Chapter 24 - Traitor (End of Volume 1)

Akumi, Emma, Michelle, and Jane followed Monster Slayer and Bunny-Bear to the Crocodile Express, the handsome steam train headed through the Dungeon Universe to the Space Opera Universe. On the platform, Saeko, Lee, and Chu as well as the Good Guys were waiting for them alongside General Mantis, Venus, Sheepwolf, and Weasel.

Jaguar waved. 'We thought we'd see you Players off since we've all got a bit of history together. The Good Guys and I tried to take in Monstress, Hivemind, and Pika here as students, but Monstress was adamant about staying with Monster Girl.'

Saeko hugged Akumi. 'Best friends forever!'

Jaguar turned to Monster Slayer. 'You sure you're going to be able to handle all these Players in your Adventurer Party? I always thought you were the lone wolf type. It took years of Bunny-Bear following you around until you finally partnered up with her.'

'Shut up,' said Monster Slayer. 'No one asked you. We'll be fine.'

Jaguar slapped Monster Slayer on the back and laughed. 'Gruff as ever, I see. Well, it's your cross to bear now.' He laughed again.

General Mantis crossed his raptorial arms. 'I'm sure things we'll work out. A man is as strong as he needs to be, and we're going to need strong men in the uncertain times to come.'

Akumi narrowed her eyes. The fact that General Mantis was so eager to split up and send away the Players was clever now that she thought about it. For one thing, it would keep them from teaming up in large numbers and bringing about another Overlord situation. For another, the traitor who had disabled Manticore's planetary defence systems and opened the Adventurers Guild Headquarters for the Outcasts was still at large. It would be better to get all the Players out of building as soon as possible so the Adventurer Guild could get the situation under control.

'We should take an Adventurer Vow!' said Bunny-Bear.

'What's that?' said Emma.

'It's a vow a group of Adventurers take at the beginning of their respective quests before they break up. It's like a tradition, y'know?' She turned to Akumi. 'You decided your vow earlier, didn't you, darlin'?' She equipped a wooden chest and placed it on the floor. 'Place your foot on the chest and say what you want to do!'

Awkwardly, Akumi placed her foot on the wooden chest. 'To find the Easter Egg and wish to go home.'

Emma shrugged and did the same. 'To find a homeland for the Jews.'

Michelle smiled. 'To become the Greatest Fighter in the Multiverse!'

Jane placed her hands on her hips. 'To find my dad, who was abducted by a UFO!'

Monster Slayer didn't do anything, but Bunny-Bear swatted him across the arm. He sighed and put his sabaton on the chest. 'To kill the Monster King.'

Bunny-Bear grinned with her big buck teeth. 'To make peace between the United Worlds and the League of Monsters!'

Excited, the other Players joined in.

Saeko slammed her loafer down. 'To find the Easter Egg and become the Multiverse King!'

Lee stuck up his nose. 'To become the Greatest Military Strategist in the Multiverse.'

Chu laughed. 'To find the Easter Egg and become a trillionaire!'

The Good Guys took part, too.

Snake flicked out her forked tongue. 'To find the Philosopher's Stone.'

Fly flitted his mechanical wings. 'To ensure the Ryu Faction defeats the Taiga Faction and takes over the Megacorporation!'

Astronaut crossed his arms. 'To find the Overlords' Treasury.'

Jaguar flexed his biceps. 'To defeat the Supervillain Syndicate!'

Komodo Kong beat his chest and roared.

Bunny-Bear laughed. 'He says to protect the world tree Yggdrasil!'

Akumi thought they were done, but then the others began to place their feet on the chest as well.

Sheepwolf winked. 'To get Babel a seat in the United Worlds Senate!'

Venus clapped her giant Venus flytrap wings together. 'To liberate planet Venus from the Reptilians.'

Weasel beamed. 'To become the Goblin King!'

Everyone laughed.

Finally, General Mantis placed his front leg on the chest. 'To protect the Multiverse.'

The chest shattered beneath their combined weight.

Bunny-Bear led a cheer.

*

Akumi and the other Players said their final goodbyes before boarding the Crocodile Express. Jaguar invited them to attend the Superhero Society Academy in the Superhero Universe if they ever wanted to become superheroes, Snake invited them to attend the Mages Guild University in the High Fantasy Universe if they ever wanted to become mages, and Sheepwolf invited them to attend the Babel City Hall if they ever wanted to get into politics. Akumi and Emma made sure to thank Weasel for saving them from the Tomb Dungeon, too.

