Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 646: The one who knows the answer Part 1

When Mister Scofield exited the Pegasus the Dungeon Raiders employees returned to their posts and pretended to be busy at work, though everyone was trying to make sense of the conversation they just witnessed.

For most, the appearance of a commander of the army at the Pegasus was barely a surprise since it wasn't the first time someone of high standing showed up on the door, but the fact that he was Miss Dragonfang's father left them dumbstruck.

Even Uriel had trouble admitting the truth as he couldn't possibly figure out any resemblance between them. The fact that traits didn't necessarily were passed on from parents to the offspring was widely known, but genetics should have least made them resemble each other.

"Do you think she's adopted?" Nika asked after a long pause in an attempt to unveil the mystery at hand.

"Why would someone even want to adopt someone like her?" Medusa replied with a question of her own.

"Luna, you're the expert in biology and genetics. Why don't you explain this?" Uriel nudged her snapping her out of her reverie.

"I... uhm... we don't know what Mister Scofield looked like before acquiring a trait, the most likely explanation is that his body evolved to the point where genetics don't matter. On the other hand, Miss Dragonfang is still an ascended." She explained, her doubts and hesitation leaking only through a mild stuttering.

"I see." Everyone nodded in understanding.

"I'm literally right here!" Miss Dragonfang exclaimed. "Dad just told you the world is about to end and you're here discussing my looks!"

"It's not just the looks, it's also the character. If somebody asked me, the only resemblance you two hold is that you joined the army. The world is always about to end in every culture, even before the arrival people thought they were living the end of times." Uriel shrugged trying to change the subject.

"She has a point, though. It's not the end of the world what worries me, but the fact that we might be branded as enemies of humanity if we don't deal with Sam." Nika said as she popped a beer can that Uriel quickly snatched from her hands.

"You're on the clock and we need you sober." Uriel hurriedly poured the content of the can on the sink before her shadow tendrils managed to snatch it back.

"I thought he was your friend. How can he be so cruel as to order you to kill our friend." Medusa sighed. Whether or not it was possible to kill Sam lacked any importance to Medusa, what mattered to her was the fact that Mister Scofield knew how much Sam meant to Uriel and still gave him that order.

"I expected more from you, Medusa." Nika clicked her tongue in disappointment.

"What?" Medusa tilted her head, uncaring of Nika's apparent disappointment in the slightest.

"Mister Scofield didn't come here to give us an ultimatum or threaten us. He came by to warn us, to let us know that every day that passes we're still in danger no matter how safe we think we are, but more importantly, he came to tell us there's still hope for humanity."

"There... is?" Medusa didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she realized that among those left in the room, Uriel was the only one who sounded happy. To think that even someone as bitter, pessimistic and resentful as him was in high spirits after being betrayed by someone he considered his oldest friend made Medusa think if she misunderstood the tone of his voice.

"Of course there is! The entire world lies in front of us and there's a way forward!" Uriel stood up, soon followed by Nika and Luna.

"Wait, where is everyone going?" Medusa asked feeling left out.

"To pack our bags. I'm going to introduce you to someone who knows the answers to the questions we have." Uriel excitedly said, his voice disappearing in the ship's hallway as he darted towards his room fumbling unintelligible words the entire way.

Every word Mister Scofield spoke was engraved in Uriel's mind. While all Jon Hunter could hear was blabbering about how he got his trait and became powerful, Uriel obtained the information he needed not only to further his research but also to become stronger.

In summary, Mister Scofield had told him he didn't have all the answers and even the ancient families whose legacy was passed down through generations only possessed the equivalent of a single piece of a much bigger puzzle.

He also confirmed that killing humans wasn't the only way to become a holy rank hunter and that, depending on their trait, each hunter should be able to find a way to become stronger.

If before that conversation Uriel guessed hunter ranks didn't matter as much as people believed, now he was certain of it.

Not just that, Mister Scofield never actually asked him to kill Sam but to take him down. Somebody else might have thought it was just a different wording, but Uriel knew Mister Scofield better than to assume he would leave something like that open to interpretation without a reason.

The only possible explanation was that Mister Scofield wasn't simply ordering him to deal with Sam, he was hinting at Uriel that it was his task alone and nobody else would bother him with the sole exception of Jon.

In about an hour the group was ready to go, though for some reason Luna carried so much luggage it barely left any room for the others. Uriel may have scolded her if not for Luna being her field doctor and after their last fight everyone learned how crucial was her work. If she felt the need to bring her entire laboratory no one would say a word about it.

On the other hand, Medusa barely packed a change of clothes and an orichalcum shield as she had yet to learn how to make the most of the tools and weapons other engineers used in combat. A shield, instead, was as helpful to protect others as it was as a weapon to take down lesser enemies.

The Nikola roared as it made its way towards the east gate, where they were briefly stopped by the guards, though they let him go as soon as they recognized the governor's car. Their orders were to stop any hunter without a permit from going outside and to prevent anyone from getting inside, but they said nothing about the comings and goings of the city's governor himself.

Thanks to the tinted windows it was impossible to tell who drove the car or who sat on the passenger seats. However, the guards saw as a blond woman flew at full speed towards the car and got inside briefly revealing to them that the governor was not among the passengers.

"What the hell was that?" One of the guards asked, going pale at he thought that they may have just let a bunch of hunters who might have stolen the governor's car exit the city.

"What was that indeed... It might be in our best interest not to report this." The other said wondering if they were going to be punished for letting the thieves escape without even trying to stop them.

"Agreed." The two guards nodded at each other and they didn't speak a word about the luxurious car that just passed by making its way across the barrenlands.

"I can't believe you guys were going to leave me behind!" Bella voiced out as soon as she sat on the backseat along with Luna and Medusa.

"Leave you behind? You should be guarding the Pegasus right now. Abandoning your post is considered a serious offense." Uriel spoke without taking his eyes from the scenery in front of him. Just as its name implied, the barrenlands weren't precisely a natural paradise, yet even the fresh air that came from the now opened window was enough to ease the claustrophobic feeling all the cities gave.

"I think this should earn her an administrative punishment." Nika grinned with malice as she saw Bella's face crumple through the rear view mirror. Administrative punishment wasn't rare on companies, though there was nothing administrative about it and was actually just physical punishment. On Bella's case, since she couldn't be harmed through any means, it meant a tickling session.

"I'm here because of my brother! The nice old man said he was most likely to recover by himself, but I don't think that's the case. I've seen this happen before but I don't know how to deal with curses." Bella cried.

"Fine, you can come with us." Uriel grunted turning Nika's grin into a frown.

"Curses aren't real." Luna muttered.

"I wouldn't be so sure. People always say Miss Dragonfang is cursed because each time she participated on an incursion things go south at some point." Medusa chuckled.

"Hey, curses are real, I'm living proof!" Bella pointed at herself.

"How is being impervious to physical damage a curse?" Nika hissed without taking her hands from the wheel as the landscape was bumpy and filled with rocks.

"Turn left, we're going to hunter's lane."