Dungeon Raider System

The unnatural events that costed the life of the only doctor on Atkinson's team took first priority the moment Luna was given the medicine even though her condition showed no improvement. There was nothing they could do for Luna other than wait and the same applied to their mission now that they had fixed communications and received confirmation that the ship was on its way to pick them up.

The problem with that was that the ship was supposed to take a few days to arrive and in the mean time their lives would be in danger. There was also the the possibility that they might be contaminated with something that could put the lives of everyone on board the ship in danger by bringing whatever killed Evans along with them.

Uriel raked up his brain thinking on what could it be, though his limited knowledge in cryptozoology and biology eventually forced him to accept reality and try to wake Luna up as she was an expert in both fields. He nudged her a couple times, gently at first then vigorously with no effect whatsoever.

"What would Luna do in this situation?" Uriel said out loud arriving soon at the conclusion that she would act with complete disregard to a sleeping person no matter if they were sick or wounded and with Luna unconscious, the next best thing was her notepad. Reading her theories and thoughts would be nearly as good as having her wide awake, probably even better as she usually had trouble conveying her thoughts when speaking. The only problem with that was that she always kept her notepad close to her chest, quite literally.

The first thing Uriel did was to conceal his energy signature as best as he could and silent as a cat he proceeded to undo the buttons on Luna's army jacket. With a clear view of his objective, he carefully slipped his hand in the deep crevasse between the two mountains inwardly repeating an old mantra to convince himself he was only doing what needed to be done.

He pulled out a pencil, then a surgical scalpel, scissors and an incredibly long bandage that seemed endless, but he couldn't find the notepad.

"Alright, guess I'll have to go deeper this time." He said as he gulped down a lump of saliva.

"How deep are we talking about? I don't know if I'm jealous or envious... what I am is shocked that you could stoop so low as to fondle her while she's asleep. At least do it when she's awake, I bet she won't mind." Nika spoke from the corner of the room, startling Uriel who was too focused on his inner struggle to notice her presence before.

"Why did you come out, you idiot?" Uriel grunted.

"Don't worry, there's no one near. I already checked and they're all busy speaking nonsense in the communication room."

"The scientists who lived here before died in unusual circumstances and the same thing happened to one of their men. Now that you're out here there might be a chance you caught whatever it was that killed them. This means that unless we find out what the cause of death is, we won't be allowed to leave this place even if the ship comes for us," Nika's eyes became wide in shock, but before she could hide back inside his trait Uriel continued. "on the bright side, now that you're here you can make yourself useful. Grab Luna's notepad for me and then tail the soldiers. I want to know what business does the army have in a place like this."

Nika's face crumpled into an ugly pout as she regretted leaving the safety of Uriel's trait. The presence of the mummies was unnerving to her, but she had grown somewhat accustomed to them. It was the unsettling murmurs and whispers that continuously came out of the hidden room where the book of the dead what always ended frightening to the point where she couldn't take it anymore.

Had she known there could be a pathogen on the loose, though, she would have rather stayed in the museum where at least she didn't have to work. As much as she regretted her choice, she knew Uriel was right and once she was exposed it was on her best interest to investigate.

She looked lovingly for a brief second at Luna's sleeping face, then proceeded to rummage in her cleavage without caring if she woke up. She grabbed another pencil, some loose sheets of paper, a small pill case until she finally found the notepad which she promptly threw Uriel's way before disappearing to perform her duty.

Uriel opened the notepad with the thrilling sensation of knowing that he was doing something forbidden. It was the first time he poked at Luna's research without consent and also the first time he would gain access to her unfiltered thoughts, which filled him with curiosity and excitement.

'The subject seems aware of my curiosity and seemingly returns it in kind. I have the feeling that every time I study him, he does the same to me. This is proof of intelligence, but my perception may be skewed due to the emotional bond we share. It is as though he understands my feelings and I his' without the need to speak, I wish everyone was more like Babieca.' Uriel shut the notepad close and despite his emotional detachment, he could still feel a tear welling up on his eyes. "Luna, you must really feel lonely..." He muttered before continuing reading.

It was a mix between a life diary and a research journal evidently meant to remain a secret for everyone but Luna's eyes. It made Uriel feel bad for reading it behind Luna's back, but those were extenuating circumstances and he hoped Luna would understand.

He went back to the date when they arrived at Europe and read from that point on, making a mental note of the different cryptids Luna mentioned she wanted to see. Had Uriel not known the creatures she mentioned were likely real he would have thought the entire thing was a work of fiction despite the scientific gibberish that encompassed her honest wish to meet some of them, befriend others and study them all.

There were mentions of cryptids of all shapes and sizes, though nothing that could have caused Evans death or that of the scientists that inhabited the bunker before. They were two different incidents separated by about a month, but too similar to not be related.

The closest thing Uriel thought that could possibly do something like that were vampires, but he had seen them in person and Evans corpse looked nothing like a vampire. There was also the fact that he didn't rise from the dead after, which make it even less likely.

It wasn't until Uriel decided to read the previous pages that he found out a plausible answer, yet now he understood why Luna always remained silent even when she already suspected the identity of the different cryptids they faced.

Had it not been for the many coincidences between what Luna wrote long ago and their current circumstances, the thought of such a cryptid actually existing would have never crossed his mind. Still, after being unable to find a better explanation, Uriel was forced to disclose what he thought to Atkinson as he would need the help of their soldiers.

"Fucking Sea monkeys!? Are you out of your mind!? Those were just harmless critters they marketed in children comic books back in the day, there's no way they're real just as there is no way on earth I'll give you command." Atkinson shouted enraged by Uriel's 'joke'.

"No, Sir, I'm afraid this is not a joke and I really need to take command of your squad and evacuate the premises. Sea monkeys may not sound dangerous, but according to our cryptozoologist, they are...," Uriel made a pause to read the notepad and then continued. "anthropomorphic aquatic creatures that rely on numbers to take down larger prey. Their size varies from minuscule up to a couple decimeters and though they can be seen with the naked eye, the use of a magnifying glass is recommended. They live in cold waters and..."

"Lieutenant Sage, I don't know how could such weaklings possess a direct line with General Quill and I can't care less. I know your mission is secret and feel free to remain silent about it, but if it was actually important they would have sent a captain instead of a lieutenant. Besides, as long as there is at least a chance that we can carry contaminants outside this bunker we cannot leave this place. We are currently on quarantine."

Uriel took a long pause as he found himself on the same spot Luna had been on many occasions. The truth was right in the Captain's nose. But there was one slight yet meaningful difference. Contrary to Luna, Uriel had no trouble speaking his mind to anyone, though before that he asked Atkinson to follow him to the dormitory where Luna was sleeping.

The captain followed Uriel thinking it was a last ditch attempt to change his mind, but Uriel's true motive was darker as he deemed the time for reasoning had come to pass and now their survival depended on him doing what needed to be done with his own two hands.