad for the poor creature because they didn''t look so terrifying during daylight and it was leftpletely mangled after a single punch.


    "You''re supposed to call the cardinal direction, didn''t you learn anything at school!?" Lunained furrowing her brows. She still dragged her words in an annoying fashion, but she spoke a bit faster because of her intense emotion.


    She wanted to study every different kind of cryptid there was, for that reason, she was carrying a notepad and was making drawings and scribbling doodles as fast as she could. Still, that would prove to bepletely useless if she didn''t have the time to actually examine the corpses.


    So far, her notepad contained some information about horned rabbits thanks to her first incursion with the army, a little bit about ck dogs because she was taken by surprise and couldn''t pull out her notepad in time and she even managed to gather a little bit of information about the shapeshifter, despite her short interaction with the abnormal creature.


    Although Luna had no intention to fight, Miss Dragonfang was still happy to bring her on the incursion. The information the young student was gathering could prove to be even more valuable than their loot, especially if she managed to find a way to identify shapeshifters without the need to approach them.


    "You just move too slow..." Medusa shrugged as the cryptid''s corpse started to slowly vanish leaving an orb behind. "It''s not my fault your legs are so short." Medusa said picking up the flux orb left behind by the horned rabbit.


    "My legs are not short, I''m almost of average stature, I checked the statistics." Luna''s words were met with pitying gazes from herpanions, except for Miss Dragonfang who was loudlyughing without a hint ofpassion for the short student.


    They were still lost, but now they were actively seeking for cryptids after gaining some confidence on theirbat ability. In time, they also acquired some degree of practice, which allowed them to spot any creatures faster and kill them even faster.


    "We''ll make a killing out of this!" Phlox gasped. "No wonder so many people refuse to join the army and go on independent incursions."


    The seemingly empty city turned out to be infested by all sort of small creatures, some of which were cryptids, while others were simply bugs or even animals. Uriel was already familiar with mice, but when a racoon dropped from a tree he was scared witless.


    "Cryptid!" He shouted.


    "Calm down, it''s just a... What are those things called?" Miss Dragonfang pondered for a few seconds. "Trash panda!" she finally eximed.


    "Uh... That''s actually a racoon, it''s just an animal, Uriel. It''s harmless." Luna, the one with the most knowledge about animals and cryptids alike, said calmly.


    It was Uriel''s first encounter with such creature and the only way for him to judge how dangerous it could be was its appearance. It actually looked more weird than dangerous, especially because of its small hands and odd colors.


    "I''ve been meaning to ask, why did the ck dog you killed took a couple minutes to disappear, while the horned rabbits we''ve been hunting disappear almost immediately?" Luna asked.


    "It''s because of the amount of energy, the stronger a creature is, the longer it takes them to vanish. You can speed up the process and retrieve the orb yourself, but the location varies from species to species and I''m toozy to memorize it."


    Uriel took mental note of this as he followed the group closely. If the ck dog took a couple of minutes to vanish, it could only mean they were a lot stronger than the horned rabbits.


    "Ah! there it is!" Miss Dragonfang eximed pointing at a sign that was, somehow, still standing after all these years. "The exit should be that way."


    Uriel didn''t know the meaning behind road signs, especially those from old times, and he couldn''t make much of it, but that didn''t stop him from feeling safer now they weren''t lost anymore.


    The neighborhood was all mostly destroyed, either by bullets, explosions or strange w markings and all the houses and buildings were tagged with many names, meaning they would most likely be empty. Because of that, every single member of the hunting party was excited to leave such a ce behind.


    Phlox looked around trying to spot onest building to check before going back to their camp and, as luck would have it, among all the destroyed, crumbling and burnt buildings stood a house that lookedpletely fine, with no markings on its walls whatsoever.


    "Lieutenant... I mean, geez, why is this so difficult? Miss Dragonfang, do you think it would be possible for us to raid that ce?." She said pointing towards the nice looking house with greed on her eyes.


    "Really? Doesn''t it look suspicious to you? a house like that with a well keptwn and all, right in the middle of a lost city?" Miss Dragonfang replied. "Hey, Moonlight, do you know anything about a cryptid that could do something like that?"


    "Do you mean, if I know about a cryptid that will mow thewn, water the nts, paint the fences, repair the house and keep everything clean? That''s a gardener." She said sarcastically.


    "I''m just a former soldier, I don''t know much about superstitious stuff, whenever we encounter something we don''t know we shoot first ask questionster." Miss Dragonfang shrugged.


    "This isn''t ''superstitious'' stuff miss Dragonfang, cryptozoology is an actual science." Then she took a nce at Uriel and before he was able to say anything she continued. "It is regarded as a pseudoscience actually, but it doesn''t mean it is based on lies, it just doesn''t follow the strict scientific method."


    What menaced to be a raging debate about whether or not cryptozoology is a proper field of study, subsided as soon as Phlox spoke again.


    "Then what about the next one?" The former corporal insisted, uncaring of any sort of verbal dispute, the only thing she cared about was profit.


    The nice looking house, with a white picket fence, well keptwn and beautiful flowers, started fuming smoke out of its chimney.


    If this were the old times or if this wasn''t a lost city, something like that wouldn''t even draw their attention. Now, though, everyone stared at the ck smoke in disbelief.


    The smoke increased in density as it slowly rose up to the sky, faster by the second, until it began moving impossibly high up in the sky covering the sunlight in its wake.


    Uriel thought it looked as if he was wearing sunsses, not that he had any, but everything looked darker. It wasn''t necessarily difficult to see, but the colors of the walls, the asphalt and everything on sight became pale and devoid of color.


    Suddenly, the group heard a rustling sounding out from a trash can. ''It''s probably the roon.'' They thought at the same time. Then, a tin can was kicked in the distance and finally, strange noises starteding out from every direction.


    "Something''s not right." Said Uriel.


    "No shit Einstein! We need to scatter, that''s an eclipse!" Phlox shouted.

 Chapter 31: Eclipse Part 2

    <h4>Chapter 31: Eclipse Part 2</h4>


    "Calm down!" Miss Dragonfangmanded. "We still have some time left. Listen kids, that thing is actually a creature called eclipse, you can already guess what it does but you don''t know yet how to face it. It''s not as bad as it looks because itspletely harmless by itself, you just have toy low inside a building while Phlox and I take cover in another location."


    "We shouldn''t get separated! That''s precisely how things go down in horror movies!" Sam cried.


    "This is not the same, cryptids about my same level will most likely sense my presence and will try to hunt me down. Even though you''re ascended you''re still too weak and even your bodies haven''t fully developed." Miss Dragonfang exined.


    "What do you mean? My body is well developed, thank you very much." Medusa said cupping her breasts over the light armor,pletely calm in the face of impending danger.


    "We don''t have time for games." Said miss Dragonfang rubbing off her temple as if she was suffering from a headache. "But the fact that you can joke around makes you perfect to be team leader in my absence. Remember the first building you raided? Not the gas station, the other one."


    "Yes, I think we can go back there in less than five minutes." Medusa replied with a decisive nod.


    "Head down there andy low until the darkness passes, even if you have to spend the night. An event like this will most likely draw the attention of other hunters too, but do not approach them unless strictly necessary." Miss Dragonfangmanded, but then gave ast warning: "Do not huddle together, you can either hide by yourselves on the building or in couples except for Atomic. Sorry kid, your trait is too strong for an ascended, you''re the most likely to attract unwanted attention."


    Although scared, the geeky student didn''t seem surprised. Uriel had heard a couple times how they treated him with respect despite all of them being on the same rank, but now it made sense. There was a lot of difference between traits and some of them were just in the boundaries of the next rank, but not quite there yet. That was the main reason why the army allowed anyone to get their traits tested more than once, just in case someone''s trait reached the point where it could jump up to the next rank.


    This was, most likely, Atomic''s case. He was tagged as an ascended, but it seemed like he was the closest to the Heavenly rank among the group.


    The realization that traits can somehow be stronger filled Uriel with hope, but at the same time with questions.


    ''If there''s a way to be stronger, howe I''ve never heard about it?''


    "I''ll contact you as soon as possible, so keep watching your cellphones. Now hurry up!"


    Miss Dragonfangmanded snapping Uriel out of his reverie and they quickly took off. Once again, he was struggling to keep up the pace with the rest of the group. The only difference was now instead of simplygging behind for a while, he might actually end up in the belly of a beast.


    As the young students ran across the streets, daylight grew dimmer by the second. It was barely noticeable, but as time passed they were starting to have trouble dodging the debris and trash that was lying on the ground. Thanks to Sam''s trait, though, they were able to remain on track and didn''t get lost in the vast, intricate, city.


    Their formation consisted on Sam in the front position leading the way, Luna and atomic followed closely watching the sides while in the rear Medusa was dragging Uriel like a kite.


    "Don''t run so fast, you''ll tear my hand off!" Urielined.


    "Don''t be a crybaby and run faster!" Medusa replied without even turning her head.


    His wrist hurt under the tight grip of Medusa''s hand, but it was indeed better than the alternative. By the time they finally came at a block''s distance from the building, it was as dark as during the night. Without a clear line of sight, they were forced to slow down their race to avoid identally stumbling into a cryptid like it happened with the ck dog Miss Dragonfang had previously killed. Uriel took this chance to let go of Medusa, softly rubbing his wrist to ease the pain.


    Little by little, small red dots were starting to appear in their surroundings through windows on the tall buildings nearby or lurking in the distance behind the cover of the shadows, threatening them with all the possible horrors their imagination allowed. Thankfully for them, cryptids were still far and scarce, filling them with hopes of being able to reach the safety of themercial building before getting swarmed by enemies.


    Still, the amount of eyes lurking in the distance were increasing at an rming rate, sometimes in pairs and others at unsettling odd numbers. The obstacles on their way could be considered the same asndmines as a single noise could mean the end of them. All it took for them to draw the attention of the hungry inhabitants of the lost city was to kick a tin can or trip over a piece of rubble.


    Right before taking the turn that would lead them to what they hoped was safety, Sam leaned on the corner to take a small peek before advancing, and when he came back to his original position his face was pale and ghostly. Unlike the rest of hispanions, he was able to perfectly see all the beastly abominations lurking in the shadows.


    "We can''t go all at the same time. You go first Lightbringer, we''ll follow one by one separated by a few seconds." Said Medusa, who could somewhat see better than the rest of his team thanks to the glimmer in her eyes, after noticing Sam''s horrified expression.


    Although that didn''t bode well for any of them but Sam, especially for Uriel who wasst in line, they all had to agree that it was, indeed, safer to walk at a distance from each other.


    Sam walked steadily and silently towards the building, after a few seconds Atomic followed suit. It wasn''t that he wanted to go second, it just turned out that he was right behind Sam. Then it was Luna''s turn, then Medusa, andstly, Uriel who by that time waspletely by himself.


    Step by step he blindly, stiffly, walked leaning on the wall knowing that if anything happened, he would bepletely exposed and defenseless. He could feel the rough texture of the bricks, the concrete, the small bumps caused by the door frames as his hand slid across the surface of the buildings. He did his best to keep focusing on such details to prevent himself from thinking on what surrounded him.


    Strange, rustling sounds could be heard in the distance, louder and closer by the second making his heart race, the sound of his heartbeat so strong it overshadowed the oneing from his own footsteps, without realizing it, Uriel had been holding on his breath for too long and was starting to feel dizzy.


    Then, just a fraction of a second after he noticed the emptiness on his side that announced the presence of an opened door, a hand pulled him swiftly inside the building. Afraid to make a noise, Uriel let out a mute gasp and let himself be dragged inside without a struggle.

 Chapter 32: Eclipse Part 3

    <h4>Chapter 32: Eclipse Part 3</h4>


    Uriel had taken mental note of the ce and knew more or less amount of buildings he had to walk by to reach his destination, but something didn''t add up. ording to his calctions he was pulled inside the building right before the one he was supposed to get in. As if that wasn''t bad enough, instead of the reassuring presence of hispanions, all he could see inside was a couple of red glinting eyes staring right at him.


    ''This is it, I''m done for'' He shut his eyes and braced for the worst. The only reason why Uriel didn''t scream bloody murder on the spot was because he didn''t want to attract any more attention to him or his group, but he had already given up.


    After a few seconds, when it became clear that nothing was going to attack him, he took a nce at the brittle light that apanied him. The pale glow of the eyes allowed him to see the familiar outline of Medusa''s cheekbones.


    "For crying out loud, you almost scared me to death!" Uriel said amidst whispers.


    "There was... something blocking our way, I think it was a cryptid but I couldn''t see it clearly." Medusa said as she retreated to a corner of the dark room to have a point of reference. She then walked further inside the building, only this time she was using her cellphone to light her way.


    Uriel followed closely behind, there were a few low tables, potted nts, some expensive leather couches and, although Uriel couldn''t make anything of it because he had never been to a simr ce before, Medusa realized they were in the lobby of some sort of office building.


    "We need to find a restroom." She whispered.


    "Can''t you hold on until we find a safe ce?" Uriel replied a bit annoyed by herck ofmon sense.


    "That''s not it, I think it''s the best possible hideout, there''s only one entrance in bathrooms and they''re supposedly the safest ce anywhere." Her idea wasn''t necessarily bad, especially considering that if they take shelter in a ce with a single entrance, they would at least know where to look for possible enemies.


    "The problem with a ce with a single entrance is that it also means there''s only one exit. I don''t want to be trapped, we should probably look for a ce with two entrances and... Hang on a minute." Uriel said as he picked up his phone that just vibrated. "I think I just got a message from Luna."


    Luna: "Hey Uriel, are you safe?"


    Uriel: "Yeah, I''m fine, just couldn''t make it to the same building you guys did. We are both safe and sound in the previous building."


    Luna: "What do you mean, we."


    Uriel: "Medusa couldn''t make it either, she''s with me."


    Luna: "Medusa is with us."


    Uriel: "What? that''s not possible, she''s right in front of me!"


    Uriel: "Luna, that''s not funny, stop messing around."


    Cold sweat ran across his face as he realized the situation he was in. Essentially, Luna just told him that Medusa had been impersonated again, probably by the same shapeshifter cryptid.


    Uriel managed to remain calm despite the harrowing situation and cranked up his brain. Then, he spoke to the person or cryptid in front of him:


    "Medusa, I want you to take off a piece of your armor please." He said with a calm voice, mentally preparing himself for battle.


    "What? You think I''m a shapeshifter?" Medusa replied squinting her eyes with suspicion, the sheen on her face dimming softly.


    "Not really, I mean, I would have doubted you but we can use our cellphones which means there aren''t any cryptids nearby. Still, we''re alone and we can''t rule out the possibility that one of us may have been impersonated." Uriel replied.


    "How do I know it''s not you?" Medusa asked taking her distance and clenching her fists ready for battle.


    "That''s fair." Uriel took off the vambrace of his armor set.


    "I see... Then I''ll do the same." Medusa followed suit and removed her vambrace.


    Both of them sighed in relief after confirming they were in thepany of another person instead of a cryptid,pletely forgetting for a brief moment that they were still trapped inside a building in the middle of a cryptid infested city in ruins.


    "We need to find a way to reunite with the others." Uriel said after a while.


    "But Miss Dragonfang told us to not huddle together and our current situation is not that bad." Medusa replied.


    "That''s not it, our situation might not be as bad, but I think there''s a shapeshifter in the other team. Luna told me you were with them and myst message couldn''t reach Luna''s cellphone, meaning there''s probably a cryptid near her and since there''s another Medusa..." He exined.


    "No way! Again!? Why does that thing have to look like me again?" Medusa pouted. "No, wait, maybe it chose me because I''m pretty!" Her mood suddenly brightened up a little, but Uriel showed no interest in that line of thought.


    "I think there must be a condition for it to be able to imitate someone''s appearance. I can''t be sure of what it is, though. There must be a clue in Miss Dragonfang tale and our previous encounter with that creature. Do you remember something weird from when you were running alone in the dark that time?"


    "I don''t know, it was all dark and I was scared and... No, wait, now I remember something grazed my skin, I thought I ran close to a thorny bush or something, but now that I think about it, there weren''t any nearby."


    "That must be it! That''s the reason why it didn''t look like any of us and, instead, limited itself to mimic you. We need to find a way to contact the others and let them know there''s an impostor with them, or else..." Uriel''s grim words resounded in the dark room.

 Chapter 33: Guess who Part 1

    <h4>Chapter 33: Guess who Part 1</h4>


    Sam and Luna became terribly worried when they noticed Uriel didn''t make it to the same building they were in. He was right behind Medusa one second, then the next he was nowhere to be seen, not even with Sam''s trait that allowed him to see as clear as day even in total darkness.


    "I''ll send him a message." Said Luna as she took out her phone and exchanged messages with Uriel. Her usual poker face seemed to crumble for a brief second when she learned that Uriel was with Medusa. Everything would have been fine if not for a single detail, Medusa was standing right in front of her. The only reasonable exnation was that Uriel was in thepany of a copycat, a monster with a human face, but everything became clear to her when her cellphone died the minute Medusa walked close to her. The cryptid wasn''t with Uriel but with them.


    When thest of their cellphones died they were left without a light source and Sam was the only one who could see in the dark, making it a priority for them to find a safe spot where they could light up their old school gasntern without drawing any attention from outside the building. A lightsource could be as much a blessing as a death sentence considering. Without a light they were prone to stumbling onto debris, trash and whatnot, they also felt very unsafe and vulnerable, but if the light leaked outside every cryptid on the street would immediately notice their presence.


    Since they had already been to thismercial building, they somewhat knew the location of the different rooms, stores and stairs, but it still took them a while to find a room that still had its windows boarded up and they deemed it safe to turn on their lights. The shopping mall was ample and the smallest sound seemed to be amplified and deafened at the same time.


    Despite Luna''s mistrust over Medusa''s real identity, her usual aloof expression remained the same, if anything, she was more curious than scared. Instead of blowing the whistles right away, she limited herself to examine Medusa''s every movement.


    Her appearance was exactly the same as when they were with Miss Dragonfang and she was wearing the armor provided to them by Phlox, her facial expressions, tone of voice and even her behavior waspletely normal. It was so perfect she couldn''t really tell if she was actually a shapeshifter or if it was just a coincidence that her cellphone died when Medusa walked by.


    "I think we should take off a piece of garment." Said Luna under the reassuring light of thentern after pondering her situation for a few minutes .


    "Are you implying there''s a shapeshifter among us?" Medusa said, squinting her glimmering eyes with suspicion.


    "That''s impossible, I would have seen iting." Sam said confidently.


    "Remember Miss Dragonfang''s words." Said Atomic adjusting his sses. "If someone asks you to prove your identity you need to wear something off. We don''t want something like what happened during our first incursion to repeat itself."


    Everyone stared at each other with some distrust, but they proceeded to remove a piece of armor each. The first one was Luna herself who, for some unknown reason decided to wear off her chest piece instead of something smaller, then Sam and Atomic took off their vambraces.


    Luna''s eyes became more lively as she watched in disbelief how the person she believed to be a cryptid, took off her vambrace too.


    "We need to go to the next building, now!" Luna said as loud as their own safety allowed.


    "What? Why?" Sam asked, intrigued by her odd behavior.


    "You don''t understand... Sage is with Medusa too!" Luna insisted.


    "Is it something rted to your trait Medusa?" Sam inquired.


    "No." Medusa shook her head mildly. "I only have the power to inflict fear on creatures that look me in the eye."


    "Then that guy must be with the shapeshifter, there''s no other exnation." Atomic stated.


    "I know that! we need to hurry! He''s only an evolved and..." Luna was now moving erratically across the room biting her thumb nail.


    "Calm down, we need to do things properly. I bet he''s fine, at least by the time being... Unless he decides to make out with the shapeshifter." Medusa chuckled gazing at Sam who blushed heavily. "We can''t go back by the front door, but if Uriel is really in the building next door we can still try to reach him, maybe through a wall or something."


    "I don''t think we should go, we would be risking our lives for just one person..." Atomic tried to argue, but he was suddenly silenced by the angry res of hispanions.


    "It''s not just that he''s in danger, we can''t really let that thing looking like Me roam free. What if it tricks other people and I end up in trouble? Do you really only care about yourself?" Medusa seemed to be deeply offended by Atomic''s intention to leave Uriel behind.


    "There''s really no choice, Medusa is currently our leader and we should follow her orders. Besides, Miss Dragonfang said you shouldn''t be in the same ce with us and yet, you are here." Luna added.


    "Yeah, I guess... But that doesn''t answer the question, how are we supposed to reach the other building?" Atomic shrugged.


    "We can''t go outside now that it''s dark. I''ve seen the things that came out and trust me, you don''t want to face them." Sam gulped down a lump of saliva. Just the thought of the creatures he saw, shook the very core of his sanity and, unfortunately for him. "And I don''t think that we should go breaking walls, I mean, maybe Atomic could do it, but that will draw too much attention."


    "Not necessarily, we could try to find a thinner wall, maybe in the upper floors." Medusa insisted on her idea.


    "Wait a second, what are we going to do if we see the other Medusa?" Sam asked.


    "There''s no need to ask any questions, we are absolutely certain that I''m the real one, as soon as you see the other one you should kill it." Medusa sternly said.

 Chapter 34: Guess who Part 2

    <h4>Chapter 34: Guess who Part 2</h4>


    "Listen Medusa, we''ve been to the next building already, but this one is unspoiled. I bet there must be something we can use somewhere in here." Uriel said at almost the same time the other group was discussing their own ns in the next building.


    "I don''t know, this ce was an office building, besides some files, cabs and stationery I don''t think we''ll find much." She shrugged.


    "An office building uh..." Uriel said taking his time to re adjust his n. "It doesn''t matter what kind of building this is actually, we need to find a fire extinguisher."


    "Do you intent to start a fire!?"


    "Of course not, we''re still inside, what would be the point of doing something so dangerous? If my suspicions are correct the shapeshifter''s priority will be to get rid of you first. We are at a disadvantage and we can''t really force them to listen, but if we create a smoke screen it might buy us a couple of seconds." He grinned.


    Uriel and Medusa walked upstairs the building searching for a fire extinguisher, but because none of them knew exactly where could they find one they wandered aimlessly across the entire building.


    After breaking into what seemed to be a VIP office with a luxurious leather couch, a standingmp and a finely carved desk, Medusa and Uriel rummaged through the stuff. Inside the cabs, bellow the desk, even behind the couch.


    Uriel took the chance to touch every item in an attempt to see if it was possible to store it, but besides an old looking magazine found in the bottom drawer of the VIP desk, nothing else could be stored inside his museum. As useless as it may seem, Uriel didn''t miss the chance to increase his collection and quickly stored it inside his museum without Medusa noticing.


    They spent at least an hour ransacking different offices, it was a dullbor made even worse by their need to make as little sound as possible. After a while, though, they found a small red metallic container with a hose on its top. Thebel waspletely erased by time, but it didn''t take a genius to know it was a fire extinguisher.


    "Do you think this thing still works?" Medusa asked.


    "I guess we''ll find out." Uriel replied and just after he did so, a strange knocking sound was heard on the same floor they were located startling them. It wasn''t loud, but it resounded in the abandoned building like a beating heart.


    *bump* *bump* *bump*


    The sound became closer and closer as they drew near towards the wall that adjoined the building next door.


    "It must be them, get ready." Uriel said as he visited his mental museum.


    There were now three standing pedestals with artifacts on top of them. In a hurry, he only nced at the magazine resting on the marble structure and instead, focused his full attention on the magnum revolver. An unexpected advantage of his trait was that inside everything was well lit, allowing Uriel to carefully examine the revolver. It looked old but in good condition.


    He had never fired a gun before and barely even knew how they were supposed to work. He just had to pull the trigger, but was that everything?


    He familiarized himself with the gun model for a few seconds and then came back to reality with a grin on his face and a small but heavy firearm. He couldn''t see it properly since Medusa was holding the fire extinguisher instead of her cellphone and he was holding on to the revolver with both hands.


    The sound became louder and louder.


    "They''re trying to break the wall!" Medusa eximed, clearly anxious.


    "Of course they are, they think you''re the shapeshifter and will attack you on sight." Uriel said.


    "How do you know that?" Medusa asked, now cold sweat trickling down her forehead.


    "Because... If they decided toe look for us it''s only because the shapeshifter allowed it and there''s no way that thing wants them to find you if there''s at least a hint of doubt that she might be the cryptid." Uriel exined as he cocked the hammer of his magnum.


    Before Uriel''s voice faded, the wall was finally brought down by Atomic, leaving a hole the size of a refrigerator.


    Atomic bashed through the hole on the wall and fell on his knees while Luna and Sam followed closely with their guards up. Their Medusa was left behind in the corner of the room in themercial building to prevent a difficult situation in which both Medusas could be in the same room. Something like that could only lead to confusion, but confusion was precisely what Uriel''s n needed.


    Atomic and the others didn''t expect to find a cloud of foam inside the room they just entered which left them in a daze for a couple seconds. Uriel and Medusa took advantage of this and went through the same hole in the wall towards themercial building their friends just came from to face the ''fake'' Medusa.


