The rest of Luna's team arrived at the precise mont to watch the macabre deed from afar, yet they were too tired to rush in and try to prevent it even if they wanted to. Nika seed concerned by what devouring a cryptid entailed for Luna, if it was a one ti thing or would beco a bad habit, but Uriel had his mind on more important questions.
"How the hell did that entire thing fit inside her!?" Uriel let out agasted. Nika had little to no energy and even speaking felt tireso, but that didn't an she would ever let such an opportunity pass.
"That's what she said." She said mustering a dry chuckle no one followed or even care about.
Uriel drew closer to Luna to check if she was in good health or still conscious, though he was not surprised in the slightest when he found her snoozing. What did surprise him was the fact that she remained in her werewolf form even asleep, which had never happened before at least to his knowledge. After putting so thought into it, the most likely explanation was that the cryptid she just devoured occupied too much space and by turning back into a human she risked bursting out. After all, there truly was no way such a large beast could fit inside Luna in her werewolf form, let alone in her tiny human form.
"Is she going to be Okay?" Asked Nika once she noticed Uriel had arrived at so mysterious conclusion.
"Is she ever? I an, eating a cryptid is unheard of, but it's not unlike Luna to do things no one would think of doing," Uriel shrugged, then continued. "but if you're asking about her health, I think it's great that she's on her werewolf form since it enhances her natural healing. Besides, the cryptid will eventually disappear and she will be able to go back to whatever it is normal for her."
Although Nika felt Uriel judged Luna too strongly, she had to admit he was actually on point on all accounts. Especially in his suggestion to rest, since she couldn't muster the strength to take another step and they all spent what was left of the evening and the night in the middle of the wastelands like they had been doing in the past.
Luna was the first one to wake up in the morning, her wounds had healed and she felt better than ever. She rembered clearly her last al and even though she didn't find the texture or the taste to fit her taste, it was her first ti in a long while feeling satisfied.
Her stomach grumbled nevertheless and she scanned her surroundings looking for Uriel, or rather, her breakfast. To soone like Luna, becoming friends with the hunter equivalent to an expending machine was a dream co true. Anywhere she wanted, anyti she wanted, she could have whatever snack she liked, as long as she endured Uriel's nagging about money whenever she begged for food.
The aforentioned walking expending machine woke up to the grumbling noise of Luna's stomach and was about to offer her a treat to settle her when he noticed two odd things. First, Luna was dressed in a hospital robe and second, Luna's grumbling soon shifted into a violent barf. Although Uriel was prone to feeling disgusted by insects, he didn't let Luna's vomit affect him too much and he leaned close to inspect the contents finding out there was nothing but bile.
"When did you take to a hospital?" Luna muttered after wiping off her mouth by lifting the clinical robe, aware that there was nothing beneath the robe but uncaring for modesty.
"I didn't." Uriel managed to turn his gaze to the side right in ti to watch Nika stretching by his side, also wearing a revealing robe, though this ti Uriel not only didn't avert his gaze but thoroughly examined Nika's skin. Her forrly tanned skin was now of a pale gray color and there was a strange rash on her rib cage.
In spites of Nika constant attempts to get Uriel to look at her, she felt awkward under his gaze and the awkwardness only grew when Luna joined in and studied her with what they knew was their pensive expression.
"Do I have sothing on my skin?" Nika blurted out.
"I have seen this kind of wound before, it's a radiation burn." Luna said and then started checking up everyone, including herself. Kristina was covered in blisters she had not noticed before and Nika had a rash all over her body, but when it was Uriel's turn he blatantly refused to be examined and Luna respected his decision, yet still asked him to open his mouth to confirm whether or not he was affected.
"Bleeding gums, a clear sign of cellular degeneration. Can you get us so iodide?" Luna asked Uriel.
"Is that the cure?"
"No, there is no cure for radiation damage. Potassium Iodide works in blocking certain types of radiation, it won't heal us but it will prevent further damage and allow you guys to heal properly. Radiation is troubleso because it can co in many ways and it sticks to most things, but it seems they went through the trouble of removing our clothes and washing us properly which is why you must be feeling better already. As to why I'm the least affected, it's probably due to my shapeshifting. When I changed back, the radiated particles must have dislodged from my body." Luna inford.
"Sorry, there's nothing similar to that in the catalogue." Uriel scratched the back of his head in frustration, panicking as soon as he noticed a bunch of hair had stuck to his hand.
"Then all what's left is find out where we are now." Nika added.
"Actually, I think that's covered," Said Uriel after checking the system ssages he received while sleeping that inford him he had entered a dungeon. "the question is who brought us here and for what purpose."
Now that Uriel knew they were actually inside of a dungeon his first step was to identify which dungeon was it. He bought a gas lantern from his trait and turned it on, discovering the answer as soon as he caught a proper glimpse of the walls around them.
"We are currently in the catacombs." Uriel said.
"Great, we're poisoned and also forced to listen to a long winded explanation about archaeology no one cares about." Nika let out a long sigh.
"Actually... I would love to know." Kristina mumbled.
"Do not feed his obsession, last warning." Luna glared at Kristina. Uriel watched the scene yet ignored it altogether, whether they found it interesting or not didn't make a difference as many tis in the past the only factor that made the difference between living and dying was the information they had.
"I ntioned before how many European cities are built on top of the remains of previous buildings. In this case, it's like an underground city beneath the city. Like all catacombs, this is an ossuary."
"Ossuary!? Like that one in xico!?" Nika interrupted Uriel's ramblings with a shriek.
"No," Uriel shook his head causing the scaredy huntress to be relieved for all of one second. "The one in xico probably had up to a thousand human remains. This one held the remains of over six million people, but that was before the arrival and by now the number may have tripled." Uriel theorized that a large amount of people took refuge in the catacombs during the arrival, though instead of shelter they probably stumbled into an already open grave.
Nika's mories of the ossuary beneath Chichén Itzá were among the worst of her entire life. Just the thought of a wall of living bone crackling and shaking as though animated by an unseen force was enough to send shivers down her spine. If that was with only a thousand human remains, she couldn't fathom what could happen in a place filled with millions of skeletons.
But Nika's fears were imdiately disregarded by Uriel as soon as he noticed a note left behind, most likely by the person who dragged them inside the dungeon.
"If you know what's best for you, leave now and never return." Uriel read the note out loud.
"I second that." Nika stood up, feeling much better.
"We shouldn't leave without properly thanking the person who brought us here."
"Not without our underarmor." Luna said and only then did Uriel's face beco pale at the realization they had been robbed.
"Then, we definitely can't leave without at least thanking them." A malicious grin climbed up to Uriel's face, making it clear he was not going to take a step outside the dungeon without his belongings.
"I'll be rooting for you from inside your shadow." Nika perford a dive into Uriel's shadow that would have earned her a ten point score in the olympics and disappeared from sight, though she ca back soon after when Luna collapsed on the ground while faintly speaking.
"It's better if we get so iodide first."
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