Dungeon Raider System

The instant Jon Hunter laid his eyes on the old diary his demeanor completely changed. For an expert like him, spotting the cultural value of an object was as natural as breathing.

"Bloody hell... this is interesting." He said as he opened the book on a random page. "Where did you get it?"

"I found it on a flea market." Uriel answered trying to cover up his mistake, but unfortunately for him, he forgot something crucial. Seiren was sitting with them and her trait allowed her to tell he was lying immediately. She directed a suspicious look at Uriel and then whispered something into Jon's ear.

"Can I have it back?" Uriel tried to play it cool, but he was starting to get flustered as Jon skimmed through the pages.

"Oh, I'm still looking at it. Besides, didn't you want an autograph?"

"I would still like to take it back, please." Uriel insisted.

"Now, now, that's not very nice of you. This is David Crockett's diary, is it not?"

Uriel began getting more anxious by the second as Jon turned page after page in front of him while he couldn't do anything to stop him. Not knowing what to do, Uriel was getting ready to snatch the diary from Jon's hands, but he noticed his intentions before he could even move.

"Pin him down." Jon said with his usual charming tone, but the weight his voice carried was completely different.

Seiren didn't hesitate and threw Uriel to the floor in a single movement, then she twisted his arm and placed her knee on his back to restrain him.

"I'm disappointed, it seems you've been keeping something really valuable hidden from us."

"Give it back! I found it, it belongs to me!" Uriel shouted.

The whole scene drew way too much attention, but most of the employees that were in the cafeteria at the moment weren't fighters and those who were combatants, didn't want to get involved in something that was clearly way above their pay grade. In less than a minute everyone had left the place.

"I might give it back, but only if you're honest. Where did you find it?"

"It's none of your business." Uriel replied gritting his teeth. He knew that someone like Jon Hunter, one of the most acclaimed archaeologist in history, would probably figure the mysteries behind the Alamo if he visited the cathedral.

"It seems you're not willing to play nice. You leave me no other choice." Jon sighed. "Are you in possession of any stolen goods?" Jon asked with the obvious intention of making an excuse that would allow them to search through Uriel's belongings to obtain any clues.

"Of course not!" Uriel replied, but his lie was immediately called out by Seiren who was still on top of him. She then patted his pockets revealing all the items he took from the church.

"Well , well... so you found it in a church, then it must have been in the San Fernando cathedral." He laughed. The same laughter that seemed so friendly before, now made Uriel feel he was being mocked at. "You know, I've been to the Alamo fort, plenty of times. That's actually one of the reasons why I'm stationed here."

Uriel glared at Jon from his uncomfortable position in the floor, he couldn't move, he couldn't fight back and he felt completely overwhelmed by the situation.

"You're a thief!" That was all he could say.

"Me!? A thief? Hahaha. What do you think archaeologists do? We go to places, dig the sites and grab whatever holds any value to take it back home. Even if we don't sell the artifacts, we still make money by 'donating' them to museums." Jon made sure to use air quotes to make it clear that donating artifacts to museums was the same as selling them.

"Now I'm just doing the same. By requisitioning this diary I'm making sure it doesn't stay in the selfish hands of a brat who doesn't understand its value. If you're mad about it, then find yourself another career path." Jon shrugged and looked the other way.

For Uriel, being made fun of was nothing out of the ordinary to the point he wouldn't even feel embarrassed by it. But taking his belongings and making fun of his beloved archaeology were entirely different matters. At that moment, Nika's words resonated on him:

'Pride is for the living...'

He was alive. He had gone to another incursion and went through yet another life or death situation, and still, he didn't feel any pride to be alive. In fact, he was deeply ashamed and couldn't understand the reason.

Was it really because Jon had thrown mud on his passion? Was it because he was seen as nothing but a 'brat' by him? Or was it something different? His mind drifted for a few seconds, but then the answer hit him like a truck.

It was because he trusted him. By reading his books since he was a child he always felt a connection with him, and when he met him in person he was completely mesmerized by him. He lowered his guard in front of Jon, but he turned out to be different than what he expected.

Nothing that he could say would make a difference, threats would be empty, insults wouldn't change his situation. The only way to not feel so powerless, so defeated, was to at least try to fight back. Uriel clenched his fists and grabbed a deep breath, all without ever taking his hateful eyes from Jon.

He wanted to kill him.

His revolver wasn't a viable option as shooting from that position would have been too difficult, besides his aim wasn't that good and he knew it. Summoning the jaguar cryptid might give him a chance, but his flux wasn't enough to hold it for long and he would also expose its existence. Then, he made up his mind.

[System notice] Dash skill activated.

The world around Uriel came to a halt, every movement looked the same as a slow motion video, but he could move normally. Small sparks of flux energy appeared here and here all over his body. Then, Uriel attempted to stand up, but Seiren seemed to weight a ton.

Uriel mustered all of his strength and could barely shake her off of him, but that was enough to allow him to crawl out of her grip. He then darted towards Jon and stretched his hand to grab the diary, only to be left disappointed when the holy rank hunter easily caught his hand without even looking at him.

"What a feisty young lad!" Jon said, his hand still gripping Uriel's.