Dungeon Raider System
Chapter 699 - 699: The expedition begins Part 2

Nika stepped out of the custom Kenworth truck after about eight hours of travel across the barrenlands and was soon greeted by a sergeant of the army.

"Welcome to Fort Davis, Ma'am. I'm Lieutenant Ridge at your service." Her dusty uniform showed signs of hard work, yet there wasn't a single tear on it which meant she wasn't a fighter which amounted to her young age made her rank in the army an impressive feat.

"We're looking for shelter for tonight." Nika explained.

"You can park your vehicles in the parking lot, but warn your students not to roam around and let them know we won't be allowing anyone who steps outside the perimeter to return." Ridge remained professional while she explained the rules they needed to follow if they wanted to spend the night in the fort.

"Who's in charge of this place?" Asked Nika, yet her curiosity was resolved when a bulky man with a buffed chest that contrasted from his legs walked in. It wasn't that his legs were thin, but his chest was disproportionate giving him an odd look. His face was angular and somewhat square decorated with a few scars that gave him a rough appearance.

"Name's Captain Silvermane." The man grunted.

"Sweet mama!" She exclaimed as she found his 'macho' appearance that greatly differed from the usual 'jock' type hunter very appealing.

"How will you be paying for your stay?" Silvermane asked.

"With my body." Nika asserted coquettishly.

"We could use a new recruit like you." Silvermane grinned.

"Credits!" she corrected herself.

The students explored their surroundings happy to stretch their legs after the long trip and to breathe in fresh air in a place surrounded by all sides with nature.

Some students wanted to explore even further as it was a one in a lifetime chance for them to see the world outside a megacity, but Nika cautioning against it wasn't enough to deter the curious students who now felt safe since they were in a military settlement.

"You two! Head back inside right now!" Nika scolded after catching two students who were obviously a couple wandering dangerously close to the army settlement's border.

"I don't get it, why can't we just take a short stroll?" The male student whined.

"You're not on your city anymore, be thankful the army was gracious enough to let us stay," Nika said inwardly wondering how did she end up in charge of a bunch of useless students. Explaining them the danger they were in didn't seem to be enough to deter them from breaking the rules and she suddenly had an idea.

"I know you guys want to get all lovey dovey, but I don't think you'll want to do it after I tell you a story."

"A story?" The female student scoffed. "we're not children anymore."

"Yeah, bedtime stories are for children." The male student mocked.

Nika remained silent as she led the students at the center of the settlement where a few barrels were turned into makeshift braziers.

"Last year during the freshman incursion a group similar to this went into the went to the wilderness to get their traits. As usual, they were accompanied by the army..." Nika painted a colorful picture of what freshman incursions used to be and some soldiers were drawn by her tale.

"This is stupid, you're making this up. There's no way the army would have taken so many students outside the city if it wasn't safe." Scoffed one of the many students from Pangeotis class.

"That's nothing but the pure truth," Silvermane butted in. "I used to be in charge of the physical training class at your college. I still remember the names and faces of all the students who never returned." By the time his words sunk in the sun was already setting in the horizon and the sounds of nature erupted as if on cue.

"If their goal was to get the students to acquire their traits, then it meant we're much stronger than they were!" Nicholas, the young man who attempted to sneak outside with his girlfriend declared.

"You are stronger, way stronger... yet I don't think you would have survived that night." Nika countered.

"What happened!?" A student asked in a sharp voice.

"You see, the students were mingling and chatting about their dreams and goals for the future, then they started telling stories just like I'm doing now. I wasn't there and only heard this story second hand, but I heard it was a pretty scary story.

The fact that the soldier in charge of them just happened to be an airhead and finished the story by showing her trait also didn't help and everyone ran into the wilderness and when they came back... there was something in their group, something that looked exactly like a human but wasn't."

"Pfff, a doppelganger. They melt like butter when they touch silver." One of the students laughed, then the one next to him added.

"This isn't scary."

"It was actually a skinwalker, there's a difference but that's beyond the point. At that time they didn't know about their abilities or how to deal with them which is why no one thought much about it when two students started making out.

The girl was quite beautiful and the guy was a virgin, so you can guess how motivated he was to follow her when she invited him over to have some fun in the dark." Nika finished the story with a somber expression that rivaled that of Luna's whenever she told them stories.

The sounds of nature didn't shift in the slightest, yet the students now felt as though something unseen in the dark was looking directly at them and they realized it wasn't a bedtime story. If anything, instead of putting them to sleep it would keep them from the sweet relief of a peaceful slumber.

"I heard that story before," Captain Silverman snorted at the sight of the previously unruly students that now refused to give their backs to the wilderness. "Do you know them in person?"

Nika replied with a reluctant nod, cursing at her own naivety for using their friends as a cautionary tale.

"How are they doing these days?" An honest smile was drawn on the Captain's face. He was a simple man with a single purpose in life, to help others reach their potential and survive in a cruel world. If that meant leaving his safe job in college to protect a military base he would do so without hesitation, yet the memory of his students was always the first and last thing that came to mind.