AN: Hey, folks, North South here. For those of you wondering why I've written another story, well, I just felt like trying something like this. It'll probably be a bit different from CoG: NOT, for those of you who've read that. In fact, this fic is gonna be a crossover between Naruto, and Spellwright. Those of you who actually like my OCs, the Gormim, may be pleased to hear that a couple of them will be featured in this fic. For those who don't, tough cookies. Also, for the record, this fic is going to be a large harem. Listings will be placed in future chapters, in the author note. In the meantime, enjoy this new fic.
Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor the Spellwright Trilogy.
"Speech"
/Translation or alternate language\
(Narration)
Thoughts
Inner being to outer being
Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form
Jutsu/Technique
Chapter 1: Two old men face off
This is not the beginning. A strange way to open a story, it is true, but I am compelled to write it. While this is the start of a chronicle, certainly, it is only part of a larger story. This larger story is both as old as time and as new as every second. In fact, our own story, the story of the Gormim, has no beginning. It did not even begin when we did. But I'm getting ahead of (or is it behind?) myself. My name is Storia, and I am a Narrator. Normally, I use my title, Spellwright, in place of a last name. However, for the story, you may refer to me as Storia Daisho.
The majority of you, the readers, are of course aware of the Naruto series, yes? Then you also know the way the boy has had to grow up by himself, correct?
(There is a downpour in the Konohagakure no Sato. Five-year-old Naruto Uzumaki has been kicked out of his orphanage for the past year or so. He has, by some miracle, managed to survive on the streets with help from the much over-worked Hokage. The little boy is caught flatfooted in the torrent and soaked to the bone. He manages to find shelter down in alley, under a cardboard box. He huddles in a corner, soaked and shivering. He sneezes violently, but can't find anything dry to wipe it on, though he certainly tries. The only good thing about all the rain, in his opinion, is that no one would be able to tell if he cried a little.)
As a Narrator, my job is to observe things like this. Just observe. That's it. Just sit there...and watch a young boy catch his death of cold...because some bastards tossed him out onto the streets. Now, I've seen a lot Narutos who've lived more...brutal lives than this one, but this...this is pathetic! Do you, dear readers, honestly expect a meddling Gorem like me to just let something like this go unchanged? I think not. To hell with neutrality! I'm going into that world even if I have to turn the boy into one of us and drag him home.
(POV change)
Storia strode down the way, more purpose in his step than anyone had ever seen before. It was almost a pity that no one was there to see him. As he walked, books and scrolls flew over to him, clipping themselves onto parts of his clothes. Ignoring this blatant display of magic, Storia pulled on a long gray coat and pulled up the hood attached to it. Quickly, he checked the spells stored in the coat to make sure they had waterproofed it. He walked to the edge of his domain, which opened out onto the Backdrop.
He raised a tiny golden mask on a chain and with a cry of "Olmak!" Stepped through to the world. It was quite a smooth transition. One minute he was standing in the Scattered Foundations, the next he was standing in of a muddy road.
He could see a dark blob in the distance and knew it was Konoha. Good. The sooner I can find Naruto, get out of this rain and get this story on the road, the better, he thought. While his coat was doing well at keeping him dry, he hated the cold.
Getting through the gate was easy. The foul weather ensured that there would be no guards (Because really, what guard what want to stand watch in the pouring rain?).
Everything seemed to be painted in multiple shades of gray as Storia walked through the empty streets. This suited him just fine, he himself was so gray already that he blended into his surroundings. Still, the complete lack of sound was quite disconcerting. Storia shivered at the cold and took off his glasses. The world around him blurred to an indistinct monochrome, but the faintest ringing of bells reached his ears.
(Meanwhile, Naruto suddenly grimaced as a bitter taste came to his mouth.)
