Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 534: The society Part 1

"This is unacceptable!" A fiery fist erupted in the middle of what seemed to be some sort of meeting in the floating island with the marbled pillars where swallow Chief used to reside and where his throne was located.

"Silence, your flux signal will draw too much attention." The former head of the Cryptid hunting agency, a woman named Neve, said as she adjusted her glasses.

"But this is not what we agreed upon!" Mark exclaimed, irked by Neve's bossy attitude.

"I know things didn't go how we expected, but it is your duty as the CEO of the Jacobson company and you must cooperate with us." Neve pointed out and Mark's angry expression shifted into a devious smile. After all, after his brother's disappearance he did become the CEO of the company like he always wanted.

"With the chaos caused by the exodus, we finally can pair up with people with akin traits. This is the push we've been expecting for so long." The leader of the Masons, a man who looked like a very old wizard with cracked skin like dry earth, spoke with a ceremonious tone of voice.

"Do you think that just because your men are the only ones able to connect the islands you're above the rest of us?" Mark spoke, his eyes gleaming in a fiery red color, but the man didn't reply.

"We all stand here as equals, each representing the interests of our houses. Let's not forget that we have but one purpose and we should carry it no matter the cost. I think we should vote." Neve pointed out.

"Nonsense! It is the cycle of the earth element and I must be the one to take control. It is the way it has always been and it should go on. Earth, water, wind and then fire. It's the way it has always been as it should in the future." The leader of the Masons spoke solemnly.

"That's because democracy wasn't even invented back then, but thins need to change if we want different results. We need a young leader who can take action when needed." Neve rebuked.

"A man like me." Mark butted in.

"You allowed your blood to become tainted, you shouldn't even be in this sacred meeting. The only reason you're here is because of your wife." Neve glared at Mark who shrunk back like a scolded kid.

"Quit this nonsense. Is everyone clear on what you need to do or should I repeat the orders?" Somehow, the old man's calm voice stood out from the bickering and everybody fell silent.

"We are clear, I only have one question," Bella Eurus, a young woman whose hair waved in the air as though affected by an unseen breeze spoke. "Is killing allowed or is it encouraged?"

***

As days passed after the secret meeting of the four elemental houses, they took slow but steady steps to secure as many hunters with elemental manipulation traits as they could find. It took some convincing in some cases and some coercion in others, but little by little the four corners of human territory inside the dungeon were taken over by those families.

The lack of a magnetic north made it impossible to orient themselves which is why each family adopted a different sense of direction according to their main island.

Things seemed to be going to perfection, except for a single flare fired from one of the outer islands which belonged to a small company.

"Did you see that?" Asked one of the ascended guarding the bridge that led directly to the island where Uriel kept himself busy researching the artifacts.

"It's probably nothing." The other ascended shrugged.

"What if they set things in motion? Maybe we should too." Not knowing what to do, the two ascended from the Mason family remained in their spots, casually looking in the distance from time to time trying to make sense of the signal flare fired by Miss Phlox.

It wasn't until an elemental squad comprised of four people that the bridge guards were brought up to speed.

"Someone spotted us and resisted, but it's being taken care of. We should proceed as instructed." A man with a fire emblem dyed on his shirt informed.

"Understood." Both bridge guards nodded and watched the elemental squad cross the bridge and be met with Tate.

"I'm Sergeant Tate, what is your business here?"

"Our orders are to seize your weapons and bring you to the main island for briefing." The man said unfazed by Tate's uniform or title.

"Can't do that, our Lieutenant is currently busy." Tate replied and continued blocking the way.

"Alright boys, we tried." The man said prompting his squad to channel their flux energy to threaten Tate, but he wasn't a Sergeant by nothing.

Instead of channeling his flux energy like his opponents were doing, he fired a single blast of air towards the enemy, causing them to lose focus and propelling himself back to safety.

"Lieutenant Sage, we're under attack by four rogue hunters!" Tate informed as soon as he reached Uriel who didn't seem to care.

"Just pay them off and be done with it." He said, his attention still placed in the artifacts.

"I'm afraid it's not so simple," The leader of the elemental squad spoke casually as though he had always been by Uriel's side, though he seemed annoyed that Uriel wasn't startled by his presence. "You must accompany us to the main island, it is on every citizen's best interest to do so and..."

"Just tell Sword to give me a couple... no, a few more hours. I'm up to something here." Uriel too spoke casually, though the fact that he addressed Sword without her title hinted the man that it was best not to meddle with him.

"Alright, don't forget that this was your decision." The man warned before retreating along with his squad. As soon as he crossed the bridge he nodded at the two ascended guarding it and they proceeded to break the bridge. Pieces of rock and mud fell down to the abyss, stirring up a commotion in the cryptids that lurked beneath.

"Lieutenant!" Tate shouted, but Uriel showed no interest in the collapsing bridge whatsoever and instead attempted to continue his conversation with his colleague.

"What do you think, Lara?"

"It's certainly interesting," She muttered. "but I fail to see its importance compared to the fact that we are now isolated from the other islands."

"Oh, don't worry about that, we can still climb back up through the main island..." At that point, Uriel finally noticed two things. First, the commotion beneath the bridge that just fell caused by cryptids and second, he also noticed an oddity in the distance. It was too far from their location, but he could clearly see something strange happening.

Then, he finally heard it. The ear shattering sound of a floating island popping and then collapsing into the depths bellow. It was similar to a thunder, but it resonated with every single cell within Uriel's body. Not just because of its power, but also because he suspected the island that just collapsed was precisely the one where the Dungeon Raiders headquarters were located.

The explosion was so huge, even the artificial light flickered above their heads and although most islands weren't tethered to ground that didn't stop them from being shaken by the event.

"Alright guys, pack everything to go, we're leaving," Uriel's confidence was contagious and the fear of being attacked by the cryptids that inhabited the depths was diminished. Lara hurried her steps and proceeded to cover the ulfberht sword with a blanket, but Uriel stopped her. "Just put the damned thing in your backpack, we're leaving now!"

Treating such artifacts without the proper care was painful to Lara, but watching Uriel walk downhill was even more so as the realization hit her. "We're going bellow fog level?"

"Of course, even if we climb up they'll just be waiting for us." Uriel grunted without stopping his walk.

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Lara, just like the other members of their group, had heard some unsettling tales from people who knew people that had been below the fog level in the dungeon. While all those who participated in the mining operations were banned from saying anything about the orichalcum veins located down there, they were encouraged to speak of the cryptids they spotted.

Unbeknownst to Uriel, the nosferatu vampires were not the only ones mentioned. Not just because vampires inhabited only in the places where the shade cast by the islands was darker, but also because there were stronger 'things' hiding deep beneath the unnatural fog that kept even people with eyesight traits from spotting them.

Fortunately, of all the people that ever set foot inside the dungeon, Uriel was the only one to know the way like the palm of his hand and all he needed to get oriented was to spot the quadrants he made himself with nothing but sticks and cheap thread.

The place was just as dark as Uriel remembered it, but the last time Uriel passed by he still possessed Water Warlock's blessing. Now that he was completely by himself, even shivered when he noticed some of the thread was cut, probably by cryptids walking carelessly in the dark depths. However, that didn't stop Uriel from finding the remains of what used to be his camp.

"Just what kind of psycho set up a tent here?" Lara asked, shivering in both cold and fear, but instead of replying Uriel handed every member of his party a gas lantern he pretended to grab from the remains of the tent.

"I think you're looking at him..." Buckshield chuckled.