June 14, 2009
Revised: January 8, 2011
By RahXephon [847246]
-The Mulad do not recognize imaginary lines in the sand.
Royos calmly lifted up the bar that held the shutters in place and opened it, letting the sun warm his skin. He gazed wistfully at the morning sky, then down at the humble abodes that adorned the hillsides and made up much of the city of Cape Indus. Numerous small streets ran through the buildings, some so narrow that not even a wagon could fit through. In the city's entire history, absolutely no effort had been made in planning its expansion. The resulting inefficiencies caused needless trouble and danger for many unaware travelers.
He sighed. In the prime of his life, competent men ruled the Octos Federation. The Guardians protected the people, and the princes protected the federation's sovereignty and the people went on with their ways. Their famed navy was a force to be reckoned with.
'How all of that had eroded, much like the greatness of this now-feeble city.'
"Grandfather." A young melodically toned voice called from behind, and Royos eagerly turned and spread his arms wide to embrace his favourite grandchild. The hug was short but warm.
Lyssis was breathtakingly beautiful. She always was, inheriting just the right proportions from her parents. She was truly blessed by Vialas with a smooth oval face, exotically angled eyes, and thin luscious lips. Her smooth silky hair was the most vibrant shade of brown, dark enough to entrance the eyes, but light enough to reflect the sun's brilliance. She was currently adorned in her new academia uniform, a winter robe of splendid white and marked with the red ring of Vialas.
"My little Lyssie, are you ready to commence your schooling at your new Academia?"
His cute granddaughter's face pouted as she whined, "Don't call me Lyssie, granddad! I've already witnessed seventeen Solos cycles, you know."
"Seven or seventeen, you're still a dear." Royos replied with genuine affection.
"And I'm a Life Guardian in training as well now!" Lyssis remarked excitingly, before grumbling, "If you hadn't decided to let the blond mongrel go, the prince would have rewarded you with more than just a lousy administration position. I swear, what kind of a lousy title is 'Master of Logistics'? A renowned trader like you should have been worthy to assume the position of Prime Administrator."
The old man chuckled for a moment, and playfully ruffled his granddaughter's hair, who puffed in indignation as her hair was ruined. Even he couldn't help but be mesmerized by Lyssis' Solaris-graced hair.
'Ah, the indulgences of grandfathers.'
"My dear, there are certain privileges only a Master of Logistics possesses. I have absolute control over the allocation of all goods and materials in the possession of Octos Indus. If I chose, I could decide to hand over all the administration's contracts to your father Korvis."
Lyssis smirked vilely as she caught on. "I see."
"Of course, I can't be caught doing such a questionable act." Royos added. He took a moment to gaze out the window. "The sun's well above the hill now, so hurry up and go to school, dear!"
"All right, good bye then granddad!"
After his girl had left the sparse study, Royos calmly walked over to a shelf of scrolls and knocked against it thrice. A single click sounded out and the wooden wall behind him turned open as a hidden door revealed itself. The aged man entered the narrow passageway and strolled to the next room. Just as he sat on the single cushioned bench, a pair of shadowed shapes revealed themselves from the other side of the cold stone chamber.
"Master." Trigas greeted as his fist bumped against his lacquered leather chest plate with a dull echo. A tall, muscled figure, Trigas was a formidable soldier in every right. His white feathered bronze helmet immediately identified him as a Wind Guardian. Currently, his other hand grasped the neck of a large, aged warrior. The gruff stared forward with nervous attention as he knelt helplessly while being gagged and bound.
"Ah," Royos started calmly, and bent over with his fingers folded. "And this is Makev's deputy, I presume?"
"Aye, master. He's a Metal Rogue of rather unexceptional qualities. I think his name was Garas of the sort."
"Well then Garas," Royos said, staring directly in the warrior's face. "I have a great list of questions for you. Answer them concisely, and you will not be harmed. But, any hint of a verse, and Trigas will slice your neck with his blade of stone, understand?"
Garas nodded immediately, having no real choice. As soon as his gag was removed, Royos proceeded to prod him of every single detail about the fights that caused Makev's demise. He was especially interested in Naruto's short display of strength.
First Shadow powers in the middle of the day, then simultaneously displaying an affinity for Wind as well. This boy was truly remarkable and all the more dangerous.
When Royos was finally satisfied, he nodded to the Wind Guardian. Trigas cocked his stone dagger and aimed it low at Garas. He only needed one swing to accomplish his task.
Swhush!
Ropes dropped as Garas firmly rubbed his reddened wrists. "Could have tied them a lot looser." The old bandit remarked.
"My deputies wouldn't have fallen for that. I've trained them to be observant as well as competent."
"Tch, it's people like you who are making it hard for people like me to do my job." Garas accused Trigas, before redirecting his attention to Royos. "Guess I'm taking over now for Makev, am I right?"
Royos nodded wordlessly, and swept his hand to the side of the chamber where a low table with equipment was placed. Garas eagerly approached it and began to pack a sack full of rations, camping gear, and other supplies necessary to survive in the wilds.
With a sunken pair of eyes, Royos began to complain. "If only Makev was prowling Cassadia instead of Indus like I ordered him to." He then looked to Trigas. "If only you had warned me about Makev's message. I could have told that arrogant bastard the importance of those lads."
Trigas only shook his head. "Makev did not mention in his short statement that he held possession over the Solaris boy, only that he had captured another large bounty and that I bring him a 'fat bag' of gold. He could not have guessed your personal interest in the boys' journey."
"If only those three brats sat still long enough for your Wind Guardian squad to arrive and deliver them to the Brond." Royos lamented. "But it was Makev's failure for not guarding them more closely. He has paid his price, but he has dragged along his some of his men's lives with him as well."
The old official then turned serious. "It is imperative that you dry up the trade between the cities of the coast and the inner lands in preparation for the next phase. Keep the misery and deaths to a minimum, but be sure to inflict maximum material damage, understand?"
"Aye, my Lord, but it'd be easier if I still had Lavos." Garas murmured, and then proceeded to ask, "By the way, any word on the Brond about the massive Velk attacks along the coast?"
The faint smile on Royos' face rapidly turned into an open glower. "Nothing whatsoever. I was certain that we had a deal, but it's typical that some bumbling Brond official decided to play stupid and bribe the Velks of all. I made it clear that I wanted no violence, especially amongst the civilians. I'll be contacting my Brond informant soon and demand an explanation from him."
"And what if he doesn't know any more than you do?" Trigas mused.
"He wouldn't dare." Royos shot back, and left it at that. "In any case, be sure to keep your ears out for any more traces of the blond. We want to make sure he reaches Brond unscathed and into the open arms of the Praetorians."