It should be a simple thing, Storia thought, Naruto's seal is the most complex one around. It should be easy to find it. He reached into his coat and pulled out a book, which he opened, revealing it to be full of bright, silver and gold runes. Although the rest of his surroundings were dulled and blurred without his glasses, Storia could clearly make out the runes. He lightly ran his fingers along the page, then pulled. The spell came away from the page in a swirl, the silver Magnus like floating flakes of mirrors, the Numinous drifting like spindly, golden smoke. With a flick, the Magnus swirled and contracted, while the Numinous was threaded through the center. The result was a silver cane, which Storia grasped tightly.
The Numinous was so people would be able to see the cane, otherwise they would just see Storia fumbling around outside, swinging an invisible stick.
Storia turned on the spot, leaning forward slightly. If he faced a certain direction, he could hear the bells growing just a tiny bit louder. He set off, holding his cane out in front of him to make sure he wouldn't just run into every building he came across.
(Meanwhile, with Naruto)
The young Uzumaki shivered violently, running a hand through his rain-dampened blond hair. As much as he tried to huddle in the corner, the cold air from the open front of the box kept getting to him. Finally, in a fit of frustration, he shuffled forward and overturned the box, trapping himself in its cardboard confines. Well, at least it's not cold, he thought gloomily as he lay on the dirt floor. He then spent the next couple of minutes spitting, trying to get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth. The taste, however seemed to intensify, causing him to gag. Suddenly, he heard a set of footsteps approaching from the mouth of the alley; quickly went quiet. As the person, whoever it was, drew closer, Naruto realized that the bitterness grew.
Storia stood over the cardboard box, the ringing in his ears now a clamor. Though he could not see the box itself, he could see a small, child-shaped lump of aquamarine Language Prime, along with the sharp blackness of a seal. He took out his glasses and put them back on, which caused the runes to vanish and restore his normal vision. "You can come out now," He told the box, "I'm not going to hurt you." When he received no reply, he said to himself, "Right. He's suspicious. He's probably had people say that before. Now what?" He sat down, careful to put his coat between himself and the ground. "I can wait if you need time," He said, "I don't exactly have anywhere else to go." He held onto the silvery cane, balancing it across his knees. Hm, he might get the wrong idea if he sees this, he thought. Quickly, he 'opened' the spell's silvery outer paragraphs and edited the golden sentences within. This caused the cane to become invisible to those who did not know Magnus or Numinous.
There was a shuffle, and Naruto peeked out from under the overturned box. "You...don't have anywhere to go either?" He asked tentatively. Naruto had seen a lot of faces in his life, but he was sure he would have remembered seeing someone like this man before. True, he was wearing a gray raincoat which hid most of him from view, but the parts that the boy could see (a lined, stern face with gray eyes and squared, black-rimmed glasses) seemed to hold a strange air of...what was the word? Nobility? No, that wasn't it. Something similar, though. Whatever it was, the blond couldn't help but feel that the man was one that he could trust.
"That's right," The man confirmed, "I just got into town, you see, so I've nowhere to stay. In fact, I wanted to find you before I did anything else."
"M-me?" Naruto asked, surprised. This man had just...walked into the village to find him? Was he some long-lost relative or something? "How are you sure it's me you're looking for?" Was the next question.
Storia scratched his chin and shrugged. "Well, let's see: bright blond hair, check, blue eyes, check, whisker marks, check...is your name Naruto Uzumaki?"
Naruto nodded.
"Well then, yes, I'm sure. Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun. My name is Storia Daisho." The Spellwright climbed to his feet, stretched and slung his invisible cane over his shoulder. "Well, now that I've found you, why don't we go see the Hokage, eh?" When the boy didn't move, Storia turned and walked away, only to hear small footsteps chasing after him. He allowed himself a small smile.
(Hokage tower)
Storia reached the door of the tower with no incident and with Naruto trotting at his side. The boy had been rather quick to trust and follow him, the man thought dryly. Perhaps he'd gotten lucky and found an especially trusting one. True, the Uzumaki had jumped when Storia revealed his cane, but that was to be expected. Anyone would jump if a silver stick appeared out of nowhere.
He knocked on the door (A slight force of habit) and entered. As Storia walked in, the secretary looked up from her desk. "May I help you?" she asked politely.
