Author's Ramblings: Hello everyone, I'm back with yet another story. This is a crazy idea that has been in my mind ever sine a fellow who's name I can't remember, and I can't dig out the message he sent me for the idea that inspired this. So if you recognize yourself in this, please message me so I can put the credits for inspiring me here. Also, sorry for not updating my other stories, but I've been having the mother of all writers' blocks, and progress is painstakingly slow, and the mess I have at college isn't really helping all that much.
A few warnings beforehand. Most characters from the Nartuoverse will NOT be making an appearance. Apart from Naruto and a select few other, none of them will be showing up, and most will be somewhat if not more OC. This story is mostly fiction, so sit down and enjoy :P
I will not coddle you, point everything out, or bombard you with information so you could understand everything. Things will, at times, be left out, only to be explained later, and just because you see the most obvious reasons for things, don't assume that they are the correct ones
I'm going to give one final word of warning. So far, I went outside of the expected, and messed with everything that seemed fun to mess with. This time I have no boundaries to stop me. Expect chaos :D
Name: The King of the Skies
Genre: Drama/ Adventure
Ranking: M (there will be cursing, blood, death, violence and possibly sex)
Pairings: none as of yet
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters taken from that series. I do however own every idea I've created here
The King of the Skies
Look into the dawn sky
Do you see the clouds coming?
The storm that will rise soon
Is showing its first signs.
Fear not the coming storm
Nor its heralds.
Fear not the change they bring,
But embrace it with all your heart.
Instead of cowering
Stand tall,
Instead of running away
Walk forward,
Face the coming
Of the true King.
The time has come.
Last words of the Seer Galamthor
The sound of torrential rain and wind was the only thing coming from the outside. Five kids, between ten and fifteen years of age, huddled around a small fireplace, using the torn-up, moth-eaten blankets to keep whatever warmth they could to themselves while they tried to sleep. All but one, the oldest among them. A relatively tall, and lean blond boy who was currently leaning against the stone of the fireplace, a small knife carving the wooden piece in his hands. A soft smile covered the boy's face as he went on with his task, slowly carving the small block of wood into the shape of an intricate bird, likely a snow dove by its appearance. A gift, the best one he could make for someone dear to him.
"Mmmhhh..." came a soft mumble from next to him. "...Naruto? You're still up?" a female voice asked. Naruto turned to the slightly younger girl next to him, the smile turning into a grin.
"Of course I'm up," he retorted offhandedly, eyes never focusing on the matters in his hands. "Someone has to look after you bunch. Get back to sleep, Maire. We'll likely have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," he chided the little brunette, picking up a corner of the blanket between his toes and pulling it to better cover her. He laughed quietly when the girl merely scooted over to him, placing her head in his lap. "Sweet dreams, little sister. May the angels watch over you," he whispered as he lightly ruffled her hair before returning to his carving, making sure that none of the splinters fell on Maire's face.
Time passed, and he was still carving, all the while whistling a jaunty tune, low enough not to wake up the others. The occasional glance outside told him that the wind had long since stopped blowing, and that the rain had been reduced to a few drops here and there while the night sky slowly parted, revealing the moon and stars.
Naruto placed the knife back into its leather sheath under his longer left sleeve, reattaching the straps that held it in place. He placed the small wooden bird on the ground next to him, planning to get a leather loop to hang it off later. Gently, he raised Maire's head from his lap, making sure that his own blanket provided a comfortable place to rest for her head as he slipped away. He chuckled lightly as the girl moaned at the loss of warmth and comfort.
Dusting himself off, he rechecked that everything was in place. His light, beige pants, cut off right above his ankles were made for mobility above all. Above those was a long-sleeved jacket, the right sleeve torn off under the elbow and connected to a long bracer that covered the rest of the arm, finally connected to a fingerless glove with a metal plate on the back of the hand. As his right hand moved to reveal a small blade hidden on the bracer, telling that there was likely more than met the eye to this boy.
