Dungeon Raider System

Chapter 197 Second world

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Ethan and the remaining members of the army that were under his command landed on a strange place.

Describing it was simple, it was an open area under a blue sky with cliffs at a distance and there was a layer of fog near the ground that made it look as though they were standing on a cloud.But the feeling it produced was something words couldn't begin to describe, especially considering that most of the remaining soldiers were born and raised within city walls.

The sight of an endless clear blue sky was something taken directly from the realm of dreams but the freshness of the air made it vivid and they understood it was all real. Peace flooded the hearts of the battle worn soldiers and some even dropped their gear with gaping mouths at the scenery trying to engrave it on their memories forever.

"Are those... cryptids?" A soldier pointed his gun towards a flock of birds.

"Don't be stupid, they're animals." A lieutenant replied after using his binoculars.

"Turn your lights off, there's no need to waste fuel." The recently promoted lieutenant Frostbite commanded and the soldiers obeyed mechanically.

Ethan too looked at the scene, though his eyes were immune to beauty and dreams alike, all he cared about was riches and power.

"Scout the zone, secure a perimeter and treat the injured." He commanded with a smile that made those who didn't know better think he was enjoying the scenery. At his command the body able soldiers darted towards every direction.

"Sector clear." A corporal announced and the everyone in their division suddenly felt a weight being lifted from their soldiers. It was the first time they felt safe ever since they left the city and they finally had time to recover.

Those who had been affected by the black goo used by the vampires were now feeling a lot better and the field medics confirmed they were in good health. The liquid was actually vampire saliva and even though it caused a lot of pain, it didn't cause any damage.

"Colonel Ethan, I think we should start moving soon." Lieutenant Frostbite proposed.

"Why? Don't you want to let our tired soldiers rest?"

"This is a race to get treasures and riches, we can't sit on our asses while the other groups get their hands filled with orichalcum."

"That may be true, but that doesn't matter if we don't make it out alive. Besides, I'm not interested in taking anything with me, the true value of this exploration is the rights to exploit the orichalcum vein."

"How can you be so certain there's a vein in the first place? I thought it was just a theory."

"That's a family secret. I'm afraid if I tell you, I'll have to kill you." Ethan's smile never seemed so terrifying to Frostbite.

He was a bootlicker of the nastiest kind, the ones who knew what they were and were actually proud of it. He wasn't ashamed of the fact that he rose through the ranks of the army not with merit, but by scoring brownie points with Ethan. But even a bootlicker was afraid of the boot that could kick them without a care, that was precisely Ethan's character.

He didn't care about human life, he didn't care about anything that didn't mean a direct benefit to his career or his pocket. But that was about to change.

"A cryptid has been spotted, permission to open fire?" A corporal asked.

"Hold your fire!" Ethan looked through the binoculars and saw the incoming cryptid. It was the mix of a swallow and a woman capable of flying with such grace, Ethan was left in awe. "Let it come near, attack only if it's hostile."

"Aren't all cryptids hostile?" Frostbite asked after taking off the glove on one of his hands.

"Don't be foolish, the rules of the outside world don't apply in places such as these. I don't know much about it myself, but I think that creature isn't hostile."

The cryptid woman came close to the group and remained at a safe distance and looked at them. Her face was beyond charming and yet all men had trouble looking her in the eye as she was completely naked. Her feathers gave her an air of elegance as though she was wearing a business suit but did little to cover her shapely body.

Noticing the creature's intention to identify the leader of the group, Ethan took a step forward and talked solemnly. "We are humans and we come in peace."

The cryptid giggled and nodded before landing, she then bowed her head in front of Ethan and started walking towards the edge of the land they were in. No one could tell the height at which they were at, but they could theorize no one could come back alive should they fall.

The cryptid woman took flight once again and headed towards the next 'cliff', then turned back to check if she was being followed, but the distance was too long to cross with a single jump for the evolved and ascended in their party.

Of course, Ethan had no issues jumping such distance and after a quick race, he followed the woman who nodded approvingly. He didn't leave any instructions for his men nor did he say anything, he simply followed the woman to wherever she was taking him.

Lieutenant Frostbite was now in charge of the soldiers, but he didn't know the first thing about being a leader. He was used to following orders and bossing around those beneath him with meaningless tasks, but when it came to strategy he was clueless.

"Stand your ground." He commanded, though it didn't make any sense because they weren't under attack. Some soldiers scratched the backs of their head and looked awkwardly at each other and simply remained standing with their weapons on hand pretending to follow the odd command.

As time passed, they realized that night didn't exist in this place as it should have been dark already. Oddly enough, there was no sun either and they didn't understand where did the light came from.The soldiers were already bored and started thinking they had been abandoned by Ethan, but he soon came back along with a flock of human-like cryptids that carried silvery palanquins with their talons.

"They're taking us to their village," Ethan said as he hopped off from the only golden palanquin in the flock. "I think we'll spend a day or two in this place."

Although they were sure it was the same person that came with them, the soldiers found something strange on his behavior. His ever present unreadable smile was now of genuine joy, his hair was disheveled and his shirt had three buttons undone.

"Did the colonel just get lucky?" A corporal asked with a flabbergasted expression.