Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 435: Ghost Part 1

The zeppelin wasn't too far when Stella spotted it, but that didn't mean they would be able to reach their destination on that day. In fact, because of the difficult terrain, instead of walking in a straight line they had to take a detour to avoid the worst of the swamp.

It was the safest option since fighting in the mud was extremely difficult for most hunters and beast rank mud crabs as big as a house were known to lurk in those areas.

Thanks to Stella acting as a scout, they were able to traverse the swamp without issues in spite of Uriel's absence. The group walked at a slow but steady pace, knowing the further they ventured in the swamp the more difficult cryptids they would encounter.

Cassandra didn't take her eyes from the device that alerted her whenever strong cryptids were nearby, while Tallyman made their path easier by cutting the vegetation using his long limbs and heavenly rank strength.

Everyone in the group was in high spirits, everyone except Nika.

"I still can't believe he left me alone." She pouted in front of the campfire, with a beer in her hand, unsure whether it tasted bad because it was warm or because Uriel wasn't around.

"Miss Nika, don't worry about that worthless lieutenant. We'll protect you better than that guy ever did." Tallyman said as he took a spot near Nika.

"You'll protect Miss Nika!?" Stella chuckled.

"Are you implying I'm not strong enough?"

"You're not, at least you're not stronger than her. I've seen her fight before and you couldn't stand a chance against her, let alone against anything that she might consider a threat. She's the fastest hunter I've ever seen."

"Do I know you?" Nika squinted her eyes looking really hard at Stella, though she had no memory of her.

"Uh... yes. I was under your direct command during that expedition." Stella replied and Nika finally remembered her.

"Oh! You're the silly engineer girl that was with that old bastard." Nika's face crumpled by just the memory of Flanagan and Stella too reacted on a similar fashion. They both had fond memories of Flanagan, but he then betrayed them without a hint of remorse.

"It doesn't matter... even if I have to give my life to protect her, I'll do it anyway."

"Hey Tally, what happened with your obsession with Colonel sword?" Rusty said in a mocking manner.

"It's not the same. Cololel sword is still the most beautiful and strong woman in the world, but Miss Nika is different, she's more mature..."

"If you're saying I'm older I'll kick your ass so hard you'll land on your city." She glared at the young man, who instead of being intimidated seemed to be enjoying it.

"Miss Nika, it's best if you ignore him. You're only stoking his obsessive character." Young warned, but Tallyman replied offended.

"Obsessive!? I'm not obsessive! I'm just a normal guy who understands what true beauty is!"

"You said the same thing when you first saw my daughter, but then she gave you a change and you dropped her like a bad habit."

"I don't want to remember that time anymore..." Tallyman shivered at the memory of his brief relationship with Mayhem, who wouldn't stop pranking him in the most annoying ways all the time. From waking up soaked in water, to being subscribed to embarrassing lewd sites, Mayhem really did her best to annoy people around her.

The group kept chatting and laughing while Cassandra and Stella stood watch. Keeping high spirits was important for soldiers, even during dangerous incursions. It was one of the most basic rules of leadership, to give soldiers some freedom to enjoy themselves during outings since no one knew if they would even be able to return.

But Nika wasn't in the mood for chitchat, nor did she want to spend a minute more with those people. As a former member of the revolutionary forces that opposed the world government, she was raised to believe they were evil even before the arrival.

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The modern army was completely different as it used to be. Back then, it was divided into marine, navy and aviation forces, now it was just the army and more than being under the world government's command it could be said it's a political power on its own. But that didn't make any difference to Nika who still remembered when soldiers arrived at her little town in Mexico to 'fight the insurgents'.

She was among the few people that saw the arrival as a good thing, since it was only because of her trait that she was able to work as a bodyguard and also end up being a Mapple corp. employee. She was able to see the world, or whatever was left of it, and to have the nice comfortable life she couldn't have dreamt when she was a dirt poor girl on the streets of her town.

"Nika, over here..." A voice whispered in the darkness and Nika quickly turned her head to spot the source of that voice.

"Did you guys heard anything?" She asked in a somber tone that contrasted heavily with the joyful mood around the campfire.

"It's probably one of those birds that mimick noises to draw people towards the forest. Just ignore it." Young replied.

"I can hold you in my arms if that makes you feel better." Tallyman quickly added.

"Stop it, you're creeping her out." Said Mayhem nudging on Tallyman, even though he was three army ranks above her.

But Nika wasn't creeped out, in fact, she didn't even pay attention to Tallyman's words. She was no expert on cryptids, nor was she too familiar with that area, but she crossed it before with Uriel and she never experienced something like that.

The birds that mimicked human noises were annoying, but they could only reproduce sounds they've heard before. Screams of agony, pained yelps, people calling for help, as unsettling as those noises were, they were to be expected in that swamp.

The reason why she was so affected by the voice that called her was because she recognized that voice.

"Nika, you're as gorgeous as the first time I saw you, come to me." The voice beckoned.

"Witchcraft!" She stood up and crossed herself multiple times and everyone fell silent.

"You really haven't changed. Come to me, my love..."

"Shut up! You're dead!" Nika shouted with a broken voice and teary eyes. She wasn't expecting to ever listen to the voice of her deceased first love ever again, but it brought her mixed feelings.

"It's really me, come and see for yourself."

As a hunter, Nika knew better than to separate from her group and walk into what was obviously a trap deviced by a cryptid. But that wasn't the case for the rest of the group, who not long after began hearing the words of their deceased loved ones too.

"Darling, I'm here!"

"Mary Anne!?" It was Rusty's turn now, but contrary to Nika he didn't seem scared. His face filled with tears and a smile no one who knew him ever saw on him before.

"Yes, Stacey is here too."

"Hi daddy!" A girl's voice echoed and everyone kept busy speaking to the voices that came to from the darkness, even Nika.

"You're not, him. You can't be him. But if you really are, then show yourself."

"I can't go near the light, but if you put the fire out."

"A-ha! You're a cryptid!"

"I'm not and I can prove it."

"Then, do it!"

"I will, just come here and..."

"That's what a cryptid would say!" Nika rebuked, but then Cassandra walked in along with Iris, both of them bearing their gas lanterns.

"Are you guys hearing those voices too?" The Colonel asked and everyone nodded. "This is worse than I thought..."

"What is it? Is it a horror rank cryptid?" Nika said, preparing herself for battle.

"No, I think they're real."

"What!?" Several voices exclaimed in unison. Even the voice of Mayhem's father exclaimed joined in.

"Look," Cassandra showed both the army device that detected strong fields of disruption and also her cellphone. Both were working properly, which meant there wasn't any cryptid involved in that phenomenon. "It's not just that... I also heard my father's voice."

"And?" Nika asked.

"And the last time I saw him, he was still alive. But all the things he's saying, he's saying things I couldn't possibly know. Things not even a cryptid capable of reading our minds could know."

"Someone needs to go and check if they're telling the truth... maybe it's really them... maybe..." Young started speaking, but she soon realized what she was asking.

"I'll do it..." Rusty, the only evolved in the unit who was also a cripple said. Venturing into the dark was beyond dangerous even when things seemed to be calm, but doing so during such a strange phenomenon was even more so.

In spite of that, Rusty's mind was made up and he walked towards the voices that called for him with the help of the improvised crutches. Everyone watched in silence as the man disappeared from sight, but no one dared ask him to go back.