Having finished the checkup, he walked over to the broken door. Beyond, one could easily see the expanse of the slums, with the rest of the city staying on a higher layer. This was their world, a world that had faced the coming end once and survived, if only barely, remaining little more than a number of scattered rocks floating in the ether around them, held from falling by the potent magics that tore the world apart over half a millennium ago.
The city's name was Khaldoris, a proud mercantile city-state, well known for its riches, for its culture and most importantly, for its water farms. Indeed, even in this 'enlightened' age, the lack of water was a serious problem, seeing as apart from the rainfall, there was nearly no way to gather water. There were always rumors; stories of hidden continents under the layers of mist, but no one in their right mind risked their airships to descend that low, and lose the cover of magic that allowed them to fly.
Eyes moved quickly to the night sky, locking onto a passing ship as it momentarily showed itself against the background of the stars. Long hull-shaped suspiciously like a fish-six long metal fins that served as a means of maneuvering through the air, and the twin frontal lights that helped docking and avoiding collisions identified it as the 'Valakar's Delight,' a cruise ship that carried the rich and famous to and from one of the isolated resorts, or simply to another city while they enjoyed the cruise and passing scenery.
A completely blank look covered his eyes, a sure sign of his daydreams returning full force. If Naruto ever had a dream, it was to fly, to gain his own wings.
"Ten years tomorrow, huh boss?" came a voice from right next to him, which he clearly identified as Kaesa, the second oldest kid in the group. The red-haired boy eyed him worriedly.
"Yah."
"It'll be a fine day tomorrow," Kaesa continued, trying to start up a conversation to steer his fearless leader's mind away from such depressing thoughts
"Yah," was his reply... again.
"You're going to keep sayin' 'yah' regardless of what I ask you, aren't you?"
"Yah," Naruto absentmindedly responded, though a mild grin returned to his face, and Kaesa knew he had done his good deed for the day.
'The boss did so much for us, the least I can do is guide his thoughts away from the memories. Maybe if we can pull it off tomorrow...' he mused, joining Naruto at looking at the heavens above, as the blond had sat down, leaning into the wall behind him. Kaesa offered his blanket, but the blond merely waved him away.
"Suit yourself, boss. I'm keeping my hide warm, even if you don't want to," he muttered, bringing out a full laugh.
"You're not going to go away, are you?" Naruto quietly asked, the smile never leaving his face.
"And have you here sulking alone all night? Hell no!" Kaesa returned, in a much, much louder voice. "Naruto, we all know how much tomorrow means to you, and you know we will make sure everything goes fine," he spoke, lightly sighing at the end. "Get some sleep, boss; you need it more than I do."
"Everyone does, considering you spend the better part of your day lazing about," Naruto quickly bit back as he got up, the ill humor momentarily forgotten as he teased his friend. 'Maybe, just maybe everything will turn out alright,' the blond morosely thought, a smile coming unbidden to his face. He had another family, once, but this was his family now, and for their sake, he'd do his best.
Taking one last look at his small family, he laid down his head on the makeshift pillow he used, before sleep overcame him.
Next morning, the Great Causeway, Temple of Khor Akad, the Forsaken
The sound of trumpets broke the temporary silence, bringing a flock of birds into the air from their perches among the spires of the great temple of the Forsaken God, Khor Akad. Today was an important day, and the Great Causeway—the largest street in Khaldoris, stretching for over three kilometers and ending on one side it the gates of the royal palace, while the other was at the temple, raised in honor of the guardian god—was packed full of people who had come to witness this important event.
Today was a special day, after all. The day the crown prince Mersaid of the noble house of Arath was to become king Mersaid. Most of the countries people, including his younger brother, Nilvaine were perfectly fine with that, and—at least on the surface—peace reigned on this important day. The massive dark-haired man walked confidently along the long boulevard, the gathered crowd along the edge cheering for their young king as he walked, escorted by the Gray Dragoons, the king's elite guard. One could hardly tell that the twenty-two year old Mersaid was a prince, as the man seemed more like a veteran soldier, which he in truth was, considering that the man walked dressed in the fine magicked plate of the Gray Dragoons. The symbolism wasn't lost on many of the more influential figures within the city. This was no longer the timid prince who joined the army five years ago.
