Hi, everyone. I know I said I wouldn't update again until summer, but I found that I had enough free time to write and post this chapter for a new story. :3
This story is more of a crossover of Naruto, Pokemon, Eragon, and Lord of the Rings, but since I can't put a crossover of four stories, I just put this in the fanfiction section.
And by the way, Deidara's a girl in this story.
Hope you guys enjoy, even though this chapter's just the prologue!
In the land of Otogakure, at the midsection of the tallest tower, a guard stood outside of a room. The full moon shone in the sky, with wisps of clouds occasionally floating across it. The tower was eerily silent, the guard being the only living thing in the building (aside from bacteria and protists that were also hanging out in the structure).
Suddenly, the guard turned his head towards the door, having believed he heard something in the room. He listened hard but he heard nothing else. Shrugging his shoulders halfheartedly, he turned back to face the corridor that led up to the room.
After a few moments, he heard another noise. Raising his spear, he slowly turned the doorknob, and pushed the door open. The door creaked as it moved and hit the wall with a loud thud!
The room was completely dark, with only the faint outline of the shelves of record books showing. Shadows danced across the floor, cast by the moonlight. Some loose papers fluttered across the floor, reminding the guard of ghosts.
Shuddering internally, the guard took a cautious step into the room. "Who's there?" he called.
In response, the door slammed shut, a familiar click resonating throughout the deathly silent room. Letting out a cry of despair, the guard rattled the door handle. He was locked inside.
Moaning, he slid down the wall, coming to a rest with his head in his hands. He sat in that position for a while, until a creaking noise made him shoot up. Raising his spear again, he began to walk towards the sound very slowly.
As he neared the source of the sound, he could hear a clacking noise from behind the bookshelf. Advancing around it, he nearly breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the hunched over figure flipping through a book.
"Excuse me, sir, but nobody is allowed in the reference…" his voice trailed off as the cloaked figure whipped around.
This intruder was not a person at all. What the guard saw nearly made him faint, wet his pants, and scream at the same time.
A shiny skull glared out from underneath the hood. Bony fingers clutched the leather-bound book, and every time this creature moved, a clacking sound was produced. Dried blood stained the teeth of the undead skeleton, and the skeleton snarled at the guard, advancing slowly.
Shaking violently, the guard stumbled back, wanting to scream yet unable to. The skeleton dropped the book on the ground, stretching out its arm towards the guard.
"Finally…" it hissed in a dry, screechy voice, "…a meal…of human organs…"
That was all it took for the guard to break his gaze and start running down the aisle. Letting out a fearsome shriek, the skeleton turned into a shapeless black cloud and gave chase.
The guard dashed down aisle after aisle, begging, "Please, no! Help! Have mercy, please!"
Skidding to a halt at an intersection between aisles, the guard saw two skeletons blocking the way forward. Turning around to go back the way he came, he saw another two skeletons staring at him hungrily (It was actually kinda hard to tell. You see, the skeletons lack eyeballs).
Twisting his head, the guard saw that both left and right were occupied by skeletons. They were closing the distance slowly, as though enjoying the guard's fear and terror.
"No, no. Please," the guard pleaded for his life.
Ignoring their prey's pleas, one of the skeletons shot forward, slamming the guard to the ground and sinking its teeth into the guard's throat. The guard screamed as blood burst from the wounds. His yells turned into gurgles as the skeleton dug its fingers into the punctures, ripping open the neck and tearing apart the chest. The guard was dead within seconds. The eight skeletons crouched above the corpse, inhaling the dead man's lungs, heart, liver, stomach, and brain.
"Such a stunning display."
All eight skeletons lifted their heads to stare at the newcomer. The man wore a black cloak, his pale face shone in the moonlight. His yellow eyes flashing at the murder he just witnessed. Seven more figures appeared next to him.
"Let us finish," the skeleton who killed the guard hissed, still crouched over the body.
The pale man raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Of course, Grief (1). I would never deny you all a good meal."
As the eight turned back to their food, the pale man beckoned to one of his accomplices. A pink-haired woman stepped forward.
"Fugura, go cast a barrier around this tower. Make sure no one, except our lot, can get in," the pale man ordered.
Fugura bowed her head. "Understood, Lord Khardugal."
"Well," Khardugal said, clapping his hands together as the skeletons finished off their meal, "Let's head up to the top now. And Revir, please throw that organ-less corpse out the window. We do not need such a ghastly decoration for our base."
After Revir, the burly man, had disposed of the remains of the guard, the group of sixteen made their way to the top floor. Upon arriving at their destination, Khardugal took out a black stone from his pocket. Admiring it for a few moments, he placed it on the dais in the center of the room. An invisible ripple of energy seemed to pass through the room, making Khardugal shudder and the skeletons shift restlessly.
"Fugura," Khardugal commanded.
Fugura stepped forward, placing a flute to her lips. She blew into it, playing a soft melody. A pink barrier flickered around the stone, encasing as a form of protection.
"Now, no…pathetic excuse for a white stone can ever get near it," Khardugal hissed, eyes glimmering maliciously.
1. The skeletons have names. In this case, Grief is the name of the skeleton Khardugal spoke to.
There you have it. R & R, everyone!