    As soon as she was on sight, Uriel pulled the trigger without a trace of hesitation, aiming right in the middle of the glimmering eyes in the corner. The heavy revolver recoiled hitting him on the face causing a great deal of pain, but little to no damage thanks to his evolved trait, while the other Medusa fell limp on the floor.


    "What was that!?" Said Sam waving his hands in the air trying to remove the annoying foam that surrounded him. He waspletely blind, but not because of the dark but due to the fire extinguisher Medusa triggered as soon as the wall was broken.


    "I think it was a gunshot, can you see something?" Luna said still covering her face with her arms.


    Sam did his best to go back to the room they came from. Although somewhat unrealistic, his hope was to find Phlox wielding her rifle and Miss Dragonfang by her side. What he saw, instead, was Uriel standing right in front of Medusa''s corpse and another Medusa standing right beside him.


    There was a small bullet wound right in between Medusa''s eyes, a thin thread of blood running down her pale face, soaking her armor in red, her eyes wide open but lifeless and opaque.

 Chapter 35: Guess who Part 3

    <h4>Chapter 35: Guess who Part 3</h4>


    "What did the hell did you do!?" Sam cried as heunched forward, throwing himself on top of Medusa''s corpse as if to prevent her from suffering further attacks. Although the bullet wound was small leaving most of her face untouched, there was a gruesome exit wound on the back of her head that disfigured her skull and unfortunately for Sam, he was able to see everything clearly.


    "I killed the shapeshifter." Uriel muttered, his hands still shaking from the adrenaline, it was his first time firing a gun. If he didn''t know better he might have thought it was a lucky shot, but luck had never been a part of his life.


    "You fucking didn''t! That was the real one!" Sam red with bloodshot eyes at the other Medusa, the one standing right next to Uriel.


    Atomic and Luna, who were now in the same room as everyone in themercial building they previously ransacked, didn''t know exactly what had just happened and limited themselves to see how things unraveled.


    "She was the shapeshifter, Medusa had been with me the whole time! She even wore off a piece of her armor!" Uriel replied.


    "Our Medusa did so too! Did you really think we would have been so stupid as toe look for you if we weren''t sure that she was the real one!?" Sam said teary eyed.


    "I''m not saying you''re stupid, but... Luna''s cellphone died, It was proof that your Medusa was the fake one."


    "Then how do you exin this, Uh!?" Sam took out his cellphone and it was still impossible to turn it on, evidencing the presence of a cryptid nearby.


    When Atomic saw that, he quickly pounced on Medusa, pinning her on the ground.


    "Kill her, now!" He shouted.


    "No, wait! I''m the real one, I swear! Please don''t do this." Medusa yelled as she struggled to free herself, but despite being of the same rank, Atomic was way stronger than her.


    "That''s what the fake Medusa would say!" Atomic grunted.


    "Calm down!" Uriel said pointing the gun directly over Sam''s head. It was far from an ideal situation, but holding Sam hostage was the only thing he coulde up with to calm Atomic.


    "You-" Sam''s voice was silenced when the still hot metallic tip of the gun touched his forehead. Atomic was left with no choice but to let Medusa go.


    "You are going to regret this." Said Atomic as his hands started to shine in a bright white light, not a trace of his previous ''geeky'' appearance showed as his face was tense and menacing.


    "I said calm down and hear me out before doing anything rash." Uriel made his revolver disappear into his trait.


    "Before doing anything rash you say!? You just killed a girl! You killed your own friend!" Atomic yelled.


    "There''s no way that one is real and I can prove it, all we need to do is wait until it vanishes and drops a flux orb." Uriel calmly exined, showing his empty hands in a sign of peace.


    Although the sight of someone that looked exactly like Medusa dead in the floor was shocking to say the least, Uriel was so certain the real one was the girl standing next to him and he didn''t let it bother him too much.


    That wasn''t the case for Sam, though.


    ''Poor guy, he has a big crush on her. Something like this will mess him uppletely.'' Uriel thought inwardly, pitying his friend. The same friend he just threatened with a gun, that is to say.


    "If what you say is true and the corpse vanishes, everything will be alright. But what if it doesn''t?" Luna asked, seemingly unfazed by the hostile situation they were in.


    "Then, I think it''s better if Atomic restrains Medusa''s movement anyway... just in case." Said Uriel after pondering Luna''s words.


    Medusa wasn''t happy with this arrangement, but sheplied nheless to prevent further misunderstandings or any sort of dangerous situations. Atomic sped her arms behind her back leaving herpletely defenseless.


    "Don''t worry Medusa, everything will be solved as soon as that thing disappears." Uriel said holding a confident smile thatsted about two minutes when Sam finally broke the silence.


    "Dude, she''s not vanishing." Sam muttered, his hands and armor were dripping blood as he continued to hold the body in the odd chance that it could actually be the real Medusa.


    "Just give it a little more time." Uriel replied doing his best impression of a confident person, but in truth he was starting to have second thoughts.


    ''What if I shot the real one? Am I a murderer now?'' His very sanity was on the verge of copse. Many dark thoughts started taking form, just the possibility that he could have actually killed his friend was starting to weigh heavy on his mind.


    Minutes felt like hours as everyone watched the limp corpse Sam was holding on his arms go cold. Even the stoic Luna was showing signs of anxiousness as she fidgeted with her fingers, her eyes lost in thought.


    "She''s really not vanishing..." Luna too didn''t want to admit that Uriel had made a mistake, but the more time passed, the more evident it was that the corpse didn''t belong to a cryptid.


    "You''re out of luck monster!" Atomic''s hands gleamed in white bright light again, burning through Medusa''s armor as if it was made of wax, briefly blinding everyone in the process.


    Medusa gritted her teeth and turned around, kicking the geeky student right in his crotch.


    "She''s escaping, catch her!" Atomic yelped as he bent over in pain, but even Sam had been blinded by the bright lighting out from his hands due to Atomic''s aspect that acted like a shbang.


    As soon as they gathered themselves, the group went after the runaway Medusa believing her to be the cryptid, leaving Uriel behind with the corpse and the guilt of being the direct responsible for her demise.


    Uriel was in a sour mood, his own mind yed against him, but he knew in his heart that the whole group''s survival depended on whether they were able to catch the shapeshifter or not. Shaking his head, he ran behind the group managing at the exact moment as Atomic cornered Medusa.


    Because of the darkness and the soaring pain she was experiencing, she didn''t get too far and was easily caught by the group of students.


    Atomic activated his trait again, only this time he wasn''t going to lower his guard, not even for a second. He clenched his fists and ced them at the height of his hips, then dashed forward at an incredible speed.


    Medusa was hit on the face, a deep burn crossing her cheek, but she wasn''t an inexperienced fighter. With the help of her martial arts training she countered with a high kick on the face, sending Atomic to fly across the room. She then ran away with the intention to pass in between Luna and Sam who were blocking her way.


    Luna attempted to punch her, but her speed and technique were nothingpared to Medusa who easily dodged the strike. Sam was still in shock, leaving him unable to lift a finger against someone who looked like the ''girl of his dreams''.


    Her intention was to go back to the room where the other Medusa was lying on the floor and try to somehow escape to the outside, but then, the clicking sound of a revolver being cocked stopped her in her tracks.


    "Don''t move or I shoot." Uriel said, his voice cold like murder.


    "You wouldn''t do it, I''m the real one and you know it." Medusa confidently replied.


    "Maybe, but if you don''t stop running you won''t leave me any choice."


    "Didn''t you see that guy!? He attacked me! He was about to kill me, it hurts! It really hurts, I won''t stay and be treated like a punching bag. Just let me go, I promise I won''t bother any of you anymore... I just want to go home." A single tear fell from her eye, directly onto the burning wound on her cheek causing her to twitch in pain.


    "I''m sorry, but you need to stay put." Uriel insisted.


    "Then you leave me no choice either. Please don''t hate me..." Medusa whispered thest part as her eyes shone brightly in the shadows.

 Chapter 36: Skinwalker

    <h4>Chapter 36: Skinwalker</h4>


    "WAIT! You''ll scar him for life!" Luna shouted so loud Uriel had to cover his ears, in a desperate attempt to prevent Medusa from using her trait. She had seen the effect it had on Shaker and it wasn''t pretty, he was so afraid his whole personality changed. "The corpse is gone, this is the real Medusa." She continued once she noticed she had everyone''s attention.


    The group turned to look at the ce where the corpse was supposed to be, the ground was stained in red but there was no corpse and no flux orb either.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Atomic asked, now standing in front of the group rubbing his jaw. Medusa''s kick turned out to be a lot stronger than he wanted to admit.


    "The meaning of this is..." Uriel lingered for a few seconds, causing everyone to hold their breath. "The one I shot was definitely the shapeshifter, but it isn''t dead."


    "I saw it myself, its skull was cracked open and there was nothing inside, how can it survive something like that?" Sam wasn''t yet convinced.


    "Maybe..." Luna lingered. "Maybe it''s not a shapeshifter, but a skinwalker."


    "A what now!?" Asked Sam in annoyance when he realized that she wasn''t speaking anymore.


    "There''s a subtle difference between shapeshifters and skinwalkers, at least ording to lore. A shapeshifter can morph its appearance to resemble any kind of creature it sees, it can even mimic objects... I think. Skinwalkers, instead, undergo aplete transformation. It''s not just the appearance but also their victim''s memories and experience." Luna exined.


    "I''ve actually heard this before... well something of the sorts. The Navajos believed there were evil sorcerers capable of transforming into all sorts of creatures, all they needed was a piece of skin from their victim." Uriel said, thinking on all the times he read about the native American and their customs. Although the presence of supernatural creatures was widespread on anthropology rted books, he always deemed that kind of information to be useless superstition.


    "Wait, that thing was human once!?" Sam asked in hopes that maybe, the thing he made out with wasn''t really a monster.


    "You''re missing the point, the only thing that matters is how do we kill it?" Medusa said right after Sam.


    "I can''t be sure... but maybe..." Uriel pondered for a few seconds, not knowing if something like old tales were a reliable source of information, especially with their lives depending on it. "I think, silver can kill it." He said hesitantly after making up his mind.


    "Not bad... Not bad at all kid" A loud whisper resounded in the darkness. "I didn''t think someone would remember... I wonder what kind of sweet knowledge can get from your delicious little head." the shapeshifter said mockingly.


    "Where are you!? show yourself!" Sam shouted, highly strung by the fact he couldn''t see the creature despite his trait that allowed him to see in the dark.


    "I don''t want to. Where would be the fun in that?" Thest part was heard from right behind Sam, but no matter how swiftly he turned, he couldn''t spot the creature.


    "Ha, ha, ha, you''re funny... and you''re pretty tasty too." The licking of lips resounded in the darkness. Heavy footsteps could be heard, sometimes in the distance, sometimes right behind them, it was as if the creature was takingps around them but no one was able to see a thing.


    "This cryptid, whatever it is, must have the ability to somehow mess with our minds." Luna theorized, but Uriel had something different in mind. There was something strange about the sounds, something no one else noticed but himself. Trying to exin it would take longer than simply letting them hear it themselves.


    "Close your eyes everyone!" He shouted.


    "What? Why?" Medusa asked.


    "There''s no time, just do as I say." Uriel too closed his eyes and focused fully on the sound of the footsteps.


    The strongest human sense, or at least the one they rely on the most, is sight. Once the young hunters deprived themselves of that sense they were finally able to fully focus on their hearing. It didn''t take them long to notice something weird about the sounds but Sam was the first to speak.


    "It''s not footsteps! It''s like a recording!"


    The creature wasn''t there, it simply mimicked sounds that made it seem like it was still nearby, but the sounds actually came from downstairs.


    "Let''s go!" Atomic shouted as he dashed forward, leaving behind the room and the rest of the group, paper sheets and furniture flying in the air as he darted across the building to reach the stairs as soon as possible.


    "Don''t go you idiot! It can impersonate you!" Sam shouted, but it was already toote, Atomic was out of sight even for the Lightbringer, he could see far and wide but seeing through walls was beyond his ability.


    "We need to stick together, even if we walk slower, we can''t get separated." Medusamanded, taking once again the position of leadership in the absence of Miss Dragonfang.


    "Sage, what happened to the gun you were holding? did you lose it?" Sam asked curiously. "I would feel a lot safer if I knew you still had it, but I don''t see it."


    "It''s something rted to my trait, I hope you don''t mind if I keep it a secret by the time being." Uriel replied.


    "Wow, so mysterious... It''s not like you''re a heavenly rank or something." He scoffed.


    "Anyway, we need you to find things made of silver." Uriel said.


    "Why me?" Sam the Lightbringer, the only one who could see in the dark, asked triggering the res of everyone else in the group.


    But seeing in the dark was not the same as being good at finding stuff. This building was raided several times, once by themselves and in much safer and better conditions. Silver was a valuable material, and not without reason, because ever since the cryptids appeared all mines were now infested by all sorts of creatures making mining one of the most hazardous jobs. The safest way to get silver was to salvage it from lost cities, but that also meant it was increasingly difficult to find as time passed.


    Everyone in the group knew they couldn''t separate from each other and that only made their task of finding something made of silver even more difficult. They searched room after room, finding nothing but scrap metal, stic trash and wooden furniture. Sam had it even worse than the rest, because everyone expected him to use his trait to easily find something but the pressure started weighing heavy on his shoulders.


    "There''s nothing in here." Sam said after discarding thest room in the whole floor.


    "Should we go downstairs?" Asked Medusa. She could have simply issued amand, but she knew better than to simply boss people around, she needed to listen to what the others were thinking if she wanted to survive.


    That was precisely why Miss Dragonfang chose her to take onmand, despite her not being the strongest like Atomic or the smartest like Sage. She was calm and collected most of the time, allowing her to think clearly instead of simply shouting orders and expecting people to do the impossible.


    "I don''t think that will be necessary, we can use this." Said Uriel after noticing a small glint on Medusa''s ear.


    "What? My piercings?" She gasped. "But they are so small and... we can''t use them as weapons." She said as she handed them to Uriel.


    "What did you expect? That we would find a silver sword waiting for us somewhere in this abandoned shopping mall?" Uriel sarcastically replied.


    "So we''ve been wasting just wasting our time!?" Samined as he sat on a chair, with such bad luck that the chair broke causing him to fall on his butt.


    "Quit ying around, we''re in a serious situation." Medusa scolded Sam, making him feel even more worthless.


    "So, what are we supposed to do with just a pair of earrings? I don''t think you mean to throw them at the skinwalker." Sam said in an attempt to redirect Medusa''s attention from him.


    "If we had means to melt them things would be a lot easier, we could have made a silver tipped knife or something, butining is of no use now. The only other choice we have is... well, you''re not going to like it." Uriel lingered. "ording to the old tales, skinwalkers are sort of allergic to silver. Our only chance at killing it would be to feed the earrings to the creature."


    Luna, Medusa and Sam were bbergasted to say the least. Something like that would have never crossed their minds.


    "Are you insane!?" Said Sam.


    "Hey, I''m not the one who made out with that thing." Uriel scoffed.


    "Will you never let me forget it? Why do you guys keep bringing that up?"


    "Because if it weren''t for you, I would have never thought of something like this. Think about it, when we found out its real identity that thing grinned with a wide maw, if we somehow manage to taunt it into doing the same it will make things easier."


    Sam couldn''t help but shudder at the memory, but he had to agree that it did seem possible. Not safe, not easy, but possible.

 Chapter 37: Among us

    <h4>Chapter 37: Among us</h4>


    The group readied themselves for battle, as much as a bunch of college students with little to no real life battle experience could possibly be.


    Luna grabbed the pole of a standingmp to use as a spear, Sam lifted up a chair wielding it awkwardly across themercial building, but both Medusa and Uriel were barehanded. She didn''t need a weapon because of her martial arts training while Uriel could make his revolver appear instantly thanks to his trait.


    The group traversed the halls, shops and staircases without any luck in finding the skinwalker. There weren''t any traces or clues left behind by the cunning creature, but something like that was to be expected considering how it enjoyed to y with its victims instead of facing them directly inbat.


    More than hunters, they just looked weird and lost because that was precisely their situation right now. Their only hope of making it alive was to find the creature and... feed it a bunch of silver earrings. None of that made any sense, but they all saw how the skinwalker took a bullet to the head and survived. As strange as it seemed, even something as deranged as that was a better option than trying to kill it with brute force.


    Uriel was even more dubious than the rest of hispanions because he knew how unreliable his information was. After all, how reliable can the tale of an old Navajo witch doctor who barely mentioned a skinwalker''s weakness be?


    "Can you guys hear that?" Luna said, her eyes closed in an attempt to focus on the sound.


    "I think ites from over there." Sam said pointing towards a small room behind a counter.


    Medusa fearlessly kicked the door open holding a battle stance right after the door opened. She expected to find the skinwalker inside or at least some sort of creature, but she was was greeted by the pitiful sight of a wounded young man sobbing.


    "I tried... I tried so hard but it just won''t die." Atomic''s clothes were in shambles, his breath jagged, but there wasn''t a single visible wound on his body. Uriel grasped Medusa''s shoulder when she tried to head inside the bathroom to help Atomic.


    "Don''t go, he may be the skinwalker." He said shaking his head.


    "Ah! Yes, I realized toote that if I got separated I wouldn''t be able toe back to the group. Don''t mind me, I''ll stay in here until Miss Dragonfang returns." Atomic sighed


    "He can''t be the skinwalker, that thing would attempt to infiltrate our group as soon as possible." Sam tried to make a point, but there was no confidence in his words.


    "Maybe, maybe not, but we can''t risk it." Uriel shrugged. "Stay safe." Were his parting words to the geeky student, or at least that was his intention, because as soon as they turned their back on Atomic, he dashed towards them.


    "Watch out!" Medusa pushed Uriel to the side, receiving a powerful bash by the creature that was impersonating theirpanion.


    The light armor provided by Phlox did close to nothing against the solid tackle and Medusa was thrown several meters away. She attempted to roll on the ground and recover her footing, but the hit carried so much force it was impossible. The only thing she could do was to lean forward and cough up a mouthful of blood.


    "You bastard!" Sam waved the chair on the air without much hopes of causing any damage to the creature, but contrary to his own pessimistic expectations, a single strike from an ascended proved to be enough to disfigure the creature''s face. The creature let out the mix between a gasp and a growl as it fell backwards with its skull cracked open. Its unsightly tongue sticking out of the hole on its face.


    Luna pointed the makeshift spear towards the skinwalker with a malicious grin on her usually expressionless face, yet the creature was able to hold it in his hand without any trouble.


    "It''s not fair to fight four on one!" The creature started speaking with a male hoarse voice that turned more and more feminine as it spoke, until the voice of Medusa could be heard clearly. Its previously disfigured face quickly shifted into the porcin smooth skin and fiery red eyes of Medusa.


    "You pretty bastard!" Medusa said after noticing the creature now looked like an exact copy of her and, after recovering her breath, she jumped forward with a high kick. It was so fast it was impossible to dodge, but the skinwalker blocked it with a single hand.


    Both Medusas got tangled in a martial arts fight, equal in power and technique. Kicks and fists rained from both sides, the snapping sounds of their skillful blocking technique echoing in the whole floor.


    While Atomic''s body was stronger and faster, hisck of martial arts training was a serious disadvantage against the nimble huntress. By impersonating her, the skinwalker managed not only to dodge easier and block iing strikes, but also to create confusion among its enemies. This turned out to be a serious problem for Uriel, who was expecting to find the chance to shoot the creature in the back with his revolver to keep it down, at least for a short while.


    "Move away Medusa, I can''t take a shot like that!" Uriel shouted.


    "I''m not falling for that trick." The skinwalker grinned. "I know what you want to do and I won''t put it that easy." The creature said mockingly with Medusa''s voice.


    The skinwalker slowly but surely started gaining ground on Medusa, getting closer and closer towards Uriel. His hands were shaking, sweat running down his forehead clouding his view. The situation was far from ideal, especially after Medusa received a powerful elbow strike on the ribs that left her lying on the floor struggling to breathe. The cryptid then pounced on Uriel, but was stopped mid air by Luna who was brandishing the standingmp pole as a spear. It wasn''t sharp enough to pierce through the cryptid''s tough skin, but at least she managed to save Uriel in thest second and pin the skinwalker to the wall.


    "Fire now!" Luna shouted.


    A deafening bang was heard and the tile right above the cryptid''s head cracked into pieces as the bullet missed by just a couple centimeters.


    "Ha, ha, ha! You missed your only chance!" Said the creature grinning ever more widely until its maw parted disfiguring its face, it grew taller as long ws erupted through its nails and its skin became ck. The contrast of its now jet ck skin and the white of its eyes made it look like a creature brought directly from a nightmare.


    Luna struggled to keep the cryptid pinned to the wall, but it didn''t resemble a person anymore and its crawls gave it a longer reach, even longer than Luna''s improvised weapon.


    Waving its long arm, the creature managed to leave a scratch on Luna''s face with the clear intention of mimicking her, but Uriel wasn''t going to allow it. Luna watched in disbelief how Uriel, instead of shooting his gun, jumped towards the horrid creature making a fist with his hand. The creatureughed maniacally at the flimsy evolved, opening its maw and waving its impossibly long tongue in an unsettling manner.


    Uriel moved fast, maybe faster than he ever had, but the difference in speed between him and the creature was too much and he ended up getting caught in the air. Uriel''s eyes widened up from pain, but he didn''t let a single gasp or yelp. Now that the students were out ofbat, the creature was able to savor its victory by licking Uriel''s face, and then drawing him near.


    "Do something, he''ll get eaten!" Medusa shouted enduring the pain of her cracked rib cage. But not even Luna could help, she could only see how the incredibly strong and cunning cryptid opened its maw wider and wider to eat Uriel. Just before the skinwalker was able to close its maw to devour her prey, Uriel grinned and spitted an earring into the creature''s foul mouth.


    "Here''s your medicine!" He said scornfully. "It was prescribed to you by a navajo witch doctor."


    The creature let go of Uriel as it walked backwards, sping its throat as if being burned from the inside. Coughing and twisting, morphing its appearance into that of many different people until its skin began to boil and evaporate leaving nothing but a single flux orb behind.

 Chapter 38: One down

    <h4>Chapter 38: One down</h4>


    What followed after the defeat of the skinwalker couldn''t be called a celebration, there were no expressions of joy nor smiles, only silence.


    Medusa was dying.


    "She''s not gonna make it." Luna whispered far enough from her woundedpanion to prevent her from listening to her grim sentence.


    "How do you know? Huh!? Are you a doctor now?" Sam asked in a disbelieving tone.


    "Doctor? Not really, but because of my career path I''m well versed in human anatomy. Her rib cage is cracked and has a punctured lung, not even an ascended like her can survive something wounds like that without treatment." Luna replied expressionless as usual, only now instead of annoying it felt reassuring in a strange way.


    "Can you do it? Can you treat her?" Uriel asked.


    "I could, but I''d need a knife and a small tube to drain the blood from her lungs. If it was a regr human, or even an evolved, i wouldn''t have any confidence in my skills but since she''s an ascended she might survive, but even if she does she won''t be able to move freely which means we would have to stay in here until she recovers."


    "I have a pocket knife!" Uriel showed Luna his swiss army knife with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Despite being old, the knife was spotless after being stored inside his trait. "Will this work?"


    Luna took the pocket knife on her hands and examined it, it was a bit too broad but the length was perfect. Finding a tube that fitted their needs wasn''t a difficult task, but a clean one was impossible and they had to settle with the less dirty one they could get. Still, anything was better than letting Medusa die without even trying to save her.


    Every painful and whistling breath Medusa took made her condition even worse as blood filled her lungs. It was truly a horrible way to die.


    "You guys go look for Atomic now, there''s nothing you can do to help here." Luna shoved them outside the room.


    "But we can help!" Sam tried to argue.


    "No, you can''t." Luna shook her head. "Besides, if Medusa survives she would kill herself if she knew you guys saw her naked."


    Sam hesitated for a few seconds, but then left the ce along with Uriel who was already busy searching for the missing student.


    With Sam''s help they covered the whole floor within a minute finding no clues, not even battle traces.


    Going downstairs using the mechanical staircase turned out to be a mistake because it hadn''t received any maintenance in years, but they were to avoid falling down by stepping on the metallic side that supported the steps. Walking in an abandoned ce in a lost city was a daring challenge, it was filled with all sorts of dangers made even worse by the fact that both of them were covered in bruises and gashing wounds. The only silver lining was that now the skinwalker was dead they were finally able to use their cellphones light their way and send a message to Miss Dragonfang. She still hadn''t replied, but just knowing that she would be notified as soon as she got the chance to look at her cellphone gave them some measure of peace.


    Sam didn''t really need any light to move around, but it made him feel safer, especially knowing that as soon as a cryptid made its appearance they would know because of their field of disruption.


    The next floor was an open space with several shops, most of them were closed with metal curtains or bars, but others were open andpletely empty. They didn''t have the time, the energy or the intention to scavenge, but just the loot from one of the stores could turn their lives for the better.


    Uriel really wished to rummage through the piles of random objects in hopes of finding something he could store in his museum, but he was too worried about hispanions to do something as selfish as that.


    "I think I found him." Sam pointed towards what seemed to be a store, its metallic curtain was busted open leaving a hole in it.