However, it wasn't the only event of interest. The fact that most of the city was glaringly empty was about to be abused by a group of five kids who had planned for this event for over two months, ever since the public coronation was announced. If there was one thing being a street rat was good for, it was learning how to survive and gather information. And drunken, underpaid guards were perfect for such things.
It was still morning, and a thin veil of mist covered large parts of the city, obscuring the vision of the pedestrians just enough to give the children room to pass safely over the rooftops, using the long line of stringed buildings and small breaks between roofs to make their way towards their target.
The plan was daring, it was brilliant... it was also complete and utter suicide for anyone rational to attempt. After all, what man in their right mind dared to attempt to infiltrate the reliquary of the Royal Museum to steal a map of all things? However, considering that these were children—who had a good idea of what the map was supposed to point to, and had really no better chance to get out of the gutters—the reasoning was obvious. That, and it was a challenge, something the budding little thieves loved like nothing else.
The Royal Museum was not obviously guarded, but there were a number of patrols, most of them dressed like civilians, rather than the soldiers they were, to avoid attracting attention and to keep the normal populace content and relaxed. The tall, five-story building was one of the city's highlights, though in truth, it had a glaring number of defensive weaknesses. After all, it wasn't a fortress, but a showroom for the various relics that the old kingdom had gathered over the years and decades. The Gothic style in which it was built left no obvious openings, but any sharp eye would have noticed a number of ventilation shafts at the roof, several side doors, and a number of windows at the side that could be abused by any burglar. On the inside, the security would be far harsher, but still, for one reason or another, the installation of security devices was avoided, a fact that Naruto himself had discovered by spying on the guards.
The small group of five consisted of Naruto, Maire and Kaesa from last night, along with two more kids; Nakaiz, a burly, brown haired short boy of 12 who had turned out to be a natural at lock picking and finally Samara, the planner of the group, a silver-haired girl of 13 years.
Naruto smiled slightly under the gray shawl that covered most of his face, a pale blue hooded cloak covering the rest. 'I'm coming, you old bastard, whether you're ready or not,' he thought, the oncoming rush of adrenaline at the idea of robbing the heavily guarded museum making his heart beat faster. No one would ever expect a bunch of kids to do it... and that was just why they would succeed. As they ran past the procession, he turned shortly to take a look at the future king, resisting the urge to shake his head in disapproval. He didn't really care who was king, as he knew full well that the situation for those who lived in the slums wouldn't change a bit regardless of who came to power. But just before he turned and continued, he could have sworn that the king's brother, Nilvaine had turned and looked straight at him. He shook off the feeling, seeing as none of the royal magi in the escort moved to react, he figured he was seeing things.
"Brother? Did you notice something?" Mersaid quietly asked his younger brother, one of the few men whose loyalty and skills he explicitly trusted.
"Nothing... I think I might be seeing things from lack of sleep," Nilvaine irritatedly responded, bringing a chuckle from his older brother. "Keep walking, your royal majesty. We wouldn't want your highness late for the coronation, no?" he added sarcastically, while Mersaid merely kept chuckling lightly as they walked on. Inwardly, Nilvaine wondered just what he had seen a few moments ago, a finger idly scratching his palm, something he often did when his trouble-foretelling instincts kicked in... a fact that wasn't lost on neither his brother, nor the honor guard that followed him around. The group quietly prepared for the worst, while still holding an outward appearance of calm. It would do little good to incite fear and panic among the populace; if something was about to happen, and the guards hadn't noticed anything... this was the best course of action.
His close friend, Kaesa quickly broke off from the group, ready to do his part of the job as scout as he slid down the drain pipes that led from the roof, and jumped onto the thick wire that connected to the museum roof. Agile and light, he effortlessly pulled himself to the other side, landing on the surface of the roof with a soft 'thud.' Quiet as ever, he used the cover of the slowly dissipating mist to scour the roof for any sentries that might have been beyond the sight of his group, before giving the 'all clear' signal to the others.
