Dungeon Raider System

Despite not liking her room, the headquarters, the head of the rangers, the idea of rangers and the historical impact rangers of the old times had on her country, Nika put her hands to work the minute she set foot in the headquarters.

She was meant to be put into training like any rookie, but she knew the drill already thanks to Uriel telling her what his experience was like when joining the rangers. She was obedient, took care of tasks efficiently and kept her mouth shut, except to let out a quick comeback whenever someone attempted to haze her.

She being a heavenly rank hunter and a powerful one at that left the rangers with no choice but to haze her with words only, but her tongue turned out to be even more sharp than her perfectly fit body which left the rangers both frustrated and impressed in the same measure.

"I'm not liking your attitude, I have to say," Nika's partner, a woman who went by Sarah said as she watched Nika scrub the floor she just soiled by dropping a plant pot. "but your work ethic is something else. How am I supposed to instill the sense of comradery into you if you don't go through any hardship during training?"

"I didn't come to be the laughing stock of anyone, but I also didn't come to make friends and have fun. I'll do whatever is required of me as long as it fits my company's interests." Nika replied dryly.

Sarah looked at her supervisor with a puzzled look and received an approving nod in reply and something much similar happened to most if not all of the Dungeon Raiders that were put to the test. Even Emma whose loyalty to the company went as far as it suited her interest behaved like the perfect subordinate, not only because she still wanted Uriel to participate in the auction to retrieve her family's heirlooms but also because all of her friends were a part of the company too.

"I think you're ready for your first mission, it's not going to be much but I want to see what you're capable of." Said Sarah, prompting Nika to drop the cleaning supplies on the floor.

"I still need that floor clean, though...," Said Sarah awkwardly, to which Nika replied by using shadowblink to clean the room spotless in less than two minutes with her ungodly speed. "if you could do that, then why didn't you from the start!?" Said Sarah agape.

"Because the only reward you get for working hard is more hard work and I'm not stupid." Nika crossed her hands defiantly.

"Sure... sure." Sarah said as she pondered her life choices, or rather, her undead choices as she was now a vampire. Just like most rangers, she was not technically a hunter since she never had the chance to get a trait and instead was turned into a vampire as a last resort to avoid death.

She suffered from an illness that doctors could not identify and didn't have a name. In fact, right after the diagnose the doctor asked her what she wanted the sickness to be called and she went by the strongest symptom she endured, which was her inability to sleep.

"And you decided to call it insomniac syndrome?" Nika scoffed when she heard the last bit of her recount while they patrolled the streets mid day.

"Well, I'm not a doctor..." She shrugged.

"Still, I bet it sucked not being able to sleep." Nika said with sympathy.

"You have no clue. I gobbled sleeping pills like candy, but all they did was mess up my liver and that is how I ended up being the cutest ranger you'll ever meet, except for Miss Charlie of course." Sarah chuckled.

"You call that cute? Her whole personality is between her navel and her neck, she's nothing like my sweet Luna." Nika said.

"Who's that?" Asked Sarah wanting to hear more about Nika's friends, but Nika's face turned pale when she remembered what Luna had recently done to the rangers.

"Don't mind me, I'm just a jealous C cup." Nika said causing Sarah to burst into laughter.

They patrolled the area assigned to them during the afternoon and even had lunch, all with a light mood that made time pass without them noticing. Throughout the day they stopped an armed robbery, helped a missing kid reunite with his parents and even rescued people in a fire. All with jokes flying there and back between them as they showed their prowess, with Nika being superior in almost any way.

"You know, at first I wasn't sure about this whole thing, but I'm starting to really like working with you."

"I know, I'm awesome. You'll miss me when I return to my company..." Said Nika, though she wondered when was the last time she had so much lighthearted fun.

"Alright, it's almost time we head on to our mission." Sarah said as she put on her hat before stepping into the sun.

"Before that, I've been meaning to ask... do you burn in the sun or something?"

"We just become a bit weaker in sunlight that's all, the hat is to prevent our skin from getting burned."

"So you do burn?" Nika lifted an eyebrow.

"I mean, everyone does?" Sarah asked, hinting at the obvious fact that sunburns were a thing not only for vampires.

"Right... not me, though, I have a natural tan." Nika laughed as she spun around to show her beautiful bronzed skin.

"You're really pretty," Nodded Sarah with a light chuckle. She then checked her cellphone and her demeanor changed suddenly. "we've been dispatched, the rangers received a call from one of the most influential entrepreneurs."

"That sounds exciting, why do you seem so disgruntled?" Nika asked her partner.

"It never is, they call for the slightest inconvenience in their day and we are forced to answer because if we don't, they complain to the governor and if the governor isn't happy our budget suffers." Sarah clenched her fists.

"Let's just go and take care of it as fast as we can, then."

"But it's getting dark, are you not afraid of going out during curfew?" Asked Sarah and Nika replied with but a shrug.

Nika liked the idea of being outside during curfew hours the same as staying in the rangers headquarters. In other words, she wasn't afraid of the cryptids that showed their ugly faces in the dark of night, but would much prefer being cozy in the Pegasus.

Like most rangers, they had to take a taxi to get to their destination which somewhat bothered Nika since she had a bike which she could have brought along if they told her beforehand that the rangers were broke. Though, after thinking about it on the way she realized she probably wouldn't have even if she knew because there was no way she could have expected she would have so much fun acting as a ranger.

People looked her with respect, they obeyed her commands, she could get free drinks at the bars and she was not just allowed to kick people in the ass but actually encouraged to do so. For Nika who was accustomed to living in the shadows, not just in the literal sense as she did actually spend a great amount of time inside Uriel's, but also figuratively. Due to her trait, it was difficult for Nika to get the credit for the things she accomplished since she usually worked alone, behind enemy lines and in stealth. The things she had done and witnessed were usually kept to herself.

Once they reached the perimeter of the mansion they were called to, they rang the bell a couple times and waited. Then they rang it a few more times and nothing happened.

"Something's wrong." Sarah said as she picked up the faint scent of blood in the air.

"Let's break in, if you're correct we have a lot to gain by helping and a lot to lose if we don't."

"That's not how rangers act, you shouldn't ask yourself what do you have to gain, but how can you help others. Also, we can't." By the time Sarah finished speaking Nika was already on the other side of the metal gate.

"What do you mean we cant?" She pointed at herself.

"I can't go in." Sarah insisted.

"Oh, right... I'll open it up for you." Nika blinked inside the security cabin next to the gate and pushed the button that opened the gate, though even with the gate open Sarah did not walk in.

"I need to be invited." Sarah helplessly replied.

"I'll invite you, then."

"It doesn't work like that I'm afraid." A wry smile appeared on Sarah's face.

"Fine, I'll take care of this and be back in a minute." Nika disappeared into the shadows and went inside the mansion to investigate, unable to hear Sarah shouting at her to come back.