    "Is he alright?" Uriel asked without much hope. Hispanion replied by shaking his head confirming Uriel''s thoughts.


    They headed towards the store and Sam pointed his cellphone light towards Atomic''s corpse, or what was left of it. Only the upper half of his body remained untouched, his legs and part of his torso were nowhere to be seen hinting that the skinwalker probably ate them.


    "This is horrible, I''m never going on an incursion, not ever again." Sam muttered.


    "I don''t have much of a choice, not If I want to remain in college." Uriel said out loud, but not replying to his friend. He was just talking to himself as if trying to convince himself from doing something he really didn''t want to do. Then, he proceeded to kneel down in front of the corpse.


    "Hey, are you praying? I didn''t take you for a religious person." Sam asked.


    "No, I''m retrieving this." Uriel said, showing Sam the tier one battery Atomic had strapped on his chest.


    "Are you a psychopath? You can''t steal from dead people!" He scolded Uriel.


    "No loot left behind." Uriel coldly dismissed Sam''s criticism. Sam was frozen in ce for a short time, but he understood where did hee from.


    "Yeah, I guess it''s of no use to him now. We may as well bring some stuff from this ce too." Sam rummaged around the store for a short while, picking up unopened boxes and cing them in a stic bag. "It''s Ironic... this and many other shops used to belong to my family, now I''m scavenging for just the scraps." Sam sighed.


    "You''re from the Samsong family?" To say Uriel was surprised would be an understatement. Sam was his roommate in college male dormitories, it wasn''t bad but it wasn''t a ce for wealthy students. He didn''t expect Sam toe from one of the biggestpanies of the old world.


    "Uh, yeah, my name is... I probably shouldn''t say it in here, but anyway, that was a long time ago. My family''spany died even before ''the arrival'', all because of those annoying Mapple guys." Sam scoffed.


    "They might be annoying, but if it wasn''t for their zeppelin we would have died during our first incursion." Uriel replied but Sam wasn''t willing to acknowledge that fact.


    "Here, have this. It used to be ourpany''s best cellphone prototype, it''s not bad even for today''s standards." Sam handed a sealed box to Uriel, who received it with a dumbfounded expression.


    "Hey! It''s vintage! This one is actually vintage!" Uriel was overjoyed after receiving a gift like that. If it wasn''t for Sam''s trait, finding something like that would have been impossible for Uriel.


    When they came back Luna wasn''t surprised to hear that Atomic was dead. It would have been a miracle if he survived for so long in a fight alone against the skinwalker so no one really had any hopes of finding him well. The only reason they went to look for him was to have something to tell Miss Dragonfang when she came to their rescue and also to distract themselves while Luna was performing the surgery.


    "How Is Medusa doing?" Uriel asked.


    "She''s currently unconscious, but she''s fine, she won''t be able to move for a while though." Luna replied, she was covered in sweat and there was a lot of blood on her hands, but she seemed to be at ease.


    After wiping down the red stains on the swiss army knife, Luna gave it back to Uriel who made it vanish immediately. With nothing left to do but wait until Miss Dragonfang came to rescue them, the group fell in deep silence.


    Uriel, of course, took the chance to open his brand new smartphone. It was his first time opening a sealed box because he never bought new things and, although it was just an old phone, it was something really meaningful to him. Also, this one was actually vintage and not trash like his flip phone.


    Apart from the smartphone, the small package contained a phone charger, a sim card and a small metal needle to open the sim port. Without wasting any time he discarded the phone charger and activated his tier 1 battery.


    The battery emitted a shimmering light and an arc of electricity was sent directly towards the smartphone. This kind of battery didn''t work like the ones of old, it was invented after ''the arrival'' using the theories of a Croatian scientist named Nik Te mixed with some of the new technologies developed thanks to the traits. The best part of said batteries wasn''t just that they were able to synchronize with any electronic device, but their huge capacity. A single tier 1 battery was enough to feed a coil gun for a full day, if used only to charge a cellphone it couldst for a year.


    The charge process was instant and Uriel proceeded to move his sim card to his new phone as soon as it was finished. When the card was reced and Uriel turned it on a familiar feeling invaded him, It was the odd sensation of a new artifact.


    "This is incredible!" Uriel gasped.


    Not knowing anything about Uriel''s trait, Sam thought he was overly excited about his new phone and looked at his friend with a pitying gaze. Without minding his friend, Uriel eagerly visited his mental museum and was greeted with the exciting presence of a new artifact on the pre-apocalyptic exhibition.

 Chapter 39: Exploring the museum

    <h4>Chapter 39: Exploring the museum</h4>


    Uriel made sure to carefully study the carvings on the pedestal beneath the smartphone. Reading modern day words like ''smartphone'' written in an ancientnguage should have been difficult, but somehow it was pretty straightforward and this left him pleasantly surprised to say the least.


    [Artifact] Samson smartphone: Thetest and most advanced smartphone created by the Samsonpany, due to its high price it was considered to be rather luxurious. Not many people were able to acquire it before thepany''s downfall, making it a rare find.


    [Passive] While not stored inside the museum will provide useful notifications.


    [Passive] It will keep functioning even inside the museum.


    [Passive] It will slowly recharge its battery while stored inside the museum.


    "This is incredible!" Uriel repeated, still mesmerized by all the useful abilities of his newly acquired artifact.


    Now that he possessed four artifacts the exhibition room didn''t look so empty, in fact, Uriel wondered how many more artifacts will he be able to store since the distance between each pedestal was considerable. This wasn''t unusual in museums, the most important artifacts would always be showcased far from each other to give them the proper spotlight.


    There was the swiss army knife, the revolver, the smartphone and... a magazine?


    ''What''s this about?'' Uriel thought inwardly as he had already forgotten about the magazine he picked up at the luxurious office when he was searching for a fire extinguisher. What he saw left him perplexed, it was a feeling so powerful he actually gasped. The magazine was... pornographic.


    [An old magazine] This magazine is a ''Lewd Ladies'' collector''s edition, it reflects the values of the pre-apocalyptic western society in which the image of women wasmodified for young adults. Promotes the objectification of women with the intent to satisfy male desire.


    [Active] Provides urate measurements of feminine figure. Must be stored inside the museum to activate it, triggered by eyeing someone with lustful intent.


    ''What kind of crap is this!? I have no use for something as dirty as this!'' Uriel was dibobted and because of his mental state, he couldn''t keep focus and was thrown off his museum.


    Back to reality and facing the dimly lit room again, Uriel was left astonished by his finding. It wasn''t just a magazine but a pornographic one, still, his trait considered it worthy as a cultural object and he couldn''t deny its possible worth because it was a collector''s edition.


    He didn''t like the fact that he needed to keep it inside his museum, but just the thought of taking it outside to sell it made him blush brightly in embarrassment.


    "Why are you blushing up? Huh? If you''re thinking on doing something dirty to me because I''m helpless I''ll kill you as soon as I recover." Medusa said with a raspy voice and a faint smile adorned by a thin thread of dry blood.


    "Medusa, you''re awake!" Uriel quickly stood up to check up on her, hispanions right behind him.


    Medusa was in an awful state, she was covered in bruises and small cuts and her clothes told the tale of the dire battle she fought against the skinwalker.


    "Don''t move! There''s a stic tubeing out of your lung." Luna hurried up to stop Medusa from sitting up.


    "What!? Why didn''t you take it out? I can probably recover from a wound like that." Medusa cringed at the thought of a foreign object sticking inside her internal organs.


    "Take it out? I put it there, you were drowning in blood so I had to pierce your lung and drain the blood." Luna replied.


    "That is disgusting..." Medusa couldn''t bear the thought, but she knew she owed her life to Luna. "But thank you, I guess."


    The group''s morale went up a notch after their woundedpanion woke up and they put her up to date with the events that transpired after she fell unconscious. She didn''t seem too troubled by Atomic''s death, but what worried her the most was the fact that she wouldn''t be able to move and that Miss Dragonfang still haven''t replied to their messages.


    "Can we contact the city?" She asked.


    "We could, but it''s not our decision. If we ask for help we won''t be keeping any of our loot and we''ll probably be indebted to whoever rescues us." Sam replied.


    "But we''re in danger and..." Medusa tried to rebuke, but she was left oout of breath before finishing.


    "Yes, we are in danger and I''m scared, but what good would it do to us to go back in heavy debt? I''d rather die here."


    The fact that requesting for help meant paying a hefty sum was new to Uriel, after all he didn''t really know much about independent incursions because of how fast he was recruited. He was eager to go back, but what good would all their effort and pain if instead of being rewarded they would end up punished?


    Suddenly, it wasn''t that much of a surprise why so many people died during incursions. Most likely, many people before them faced simr odds and took the wrong choice. But he also could see the wisdom in that. If there weren''t any consequences to asking for help from the city they would receive calls everytime an incursion went south and people would be more daring and not even a city asrge as theirs had the resources to clear a lost city on their own, let alone if it was just to save a bunch of kids ying hunter.


    After drinking some water, Medusa asked Sam to look outside through the window in case he was able to spot miss Dragonfang or any sort of activity. The young student was reluctant toply because his trait was as much a blessing as it was a curse.


    Yes, he could see pretty much everything if he focused properly, but even the weakest creature was horrifying.


    Uriel went back to his museum as soon as he could, and in a much better mood than before. He thought of different ways he could make use of his artifacts, not the dirty magazine, but the actual useful ones.


    Like his revolver, possessing a ranged weapon that can appear or disappear at will was an incredible advantage against humans and cryptids alike. It was capable of inflicting a lot of damage to cryptids which was strange because pre-apocalyptic weapons were supposedly useless against such creatures. As if that wasn''t good enough, he could acquire ammunition just by storing the gun inside his museum. It would have been the perfect weapon for him, if only he had any prior training with fireguns. Still, all he needed to do was get some practice and be better at shooting.


    Then came his swiss army knife, it had already proving its worth by making it possible to acquire the Magnum with the lockpick, but it also possessed different tools and the knife was so sharp it was good enough to perform a surgery on an ascended apparently.


    Finally, his smartphone. This was a tricky one because although it didn''t seem to be that useful in battle, it could prove to be his best artifact yet. Just the fact that it was able to work properly even inside his museum meant that he would probably still be able to use it even in the presence of cryptids but more importantly, there was a strange app on it called ''system''. At first, Uriel thought nothing of it, but after fidgeting with his phone for a while he noticed something incredible, something that changed the way he perceived his trait entirely.


    >System:


    Rank: [Evolved] Human with mutated cells that can store and tap into flux energy.


    Title: [Dumpster diver] Acquired by rummaging through trash looking for something useful. [Scavenger] Acquired by salvaging resources from a lost city. [Thief] Acquired by stealing from a corpse.


    Trait: Museum


    Avable exhibitions:


    Pre-apocalyptic (4/6)


    Stat points:


    Strength: 4+1


    Speed: 2+1


    Flux: 1

 Chapter 40: System app

    <h4>Chapter 40: System app</h4>


    Now that Uriel had some sort of insight about his trait, he was able to notice a few things.


    First, he now knew the name of his trait which was ''Museum'' which meant that from now on he could say confidently what his trait was about.


    Second, he guessed that if the system informed him about the current exhibitions, it was more than likely that he would be able to unlock at least one more. Just the thought of what could it be made Uriel eager to put his life at risk to get new artifacts.


    Finally, now he knew exactly how strong he was. Even if those numbers made no sense to him for the time being, at least it gave him a general idea of his physical prowess.


    There was, however, something he couldn''t really understand and it was rted to the ''Flux'' stat. He didn''t know if he was able to store this energy inside of his trait or if he himself possessed that amount of flux. He knew that ''orbs'', the small ss beads left behind after a cryptid corpse disappears, possessed some sort of power but he didn''t know that flux itself could be measured. This left him puzzled for a while, but then he decided to look up into it, this time with the smartphone on his hand.


    The system app wasn''t as user friendly as Uriel would have liked, but that wasn''t all, because now he realized something he missed the first time he looked at it. The whole cellphone''s interface was on the ancient glyphnguage. ''How can this be? Did the people from before the arrival know about thisnguage?'' No matter how he thought about this, it didn''t make any sense to him. Poking and tapping at the phone, Uriel was about to give up on finding anything useful, but then something came to mind. ''What if it''s rted to flux orbs?''


    Then he proceeded to grab the flux orb that was left after the skinwalker disappeared. It was different to the ones he''d seen before, it seemed somehow deeper, but that wasn''t useful at the moment. What Uriel wanted to know was something entirely different.


    He attempted to store the flux orb inside his trait, but although he had some sort of feeling when he grabbed it, it wasn''t the same as with the artifacts he was able to put inside his museum.


    "What if..." Uriel said out loud as he tried to crush the ss like bead with his hand, only to be stopped by Sam.


    "Hey! That thing is expensive, don''t try to break it!"


    "I''m sorry, I really didn''t know what I was doing." Uriel quickly apologized. "How expensive is it anyways?"


    Sam didn''t know the answer, in fact, the existence of flux orbs was something new to them. The only clue they had is that the flux orb they got from the skinwalker was different from the ones dropped by horned rabbits and ck dogs.


    "Would it be ok if I crush one of the less expensive ones? I''d like to test something." Uriel insisted.


    "I guess you could... but I don''t really see the point. Oh! and it will totallye out from your share!" Sam shrugged.


    Driven by curiosity and his instinct, Uriel grabbed one of the lesser flux orbs into his hands and crushed it.


    Stat points: 1


    Strength: 4+1


    Speed: 2+1


    Flux: 1


    ''Now this is interesting.'' Uriel pondered if it was really possible to be stronger just by crushing flux orbs. ''Could this be the true reason why this flux orbs are so valuable or is this something rted specifically to my trait?''


    Someone else would have been tempted to quickly allocate his free stat point, but Uriel wasn''t that kind of person. Before making a decision he needed to think about the most efficient way. While it was true that hecked the strength hispanions had, speed couldn''t be disregarded easily.


    ''I don''t know how many strength points I had before bing an evolved, but ever since I acquired my trait I can perform a lot of tasks more easily. I can also lift more weight, but it''s nowhere near Atomic who could bash through a concrete wall. Even if I gain a point in strength, nothing says I''ll be able to do the same, but speed is different, since I have so few points in speed it means that a single point can make a huge difference.'' He was just about to tap on the speed stat, only to find out that he didn''t need to do anything.


    Once he made up his mind the stat point was immediately allocated into speed. He really didn''t feel any different, his body was the same and there was no apparent change, no strange glimmer, nothing.


    ''Maybe I should have spent it on flux just to see what happened.'' he sighed, but then he realized that feeling different and being different weren''t the same thing. ''When people workout they be stronger and faster, but it''s not like they notice the difference. The only way to know if someone bes stronger is to perform a test, like lifting more weight. The same way, they can only know if they became faster by measuring the time it takes them to run the distance over and over.''


    Comforted by his thoughts, he decided to believe that he was indeed capable of bing stronger just by crushing flux orbs. To say he was excited would have been an understatement, he really wanted to get as many flux orbs as he could as fast as he could.


    Uriel wasn''t a power hungry person by nature, but being on the bottom of society for so long allowed him to see the value in having power. But strength and speed weren''t the only ways of having power, at least not in this dog eat dog world, he also needed money. He could have asked their group for more orbs and, perhaps, he would have be stronger immediately, but then he wouldn''t get any money after the incursion.


    ''I can''t pay the bills with strength.'' He shrugged, giving up on his temptation to ask for more flux orb. Now that he truly had nothing else to keep him entertained, he finally decided to rest for a short while.


    "Hey guys, is it ok if I take a little nap?" He asked asked to no one in particr.


    "What, you''re tired already?" Sam replied.


    "Uh, right, I forgot you''re just an evolved." Sam sighed.


    ''Just an evolved? what does he mean with just an evolved? I fought against the skinwalker while he was too busy shitting his pants.'' Uriel bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying it out loud, not wanting to embarrass his friend. He was really grateful to Sam because he wasn''t used to receiving any gifts, let alone something so valuable as a smartphone.


    Now finally he didn''t have to carry around that crappy flip phone he had convinced himself was ''vintage'', when the harsh reality was that it didn''t have even the most basic features. Not having a proper cellphone had always been a hindrance for Uriel, he wasn''t able to use any apps, the screen wasn''t touch and it had the most annoying ringtone.


    Tired and sleepy as he was, Uriel fell asleep to the coarse but rhythmic sound of Medusa''s breathing, hoping that when he woke up Miss Dragonfang would be back and everything would be alright. But both his hopes and nap were short lived.

 Chapter 41: Friend or foe?

    <h4>Chapter 41: Friend or foe?</h4>


    "Stop! What are you doing?" Luna shouted, quickly waking up Uriel with the shrill sound of her voice.


    "There''s someone outside, we''re saved!" Sam replied with a smile, half of his body poking out through the window.


    Uriel rubbed his eyes, having his short rest interrupted made him feel dizzy and confounded. "What''s going on?"


    "I don''t know, I can''t see anything but Lightbringer says there''s someone out there fighting against the cryptids." Luna replied as she was trying to pull Sam back who was still waving his arms out from the window.


    "Hey, are you absolutely certain that it''s not a cryptid?" Uriel asked with distrust, so far nothing had gone their way and he highly doubted things would change so easily.


    "I know a person when I see one, besides, he''s fighting against the other cryptids, it must be a person!" Sam scoffed. No one but him could see what was going on and they had no reason to doubt his words, but Uriel wasn''t convinced yet.


    "Something doesn''t add up." Uriel lingered for a few seconds trying to gather his thoughts. "Luna says she can''t see him which means he doesn''t have a lightsource. Howe he''s fighting against cryptids without a lightsource? can you describe him?" He asked Sam who couldn''t hold his excitement thinking they were going to be rescued soon.


    "Uhm... He''s a man, probably on his fourties, he''s dressed in a fancy suit and has a hat. I think his trait is simr to Miss Dragonfang''s." Sam replied.


    "Wait, did you just say a man dressed in a fancy suit? Does he have really long limbs? Answer!" Luna asked without caring about being loud.


    "Uhm... kind of... I think he can make his hands, no, his nails grow bigger... No... It can''t be!" Sam shook his head, finally realizing the oddity of his own statement. "It''s not it, not it! It was just a story!"


    "You''re an idiot." Luna gasped in exasperation. "Did it see you?"


    Sam turned around, silent as a grave, his face was pale and grim. His eyes were devoid of expression and his face was twisted in a creepy way.


    "It took his hat off and... waved it in a salute."


    "Sam, for crying out loud! What made you think it was a good idea to call for its attention? What led you to believe that something like that could possibly be human!? We need to pack up and move upstairs!" Uriel started packing the little belongings they had at hand.


    "Isn''t it better to move to the next building through the hole in the wall?" Luna asked.


    "I don''t think the table is going to fit through." Was all Uriel said in reply as he tore off some wire from the wall to strap Medusa onto the table she was lying on to create something like a makeshift stretcher.


    "I didn''t think you had that kind of kink, but I can dig it." Joked Medusa with what little air she could muster. Instead ofughing, Uriel took a nce at her pitiful condition with a wry smile as he kept tying the knots. He thought back at the time when they had a pic together and how cute she looked back then. Now she was a mess, her clothes were ragged and she was covered in dirt and dry blood, knowing how much she cared about appearances made him feel bitter inside, but there was no time to care about such matters.


    "Is iting?" Luna asked Sam who was still peeking through the window.


    "Not yet, the other cryptids won''t let it pass. Guys this is amazing, he''s actually killing the cryptids!" Sam replied crossing his fingers in hopes that the strange creatures was on their side.


    Once Uriel made sure Medusa was tightly secured to the table he asked Sam to help him move the table outside the room, but It was heavy and he couldn''t avoid making sudden movements or bumping the table on the door frame causing Medusa to yelp in pain.


    ''Maybe I should have picked strength after all.'' He thought regretting choosing to increase his speed over strength.


    "Let me do it." Luna said. Contrary to Uriel''s expectations, the tiny girl had no trouble lifting the heavy table with their woundedpanion. It was nothing if obvious though, Luna was an ascended which made her incredibly strongpared to an evolved like Uriel.


    They swiftly traversed the shopping mall halls until they reached the stairs where they had to be especially cautious not to identally drop Medusa from that height. Then, without so much as a warning, themercial building door was busted open by the tall, slim creature. It wasn''t a bash, it simply came inside hunching its back to fit through the narrow entrance only to stand tall after stepping inside.


    Uriel, who was now lighting the way with his newly acquired smartphone pointed it out towards the entrance and he was able to see the shadow of the creature in the distance. It moved with the elegance of a cat and, even though it seemed to be walking slowly, it was actually striding across the building without any difficulties. "Hurry up!" He shouted.


    "If we move any faster we''ll risk Medusa''s condition getting worse." Luna replied, not knowing what the source of the bustling sound was. Despite hispanion''s best efforts, they were moving too slowly and the creature was drawing near. Soon, he would be trapped in between them and the horrid cryptid without even the chance to run away.


    Making up his mind, Uriel stopped following them and took a distance from the group. "Go on, I''ll keep him busy!" Uriel said with the confidence provided to him by the silvery revolver on his hand.


    "Don''t do it! Pleasee with us!" Medusa begged with a jagged breath, the pain was almost insufferable, after all the surgery performed on her didn''t involve any anesthetics or even basic medical equipment.


    "Go y hero if you want, but we''re near the rooftop already." Luna said mockingly, effectively dissolving the drama. A bit embarrassed by Luna''s remark, Uriel quickly changed his mind and followed after them. The door to the rooftop was blocked, but all it took to break the lock apart was a small kick from Luna who didn''t even bother slowing her pace.


    "You shouldn''t have done that, now we can''t block the door!" Sam scolded Luna for destroying their only way of keeping the iing enemy from following them.


    "Do you really think a door that broke with a single kick would stand a chance against a cryptid that size?" Uriel''s words fell on deaf ears because at that very moment the most beautiful sight they''ve ever encountered came to life in front of their eyes, the sun was finally starting to appear on the sky.


    The slender creature that was still nipping at their heels stopped in its tracks and the young students gasped in horror, fearing their imminent death, but the creature didn''t dare cross the threshold, taking care not to step into the light as the sun bathed the rooftop.


    The group watched in disbelief as the tall shadowy creature bowed down fashionly and turned on its heels leaving them alone.


    "Whew! You can say whatever you want about that creature, but he sure is respectful." Uriel sighed in relief after a full minute passed.


    "What was that!? What kind of creature was that!? It''s face was... It''s face..." Sam, who was still unsettled by the unspeakable visage of the creature only he was able to see in full, pulled his own hair and crouched.


    "It was the Slenderman, I told you about it... Apparently, it does have good manners. Do you guys think it''s scared of the light?" Luna wondered.


    "We can''t be certain, but I vote we bring extranterns next time." Uriel replied.


    "What do you mean next time!? Huh!? Are you out of your mind!?" Sam was crying his eyes out.


    "I don''t want to be that person but... I hear something from below." Medusa said.


    "Cursed! This whole hunting party is cursed! There''s no other exnation." Sam''s mind had drifted away from sanity and he wasn''t responding, he only muttered how the whole incursion was cursed over and over.


    Uriel and Luna were now the only ones able to check out the source of the noise. Fearing the worst, they hesitantly drew near the corner of the building, only to find out the source of the sounds was a strange creature fighting against the cryptids.


    "It''s just like with the tall guy." Uriel said pointing his gun at the creature.


    "No, I think this time is even worse. The Slenderman kept his distance from daylight, but that one doesn''t seem troubled by the sunlight at all." Luna said doing her best to see over the tall ledge of the building, but she was too short and had to jump over and over. Because of that she only caught a glimpse of the creature and couldn''t properly identify it.


    "Then... Do you guys think I should shoot it down?" Uriel scratched the back of his head, then Medusa who was still strapped onto the table replied.


    "You heard Miss Dragonfang before, in the army they shoot first ask questionster."

 Chapter 42: The last straw

    <h4>Chapter 42: Thest straw</h4>


    Uriel was already taking aim to the creature''s head, thanks to his vantage position he was certain he wouldn''t miss.


    "No, wait a second..." Luna said in between jumps as she struggled to see the creature. "I want to see what it looks like before you shoot it down."


    "Is it curiosity or do you think it might be on our side?" Uriel made his revolver disappear to keep himself from shooting identally.


    "Who do you take me for? I''m not like that idiot, I know that cryptids aren''t on our side." She pointed towards Sam who was still cowering in fear, trying to gather his thoughts. "But anything we find out could be useful to other people."


    *Humph*


    Uriel lifted the short girl in the air to let her have a clear sight. If she was embarrassed, no one would have known by the expression of her face. Or they wouldn''t have, if not for the subtle change in the tone of her pale skin that became reddish.


    "That''s a... Huh... I don''t recognize it, I mean... It''s obviously a lizardman but, I don''t know, it looks and moves weird like..." Luna was cut short when the creature that was engaged in a brawl against what looked like a giant centipede noticed their presence and Uriel let go of the tiny student to take out his gun. The reptileish creature made quick work of the centipede and jumped to the nearest wall, sinking its ws on the concrete and cracking it, crawling across the walls like, well, like a lizard.


