Dungeon Raider System

Uriel finished his cold breakfast then called for a company meeting to decide their line of action. Everyone exposed their arguments in a calm and collected fashion as if they weren't under the roof of the same cryptid that got them to the edge of dying the night before. As hard as they tried to reach a consensus it soon became evident that not everyone could have it their way and Luna summarized their discussion in the most objective way to make the final decision.

"Uriel does not want the knowledge about the past held by our host to be wasted and although we all understand his reasoning is valid, he might still learn from his possessions which we will inherit from Thomas once he passes. This will also play into Nika's concern about not being rewarded for killing him, though the flux orb he will drop should already be enough compensation. Medusa feels it's wrong to kill a creature that is regretful of its sins, but she also believes that letting a dangerous cryptid live is wrong and that all the lives taken by him after we leave will be on us. As for me, you all know I am more than reluctant to miss on the opportunity to learn about cryptids directly from a cryptid, but... I think we should perform an interview."

"An interview!? Interviewing a cryptid!? Don't get me wrong, I am more than up for that, but how? He won't appear in the camera, heck, he's a horror level cryptid which means we likely won't even be able to turn on a camera near him." Nika objected and Medusa followed.

"That is correct, if it was a beast rank cryptid we could at least record our voices with a cellphone placed at a safe enough distance or maybe use a Faraday cage to protect the device from the field of disruption. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to protect an electronic device from a horror level cryptid."

"We could take notes," Uriel said. "after all, our goal is to learn from cryptids, not necessarily publish a study."

"Wrong, we stand in front of an opportunity like humanity never had before. A cryptid that is regretful of its sins and wants to die will probably speak of all the secrets held by its species. We might learn a way to defeat all cryptids or something that could help humanity survive. I know we don't care much about humans."

"I do." Medusa interjected, but Luna carried on.

"But I'm sure Uriel does not want our culture to disappear or Nika for her favorite beer to disappear."

After a short discussion with the Morbach werewolf, they set up a table outdoors and the first thing they did was to test if their cellphones worked. It came as little surprise when they were turned off, but Uriel's cellphone could still work despite being stored inside the trait. That said, he could not record any video, only sounds.

"This is so unfair, that kind of technology should be available to everyone." Medusa pouted.

"Sure, but then people will have to use flashlights to check if a cryptid is nearby." Uriel rebuked.

"If you're speaking about the field of disruption, it's not what you think," Thomas said, then shifted awkwardly when everyone glared at him. "I'm sorry, I'm unfamiliar with interviews. Did I breach the protocol?"

"No, please explain to us what is the field of disruption. Is it really a field or is it a frequency? Can it be bypassed with any arrays other than the Faraday cage?" Medusa showed great interest and the interviewed also showed interest, though rather than being caught up by the topic he stared directly at Medusa's cleavage.

"I can't be too technical about it and you must also understand that I do not speak with other cryptids. All the other cryptids I found have been mindless creatures or really, really dumb," He let out a chuckle, then continued. "As I understand it, the field of disruption is a part of my body. I can't explain it any better, but I will try to elaborate. When I enter a room I can feel the walls, doors and even the furniture pressing against me. It is not physical touch, but rather something that is preventing me from expanding. I can diminish my presence, but it makes me sluggish and disables some of my abilities."

"Speaking about abilities, what are yours?" Uriel asked.

"I regenerate passively, but I can also regenerate my body faster by making a conscious effort. I can intimidate other creatures with a low frequency sound and my claws can become longer if I wish. I can also morph into a werewolf at will, but if moonlight touches me I am forced to transform and have no control over it." Thomas explained and without missing a beat Luna activated her trait to illuminate the werewolf, causing it to transform on the spot.

After a good five minutes of a rampaging beast tilting the table and chasing after Medusa while ignoring the rest of them, the Morbach werewolf finally calmed himself enough to continue the conversation.

"That was uncalled for." Thomas said.

"I had to put it to the test. It seems my trait really does emit moonlight and that is... interesting. I always thought the relationship between werewolves and moon was made up, guess I was wrong." Luna muttered the last part so faintly it was difficult to hear.

"I don't know about other werewolves, but I must be clear about a couple things. I am not part human, I am absolutely certain. I may look like a human, but I lost my humanity completely and all that remains is the beast. I am a hundred percent wolf. That said, my relationship with the moon is strange as it forces me to transform and gives me power. But it is also my bane."

"Elaborate, please."

"Do not think I asked you to kill me because I am too much of a coward to put a bullet through my brain or something like that. I've tried to kill myself on many occasions but the result has been far from my expectations. Whenever I try to kill myself I reappear somewhere in the wilderness on the next full moon. I do not know how it happens, but even if I am incinerated completely I will still reappear."

"I've seen cryptids spawn out of thin air," Luna muttered then added. "by now it should be fair to assume that the actual body of the cryptid is the field of disruption, which we can't see but we can perceive with our mystical sense. The physical body might be just a representation, an avatar of the creature if you wish. That would also explain many phenomena we have witnessed."

"You're rushing too much without evidence." Uriel declared and Luna agreed with a silent nod.

"The thing is, I know the only way to kill me is during a full moon which is why I always try to challenge hunters during that period. I don't know how I know this, I just do."

"It does sound like the 'rules' we've encountered. It is some sort of trigger that allows cryptids to activate some sort of power. Like a skinwalker's set of rules or the dullahan's chivalry code." Uriel commented and Luna added.

"Don't forget about the changelings. Whenever you attempted to unveil the true identity of your so called uncle you experienced a headache and your mind got fuzzy."

"Does this mean we'll have to wait for the next full moon to do what he asked us?" Nika asked in a scoff.

"We could bring him along with us in our travels." Luna proposed but was quickly shut down by everyone.

"First you'll want him to tag along, then you'll become attached and next thing we know, he'll be your pet." Uriel glared at her and though the look on Thomas' face informed he wasn't completely against the idea, even he knew it would be a wrong move.

"I need to ask, are the allegations made against you of sexual violence right?" Medusa glared at Thomas and he replied staring at her bosom like anytime he spoke to her.

"I can't help it, it's just in my nature I think. But don't be mistaken, I have never crossed the line. Just a few rubs here and there..."

"We don't necessarily need to wait for the next full moon, not if you call 'him' to bring 'her'." Uriel said to Medusa and she fully agreed.

"A horny beast is even more dangerous than a deadly cryptid, at least other cryptids let hunters die with dignity." She scoffed.

The rest of the interview carried on with little details that could prove to be useful or completely worthless as there were key pieces of information missing. Thomas himself did not know anything about other cryptids and there was little he could add to what he had already told them.

The next stage was for Luna to give him a medical examination and while she really wanted to vivisect the cryptid and perform many experiments on Thomas, the rules of bioethics prohibited it and she was only able to perform non invasive exams.

Except for the rectal thermometer, the blood draw, the oral inspection with a variety of tools, the cutting of hair, the biopsy, the excisions, the plucking of nails and pretty much anything she could do with her current means.

"Too bad an endoscopy would not work." Luna said in a monotone while Thomas remained curling up in a fetal position to cope with the trauma.