A few minutes later, the entire group had moved over the thick metal wire to the roof, with Nakaiz preparing to open the lock that lead downward, into the upper level of the museum, the part that was right above the reliquary they were about to raid. On the floor next to him was a small leather roll-up bag with a number of small metallic rods, the set of lock picks he kept close for whatever door needed to be opened, and—as expected—the lock proved to be of little concern to the boy. Naruto, Maire and Samara quickly moved in, while Nakaiz and Kaesa remained to keep watch over their escape route, ready to bolt as soon as it was necessary, one to run away to draw the pursuers off, the other to warn the rest of the gang.
Maire effortlessly guided the group by the mental map from her memory. Naruto had managed to get her a rough but accurate sketch of the last two floors, though the patrol routes weren't available. With Samara's help, she found that it was easy to get such a task done. To her surprise, the guards were subpar to those that normally guarded public institutions... likely because the number of exhibits here had been drastically reduced in recent years. Well, what they didn't know was missing, wouldn't cause problems. The stairs were on the other side of the floor, and there were five guards patrolling the three long, connected corridors that spanned the floor; the offices between provided ample cover for the trio as they sneaked past the guards, managing to reach the stairs just barely.
The lower floor was empty, as it was merely a few large rooms filled with old records no one really used anymore. However, between those rooms was another, one that no one was obviously aware of apart from the kids about to raid it. Naruto couldn't contain the smile that came up on his face, though it was concealed by the shawl, and pulled out the small blade he would need for the task as he counted off the rooms they passed
'First, second, third, fourth... there, the fifth office from roof down, cut between John and Kane. What did the old bastard think by that?' he thought as they moved into the room. The record room consisted of a number of large bookshelves that spanned from floor to ceiling as well as a single small desk with a lamp used to sit down and read from the massive books. On a hunch, Naruto moved to the shelf marked off as 'J', looking at the books, but nothing came to mind until he noticed that the next shelf was marked off as 'K.' The strange, long wavy dagger that slid into his hands from underneath the bracer on his right arm easily slid into a small crack between the two shelves, a loud clicking sound being the only indication that something had happened.
Five years earlier, Khaldoris public cemetery
A ten-year-old Naruto looked through bleary eyes at the fresh heap of earth that was the grave of his recently-departed mother, Kushina. The illness that had swept the entire city had taken her as well, though if he was older, he would have been glad that her suffering was minimal. He had spent the better part of two days crying his eyes out, ever since his mother's eyes closed for the last time.
'It's raining,' the older man tiredly noted as he watched his own son standing in front of his wife's grave. There were a number of things he wanted to say, a number of things he desperately wanted to do... but none of those was an option. His only hope was a silent prayer to Khor Akad to watch over the boy.
"Naruto," he quietly called the boy, knowing that he recognized him, but made no effort to show so. He agreed with him, he had no right to call himself the boy's father after he had seen him a total of four times over the last ten years. "You know I can't stay."
"I don't want you to stay," the boy responded, an angry tone entering his voice. "You couldn't stay for mother when she needed you. I don't need you anymore," he angrily spat at the ground, tears sliding down his cheeks
"I know. I only hope you are never forced to make the same choices I had to," he tiredly murmured, oddly sure that the boy heard him. "I wish to leave you something before I run off. Consider it my challenge to you."
Naruto never turned, but he heard the characteristic sound of a blade stabbing itself in the dirt. By the time he had turned to take a look at it, his father was long gone. In his place, was a strange blade; a dagger, ceremonial in purpose most likely, with a wavy long blade that seemed completely dull, and yet he had accidentally cut himself when he picked it up. There was a note rolled around its hilt.
'One day, when you decide it's time, seek me out. I have left a clue in the place where the stories of old lie, in the fifth room from the attic, between John and Kane.'
He almost tore it apart when he met the eyes of a little girl—eyes just as teary as his own, though she seemed even younger—kneeling at the graves of what he assumed to be her parents. She was alone, just like him. He put on a brave face, forcing the tears to stop flowing as best as he could, and walked over to her, crouching next to her.
