Dungeon Raider System

Why Uriel chose to share the rewards for killing the cryptid he killed practically on his own was a mystery to all of those who witnessed the deed. It was a dire fight against all odds and if he had decided to claim the entire reward for himself and even demand a hefty compensation for saving the Defenders no one would have hold it against him.

Him offering to split the reward wasn't just generous but altruistic, which was highly against Uriel's character which got Nika to pester him for an answer on their way back to the hotel they were staying at, which luckily was located in a part that remained untouched by the Culebre.

There were many ways Uriel could have avoided answering a question. He could have ran away using Dash, ride his Jaguar or even hide somewhere and conceal his flux signature. The first was impossible due to the cramps he was experiencing due to his physical and mental exertion in the previous fight, the second was also impossible because after the cryptid died he was left with little flux and he couldn't afford to spend it carelessly and, unfortunately to him, the last one was also impossible since they now had Kristina on their team and she would have been able to find him wherever he hid.

But even if things were different, Uriel knew he would never be able to escape from Nika for one simple fact. She was, in all the sense of the word, his shadow.

"Fine! I split the reward with them because they'll discount the damages caused in the city!" He snarled in annoyance. "sharing the reward helped Hazel to ease up in the idea of giving her to us."

"Me?" Kristina blinked a couple times, then blushed up in a bright shade of red earning herself a glare from Uriel's companions. Luna stretched her face towards Kristina and sniffed her which only left the new addition to the team more confused.

By the time Uriel reached the hotel he was greeted with two good news. The first one being that now that the Culebre was no longer in the picture, the air conditioner worked without issues anymore and the second was a brief but telling text message he received from Hazel.

Hazel: I'll wire you half the reward or what's left of it after deducting the damages. Well played.

The text finished with a yellow face completely flat, an emoji that well represented how Hazel was feeling at the moment. On the one hand she did get the money reward and also the credit for killing the cryptid, but she was also deemed responsible for the damages caused by the cryptid, a hefty fine that took a huge chunk of the reward just like Uriel anticipated.

This may have annoyed, even angered most people, but Hazel kept a cool head. She knew she would have been incapable of killing the cryptid with the help of her team alone and just being alive was a win in her situation, anything else was just the cherry on top.

Upon confirming the death of the Culebre, the first thing the governor did was to encourage the citizens to go back to work. It didn't matter how many people had died in the incident, there would always be someone willing to fill in even if they had to drag people from the slums, but the economy could not be stopped just because a Culebre caused some wreckage here and there.

If anything, the biggest loss they suffered was the cryptid itself as it provided them with a steady supply of artifacts that empowered their economy for years. Granted, they thought it was a dungeon and it turned out to be a cryptid instead, but nothing changed the fact that they wouldn't be able to profit from it anymore.

That alone could have caused their economy to crash, if not for the fact that they did manage to acquire an impeccable horror level flux orb which was considered to be the 'stuff from which dreams are built on' by engineers. From zeppelin engines to automated defense turrets, they could turn that orb into anything they could imagine.

On his side, Uriel didn't have the first clue on how truly valuable horror level flux orbs were. To him, they meant either becoming stronger, though not so much as to make a difference, or an insane amount of cash which would have not made a difference either. About paying for the damages with the sale of the flux orb didn't bother him for two reasons.

One being that it was the right thing to do, especially considering how it was actually his fault that the Culebre became violent. If not for him recklessly stabbing it before even finding its weak spot, nothing would have happened. The second reason was the consolation that at least this time his unruly jaguar spirit didn't eat it and he heaved a sigh as he watched the city through the window of his hotel room.

This time, as a celebration for making it out alive of such dire situation and also to regain their strength Uriel allowed to call for room service. An event much more uncommon than a comet, an eclipse and a meteor rain occurring on the same night which his companions greatly appreciated.

Luna especially, as she felt she had been starved for weeks despite the fact that she had a hearty breakfast like usual. She stuffed her mouth with food as soon as it came, making a low growl any time anyone but Uriel grabbed a snack which discouraged Kristina from eating.

"You can drink with me, Uriel won't let Luna drink until she turns 21." Nika chuckled as she handed Kristina a six pack of beers, though the awkward huntress grabbed a single can and poured it into a glass.

"See that? it's called manners, you should try them some time." Uriel said mockingly.

"Drinking on a glass takes some of the flavor away." Nika said in between gulps.

Kristina felt awkward the rest of the evening, but things became worse when she noticed there were only two beds and there were four of them and she arrived at the conclusion that the only reason why someone like Uriel would go through such lengths just to recruit her was that he wanted her in his bed. She had mixed feelings about it, since she didn't consider herself to be nearly as pretty as Nika and she was also older than all of them, but she thought it was the least he could do for the man who changed her life forever.

That is why she followed him when he retreated to his room, though instead of inviting her inside he looked her with a questioning look.

"Is there anything you wanted to talk about?"

"You don't remember me?" Kristina finally mustered the courage to ask the question that had been lingering on her mind for a long while.

"You're the huntress that helped Charlie track me."

"I've been meaning to thank you, if it wasn't for you, my trait..."

"Sure, sure, now go to sleep." Uriel shut the door in her face and went to sleep, he was way too tired of human interaction. Plus, judging by how quirky all of his companions had turned out to be, he didn't want to risk somebody else trying to get into his bed.

In the end, Kristina noticed Nika passed out on the table which meant she could sleep with Luna. Needless to say, this proved to be a terrible choice. Sleeping out in the wilderness would not only have been more comfortable, but also way safer as the next morning Kristina woke up not to the cute huntress that snored like an overweight truck driver after a long trip but to a hulking mass of fur.

Throughout the night, the governor carefully crafted a plan along with his closest and most trusted allies to prevent Uriel from exiting the city alive deeming his actions and those of his entire company not only disrespectful, but also rebellious.

They came up with many ways to get them separated and overpower them with sheer numbers, but when morning came the hunter in question showed up in person to the palace, demanding the car that was promised to him, uncaring of the fact that the governor had just used the hearse to mock him.

All the possible scenarios they had thought included Uriel attempting to exit through the gate first thing in the morning and him coming up in person threw a devastating monkey wrench in the governor's schemes.

Nika drove the old car to the northern side of the megacity and when the gates opened, the governor knew his last chance to take Uriel out had come to pass. Later that day, after Hazel collected her pay and wired his share to Uriel, she decided to come clean about what truly happened and who actually killed the Culebre.

That night, there wasn't enough sangria in the entire palace to soothe the governor's nerves and he couldn't be grateful enough that he didn't attempt to stop that walking calamity from exiting his city.