Chapter 5

Back in Edenia, the group was at the inn where Sonya Blade joined them. "Word has it you four are searching for someone," she said.

"Our enemy, Kaos," Blaze said with a nod.

"By the way, hello, Sonya," Elliott said.

She looked at him. "How do you know my name?" She asked.

"I've read up on all the Mortal Kombat characters," he said.

Rachel nodded. "I'm still learning about this world," she said before looking worried. "But...I just can't shake the feeling that something is really wrong."

"Because we haven't seen hide or hair of Kaos?" Isabel asked.

"That and...Glumshanks mentioned it had been a few days since Kaos had entered the portal."

Chaos, who was still clinging to Isabel's back, placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder, making her look at him before he gestured to her pocket where her red Emerald was. "My gem?" She asked and he nodded.

Isabel perked up. "Maybe Chaos can find our enemy using the Emeralds," she said.

Sonya, sensing this was something big, stood up. "Wait," she said. "Come with me. Quickly."

They followed her to a private dining room and Sub Zero froze the doors and windows. Raiden nodded as he listened carefully. "All clear," he said.

Blaze looked around. "Any reason you guys did that?" He asked.

"If what I'm guessing is right, what the girls are about to do is going to release a large surge of power," Sonya said. "Best to keep it contained than have it out there where our enemies can sense it."

"That makes sense," Elliott said. "Better safe than sorry."

Rachel nodded before pulling out her red Emerald and Isabel pulled out her purple one. Chaos touched both gems and closed his eyes, a gentle humming sound filling the room before it died down and the diety shook his head. "You couldn't find him?" Rachel asked.

Chaos made the 'so-so' gesture with one hand. "You think you found him but you're not sure?" Isabel guessed.

Chaos shook his head before pointing to the floor below them and then pointing upwards. He then pointed to the fire symbol that Blaze had engraved in his armor before pointing down again. "Fire and down," the Fire/Undead/Water Portal Master said.

Elliott snapped his fingers as it hit him. "I think what Chaos is saying is that our enemy isn't aboveground like us, right?"

The diety nodded eagerly. "Which means...he's below us," Isabel said before her eyes widened in realization.

"From your expression, I'm guessing below us is bad," Rachel said.

"Netherrealm," Raiden supplied helpfully.

Elliott nodded before looking curious. "But...why would Kaos go there?" He asked.

"What if he didn't?" Blaze asked. "At least not willingly."

Sub Zero nodded. "Come to think of it, I haven't heard a word from Scorpion lately," he said. "He's been too quiet."

"Hey, don't jinx it," Sonya said.

"He's right, Sonya," Raiden said gently. "Scorpion's never been this quiet before."

They all fell into thought before Rachel picked up the scent of roasted chicken and it made her mouth water. "Maybe we should revisit this after we eat," she suggested. "What do you guys think?"

"I'm on board with that," Isabel said as Chaos nodded.

"Good idea," Blaze said. "Not good to try and solve problems on an empty stomach."

Sonya smiled. "I'll put in a word with the cook," she said. "We'll get the Big Roast Meal."

The Portal Masters looked curious, but decided to wait and see what she meant.

When the food arrived, it wasn't just dinner. It was practically a banquet with roasted barbeque chicken, barbeque ribs, fresh corn and other vegetables with cake, pie, and ice cream for dessert. Sub Zero smiled. "Eat up," he said. "And don't worry. We'll pack up the leftovers for our journey."

"Sounds good to me," Blaze said.

Since Chaos didn't eat, he just watched them, mostly clinging to Isabel's back. Rachel looked at him. "You sure you're not hungry, Chaos?" She asked.

He nodded and patted her shoulder to thank her for her thoughtfulness. Raiden excused himself for a moment and returned after a few minutes. "I've secured rooms for us all," he said.

"Thanks, Raiden," Elliott said. "How much do we owe you?"

"Nothing, my friends," the hero said with a smile.

Later on, after they packed up the leftovers for their journey, Raiden showed the Portal Masters where they'd be sleeping. The four humans and Chaos were in one room that had four beds while Raiden, Sub Zero, and Sonya took another room.

As they got ready to get some sleep, Rachel looked out the window at the moon, thinking about her intended and her children. Noticing her worried expression, Blaze came over to her. "You okay, Rach?" He asked.

She nodded. "Just thinking of Magna and the kids," she said.

He nodded. "I know how you feel," he said. "I miss Roller and the girls."

Elliott came up to them. "I miss Echo and the kids," he said.

Isabel nodded. "I miss Rattle and my little one," she admitted.

Chaos hugged her in comfort and she smiled at him. Elliott looked at his friends and felt resolve fill him. "Guys, we're going to find Kaos and return to our loved ones," he said.

"That's what I'm worried about, Elliott," Rachel said. "If what Chaos is indicating is anything to go by, then we're going to have to travel to someplace I'd rather avoid."

"Netherrealm," Blaze said before looking at Chaos. "You're sure you sense him there?" He asked.

The diety nodded. "Then that's where we'll go," Isabel said. "We'll ask Raiden and the others about some kind of shield and stuff because frankly, I understand what Rachel's feeling."

Rachel nodded. "Plus...something else has got me thinking," she said. "Blaze mentioned earlier that Kaos may not have gone to Netherrealm willingly. What if...What if he's a prisoner?"

Elliott nodded. "Well, good news is he's in one spot," he said. "But the bad news is we don't know if he's working with the enemy or not."

"Scorpion is not one to be taken lightly," Blaze said.

Isabel nodded. "I think it's best we treat this as a hostage situation until we know more," she said.

The others nodded before climbing into the beds, the two young men falling asleep right away while Rachel and Isabel were still awake, Chaos cuddling with the Undead Portal Master. "Izzy?" Rachel said.

"Yeah?" The girl asked.

"I really hope we make it out of this."

The brunette-haired girl nodded. "Me too," she said before both girls fell asleep, knowing the next day was going to be a long one.

Looks like they might be realizing the gravity of the situation now.

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