8 Chapter 8 - The Dungeon Guardian

As my fury boiled over, the entire city was in an uproar. I hadn't realized it, but the force behind my anger had expanded outside the Dungeon and was affecting everyone in Orario. Thinking that something terrible was going to come out of the Dungeon, any Adventurer that could move was summoned to Babel to stop whatever was coming out. Slowly the pressure started to lessen on the city allowing more Adventurers to come to help.

---3rd Person POV---

"What the freakin hell was that!?", Loki gasped stumbling out of Babel, "I thought I was gonna die!"

"As did I.", Astraea laughed nervously.

Seeing retired people like Zald and others appear, the deities present felt relatively confident they had a fighting chance here. As they started to organize a scouting party, they watched a young boy come out of the Dungeon alone with a large backpack on him. Stopping what she was doing, Astraea ran over to him.

"What is a young boy like you doing in the Dungeon alone?", she asked him as Miach came over as well.

"I...I needed to make money, my mother is sick.", he told her honestly, "I thought I could make some money as a Supporter, but...my party...they left me...behind. They used me as...bait."

Pulling him into a hug, Astraea felt horrible that such a young child had to endure that.

"You escaped unharmed?", Astraea inquired, "How did you manage that?"

"I hurt my leg really badly, it hurt so much.", he informed her, "No one wanted to help me, they just kept taking my stuff. Just a little while ago though...a really big man came and saved me!! He healed my leg up and took away the pain!!"

"Where is he?", Miach asked seeing the boy's damaged clothing.

"He said his home was in the Dungeon. He is really big, and has blue flames on his back!!", the boy said with excitement, "He killed all the monsters without touching them!! They burnt away and he gave me all the Monster Cores!! Mister, is it enough to buy a High Potion for my mother?"

Handing him a bag of stones, Miach's expression turned pale.

"Is something wrong?", Astraea inquired.

"This bag easily is worth almost fifty thousand valis...", Miach said, "It's all monster cores..."

"Say what!?", Loki shouted running over, "You sayin someone gave him that much money for free after healing him!?"

"Is it enough? Momma needs a High Potion for her injuries.", the young boy said.

"Of course...this is more than enough.", Miach told him.

"Can I get right away? The man told me that the God Miach would have the potion I needed. Do you know where he is?", the boy pleaded.

"I am him.", Miach chuckled, "Of course you can buy the potion now."

Feeling the pressure suddenly vanish off them, peace was restored to the city almost immediately. With the threat gone, most people returned to their homes but the deities followed Miach back to his shop. Getting the potion for the boy, he took only what was needed to cover the cost and gave the rest back to the boy.

"Thank you God Miach, I gotta get home!!", the boy said.

"Excuse me, could you tell us what the man looked like again?", Astraea asked before he left.

"He was really big, probably eight or ten feet tall with big blue flames on his back. There was a lot of fire coming off of him, but it didn't burn me. When he healed me...I felt really calm and safe for some reason. It felt like there wasn't anything to worry about anymore.", he told them, "He gave me a snack and told me everything was going to be alright. Do you think I can meet him again?"

"Maybe one day.", Astraea assured him, "Alise, please ensure he gets home safe. Also, can you please exchange the monster cores with him in the morning. I am afraid the Guild will give him a bad rate since he isn't an Adventurer."

"Yes Goddess Astraea.", Alise said escorting him home.

Once they were gone, all the deities looked at each other. Something like this had never happened before, and it confused them. Where did such a powerful entity come from, why did it help the boy, and what was it's goal were all things they were trying to understand.

"The kiddo said that the man called the Dungeon his home. You think an Adventurer helped him?", Loki asked.

"One with blue flames on his back?", Astraea questioned, "There is no such Adventurer, it has to be a Spirit."

"A Spirit living in the Dungeon though, and strong enough to slay everything without touching it?", Belldandy pointed out, "I understand it happened in the top floors, but if we assume the pressure we felt was when he found the boy...they got from that floor to the exit in less than twenty minutes. The Guild has staff that patrols the first few floors to prevent people from killing newbies which means the boy had to have been on the fifth floor or lower."

"That is true.", Freya agreed, "That level of power...it isn't something we have seen from a Spirit in centuries."

"If it's not a Spirit or an Adventurer, what was it? We don't have a deity with that appearance in this city.", Hermes reminded them.

"Maybe the Dungeon took pity on the boy.", Miach spoke up, "I mean how many kids end up like that boy every month. The Dungeon may have finally had enough with letting children die, and made a Guardian for them."