"Turning the Brond Imperium into a global empire." Garas remarked with a smirk.
"Aye, and with us at the forefront and well positioned to safeguard our families." Royos concluded.
The three discretely left the room and went their own ways. As Royos rode the carriage along the tiny, cramped streets of Indus, he considered his gross act of treason.
'It's inevitable. With twice the population, one-and-a-half times the amount of Informed and triple the number of warships, the Brond hold a decisive numerical advantage. It's better for me to align myself to the winning side and make certain the conquest will proceed as crushing as possible, so that Octos cannot find the hope to resist.'
He was doing it for Octos' sake. For his grandchildren's sake.
The Songs of the Fox
Scroll of the First Wind
The City near the Border
The large hollow room was dark and dank. It also stank with waste. The echoing sound of falling drops of water continually tingled Naruto's ears as he stood in the centre with same orange-black jumpsuit that he used to posses. He stared wonderingly at the large rectangular piece of paper in front of him. The meticulously styled characters denoting 'Seal' was as unchanged as always.
A small crackling sound reverberated through the room. The lighting abruptly changed its angle. As the light shone on the other side of the bars, a small, dog-sized fox revealed itself. Its bright white fur and sharp yellow eyes projected an ever-present mood of tranquility and intelligence. The creature was currently sitting on his hinds as always, with its two black-tipped tails partially submerged in the water.
Naruto moved forward, steady but cautious. When he reached the thick bars, he stopped, and was content for the moment to stare at the being so close in front of him.
Minutes passed in silence as the normally impatient ninja was willing to wait. After all, he wasn't sure he wanted to talk with the fox himself, if it could talk at all.
He had much to be grateful for the fox's presence inside his seal. Not only was he able to escape victorious from a life-and-death situation, he had also regained the one thing that made him complete.
Chakra.
Never mind that his coils only produced enough in a single day to sustain a bunshin for a few minutes. That he regained the gift of chakra itself was astonishing. Over the past few days, he could already feel his body adapting to the long-lost source of vigor. His muscles were denser, his skin was tougher, and all his senses were improved, especially his nose. In addition, he could feel other parts of his body changing, however gradual the process was. He checked his reflection every morning with the flat of his shuriken, and examined his cheeks to mark the progress of his deepening whiskers. He also rummaged through his hair, plucking any stray strands, and carefully pulled it up to his eyes to note how his rich blond hair was minutely turning paler.
His body was changing, and it was all due to the two-tailed velkish fox in front of him.
For what reason did the fox decide to help him in the first place? Did the fox save his life out of the goodness of its heart? Or was it secretly using his body for its own selfish purposes? More worryingly, would the fox be able to exit his seal as easily as it entered? However brilliant the Fourth actually was in designing the Shiki Fuuin, even he couldn't fathom Naruto would end up in such an absurd situation.
'But..however much I want to know about this fox, Kyuubi is the one who worries me the most.'
Ever since the presence of the two-tailed fox proved that the multi-tailed beasts roamed this world, Naruto had been dying to know what had happened to Kyuubi. Ever since he fell through the portal, he had always assumed that Kyuubi was torn away from him and flung elsewhere. Perhaps the demon fox was thrown into a different reality, or perhaps he was simply floating in the emptiness of nothing. Wherever the nine-tailed fox ended up, Naruto always assumed they wouldn't encounter each other ever again.
'But is that still true?'
Naruto's dreams were recently haunted by visions of burning storms, of vast piles of bones, of a throne carved from the skull of an ancient dragon. Armies by the thousands raged across the lands, destroying cities and farmland alike. Leaders rose and fell, their crowns turning to rust and their subjects turning to dust.
At the centre of it all were the suns. Whenever Naruto was able to witness the atrocities unfolding before his eyes, he would always stare up into the demonic reddened sky. There, where the sun usually blazed its brilliance, were the eyes of hatred. The orbs of red were surrounded by an even larger silhouette, an outline so faint but so vast that it could easily crush the fragile world. Whenever it blinked, the world would briefly darken. Whenever it took a breath, the winds would howl. What was worse was it was always aware of Naruto's presence. Its lids would curl up in pleasure, while an eerily crescent white shape would crack in glee.
Naruto shuddered, quickly wanting to lose those horrible sights.
That was why he wasn't in a hurry to get to know the new fox. Whenever he would end up in this chamber, he wouldn't have to go through his nightmares.
'You're the only damn fox I can tolerate.' He thought, nodding at the silent velkish fox.
So he would stare, neither speaking nor moving. Minutes would pass, perhaps hours as well. Naruto didn't care. He would simply stand, asking mental questions to the fox, which would be always left unanswered when he woke.
"..ruto.."
"N... Naruto.."
The whispers and shaking pulled him away from the cage, back into the open world as he opened his eyes and brushed his frigid white cloak aside. Mist formed in front of him as the morning cold condensed his breath. He brushed his eyes in a tired fashion, before crouching himself up, slowly becoming ready and alert. Just in front of him, the grim visage of Mikos stared back with equal readiness.
"It's well past dawn now.. retrieve your traps and make sure you don't leave a trace."
"I know, I know." Naruto replied offhandedly, and picked up his bow and quiver before stalking out beneath the fallen tree trunk they had taken shelter. He expertly strung his bow and notched an arrow against the string. In times like this, you could never be more cautious.
He went to check all the traps he had laid out last evening when they stopped at this place near the border of Octos Indus and Octos Concordia. They'd been in such a hurry the last few days that he couldn't always catch a prey each day. The forests were utterly barren and the animals were either in hibernation or in hiding. But there were other ways of obtaining fresh meat. Yaros had taught him many small traps, from a simple looped string that would suffocate a critter's neck, to an elaborately camouflaged spring. He only went with the looped strings for now, since they were easy to set up and easy to dispose.
Mikos grimaced in pain as he watched Naruto take off. The last few days had been hard for his and Ovro's wounded bodies. While Naruto came out of the last battle with just a few scrapes and bruises, he and his friend were savagely beaten and cut. They were both heavily bandaged by linen that sorely needed replacing. They were also in need of certain herbs and salves. Naruto's stash was used up long ago, but already Mikos was struggling with a heavy cold. Ovro had it worse, his many cuts risked infection, and there were already signs of decaying flesh.
Coughing bitterly, Mikos considered their dire situation. Not only were they low on certain supplies, they were also being hunted. Oh, to be sure, they hadn't encountered their adversaries directly, but there were plenty of tracks in the snow. These were the tracks of hunters, soft and almost unnoticeable. Then there were the tracks of soldiers, their solid boots carving out a straight and obvious path. All of the tracks were fresh, and they were definitely too numerous to be irregular. Something was definitely searching for them, scouring the forests and patrolling the roads by day and by night.