Storia smiled blandly back at her and asked with equal politeness, "Ah, yes, could you tell me if the Hokage is busy at the moment?"
"No, he isn't," she answered, slightly relieved that this person was not as rude as the people who usually came around, "Do you have an appointment? Sorry, but I'm supposed to ask."
Still smiling, Storia shook his head. "I'm afraid not," He said, "But I need to see him anyway. It's about this lad here." He indicated Naruto, who hid behind his leg.
The secretary raised an eyebrow at the blond boy. She had seen him before, but unlike most of the villagers, she merely felt indifferent to him. "I'm sorry sir, but you cannot see Hokage-sama without an appointment-"
There was a subtle change in the gray-haired man's expression. He still smiled, but now that smile filled the young woman with a sudden sense of foreboding. "I'm afraid I must insist, miss," He said lightly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, irritably stamped 'Denied' on a form. Honestly, the civilian council thought they could get anything past him, but they really didn't know a damn thing. Unbelievable, he thought bitterly, The Shinobi no Kami, stuck to his desk and forced to sign papers. It's all I can do to make sure Danzo doesn't get his hands, well, hand on Naruto. Then he frowned. "That reminds me, where is Naruto?" He asked himself. There was a knock at the door. Sarutobi grimaced. It must be those two traitorous advisors, Koharu and Homura. "Come in," He said curtly.
The door opened and a tall man with a gray coat and a silver cane stalked in. Behind him was the young boy whom Sarutobi had just been thinking about. "Good evening, Sarutobi-san," The man greeted, bowing, "I hope I haven't interrupted anything important. My name is Storia Daisho."
"Hi, Jiji!" Naruto called, waving and grinning.
The aged Hokage indicated a chair, unphased by the informal way the boy addressed him. "You did interrupt me, but I am rather thankful for it. May I ask what you are doing here, Storia-san? More importantly, what is Naruto-kun doing with you?"
The Jinchuuriki answered. "He found me, Jiji!" He said energetically, "I was in a box, trying to get out of the rain, but he found me and brought me here! Storia-jii's really cool; he made this stick appear out of nowhere and he said that he came to Konoha to find me!"
Storia glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye as he sat in the chair, slightly amused. "Rather chatty, aren't you?" He muttered.
Hiruzen frowned at the stranger. "Is this true?" He asked, "You came to Konoha just for the purpose of finding the boy?"
"That is the case, yes."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why?" Sarutobi asked again, "I mean, yes, Naruto-kun is a nice boy, but you say that you came all the way from wherever it is you're from solely to find the him. Forgive me if I'm a bit slow, but that seems...inconceivable."
Storia shrugged. He leaned back in his chair, unzipping his coat to reveal the myriad of books buckled to his shirt and pants. "Why not? People have done strange things before. Admittedly, I am most certainly not people, but Naruto Uzumaki has always been a point of interest to me."
Naruto Uzumaki had no idea what the two old men were talking about. He couldn't understand why Jiji was being so suspicious towards Storia-jii. Storia-jii was cool! Maybe Jiji was jealous? His seat was starting to feel rather comfortable after the rain. The young boy curled up in his chair and quickly fell asleep.
'Jiji' was now feeling slightly disturbed. "What do you mean, he's a point of interest to you? He's a five year old boy!"
Storia nodded, grimacing a bit. "Well, yes, this one is. But he is not the only Naruto Uzumaki that I've ever had to observe. Reality is larger than you realize, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
This threw the Hokage for a loop. "What do you mean?" He asked, "And who are you, anyway?"
The Narrator leaned forward, clasping his hands over the top of his cane. "Who am I, you ask," He said quietly, "But I already told you: I am Storia Daisho. But I guess I neglected to mention that I am the Narrator, the Chronicler of all histories. I am he who considers all knowledge sacred, no matter its origin. I am the Gray Scholar, who has proved time and again that the pen is mightier than the sword. I am a Spellwright of all languages. I am a former entity of Chaos, though I have long since cast off that mantle." Then he smiled, "Pick and choose whichever title you like, but I'd prefer it if you just called me Storia."