    "It''sing towards us, Luna protect Medusa." Uriel shouted, his revolver already cocked and ready to fire. A loud banging sound broke the silence, echoing in the long forsaken streets of the lost city. The bullet traversed from the chamber to the barrel after the short explosion, then it made its way at an incredible speed ending its journey after sonorlously hitting a wall.


    "Why did you do that!?" Uriel scolded Luna after she bumped into him to make him miss the shot. There was little to no time until the creature reached their position and he didn''t know if he would have another chance to take a shot.


    "Because..." Luna stuttered showing how nervous she was. Uriel turned back to try again, but the creature was already poking its head over the wall. "That''s miss Dragonfang!" Luna continued.


    "Hello kidsss, I sssee you made it" The creature hissed, it''s viperine tongue sticking out.


    "Miss Dragonfang!?" Uriel couldn''t believe his eyes as what stood in front of him wasn''t the young woman he knew. There was nothing alluring about her and not a single drop of her charming personality leaked out of the unsightly lizard in front of him.


    "Yesss, It''sss me." The lizard shrugged.


    "Uhm... I mean no offense but, can you turn back into a human please? You''re kind of scary right now."


    "Ah, Sssage, sssomehow I knew you would try sssomething perverted to sssee me naked, but I didn''t know you''d be ssso sstraighforward." Miss Dragonfang in her full lizard form replied amidst unsettling hisses.


    "I don''t mean it that way, but we already dealt with a shapeshifting creature today and one shapeshifting creature a day is my limit." Uriel insisted, but Luna red at him as if saying ''you''re scum''.


    "You''re scum." She finally said, triggering the lizzardly figure of Miss Dragonfang''sughter. The raspyugh was anything but human which gave the chills to the tired and scared students. Noticing the mental state of Sam and the physical condition of Medusa, Miss Dragonfang''s vertical pupils widened for a split second. She didn''t ask about Atomic, maybe because thanks to her enhanced senses that allowed her to figure out more or less what had happened to him despite the distance.


    Without any meddling words, she darted inside the building and within a couple of minutes she came back dressed in old and dirty clothes she salvaged from the abandoned stores in the shopping mall. Her figure was now that of a human and, although her fashion sense demanded better clothes, she settled with denim pants and a hoodie much like Luna''s. "You guys really made it, I''m so d." Her pearly white smile shone under the dim daylight. "This eclipse was particrly powerful, it was able tost way longer than I thought."


    "Did you kill it?" Luna asked trying to hide her disappointment. A creature like that would have been an incredible study subject for her.


    "Kill it!? Of course not you silly, those things are impossible to kill because they don''t have a physical form. They feed on... I don''t know what they feed on, all I know is they can withstand daylight only for a short duration."


    "A short duration!? it was more than a day!" Uriel gasped.


    "Well, most cryptids don''t like the sun... but even though a whole day is nothing to scoff at, there are far more powerful creatures out there." Miss Dragonfang said, her words seemed more like a memory than a warning.


    The group, now finally reunited with their leader, waited patiently for the sun to fully rise in the sky. Once the light became brighter, they walked down the stairs and out the building carrying as much loot as they could, except for Miss Dragonfang who took it upon herself to lift Medusa up and carry her in a princess carry. For a strong ascended like the former lieutenant, carrying a wounded person like that wasn''t enough to make her break a sweat. Still, now that she looked human again it was an odd view watching her carry a person without trouble.


    Hungry, starved and deprived of sleep, the students were eager to leave the city behind as soon as possible but there were still many small cryptids on their way out. They even found some Flux orbs lying around in the ground since during the eclipse Miss Dragonfang was unable to retrieve most of them.


    The roaring engine of the armored transport vehicle made the hearts of everyone race in joy. They were also relieved to see that Phlox was doing fine and that the reason she didn''t go to meet them along with Miss Dragonfang was because she was tasked to bring the vehicle as near as possible. Everyone ran inside the vehicle as if chased by a ghost and grabbed whatever drink and food they could find in their supplies. They still needed to go back to their camp to retrieve some of their belongings, but that was just a short stop and most of it was done in silence.


    It was only when thest building was nothing but a small dot in the distance that Miss Dragonfang allowed her emotions to sink in. She too had a rough time, but unlike the students, she spent most of her time fighting for her life against an innumerable amount of enemies that were drawn to her strong energy signature. A silent tear ran down her cheek and she was shivering, but not in cold. The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her and her mental state became almost as bad as Sam''s.


    "Why does this sort of thing always happen to me? I can''t do anything right, and now it costed the life of a young man." Another tear trickled down her cheek threatening to break a dam of tears that would leave her dry. When she went downstairs to the shopping mall searching for clothes to wear she also took the chance to find Atomic''s body and it pained her to see him all tore apart.


    "It''s not your fault Miss Dragonfang... Atomic, he..." Uriel wanted to say that histepanion made a poor decision by following the cryptid into the dark, but he didn''t want to speak ill of the death. At least not after so little time had passed.


    "What he wants to say is that, we survived, it was hard, painful and exhausting, but it was our call. You didn''t force any of us toe." Medusa followed Uriel''s lead and attempted tofort Miss Dragonfang.


    "That''s not it... You guys were my responsibility, I think I''m just not cut to be a leader. At least when I was in the army I could put the me on my superiors, but now I know, I really know what it''s like. What am I going to say to his family? They had all their hopes on that kid, he was from a poor family. They couldn''t believe their luck when Atomic received his trait, he was so incredible and strong, he had all the future ahead of him and now..." Nothing any of them could do or say would have been enough tofort the heartbroken team leader. Her sorrow was honest and she deeply regretted going out there with untrained students.


    She didn''t know, though, that those students had managed to kill a cryptid so strong, so vicious, not even the army had been able to deal with it. The skinwalker had been the bane of many soldiers and hunters alike, and in the end it was nothing but a bunch of kids with traits unsuited for battle the ones who finally killed it.

 Chapter 43: Incursion report

    <h4>Chapter 43: Incursion report</h4>


    When the doors of the Cryptid hunting agency opened and Uriel''s hunting group came into the hall no one thought much of them. Even the receptionist barely lifted her eyes from the paperwork in front of her without much interest, after all the appearance of a young group of hunters all wounded and disheveled was nothing out of the ordinary, it was just a regr work day for her.


    It was only when Miss Dragonfang, the one appointed as team leader, finished writing the incursion report and handed it over at the front desk that the receptionist reacted. She quickly started skimming through the sheets of paper like it was nothing, then she lifted a brow and leaned closer as if she had just misread something and, finally, she started sweating cold.


    "Hey, Miss Dragonfang, this is a public document, you can''t lie in your report like this!" The receptionist said in a scolding voice, but when she looked at the former lieutenant''s face she realized it wasn''t a joke.


    "Just do your job properly." Miss Dragonfang wasn''t one to y games. Actually, she was, just not on this particr moment and especially not after the sour experience she went through.


    "Yes!" The receptionist replied as she stood up to look for her supervisor. The report she had just read waspletely out of her expectations and she wasn''t qualified to deal with something like that. Not only this group managed to survive the appearance of an eclipse which was one of the most difficult cryptids to deal with in the lost city, but also they imed to have in the shapeshifter, an extremely vicious creature only the highest ranking hunters in the whole city were aware of.


    When the supervisor showed up he respectfully greeted Miss Dragonfang first and then proceeded to assess the students trying to figure out their participation in the incursion. Phlox was obviously a bit older and was easily identified by the supervisor as the former corporal in Miss Dragonfang''s army unit, then there was Luna, the short student who sessfully performed a surgery on a fallenrade to save her life, followed by Sam the ''Lightbringer'' who already enjoyed from a great deal of fame in the city after being the one responsible for saving so many lives during his first incursion and just after receiving his trait. He then shook their hands amicably one by one showing the utmost respect for the group of young students that outperformed everyone in their generation. When it was Uriel''s turn to be greeted, though, the supervisor left him with the hand extended and ignored himpletely.


    He obviously knew the contents of the report and was aware that Atomic had been killed by the creature they now knew wasn''t a shapeshifter but a skinwalker, he also knew that Medusa was wounded and probably receiving medical attention in the hospital. Then Uriel had to be the evolved who was to scared to participate in the fight and abandoned hisrades.


    This was far from the truth but the report had been altered to keep Uriel''s trait and participation a secret because he himself requested it. Unfortunately, perhaps due to Miss Dragonfang being in a rush to get things over with, she minimized his participation too much and it had the unintentional effect of causing the supervisor and the receptionist to think he acted cowardly in the face of danger. Something like that wasn''t a crime, but it was highly frowned upon by other hunters as it was one of the mostmon causes ofplete incursion parties getting wiped out.


    "I hope you don''t mind, ascended Dragonfang, but I''ll need to confirm the quality of the Flux orb you obtained from ying the skinwalker." The supervisor said in an apologetic tone, but she didn''t mind it and handed over the orb that was left behind after the corpse of the creature vanished.


    The supervisor ced it on top of a machine that had a small round shape with a hole on top and, as soon as the orb was inside the machine activated by itself and the orb started shinning, much like a bulb being tested on a socket.


    "This orb clearly came from an entity level cryptid!" The supervisor eximed in satisfaction calling for the attention of the rest of the hunters hanging out in the lounge.


    No one could have predicted the amount of attention their incursion would receive. And how could they know, when the army never made any information about the skinwalker that haunted the lost city public because it might discourage hunters from participating on incursions.


    Hunting beasts was easy, monsters were a bit tougher but they could still be handled with power. Entities, though, were an entirely different matter because they all had distinct behavior patterns and even among them, the skinwalker was deemed as the most dangerous one.


    There wasn''t any information on how strong it was but that didn''t matter because it was so cunning it had been able to outsmart everyone who ever faced it, managing to turn people against their ownpanions and wiping entire incursion parties and army units alike.


    It was only after they turned in their reports to the cryptid hunter agency that they dared to make some information about the shapeshifting creature public, and that was only thanks to the Flux orb they showed as evidence that the creature had truly been vanquished. Now, instead of keeping it a secret, they intended to use the event to feed the government propaganda picturing the ascended in Miss Dragonfang''s group as brave young heroes that aplished an impossible feat.


    Miss Dragonfang herself wasn''t amused by this, she didn''t have any participation in that fight and felt she didn''t deserve any positive attention. If anything, she felt the only thing she deserved was to be nagged at by one of her superiors in the army for her failure, but now she wasn''t a part of the army anymore and it only made her feel worse because now she had only herself to me.


    In spite of Miss Dragonfang''s moody demeanor, hunters gathered and surrounded the group asking them to recount the events as detailed as possible. The vanquishing of an entity level cryptid always caused amotion, but this time their reaction was extreme since it was only a group of ascended the ones who pulled it off.


    Sam was acting shy when tantly hit on by a woman a few years older than him and men were lining up asking for Luna''s cellphone number, yet the only one who seemed pleased was Phlox who didn''t show any concern for the fallenrade or the hardships they endured during their incursion.


    Uriel too would have enjoyed the attention and some of the perks that came with it, if not for the fact that he asked everyone to lie for his sake in order to keep his trait a secret. He couldn''t afford any attention, if anything, he wanted to bepletely invisible to the government and the army alike. Nevertheless, it hurt him when people bumped him or pushed him to the side to speak to hispanions, though not nearly as much as it hurt him when the receptionist told him he wouldn''t get a share from the bounty assigned on the skinwalker.


    "What do you mean I''m getting a smaller share than everyone else!?" Uriel shouted hisint to the clerk behind the counter. It was the same woman that humiliated him days ago when he was registered as a hunter.


    "I don''t make the rules, you took no part in the killing of the skinwalker and that makes you unsuitable to receive any bounty for it. You should be grateful that your team allowed you to get an equal share of the credits you gained from recycling. If a trash like you was on my team I would have kicked you out right there and abandoned you." The clerk scoffed at Uriel because on their reports he had abandoned his team during the fight to take cover.


    It wasn''t that his share wasn''t equal to hispanions, but Uriel wasn''t entitled to a single credit from the huge bounty on the skinwalker.


    "Calm down, Sage, we won''t get any credits for that either. I think it''s only fair that we give the full amount of the bounty to Atomic''s family." Said Miss Dragonfang thinking on the young student that fell valiantly fighting against the sly creature.

 Chapter 44: Dolminico’s restaurant

    <h4>Chapter 44: Dolminico''s restaurant</h4>


    A couple days passed after they came back from the incursion and Uriel was now ying on his newly acquired smartphone. For the first time on his life he had one and there was a lot of catching up to do. He also created a social media ount, something he had been trying to avoid for a long time because he didn''t have means to keep his profile updated. The onlyputers he had ess to were those in the faculty and it wasn''t convenient for him to waste time like that.


    It was also the first time he stayed in his dorm room during the day, he didn''t have any ss or homework to do as after acquiring a trait students were given some free time to train on their own or participate on incursions. It would have been an excellent opportunity for Uriel to hang out with Sam, but he was nowhere to be seen. His stuff was still in the dorm which meant he hadn''t quit the college, but he hadn''t been in the dorm room in a while.


    ''He must be with his family.'' Uriel thought dismissively.


    Almost bored to death, he decided to call Luna, but she didn''t reply his call. The only other person he could call was Medusa, but she was currently under medical care and, of course, she was unreachable.


    ''Would it be fine if I called Miss Dragonfang to hang out?'' He thought about this for a few minutes, unsure if it would be an appropriate thing to do. She wasn''t his same age, but she was fun to be around and there would be nothing wrong in asking her out for coffee, but in the end he decided against it because he didn''t want her to misinterpret the situation.


    Apparently, everyone in his group of friends was either scarred or too busy and he was the only one in a somewhat good mood. The only thing that kept him down was that he couldn''t keep any of the Flux orbs since the cryptid hunter agency was always hungry for Flux orbs and they bought every single one of them. The price was more than fair and Uriel received more money than he ever seen in his life, but he wanted to test out if he would be able to be stronger by crushing more orbs.


    Uriel stored his phone inside his museum and got ready to head over to the library, he didn''t have to work but at least he might find a book to keep him distracted from all the excitement of his past days. It was the most exciting weekend in his whole life. ''Now I finally understand the Chinese curse that said: I wish you live in interesting times.'' He thought back at the memory. Living in boring times wasn''t a bad thing, it was interesting times the ones that were dangerous, however, boredom was driving him crazy.


    Uriel walked towards the exit of the building with the intention on going on his very first shopping spree hoping to get some new clothes and maybe grab a bite when a strange sound called for his attention. It was a small beep, a bit annoying, but the weird thing was that it came directly into his mind.


    >System notification:


    Luna: I can''t answer the phone, I''m too busy in a project. Don''t bother me.


    ''Wow, so cold! Who would say we were part from the same hunting party.'' Luna''s indifferent message felt like a stab in the heart, but at least he could confirm that his phone kept working even inside his trait.


    Then, a new notification came in but this time it was different, instead of a beep an annoying ringtone started ying on his mind. It felt more like an earworm, the kind of feeling a catchy jingle would give when listening to it first thing in the morning.


    "Yes?" Uriel said after retrieving his cellphone and picking it up. It was one thing to read messages, but if he was to answer the call with the cellphone still inside his museum people would believe he was talking to himself.


    "Mister Sage, where are you?" A feminine voice replied.


    "I''m at... Why would I tell you? Listen Miss, I''ve said this many times already but I am not interested in anything you have to sell, please stop calling this number."


    "But I don''t sell anything, I''ve been trying to get in contact with you for a long time. I''m calling on behalf of the Mapple corporation to invite you to participate on an expedition."


    "Yeah, I''m not interested in that either." Uriel replied in a cold tone of voice.


    "Please don''t hang up, I''ve been trying to contact you for so long, all I''m asking for is to have dinner with you Mr Sage, it''ll be my treat. Please, I''m just doing my job." The woman begged.


    It was already difficult for Uriel to decline, he wasn''t ustomed to saying ''no'' to people, but when he heard thest part he was left with no choice but toply. It wasn''t her fault and it wasn''t like he actually needed to do anything.


    "Fine, I''ll hear you out, but if it turns out I''m not interested in what you have to say you''ll have to stop calling me."


    "Yes, thank you very much Mister Sage, let''s meet at Dolminico''s. I''ll head over there right now." The woman replied with a merry tone and then hung up the call.


    When the woman said the meeting ce Uriel fell in a panic. He was ready to go shopping, but he was nowhere near ready to to such a high end ce. His clothes were clean, but they were old and a bit tattered. If the guards were to let him pass the entrance it would be a miracle, but he had already agreed to go and the woman hung up the phone already. The worst part was that even if he now had the money to go shopping, he didn''t have the time since the woman said she would head over the restaurant as soon as possible and, although the restaurant was rtively close to the campus, he would still need to use public transportation to get there.


    For a minute he thought of calling the woman and asking her for more time to prepare, but in the end he decided against it. His reasoning was simple, even if he was denied entrance it wouldn''t matter since he wasn''t that interested in whatever she had to offer.


    Even though his first independent incursion didn''t go as nned, he still got a huge benefit from it. Signing up for the Mapple corporation wasn''t as attractive now as it used to, but deep down he was looking forward to trying some real food.

 Chapter 45: Faceslapping 101

    <h4>Chapter 45: Facepping 101</h4>


    Uriel was runningte as usual, only this time it wasn''t because of his habit of waking upte but because he had to take the public transportation to get to Dolminico''s restaurant and he got lost. Although it was a popr restaurant among the college students since it was rtively close to campus, it was also a high end ce in the upscale part of the city and Uriel wasn''t familiar with the ce.


    The front face didn''t look like much, if anything, it looked like a pre apocalyptic historical building. It didn''t look modern at all, but that was precisely its charm. It was built with reinforced concrete and actual ss windows, it looked really different to the usual alloy buildings made in mass.


    Uriel feared not being able to get inside the restaurant since he wasn''t dressed for the asion, but fortunately for him the dress code was somewhat rxed due to the fact that it was a ce wealthy students use to frequent.


    After showing his hunter card which identified him as a first ss citizen and exining that he had been invited he was led to the table where the woman he had previously spoken with on the phone was already waiting.


    Uriel followed the receptionist but didn''t make it to the table because a firm hand grasped his shoulder keeping him on the spot.


    "Where are you going so fast Urinal?" Mark said as he held on to his shoulder with the enhanced strength of an ascended human.


    "Ouch! Mark, what are you doing here?"


    "What am I doing here? What are YOU doing here? If you''re looking for a job this ce is out of your reach." Mark scoffed.


    Although Uriel wasn''t actually looking for a job, he didn''t really know what he was doing either so he didn''t know how to answer so he ignored Mark and attempted to keep walking, but Mark tightened his grip as he smirked.


    "Mister Jacobson, If it''s not much to ask..." The female employee that was taking Uriel to his table attempted to calm Mark without much sess, but she wasn''t ready to give up yet. "Please, if only you let me exin the situation." She begged. In any other circumstance, any other day, she wouldn''t have minded Mark''s rude behavior as he was one of the best customers on the restaurant, but the guest waiting for Uriel couldn''t be ignored and she had been waiting for a while now. The poor woman couldn''t decide what to do because no matter what she did, she would offend a customer.


    Noticing this, Mark realized that if he made trouble now he could end up being kicked out of the restaurant. Bullying Uriel or teasing the waitresses was within the epted range of behavior, but bothering other customers wasn''t allowed. That''s why he immediately shifted his demeanor.


    "I''m sorry for causing trouble, it''s just that this guy is a friend of ours and we''d like to invite him over to our table." With this words, Mark let the receptionist know that he wasn''t willing to let Uriel go but, at the same time, that he would avoid to make a scene in front of everyone and she had no choice but to shrug her shoulders and let him do as he pleased. However, she headed towards the table where the woman was waiting for Uriel to let her know that he had ran into some ''friends'' and would probably bete.


    "Leave me alone Mark, this has nothing to do with you." Uriel said, still attempting to release himself from his grip.


    "Ohhh, Careful Mark, don''t forget he''s an evolved now. If you''re not careful he might kick your ass." Tom, one of Mark''s goons joked.


    Mark''s table was already full since he was having dinner with Tom, Bert, Will and also with Cassandra the heavenly ''Sword'' who was also Luna''s sister.


    Resigned to probably being embarrassed in front of her, Uriel sighed and stopped struggling. Of course, Mark didn''t bother in getting a chair for Uriel and left him standing and ignored himpletely. They were currently in a meeting to decide some details about an expedition, but since Cassandra belonged to the army now it was difficult to set a scedule.


    She did recognize Uriel, but she didn''t mind at all if he was being bullied in front of her. Not only she didn''t care, she also wanted to see how would Uriel react. She expected him to ask for help or at least discretely speaking to her letting Mark know that he knew her from before, but being ustomed to this treatment Uriel simply remained silent.


    It wasn''t unusual for a bullying victim to have their character diminished to the point where they wouldn''t even bother speaking up or fight back, but Luna had depicted her friend as a smart and reliablepanion that ultimately saved everyone''s life and Cassandra was disappointed to see Uriel cowering in front of Mark.


    After a couple minuted of Uriel standing awkwardly in front of the table, inplete silence and embarrassment after being forced to stay standing and ignored someone came hurriedly to the table. It was the most gorgeous brte, no, the most beautiful woman Uriel had ever seen in his life. To say he was impressed would have been an understatement, her long silky red dress with a side slit emphasizing her beautiful long and toned legs left him in a daze and her sunkissed skin made her look impossibly pretty and exotic at the same time.


    "Why didn''t you answer the phone all this time!? Don''t you have a heart!?" The hot brte scolded.


    "Do you know her?" Bert asked Mark, to which Mark did nothing but shake his head.


    "I''m sorry?" Uriel managed to say under his breath, not knowing if she was actually addressing him despite her looking him straight in the eye.


    "You should be sorry! You don''t know how much trouble you caused me." She said in a sorrowful pout after recognizing Uriel''s voice from the phone. "This is an extremely urgent matter and here you are ying hard to get. You even made mee all the way here, if you really wanted me toe there are other ways..." Realizing her blunder, the woman suddenly fell silent. The heavy contrast between her mature charm and her shy demeanor made her a true sight to behold.


    "Hey miss, I think you''re mistaken, you must have confused this loser with someone that actually matters. If you want to hang out you could join our table and get to know each other. My father is the owner of the Jacobspany, I''m sure someone of your caliber has heard of it." Mark stood up and said with his chest puffed out, both in pride and in an attempt to look more manly.


    "Dude, Mark is so awesome, just look at him go." Tom whispered in awe, to which Will replied, "Yeah, he''s such adykiller. I wish I had his charisma."


    "Mister Sage, do you know this guy?" The woman asked him with sharp eyes that could freeze someone on the spot. Mark couldn''t bear the thought of ''Urinal'' being addressed as ''Mister Sage'' by a beautiful woman, especially after shepletely ignored him, but there was nothing he could do without further embarrassing himself in front of Cassandra.


    "I- Uhm..." Not knowing what to answer, Uriel''s tongue got stuck. For a glimpse of a second he was about to nod, but he thought it better. "No, he''s no one to me."


    "Then I have nothing to discuss with you." She directed an indifferent gaze towards Mark, then continued speaking with Uriel. "If you''re so kind to apany me for dinner I''ll tell you everything about the Mapple corp. expedition we''re nning." Said the beautiful young woman with a mesmerizing smile.


    Now that Uriel met her in person, even if she was a saleswoman after his money he would have felt inclined to listen to what she had to say, but Uriel wasn''t the only one present and Mark was able to hear her mention something about the expedition.


    "You should have said that you wanted to go to the expedition before. If you have dinner with me I''ll let you in on this incredible expedition nned by the Mapple corp."


    "Oh really? And who even invited you? I work for the Mapple corp. and I''ve never even heard of you before." The brte scoffed. "Let''s go Mister Sage." She said turning her back on Mark, walking arm in arm with Uriel leaving everyone present stunned in ce. Especially Mark who now was reddened in both anger an shame.


    "That went well..." Cassandraughed at Mark''s failed attempt to flirt with the brte.

 Chapter 46: Faceslapping 102

    <h4>Chapter 46: Facepping 102</h4>


    "I''d like to apologize for not picking up the phone before, I really thought you were a saleswoman." Uriel awkwardly apologized after taking a seat at their table.


    "Please, don''t apologize Mister Sage, it''s only because of my ipetence that I couldn''t find you before. We''ve been looking for you for a long while and... My! My! Now I realize I haven''t even formally introduced myself. I''m Nika Garcia and I''m currently in charge of the Mapple corp. security. I''ve been tasked to find you and recruit you for this important expedition, but I must admit I never thought you''d be a student." Nika said, sipping on her wine every once in a while.


    "I think me being a student is public record." Uriel shrugged, not knowing how to lead the conversation in a way that allowed him to understand what did she want from him without being rude.


    "That''s not it, my mission was to bring back ''Sage'' the archaeologist, no one mentioned that you''d be a student. I was puzzled by this for the longest time because there wasn''t any professor by that name on the college. Anyway, now the misunderstanding is cleared I feel that I owe you a full exnation before continuing. How much do you know about the Mapple project?" She asked.


    "I know quite a lot actually. Before ''the arrival'' there were still many archaeological sites to be discovered and the Mapple corp. initiated a worldwide project to uncover every single one of them by scanning the whole world. That caused archaeology to be obsolete because there wasn''t much to discover anymore, which left me without a job even before signing up for college."