'At least it doesn't seem we're being tracked by Guardians. We'd already be discovered, especially if Wood Guardians had joined the hunt.'
Hunt. Such a fascinating word. Rage briefly flared on his face as he squeezed his bandaged hands. Without his injuries, he'd be the hunter, and those trying to capture them would die as fast as prey. Staring at his fist, he willed himself to surface his boiling fury. As he thought of his father's words and how badly he'd done in the previous fight, he continued to fuel his body with unfettered hatred.
Frrrt.
A tiny fizzle caressed his ears, and Mikos gleefully relaxed his fist, opening his palm. The bandages had been browned, and tiny black spots dotted across the surface. Smoke rose from those charred remains, and the accompanying burning smell enchanted Mikos' nose. His dried and frozen lips cracked into a smile as strange red energy fizzled into the air.
Closing his palm back into a fist, he mentally rejoiced.
'I still have it.'
Later that morning, after a small breakfast of squirrel meat, the three were starting to pack and hide all evidence of their presence. They buried their waste beneath the frozen soil and wiped out some of the tracks. There would always be some clues left behind, but they hoped only the most observant hunters would identify the traces as belonging to them, and not some other group of travellers off the roads.
"Now, as far as we know, they're patrolling a wide swathe of territory between the Indus and Concordia rivers." Mikos started off, drawing the rivers on the snow with a scavenged branch.
"Guessing from the landmarks and villages that we've passed by, I'd say we're close to the dip on the border with Octos Concordia, perhaps even passing it already." He drew another thin line between the two rivers, only slightly closer to the Indus River.
Briefly staring up at his friends' eyes, he poked the surface twice, leaving two distinct dots. "Now, the question is, which settlement do we choose to go to replenish our supplies?"
He jabbed his stick at the top hole first. "Arakoi is almost straight north of here, and with our current pace we can make it in four days at most. It's the largest city along the Mulad border, and will definitely have the goods we need for sale. The downside is that it will definitely have a large presence of soldiers and Guardians, some who may still be hunting us."
Ovro shuddered and commented, "I wouldn't want to attempt to sneak in there."
"Hm Hm." Naruto nodded quickly as he soaked all the information in. "And the other choice?"
"That's the bottom settlement along the Concordia River, Perglyfoi." Mikos stated, pointing the stick at the tiny hole to the southwest. "It's deep within Octos Concordia, and it will take upwards to six days to reach the place. While the settlement is only a large village, it's placed along the crossing of the Concordia and the Kalus rivers. It also brings us closer to our destination, letting us avoid crossing the Concordia in the wild lands of Mulad."
"What's the downside then?" Ovro asked, already trying to wrap his mind around the details.
"Besides the long distance, it's what our hunters expect us to go." Mikos answered, his only eye practically spitting disgust. "I'm not sure if the Wind Guardians working together with Makev's band are aiding the troops trying to encircle us now. If they do, the troops might know we're injured and that we need to travel to a major trading post to obtain new supplies."
Sighing, Mikos concluded, "Anyone with a decent brain would prepare an ambush in Perglyfoi, and all the other important settlements to the southwest of Octos. It is the logical route through Mulad, as the south would grant us easy passage west through the coastal hills."
"And if we travel west from Arakoi, it's harder?" Naruto asked, already knowing the answer.
"Aye." Mikos nodded. He swept his hand along the two drawn rivers. "Mulad is a land riddled with hills and mountains. It's the source of five major rivers. The inland terrain is much harder to traverse because it's much more steep and chaotic. There are a few roads, of course, but they're constantly prowled by Mulad brigands eager to extort. Octos spies can also easily patrol along the route to catch us. All in all, it's a bad idea to head to Arakoi and enter Mulad from there."
A smirk entered Mikos' face. "That's exactly why we're heading there."
"I like it." Naruto said, punching his fist into his palm.
"But.. aren't we making it harder on ourselves in the long run?" Ovro responded, his face frowned in worry. "Not only will we be surrounded by countless of potential witnesses in Arakoi, we'd be all but forced to trudge through hostile territory. At least the Mulads on the coast are more concerned with fishing than mounting raids."
"I know that, and you're right. It's very hazardous to traverse the highlands of Mulad, especially off the roads." Mikos conceded, but countered, "However, we don't have a choice. The biggest mistake we can make is to do exactly what our enemy wants us to do. They want us to go southwest to Perglyfoi. If so, we're going to go north to Arakoi instead. It's as simple as that. Any problems we encounter are something we can figure out once we actually get there."
"And what about Makev's hostages?" Ovro asked in a softer tone, and quickly shifted his eyes to Naruto, who visibly flinched at the mention of the freed prisoners. "They've been heading there as well, probably already there as they've travelled the roads. What if we encounter them inside the city?"
"Then let us hope they won't recognize us."
The trek up north took longer than they thought. Not only did Ovro's legs started to fester, Mikos was already showing symptoms of a yet unknown affliction. There were moments when one of his limbs would cease to respond, or when he'd start to cough up globs of blood. His sleep was always wracked with fits of aches or hidden terrors.
Furthermore, the landscape around Arakoi was remarkably open and clear. Narrow parcels of farmland dominated the surroundings leading up to Arakoi, their crops already reaped before the winter had fallen and leaving vast stretches of empty land. It would have been a death trap to walk out in the open of such clearings.
Walking on the main road or on the smaller trails that connected hamlets to other hamlets wasn't viable either. They'd spotted plenty of patrols, both on foot and on horseback.
Taking the direct route to Arakoi would simply expose them to far greater risks. Instead, they kept to the forest and skirted along the edges of the region to loop west before approaching Arakoi from the Mulad side. It was easy to attach themselves to the back of a series of caravans to lessen attention on themselves as they approached.
Despite its importance, the immense city wasn't surrounded by a wall, nor was the development tightly packed. A wide, gradual sprawl extended from the ancient walled core and out to the thinly protected outskirts. A high wooden palisade protected much of its districts. The solid tree trunks offered solid protection against minor raids, but wouldn't stand a chance against a determined assault. Only the wealthiest district and the keep itself was surrounded by an ancient stone wall, which was as thick as an average Arakoian house.
In the event of a siege, the civilian population would retreat to the inner walls while its soldiers would delay the invaders' progress on the streets, using old underground passageways to move rapidly from one point to another. By the ruling dux's decree, all buildings within the palisades were built of solid stone, and contained as little wood or other flammable materials as possible.
Nevertheless, that still left the owner's possessions dangerously vulnerable to fire and theft.