There was a moment of silence after this boast. Finally, Sarutobi deadpanned and said, "How long did you spend making up that speech?"
"Since I walked in," Storia admitted, shrugging, "Still, it's no less true. I am exactly what I say I am."
The old man in a hat leaned back, sighing. "Yes, but that tells me nothing. Oh, I know you're telling the truth, one of my ANBU would have told me if you'd lied, but the things you say make no sense at all. 'Reality is bigger than you realize,' what's that supposed to mean?"
Storia sighed as well. "Alright, Professor. In layman's terms, there are many, many different versions of this world out there, plus multiple versions of other worlds. I'm in charge of recording what goes on in all of them. I took a look at this world's Naruto, thought, 'Dear God, what's Sarutobi been doing, this is pathetic,' and decided to come help the kid. By 'help,' I mean 'raise.'"
"One: I find that offensive. Two: I can't let you adopt Naruto. I can't let anyone adopt him, unfortunately. Three: I surely hope you don't intend to raise him to have manners like the ones you're showing. Four: What exactly do you know about him in the first place?"
A mischievous gleam came to Storia's eye. Oh, it was on now! "Well, I can't really reply to the first one without looking immature. Second: I don't intent to let you or whoever's stopping you stop me. I am a Gorem and I will not let this boy be held back from his potential. Third: If he ends up with my manners that'll be the least of your worries. Fourth:" He took a deep breath, "I know of his parentage. I know of the events of his birth. I know of the clan he will be the heir of. I know of his role in future events. I know of the burden that he must bear. I know that he...is drooling on your chair, I hope you realize." Storia went from serious to deadpan in an instant, changing mid-sentence.
Sarutobi just glanced at the sleeping boy who, sure enough, was drooling on his seat. "That's his special chair. It gets put out for him."
"How did you know to put it out before we came in?" Asked the bespectacled man.
It was the Hokage's turn to deadpan. "I leave it out all the time. I only put it away when people come with appointments," He said, putting emphasis on the last word.
The gray-haired Scribe had the decency to look sheepish. "Ah, yes, sorry about that. I might have traumatized your secretary a little on the way up."
A slight shuffling above them made them freeze and fall silent. In the rafters, all four ANBU guards were trying not double up with laughter at their leader, only two being successful. While they had respect for the Sandaime, to see him arguing with a man who looked as old as him (Who was not Danzo, Koharu, or Homura) amused them to no end.
"My apologies," Hiruzen said in an undertone.
"Readily accepted," Storia muttered back, "Provided you let me shut them up." Before Sarutobi could either grant or reject it, the Daisho stood up, scowling up at the four masked 'professionals.' "Oi, you! Shut it!" He barked loudly, pointing up at them. They stiffened and fell silent, although one growled. "That's what I thought." He sat back down and smiled. "So, what were we talking about?" He asked cheerfully.
"Nn..." The two old men paused to look at the subject of their discussion, who was stirring in his chair. He sat up and looked around blearily. "Jiji, stop being jealous of Storia-jii. He's cool," he ordered sleepily. The ANBU started snickering again.
Storia resisted the urge to smirk in Sarutobi's wrinkled face.
The Hokage sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that nothing I say will stop you from taking the boy in?"
Naruto sat up straighter. "Wha?" He looked from Storia to Hiruzen, confused. "Jiji, what's going on?"
"He's going to be adopting you, Naruto-kun," The old man said, his voice vaguely strained, "Storia-san...has no immediate family of his own and he has expressed a desire to raise a son."
The gray man's eyes bulged at the blatant lie. This...was gonna cause some serious problems later and would have to be nipped in the bud. He gave Sarutobi a 'I'll get you for this' look.
The Uzumaki, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "R-really?" He looked at Storia, hope brimming in his eyes. "Do you mean that? Like, this isn't a joke?"
"I don't think he would joke about something like this, Naruto-kun," Storia replied, though he still glared at Sarutobi. "Would you mind waiting outside so that Sarutobi-san and I can discuss the final terms?" When the door to the office shut, Storia sighed. "That was the worst lie I've ever heard. I actually do have family, they're just rather extended and not here."
