Dungeon Raider System

"It's safe now, you can come out." Uriel whispered to his shadow and Nika came out of it looking behind her shoulder as if she was being followed. She was still wearing the same revealing camo attire she had during the expedition, she was also covered in dust and small scratches, but she didn't look nearly as bad as she did when she appeared in the hospital room.

"Whew, that was close." Nika let out a sigh. "I also got to recover some Flux, so thanks for letting me stay in your shadow for a bit longer."

"Why did you even hide from Walter... I thought you said you trusted him." Uriel asked, unwilling to spend with her one minute more than what was strictly necessary.

"I trusted Flanagan too and you know what happened. Besides, what that old fuck said was true, Walter isn't running the show anymore and it's not safe for me in the Mapple corporation. Not just that, I won't be able to use my trait with anyone else until I figure out a way to end our contract."

"Well... it's been... what's the opposite of nice? Anyway, have a good life."

"Hey, hey, hey! You're not breaking up with me are you? I don't have access to my bank account and don't know anyone in this city! I won't be able to even find a job unless I use my trait, but I can only recover flux inside your shadow. You can't leave me all on my own like this!" Nika begged clinging to Uriel's arm as if it was a lifeline.

Uriel knew that if she wanted to remain hidden from the Mapple corp. she couldn't risk accessing her bank account, if she did so much as a small purchase with her card they would know immediately about it. He also knew that Nika's trait only allowed her to regain flux next to the person she was contracted to but...

"It's not my problem." He shook her off. "The fact that you have the gall to say that amazes me."

Nika noticed something wrong with Uriel's demeanor. Up until that point he had been this mischievous and cheerful young man, but now he was acting all cold towards her. Of course she blamed herself for this, but she also suspected he was suffering from post traumatic stress after experiencing an extreme life threatening event.

She had no idea about what happened to him, nor did she know anything about his sacrificial ritual, but she could sense something about him was off.

"You know... we still have some pending business." She said in a voice so sweet it could lure sailors to their doom, her full lips curved in an alluring smile, all of this while looking at him straight in the eye.

Her seductive attitude, amounted to her disheveled look would melt any men's heart, though Uriel's reaction differed from what she expected as he didn't lower his gaze in embarrassment, nor did he shy away from her.

"Uh? Why would you assume I'd be interested in someone like you? You betrayed me, you dropped me like a bad habit when I needed you the most." Uriel replied to her charms with a nonchalant expression.

Realizing that trying to seduce him would be pointless, Nika went on to provide a logical reason why he shouldn't leave her.

"I'm still a heavenly rank hunter, I bet I could be useful to you."

"I don't think I made myself clear enough, I don't want to ever see you again. I don't care if the whole Mapple corporation is after you, whatever it is, you have it coming." Uriel parted with Nika after saying those words, leaving her astray and penniless in an unfamiliar city.

While it was true he had a good time with her and he was also grateful towards her for saving his life on many occasions, the opposite was also true. He still resented her for abandoning him and, as useful as having a heavenly rank by his side could be, he didn't want her around any more than he wanted to be stab himself in the heart again.

'What if...' A thought began forming on Uriel's mind as his cold attitude was baffling even for him. Even though what he said was true, his past self would have already forgiven her. The strangest thing, though, was how easy it was for him to completely disregard Nika despite her pitiful situation.

"How can you do this to someone, don't you have a heart?" Nika shouted from behind. Her words finished Uriel's very thoughts in such a precise way it was scary.

"Not anymore, it seems." He smiled bitterly as the realization that, even though his physical heart was still in place, he might have lost something even more precious to him by performing the sacrificial rite.

Although walking out and leaving her to her own devices would have been the easiest thing for him, Uriel couldn't accept the fact that he might have lost his emotions.

He stopped in his tracks for a few seconds trying to make sense of his current situation. It didn't matter how he felt about Nika, the fact that she was a heavenly rank with a lot of combat experience meant she could potentially help him become stronger.

She was also a great assistant and, as long as it wasn't a matter of life and death he could trust her, at least she didn't rat him out to Walter when he lied about his trait.

"Please! I'll do anything!" She cried one more time trying to sway Uriel, only now she wasn't playing around.

She was truly helpless and scared as there was more in play than what Uriel seemed to understand at the moment, if her suspicion of someone acting behind the scenes trying to get control of the Mapple corporation was true then there wasn't a safe place for her until she found a way to finish or break the contract with Uriel.

"Anything?" Uriel asked with a smirk that almost made her flinch.

"Y-yes... anything." She gulped down.