    "Yes, it was a mapping project and its intention was to uncover archaeological sites. Thanks to the new technology devised by our corporation it was suddenly possible to scan every inch of the without lifting a finger. Pyramids, totems, ancestral buildings, aqueducts, if some ancient culture had ced a stone on top of another, we knew. We also found something different, something that... changed our project''s mission. We found that some POIs had strange structures underneath and, of course, we sent many teams to uncover their mysteries, but it waspletely impossible to open the way." Nika exined.


    Although Uriel knew a lot about the Mapple project, he was still taken aback by her im. Just the possibility of hidden underground structures below ancient buildings could rewrite history as he knew it. "Did you try opening them with explosives?" Uriel finally asked an obvious question.


    "We did, but that didn''t work." She replied. "The material they''re made of is highly resistant to anything and everything, we even attempted to nuke a POI but that... that''s ssified information. Anyway, apparently one of our scientists found something odd online. It was a wild theory about all of human civilization possessing a singlenguage at some point in time, he thought it was funny and dismissed it until..."


    "Until another Vlog entry was posted with some sort of evidence to back that theory up, am I correct?" Uriel continued her words, instinctively knowing where she was heading.


    The tanned woman nodded in reply just as their food got to the table. How tasty and rich, how luxurious and expensive food was didn''t matter, because Uriel gobbled it up without even noticing. All he wanted was to fill his resented belly that had been grumbling down for hours and to get to the point of the conversation as soon as possible.


    "Let me guess, someone found my Vlog online and now they want me to help them trante what''s inside those ces?" Uriel didn''t know how to feel. On one hand he was in glee that someone other than bots visited his Vlog, not just that, apparently it must have been a well renowned scientist since he or she was currently hired by the Mapple corp. On the other hand, he didn''t really want to participate in dangerous adventures, all he wanted to do was get enough money to finish his studies and then start researching as a frence.


    "Well, I asked if it was possible to show you drawings or pictures, but these POIs are very particr." The young woman said with a serious tone. "It''s not as dangerous as most lost cities, in fact, only the way to these ces is dangerous. Once inside the site there''s not a single cryptid nearby, unfortunately, these structures emit a field of disruption of their own making it impossible to take pictures or get regr vehicles to its vicinity. Because of that, we really need you toe along."


    "You guys really want to take an evolved to such a ce?" Uriel didn''t know the reason why he was antagonizing her. As soon as she mentioned the possibility of a mystery to be uncovered he wanted to jump in and ept, but it was his self preservation instinct acting up. Even if he himself didn''t notice it, hisst experience outside city walls left him traumatized. Despite not apparently caring for Atomic''s death, he was actually troubled by regret, not just for not being able to save him but also because he never got to know him better or make friends with him.


    "I didn''t even know you were an evolved until I finally realized you were a student, we actually thought you were just a regr human." She shrugged. "It''s great that you''re an evolved though, it''ll make the trip a lot easier since there will be a lot of walking and your enhanced physical attributes will speed up the progress."


    "Hold your horses." Said Uriel. "I still don''t agree to join whatever it is you''re nning, I still have college and I can''t just go. I just came back from an incursion thatsted for the weekend and I almost didn''t make it back alive."


    "Let''s do this... I''ll leave this piece of paper here and go freshen up in the restroom. If by the time Ie back you can''t give me an answer then I''ll stop bothering you." Nika didn''t mind making such promises, because she was certain that if she failed her boss will absolutely send someone else to persuade him.


    Uriel watched the pretty woman leave the ce with a deep frown on his face, mindlessly picking up the piece of paper and almost choked on his own saliva when he read it. The amount of money offered to him exceeded his wildest dreams, he stared at the piece of paper dumbfounded, trying to figure out the exact amount. It was a sum so incredibly high he didn''t even know how to pronounce it. ''I can''t let this opportunity pass. Even if it''s dangerous, if I manage toe back my life will be sorted out!'' Were Uriel''sst thoughts before Mark arrived at his table.


    "Oh, I see she dropped you like a bad habit." Mark said with a nasty grin on his face.


    "What are you up to now? Can''t you see I''m busy?" Uriel replied.


    "All I see is you sitting by yourself after your date dine and dashed you. Can''t you see a woman like that can only be a scammer or a prostitute. Since she got a free meal out of you, I don''t think it''s thetter." Mark pretended to hold back hisughter.


    Uriel''s face went pale at the sudden realization that he was indeed stuck with the bill. The only silver lining was that at least he did get to eat something. ''Stupid! I''m so stupid! Why would a woman like that want to buy me dinner?'' Still he tried to keep appearances and replied coldly. "It''s none of your business anyway."


    "Oh! But it is. You see, I called Mister nagan to let him know what that woman said and he assured me he was the only one with the clearance to invite people to the Mapple corp. expedition. You''ve totally been scammed dude." He finallyughed mockingly at Uriel.

 Chapter 47: Faceslapping 103

    <h4>Chapter 47: Facepping 103</h4>


    Feeling cheated, Uriel called for the waitress to settle the bill as soon as possible, he didn''t want to spend one more minute inside that restaurant near his nasty ''friend'' whose intention had been to embarrass him at every chance. At this point he had no hopes of the hot brteing back to pay for dinner, let alone to take him on a Mapple corp. expedition. Worst of all, Mark made sure to bring all of the ones who participated on his meeting, including Cassandra, to humiliate him even further.


    "Where do you think you''re going? I told you I called Mister nagan, he''s on his way to rify the situation. We can''t allow any information about our expedition to be public before it takes ce and even if she''s a scammer, somehow she knows about it." Mark said. Even Cassandra seemed a bit impressed by the fact that Mark had a direct line with the Mapple corp.


    nagan, who apparently was close enough to the restaurant to arrive in less than two minutes, showed up in a business attire before Uriel had the chance to escape. As soon as he entered the restaurant he rushed to the table and Mark told him about the ''breach of security''.


    "I can''t let any of this pass, If my boss finds out there''s a breach of security I might even get fired. You, what do you know about the expedition?" nagan asked Uriel, but the young student chose to remain silent. "I''m asking you a question, if you don''t answer I''m allowed to apprehend you and take you to our headquarters for further interrogation. This can be considered industrial espionage and it''s a very serious crime." nagan persisted, but Uriel didn''t budge.


    The truth was that Uriel didn''t know how to answer, he was still trying to wrap his head around the facts. He didn''t know this ''Nika Garcia'' from before, all he knew was that she had been attempting to contact him for a long time over the phone and that she imed to belong to the Mapple crop. If she was a scammer then Uriel didn''t have anything to fear by sharing any information, but things were different if she was for real.


    If Nika was actually a part of the Maple corp and Uriel told any details about the expedition, especially something as important as the structures that are supposedly hidden below archaeological sites, he would indeed be a breach of security and that might get him into trouble.


    The moment seemed tost for an eternity. Uriel was sweating cold at the pressure exerted on him. Just being the center of attention at such a high end restaurant was bad, but he didn''t miss the fact that he was surrounded by hunters who were ascended and, at least one of them, was a heavenly rank. If things got physical, an evolved like him wouldn''t stand a chance.


    "He won''t answer any questions and he won''t do anything he doesn''t want to." Nika appeared without anyone noticing, which was something incredible considering how much she stood out.


    "That''s the woman! She''s the one iming to be a Mapple corp. employee!" Mark rudely pointed a finger at her. "Now that Mister nagan is here you''re both screwed." Mark said with a shit eating grin.


    "nagan? He''s just my driver." The brte chuckled leaving everyone stunned in ce and Mark reddened in both anger and shame. His best contact within the Mapple corp. was just at the level of a bodyguard and he knew it well. nagan used to be a small time businessman who made a lot of dealings with his father before the arrival and they had a longsting friendship, but after nagan acquired a trait he was lucky to be considered strong enough to be recruited by the Mapple corp.


    "Please forgive my insolence Miss Nika, I think there''s been a misunderstanding that I''ll be d to correct as soon as possible. My apologies Mister Sage, I did not know who I was dealing with." He bowed deeply in front of Uriel, then he directed a murderous re at Mark who now was cowering behind Cassandra.


    "Now I see what''s the security breach misunderstanding. I''ll ask you to not disclose any information about the expedition as you won''t be taking any part in it." Nika told the group of students from Mark''s group.


    "Why!? I even gathered all these people! Won''t you please give us one more chance? For my father''s sake." Mark begged understanding now that Nika was way higher up in the Mapple corp.dder than nagan. "Why would you even bother with that loser anyway? I can..."


    Nika red at Mark and cut him short. "Listen up, daddy''s boy, and listen well because I''m not repeating myself. I came all the way here to take Mister Sage with me. Don''t call him a loser in front of me ever again, next time you disrespect him I''ll show you how ''important'' your father is." She spoke slowly, emphasizing her every word as if trying to teach a kid how to speak. Then she grabbed Uriel by the hand as she headed towards the exit.


    "How dare you speak to me like that? What do you even see in that Urinal guy? Hey! I''m talking to you!" Mark eximed In ast effort, trying to grab the woman''s wrist, but it ended in Nika turning around with a powerful roundhouse kick, revealing her well built leg through the modest side cleavage on her tight fitted dress.


    Although she dressed in adylike manner, and her side cleavage that revealed her leg emphasized her allure, the only reason she wore that outfit was in case she needed to kick someone in the face and it was morefortable than a regr dress. Now she was really d she chose that particr dress for the evening as Mark was knocked out cold, his jaw was evidently dislocated and his face was swollen like a balloon, but despite the incredibly flexible and sudden kick her dress didn''t rip.


    "Do you not care about any possible consequences? Mark will probably try to get revenge on you." Uriel asked as he followed the Nika outside the restaurant.


    "Consequences? What consequences? I can make his fathere begging for forgiveness to you on his knees any day you like." She shrugged.


    "Please stop, Miss." Cassandra called for Nika.


    "Yes?" She lifted an eyebrow as she turned back to listen to what the beautiful student had to say.


    "I was invited to the expedition by that guy, but I don''t have any connection to him. All I want is to be able to participate and be of help." Cassandra, the heavenly sword, was acting humble for once. Even if she joined the army, no one could miss the chance to participate on arge scale expedition funded by the Mapple corporation.


    Nika didn''t reply to the heavenly student, instead she asked Uriel. "Would it be ok to bring her along? we were trying to hire a bodyguard team for you after all and we thought you would appreciate bringing people your age too." Her words left everyone present stunned in awe. The incredible opportunity they were offered by Mark was only to be the bodyguards of a mere evolved and yet they acted as if it was a top secret mission. Nevertheless, it didn''t make the chance to get in contact with Mapple corp employees any less attractive.


    "I don''t think she''s the right person for the job." Uriel replied thinking back on how Cassandra let him be bullied in front of her without batting an eyebrow. Nika and Uriel were now finally able to go outside.


    The bbergasted students, along with the shocked Cassandra, couldn''t understand what the hell had just happened. The only thing they could see were the effects the short interaction caused, Cassandra was left speechless after getting rejected, Mark was all swollen in the floor and the rest were confused and didn''t know what to do now that their leader had been knocked out.


    A few minutester a smooth engine purred and then roared away fading into silence.

 Chapter 48: Just an old man

    <h4>Chapter 48: Just an old man</h4>


    After leaving Dolminico''s restaurant Uriel was holding on to the seat for the life of his. The woman behind the wheel proved to be a reckless driver, dodging other cars across the city without a care for the speed limit or transitws.


    "Can you please slow down?" Uriel shouted, scared out of his skin as the vehicle sped across the city in heavy traffic.


    "I told you before, we''re in a hurry. Something like this wouldn''t be necessary if someone had picked up his phone before!" She gazed at him lifting a brow, but the split second she took her eyes from the road only served to scare him even further.


    "Please look ahead!" Uriel was on the verge of tears. His joy after seeing his bully knocked out cold in the ground was outshadowed by his current fear of death.


    "Come on! don''t be such a coward!" She let go of the wheel entirely and ced a hand on top of his leg, using her index finger in a seductive caress, yet all Uriel could think about was the imminent crash they were bound to suffer because of her recklessness.


    Contrary to his expectations, though, their race against the clock ended without a hitch as the car started braking in a soft manner. Thanks to its advanced suspension it was barely noticeable and since Uriel kept his eyes closed he didn''t notice when they had arrived at their destination.


    Much to Uriel''s amazement, as soon as they got off the car it moved by itself to the nearest empty parking spot. He gaped at the incredible car, but at least now he knew how it was possible to move so fast even in heavy traffic. It must be one of those self driving cars the Mapple corporation owned.


    "This is a Nik, it''s able to drive on its own and it''s unaffected by cryptids'' FOD so I could technically take that baby even to incursions without any issues." Nika said with a smug grin as she watched the miraculous car park on its own.


    The ce was the Mapple corp. headquarters and there were about twenty bodyguards waiting for them already, each and everyone taller and more muscr than the average soldier all dressed in what looked like really expensive clothes. ''This clothes... I''ve seen them before.'' Uriel pondered as he gazed at the long coats. Those were Mapple corp employees and they were all of the ascended rank.


    The woman walked right past them, rushing her steps to get to the door before the young student. Uriel didn''t miss that when she walked by they didn''t flinch, yet as soon as he walked in the middle of the corridor every bodyguard bowed politely towards him. The building was extremely luxurious, the floor was neat and the hall was so tall it was inefficient. If he knew anything from his studies on past civilizations was that the more inefficient a building is the more money they owners had.


    Automatic doors opened and closed as they walked by, until they finally reached the spacious backyard where the Mapple zeppelin was located. Uriel was still trying to catch his breath after following Nika all around the ce when a tall figure emerged from the zeppelin''s door.


    "Miss Nika how dare you rush our esteemed guest!?" An old man wearing expensive clothes with an appearance simr to Mister Scofield, scolded the woman.


    "But, Mister Walter, the zeppelin was about to depart! I needed to rush him or else..."


    "Nonsense! how can we depart without mister Sage!? I''ll have a serious talk with youter. I apologize for our employee''s behavior Mister Sage, she''s nothing but a trigger-happy warmonger andcks any form ofmon courtesy." The old man bowed down deeply in front of Uriel.


    just judging by his appearance Uriel already liked the old man who introduced himself as Walter, but now he heard him speak so politely left a deep impression on him. Walter led him to the firstfortable chair as he pped his hands to call for service. Then a young blonde stewardess hurried up with a cart filled with all sorts of delicacies, and poured a ss of cold water for Uriel. He gulped down the content of the ss in one go, more nervous than thirsty, because of the VIP treatment he had received so far.


    "Is there anything else I can get you mister Sage?" The blonde girl asked worriedly, as if her life depended on it.


    "No, thank you for the water, it was delicious." Although he was top of his ss and generally considered as a very smart person, his mind simply stopped working when he replied. ''Delicious, who says water is delicious, it''s just water'' he scolded himself inside his own mind. As soon as Uriel regained hisposure he looked around with a clueless look. The only ones present in the hall were Walter, Nika, the stewardess and himself which could only mean he was in front of someone of importance in the ranks of the Mapple corp.


    Walter didn''t miss any of it and then proceeded to speak.


    "I understand your confusion Mister Sage, please allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Walter Works and I''m really pleased to finally meet you." The man said as he extended his hand for a handshake, Uriel then replied with a dubious expression.


    "You have the same name of the founder of the Mapplepany." Heughed jokingly, but the man didn''t seem to react.


    "Ah! Yes, actually, I am the founder of Mapple corp. but please don''t think much of it and just call me Walter. I''m no longer the CEO, I''m just an old man. Now, let''s get down to business." He made a small pause and then presented in front of Uriel a strange map which was clearly hand drawn. "I believe you''re familiar with this ce."


    "Of course I am! that''s Chich¨¦n Itz¨¢, one of the most important pre columbian remains known to date... Well, after the Mapple project I suppose there''s not much else to find there anymore." Uriel sighed.


    "On the contrary!" Mister walker eximed. "There''s just so much we don''t know about so many ces and that''s precisely why we''re setting up this expedition." To say Mister Walter was charismatic would be an understatement and he had Uriel''splete attention, even after being informed that he was in front of one of the most important men in history he could only focus on the conversation.


    "And what exactly are you expecting to find?" Uriel asked with a glint of distrust in his eyes.


    "To be honest, we''re pretty open minded about it. Anything we find will most likely be a ground breaking discovery, from the strong material used in the construction of the underground structures, to even the fountain of youth!" Walter said excitedly.


    "The fountain of youth? But that''s just a myth!"


    "A myth, is it? We''ve found that many of the cryptids that had beenying waste to our civilization have been at least mentioned in folklore from the old times. In fact, I''ve been informed of an interesting youngdy who presented to us an outrageous theory that''s starting to make more sense the more we think about it."


    "Could that person''s name be Luna?"


    "How wonderful! So you know each other! Had I known that from before I would have asked her toe along too." Walter said in a regretful tone.


    "It''s fine, I don''t think she would have been interested ining anyway. So, what was that about the fountain of youth?"


    "I knew you''d be interested. Now let me be clear, I don''t think we''ve found ''El dorado'' or anything like that, but one of our archaeologists has been studying Ponce de Leon''s travels for years and he believes he did actually found the fountain of youth and then staged his own death so no one else could find it." Uriel frowned at the mention of Ponce de Leon, he was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who came to the continent searching for the fountain of youth. That legend used to be really popr but besides being depicted as water that could make someone younger and heal any wound there wasn''t much information to go around. Noticing Uriel''s disbelieving look Walter continued. "Like I said before, I''m not really expecting to find an actual fountain of youth. I''m just an old man that wishes his dream to be true."


    "A dream?"


    "Yes, ever since I was young, before even founding the Mapple corp. I dreamed of being an archaeologist traveling to exotic ces and uncovering all sorts of mysteries but, a dream is just a dream and in the end I fell prey of my own sess. When I founded the Mapple corp. my responsabilities were too great and I kept postponing my dream, but now that my son took over the business and I''m retired I can finally do whatever I want." Walter spoke with a mncholic voice that showed how much he regretted wasting all those years working non stop, but there was still a glint of hope in his eyes.


    "Then, what you''re saying is that you wouldn''t mind if all you find is ancient kitchenware and religious objects?"


    "Precisely, I''ll be thrilled if we discover something new or if we make a groundbreaking achievement, but I''ll still be satisfied if we find artifacts that help us understand how did people from past times lived their ordinary life." Despite being an old man, Walter exuded the charisma and self confidence of a man at his peak. Walter spoke with such passion that Uriel couldn''t help but be enthralled by the person in front of him and time flew by as they conversed about the subject of their passion, archaeology.

 Chapter 49 Sign me up

    49 Sign me up


    Uriel''s rational mind didn''t have any space for mumble jumble about impossible cities and fantastic fountains with the made up ability to rejuvenate a person, but he had to admit that keeping an open mind would be the best course of action if he was to take part in the investigation.


    He listened to Walter''s exnation that included the specifics about his job.


    "Our research has been at a standstill for so long that even our most aplished personnel is now idle at the site. We''ve been trying to open the way to reach the chambers of the underground structure without any sess and there hasn''t been progress in tranting the ancientnguage. I called you here with the hopes that you''ll be able to trante at least a portion of the carvings, but even if you''re not able you will still get paid. Although, the contract I prepared n advance states that any progress you make will provide you a substantial bonus." Walter exined.


    "That sounds more than reasonable, but will I be able to keep any artifacts?" Uriel asked, obviously thinking on the possibility of acquiring a new artifact in order to be stronger. Having money was great, but he also knew that the one who discovers a treasure has a im to it.


    "Well, you put me in a difficult spot. I have more money than I can spend and artifacts are far more precious to me than credits, you also have to take into consideration that this is a private expedition." Walter leaned forward with a business smile.


    "It''s just like you said, money can only go that far. As you know, I want to be a proper archaeologist and no amount of money will buy that for me. artifacts, though, are sure to bring me some renown and I''ll be able to secure a future for my career."


    Instead of being displeased after being challenged by the young man in front of him, Walter showed an excited look on his face.


    "What do you think Mister Sage, are you up for the task?" Nika smiled after Walter retreated.


    "Am I up for the task!? I''m so excited I can''t wait to depart already!" Uriel eximed barely containing the widest smile to ever appear on his face and they started discussing the terms of the contract.


    Uriel gave up on a percentage of the treasure as long as he had first im on any treasure he liked, though the price would be deducted from his pay. As soon as he signed the contract which, by the way, didn''t make him an employee at the Mapple corp but a frence contractor he was presented with another document.


    "What''s this about?" Uriel asked.


    "This is the contract for acquiring Miss Nika''s services. Although she''s our employee and we''ll be paying her, to make the most of her trait you''ll need to hire her yourself." Walter exined.


    Uriel gazed at the piece of paper in front of him, no matter how he looked at it, more than a contract it seemed like some sort of oath.


    "I, Nika Garcia, will be the shadow of Uriel Sage until the current project is either finished or called off." Uriel read out loud.


    "Now this is awkward." Nika cringed after hearing the words in the contract.


    Thinking it strange, but not necessarily bad, Uriel was getting ready to sign the contract but he was stopped by Nika who took off the pen from his hand and offered a small cutting knife.


    "You need to sign with blood, you don''t need to write anything just a drop of blood will suffice."


    "Isn''t this kind of weird... just what kind of trait has a requirement like this? I mean, it feels like I''m selling my soul to a demon or something."


    "Don''t mind it, it''s just so I can make the most of my trait." Nika smiled reassuringly, yet Uriel had his doubts. His reluctance to sign with blood only amounted to make the moment even more awkward and Nika was starting to lose her cool. "Just sign it, ok?"


    What Nika didn''t notice was that Uriel wasn''t hesitating, but pondering about her trait requirement. ''If my trait was difficult to discover, just how did she find out about hers?''. Most traits Uriel had encountered so far were pretty straightforward, it was either control over an element or some sort of body modification, but as far as he knew none of them had any requisites to being activated.


    The young archaeology student finally resolved himself to cut his thumb and fortunately for him the cut didn''t hurt in the slightest thanks to the sharpness of the knife. The cut was so clean that after the few drops of blood fell on the paper it was difficult to spot the wound.


    Uriel expected for something mystical to happen in front of his eyes, blood pooling in a seal, the contract glimmering or floating in the air, yet nothing happened. Just when he was about to sigh in disappointment, Nika picked up the knife and made a small cut on her thumb just like Uriel had previously done. Then, blood started to slowly flow toward the letters with their names written, changing the color from ck to a thick red giving an ominous feeling.


    "It does look like a pact with a demon, doesn''t it? I never get tired of seeing it." Walter expressed his emotion after watching the scene.


    "Shut up old man! I''m not a demon, it''s just my trait!" Nika waved her hands in the air dispelling the ceremonious aura in the process and triggering Walter''sughter. The old man finished with a fake cough that sounded all too real and then said.


    "With that done, I think we''re all set now Mister Uriel. I look forward to your discoveries, if you happen to run into any issues you can ask Miss Nika, from now on she''ll be in charge of anything you need."


    "Anything?" Uriel asked not knowing why was he blushing.


    "Anything!" Nika winked flirtatiously.


    After saying their goodbyes, Uriel and Nika retreated leaving Walter alone with the blond stewardess who ced a ss of scotch in front of him.


    "What an amusing young man he is, I didn''t expect to find someone like him in a ce like this." He sighed as he shook the ss moving the golden liquid in circles.


    "He certainly is out of the ordinary. To think he''ll have the guts to negotiate with you of all people." The blond woman smiled.


    "He reminded me of myself when I was his age, I wonder where would I be if I decided to go explore the world back in those days." Walter gazed at the distance, not looking at anything in particr, and drowned himself on memories of the good old times when he was young and had real friends, not people trying to suck up to him all day.


    Somehow, his adventurous spirit was lit up by the presence of the young student who was so passionate about archaeology but, at the end of the day he was still just an old man. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 50 Shadow companion

    50 Shadowpanion


    "Alright, all I need now is grab some stuff from my dorm and then I''ll be ready to go today." Uriel addressed Nika who was standing by his side.


    "I don''t think that''ll be possible." Nika awkwardly replied.


    "What do you mean? Is there anything stopping us from departing?"


    "Actually, we set off a couple hours after you boarded the ship." She shrugged. "The trip should take less than two days, in the meantime you are allowed to do as you please and I''ll be in charge of making sure you''refortable. Please ask me if you want anything." She finished with a yful wink.


    "So the ship took flight even before I signed the contract? What if I refused?"


    "Tee hee! it''s your fault anyways for chatting for so long!" Nika giggled yfully.


    Uriel didn''t notice the ship''s takeoff or the passing of time because he was mesmerized into his conversation with Mister Walter. Of course none of that bothered him in the slightest, if anything, he was actually grateful because it meant they would be able to reach their destiny even sooner and now he had the whole zeppelin as his entire disposal. He coulde and go as he pleased into any and every room or do whatever he wanted. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Borrow books from the ship''s library? He could simply take them without telling anyone, food too, even clothes which was really fortunate because he was still wearing his old clothes, he could ask for absolutely anything and within a couple minutes everything would be solved. He was given free reign over the airship and he enjoyed every second of it.