Looking around at each other, they all were hesitant to agree with him. If the Dungeon did make a Guardian to protect people like...there was going to be a lot of Adventurers that would go missing soon. There were plenty of scumbag Adventurers that would take advantage of kids so if they started going missing, that had to be it.

---Slums---

Leading Alise to his home, he ran inside in a hurry. Running to his mother's bedside, he quickly woke her up in his excitement.

"Momma, I got your medicine!", he told her.

Stirring from her sleep, she rolled over quickly to see her son...the one she thought died. Grabbing him, she pulled him into her arms and started crying.

"I thought I lost you!", she cried, "Those men came by and told me you died in the Dungeon. They threw your hat at me, and left without saying anything else."

"I...I am sorry Momma!", he started to cry, "They left me to die!! They used me to escape from a Stampede!! I was so scared!!"

Hearing how they had used him, Alise felt guilt well up inside. She was a member of the Astraea Familia, the group that was supposed to help protect the people of Orario...yet they failed to stop things like this. Watching his mother drink the potion, Alise watch the mother proceed to cough up a mouthful of blood.

"Momma!!", he cried, "Are you okay?!"

"I guess we were too late.", she said calmly to her son, "The doctor said this should have healed me, but the damage is too great for a High Potion to heal now."

"If I may, what do you do for a living?", Alise asked.

"I work in a workshop that makes leather materials. An accident from several years ago severely damaged my lungs, making it hard to breath normally.", she told her, "My husband died a year ago due to overworking himself so I had to continue working to support my son, daughter, and I."

"You gotta get better!", he pleaded, "Maybe you need another High Potion! Can we go get another?"

"Edward, it's okay. You don't need to-", she started to say.

"I don't want to lose you too!", he shouted as tears came down his face, "I promised Dad I would heal you!!"

"Edward...", she said softly.

"I know!!", he said as his expression brightened, "That man, he can save you!!"

"What man?", his mother asked.

"The man that saved me!", he told her.

Telling her the full story of what happened, his mother looked at him skeptically. She wanted to believe her son, but the story was very unbelievable. Pulling on her arm, he insisted that the man could help her. Going to tell him it would be alright, he let go and ran to his bag. Opening the main flap, he started to get his makeshift armor on.

"Edward, you can't go back down there.", his mother insisted, "It's too dangerous."

"I have to find him!", he refused.

Running towards the door, a bright flash occurred which stopped him in his tracks. After the flash subsided, he looked back at his mother who had a faint white light around her. Running over to her, he asked if she was okay.

"I...I feel fine now.", she said in shock.

"Young boy, your love for your mother is admirable but please listen to her from now on. If something happened to you, who would be there for your sister and mother?", a voice spoke into their minds, "Your mother is healed now, rest easy and enjoy your time with her."

Looking around for the source of the voice, Alise couldn't sense anyone nearby. Glancing back to the mother, she looked perfectly healthy as if she was never sick. Telling the boy she would be back tomorrow to assist him, Alise ran back to find her Goddess. Finding her still in Miach's store, she burst inside gasping for air.

"Alise, is everything okay?", Astraea asked.

"The man...I think...he save the boy's mother...", Alise said.

"We know that...he gave him all those cores.", Loki acknowledged.

"No!! The High Potion wasn't enough to cure her!!", Alise shouted, "He healed her injury completely, it's like it was never there."

Following her back to the house, Miach and Dian Cecht looked the mother over carefully. After they finished their examination, Dian Cecht gave the deities a shocked look.

"I...I just checked her three days ago. She was on death's doorstep, but now...she is perfectly healthy!!", he said in shock, "I haven't seen anything like it before!!"

"I told you he could heal you!", the boy said hugging his mother tightly.

Excusing themselves, the deities and Alise left the home so they could rest. Dian Cecht remained silent as he was certain no magic could have healed her injuries so perfectly. There was no doubt in his mind that a higher power had of healed her. As for the other deities, they decided it was best to crack down on using children as Supporters in their Familias...for their Familia's safety.

---Mael POV---

'Jeez, I saved that kid and he was about to dive back in for his mother. His mother must be a very kind person...', I thought reflecting on my prior life, 'I wish my mother could have been like that. When I have children, I won't let them feel alone.'

Spending the next few hours training with all three of my Forms, I ended up leaving the Dungeon around 6am. Slipping back into the Traveler's Inn, I cleaned myself with magic and got a few hours of sleep before breakfast.