There were plenty who clamored the dux to replace the outer palisades with a solid stone wall, such as the traders right in front of Naruto and his friends. But the powerful Lord would never pay heed. Each time he would argue that the city would outgrow its perimeter, and each year later the palisades were forced to be planted further away to cope with the city's natural growth. Thus it has been for many decades, where the dux would refrain from constructing walls and the outer city dwellers continually faced the risk of being pillaged by Mulad raiders.
However, it wasn't true that the dux was not trying hard to protect his domain.
Arakoi had always been the prime base of operations for the Octos to repulse the ruthless tribes to the west. The city was built on the remains of an ancient Tirradonian outpost called Barak's Fort, and even back then they struggled to keep the wild ancestors of Mulad in check.
When the savage horsemen had brutally slaughtered its entire garrison during the collapse of the Tirradon Empire, the fort took on a new role as the Mulad tribes' stepping stone to the rich heartland of Octos. They kept its existing name, but due to their looser tongues, evolved to Barak'foj. When the fortress was finally taken back by the Octos a hundred years later, they had long forgotten its original name. By custom, they adapted the name from the Mulad tribesmen that were taken prisoner. Since the Octos soldiers had difficulty articulating the Mulad 'foj, the name quickly bastardized to Barakoi. When the growing settlement eventually received its city charter, it was already known as Arakoi.
As a city with a vast history of war, Arakoi was host to a formidable army. It was home to one of the finest Octos military academia, and the lower ranks enjoyed extensive training. Its oversized army was maintained by the city's income earned from manufacture and trade. Some of the tamer Mulad tribes were all too happy to exchange exotic Mulad trade goods for Octos' own merchandise.
Commerce kept the dux's pockets filled, which let him maintain his large and well-trained army. The hard-faced professional soldiers kept the borders of Octos safe and provided Arakoi with an excellent defense against all but the largest Mulad incursion. Arakoi further profited from trade by strengthening the position of its trading partners. By increasing the Mulad settlements' wealth and clout, the influence of the more nomadic and warlike tribes would diminish. At the very least, it would make the Mulad villages a more attractive alternative to raid to the savages.
Currently, all three boys were on the lookout for any weak spots. Entering the city through the various checkpoints was not a good idea, since all who wished to enter had to show their faces to prove they were on legitimate business and not just to spy. The guards may well be on the lookout for the boys' descriptions as well. Certainly, someone as unique as Naruto or as defined as Mikos would easily be recognizable. Only Ovro stood a chance of passing through the gates with his unremarkable face.
That was why they slipped aside to the dirty streets between rickety wooden shacks outside the wooden wall. Naruto saw a few empty, hopeless gazes of emaciated poor. But they were the exception rather than the rule. In truth, most of the slum's inhabitants were rather reasonably fed, and those currently on the streets seemed approachable. While Naruto kept silent, he could make out from the surrounding conversations that most of the inhabitants were laborers of a nearby mine and quarry. The bitter winter cold slowed down much of the industry, leaving the workers home in their chilly shacks or taverns.
While the huts seemed small and ramshackle, there was a homely quality to their construction. The paths consisted of nothing but frozen dirt, leaving it treacherously loose and uneven. Ovro seemed to have the most trouble, bumping and tripping often with his wounded legs. Mikos was a lot better off, but the vastly irregular surface took a toll on his boots, necessitating a replacement.
"Can't we stay at one of the inns out here, instead of trying to sneak through the palisades?" Naruto asked, who was enjoying the laid-back atmosphere that seemed to keep every inhabitant from sulking.
Mikos shook his head in refusal. "Don't be fooled by their jolliness. That's just them being drunk. We risk as much getting robbed by them as getting burned alive by Mulad raiders. 'Sides, the good stuff's past these wooden walls where the sanctioned merchants gather to trade."
"He's right." Ovro said with some authority. "If you're not one of them city folk, they'll cheat you and steal from you." He then waved his hand at Naruto's sack and smiled. "We've got enough from Royos that we can afford to rent a room for a single night without getting robbed."
The stench of humanity increased as they neared the palisades. At the front of some houses were buckets filled with waste. The stench was different, but worse than the stink of a pigsty.
'How could people just walk about with not a care in the world with this smell?'
They passed the cottages with haste, and soon reached the edge of the massive row of wooden trunks. Naruto held up a palm against one of the trunks, feeling its solid structure.
'They sure picked the right trees to fell.'
The Arakoians might have been too cheap to construct a stone wall, but they made sure their outer barrier remained impervious to raids and infiltrations.
"Hear that?" Mikos whispered, motioning his good arm for his friends to huddle closer at the back of a large shack.
As Naruto and Ovro moved closer behind the building, they could a faint clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk.
"Iron against stone." Ovro spoke softly, trying to project his magnetic senses to the other side, but failing to extend it. "Can't feel it, it's too far away, and the wooden wall is interfering somehow."
"Hm." Mikos grunted, and rubbed his bandaged hand against his dark stubble. "This is bad. I hadn't thought there'd be many patrols at this time of day. And even for Arakoi, there shouldn't have been this much. They're definitely on the lookout for something."
He looked at the afternoon sun before glancing back at the palisades. "Can't use our powers, or we risk detection. Can't climb over it, Ovro and I wouldn't make it. Hmmm… how about…"
Jabbing his hand at Naruto, he carefully inquired, "Do you have the power to disguise us and let us pass the gates?"
Almost startled, Naruto quickly extended his mind inside his body to assess his store of chakra.
For the past few days, his chakra coils had stabilized, producing tiny spurts of the mixed energy at the equivalent rate of a beginning ninja academy student. Normally, he could just let his chakra accumulate over a lengthy period, since he had a much larger storage capacity than an infant. However, his body was incredibly demanding, and constantly siphoned the precious energy from his chakra paths. What reserve he had was safely contained within the coils themselves, but it was hardly enough to do anything meaningful in battle.
"I can disguise three people for up to two minutes.. or two people for three minutes.. that's the limit."
Mikos stared hard at Naruto, wondering. He had seen the boy transform his appearance before, when they were caught by Makev. He marvelled at such an ability, to reshape your guise in whatever exterior you desired. Moreover, if Naruto was to be believed, he used to be much more powerful. Would he have been able to take on a permanent façade?
"Ovro will likely be able to pass, but…" Mikos trailed off. "Three minutes for us both is very risky. If the guards inspect us, we might take longer than that. Can you do it separately so we can pass the gates one by one?"
"No." Naruto shook his head. "I have to be close to you for the illusion to maintain. I don't have the control nor the amount of chakra to be able sustain a projected henge for long. I'd have to be skilled in genjutsu to accomplish that."
