Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 538: Cover the retreat

"Where are the others?" Uriel asked Phlox with a stern expression.

"They 'rescued' Fermi since apparently we had him hostage. The old fucker didn't so much as defend us, he just went along with it."

"He's not right in the head." Uriel replied with a shrug.

"Poor guy, did he become crazy after the city fell? I heard it happen to a lot of people."

"No, I think he's always been a bit... eccentric."

"What about the others?"

"Most of our members defected, some even joined the enemy. I tried to tell them that you were coming to rescue us, but they didn't believe me. What you see is what you get." Phlox replied.

The casual nature of their talk was because Uriel noticed how none of their members was fatally wounded, not even Amy whose injuries looked way worse than they actually were as it became evident due to her strong flux signature. However, Uriel's face shifted when he noticed someone very important to him was missing.

"Where is she... where is Medusa!?"

Uriel's eyes began shimmering in bright blue the moment Phlox shifted her eyes to the side and the light didn't fade until she finally answered.

"She wasn't with us when all went down, that's all I know."

"Don't scare me like that!" Uriel scolded.

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"What should we do now, boss? Boss?" Phlox asked, but Uriel wasn't paying attention to her anymore. Leaving someone speaking alone and ignoring them was impolite to say the least, but there was little room for manners in the middle of a battlefield, especially when Uriel realized that all had been for nothing.

"There's enemy hunters on the pillar formation, do you think they let us pass?" Uriel apparently asked himself, but then shook his head as he sensed a few strong energy signatures gathering in the distance.

Uriel's mystical sense sharpened once he became a heavenly rank, but even for a heavenly rank it would be impossible to detect them at such distance and the only reason he was able to was because they were either incredibly strong or in extremely huge numbers.

"Miss Phlox, I'm afraid I'll have to leave the retreat to you." Uriel spoke somberly, though a faint smile formed on his face when he thought back at the last time he volunteered to stay behind and buy time for a retreat. That time Luna made fun of him for trying to play hero, but this time it wasn't heroic. He was just performing his duty as a boss.

"Understood." Phlox replied as she started shouting instructions. Although she wasn't as charismatic as Miss Dragonfang, the circumstances made so that everyone followed her commands. Not that it was too difficult considering how few Dungeon Raiders remained after so many defected.

As the Dungeon Raiders retreated carrying the wounded and the fresh breeze hit Uriel on the face, Uriel prepared himself for battle. Then, he heard the heavy steps of a muscular man behind him, though he recognized him as Tate, followed closely by his small army squad.

"What are you doing here? I called for the retreat."

"You said to evacuate the Dungeon Raiders, Sir. We're from the army and it is our duty to accompany you." Tate explained with a calm demeanor, one that wasn't shared by the rest of the squad. Buckshield, although ready to fight, was evidently against staying back and the rest were shivering which came as no surprise since they were picked because of their intellect and studies, not their strength.

"Then, you're all dismissed, our party is now officially disbanded. I recommend you to follow Miss Phlox as she knows her way in the abyss." Uriel said, much to the relief of his companions except for one, who didn't retreat. "Didn't you hear me, Tate? Leave before things get ugly."

"With all due respect, Sir, I refuse. You're staying back to buy time for your men and I'm doing the same. I'll fight by your side until the bitter end."

"What an idiot..." Uriel scoffed, though a genuine smile formed on his face.

A booming sound on the distance announced that the enemy was closing in, but instead of an army what they saw was a storm forming on the distance. Thick hail fell from the ominous black clouds and although heavenly rank hunters such as Uriel were impervious to natural weather, that didn't apply when it was infused with flux energy.

It didn't do much damage, but it hurt Uriel and he took a second to glance at Tate wondering about the effect it could have on an ascended like him.

"This is nothing." Tate said as though replying to Uriel's silent question and then softly waved his hands to deviate the hail, creating a small zone where not a single shard of ice could hit.

"Your trait is quite useful." Uriel exclaimed in admiration.

"I think this is a good time to share something about myself," Tate faked a cough after glancing at the upcoming storm and then explained. "I'm from the Eurus family."

"A fitting name." Uriel nodded, unsure about why did Tate suddenly became chatty.

"Yes, we took that name after the god of the east winds , Sir. But the reason I'm telling you this is because... you see, there are hunters like myself who thanks to their traits can use many different skills. I come from one of those families, the original wind element family."

At that moment, Uriel's eyes widened up. It may have not seem like much of a revelation, but at that moment Uriel started putting together the many pieces of the puzzle on his mind. He didn't know anything about the Eurus family or even about the original elemental families, but Tate just revealed that he was able to use multiple skills in spites of being an ascended.

He then realized that the enemies were also able to use different skills, like Easton who used fire to boost his speed but was also able to channel flames through his hands.

"You're one of them?" Uriel asked, fearing the answer may be one he didn't like. If Tate did belong to the enemy family, then the actual reason why he stayed behind may as well be to make sure he died.

"Yes." Tate responded courtly, confirming Uriel's suspicions.