"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Hiruzen asked irritably, "You've barely told me anything about yourself and I couldn't just say, 'well, I don't know why he wants to adopt you but apparently I can't stop him.' Do you honestly think the boy will trust someone who won't give his motives."
Storia rolled his eyes. "As you so eloquently put it earlier, he's five. Also, he's had to grow up without any parents or even a home. I don't think he'd care. Oh yes, I'll need a place for us to live. Possibly some money to buy it, too."
"You know I can just say no and have my ANBU throw you out of here, right?"
"You know that I can tell you the secret to defeating paperwork, right?"
An ANBU wearing a snake mask gave a cackle of laughter at the look on the Hokage's face.
"Y-you're bluffing," the aged leader gasped.
"Am I?" They faced each other, neither moving a muscle.
"Anything else you need?" Sarutobi asked, forcing himself to be civil.
Storia thought for a moment and fingered a silvery ball at the top of his cane. "Are there any bookstores or libraries around here? I'm going to need a job."
"Aren't you a bit old to be working?"
"Oh, I'm old enough to be your great grandmother, but unlike you, I'm neither wealthy in this world nor a leader of a village." He grimaced as all of the 'hidden' guards cracked up. "Also, before you get to asking, I am perfectly capable of protecting Naruto."
Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"
Storia smirked and looked over his glasses at the man. "No offense, but I think I'll wait until the council meeting tomorrow night to make my explanations."
The Hokage blinked in confusion. "Meeting? What meeting?"
The Daisho only gave him an 'are you stupid?' look. "I'm adopting Naruto-kun. Whether we like it or not, the council will catch wind of it. If by tomorrow night there isn't a meeting about it, I'll eat my cane." He stood up and walked to the door. "A pleasure to speak with you again, Sarutobi-san," he said, opening the door.
"Hang on a second, Daisho-san." Hiruzen's voice was suddenly hard. "You may claim to know things of other worlds, but so that's all it has been, talk. What proof do you have that you are what you say you are? For all I know you could be lying."
The door clunked shut and Storia turned back to the desk, a deep frown on his face. "It seems that my hearing is going in my old age," he said. He shifted his cane into a reverse-handed grip and set his other hand on the ball at the top, "It's the darnedest thing, too. I could have sworn that you just called me a liar." In the wake of the calm statement was a wave of killing intent. Instantly the ANBU landed on the floor, tantos out. With a jerk, Storia twisted the silver ball. A wave of silver light passed from the base of the handle to the tip, which caused the shaft of the cane to elongate and sharpen. Where before there was a cane, there was now a long, straight, two-edged sword. "Rule number twenty one of the Gormim: Never, ever, ever accuse a Gorem of falsehood!"
The four ANBU leapt forward to intercept the threat to their Hokage. However, Storia proved to be faster. There was a flash of silver and gray. With four cracks, each ANBU's mask shattered and they dropped to the floor.
Sarutobi glared up at Storia, with the latter's sword-tip pressed to his forehead. "That's not very smart," he reprimanded, "And here I thought you were a calm, collected individual."
"That was before you took it into your fool head to call me a liar," the Daisho retorted frostily. Nevertheless, he took the sword away, and at the same time revealed that he had already changed his sword back into a cane. "Don't worry, they're only unconscious." He indicated the ANBU as he set the tip of the stick back on the floor, almost gingerly. "As I said, tomorrow I will explain everything."
(Outside)
Naruto looked up as Storia stepped out of the office, looking slightly irritated. He was clutching a piece of paper. However, the older man smiled kindly at the boy. "Well, shall we go?" he asked.
Tentatively, but with growing excitement, Naruto nodded.
AN: Well, I think that'll be all for now. This has been the first chapter of my new fic, CoG: Pen to the Paper. I know that not a lot has been revealed, but please bear with me. Things will begin to become clearer by the next chapter.