Darn. Mikos didn't know what a henge or genjutsu was, but he could guess. What was important was that they essentially had two to three minutes to get past a checkpoint without getting too far apart from each other. He peered through the corner, past the other huts and eyed the nearest entrance. It was the largest and busiest one as the main road from the west led to this post. The gate was fairly robust, with two flanking wooden towers and an overhead covered bridge, revealing nothing but arrow slits. They definitely couldn't fight their way out if they were caught unless they were willing to use their Informed powers, which would alert the entire garrison.
"Maybe it's better if only I go." Ovro suggested.
Frowning, Mikos gestured to Ovro's legs. "With your injuries, the guards are bound to ask a lot of questions about you. And you're also inviting crooks to mug you."
"If I stick to the main roads by day, I'll be fine."
"But that will increase the chance that patrols will recognize you."
Everyone stayed silent. They had no easy solution to slip inside the city, and without access to its abundant markets, they wouldn't be able to obtain fresh bandages and medicines. Lounging out along the roads and wait for traders to pass with the right merchandise was risky as well. At the very least, they'd be overcharged, but it would be more likely that they'd be reported.
Someone had to go in.
"Naruto? How long can your disguise last if you go through by yourself?" Mikos asked with an expression bordering on resignation.
"Ten minutes, or perhaps more since I won't have to concentrate that much. That's enough, right?"
"Yeah." Mikos nodded, peering again at the busy gate. "It's best you go as soon as possible while the merchants are still getting in. There's only a few more hours of daylight, and none of them want to be out in the open at night. If you pass as a trader yourself, you'll easily get waved in."
Turning around to stare directly at Naruto, Mikos betrayed another worry. "However, I'm more concerned what will happen to you once you get inside. Will you be able to handle yourself in a large and crowded city such as Arakoi?"
"Sure… I think?" Naruto let out an embarrassed laugh. "The place where I used to grow up had a few thousand people. I'll be fine."
"Arakoi has up to seventy thousand city folk." Mikos warned. "It's different from Oimos or any other larger village. It's a city, Naruto, there are different rules."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, it's 'dangerous' and stuff, but I'm not as injured as you two, I can defend myself and sneak away quickly enough. Just give me a list of what I need to buy and I'll be back by the evening."
"Right." Mikos nodded, and was already fetching a piece of parchment and a sharpened coal from his pack.
"The gates close at dark." Ovro remarked, who had just before stayed silent, scratching his wounded legs against each other to dull the pain. "You're not going to finish by nightfall, so you'll definitely have to stay for the night."
Groaning, Naruto replied, "And away from you guys? Where will you two stay?"
"I guess we'll be resting at one of the hovels offering rooms." Ovro answered slowly, with a touch of doubt in his voice.
Briefly looking up from his parchment, Mikos sharply nudged his head at one of the larger wooden buildings. "We'll sleep at the one with the sign of a pig and a pickaxe. It's close to the roads, so we can keep an eye on the streets. As for the risk of getting robbed, Ovro and I will just have to sleep in shifts."
Both other boys nodded. They waited as Mikos finished his list of items. He carefully folded it up and pushed it in one of Naruto's pockets. "I've also written an estimate on how much you have to pay for each item. If a salesman is asking far above that price, then he's tricking you. Always barter it down, and if the merchant refuses, just find another one elsewhere."
"I'm not stupid." Naruto complained, which prompted Ovro and Mikos to look at each other's eyes.
"What?"
Sighing, Mikos looked down for a moment, but then looked back up at Naruto. "Just buy the stuff and get out as soon as you can. Also, keep your hair concealed within the hood of your cloak, blond is even more rare this far inland. We'll wait for you at the Pig and Pickaxe for two days. If you're not out the city by the second nightfall…"
"What are we going to do then, Mikos?" Ovro asked. "Without Naruto, we won't stand a chance of making it to Tiros."
"You're right. It's pointless without Naruto." Mikos then directed his attention to the only blond. "If you're held up, or captured, or whatever, we'll find a way in. We'll blast a hole through the palisades if we have to, so don't be late, understand?"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I won't take more than a day for just a few leaves and seeds."
After a few more warnings, Naruto was finally let go. He stalked grudgingly through the dirty frozen paths and stayed out of sight from the main road. He waited patiently behind a barrel facing the gates to study the passing visitors who were trying to gain entry in the village. He noted that those with carts were being held up the longest as their goods were inspected. He spotted a carriage carrying a pair of well-off ladies that was immediately granted passage. A few guards who have been patrolling the outside roads only needed to say a few words before being let in. Beggars and other wretched people were refused entry, sometimes heavy-handedly.
Over the course of his observations, he determined several patterns. The better-dressed folk were granted quicker access. Commoners without anything to trade were questioned more intensively. This and several other observations was enough for Naruto to come up with a suitable disguise. He quietly retreated to a dark and stinking alley and made his hand sign under his cloak.
"Transformation Jutsu."
A small poof sounded out from the alley, and a new figure emerged from the shadows. Just before, a skinny adolescent boy with wolf-furred clothes, a worn white cloak, and a brown leather pack had entered. What had exited was a middle-aged foreigner with a bulging beer belly, a thick black mop of hair and a forest of a beard. The man was dressed in thick, orange-dyed garments of flannel and wool. Naruto still carried the same sack in his disguise, but put an illusion over the leather sack that held his hunting bow dry to make it seem like an ordinary measuring stick. He only hoped that it looked boring enough for the guards to refrain from touching the stick and find out that it didn't felt like an ordinary piece of wood.
Holding a breath, Naruto mentally prepared for his coming act. As he discretely stepped on the main street, he lifted up the hand that held a bottle and lifted it to take a large swig. In actuality, the bottle didn't hold any alcohol. It wasn't even a real bottle, but just an illusion over a kunai.
'If worst comes to worst..'
He half-staggered, half-trudged towards the wooden gate. A trio of nondescript guardsmen acted as gatekeepers, meticulously questioning and inspecting the passing tradesmen. Two more men were posted on each tower, content to gossip with each other. They were all dressed in thick leather uniforms, which were kept naturally brown except for a large blue tabard with the symbol of the letter alpha on their chests. They wore reinforced wooden helmets, but kept their oval shields leaned to the walls. The men on the ground were wielding spears of medium length, but there was one – who must have been the one in charge – that kept his blade in a thick scabbard. The rest up the towers carried bows behind their backs.
The Naruto in disguise lumbered neatly behind a cart carrying a batch of some sort of large thick carrot. A pair of tradesmen holding the reins of a docile donkey joined the line behind Naruto. Acting in his disguise, Naruto took another swig to hide his gulp of air, and burped loudly at the pair, who instantly turned away in disgust.