"Hey... I'm Naruto," he offered with a hopeful smile, one that the girl returned, even if it was through tears, all the while offering his hand to the younger girl.
"I'm.... Maire," the girl responded through sobs, grasping his hand between the two of hers, as if frightened by the possible loss of contact. Naruto could only hold back his tears, and offer a strong front for her. Just like him, she had no one. If she would do the same for him, he would be there for her.
'We're almost there little sister,' Naruto quietly mused as the small reliquary closed itself, and the precious package concealed within moved to the spot underneath his clothes. All that now remained was to escape. He barely contained the curse that wanted to escape his mothmouth as large explosion that came from downstairs rocked the building.
Author's Notes: Hello everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of my new story. I have decided against placing note marks in my text, mostly because it would ruin the experience of reading, but a number of things require explanation, such as the deities of this world, some technological terms, and the explanations of certain names and titles. Keep in mind that this world is a combination of steam-punk and high epic fantasy. I was inspired by my recent watching of such things as Walt Disney's Fantasia, along with a number of others. I wish to maintain a level of mystique in this story, to keep you guessing just what is and isn't possible. As you have already noticed, this is not a standard Naruto story, and don't expect it to turn into one. Though much to my annoyance, there are a few cliches I'll have to use at some points, but none of those often abused, or at least I hope so.
My biggest wish here, was to create a whole world, not just paint a copy of one. For what it's worth, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.
Well, enough of my ranting, here are the explanations you were waiting for, consider it background knowledge.
(1)
Khor Akad, aliases the Forsaken God, the Lord of Guardians and Great Protector
The chief amongst Theilrune's deities, and the first son of the Creator, holder of his title because of the fact that he was the only one not to abandon the mortal races in the moment of the apocalypse, taking the brunt of the blow that would have taken the lives of all living beings, and sacrificed most of his power by binding himself to the belief of the people to maintain what land could be saved. Almost all people say their prayers to the Lord of Guardians, if not in gratitude, then in hope that he would watch over them or their loved ones. All major cities have at least one temple or shrine dedicated to him, and the traveling priests and warriors of the Guardian God are rarely refused hospitality
(2)
The Apocalypse of Theilrune
A century ago, in his infinite arrogance, the Sorcerer-king Ilrrah Sen Khorath attempted to wrest the very magic of the land from the gods, planning to turn himself into a divine, omnipotent being. However, the attempt turned into disaster as he had disrupted the natural bonds the Creator himself had formed between his first children and the land, and the magic he intended to steal... turned against him and the world around him, ripping both into shreds and leaving little more than a collection of floating rocks that orbit in a layer of magic strong enough to hold them afloat. That same layer is covered by a thin mist, leaving the realm beneath and above completely uninhabited, at least to the knowledge of those who live there, as all who tried to leave never came back
(3)
The Airships of Theilrune
Seeing as there was no means of direct communication between the floating islands except by a handful of surviving griffons (the dragons were far less willing to cooperate with such a 'foolish and shortsighted race', and promptly faded into obscurity), a collaboration between the Artificers Guild of the surviving city of Khaldoris, and the Junkers' Alliance created the first Airship, a heavier-than-air machine fueled by a central magical core that held it aloft in the magically charged air. The ship, named fittingly 'New Hope' took its first flight nearly fifty years after the Apocalypse, traveling between Khaldoris and Noradar, once the greatest trading center in the old world. Within a decade, old connections were restored as if they had never faded, as thousands rushed into the heavens on newly built ships, or old seaworthy ones, retrofitted by the Junkers' alliance. Over the century since then, the same technology used to create the airships allowed the construction of the Great Toad, connecting Khaldoris, Noradar and the Jungles of Halicos, the largest surviving island, a former jungle continent which is also the only surviving functional ecosystem, and the big cities main source of drinking water.
Edited: I would also like to add my thanks to my new beta Juopunumies for his infinite patience with my many, many spelling and punctuation errors