    The best part, though, was enjoying Nika''s attention. Not because she was a beauty, but because she was really good at her job. All he needed to do was say something like "I''m a bit hungry." and then she would disappear only toe back with avish meal. The same thing happened over and over, it was so efficient it was annoying.


    "You know, you''d make a great maid. I would absolutely hire you after this expedition if I had the money." Uriel joked after she brought him a drink from the ship''s cefeteria.


    "Then If I evere out of my retirement and find myself without an employer I''ll take your word for it." She joked back.


    Being a scientist, Uriel felt like testing the extent of Nika''s ability. He purposely left a book in one corner of the ship and once he was at the exact opposite corner heined about ''forgetting'' his book somewhere in the ship. Nika nodded slightly and then vanished in front of his eyes, not even a full minute after she appeared back with the book on her hands. Uriel couldn''t tell if she was too fast or if her trait had something to do with it.


    "Is there anything else I can help you with Mister Sage?" She said with a smug.


    08:40


    "How are you doing this!? It''s really unsettling that you disappear and appear out of nowhere!" He finally gave up in attempting to secretly find out about her trait.


    "You''re asking me about my trait? I thought it was some sort of an unspoken rule among hunters to never ask other people''s traits but I don''t mind telling. My trait is called shadowpanion, I can merge with the shadows of any one person and emerge from there too, but as you know, there are some requirements and also restrictions."


    "So, that was it!? Then what do you do if you''re not employed?"


    "That''s why I''m telling you, my trait is called ''shadowpanion'', it only works if I am attached to someone''s shadow."


    With his curiosity satisfied Uriel leisurely spent the rest of the evening exploring the zeppelin and getting familiar with it. Everyone on the airship saluted him as if he was a high ranking military officer, it made him feel really awkward, but deep inside he reveled in it.


    Just as it happens with most good things, he grew tired of all the attention and there was nothing else for him to do on the vast ship but heading to the luxurious room he was assigned but then it was Nika''s time for mischief. She had endured Uriel''s whimsicalmands the whole evening withoutining even once, she wlessly performed her duty despite Uriel''s clear attempts at annoying her and it was time for revenge.


    The first thing she did was to pop inside the bathroom just as Uriel was about to take a shower, then she popped behind him while he was changing clothes, then finally she popped behind him when he was using his phone. Uriel did his best to remain alert, but she always appeared out of thin air and every single time he was startled.


    The worst part was when it was time to sleep, though, because Uriel was tired already and the only thing he wanted was to get some sleep.


    "Can''t you just go somewhere else?" Uriel begged.


    "No can do." She said with a smirk. "I''m currently your bodyguard, wherever you go I must follow."


    "You say that like my life is on danger, but I just want to sleep!"


    "Wasn''t it funny to send me look for your ''lost'' book?" She grinned.


    Uriel resigned himself to the situation he was in, but it was incredibly odd and awkward to try to sleep with someone staring at him from the corner of the room. After a while he opened his eyes and she wasn''t in the room.


    "Nika, are you there?" He asked tentatively and when he didn''t receive a reply he sighed in relief.


    "Yes, how may I assist you?" A shadow crept from below thefortable bed.


    "That''s enough! I really need to get some sleep and I can''t do it with you stalking me! If you don''t go somewhere else I''m asking for another bodyguard."


    "You won''t ever find a prettier bodyguard than me. Come on! There''s no need to be so shy, in fact, I could sleep with you if you ask me." She said in a seductive tone that would have worked, if not for the fact that Uriel knew she was out of his league and he was tired after the eventful day.


    "I don''t need a pretty bodyguard, I need one that will let me get some sleep!"


    "Fine, I''ll go." Nika went out the room faking a sad smile, then she looked back towards Uriel who was still on his bed expecting for him to call her back, but he didn''t and she finally left closing the foor behind her.


    "She''s really pretty... I wish I wasn''t so shy and could have asked her to sleep with me." Uriel said out loud a few seconds after Nika exited the room.


    "A HA! I knew it!" Nika said as she crept out from below the bed using her trait once again, only to instantly receive a pillow to her face.


    "I can''t believe you actually fell for it!" Urielughed. "Now go, seriously, this time for real." He said ring at the bodyguard.


    Although the ship was supposed to be a safe ce, it was on her best interest that her ''Asset'', as bodyguards referred to their proteges, remained safe at all times.


    "This guy is no fun" Nika said once she was out of the room, for good this time, but in truth she was thinking the exact opposite. He wasn''t arrogant or entitled like most of the people she had worked with before. Despite her being the head of security in the Mapple corp, she started her career as a mere bodyguard because of the restrictions on her trait. That exined why she was so good at her job, her trait was exceptional when it came to being a bodyguard but it wasn''t nearly as good to hunt.

 Chapter 51 Welcome to the jungle

    51 Wee to the jungle


    Uriel enjoyed life on the zeppelin during the rest of the trip. Lavish food, nice clothes and people who treated him nicely, in short, it was heaven, but as much as he enjoyed getting spoiled he was so excited about the expedition he couldn''t wait tond.


    If this was the old times, the zeppelin would have been able to fly over the ocean and arrive at their destination in a couple hours, but flying over the sea carelessly was too dangerous because of the unknown dangers that may be lurking under the dark waters. Instead of flying over the short distance they had to make a detour and fly only overnd as it was easy to spot any possible threats at a distance.


    When the zeppelin touched ground a big group of bodyguards were dispatched to clear thending zone and only after a few minutes when they made sure it was safe, Uriel was finally allowed to set foot outside. He grabbed the backpack that had been prepared for him beforehand and ran outside along with Nika who was now his own personal assistant.


    "This is amazing! I''ve never been in a ce like this before!" He said after taking the first breath of humid jungle air. One of the biggest concerns within city walls was the air quality, it was precisely because of the tall walls that smog clouded up and it caused many citizens to fall due to illness, but it was also thanks to the walls that people were able to go about their daily life normally. Enjoying the breath of fresh air, Uriel advanced across the broad path in front of him following the leading Mapple employees.


    "One thing they never tell you about the jungle is how many mosquitoes are out there seeking for blood." Uriel pped his thigh killing the pesky little bug that just bit him. He had only been walking for about five minutes after disembarking and he was already being swarmed by all sorts of insects.


    "Actually, they always warn people about them." Nika said as she stepped out of the shadows, startling Uriel.


    "Howe they''re not biting you then?" He managed to say after regaining hisposure. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "It''s one of the perks of being a heavenly rank, my skin is too thick. Now that I think about it, perhaps if you were ascended you''d be safe too." She shrugged.


    "Wait, you''re a heavenly rank!? I see, that exins how you managed to knock Mark out with a single blow." Uriel gasped.


    "Yeah, I''m that good. But jokes aside, even though there''s a lot of difference in between ranks you need to keep in mind one single fact..."


    "What fact?"


    "That no matter what, I''m just unbeatable." She said with a smug grin.


    Uriel had thought she was going to share some words of wisdom or a hidden trick to defeat higher ranked opponents but after realizing that his hopes were in vain he then fell in silent annoyance.


    They were being apanied on their way to the ruins by a small group, mostlyprised of Mapple corp. employees, all of them were ascended and well armed but some were also carrying luggage and supplies. One thing that called for Uriel''s attention was how, even in this hot and humid climate, they were still wearing their ufortable long coat uniforms, now he regretted choosing to dress in shorts and a shirt with a sleeveless jacket. He was morefortable than the ones dressed in long coats, but on the other hand he was constantly getting bit by insects.


    Everything about the jungle sounded right in his mind, but felt wrong in reality. He had always pictured himself exploring the vast rainforest in a warm climate with a beautiful wildndscape on sight and a pretty assistant by his side. All of which he now had, but things weren''t quite how he expected them to be. He was in an expedition abroad but this kind of climate was too humid for him who was born and raised within city walls on an arid climate, nature was beautiful but filled with bugs and his pretty assistant turned out to be aplete airhead.


    ''I guess that''s why they always say that one should be careful with one wishes for.'' He sighed.


    The group advanced with ease across a path that had been previously cleared with machetes, it showed clear signs of being traversed on a regr basis but if left unattended the vegetation would quickly im its territory. There were a few vehicles capable of moving despite the presence of cryptids stored inside the zeppelin, but Uriel was told it was safer to move on foot. The distance towards the ruins wasn''t that long from where the zeppelinnded and also, the roaring of engines might draw unwanted attention, as powerful as the Mapple corp was, no one was truly safe against the unspeakable horrors that may be lurking in the wilderness.


    "Do not stray from the road, there''s an Ocelotl that''s been giving us trouble around the road." Nika, the self proimed prettiest bodyguard in the world, who now was wearing camo pants and a ck tanktop warned Uriel as he was carelessly gazing at his surroundings.


    "Aren''t ocelots just small felines?" Uriel asked with a confounded expression.


    "Not an ocelot, an Ocelotl! It''s a huge jaguar, he''s always covered in blue mes but we''ve never been able to catch it unguarded."


    "Why not?"


    "He''s really sneaky, he only attacks when he''s certain he''ll win and so far we''ve never been able to find hisir. Any time a group travels these paths without a heavenly rank hunter there''s been casualties, it''s also the reason why we can''t get vehicles to the site."


    Uriel wasn''t that interested in cryptids, but he wondered if a cryptid''s intelligence could be a sign of it''s strength.


    So far he had met three different kinds of cryptids. There were those that looked like animals with slight differences like the ck dog or the horned rabbits, those that didn''t look much like animals and were usually a lot bigger like they huge centipede-like creature miss Dragonfang killed, and then there were those that possessed strange abilities like the skinwalker or the slenderman.


    Those two where the ones Uriel feared the most because they were cunning, smart and showed signs of intelligence. The skinwalker was strong enough to withstand a shot of his magnum and he knew that he wouldn''t have been able to defeat it if they hadn''t found out his weakness to silver. About the slenderman, just thinking about the tall creepy figure that drove Sam to the verge of insanity made him shiver, but even then, at least he knew that light would keep that creature at bay.


    What about the jaguar? Uriel didn''t know anything about it and he feared that if he was to be caught by such creature, his chances of making it alive would be slim to none.


    He tried to remember if he knew any tales about a jaguar like that, there were many pre columbian tales that were preserved by christian monks, but most of the lore in this parts was lost after the spanish invasion. In the end, though, he decided to simply ask Nika who should be more familiar with the creature but she didn''t know much either.


    "So, no one really knows its weakness..." He pondered.


    "It''s not just that, we don''t know much about it at all. I never seen it myself, remember that cryptids don''t appear on photographs or video recordings so we don''t have any evidence about its existence either. All we can rely on are the sayings of people who survived its attack and they''re not that many." Nika''s expression turned grim for the first time during the expedition.

 Chapter 52 Chichén Itzá

    52 Chich¨¦n Itz¨¢


    "Hey, have you heard anything about the VIP?" A man on his thirties asked the woman by his side.


    "I''ve probably heard the same things as you, that he''s a big shot archaeologist called in here by Walter Works himself to decipher the carvings." She replied as she tinkered with the equipment on her heavy looking backpack. It was a machine simr to Phlox''s recycler, but instead of recycling it had different purposes ranging frommunication to navigation and utilities.


    "I could care less if its a big shot or not, all I want is to get done with everything here and go back to my wife." He sighed as he took a sip out of a suspicious canteen that contained some sort of liquid, but certainly not water.


    "Don''t say things like that! Can''t you see it''s a red g?"


    "Yeah, right... I can''t believe an engineer like you would believe in such things."


    They were both trainedbatants who belonged to the Mapple corp, they were tasked with the protection of the VIP who was supposed to arrive on site weeks ago so they had been idle most of their stay at Chich¨¦n Itz¨¢ and were very resentful towards Uriel before even meeting him. They thought Uriel believed himself to be some type of ''rockstar'' and didn''t even consider the possibility that the reason he didn''te before was because they hadn''t found him yet, all they knew was that since their asset was not on site they were theughing stock and were treated like errand boys.


    "I''m a medic you know, a pretty respectable one at that, why do I need to be on watch duty?" The man sighed and then took another gulp from his suspicious canteen. It wasn''t long until they noticed a group of people on their way to the archaeological site, judging by their attire and equipment they had to be from the Mapple corp too so they quickly stood up to keep appearances, yet everyone in the group ignored them except for a single young man who seemed to be of college age who waved at them with a smile.


    Upon reaching the settlement located at the borders of Chich¨¦n Itza, Uriel noticed how neat and orderly the archaeological site was. It was aplex site with different structures and ruins, all of which had been properly marked and protected so people couldn''t get close without authorization.


    "I see they''ve been taking good care of the ruins." He gasped at the sight of all the yellow tapes covering even the smallest structure, the high end equipment and the way people seemed to walk by with respect towards the ancient ruins. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I''m d you see it that way, I made sure to keep those annoying warmongers far from the valuable remains." A man on his thirties walked in from behind, he was wearing khakis and an explorer''s hat making him look like a stereotypical archaeologist.


    "He''s professor Schlieman, an archaeologist just like you Mister Sage." Nika introduced the pompous man.


    "Mister Sage? Not doctor or professor? So it''s true what they said, that you''re only a college student after all." Professor Schlieman said out loud, deeply embarrassing the young student in front of those present. "Oh! I didn''t mean it like that, I''m actually impressed that someone so young managed to identify an unknownnguage."


    Of course that was a lie, the minute he heard a college student was getting invited by Walter Works himself he already nned to humiliate him at every possible chance.


    "Thanks, I guess..." Uriel replied scratching the back of his head.


    "So, do you think you can provide us with a codex so we can start tranting the carvings?" Professor Schlieman tantly asked.


    Thanks to the presence of the glyphs inside his museum Uriel thought he would be able to do that and even more. Not only he figured out the alphabet, but he somehow was able to understand the meaning behind the words. Still, that didn''t mean he was willing to share any of that information because he knew the minute he provided a codex, his presence would be made redundant.


    "I''m sorry professor, but I was under the impression that I was brought in here to trante, not to share my research." Although Uriel had a lot of nk spaces in hismon sense and knowledge of modern society, he wasn''t as naive as to share his research without putting up a fight.


    Noticing professor Schlieman''s intention, Nika red at the man in silence until he couldn''t take the pressure anymore and apologized for his ''mistake''. After that short interaction, Schlieman muttered an excuse and went out to do his business leaving them free to settle in the camp.


    It was gettingte already and despite the excitement of being inside one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, Uriel decided to call it a day. There was no point in rushing to the investigation and he wanted to do it with daylight to fully appreciate the sight.


    After spending a couple days in the luxurious zeppelin, sleeping in a regr tent was disappointing for Uriel who expected a lot more from the Mapple corp. Still, he wasn''t going toin about something like that because every single Mapple corp employee had simr if not worse amodations. What bothered him, though, was the presence of Nika on his tent.


    Dutiful as ever, Nika wouldn''t part from Uriel and slept on his same tent. Uriel didn''t appreciate it in the slightest, it was one thing to know she was able to pop in his room at any time she wished but what truly bothered Uriel was that ever since Nika was assigned as his bodyguard hecked all sense of privacy. Even when she wasn''t around, he still felt someone was staring at him because of the unsettling nature of her trait. To add insult to injury sleeping by the side of a beauty like her made him really anxious and he had trouble sleeping. However, the next day he realized it wasn''t as bad as he had expected.


    ''At least now she didn''t hide in the shadows under my bed.'' He yawned as he got up in the morning. Nika didn''t snore or did anything to upset him.


    By the time Uriel came back from washing himself, Nika was already awake and waiting for orders, her sleeping bag already rolled and ced in a corner. Instead of bossing her around or asking her to roll his sleeping bag, Uriel knelt down and did it himself. He wasn''t that used to camping and he wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, but Nika took it as him being responsible.


    "so, when will you be visiting the ruins?" She asked in a hurry to go back to civilization as soon as possible.

 Chapter 53 This is heaven

    53 This is heaven


    "You need to be patient, yesterday I barely got the chance to look at the site from the distance and the only researcher I met was that weird guy Schlieman. To investigate further I need to gather more data." Uriel said trying to hide his excitement. In all truth, he could have simply walked inside the great pyramid and attempted to trante the glyphs, but he wanted to fully appreciate the experience. It wasn''t everyday that a college student had the chance to participate in an expedition such as this. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "You know, this is an expensive expedition, even for the Mapple corp. and we can''t drag it for too long." She said, already suspecting Uriel''s intentions of stalling the project as much as he could.


    "Yeah, well, how long have they been here?"


    "That is... about six months." She replied honestly.


    "Then what difference does it make if we dy it for a couple more days? I''m not saying I won''t attempt to trante the carvings, but if I want to do it properly I need to know about what have they found so far." Uriel took a morning stroll across the site and dedicated his time to inspect every ce from a distance, taking care not to enter Kukulkan''s pyramid which was thergest and most impressive building and also where they found the strange carvings that couldn''t be tranted.


    There were vestiges of the priest''s houses, the Great Pyramid of Kukulkan, the Warriors'' Temple, the tomb of the High Priestess, the Wall of Skulls, the Temple of the Bearded Man, the tform of the Great Jaguar, the Caracoles Temple, the Little Tablet House, the Descending God Building, among other ancient structures. All of them were at a considerable distance from each other and Uriel was engrossed in the sight of so many different structures, most of them were actually in pretty good shape despite the passing of time.


    "So... Are you done now?" Nika said trying to keep herself fromining about the time ''wasted'' on sightseeing, but in the end she couldn''t help but mutter. "You sure are taking your sweet time on all this."


    "Don''t you see the magnificence of this ce miss Nika? This is one of the biggest and most important archaeological sites in the entire world!" nagan, who had been following them around for a while now spoke from behind.


    "See? He gets it." Uriel said with a hint of surprise. "I didn''t take you for an archaeology enthusiast Mister nagan."


    "To bepletely honest, I''m not... or at least I wasn''t until I was sent here the first time. Since then I''ve been doing my best to keep up with the research and I must confess it''s really interesting."


    "That''s great! Maybe you can put me up to date with how far along the way the investigation is."


    "Certainly, Mister Sage. The site has been under Mapple corp control for about six months, so far we haven''t suffered any casualties within the borders of its FOD, the only casualties had been on the way here and..."


    "I mean about the research, not just the safety of the site."


    "Apologies," nagan bowed down to Uriel. "Every single building had been searched for clues and the assistants made drawings of all the sculptures and of all the symbols carved in its walls. They''re all stored in that tent over there and I highly rmend you check them as soon as possible, as my insight on archaeology is limited and my understanding doesn''t go that far. Oh! I''ve also heard they uncovered a few objects, but most of them seemed to be rather ordinary and the archaeologists haven''t shown much interest in them."


    Uriel followed Mister nagan''s advice and headed to the tent where they kept all the drawings. He went through the incredibly detailed hand drawn replicas that were miles apart from Luna''s rushed doodles on her sketchbook. They were almost as good as photographs and they''ve also been stored and categorized properly.


    ''Heaven, this is heaven! I think I spent all the good luck in my life after being invited on this expedition.'' Uriel was so happy he could burst in joy as he immersed in the documents in front of him, not minding the passing of time at all.


    "Are you done now?" Nika asked, deeply irked by Uriel''s silent and boring study.


    "I''m busy, if you''re so impatient why don''t you go be annoying somewhere else?" Just the thought of him talking to a woman as pretty as Nika would have made him nervous a week ago but now that he got to know her he wasfortable even sending her away.


    "Fine, I''ll leave you in the capable hands of nagan. Hey you! Do not screw up or I''ll have your head on a pike, you hear me?" She addressed a not so subtle warning to her subordinate who showed clear signs of almost crapping his pants on the spot.


    "This is it!" Uriel shouted. "Where are they keeping the y artifacts?" He asked nagan who promptly led him to another tent where all the artifacts, not just those made with y, had been safely stored in shelves or stic crates.


    "What''s the matter Mister Sage, did you find anything that will help you trante thenguage?"


    "Ah, uh, yeah." He lied through his teeth. He needed to keep the fact that he could probably already trante it a secret, or else they would rush him to simply open the door and leave him behind. He needed to prove his usefulness before something like that happened.


    What he found on the drawing had nothing to do with thenguage, but with the cryptid that had been spotted around. He searched the catalog for a couple minutes until he found the exact position of a certain y figurine and he respectfully took it out from the chest with his bare hands.


    "We need to take this to the tform of the great Jaguar as soon as possible!" Uriel shouted after studying it for just a minute and ran outside as fast as he could, trying not to drop the valuable figurine to the ground.


    As soon as he reached his destination he was suddenly stopped by professor Schlieman who was in the vicinity. Not by chance, of course, he had been following Uriel with his gaze in search for an opportunity to make a fool of the young student.


    "I''m sorry youngd, but I can''t let you walk any further. Every structure has been sealed and is currently being handled properly by our archaeologists." The professor said trying to hide a smug.


    "But I figured it out!" Uriel replied trying to walk past him without any sess.


    "From what I''ve heard you are certainly a smart young man, I give you that, but you''re not even a college graduate yet and you don''t know how to properly handle archaeological remains."


    "They brought me here to investigate, how am I supposed to investigate if I can''t go near the structures. I assure you, I do know the proper methods for preserving cultural sites."


    "You say that, but you even dared to carry that valuable idol with your bare hands, not even wearing gloves!" Professor Schlieman ced his hand over his chest feigning concern for the ''useless'' y figure. His outraged disy caused amotion and many researchers drew in to show his support to professor Schlieman, who was deemed as the lead expert in Mayan history and the most renowned archaeologist on site.

 Chapter 54 The mystery of the clay figurine

    54 The mystery of the y figurine


    "You are nothing but a glorified self proimed trantor and there''s nothing to trante in the tform of the great Jaguar!" Professor Schlieman said pushing Uriel back. If he wasn''t an evolved he would have most likely dropped the y figurine, but thankfully he managed to hold on to it. "You are not needed here! Now scram and let the professionals take care of everything and give me that before you break it." He said trying to take the y figurine from Uriel''s hands.


    "I had it! who is in charge of this site? I need to have a word with them." Uriel asked nagan, but he didn''t know the answer. While it was true that Uriel had been called by Mister Walter himself, Professor Schlieman had been in charge of the site ever since they arrived. The only high ranking Mapple corp. employee was Nika and she was nowhere to be seen.


    ''Great, just when I really need her she''s gone.'' Uriel sighed.


    For so long Uriel had mixed in the crowd feeling he didn''t belong anywhere, like he was walking in a dark alley and was able to see the city lights but not quite able to reach for them. Now that he had a taste of the perks of stepping into the spotlight he wasn''t going to let anyone bully him, not anymore.


    "I asked who''s in charge of this site, do I really need to repeat myself?" Uriel raised his voice but professor Schlieman didn''t seem to want to cooperate in the slightest and attempted to reach for the figurine again only to fall back on his butt when someone stepped out from the shadows.


    "That would be you, Mister Sage. You''ve been appointed by Mister Walter Works himself as head archaeologist until further notice." Faithful to her style, Nika startled everyone present, everyone but Uriel who was now a bit used to her shenanigans and already expected her to appear from out of thin air.


    "What took you so long?" He said in a whisper.


    "I was finishing taking a bath, would you like to see some proof?" She whispered back with a devilish smile that Uriel ignored altogether.


    "Call for every single archaeologist and research assistant on site please, I would like to put a theory to the test in front of everyone. Oh, and bring some essence orbs too!"


    "Heck yeah! Now things are finally in motion!" Nika grinned as she disappeared into the shadows right in front of everyone and not even five minutester she came back with a group of about fifty people.


    They were all older and, of course, even the less schrly among the assistants already had a Phd. before ''the arrival''. Because of the way Uriel was recruited into the expedition none of them knew him and only a few had heard about this supposed college student with incredible knowledge in the ancientnguage.


    "Before I begin I''ll introduce myself," Uriel faked a cough and proceeded to speak louder. "My name is Uriel Sage and I''ll be in charge of this site until further notice, yes I am still in college, yes, I am not an archaeologist yet and, before you start spitting nonsense, let me show you why do you guys need me." Uriel proceeded to cross the yellow tape and step into the Great jaguar tform and ced the jaguar figurine right in the middle.


    19:33


    "Before I begin I''ll introduce myself," Uriel faked a cough and proceeded to speak louder. "My name is Uriel Sage and I''ll be in charge of this site until further notice, yes I am still in college, yes, I am not an archaeologist yet and, before you start spitting nonsense, let me show you why do you guys need me." Uriel proceeded to cross the yellow tape and step into the Great jaguar tform and ced the jaguar figurine right in the middle.


    For just a second, even the skeptical professors expected the ground to open, the rocks to move or some sort of mechanism activation, but none of that happened and they all stared nkly at Uriel, some were trying to hide their disappointment while others didn''t mind showing their disgust on their faces.


    "Why are you even cing that idol over there? We found it buried near the Mayan ball-court and..." Professor Schlieman spoke in a condescending manner.


    "First, this is not an idol, I don''t know why you people always guess that every single figurine has to be rted to religious purposes, we all know it only means you don''t know anything about the artifact. There''s also no need to point out the fact that the ballcourt was Mayan since it''s pretty obvious. Everything in here is Mayan!"