Their neatly trimmed moustaches curled in sneers as one of them spoke in a tightly strung voice, "Do not dare to approach us with your drunken stench. We do not tolerate misconduct."
Grinning, Naruto held up his fake bottle in a salute and bellowed, "Loosen up, man! Drink some wine. Fuck some whores."
As the two traders increased their frown, Naruto could only laugh harder. When the line moved forward, he left them alone, and waited patiently while swaying lightly on his feet. He didn't have to wait too long before it was his turn.
And it was just his rotten luck that the soldier in charge was the one who questioned him. The man was low-birth, with below average height and a badly decayed set of teeth. On the other hand, this was not a man to be trifled with. His solid muscles were finely honed, and his sharp hazel eyes inspected every inch of Naruto's fat disguise. One of his hands was always within reach to the grip of his sword.
"Name and business?" The man spat with an awful stench, clearly disapproving of Naruto's drunken act.
"Nnghn.." Naruto moaned, before rolling his head slowly towards the guards' eyes. "Montsar, son of Mapho, scribe and purveyor of rare scrolls." He drawled deeply, and then reached for his sack, which had not been altered, and retrieved a solid leather cylinder. He opened one end and carefully slid the rolled-up parchments out, showing Elder Mynnis' maps. "See these maps, son? Fetch a good price here, yes it will." grinned cheekily and asked, "I can read and write you know… can you?"
Anger visibly flared on the man's pockmarked face, and loudly spat out, "Don't use that tone on me, you wasting ball of fat." He then shoved Naruto straight inside the city. "Get lost, and don't show your face again unless you sobered up!"
Smiling, Naruto quickly strolled further ahead before taking a less crowded side street. That was easier than he thought, but maybe he was just lucky. He quickly ditched his drunken act and searched for a suitable place to morph back.
Naruto finally exited the murky street in his original appearance with his cowl over his head. He gently took Mikos' paper from his pocket and carefully read its contents.
'Better get the herbs first.'
He put the list back in his pocket and gently strolled the narrow side streets of Arakoi, keeping his eyes and ears open. As he aimlessly wandered the streets, he caught a few bits of conversation here and there as citizens and tradesmen conversed freely with each other.
Gazing wondrously, he also observed the city's daily life. Every street was paved with thick, smoothed cobblestones, providing solid but sometimes bumpy footing. Most of the buildings were made up solid blocks of stone, but some were also covered in some kind of plaster. The only wooden component he could see were the shutters that kept the windows closed from the winter air. Most buildings were single-storied, but the wealthier houses always had two or three stories. All of the buildings had chimneys, most of which were lazily puffing up smoke as the households and businesses burned wood to keep themselves warm.
From the passing conversation, he learned he was in one of the poorer districts. The Corbin District was the nearest section of the city that faced the Mulad border. As such, this was the place where only the poorest houses and businesses could afford a place. Most of the more exotic products were for sale in the Trade District, which was in the eastern portion of the city. Naruto sighed as he had a long walk ahead.
Along the way, he passed many remarkable sights. At one crossing, a pair of brown-skinned foreigners were displaying cages of exotic northern birds to a crowd of starry-eyed children. At another street, there was some kind of contest that involved throwing and catching pottery. The grimy grey houses slowly made way for pristine white estates, large multi-storied warehouses and manufactories. The people on the streets slowly changed as well, from the poor dressed in homespun brown, to the well off with colorful winter garb and wide woolen cloaks that were clasped with copper or silver brooches.
Here and there, a few shifty well-dressed individuals skulked the streets, probably to visit some obscure shop or brothel. There were guards as well, but not as numerous for Naruto to feel hemmed in. Whenever he spotted those signature helmets, he smoothly turned to another side street and walked his way around.
What was particularly irksome for Naruto was the amount of stares he attracted. Citizens and foreigners alike minutely narrowed their eyes in suspicion. It wasn't just him; others who covered their heads were met with suspicion. Naruto could tell he wasn't met with resentment, unlike with the villagers of Konoha from his past.
'No.. they're just afraid.'
What were they so frightened of? What made them so jumpy around people who obscured their heads? Was this normal Arakoian behavior, or did something bad happen recently?
'Hm.. the coastal villages were recently attacked by the Velks.. maybe they're afraid of the Mulads? That doesn't make any sense. Arakoi has always been under threat by the Mulad tribes, so what had changed to put the scare into them?'
None of the citizens talked openly about their fears, as if such talk was forbidden or frowned upon. Instead, they conversed on more mundane topics, such as the high price of meat, the lack of salt or the fragile state of the iron mine.
The boring topics quickly tired Naruto, and he stopped paying too much attention as he finally entered the slightly busier Trade District. As darkness approached, the many shops and market stands along the streets were in a lull; some were even packing up. Those tradesmen wanted to be back in their warm homes or rented rooms. Others wanted to return to the open clearing to the east, where many large wagons and caravans were stationed, along with the owners' tents.
Not wanting to retire for the night with empty hands, Naruto quickly scoured the streets, heading towards the section where plant edibles were sold. It wasn't too hard to follow the signs pointing to the stalls where a wide assortment of herbs and powders were for sale. Naruto slowly approached one of them, momentarily dazzled by the vast variety of colors and smells.
"Can I hjeeelp you, young maaan?" A yellow-toned man asked with a strong foreign accent. The merchant's clothes were peculiar to say the least, as it seemed as if the man was dressed in layers of black and white bed sheets. Despite the foreign garments, both his anxious grin and rubbing hands were familiar sights to Naruto.
"Well.." Naruto began, trying to remember the ingredients. "I need lots of kquashqa, trilias and vorholt, and I need a little bit of brialeaf and some extracts of.. Ylaran brush and Cormian cinnamon."
The thick-nosed seller continually nodded his head until Naruto finished. "Weeeeell, young maan, I can get eeeeverything for you but I don't have kquaaaashqa or vooorholt and brialeaaaf."
"Just pack what you've got."
"Why certainly custoooomer."
The man moved efficiently, wrapping up the several kinds of herbs in thin parchment and putting the small amounts of powder in small clay bottles.
"….and ten scoooops of Cormian cinnaaaamon. That would be thirty gold and five silver, if you pleeeeeaase."
"Whaaaat!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes bulging when he heard ridiculous price. "You think anyone's going to pay thirty stinking gold for just a few handfuls of weeds and powder?" Quickly calculating the sum of Mikos' suggested price, he added, "That stuff's worth five gold at the most."
Actually, it was worth roughly ten gold at a coastal market, but it was better to start bidding low with these kinds of sellers.
