Dungeon Raider System

Due to the Mapple headquarter being so large it was difficult to notice before arriving the amount of ships stationed, but after the conference ended the sky was filled with zeppelins setting flight in a hurry. The smaller ships took off from inside hangars, others from the top of the roofs of the buildings while some of the bigger ships were so far they needed approach vehicles to reach their ships.

Despite having a smaller engine and propellers, the ships had a considerable advantage when it came to both landing and setting off. They also gained momentum much faster than the bigger ships. This allowed the crew from multiple ships to study their competitors during the process of taking off to gauge their chances against them.

The ships varied so much in size and design that identifying their purpose was fairly easy. Some relied on speed to move across large distance in the least possible time while others relied on maneuverability hinting their main purpose was for agile combat. But there were also armored ships that could potentially endure the full brunt of the nightcrawlers that usually tore through most ships' hull with ease. This could have been considered a disadvantage since they exchanged speed for safety, but how fast a ship was able to fly made no different if the crew died mid way.

Each design had its pros and cons and the hunters on each ship appreciated the differences and acknowledged their value as no one knew what kind of challenge could present. Even the top of the line ships that could be considered all rounders could be at a disadvantage against certain challenges which meant all the different hunting parties and companies, all subsidiaries of the Mapple corporation of course, had the same fighting chance than the rest. And that is why no one dared to openly declare which ship was better. However, there was a general consensus on which ship was the worst.

Build like a passenger ship, the Pegasus was among the larger zeppelins, but even the Dungeon Raiders had to admit the trusty ship had seen better days. Its hull breached, scorch marks all around and some plates even burnt to a crisp it was difficult picturing it taking flight. Most of the side cannons were broken and the single large front cannon meant its energy consumption had to be on the higher tear the engineers would recognize as proof that if the ship managed to take off it would be slow like an armored zeppelin without the actual armor.

"My baby, my sweet baby, I'm so sorry for all the mean things I said," Medusa cried as she rubbed her cheek on the hull. "what did they do to you, poor baby?"

"Ahem... we should get going," Uriel cleared his throat before speaking, then continued. "we're the only ones in land."

"It's not about getting there first, it's about hitting the right spot," Nika said jokingly and was ignored like usual, though now something was different. She didn't laugh at her own 'joke' nor did she pout when everyone ignored her as her mind was elsewhere. Her eyes were fixated on one particular fast moving ship that took a U turn after departing with the clear intention to fly by them. She was on high alert and not without reason as a cylindrical object was thrown from behind a hatch directly towards them. "everyone to the ground!" She shouted and proceeded to cover Luna with her own body.

She didn't know what that object was, but she knew nothing that came off from Magellan could be good news. Uriel, Luna and Medusa, the only other members of the company who remained outside inspecting the ship looked unblinkingly at Nika when she acted as if a bomb was dropped in front of them and not a harmless smoke grenade.

It was a bit bothersome, but it caused no other effect than clouding their vision and while it could be considered sabotage, its effect was so small even Uriel shrugged it off as a joke. And a joke it was, but only those with a privileged perspective from the heights could get it.

They all watched how the nearly destroyed ship that could barely be called a ship started throwing off smoke from its rear, making it look as though it had malfunctioned before even setting off. Some were able to see the grenade being thrown thanks to their traits, but that didn't make the scene any less amusing and laughter broke in each respective ship and they unwittingly took note of the company that owned that ship.

Before even starting the race the Dungeon Raiders had become the most notorious archaeological team for all the wrong reasons. From its head archaeologist making a fool out of himself in front of everyone to being the last one to depart and all the hiccups in the middle, everything pointed them as the worst competitors present which was saying a lot considering how many teams had formed to explore the ancient ruins spread all over the continent.

It came to the point where most of those who saw them thought to themselves the exact same question: 'why did they bother coming here?'

But all that changed the moment the Pegasus took flight as it elevated vertically in a way that defied all logic. It was as though a giant hand picked it on the ground and placed it on the skies, but it was actually Bella using her trait to create a bottom wind draft that aided the ship's engine at the same time she eliminated the air resistance on its top in the way Medusa suggested, not to fight against the laws of physics but to use them to their advantage.

Before that, Bella had just been blowing wind from the direction they asked her acting as an auxiliary engine, but this was flux expensive and meant that the moment she stopped using her trait they would fall like a rock.

"It's incredible how much of a difference it makes to fly without so much air resistance." Phlox gasped as the ship moved faster than ever before.

"Zeppelins are not particularly aerodynamic. Just by reducing it we're saving on fuel, increasing our acceleration and our top speed." Medusa informed.

"Hey, Phlox, can you use your trait? I want to catch up to the assholes that threw a smoke grenade our way." Uriel asked with a trace of a smile that announced he was up to no good to anyone who knew him.

"Sure thing, Boss." Phlox said as she activated her trait. A neon colored light came off from her body and wrapped itself around the ship empowering its kinetic energy allowing it to move even faster than before.

It swiftly passed by the armored zeppelins that took off before them, the regular sized all rounders and even the agile small sized zeppelins, but Magellan's ship still seemed out of reach as it noticed the Pegasus on its tail and cranked up their thrusters to the maximum.

"Is there a reason why you want to catch up to them?" Asked Phlox who remained by the rudder despite most of her focus being on keeping her trait active.

"We can't let others make a joke out of us, but also... I think they're heading to the same POI I wanted to check and if we're not first, we're last." Uriel gnawed at his thumbnail.

"You want more speed? I'll give you more speed." Phlox declared with a grin as she pressed a red button.

Uriel expected it to be some sort of 'nitro', but the ship's speed remained the same and instead red lights lit up throughout the ship.

"What does that do?"

"It's an alarm to tell the crew to hang on to something and to tighten their buttocks, we're about to fire the plasma cannon." Phlox said with a toothy grin.

"I like the way you think!" Medusa softly squeezed Phlox's shoulder, causing the opposite reaction she expected. Instead of a smile, Phlox simply shook her off and focused on the task at hand. A small yet meaningful gesture everyone but Medusa ignored.

Of all the founders of the company, Medusa was always the closest to the crew. She was well liked, admired, but especially the engineers worshiped. And among all those who loved her, Phlox was the one who loved her the most. Her training on the army as a combat engineer could not possibly compare to Medusa's academic education, but Medusa always made some time to teach her the fundamentals of science allowing her to become as good as any engineer from a fancy college.

And that is why, among all the Dungeon Raiders, the one who resented Medusa the most was none other than Phlox.

That, however, was just a sour note on an otherwise perfect maneuver as the plasma cannon's recoil along with the lack of air resistance in their path allowed the Pegasus to seemingly teleport directly in front of Magellan's ship.

This allowed Uriel to perform what can only be described as a toilet paper prank by buying it in bulk and releasing it directly in front of Magellan's ship from the Pegasus cargo bay. It served the purpose of scaring their competitors who assumed they were being attacked and also to block their view as their entire ship was covered in more toilet paper than could possibly fit inside the Pegasus cargo bay.

"And that," Uriel said as he dusted off his hands. "is how you deal with turds."