Chapter 43 - The Dungeon Guardian Revealed

Sitting out on the back porch with an Arnold Palmer, I enjoyed the cool night air. It was nice to get my feelings across to the women, and I was happy they accepted it. Things would progress smoothly from here, now that we were officially a couple I could be a bit more forward with them. I would eventually tell them about what I really was, but right now that didn't matter. There was a shit ton of things that would need to be dealt with before bothering them with that.

"We are getting close to when things start get interesting.", I muttered with a smile, "I am looking forward to wiping the floor with a lot of those fuckers."

Finishing my drink, I took a quick shower and then went to bed.

---Next Morning---

Waking up at dawn, I found that I wasn't alone in my bed. Raising my head up to get a better view, the girls were all sprawled out on my bed. Juvia was glued to my right arm, Millianna was purring like a kitten on my chest, and Sorano had wrapped my left arm around her so she could snuggle up closer. I thought it was nice that they were being more open about things now that we had cleared the air, but I never expected things to move this quick.

Glancing over at the clock, I realized it was about time for them to get up for work today. Teleporting out of bed, I got changed and headed down to make something for breakfast. Finding Irene already up and making her coffee, she gave me a snicker as she saw me.

"You must be feeling quite manly to wake up with a bed full of women.", she teased.

"It's who I wake up with that's important.", I pointed out, "I only want to wake up with people I care about."

"Fair enough.", she said.

Slipping behind her, I started tickling her as payback for teasing me. Laughing at me, she told me to stop it because she was about to spill her coffee. Knowing how important that was for her, I stopped before she became irritable.

"Jerk.", she giggled, "Don't get between a woman and her coffee, we don't work well without it."

"Sure sure.", I replied pouring myself a bowl of cereal.

"You got plans today?", she asked me.

"Yep, I am going exploring in a Dungeon.", I answered.

"Sounds fun, where's the Dungeon?", she inquired, "I haven't heard of one around here."

"Up North, I will be back this evening.", I said taking a bite of my cereal.

Taking a seat at the table as the others came stumbling down the stairs, Millianna tripped over her own feet and took everyone down with her. Groaning on the floor, they told her to be careful but she was already back asleep again.

"She's becoming more and more catlike everyday.", Lucy stated as she pulled herself free.

"Wake up!", Sorano shouted shaking Millianna to consciousness again.

"Nya...good morning...", she yawned.

Eating our morning meal together, I said my goodbyes to the girls and promised to see them tonight. Giving a hug before leaving, I also promised to go by their agency tomorrow to work their photoshoot with them. Telling me to bring them back something, I promised to do so as I walked out of the dining room.

"Oh, and there is something else.", I said looking at Irene.

Rubbing my hands together, I swiftly smacked her on the butt and bolted. Shrieking softly from that, the girls looked at her in shock as she was flush red.

"MAEL!!", she shouted chasing after me.

---Orario---

'I had to do it, it was right there.', I thought as I walked into the courtyard outside Babel, 'It was a bit of harmless fun, no biggie.'

As I looked around for Bella and Lily, I noticed there were a lot more Adventurers than I expected to see. By this point in the day the courtyard was usually empty as most Adventurers were in the Dungeon. Taking a moment to survey the situation, Ais and Bella came running up to me.

"Mael, you need to come with us.", Bella said grabbing my arm, "Something really bad happened down in the Dungeon!!"

"Is everything okay?", I asked.

"No!! I...I need your help!!", she stated shaking like a leaf.

Nodding my head, Ais and Bella took me back to the Stardust Garden. Walking inside, there were several Deities standing around debating something. The moment they saw me, Astraea ran over to grab my arm.

"Mael!! I...I hate to ask this of you, but I need you to go into the Dungeon to save my children!!", she pleaded.

"Wow there, what's going on here? I don't know what you are talking about.", I replied.

"Let me explain.", Takemikazuchi said, "A party from my Familia went into the Dungeon this morning, and ran into a group of people from the the 18th Floor. They were badly wounded, but managed to tell us that the 18th Floor was under attack."

"Other than Bella, the rest of my Familia is on the 18th Floor.", Astraea stated with a fearful look, "They went down to run medical supplies to the settlement with the Artemis Familia, and were supposed to be back last night. If they are still down there, they are trapped!!"

"What she means to say is that the Monster Rex should have respawned last night. If the enemy attack happened last night, the Adventurers down there may be in no condition to fight it themselves.", Loki added.

'I don't remember this being part of the storyline...something is off about this.', I thought, "Very well, I will go down and get them out of there. Still though, why not send a part from another Familia?"

"The Dungeon is acting abnormal.", Ouranos spoke up, "Several Stampedes have come rushing out of the Dungeon in the past hour alone. We need all our strength up here to prevent them from getting out."

Understanding the situation, I said I would head out immediately.

"I am coming too.", Ais stated.

"Me too!", Bella demanded, "Lily is down there, I can't let her die!!"