"Thirty gold at the veeeeery least. Do you know how raaaaare Ylaran brush iiiiis? Why, I had to wait threeeeeee months for the latest shipment, and…."
Naruto could already tell this was going to take forever, especially with the man's strange, slow accent. If the man wasn't so foreign-looking, he could swear the greedy bastard was talking like that on purpose.
By the time Naruto haggled the price down to sixteen gold and twenty-six-and-a-half silvers, the sun was already setting.
'I need to find a place to sleep fast.' The blond thought as he felt the stares of the less reputable street dwellers. 'How could the mood on the street change so fast?'
He shifted through the frozen, dirty alleys, neatly avoiding other murky figures stalking the streets. As he narrowly dodged several pickpockets, he considered if it was a good idea for him to enter the city in the first place. The disappearing sun had snatched most of his visibility away. On top of that, there were no public lanterns along these little streets. The only reason why Naruto hadn't tripped was because the shutters always leaked some brightness to the outside world.
'This is nothing like Konoha or the other villages of the Fire Country. It's so dark.'
The sound of iron crashing on cobblestone increased, and suddenly there were guardsmen watching almost every larger street. Frightened by the coming darkness, Naruto roamed carefully near the iron-eyed soldiers as they patrolled the night with their portable lanterns. He followed and passed from patrol to patrol, slithering around the main street but never daring to enter it. He didn't need to be in such an open sight, especially at night when the guards would be more suspicious.
Eventually, he found a medium-sized establishment. It was an unremarkable square inn, three stories high and had narrow vertical slits for windows to make it impossible for burglars to slip in. A large creaking sign was waving freely in the wind, and Naruto could barely make out the outline of a… golden tankard?
Shrugging, Naruto calmly pulled open the door, and was immediately flooded with the smell of prepared meat. Venison, chicken, stew, and other easily prepared dishes were strewn around the long rectangular tables, and each were being devoured by hungry patrons. Some of those dining in the common room stared briefly at Naruto's uncommon garb, but quickly went back at their food. To the back of the room was the bar, where small crates of thick dark bottles and huge barrels filled with beer and ale rested lazily against the wall. The proprietor was busy with something nearby, but often poked his head through the kitchen door and yelled something at whoever was working there. Attractive and not so attractive waitresses dressed in slim homespun dresses were walking from and to the tables, taking orders and bringing bowls of greasy grub.
With a cautious but confident stride, he made his way over to the bar, already enjoying the warmth emanating from a few fires. Both the open doorway to the kitchen and the chimney at the far side of the room were radiating a comfortable heat, just enough for most of the guests to shed their winter coats. Several foul-faced customers were sitting on the high chairs next to the counter, their glares making it clear to Naruto that they didn't feel like conversing.
Naruto rapped his knuckles against the solid wooden surface, quickly catching the distracted owner's attention. The large, bulging but solid man was stained with both grease and sweat as he roasted a sweet-scented duck-like animal over a small pit of burning coals. The man leisurely wiped the grime from his tunic and looked at Naruto with appraising eyes. Naruto could feel the man's eyes peering beneath his cowl, and he guessed that the innkeeper was wondering why he didn't lower it already.
As the man dropped his fat palms against the counter, he schooled his face in an obviously fake smile. "Welcome to the Golden Tankard. What can I do for you, laddie?"
Suppressing a frown from being called 'laddie', Naruto quietly answered, "My greetings to you, good man. I would like to have room and board for a single night. I'll be out after breakfast."
"Hmmm.." The man reached for a ledger, opened it, and browsed to his intended page. "I've got several rooms available of varying lu-xu-ry." He spoke the last word like it was some sort of foreign concept. "Not that I've got anything fancy, y'know, like the Green Goose up along the Trade Street."
"That's fine." Naruto replied earnestly. After spending many nights outdoors, he didn't mind a bare room. "What's your cheapest room and how much are you asking for it?"
"Well.." The man scratched his balding head for a single moment. "Nothing much. There's a bed, with a feather and hay mattress and thick cleaned sheets. There's no lice, not like the inns beyond the palisades. It's seventy-five silvers for a single night." He peered closer at Naruto's face. "But if you pass an extra quarter gold, I'll give you a large tub of water to wash yourself. I'll throw in some ample meals for free as well, seeing as you could use some filling up."
This time, Naruto couldn't restrain his frown. Still, he was gracious enough to accept the offer, however overpriced a basin of water may be. "That's fine with me." He tossed a single gold coin to the counter, and the owner gingerly grasped it with his slippery hands. He felt it carefully, inspecting it for any shaved off corners, and even bit on it with his crooked teeth to be certain it was actually gold.
Eventually satisfied, he nodded. "It's good."
"One thing," Naruto started. "Can I bring my dinner up to my room?"
"Nah. My grandda had lots of trouble cleaning up. So did my da. So did I. Eat your grub here or don't eat at all. And don't try to sneak it upstairs, or else I'll boot you out myself. Got it?"
"Yeah, I got it."
While Naruto grumbled about eating in the open where plenty of patrons could look at his face, the innkeeper retreated to an iron case and opened the lock with a key chained over his neck. The tiny vault revealed several sets of keys, and retrieved a simple brass skeleton key. Without looking back, the man lazily tossed it to Naruto, who almost fumbled to catch the piece of metal.
"Good catch." The innkeeper complimented as he returned to the roast pit, grasping a small bucket filled with.. something fat and oozy and languidly drenched the viscous liquid on the rapidly ripening meat.
Sick-faced, Naruto hesitantly asked, "That's not for me, is it?"
"Nah," The man waved absently. "It's for someone very special, nothing for you to concern yourself with. Just sit down anywhere and someone will take your order."
Taking a good look about the room, Naruto went over to the table nearest to the stairs and furthest from the entrance. It would let him assess each newcomer without being close enough to be identified himself. He would also have a good look at anyone about to head upstairs, although if he wasn't careful enough they could take a good look at him as well.
As he sat down on the wide sturdy seat, a comely teenage girl with curly brown hair and an infectious smile immediately approached. "What can I get'cha? Tonight, we've got chicken, beef, lamb or – ugh – batarran goose, if you're in to that. Hopefully you're not, since it's absolutely—"
"Ahem."
"Ah, hehe.." Embarrassed, the girl resumed, "There's also bread or beans to go with that, and you can get cooked onions, spinach and cabbage and some other stuff as well."
Carefully considering the list, Naruto decided it would be best if he could compliment his previous diet of red meat and dried vegetables. "Can I get a big soup of every vegetable you have, and a plate of chicken to go with that? Don't pour any of that grease, though."