'What are you going to do now?' said Emma.

'Well,' said Weasel. 'I've realised following that stupid ogre into the Dungeon Universe looking for loot was a fool's errand. I think I might stick around here and see if there's any work for a goblin rogue. Can''t be worse than getting my arse kicked by you Adventurers.'

Akumi laughed and patted him on the head. 'With your survival instincts, you'll be the Goblin King in no time!'

Then Monster Slayer's new Adventurer Party boarded the luxurious interior of the Crocodile Express. Akumi was in a better mood now. She had vowed to find the Easter Egg and return to her family, and her new comrades would help her on her quest. They waved to the others as the train drove into the Dungeon Gate, where a life of adventure awaited them.

*

General Mantis sighed. 'Good. Now the last of the Players are gone, we can deal with matter of the traitor.'

Venus nodded. 'Agreed. I'll lock down the building and have the Guild Officers investigate the Adventurers.'

'Not nearly enough!' said Sheepwolf. 'I shall be opening up an official inquiry!' He pointed to Weasel and turned to his two Republican Marine bodyguards. 'Arrest him!'

Weasel's mouth fell open. 'B-but I didn't do anything, m'lord! I-I just ended up here by accident through a Dungeon raid!'

'You're a monster; that makes you suspicious. You're going straight to Lovecraft Prison.' Sheepwolf leered up at General Mantis as the Republican Marines put Weasel in cuffs. 'I hope you know I consider this entire debacle your fault, General. I shall be filing a strongly worded report to the United Worlds Security Council recommanding your immediate replacement.'

General Mantis narrowed his eyes to slits. 'Understood....'

Sheepwolf grinned wolfishly to Venus. 'My dear.'

Venus scowled. 'Mister Mayor.'

Satisfied, Sheepwolf strode off, Weasel and the Republican Marines following behind him.

*

Within the solitary confinement cell of Lovecraft Prison, Sheepwolf took out a suppressed M1911 pistol and shot Weasel in the head.

He licked the blood off his face and turned to his assistant Mamba-Moth. 'Forge a confession. Mark down his death as a suicide.'

Mamba-Moth nodded and flew out of the cell.

Sheepwolf sighed. It had been hard, but he and Tyrannus had done it. In truth, the Outcasts' attack on Babel and attempt on his life had been nothing but a ruse to cover for the Outcasts' theft of a secret map from the Megacorporation Data Centre. Sheepwolf had disabled Manticore's planetary defence systems and opened the Adventurers Guild from the inside with the help of Tyrannus' magitech hacking gadget, and in return, Tyrannus had given him the money he needed for his ambitious political career. Sheepwolf wasn't secretly a monster sympathiser or anything; he really did believe in the United Worlds and multidimensional multiculturalism, and Tyrannus really did believe in the League of Monsters and universal nationalism, but politics made strange bedfellows where zealous men were concerned.

It had been a tricky thing, too. No one but Tyrannus, Sheepwolf, his assistant Mamba-Moth had known of the plot Tyrannus had proposed. If it wasn't for the Legendary-level energy shield Tyannus had given Sheepwolf, there was a good chance he would have been killed by Sharkodile. It's a pity the Outcasts hadn't done more damage to the Adventurers Guild, though. The organisation was an independent-minded thorn in the side of the United Worlds' interdimensional globalist project. One day, Sheepwolf would get rid of it for good. What he hadn't planned for this time was the arrival of the Players, but luckily they'd distracted the Adventurers Guild and given him a scapegoat in the form of Weasel. As the victim in all this, Sheepwolf would never be suspected as the traitor.

He walked out of the cell and holstered his pistol in his suit jacket. The full moon shone beautifully through the barred windows. What had the Outcasts' secret map concerned again? Ah, yes. It was allegedly a map to the Overlords' Grand Fortress, where the Easter Egg was rumoured to be found. It was a ridiculous fairy tale, but Sheepwolf was a politician, and good politicians always gave the people what they wanted.

Dear Readers,

Congratulations for finishing Volume 1 of Monster Girl versus the Multiverse! Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think of the story so far. I'll be taking a hiatus now to try and find some work--and possibly a publisher for the novel--but I'll be sure to return at some point in the future.

Sincerely,

Golden.