Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 571: Martial arts practice Part 3

"How did this happen?" Uriel asked out loud with a swollen cheek and a few contusions on his face after being defeated in less than half a minute.

"I literally can't tell if you're being sarcastic now." Nika answered with a gaping mouth.

"Of course I do! Last time I defeated her easily..." Uriel lied through his teeth.

"For starters, you didn't dodge a single blow and whenever she pushed forward you did the same instead of blocking. Trading blows is one thing, but you can't do that against someone with a longer reach."

"Haven't you heard that the best defense is a good offence? It was precisely because of her longer reach that I decided it was best to fight close to her. It was supposed to limit her range of actions and throw her off balance." Uriel argued.

"Well, it didn't work. You can't just 'know' what you have to do, you need to also be capable of doing it," Nika sentenced as she watched more people get wrecked by Longlegs.

"you knew she used to be an underground fighter that faced one opponent after the other, yet you thought she would lose just because she was tired." Nika looked him in the eye trying to get it to sink into Uriel's mind, but he was already distracted watching the match.

Longlegs footwork didn't leave any openings for her opponents and her longer reach allowed her a range of movements that no one could copy or even anticipate.

"Do you actually think martial arts can help against cryptids? I don't hate some sparring from time to time, but I don't have the time to repeat the same motions over and over when I could better spend my time studying."

"You need to open your eyes to the facts. Your defeat was embarrassing." Luna didn't mind adding salt to the wound, but Uriel didn't seem to mind it either. Probably because the current champion had already defeated most of those who wanted to participate and Uriel expected to see her get her words worth of hurt.

"Let's see how you fare before joining this conversation."

"She's not wrong, though. Fighting like a honey badger has worked for you so far, but maybe next time you won't be so lucky. As per your question, I don't think it matters if it's going to be helpful against cryptids.

So far, the ones who've given us more trouble have actually been other hunters." Nika kept her eyes fixated on the match making it seem as though she was watching countless possible futures and preparing for the occasion. Truth of the matter, she just thought the guy facing Longlegs now was kind of cute and she took the chance to check him out without anyone noticing.

"Wish me luck." Luna said as her turn dawned.

"Break a leg." Uriel said with a smirk.

"That was... uhm... mean." Luna glared at Uriel, her feelings hurt by the ill willed comment.

"No, dear. When someone says 'break a leg' they mean to wish you luck." Nika played with Luna's hair.

"Why not just say good luck?" She tilted her head in honest confusion, triplicating her cuteness factor in front of Nika's eyes.

"It's because he doesn't want to jinx it, right, Uriel?"

"Yeah, right." He muttered under his breath, making it obvious for everyone but Luna that he actually rooted against her.

"There's no need to be mean to her, you know her well enough to know she's a bit weird, but that's part of her charm." Nika said to Uriel once Luna had taken her spot.

"I'm weird too." Uriel wanted to keep speaking, but Nika cut him short.

"Yes, you are. Now let's watch this fight."

Before the fight even began people started holding their breath. Some because they didn't know what Luna was even capable of, but expected a great deal from her given that she was among the founding members of the Dungeon Raiders. Others did so because they knew just how screwed up Longlegs was.

If she so much as left a scratch on Luna, Nika would probably give her an earful. But letting her win wasn't a possibility either since that would cause Medusa to become angry. No matter what she did, she would need to face consequences.

"I would hate to be on her shoes." Phlox commented and the fight began soon after.

Longlegs first move was always a high kick, though Luna's petite frame made it difficult to aim and the kick went over her head. Luna attempted to grab her leg, but despite both being ascended Longlegs had the speed superiority.

Luna moved forward knowing she would meet with a kick in response, though she leapt back before it landed. She then adjusted her position and tried it again, then again. To most onlookers it seemed like a useless endeavor, but it didn't take Longlegs to notice what she was doing.

"I give up." Longlegs said.

"You can't give up, it would be unfair to those who took this challenge seriously." Nika shook her head.

"Isn't this supposed to be a learning experience? I give up because I know there's no chance to defeat her. She's baiting out my kicks to take advantage of my fractured bones. If I keep throwing kicks like this I'll be bed ridden for a couple days at least."

"I'm not convinced." Nika smiled wryly, but before the conversation could continue Luna took Longlegs' brief gap in her attention to push her outside the circle.

"I win." Luna smiled. However, this was no ordinary smile. All the elements of a smile were present, squinting eyes, an open mouth in the proper angle and what seemed to be dimples, but the sum of its parts didn't add up.

It was the kind of smile only someone being oddly conscious of every facial muscle could muster, a smile so intentional and fake it brought shivers to those unfortunate enough to see behold it.

***

Uriel woke up with a sore body, a bitter mood and a tiny snoring beauty by his side who hogged all the bed sheets. Before even opening his eyes, he took a minute to fully appreciate the situation and the depths of his misery.

Luna couldn't be called a stunner by any means, at least not when compared to the walking goddess that was 'Dearest one' or even most heavenly rank women Uriel had met. However, because of her being a werewolf she was accustomed to both show and require affection through physical touch.

It wasn't sexual, at least that was the deal they openly made before tucking into bed together. Luna also made sure to repeat it over and over, but for some reason Uriel couldn't fathom she still decided to sleep naked.

"You're looking at me with pervert eyes." Luna scolded as soon as she opened her eyes.

"I'm not. You're all wrapped up in the bed sheets anyway." Uriel grunted.

"Too bad you woke up before me, I wanted to confirm with my own eyes a biological phenomenon that is supposed to afflict all male humans," She said, disappointed after being denied the chance to witness said phenomenon. Uriel didn't know what did she mean, but he figured it was better for him to not ask any questions. "It's commonly known as morning wood."

"Come on! You can't just... Ah! Forget it! Why does your prize need to be a punishment for me!?" Uriel jumped out of bed making sure to cover his privates, though Luna followed with her eyes making him feel naked despite him being fully clothed as a precaution.

He didn't care if Luna was among his closest friends, sleeping with his clothes on was a necessary measure in case he needed to run out in the middle of the night.

Usually, after getting to know a person one should be able to predict their actions, but on Luna's case it was the complete opposite and it was precisely because Uriel knew her that he didn't know what to expect from her.

Relieved for managing to spend an albeit uncomfortable night uneventful night, Uriel headed to the most awkward breakfast in his entire life.