Dungeon Raider System

The following day, the Pegasus received the unlikeliest visit when not only Sam but also Ika showed up to the airport. They could have entered the precinct by flying like they were used to, but decided to announce their presence at the front desk of the airport like any visitor should giving the Dungeon Raiders enough time to prepare for their visits both mentally and strategically.

There were few reasons why they thought Sam wanted to visit and he liked none of them, but still decided to allow him to come aboard the ship mostly out of curiosity and maybe a speck of hope that he could get their underarmors back.

A greeting party comprised of heavenly rank hunters waited by the entrance of the ship, weapons locked and loaded just in case Sam came with ill intentions and he was made to stop in front of them.

"State your business." Said Miss Dragonfang in the coldest tone she could muster, which in spites of her usually goofy demeanor was actually fitting for an ex soldier who had been to hell and back many times over.

"I just want to see my friends." Sam replied.

"You have none here, you may go." Replied Miss Dragonfang.

"Come on, you can't still be mad about what happened. It's been what? Two years? You were there the night I gained my trait, you know the things I've seen and the ones I've been made to do despite seeing what I can see. Out of everyone, you were the one I had more hopes would understand me."

"Two years? Add two more years, double that and then multiply it by then, it would still not be enough. You didn't just betray the company, you betrayed each one of us." Dragonfang replied.

"That's enough, Miss Dragonfang, let him come aboard." Uriel sighed turning Miss Dragonfang into her usual goofy self once more as she retreated inside the ship to continue pretending she worked while she actually played.

Ika did not show much interest when Uriel showed up, but the moment she saw Luna she fluttered her beautiful black wings and threw herself at her with the warmest of embraces giving her kisses on the cheek.

"I'm so happy you're fine! You have no idea what it was like seeing you radiated. We all thought you were going to die." Ika said, to which Luna replied with a nod.

"I was indeed poisoned by radiation, but now I'm better."

"And you, it's been so long! Why did you not call!? I waited so long for someone to give me a call!" Ika said to Medusa. Despite the amount of time they spent together when they met each other, those were the darkest of times for Ika which helped her bond with the Dungeon Raiders and particularly Medusa who was of a kind and caring nature.

"Huh... because in order to make a call outside a megacity you need relay points. We attempted that once, but it was costly and difficult to maintain. We're not the Mapple corp that has zeppelins flying all over the world and can use them as repeater antenna." Medusa sighed.

"Hi." Uriel said, yet Ika did not acknowledge his presence whatsoever, despite Uriel being one of the reasons she remained alive and even though she was grateful. And the reason for that was very simple.

"You and I should talk," Sam make a short stop to gaze at his surroundings, the continued. "on private."

"I'll hear you out." Uriel said as he entered the ship.

Letting Sam see his artifacts was a double edged sword considering how the holy rank hunter who used to be his best friend would easily identify the most powerful ones. In one hand it would probably deter him from trying anything stupid, but on the other he might also be tempted to steal them.

Whatever the case, Uriel weighed the pros and cons and went with it, since the Pegasus was his home and he had the advantage in it. The traps deployed inside the Pegasus were much similar to those Uriel installed in the headquarters, only they were empowered by Medusa's engineering and Luna's creative way of substances which made Uriel actually eager to try them on a holy rank hunter like Sam.

"So, what's the deal with her?" Asked Uriel.

"No catch up, straight to the bone like always," Sam said as he took a seat. "you do know how can a heavenly rank hunter become a holy rank?"

"Sure, by killing thousands of people like you did." Uriel gazed at Sam, not with judgement but rather an annoyed look as though saying there was no reason to state the obvious.

"or...?" Sam prolonged his word until it finally sank, but it actually took a while for Uriel to understand.

"She killed Manu!" Uriel gasped.

"She did, and now she's pissed at you because you didn't do it when he asked you to." Sam shrugged.

"How was I supposed to sacrifice someone who helped me? If it wasn't for Manu I would have never found you guys."

"That may be true, but still... he had to die, he wanted to die, it was his duty as an angel," Sam said, then Uriel's puzzled look told Sam precisely what she wanted. That Uriel did not know the first thing about angels. "you do know you're on the path to becoming an angel yourself, right?"

"If offering your life to whoever passes some dumb trial is an angel's duty, then I don't want it." Uriel waved his hand.

"Too bad, because that might be the only way for you to become stronger now. You must have felt it, what rookies call 'traits settling' is nothing but your body hitting its cap. No amount of training will make you stronger at that point and it's got nothing to do with traits. It's just the physical limit of what your body can achieve." Sam's words hit like a hammer on hot Iron as Uriel's mind started to shift from determination to hesitation.

"And here I thought I would be able to get our armors back. Now it turns out I may have to pay out of pocket for info. How much do you want?"

"Uriel, Uriel, Uriel... not everything is about money. Information is more valuable than gold and by now you must know the only price for information is blood." Sam said pointedly in a short speech he had rehearsed over a thousand times.

Uriel lingered for what felt like five full minutes to ponder about Sam's words and think back on his past, finding more truth to them the more he tried to disprove them. Every step of his archaeology research had been filled with sweat and pain. Every speck of information came at a high price that had to be paid in blood, his or his enemies'. And the worst part hit him when he realized that even before becoming a hunter, when he was just another student that wanted to learn he had to go hungry, suffer through bullying and sacrifice his sleep time just to become more knowledgeable.

"What is it you want?" Uriel's usual glare appeared on his face along with a poker face worthy of Luna as his relaxed attitude disappeared.

"I want to learn how to conceal my flux energy signature. That's all I'm asking and I'll teach you how to use smite or how to properly use your wings. A skill for a skill if you would."

"That sounds fair and I would jump to agree, but I don't think any of those skills are comparable to mine. That smite thing sounds great and I saw it in action, but the only reason why it was so powerful back then was because you were overcharged with flux energy and it's probably not even worth using it in combat most of the time."

"Why do you think that?" Sam lunged back.

"Because you didn't use it during our fight. It may be a powerful skill, but it's not convenient." Uriel shrugged dismissively while inwardly hoping Sam would take the bait. If there was one thing he needed for the tournament Tina was setting up, it was definitely an offensive skill that did not require him to summon any weapon.

"What about wings?" Sam stuttered.

"I can learn how to use them on my own. It must be like riding a bicycle... it's difficult at first, but only because you're afraid of falling and their downside is the amount of energy they require too."

"Do you even know how to ride a bicycle?" Sam lifted a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Not really, but it can't be that different to a motorbike, can it?" Uriel replied and both hunters chuckled together for the first time since Easter island giving way to an awkward moment.

All the pain they inflicted on each other and their rivalry had lead them to a growth they could have never pictured when they were just rookies trying to survive in a hostile world. They were now at a point in their lives where they could affect global politics by means of raw power, cunning alliances or even just money.

"You know what, let's do it. But I have a condition."