Dungeon Raider System
Chapter 655 - 655: On the witch side of things Part 3

Uriel had been running across the central island ransacking all the buildings he could find with the pretext to find more about the Anasazi culture, though it seemed as though he was just grabbing all the trites he could get his hands without paying any attention to the cultural remains scattered all over the place.

"Are you sure this is archaeological research? It doesn't sound like it." Medusa asked when the crashing sound of Uriel bashing at a door reached her ears.

"I can't be sure, this is the first time I see him working an archaeological site. But... uhm... I was under the impression that archaeology was a delicate job." Luna may have not seemed like it, but she was disconcerted by the violence displayed by Uriel who broke through anything that stood in his way.

"On the contrary, sometimes brute force is necessary. Also, I'm learning a lot about their culture." Uriel's reply only managed to confound his friends even more, though he was actually being honest.

After the first dozen break ins he learned that the former inhabitants of the golden city of Cibola stored most of their coins in a wide vase in the equivalent to a living room, but that they also kept a hidden stash with their savings somewhere in the house.

In some cases it was below a carpet, in others it was behind a heavy piece of furniture and sometimes even above the doorframe, yet all the houses were guaranteed to possess a hidden stash with the most valuable objects and the most amount of trites.

"I get that this must be the chance of a lifetime for you to study this place and that you're also gaining a lot of money by doing this, but I'm starting to get bored." Medusa let out a sigh while she waited for Uriel to clear yet another house. Because of her blindness she couldn't even help in looting and she was desperate for some action.

"Then go take a stroll with Luna, I'll meet you guys by the throne at the center." Uriel said without even turn to look at them go.

"Did I miss something? I took a quick snooze..."

"Help me find some trites, would you?" Uriel asked.

"Uhm... I can't do much because of my ankle. Where is Luna by the way?" Nika scanned her surroundings hopping on one foot. The pain from her swollen foot could have prevented a lesser huntress from doing anything, but it was nothing Nika couldn't handle. The only reason why she didn't want to put any strain on her foot was because she wanted to heal as soon as possible.

"She left with Medusa." Uriel shrugged.

"Dammit!" Nika cursed after missing her chance to get treatment.

"Why don't you go after her?"

"Do you want me to help you look for trites or do you want me to go find Luna?" A very pained, very frustrated Nika asked.

"Yes." Was all Uriel replied, irking Nika even further.

Meanwhile, Luna and Medusa were strolling around the streets of the marvelous city in front of them with showing the same excitement anyone would while making the line at the bank. No matter how brightly the golden city shone, it held no meaning for Medusa who couldn't see it with her eyes while for Luna things were different.

Luna had no interest in a deserted place no matter its beauty. She didn't see the cultural value of the architecture nor did she even have any interest in riches since they were only a means to an end. Money or gold didn't hold any value by themselves and neither did for Luna who would rather be walking through a forest where life brimmed everywhere.

In a sense, the time she spent lost in the wetlands was the closest thing to a paradise. There were cryptids, all sort of animals and a lush vegetation that piqued her interest. If not for her nasty encounter with the Rougarou that stained her memory of that place she would consider moving there after retirement.

"Uhm, there's people here." Luna said after sniffing the air in a desperate attempt to avoid any conversation with Medusa. They were friends, but for some odd reason they could never get past the rivalry between their specializations.

"Yeah, the same jerks who tried to get us killed last time."

"No, it's someone who smells nice." Luna insisted as she followed the traces in the air like a hound fixated on its prey and it wasn't long until she found her mark.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Bella asked in shock when she saw the two huntresses approach.

"According to Uriel, getting in is the easy part." Luna replied taking a distrustful glare at the man beside Bella.

"He's Atsa, a witch I met outside the city. He helped me, but keep your guard up." Bella warned.

"Is he an enemy?" Medusa rushed to take a stance as she readied for combat.

"No, he's a pervert with grabby hands." She replied with a straight face.

"Did he touch you in your privates?" Luna's question disconcerted everyone present.

"No," The blond huntress shook her head, then continued. "Not for lack of trying though. If not for my wind barrier."

"I'll kill him." Luna informed as she channeled enough flux energy into her orichalcum claws to cut through reinforced alloy like it was butter.

"Wait! I was joking! He's a pervert, but hasn't done anything." Bella rushed in to protect the man who seemed paralyzed out of fear, yet nothing could differ more from the truth.

"You... child... you are." Atsa walked towards Luna with a nostalgic look and extended his arms towards her.

"Back off!" Medusa blocked the man's path at the same time Bella did.

"It's not what you think." The man muttered, then for some reason Luna walked past her friends and started lapping around the man sniffing the air around him.

"Luna! We've warned you about stranger danger multiple times." Medusa scolded, yet Luna ignored her.

"You are... uhm... family?" Luna asked, her blank expression contrasting heavily with the tears trickling down her cheeks.

"He's a werething too?" Bella asked dumbfounded.

"That's an insult. Werethings are nasty creatures not even I want to meet, we prefer the term lycanthrope." Luna said, managing to stay calm only because of Bella's ignorance.

"I am, in a sense, your great, great, great...," The man said great so many times everyone but Medusa lost count. "great grandfather."

By the time he finished speaking Luna was already rubbing her face into his buckskin attire filling it with tears and snot like a crying child. It was her first time meeting anyone from her family other than Cassandra and the man's smell carried the wolf smell much stronger than anyone she remembered.

"You look old, but not that old. Luna, what's a human's average lifespan?" Medusa asked without lowering her guard.

"Without taking into consideration violent deaths, it should currently be around 90. Before the arrival it was around 70 and before that it was lower." She explained.

"He said the word great 200 times, if we consider the average lifespan as 50 that makes it at least ten thousand years. That's not old, he's either lying, senile or prehistoric and I don't like any of those possibilities." Medusa tugged on Luna who remained stuck to the man and refused to let go.

"Actually, there was a time where humans lived up to nine hundred years. I still remember my first wife, she was wild... in the literal sense." Atsa chuckled.

"Luna, are werewolves immortal like vampires or something?" Bella asked.

"Vampires are immortal because they feed on human life essence, we don't do that... usually." Luna replied, the last word carrying an unintended threat to Bella who covered her neck in response.

"You are quite knowledgeable for someone your age, say, would you like to be my wife?" Atsa asked with tenderness.

"Ew! You just said you're blood related!" Bella's face distorted as she gagged exaggeratedly.

"Actually, if he is actually my... uhm... many times great grandfather it should be safe to marry him. Our blood relationship must be so diluted is probably even safer than marrying a neighbor, at least in DNA terms." Luna explained.

"Wonderful! We just need someone to officiate our wedding and..." The old man cheered until his spine cracked under the pressure of Luna's embrace.

"I was just explaining it was safe. I don't want to marry, at all." Luna growled leaving the old man pained both emotionally and physically.

"I don't want to interrupt this 'touching' family reunion, but I need to find my family. They were nowhere to be found at our floating island and we were heading to the next one." Bella said, though she had every intention to cut what she considered the weirdest family reunion short.

"Ah, yes, I am in a hurry too. Perhaps you would like to hear a story on the way there." Atsa said after healing his back under Luna's attentive gaze.

"A story from grampa? Yes, please." Luna's excitement didn't leak, though she didn't hesitate to grab the man's hand to reenact a precious moment with a family she could never experience before.