    "What do you mean it''s not an idol?" Professor Friedriksen, a man on his sixties with a pronounced belly and a very neat white mustache, asked with genuine curiosity.


    "Idols are made with the purpose of adoration, impulsed by religious beliefs. This one has nothing to do with religion, it''s actually a summoning stone." Uriel said with feigned confidence in his words, in all truth he didn''t know what a summoning stone was.


    All he knew was that the figurine was covered in carvings and, from what he was able to read, the figurine was actually a device to summon a Jaguar spirit. About why should the stone be ced on the great Jaguar tform, it only made sense to do so, since none of the other structures had a direct rtionship with jaguars at all.


    When Nika handed him the essence orbs he asked for, Uriel promptly crushed one right in front of the figurine. The previously dull y-like figurine started shaking and several arcs of yellow electricity appeared on all four corners of the small tform, then a confused jaguar covered in mes appeared out of thin air.


    "Don''t shoot!" Uriel shouted, timely preventing the trigger happy Mapple corp. employees from attacking the cryptid in front of them. Before the cryptid could even understand what was going on, he was sucked into the figurine along with the strange energy.


    The small figurine seemed to grow in size and then the y cover peeled off revealing a golden jaguar in a different position than before. The small golden sculpture now portrayed a very confused Jaguar in the exact same position as the cryptid that briefly appeared in front of everyone.


    All of those present, researchers and Mapple employees alike, were gaping at the sight. Even Nika was taken by surprise because no one really knew what to expect. She didn''t stop mumbling ''witchcraft'' during the whole process, crossing herself with a terrified expression on her face.


    "Does this mean that the jaguar beast is now gone?" Nika finally managed to ask all covered in sweat.


    "I guess, I don''t know where it went but it shouldn''t bother you guys anymore." Uriel smiled as he slid his sleeve across his forehead to wipe his own sweat off. He too didn''t know exactly what was going to happen as the instructions on the y figurine were difficult to read and most of the text had been lost to time.


    "But... How did you know what was going to happen!?" Professor Friedriksen asked, still in a daze after the miracle performed in front of his eyes.


    "Believe it or not, the y figurine came with instructions. It said the Jaguar spirit was the guardian of the Kukulkan Pyramid, it also said more or less how to activate it."


    Although it could be called aplete sess, deep inside his mind Uriel regretted the fact that the essence orb he crushed to seal off the jaguar spirit didn''t make him stronger. Still,the short demonstration managed to get everyone''s attention and earn him the respect of their now ''peers''. He was also a lot more confident now in his ability to trante and maybe open the hidden passage towards the mysterious underground structure beneath their feet.


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 55 First breakthrough

    Chapter 55 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 whening and going for supplies.


    "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. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "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 letting out a delightful sigh afterwards.


    "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 asion 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 the young student, 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 anyway. I think it would be highly unprofessional." Uriel''s reply almost made professor Friedriksen spit his beer, he too was a researcher but 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 exined.


    "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 for all we know, they may as well be. Especially if we take into consideration the fact that they possessed incredible technology in times where it shouldn''t be possible, they must be connected somehow."


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


    "It would make sense and exin a lot of things. Where do cryptidse from? Why so many civilizations were so simr despite their distance? There''s just too many unanswered questions." The few researchers that were in the surroundings reacted as if someone had spat on their mother''s grave, dering a theory like that was nothing short of sphemy 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 tform 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 sses they took or taught in prestigious colleges, 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 rted to the cryptid that was roaming thend, 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, whates next?" one of those present asked, but Professor Schlieman didn''t give Uriel the chance to reply.


    "I''ll tell you whates next, we should crush essence orbs to try and activate every single POI on site and see what happens!" His words came apanied by a drunken hup 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." he continued.


    "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 towards 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 in charge anymore." Uriel''s confidence didn''t dwindle in front of all those schrs. 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 in front of his colleagues, professor Schlieman went to sleep early. In spite of his previous status as the most renowned archaeologist on site no one even missed him and the rest of the night was filled with joyous celebration, perhaps 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.

 Chapter 56 The ancient ruins of Chichén Itzá

    Chapter 56 The ancient ruins of Chich¨¦n Itz¨¢


    Now that Uriel''s confidence enjoyed a huge boost from his first sess, he wasn''t hesitant to step into the Kukulkan pyramid anymore. If anything, he was more excited than ever because now he was being backed by most of the researchers on site and he was being treated as a full fledged archaeologist by them.


    "I already figured out what''s the Great jaguar tform''s purpose which is good, but in order to find the entrance to the underground structure I''ll need to study every single POI first. There''s no telling as to what could happen if we rush things." Uriel had been attempting to exin the situation to the hangover Nika, but all she did was to nod at his every word with pretend interest on her face.


    "I get it, I totally get it, so how long will it be? Do you think it may get sorted next week?" She asked, for the umpteenth time.


    "Did you not listen to what I just said? It could be a couple days, it could be a few weeks or even years! Stop bothering me!" He finally raised his voice in annoyance causing Nika to pucker her lips out in a pout. "Fine, let''s go to the great pyramid first."


    "Yes! I knew you would fall for my charms in the end!" She waved her arms in the air and disappeared into Uriel''s shadow with a gleeful smile without giving him the chance to rebuke. Not long after she came back along with nagan and four other bodyguards among which was the medic and the female engineer that had been previously treated like errand boys. They were so excited to finally be on the move that had already prepared gear, archaeology equipment and supplies for a week long trip.


    "Isn''t this a little bit too much? This site is not that big." Uriel''s brow began twitching uncontrobly.


    "One never knows, maybe we''ll get to enter the hidden structure." The female engineer shrugged and led the way towards the pyramid. Although the way was clear and there were no cryptids on sight, the group of bodyguards still surrounded Uriel as if he was going to war.


    They were skillful enough not to get in Uriel''s way, but that didn''t make it any less annoying. ''Is this how famous people feel? I guess it''s a good thing I''m not famous, one week of this and I''d go crazy.'' Despite his thoughts, he still felt a bit of a thrill thanks to the VIP treatment.


    Once in front of the pyramid, Uriel finally had the chance to really take in its magnificence. It wasn''t just a few bricks piled up on top of each other, it was made with thousands upon thousands of stones all cut to perfectly fit each other.


    Climbing the long stairs that led to the top where the ancient glyphs had been discovered, Uriel pondered about the method the Mayans probably used to build it. Was it possible to build a structure such as these with the technology they had or was it built long before the Mayans even arrived at this ce, such questions kept him distracted for a while.


    Nika was the first to get inside the chamber using antern to light the way and Uriel followed closely behind, thanks to being an evolved human he wasn''t tired in the slightest after the climb.


    "Where are the carvings?" Uriel asked as soon as he stepped inside and Nika lighted up the whole ce. The chamber on top of the pyramid wasn''t that spacious and it was just a square made of stone, just like the rest of the pyramid, but there was a brick that seemed to be made of a different material.


    It was as if the stone had peeled off, revealing a material that resembled something in between copper and gold.


    "I see, so the carvings aren''t in the stone, but on the material beneath it." Uriel said as he took a brush from the archaeology equipment.


    "A brush!? I present to you THE hardest material ever discovered in the world and you pick up a brush to crack it!?" Nika facepalmed.


    "It''s not for opening the supposed door, you knucklehead, it''s just to wipe the dust off so I can read better." Uriel exined as he proceeded to dust the carvings on sight and not long after they were clean enough for Uriel to read.


    [Emergency exit] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ''What!? For real!?'' Uriel couldn''t believe his own eyes. ''I can''t let them know that the mysterious carvings in an ancientnguage say something so... mundane.'' Uriel pondered for a while on how to tell everyone that the pyramid wasn''t an entrance to the structure but the emergency exit. It wasn''t just that the message carved on the pyramid was so simple it was anti-climatic, but also because it might allow other researchers to easily deduce the whole alphabet and make a codex of their own, just like he previously did.


    "What does it say? Judging by the look in your face it seems you were able to trante it." nagan said out loud, forcing Uriel to give a prompt answer to avoid looking suspicious.


    "It says something like ''For those who despair, for those who fear, one way is the correct way but this is not the way''." Uriel provided aplete made up riddle, like those seen on old movies about ruins and temples just to keep the researchers back at the camp distracted while he performed his investigation.


    nagan swiftly jotted down everything Uriel said without missing a beat.


    "Do you know what does this strange message mean?" nagan asked with excitement.


    "I don''t know for sure..." Uriel kept lying without blinking. "But I think it means the door doesn''t open from this side." He then asked to stay for half an hour more just to keep appearances and pretended to attempt to figure out more about the ancient glyphs, when in reality he simply enjoyed being inside the ruins of such an amazing structure.


    Going down the stairs carrying the delicate equipment was a bit difficult because of how steep the stairs were, but as ascended their physical capabilities were enhanced, including their sense of bnce. Once they were down, nagan made sure to share Uriel''s findings with the researchers on site and then the expedition party set off to the next structure.


    Now that Uriel knew the pyramid wasn''t the entrance to the underground structure, he needed to rule out each and every one of the remaining POIs. Such a task was as promising as entertaining and he found much joy in visiting the different structures. First came the priest''s houses, but they were just old remains and nothing more, then he headed towards the tomb of the high priestess. There were also some carvings below the stone surface, but none of that was helpful in any way since they were damaged and impossible to read. When asked about the trantion he simply stated that he wasn''t able to trante it unless they found a way to restore the glyphs without damaging them, but that was a job forter.


    "Why can''t we do it now? We have all the equipment!" The female engineer was as excited as Nika to rush the investigation, only her interest wasn''t to go back home but to show progress and achieve results.


    "Because there''s still one more point of interest we need to check out, but it''s at a considerable distance. We can alwayse backter and study the tomb of the high priestess, but there''s only so many hours in a day and we need to hurry up to the next ce." Uriel too was excited for showing results, but he also didn''t want to rush the investigation.


    Although Uriel had been studying archaeology ever since he learned to read, nothing prepared him for what he was about to find in the next POI.

 Chapter 57 The sacred Cenote

    Chapter 57 The sacred Cenote


    "No matter how you put it, this is just a small pond." Nika said as she was taking off her shoes to take a swim in the water.


    "No, it''s not a pond, it''s a Cenote! They''re usually pretty deep and can be dangerous to go in if you don''t know them well. Also..." Uriel exined and attempted to warn Nika, but she cut him short.


    "You''re going to tell ME about Cenotes!? I was born in Mexico, I know all there is to know about Cenotes! Besides I''m a heavenly rank so I can take good care of myself." Nika scoffed and jumped into the water from the rocky height they were in which was about thirty meters.


    "You really don''t need to worry about her Mister Sage, she''s not lying about being a heavenly rank." nagan added.


    "I do believe her, it''s not really about safety in this case, it''s just that..." Uriel''s voice was muffled by a loud shrieking from below. Only when Nika''s loud yelling and cursing finally subsided, he continued. "The waters of ''Ik Kil'' has been stagnant for years." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Everyone in the group, even the most serious among the bodyguards, let out a chuckle taking advantage of the fact that their boss, Nika, was at a distance. Suddenly, theughter shifted into fear as a hideous figure emerged from the shadows, creeping and crawling upwards, its hair wet and covering its face. It resembled a human but, at the same time it did not.


    The eerie creature moved awkwardly in short and abrupt bursts, it looked like it was moving in between seizures with it''s artictions bent in impossible ways as it climbed out of the shadows, resembling a scene from a horror movie.


    "Did- you- did you know the water was dirty!?" Nika asked in a deep growl after using her trait to emerge from Uriel''s shadow. "I''m talking to you, Mister Sage..." The gritting of her teeth was so loud it made everyone flinch.


    "N-no I didn''t... Ok I did, but I tried to warn you." Uriel said scratching his cheek. "Anyway, we need to hurry up, we''re losing daylight and we''re far away from camp."


    Nika remained in ce for a few seconds, heaving in anger as mud slid down from her hair, face and clothes as if she was melting. A small part of her wanted to exact revenge from Uriel who knowingly let her take a dip on dirty water, but that was against her mission and her paycheck was on the line. In the end, thinking about money managed to somewhat calm her down and she was able to continue performing her duty as Uriel''s assistant.


    The expedition partyprised of Uriel, the four bodyguards, nagan and a very upset Nika started going down the stony stairs to reach water level. Although the water was crystal clear on the surface and it was really beautiful to look at, just like Uriel stated it was stagnant and had a lot of vegetation on its bottom. There was a tform slightly above the water that lead inside the cave where some carvings had been previously discovered by the Mapple corp. archaeologists, but thanks to his ability to read the ancient glyphs Uriel found something really promising.


    [To hear the message of this sacred ce


    You need no soles, no padded leather.


    All you need is to walk with grace


    and the path wille together.]


    "That''s more like it!" Uriel eximed in contentment after discovering his first ancient riddle, the kind he always dreamed about. Of course the ''emergency exit'' one didn''t count because he made it up, but this one was the real deal. "Take off your shoes, now!" Hemanded before even exining what he just read.


    The group of professional bodyguardsplied without asking any questions, except for Nika who was already on her bare feet after taking a dive on the murky waters of the ancient Cenote. Uriel walked around while Nika was pointing up the gasntern all over the cave, but there weren''t any more carvings.


    "Is there something wrong?" Asked Nika after noticing Uriel''s frustration.


    "I can''t see any paths or carvings." Heined and then told them the riddle he just read a few minutes ago.


    "So, this is a sacred ce, huh." Nika pondered.


    "Uhm, yeah... that''s a given." Uriel scowled at Nika who only pointed out the obvious.


    "And we''re supposed to walk with our bare feet." She lingered for a few seconds. "And then what?"


    "What do you mean and then what?" Uriel didn''t follow Nika''s reasoning.


    "It says we need to walk with grace, but what does that even mean?"


    Due to Uriel''s excitement after finding out that he needed to take his shoes off, hepletely omitted everything else.


    "Walk with grace... It could mean dancing, I think the Mayans were great dancers." He tried to remember each and every Mayan dance ever recorded, but that wasn''t of any help because there were no exact records of any thatsted to this day and, even if there were records, he didn''t have any practice dancing. "If we take it literally..." He muttered different kinds of theories while staring at the stone tform he was standing on.


    The tform itself wasn''t that interesting, it was made so people could ess the cave near the Cenote without the need to wet their feet.


    "Walk with grace... this Cenote is sacred... huh..." Uriel pondered as the sound of Nika''s wet footsteps resounded in the silence of the cave. He took a short walk across the tform when something strange happened. It was faint, but there was a glimmering off from the tform just below Nika''s feet. "That''s it! Look at Nika''s footsteps! We need to wet our feet and walk on the tform and then the path wille together!"


    "This glimmer looks like bioluminiscent algae." The medic imed as he leaned close to the stone floor.


    "Uh? That doesn''t make any sense, since when is it graceful to walk with wet feet?" nagan was dubious.


    "In this case grace doesn''t refer to elegance, but the divine grace! This sacred water is the divine grace!" Uriel was in absolute glee as his odd theory proved to be correct. The group wet their feel and proceeded to walk all over the tform until they were able to hear a strange mechanism click below their feet, but nothing else happened.


    "It sounded like it was about to be activated, but then failed." The female engineer said after cing her ear on the floor.


    "Should we crush an essence orb?" Said Nika after taking a small purse from her belt.


    "I don''t think so, I mean, we don''t know what will happen if we do so. I chose to investigate the Cenote because it''s far from the site and it won''t be that easy toe and go without a vehicle, it''s about three kilometers distance and the road isn''t well kept. That also means if something dangerous happens we won''t be able to get any backup."


    "What worries you, Mister Sage?" Nika asked in suspicion.


    "At this point I can''t be sure of anything but, I fear that one of the structures is in charge of keeping cryptids away from the site, it could be any structure, even this Cenote. That''s why we can''t just go activating stuff just because we can. Thankfully, there''s no need to rush things."


    The group started to retreat, leaving only Uriel behind on the farthest point of the stone tform. When the rest of the group were at a distance the mechanism clicked again. Nika''s first instinct was to use her trait to reach Uriel, but he quickly raised a hand signalling her to stop.


    Then, an ominous stone altar slowly raised from bellow, right in front of Uriel, with the grinding sound of stone gears resounding in the previously silent cave.

 Chapter 58 Dark rituals

    58 Dark rituals


    "This mechanism seems to be designed to activate only when there''s exactly one person on this side of the tform." Uriel observed as he leaned forward to study the altar closely, but its design was simple and there were no carvings on sight. "This is an amazing finding! It is known that this Cenote was used as a ce of adoration where the ancient Mayans offered gold and precious gems to Xibalb¨¢, but it seems they also performed dark rituals in here." He eximed in glee.


    "Dark rituals?" Nika scratched the back of her head.


    "He means human sacrifices." nagan respectfully exined.


    "That is correct." Uriel studied the altar from all sides with a dubious expression. "But something doesn''t add up, I mean, human sacrifices were made a celebration and it was supposedly performed in front of everyone. Why would they put an altar in a ce as secluded as this... it''s almost like they were trying to hide something."


    "Maybe this ce was for special sacrifices." Nika said without a hint of interest or curiosity, she just wanted to get all of this boring research over with. To any sensible person, the finding of an ancient mechanism activating in such a mystical way could be considered the finding of the century, but to her it was nothing but nerd stuff and whenever she didn''t have anything to fight against she was easily bored.


    "Special offerings... Mayans usually offered warriors, maidens, even kids..." Uriel said. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Wow! These guys weren''t nice people."


    "No, but they weren''t necessarily bad people either. They were just scared by famine, sickness and all sorts of natural disasters. They needed to appease their gods somehow and... hang on, appease the gods! Why aren''t there any sculptures or carvings portraying any gods in here?" Uriel asked to no one in particr.


    "I don''t know, maybe because this ce wasn''t meant for the gods." Nika replied.


    "Miss Nika, perhaps if you let him work this could be over faster." nagan, who was almost as excited as Uriel,mented.


    "No, wait, she might be on to something. I mean, this ce is sacred so there must be some sort of god somewhere in here but it''s not in a sculpture, then the only other alternative is... Xibalb¨¢!"


    "You know, Mister Sage, you always say stuff like that as if things are obvious, but none of us even know that dude."


    "Xibalb¨¢ is not a dude, Nika, it''s the underworld!" Uriel excitedly replied to Nika''s remark. "That''s why there aren''t any god statues, sculptures, idols or whatever, because this is the ce that leads to the underworld where all the gods are supposed to live, in other words, I believe we just found the entrance to the underground structure."


    "So, how do we go in there? Do we need to take a swim?" Nika asked, now a bit reluctant to dive into the stagnant waters.


    "I don''t know, there''s nothing else to go with... I just hope we don''t need to sacrifice someone."


    "If that were the case, that wouldn''t be a problem at all. I could ask the world government for an inmate with a death sentence and..."


    "Wow! seems like you''re one to judge Mayans about morals." Uriel red at Nika, yet she remainedpletely unfazed. "But sacrificing someone to open a door doesn''t seem like a good idea. Even if this is a sacred ce, opening a door by sacrificing someone is too inefficient. Besides, this mechanism only activated after I was left alone on this side of the tform. That would mean that whoever wants to open the door needs to sacrifice himself..."


    "But this is an altar, the whole purpose of altars is to either ce an offering or an idol." nagan, who had some basic knowledge of archaeology stated.


    "That''s true, we could try to find an idol that might work, but this ce is odd in so many ways. A ce for secret rituals, far from the ruins, there''s no statues or sculptures and yet this is obviously an entrance. Mayans believed that being sacrificed wasn''t a punishment but a true honor, why is there no ce for a public then? Unless... this isn''t actually a sacrificial ce but something entirely different."


    "Like what?" Nika asked just so Uriel could continue speaking.


    "What is rted to the other world, but not to sacrifices?"


    "A tomb?"


    "Precisely! Chich¨¦n Itz¨¢ has always been tranted as ''Well of the water warlock'' But what if the proper word isn''t ''well'', but ''tomb''? We might be in the final resting ce of the water warlock himself!" Uriel spoke in an increasingly louder voice that echoed into a disfigured voice.


    "Yeah, sounds great and all but, why the altar then?"


    "You''re missing the point," Uriel said as he made his swiss army knife appear on his hand. "In the old Mayan religion the gods attempted to create humans out of y, corn, even wood, but the ones made with y were stupid, those made of corn were too frail and the wooden onescked emotion, in the end the gods settled with something different... they made men from blood." He spoke solemnly and then proceeded to cut the palm of his hand with the knife spilling his blood on the altar.


    The cut was deep and the copious amount of blood that should have started pooling on the stone surface of the altar was absorbed instead. Then, as if by magic, the top of the altar moved to the side revealing that the altar was actually a tomb. Instead of a corpse, though, what they found was much more alluring.


    There was a huge treasure inside the tomb, it was almost filled to the brim with some old looking coins with a figure of the sun in one side and a human face on the other, there was also a dagger, some vases, cups and even a very rich jeweled bracelet. All of the items inside the tomb had one thing inmon, they were all made of a strange metal simr to copper but a lot heavier.


    "Is this the same strange metal the POI''s are made from?" Nika said after rushing over to admire the treasure.


    "I don''t think so, it looks very different but it certainly possess certain simrities." The female engineer who acted as a bodyguard stated, then she activated her trait. Her eyes glimmered in the darkness of the cave and she took her time assessing the materials. "I''m sure now, this isn''t the same material the buildings are made of, all of this is made of pure orichalchum."


    Everyone cheered in excitement after the amazing find but this time it was Uriel''s turn to be left in awe as he was the only one surprised by her statement.

 Chapter 59 Orichalcum

    59 Orichalcum


    "Orichalcum? but that''s a mythical metal only mentioned by to, it was supposedly simr to copper and it was present in..."


    "Antis, we know because that''s where we found the first piece." Nika cut him short.


    "But that means..."


    "That Antis was found, I thought you knew about the Mapple project." Nika interrupted him again but Uriel wasn''t even mad. Instead, he was speechless and his mind struggled to keep up with the speed of his thoughts.


    If Antis had been found already but its discovery wasn''t made public, it could only mean that either it wasn''t profitable to do so or they screwed up. He had heard Nika mention before that they attempted to break into an underground structure before by nuking it and he remembered her say it was ssified information.


    "Then it means, the one behind the ''the arrival'' of cryptids must be the Mapple corp." Uriel covered his mouth after he finished speaking. It didn''t take much time for Uriel to finally connect the dots, it wasn''t like they simply didn''t mention the existence of Antis, it was only obvious they also covered it up ''silencing'' people who found out about it.


    "Well... yes, but also not." Nika replied.


    "What do you even mean by that? It can''t be both."


    "It''s kind of difficult to exin, I don''t understand much of it myself but now that you know the truth..." She lingered for a few seconds, but that gave Uriel enough time to pull out his gun and take a few steps backwards trying a ce where Nika couldn''t use her trait properly.


    "Stand back! all of you!" Uriel shouted in fright, but everyone calmlyplied. The only one who seemed to be scared was the engineer who didn''t expect Uriel to turn against them.


    "What are you doing Mister Sage? This isn''t the time for jokes!" Nika said in the most sweet and charming voice she could muster.


    "I''m not letting you guys silence me, I won''t stand obediently while you stab me in the back." Although no one had made a move against him yet, he was under the pressure of being surrounded by enemies, each and every single one of them stronger and faster than him.


    "Silence you? Why would we do something like that? we''re on the same side! Besides, even if I wanted to betray you, it''s just not possible for me. It was you who signed my contract, not the Mapple corp. Right now I''m not here as a Mapple corp. employee but as your bodyguard and personal assistant, if anyone attempted to hurt you I would kill them even if they''re from the Mapple corp." Nika''s words seemed to reach Uriel and he settled down a bit, this time the one who flinched this time was nagan who feared the might of his boss.


    "So, you''re telling me that you weren''t about to say you''ll kill me now I found out the truth?" Uriel asked, still hesitant to let go of his magnum.


    "Of course not you silly!" Nika giggled and then continued. " I was going to say that now I can fully exin you what it is that happened. If Walter asks I can honestly tell him that you figured out most of it on your own. After the activation of the Mapple corp. mapping project they found all sorts of archaeological remains, but you know that already, what you don''t know is that it also helped them find nodes of a supposedly mythical metal with incredible properties, orichalcum. This isn''t even a secret though, most big corporations had known about some rare metals for a long while but, obviously, they kept it hidden from the public in the name of profit. The nuke incident has nothing to do with ''the arrival'', scientists believe it was because of the increasingly high presence of orichalcum in human society."


    "Yeah, you say that like it exins everything but I''m not following." Uriel shrugged in reply.


    "Let me exin, orichalcum was the first metal ever discovered to be able to channel flux energy. You may not know this but Flux energy has always been present, it had been theorized by scientists for a long time. Whenever any movement or chemical reaction urs there''s a percentage of energy that goes to ''waste'', for instance, if you bend a metal bar it will also get heated. Energy can transform but it never disappears, this is one of thews of physics but, every measurement always indicated there was a small percentage of ''waste'' energy that couldn''t be ounted for. This is what we now call Flux energy and, as far as I know, we can''t use it directly and, instead, it allows us to manipte other types of energy. That''s how our batteries work, they store and channel electricity thanks to a small amount of flux energy, every engineer knows about this. Anyway, thanks to Mapple corp it was made avable at a greater scale than ever before and, apparently, that''s what lured cryptids out from wherever the hell is it they came from." The female engineer stood forward and exined in full, but Uriel was dibobted by theplicated subject. It was one thing to learn and understand the ways of ancient civilizations, but even an item asmon as a battery was aplete mystery to him.