And now for one my famous summaries/notes:
1. As those of you who've read CoG: NOT know, Storia is the Narrator of the Gormim. For this fic, his last name will be Daisho, which means Scribe. It's much better than being called Spellwright.
2. Storia is supposed to be neutral, but a common trait of the Gormim is to go into worlds and change things just for the sake of interfering and interacting with humans. Most of my OC Gormim are not human, by the way.
3. I didn't want to have Naruto chased by a mob in this, 'cause that happens all the time in other worlds and would be a terrible way to introduce a man of words like Storia. I did, however, do my best to make him seem as miserable and pathetic as possible. Was I successful?
4. Storia's abilities will be explained below.
5. I know Naruto trusted him quickly, but what can I say? He's a young kid, he's lonely, and he was sort of enticed by the fact that Storia had nowhere to go either, if for different reasons.
6. Storia and Sarutobi. I had some fun with this; two old characters having it out. PS: Storia doesn't really look it, but he is actually older than Sarutobi's great grandmother, he was just being funny.
7. I'm surprised that Sarutobi didn't think to compare Jiraiya's speech with Storia's boast. It certainly crossed my mind. XD
8. Maybe there was a Hyuuga among the ANBU. That might be why Sarutobi knew that Storia wasn't lying. At least at first. I don't know what happened just then.
9. Yes. Storia has a cane that turns into a sword. Not a sword-in-a-cane, but an actual cane that turns into a sword! Again, it will be explained below.
10. Yeah, sorry that Naruto didn't have much of a role in this chapter. Also, he probably won't have a big role in the next chapter. Don't worry, though, this is still his story! It just happens to be about Storia as much. Their importance will reverse somewhat over the story.
11. The Gormim home world has three times Earth's gravity, making them, on average, stronger and faster than humans.
12. Questioning a Gorem's honesty, no matter what the reason, can cause them to go from zero to pissed off in an instant. Even when they really are lying, you don't call them out on it. It's an instinctive, illogical hatred and it's dangerous. Please read my Gorem rulebook for more details.
13. Yes, this will be a Harem. I will post the list of girls later, but those who want to know in advance should say so in a review.
14. Oh, yes, one last thing! For those of you who are wondering when this takes place in relation to CoG: NOT... chronologically, it takes place close to CoG: NOT. I can't really say whether it's just before, just after, or even at the same time. In the Centerplane, such things are just as confusing as the timeline of Homestuck.
Spellwriting: Storia's special ability, taken from the Spellwright Trilogy of books, hence the categorization of this fic. It allows Storia to manipulate special, magical text-languages and form spells out of sentences, paragraphs, etc...
Spellwrights can only see languages that they have been taught; spells in other languages are invisible to them. However, they all possess a synaesthetic reaction to magic. That is to say, each Spellwright feels a different sensation, sound, smell, taste, as a reaction to magic. Storia's synaesthetic reaction is to hear bells when spells are cast. His glasses have the ability to not only block his reaction, but also to dull his magical sight. Otherwise he might see languages everywhere and get distracted.
There are multiple languages to be used by multiple types of Spellwrights, but Storia know them all. Here are the ones that have shown up thus far:
Magnus: Wizard high language. Silver in color. Spells in Magnus can create physical objects and affect the physical world. It is often used by wizards to create constructs.
Numinous: Wizard high language. Gold in color. Numinous spells have the ability to bend light and affect other texts. Used by wizards to create constructs; the Magnus creates the body, while the Numinous empowers it to move on its own and gives it limited intelligence/sentience.
Language Prime: Will be explained later.
Seals: Not really from the Spellwright-verse, but it works well with their powers.
Storia's cane: The cane that Storia uses is a construct of Magnus and Numinous. In its normal state, the Magnus paragraphs describe the construct as a cane, so that's what it is. When the orb at the top is twisted, however, it sets off a chain reaction from the Numinous inside, changing the Magnus so that it describes the 'shaft' as a 'blade,' instead.
Well, I hope these explanations helped you at all. If you have any questions, please review or PM! But review anyway, even if you don't.
North South out.