Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 636: Life in the fast lane Part 3

Luna's werewolf form was smaller and bulkier than the shadowy creature in front of her, yet its size and unsightly appearance had nothing to do with the paralyzing fear Luna endured. What caused her such feeling was her ignorance about the cryptid she was currently facing.

puppeteer cryptids were widely spread around the world and the lore about them was extensive, yet all of the tales and recounts of encounters agreed that their weakness lied in their vessels. It didn't matter how strong or ancient a puppeteer was, as soon as the vessel was destroyed the cryptid was supposed to also disappear.

Luna's confusion left her exposed which the puppeteer took as an invitation to leave a gashing wound in her abdomen after she failed to block. As a result, a long red streak of blood was painted over a patch of missing fur, yet it wasn't enough to take her down.

"Look, the cryptids are fighting each other!" One of the onlookers pointed at the scene after seeking refuge behind a blue mailbox.

"Someone call the hunters!" The mother of the girl cried to the top of her lungs. She didn't understand where any of the creatures came from nor did she care, all she wanted was to get her daughter to safety.

She tried to tug on her daughter's arm with all she had, but the puppeteer's grip on the infant was too strong for a human who didn't even possess a trait. But even if she had the strength to pull harder, all she would have managed would have been to tear her own daughter's arm apart as the cryptid's vice was impossible to defeat.

Luna howled in pain when the cryptid added another red streak to the canvas that was now Luna's abdomen, yet she didn't budge from her position. She also didn't block, only this time the reason for that became evident. She was protecting the innocent girl using her own body to shield her from the trashing of the puppeteer whose long limbs would tear through anything but Luna's werewolfish body.

By the time Miss Dragonfang arrived Luna was already covered in wounds, but her pained howls informed her not everything was lost yet. Making use of her nimble body, Lizzy Dragonfang lunged towards the enemy from the heights of a third floor to seize what she believed was a blindspot and realizing a second too late she was mistaken.

The puppeteer extended one of its arms towards the reptilish huntress and caught her by the neck without even looking her way, failing to break it not due to her rank but thanks to the tough scales that reinforced her neck.

Miss Dragonfang used her long tail to whip at the entity rank cryptid causing no damage. In a panic, she started lashing at the cryptid with all fours and only her hind legs managed to break through the cryptid's skin. The wounds were shallow, but they were all Luna needed to confirm the cryptid could be defeated.

Luna's maw snapped on the cryptid's biceps and she refused to let go even when the cryptid waved it around. Her goal wasn't to take it down, only to hinder its movements until the reinforcements came and she wished she could communicate her intentions to Miss Dragonfang, but if speaking in her human form was already difficult, doing so in her werewolf form with so many onlookers was impossible.

Still, Miss Dragonfang had little choice but to struggle with all she had. It had become clear to her that the cryptid was unable to break her neck and after shapeshifting her need for oxygen was considerably lower than in her human form which made her situation look worse than it actually was.

The long claws in her webbed feet caused little damage, but by moving her legs in rapid succession she managed to overcome the cryptid's regenerative ability and the wounds were starting to become deeper forcing the puppeteer to release her in order to focus its attention in Luna whose long fangs were deep inside its flesh.

The cryptid roared as it hurled Miss Dragonfang away with all its might, turning the former lieutenant into a projectile that broke through a building from side to side and clash onto the next leaving broken furniture and debris in its wake.

With its hand now free, the cryptid was ready to deliver the finishing blow to Luna who helplessly closed her eyes in surrender. Running away would end in the girl's death, blocking would probably cause the same result and the only thing she could do was bite even harder.

The puppeteer winded its long limb back taking impulse to deliver a blow that could turn an ascended hunter into a pulp, but after springing its limb forward the clanking sound of its palm clashing against a reinforced alloy shield resounded like a bell chime.

The puppeteer was left in a momentary daze trying to make sense of what happened while at the same time allowing its broken fist and wounds to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Are you okay Luna?" Medusa asked amidst gasps after sprinting while carrying all her gear. Luna couldn't muster the courage to speak in her werewolf form, but emitted a huffing sound that whistled in the gaps between her fangs in reply.

"More food!" The cryptid laughed in an excited voice as Medusa's heavenly rank signature was a meal worth its time. It grabbed the reinforced alloy shield and threw it away with an easy that contrasted with the heavy sound it made after falling in the asphalt.

Medusa didn't bother in fighting to keep the shield as the cryptid's movement left it open for a wide kick in the chest with such force the cryptid was dragged back a couple meters along with Luna who refused to let go and unfortunately, the small girl too. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"Watch out for the girl!" Nika scolded as she walked in firing her colt peacemaker not a single bullet missing its mark due to the cryptid's lumbering size.

"Girl? What girl?" Medusa's enhanced senses were overwhelmed by the presence of so many onlookers gasping and screaming and she couldn't focus enough to tell apart the innocent girl's sobbing.

With Nika showing up the cryptid wasn't liking its odds anymore. While killing a heavenly rank hunter was feasible in a one on one fight, it much preferred to ambush them and deal a single blow that was always the first and the last. Like most ambush predators, the cryptid wasn't equipped for combat, yet it was aware that its regenerative abilities tilted the scales on its favor.

"This girl." The cryptid lifted the small girl by the wrist with its prehensile foot at an impossible height then licked her face. In terms of flux she was a poor meal, but the fear she exuded made her taste irresistible. If it was to consume the girl it would be akin to a human eating a snack with little to no nutritional value, that's why it decided to keep the girl as a hostage instead.

The cries coming from the girl caused Medusa to hesitate and Nika to stop firing, leaving Luna once more exposed to the cryptid's onslaught. Its long limb landed on Luna's back a few times leaving deep wounds that revealed flesh, fat and bone alike.

Luna endured the pain, each lash causing her fangs to sink deeper into the cryptid's limb causing a comparable pain to the unsightly cryptid who was starting to panic. Luna's bite was akin to a bear trap, the more her victim struggled the more damage it suffered.

By that point the fight had drawn too much attention for the liking of a cowardly cryptid like the puppeteer and it was smart enough to know more humans would arrive at some point. It would have preferred to retreat, but Luna's steely grip left it cornered.

Both sides seemed to be at a stalemate until a green creature slithered its way back into the fight and crossed the scene, leaving a trail of blood after passing by the puppeteer.

"What did you do!?" Nika gasped at Miss Dragonfang who carried the girl on her arms. The girl was safe, but not unharmed. Her small hand had remained behind as though she had forgotten to bring it along. Thankfully, by the time Miss Dragonfang cut her hand at the height of the wrist the girl was already unconscious.

"The same thing Uriel would have done." She hissed in reply. Doing something as cruel as maiming a little girl was unthinkable to Miss Dragonfang and she only came up with the idea after thinking precisely on what would have Uriel done in her situation.

Many times she wondered why so many people orbited around Uriel and expected him to give them answers when they weren't able to find it on their own or why did everyone expect him to make decisions on their sake and the answer she found was simple.

It wasn't that they didn't know what to do, but they wanted to be exempted from the burden that came along with making the right decision. It was cruel, but the only path to victory.

"Now, where were we?" Nika turned to the cryptid after letting a sigh.

Suddenly, the puppeteer experienced the same fear it had caused upon others for as long as it could remember.

It didn't have much time to ponder about it, though, as Nika's bullets hit it first followed by a barrage of kicks each carrying enough force to destroy a lesser cryptid and the snapping sound of its arm falling on the ground after Luna finally managed to shut her maw caused it to shriek in pain and despair.