Dungeon Raider System
Chapter 742 - 742: Old friends Part 3

"Uhm, please, just this once." Luna begged, though judging for her inexpressive tone of voice no one could have guessed how much she really wanted it.

"No." Uriel replied.

"My sister says 'no' it's not an answer. Elaborate."

"No." Uriel insisted.

"Come on, just go with her. What does it cost you?" Nika joined.

"The ship just landed here and we don't know the whereabouts. Who knows what kind of creature will come after us."

"But you said this is Pensilvania, we can't be here and miss on seeing them." Luna said.

"Seeing who?" Hazel butted in while her companions secured the perimeter.

"Raystown Ray, Squonk, Albatwitch and the Waterford sheepman." Luna replied, though she might as well be speaking a different language because Hazel did not understand a word.

"Cryptids, she's obsessed with them." Uriel said.

"Cryptids!? Where?" Hazel readied for battle.

"Here we go again." Uriel buried his face on his palms.

"Raystown Ray is similar to Nessie, an aquatic creature that lives in the Huntingdon county lake. Contrary to Nessie, though, Ray is a herbivore. He's been sighted by many fishermen and they all tell the tale of a magnificent creature."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Hazel said.

"It's not, not all cryptids are bad. The Squonk is another example of a good cryptid. It's said its eyes are always filled with tears because it's sad about its hideous appearance. It's filled with warts and moles all over its body and the only way to spot it is to follow its trail of tears.

Locals were so moved by this that they threw a yearly party to lift up its mood and in return the Squonk brought them good fortune." Luna explained.

Hazel listened intently to Luna whilst having a hard time getting used to her annoyingly slow manner of speech, then replied. "That sounds cute too."

"Why don't you tell her about the Waterford sheepman then? I bet Hazel would love to hear all about a creature that looks like the mix of a sheep and a human, only with fangs and bulging muscles that slays cattle for fun and chases after people only to eat them once they're tired." Uriel scoffed.

"Is that true? Does a cryptid like that exist?" Hazel shivered at the thought of such a creature and started to feel cold despite being a heavenly rank hunter.

Luna played dumb and didn't reply which Uriel took as his cue to have a much needed conversation with Alice. "About the bow."

"Please, please, please don't fire me! I know I was wrong to take it and-" Alice apologized repeatedly and felt the urge to kneel down, but Uriel stopped her.

"You can keep it." He said.

"I can?"

"You got us this ship, the least I can do is reward you. Besides, it's not like I can use bows at all. It's better off in your hands than mine," Alice thanked him profusely, but Uriel was not done yet. "be warned, that bow is the equivalent to an intermediate weapon and it shouldn't be used lightly. It augments kinetic energy by storing potential energy while you draw the string."

"What was that burst of energy then?" Alice asked.

"That was on the arrow. It seems the arrowhead became a powerful artifact after Scoundrel's passing. I know someone who might provide a better explanation, but there's no need to worry about that. Just be careful when you use it."

"You don't need to worry about friendly fire." Alice lowered her gaze as she thought of the way Scoundrel died making a vow to not ever make Ashanti's mistake.

The rest of the night passed on uneventfully and the Sparrow took flight as soon as the sun showed up in the horizon. They continued their flight north east during the day and Uriel kept busy by counting the flux orbs and it wasn't long until he drifted into his own thoughts.

He was filled with a sense of anticipation, not the usual ominous feeling he experienced whenever he faced a dungeon or an unknown cryptid, but something different and the only explanation that came to mind was that he was now about to head over to a new continent.

He wondered for a minute if it was related to the many marvels of archaeology what excited him or if it was the possibility of encountering new dungeons. He even thought it could be related to being able to reunite with Medusa, but then he realized it was something entirely different.

While the reason he gave everyone for his insistence on going to Europe had always been that he was interested in the archaeological remains of the old continent, the actual reason was buried deep inside his mind.

The mystery advanced technology of an ancient technology, of Water warlock's people, dungeons and cryptids couldn't possibly compare to the one that had been haunting him for the longest time, his family. He had few clues about his origins, the most important being the last name he shared with Emma and the picture Jon Hunter had in his wallet.

"That bastard knows who my father is and I missed on the chance to ask him about it." Uriel clicked his tongue in frustration as he now regretted being so dismissive about it.

"Do you need a shoulder to cry on?" Nika said mockingly.

"I'm not talking to you." Uriel replied annoyed by Nika's laidback attitude towards something that really mattered to him.

"I get it, I do. My papa meant the world to me and he was taken from me by that same jerk." Nika said.

"So that's why you hate Jon so much?" Uriel asked, taken aback by Nika sharing something about her past.

"I don't really hate him. I'll never forgive him for what he did but... if it wasn't for him I would have never made it," Nika said and then added with a wry smile. "at least you know there's a chance that your father is still alive."