Glancing over at Loki, she gave her blessing since it was an emergency. Telling them to keep up, I said I wasn't going to stop for them. Nodding their heads, the three of us headed into the Dungeon together.

---18th Floor---

Blasting a hole through the ceiling with Cruel Sun the three of us dropped into the fray. Spotting a group of Tarkata engaged in combat with the Adventurers, the Adventurers were steadily being pushed back by the battle hardened enemy. Seeing the three of us falling from the sky, Lily started shouting as she pointed at us.

"Mael!! Bella!!", she shouted, "And...Ais..."

Smiling at her attitude in the face of danger, I told the two get ready. Using Trick Star, I swapped our places with three Tarkata. Appearing in front Baraka and his troops, I pulled Rhitta out of my storage ready for a fight.

"I think you are lost, how did you get here?", I said, "Shouldn't you be in Outworld?"

"I don't have answer to you!", he spat.

"Fine then, I will beat it out of you!", I stated swinging my axe back, "Cruel Sun!!"

Launching the attack at them, several Tarkata went to intercept it but were instantly incinerated as if they weren't even there. Realizing my attack wasn't on the same level as the Adventurers behind me, the other Tarkata dodged the attack. Watching me flick my wrist, they heard the attack come around again. Thinking they could dodge it again, I increased the speed of it before sending it crashing into their main group and detonated it. Hearing them howl as they were torn apart, I stood there looking at Baraka.

"Feel like talking yet?", I said lining up another Cruel Sun, "I can keep this up all day."

Unwilling to spill the information to me, I decided I would capture his soul and learn what was going on. This was the second incursion of Shao Kahn's forces in a world I oversaw so this was becoming a problem.

"Now now, I think we can call it here.", Shang Tsung stated with a smirk as he stepped out of a portal, "Wouldn't want to cause any unnecessary causalities, would we?"

Noticing that he had Ryuu by the throat, I clenched my fist holding Rhitta tightly. Seeing the exhausted look on her face, I knew he had been siphoning off her lifespan. He probably saw her as quite a discovery as he was constantly looking for ways to extend his miserable life.

"Attack...don't worry...about me...", she whimpered.

"He won't do that, I know about you and your otherworldly traveling. I mean you did so brutally kill your adopted Uncle when he tried to take the throne from your adoptive father.", Shang Tsung said with certainty, "I know you are too soft to attack with a hostage."

"So you were involved with Ozai is well...", I said with smile, "So that's two worlds in addition to your own that you have been infecting. Unfortunately for you, that estimation of yours is sadly mistaken. Who said I wouldn't attack you because you hold a hostage? All I have to do is make sure she doesn't get harmed, Cocoon of Darkness!"

Enveloping Ryuu in the cocoon, Shang Tsung's arm was severed causing him to start bleeding out. Cursing me he launched a volley of hexes at me, which I didn't bother trying to block. Just as they were about to hit me, Shang Tsung suddenly found himself in front of his own attack. Teleporting to evade it, I proceeded to use Absolute Cancel to stop it from hitting the Adventurers.

"Nifty trick, I didn't even detect any magic when you did that.", Shang Tsung complimented me sarcastically.

"Ryuu, just stay calm this will be over pretty quick.", I assured her, "You are going to be okay."

"...take your time...", Ryuu meekly said.

Suddenly being swallowed up by darkness like that, I assumed she thought I was going to kill her like she offered. I felt a bit bad that I startled her like that, but Shang Tsung wasn't someone I wanted to gamble her life with. I wasn't sure how many years he had stolen from her so she might be minutes away from death.

"I am interested to know how you are able to move between the worlds. We have been observing things for quite some time, and never once noticed your movements.", Shang Tsung questioned.

"You could say I know a guy.", I chuckled.

"Very well, if you don't want to give your secrets up I can take them by force.", he said as his green aura cloaked him.

"Mael be careful, he isn't normal!", Alice shouted.

"You just stand back, and let me handle this.", I told her, "I know this guy, he happens to be the bitch of Shao Kahn."

The smirk on his face vanished as he realized I knew more than he realized. It was clear he didn't know the full story of who I was, only that I could jump between worlds.

"You know, if I stall this out long enough you will drop dead. I mean, you were cursed by the Elder Gods of your world.", I snickered.

"How do you know that? I have never seen you at Mortal Kombat or on Earthrealm.", he stated.

Changing into my Angelic Form, I gave him a grin. Taking several steps back as my Divinity hit him like a truck, the Tarkata troops also backed away from me.

"You are stronger than the Elder Gods!", he spat in shock.

"Shang Tsung, you should have stayed out of worlds under my supervision.", I said forming a massive blue Cruel Sun overhead, "You should have just stayed in Outworld, scum like you doesn't need to be involved in my world's affairs, die!"

Throwing it at them, the Tarkata and Shang Tsung immediately started to flee.