    As much as Nika enjoyed the bbergasted look on Uriel''s face, especially since it was usually her the one with that face whenever he spoke about archaeology, she knew there wasn''t any time to waste and pped her hands.


    "Alright everyone! We need to head back to the settlement, if I miss my lunch because of yourzyness I''ll do some ass kicking!"


    "What are you waiting for, you already heard the boss, pack it all up and bring it to camp!" naganmanded, but before they could even lift a finger they were stopped by Nika.


    "As per contract, my client is allowed to take first pick on any item he desires, we''ll go back as soon as he inspects the treasure. Mister Sage, feel free to im any artifact you desire."


    Uriel became ecstatic and really excited about the treasure thinking that maybe he would be able to store some artifact inside his trait, only to be left disappointed after testing each one. He was also grateful towards Nika who reminded everyone about the use that allowed him to im any artifact and then have its price deducted from his payment and he thought that maybe, just maybe, she really had his interests on top of the Mapple corp.


    Every time Uriel hovered his hand over the jeweled bracelet nagan seemed to get anxious and started sweating cold, showing that he feared the young student might choose the most expensive artifact for himself. But that wasn''t the case, instead of the shy jeweled bracelet he chose to keep the dagger.


    "All the incredible treasures in front of you and you pick a knife! and a small one at that!" Nika facepalmed, more than stunned by his poor choice. "You could have picked the bracelet, or at least the big vase. Anything made of orichalcum is bound to be incredibly expensive!"


    "Artifacts aren''t valuable for the material they''re made of, but for their cultural value. This is a sacrificial dagger, its name has been lost to time, and although the Aztecs named them Tecpatl I''d love to be the first one to find out its true Mayan name." As Uriel picked the dagger up, he noticed it was hot to the touch and it gave off a strange feeling. It was nothing like the sensation he had whenever he picked an item he could store in his museum, it was a nostalgic feeling that gripped his heart and clenched his throat for a glimpse of a second. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As soon as the Mapple corp. employees finished packing up the treasure, they left the ce with the satisfying sensation of a job well done. Even though they weren''t able to enter the underground structure as Nika expected, at least they found what seemed to be the entrance, and that alone was a huge breakthrough, nothing short of the discovery of the decade. Now they only needed to figure out what steps did they need to follow in order for the entrance to be revealed.


    All in all, they were in a cheerful mood and took their time enjoying the walk back to camp across the Amazon rainforest.

 Chapter 60 Mystical mayhem

    60 Mystical mayhem


    Uriel waspletely dazzled by the ancient dagger he obtained and he intended to keep it at hand the whole trip back to camp. The thought of Nika reminding everyone about the use that allowed him to im artifacts for himself also lingered on his mind. Up to that point Uriel had assumed that Nika would only care for Mapple corp. and didn''t expect her to openly back him up. It could be said that now he opened himself to trust her instead of just considering her an assistant, especially after hearing her say that she would even kill Mapple corp. employees if they attempted to harm him.


    Lost in his thoughts, Uriel failed to notice a strange presence crawling its way from out of the bushes right next to him. It was a strange furry creature, with weird looking hands and an odd looking tail.


    "Here, here, here" Uriel carelessly beckoned to the small animal with curiosity.


    "What are you doing Mister Sage? That creature looks dangerous." The field medic who was friends with the engineer cautioned.


    "Don''t worry, I know this little fellow... it''s called a... uh... trash panda!" Uriel attempted to remember its actual name, but since he grew up within city walls he wasn''t familiar with animals at all and the first thing that came to mind was the name provided by Miss Dragonfang when they encountered a simr creature.


    "Watch out!" Nika shouted, but Uriel couldn''t react in time as the creature managed tond a bite on his leg. "That''s not a racoon, it''s a fricking Tejuino!" She cried as Uriel fell awkwardly on the ground as his leg started to feel numb, but the small creature was unable to continue its attack thanks to the bodyguards who shot at it heavy rounds from their high tech assault rifles.


    "Calm down, everything''s going to be fine, these things are poisonous but a single sting won''t do much damage. Considering you''re an evolved it''ll probablyst about half an hour." Said the medic after checking Uriel''s wound.


    "What''s going on?" Nika was dumbfounded. "I thought cryptids weren''t supposed to appear this close to the site!"


    "Do you think it has something to do with the tomb we opened Mister Sage?" nagan asked as he helped the young student to stand up.


    "I don''t think so, there weren''t any cryptids near the Cenote and our electronic devices were working just fine until a couple minutes ago." Nika replied in stead of Uriel who was struggling to remain on foot.


    "It doesn''t matter, we need to secure the POIs! We can''t afford to lose any important data!" Despite the pain, Uriel limped towards the camp to save whatever artifacts and data just in case they could be attacked in the future.


    Although they were rtively close, now they knew there could be enemies nearby they needed to remain on high alert. The previously safe road now threatened with numerous dangers from its bushy sides and narrow path and the group was forced to slow down due to Uriel''s injury. Rustling sounds and powerful roars were hear at a distance, there was also the creaking wood and trampling noises, it was as if the whole jungle had suddenlye to life.


    Luckily enough, they didn''t encounter any more cryptids on their way back, but when they finally reached the settlement the sight in front of them was much worse than anticipated.


    There were hundreds, if not thousands, of human like small creatures, along with different kinds of cryptidsying waste to the camp and attacking people. Shots were being fired and traits were being activated all over, but the sheer amount of cryptids crowding the ce was too much for the fewbat able employees to cope with.


    Without wasting a second, Nika jumped right into battle after making sure Uriel was safe and blinked from one shadow to the next making quick work of the weaker creatures. The true nature of her trait and the restrictions he had been warned about were still a mystery to Uriel, but when he saw Nika fight he was able to fully understand why was she held in such high regards in the Mapple corporation. Most hunters would carry heavy high tech weapons because cryptids were immune to regr firearms and even though Nika did carry a gun with her, she ended most creatures with her incredibly powerful kicks.


    nagan didn''t stay idle either, he ced his arms to the sides to activate his trait and an arch of electricity was drawn connecting his hands, he then ran forward using his trait as if it was a taser stunning creatures all over the ce making it easier for the armed bodyguards to finish them off quickly.


    Uriel, though, was hesitant to pull off his gun. He knew he would be able to help and, more than likely, save lives by shooting some cryptids down but there were a few possible drawbacks from doing this. Not only his trait would be known to everyone at the settlement, he would also be left with less bullets, if any at all.


    It wasn''t really worth it, at least not until his own life was at risk. Or that''s what he thought until he witnessed a young woman being dropped to the ground by a huge feathered snake and his rationality gave way to a hot blooded response.


    He didn''t know what kind of cryptid it was, it somewhat resembled one of the gods portrayed in many Mayan sculptures, but it didn''t matter. After taking aim to the snake''s head, Uriel pressed the trigger and a bullet went through the skull of the creature and the snake fell limp on the ground.


    ''A human life is far more precious than any secret.'' He silently pondered as his heartbeat slowed down to a steady pulse.


    "You saved my life! Thank you so much!" The woman smiled brightly, but her smile was short lived as she was stabbed in the back by one of the pygmy cryptids.


    "Why are you not helping!?" Uriel reprimanded his bodyguards who didn''t lift a finger to help those in need, not even the young woman who despite Uriel''s efforts had been attacked again. Without hesitation this time Uriel pulled the trigger, but the bullet missed.


    "Your aim is shit! Use the dagger instead!" Nika shouted at a distance as she moved across the battlefield killing cryptids on her wake. Herbat ability and her awareness of the battle left a profound impression on Uriel. He had met strong people before, but more than that, he had met people with strong traits. The way she fought reminded him faintly of Medusa, who didn''t necessarily possess a strongbat trait but she was hands down the strongest on his incursion party.


    ''Why am I thinking about her all of a sudden?'' Uriel shook his head and got closer to the pygmy that was still attempting to kill the girl. While it was true that he had an orichalcum dagger, it didn''t mean he knew how to fight with it, besides there was no need for that. Shooting a huge snake was far easier than aiming at a pygmy, but aim didn''t matter if he was close enough. Magnum bullets were so destructive that after the point nk shot there wasn''t much of the cryptid left and the flux orb appeared almost immediately. Uriel limped towards the woman who had just been stabbed and after confirming she wasn''t in any life risk, he picked up the flux orb and crushed it absorbing its power.


    [Flux orbs 2/10]


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 61 Battlefield

    61 Battlefield


    Uriel didn''t know what was going to happen after crushing a total of ten flux orbs, what he knew was that he didn''t have the leisure of time to waste in such thoughts and allocated his recently acquired stat point in speed without even thinking, but it was a given that Strength didn''t matter in the slightest when using a firearm.


    A quick check on his revolver confirmed that it now had only four bullets left and he stored it inside his museum in hopes of getting some more ammunition before the battle ended.


    "I see your trait is quite powerful!" nagan said in admiration aftering back. "Please excuse your bodyguards for not helping you save the girl, but they''re only tasked with your security. Even if Miss Nika was in trouble they wouldn''t be able to help unless ordered to do so by one of their superiors."


    Uriel didn''t think much of nagan''s words and he did what he could to take the wounded woman back to safety. There were still many tents standing, but a piece of cloth didn''t amount to much in terms of protection or stealth, so instead he settled with taking her as far from the site as possible so she would be able to evacuate on her own.


    Thankfully, there was a group of people ready to go to the zeppelin and they agreed to take the woman along with them, but there were still some questions that needed answers.


    "What''s going on? Why are cryptids inside the site now?" He shook the woman who was about to lose consciousness. It may have seemed a bit insensitive on his side, but he was in dire need of an exnation.


    "It was... Schlieman..." The woman said amidst coughs. It was only after Uriel offered a sip of water that she was able to speak properly. "He took all the flux orbs with him and started crushing them inside every single site so he could im to be the one who discovered their function so he could get a reward from Mapple."


    The woman attempted to keep talking, but Uriel stopped her. "Where is he now?" He asked urgently and, with thest of her strength, the woman managed to point towards a certain POI before passing out.


    "NO! No, no no!" Uriel shouted.


    "Calm down you sissy, she''s still alive and this is not the time for whining." Nika ran towards Uriel after hearing his shout, only to find out he was perfectly fine. Still, she had already killed her fair share of cryptids and needed to recover some flux energy before continuing the ughter.


    "It has nothing to do with her! That''s the building of the descending god, Schlieman is about to activate it! You need to stop him!"


    "The site''s protective barrier or whatever is down, we''re already being swarmed by cryptids and you worry about nerd stuff!?"


    "This is not nerd stuff, not anymore, If my theory is correct that building is really dangerous. Please Miss Nika, you need to stop him!"


    The whole camp was overrun by cryptids, there were so many wounded people and casualties that no one cared about the site, the research or the data collected anymore. It was a mess of people trying to evacuate the site as soon as possible and waves of voracious cryptids trying to prevent their prey from getting away. There was, however, one man with no intentions of escaping at all. He was standing in front of an ancient structure with a sly grin and maddened eyes.


    "After activating this building, I''ll be able to im all the rewards from the discovery of this whole site. I just need to crush some more orbs and I''ll be rich, filthy rich!" Schlieman spoke to himself like a madman.


    Death and sorrow surrounded him, pain and misery ran across the camp as all sorts of beasts and monstrosities besieged the small groups of people fighting for their lives. Yet, Schliemas was currently blinded by greed and he didn''t care about people''s lives in the slightest.


    If anything, he wished for more of his colleagues to die so his share in the reward and credit for the discoveries would be bigger. Especially that annoying brat that loved ying archaeologist and believed himself to be a big shot. He struggled so much to graduate from college, how dare a no one like Uriel belittle his efforts and disrespect his profession by spitting nonsensical theories.


    There was only ce for such thoughts in his mind as he continued crushing flux orb after flux orb in front of the building of the descending god. Still, no matter how many did he crush it didn''t seem to work.


    "Why!? Why is it not working!? What am I doing wrong!?" He shouted as he pulled his hair. He was so close to achieving his objective, not even the Mapple corp. would be able to disregard the contract and they would be forced to pay him what he deserved, or what he thought he deserved after activating the ruins.


    Suddenly, in the middle of the raging battle, a dripping sound called for Schlieman''s attention. He lowered his gaze only to find out there was a strange liquid below him. It was blood.


    He had been stabbed from behind multiple times by a very annoyed pygmy that didn''t understand how could its enemy not even notice it.


    Nika rushed over as fast as her trait allowed it, but she was toote and Schlieman was already falling unconscious onto the ground. Then, in front of her eyes, the blood that had formed a small puddle below the selfish professor was getting pulled and sucked into the building, filling up invisible carvings and giving them life in an eerie glimmer, finally activating the supernatural mechanism inside the tform of the descending god.


    The already familiar clicking of stone gears didn''t faze Nika, as she already saw something simr happening when Uriel opened the altar that turned out to be a tomb of sorts, but when two small sculptures emerged from the rock and starteding to life she was in utter horror. They were small and seemingly harmless, but as the cracking sound of stone copsing on itself increased in volume so did the the sculptures until they became the size of a human. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Two unsightly cryptids broke out from within the ancient stone. They were bipeds and possessed two arms, but their head was nothing like that of a human. It was round shaped, there were no eyes or nose, only a huge mouth that grinned with wicked fangs on each one.


    For a short while they didn''t move making it seem like they were living statues, but just by ncing at them Nika understood that those creatures were far stronger than her. Far stronger than anything she had evere across with.


    They were as revolting as they were imposing, it took Nika all of her will power to simply look at them. Overwhelmed by the sense of cosmic fear she understood she was in front of two horror rank creatures.


    Uriel watched in the distance as Nika lost her cool and ran away in a panic, not even daring to activate her trait. "We need to escape!" Her voice was shaky and her hands were trembling.


    "We can''t leave without the data, we need to take it with us or protect it somehow." The young wannabe archaeologist replied.


    "You don''t understand, we''re doomed, everyone here is doomed!" As much as she wanted to run away leaving everything behind, her sense of duty wouldn''t allow that unless Urielmanded her to leave. As long as she was bound by contract she would keep performing her duty without fault.


    Scanning his surroundings, Uriel had an idea as crazy as it was reckless, and yet it was all he could think of.


    "Take me to the great tform."

 Chapter 62 Forest guardian

    62 Forest guardian


    "Didn''t you hear me, we''re screwed, this whole expedition is going down." Nika was having a hard time keeping it together. As long as cryptids remained in control of the site, even running away was impossible.


    "Just trust me on this!" Uriel limped towards the great tform, uncaring of Nika''s frightened condition. He had seen Sam on a simr state before and he knew how difficult it was for a person to snap out of it on their own, but he didn''t count on all the years of experience Nika Garcia carried on her back.


    She soon caught up to him and ced his arm over her shoulder to help him walk faster. Two times they had to stop so that Nika could fire her coil handgun at iing enemies, but thankfully for them everyone was fighting for their life which provided a nice cover allowing them to go mostly unnoticed.


    As soon as they reached the tform, Uriel leaned over to pick up the golden jaguar statue not even knowing what was he going to do with it, but before Uriel could figure it out he was attacked by one of the small pygmy scouring the ce.


    Uriel attempted to kick it off but his leg was already hurting and he couldn''t think of anything else but to brandish the golden statue as a weapon. Yet that was unnecessary, because as soon as he managed to lift the statue from the tform, the golden shell started peeling off and the feline cryptid emerged from it recovering its former size almost instantly.


    The jaguar roared and then pounced towards Uriel who kept his eyes closed the entire time, his heart kept pounding as if it wanted to escape from his chest, but the cryptid didn''t attack the young student and, instead, took what can only be described as a powerful nibble out of the pygmy''s head.


    The jaguar then gazed at the distance, standing proud and magnificent as its mercurial blue mes erupted from its shoulderbones, shifting wildly as if being stoked by the nonexistent wind.


    "Is that thing by our side!?" Nika watched in disbelief how the jaguar made quick work of the invading cryptids, easing the situation for all of the researchers and fighters alike, effectively turning the tides of the battle.


    "It''s not, but it''s the guardian spirit of the forest. Why else would the Mayans keep it sealed if not for self defense?" Uriel replied after recovering his breath.


    "But it''s not attacking us!"


    "It''s either under my control or it will start attacking us as soon as it finishes with the cryptids. I guess we''ll find out soon enough." The jaguar pranced across the whole site, wing at pygmys, biting off their heads and fighting all sort of abominable beasts that had been relentlessly scouring the ce.


    Distant cheers were heard as people rallied behind the jaguar spirit and gathered in a single group. Given the circumstances it was a lot easier to protect everyone that way, they either survived as a whole or perished together.


    Nika and Uriel went their own way, as Uriel wanted to check on every different POIs to see if there was a way to turn the ancient horrors back to stone before they awokepletely, or at least turn back on the protective barrier. On their way to the first POI Uriel had to discharge his gun, missing his mark entirely.


    "Just stop shooting at everything, it''s just a weakling." Nika said after stomping on the attacking pygmy.


    Nika was still running low on flux energy, but their situation wasn''t as dire as before thanks to the help of the guardian spirit Uriel released from the figurine. Still, she couldn''t afford to use her trait as recklessly as before, and decided to only help Uriel if his life was at risk. If he was knocked out, she would finally be able to retreat arguing that it was needed to save his life.


    But that didn''te to happen, as Uriel wasn''t just a scared student like on his previous adventures. Instead, he showed incredible resourcefulness when dealing with cryptids. Whenever a small cryptid appeared, he simply dodged its attacks and kept running towards the POI he wanted to check up, taking advantage of his new found speed. Unfortunately for him, that strategy wasn''t possible when dealing with bigger beasts as they had longer limbs and were able to easily keep up with his speed.


    Already gasping for air and still far away from the priestess temple he wanted to investigate, Uriel was forced to face against another beautiful feathered snake, this one bigger than the one he killed before. Without so much as a second thought he fired his revolver. Afraid to be left with no bullets andpletely defenseless, he immediately stored his magnum inside his trait and proceeded to pick up and crush the flux orb dropped by the cryptid he just demolished with a single shot.


    [Flux orbs 3/10]


    "No," Uriel shook his head. "Up until this point I thought that flux orbs provided the energy for the buildings to function, but that''s not the case. Instead of providing the energy, the crushed orbs are repairing the structures. This can only mean that we may be able to activate buildings that seem to be useless if we provide the right type of energy."


    10:50


    The pain Uriel had been experiencing after being stung on the leg slowly subsided as he spent yet another point into speed. He didn''t have time for theories, but he could feel he had be not just faster, but also a little bit more resilient than before.


    "Why don''t you fight using the dagger?" Nika asked without much hope of getting a reply out of him as he was now deeply focused studying the inside of the priestess temple.


    "Because it''s in bad shape and I don''t want it to break." He said as he took the dagger from his belt but, much to his surprise, it was in a better condition than before. "It''s the flux orbs! It seems that this material is capable of self repairing as long as you provide flux orbs to it, that''s why the buildings can be activated when crushing flux orbs nearby."


    "I don''t get it, didn''t you know that already?"


    "No," Uriel shook his head. "Up until this point I thought that flux orbs provided the energy for the buildings to function, but that''s not the case. Instead of providing the energy, the crushed orbs are repairing the structures. This can only mean that we may be able to activate buildings that seem to be useless if we provide the right type of energy."


    "Do you mean... electricity!?" Nika eximed as she reached for the tier 3 battery strapped on her thigh, also taking the chance to recharge her coil gun. "Do you think it will work in here?"


    "I don''t think so, this temple... I don''t know what it is for, I think the reason why the cryptids are now able to attack is because its field of disruption was deactivated after losing energy. That jerk Schlieman activated so many buildings it probably consumed all of the energy they had stored."


    "So... Not electricity? I''m confused." Nika tilted her head.


    As the two of them chatted inside the remains of what used to be the priestess temple, cryptids could still be seen running in fright from the jaguar guardian from time to time. Although the ghostly jaguar was incredibly strong, it still had some trouble defeating some of the stronger monstrosities.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 63 Impending danger

    63 Impending danger


    "Yes, we need electricity, but I don''t know which building is the one responsible for creating the barrier that kept cryptids away and we can''t really hop from building to building, I only have one bullet left and you''re too tired to keep fighting." Uriel exined his reasoning.


    "That''s because you''ve been stupid and didn''t even try to use the dagger! Why did you pick a weapon if you weren''t nning on using it in the first ce? It''s not like orichalcum breaks easily, in fact, I''ve never seen any weapon made with it break or even get damaged."


    "Hang on, you''re telling me there are people out there using orichalcum weapons?" Uriel gasped in surprise.


    "Of course there are, heavenly rank hunters are too strong to wield steel weapons and since traits vary from person to person we need to have our weapons handcrafted specially for us."


    "I guess that makes sense, if someone was to use their trait wielding a regr weapon that can''t channel flux it might get destroyed instantly."


    "I have an Idea," Said Nika as sheposed herself. "I''ll go fetch nagan and the bodyguards assigned to you. We left them behind but they shouldn''t be that far, in the meantime you stay safe in here figuring out the boring stuff and if there''s trouble just shout and I''lle out from your shadow."


    Uriel nodded in reply and the woman vanished in front of his eyes as usual, only this time she didn''t use her trait. She just moved so fast, the eyes of an evolved had trouble keeping up with that speed and she seemingly vanished.


    ***


    A few minutes earlier, when Uriel and Nika made a run for it to reach the old looking square building covered in carvings called the priestess temple, the four bodyguards along with nagan didn''t even attempt to follow them. While the engineer woman and the field medic were too busy shooting at cryptids across the bloody battlefield and didn''t notice their departure, nagan had something else on his mind.


    "Hand me the bracelet, Ste." naganmanded the female engineer whose name was Ste. Although she was considered a hunter thanks to being an ascended, her trait wasn''t that useful inbat and her most important qualification was actually her engineering career.


    "I can''t do that, it''s an important artifact that belongs to the Mapple corp. and you know only Miss Nika or the head archaeologist can ask for it." She replied a bit surprised by nagan''s order.


    "Listen, we''re surrounded by enemies and, even though I can take care of most cryptids, eventually I''ll run out of flux. Our only chance at making it alive is to use anything at our disposal and that bracelet is made of orichalcum and it could make the difference between life and death." He finished, hiding his madness behind a facade of reason.


    His words made sense, but Ste didn''t know why she found them hard to believe. She knew the chain ofmand was absolute in the Mapple corp. but she also knew the one actually in charge of the operation security was Nika, the same person that seemingly abandoned them in pursuit of who knows what. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As she pondered her new course of action, the small group was attacked by a ck feline with intense yellow eyes. The creature didn''t emit a single sound and it was as if all the light was being sucked up inside its fur creating something simr to a shadow mantle.


    The group took battle stances and started shooting at the cryptid as soon as they noticed it, yet instead of the expected result of the creature dropping on the ground, bullets bounced off on its thick fur. None of them possessed a weapon as advanced as that of Nika nor a trait powerful enough to even face the entity rank creature that somewhat resembled the jaguar spirit. Thankfully for them, despite bullets being unable to pierce its skin they still did enough damage to drive it away.


    Just when Ste was about to heave a sigh of relief, an arch of electricity shed from behind and she fell unconscious.


    "Why the fuck did you do that!?" The field medic asked nagan who had just used his trait against the unsuspecting engineer.


    "She disobeyed mymand, if it weren''t for her I would have been able to easily defeat that cryptid. I don''t have time for games anymore, if you''re not willing to do your job properly and follow my orders, you''ll leave me no choice but to do the same to you." nagan said as he rummaged through Ste''s backpack like nothing had happened.


    The field medic was taken aback by his actions, but even though he had gotten to enjoy thepany of Ste in thest months as they had been idle for a long time on the site which led them to be close, that wasn''t enough to value her life over his own and the medic decided to fall back obediently.


    nagan seemed pleased by the medic''s disposition, but his attention shifted as soon as he found what he was looking for. It was a stic alloy box which contained the jeweled bracelet, opening the box and wearing the bracelet took him no more than two seconds, as he ced it on his forearm without hesitation. As soon as he did so, a strange mist appeared, swiftly covering their surroundings.


    "Yes! I knew it! This is the nameless bracelet mentioned in Ponce de Leon memories, I finally have it!" nagan eximed as the mist grew thicker, then a powerful earthquake shook the earth taking cryptids and humans by surprise. The battle came to a halt as everyone had trouble keeping their bnce. As if on queue, as soon as the earthquake stopped, the two sculptures that up to that point had stood still in the tform of the descending god, suddenly woke up and slowly moved towards the mist.


    "What''s going on?" The field medic asked in disbelief as he noticed the two apparent sculptures slowly walking towards them.


    "Don''t worry about that, just follow those two cryptids and keep your mouth shut. I promise you''ll go back home alive and well." nagan said with a grin as he entered the deep mist walking towards the horrific cryptids without a hint of fear.


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