"If you say so, but don't cry back to us if you find the flavoring bland. Pepper and other spices are rather hard to obtain this time of year, y'know?"
"It's fine. What's for drink?"
"Well, we've got Arakoian ale, Helarian beer and – blegh – Mulad milkwine. You can also get well water, but you have to be an idiot to—"
"—I'll take the ale, thank you." Naruto interrupted, and dismissed the chatterbox. While he preferred water to any alcoholic drink, he wouldn't be entirely sure if it was safe enough to drink. If he drank something intoxicating, he would at least be sure that most of the bacteria in his drink would be dead.
As the girl went off to pass the order to the cooks, Naruto dreamed of having bowls of ramen for dinner. How much he missed the deliciously flavored soup, the fine strings of ramen, and the exquisite meats and other fillings old man Ichiraku lovingly added.
'Those were the days…'
When the lively girl finally arrived with a large bowl and plate, Naruto immediately dug in. The steaming hot soup was on the bland side, as well as the bare brown half-chicken. But he didn't care much about pampering his tongue as he concentrated on regaining his strength. He drank his broth with relative speed while he carefully kept his senses set on the patrons eating, drinking or laughing at each other.
A few peaceful moments passed.
And then the door banged open. The room silenced immediately – even the laughs stopped in mid-laugh.
Clonk. Clonk. Clonk. Clonk.
The sound of iron on granite was mildly different from the sound on the streets, but it succeeded in instantly stiffening Naruto's shoulders. A trio of iron booted soldiers garbed in dark blue woolen tabards and chainmail boldly stepped inside. Their helmeted visages were steeled in disciplined expressions. They clanked their feet towards the innkeeper, who instantly straightened with a scowl.
"Whut'r'you 'ere for, blueshirts? I ain't serve your kind. This is a reputable establishment! Drink yourself stupid at the Rusted Sword and Axe 'r something."
The lead 'blueshirt' clanked his iron gauntlet hard against the counter, almost certainly scratching it. The helmeted man leaned forward, jutting out his finely-trimmed goatee. "Don't play coy with me, ol' Garnon."
The soldier, definitely some sort of officer, spoke in a measured and articulated tone. "We just want to ask you if you've seen anything.. unusual. Perhaps, you can comment on the inexplicable reason why witnesses frequently observed redhoods gathering near these streets."
The large innkeeper deepened his scowl as he answered, "I've nothing to say to you or any of you lapdogs. I've seen nothing outside because I'm never outside. Who do you think," He waved his arm over the common room. "Keeps these wretched folk in line? I've not a son, and no lass 'o mine can hold firm against even a laddie like him."
The meaty hand gestured straight at Naruto, who mentally groaned as the soldiers fixed their suspicious gazes at him.
'Oh damn.'
"What're you lookin' at, outsider?"
"Ehm… nothing!" Naruto stammered, and quickly went back to his soup, which was rapidly cooling from the mental frost that had gripped the room.
Out of the corner of his eye, however, he was still observing the tenuous situation as he sipped on his bitter ale. The meaty barkeep continued to glare at each of the domineering soldiers as if they were there to harass him instead of protecting him. The hatred brimming in his stomach was plainly evident to everyone, especially the soldiers.
Why did the man hate them? Did the soldiers deserve the scorn? And why did the troops let the man get away with his open lack of respect?
There was more behind the picture than just a general resentment towards authority. Something wasn't right here, and Naruto had better get out of the city fast before he got caught up with events not of his own concern.
"In any case, Garnon," The leader of the three spat. "If you see something suspicious, be sure to report to the right authorities." Even Naruto could feel the wretched tension as the soldier stressed his final greeting. "Good day."
And with that, the three smartly turned about, and clonked their iron boots out in the night. Everyone in the common room stayed frozen even after the blueshirts have left. It wasn't until Garnon shrugged and went back at his duck roast that the billowy laughs and the low-voiced chatter resumed. Naruto hastily resumed his meal, eager to get out of sight.
Barely two minutes after the soldiers have left, the door opened yet again. Naruto shifted his eyes briefly, expecting yet another regular patron.
Instead, a group of five entered the room. They were different, that much was noticeable. The unknown figures were strapped in worn and matted black leather, their faces barely visible underneath the dark red hoods. Their thick but soft sandals barely elicited a sound from the surface as they hovered to the once frowning innkeeper, who was now grinning in delight.
'These are.. the redhoods?'
Two of the newcomers leaned over the counter and conversed quietly with Garnon, too quiet for even Naruto's pitched ears to make out the words. The other three stared casually but alertly around the common room, positioning themselves in strategic positions while they were at it. Surprisingly though, none of the regulars even lifted a head or acknowledged the redhoods. The laughter dimmed, but the mood between the guests hadn't soured a toe's length. Naruto's gut suspected that the redcloaks enjoyed a measure of respect among the folk here. This was definitely unusual.
"I got it right here." Garnon finally said, louder than his previous words. He got up back to the blackening roast and carved thick slices out of the deliciously sweet smelling meat over a remarkably fancy porcelain plate. As he was slicing the soft juicy substance, he leaned his head over the opening to the kitchen and yelled to fetch 'the special package'. An overstressed maid quickly scurried from the kitchen and set a plate of astonishingly rich bread with slices of cheese on the counter, before practically running back. One of the redcloaks quietly took the large plate, while the other accepted the one that Garnon had offered, the smear making it hard to get a good grip.
Wordlessly, they moved towards the stairs, coming ever closer to Naruto, who already regretted sitting there. He could already feel their eyes dissecting every inch of his appearance, focusing in particular on his white hood over his shadowed face. One of the hoods even made a discrete hand sign, which Naruto immediately recognized as an identification ritual. Not wanting to endure their attention any longer, he simply went back to the remains of his soup and let the five pass by him in silence.
As the hooded figures sauntered upwards, Naruto briefly wondered why those redhoods were allowed to bring their food upwards while he was stuck eating his dinner out here. Grumbling, he lifted the bowl with both of his hands and slurped the remains of his soup. He left the rest of the chicken alone as he slowly sipped a bit more of the Arakoian ale before putting the half-empty tankard down.
Standing, Naruto grasped at his pack and climbed the stairs himself, his boots thumping loudly against the sandstone stairs. He fetched his key from his pocket, gazing at the badly bent number eight at the end of the skeleton key. A quick look around the bare narrow corridor was enough to spot his door, which had a large and crude 8 carved in its wooden surface.
Inserting the head of the key in the lock, he turned it firmly, eliciting a small click. He opened the door and was met with exactly what he had expected. The bed was exactly as the innkeeper described, but at least it seemed decently clean. A man-sized bucket of water rested on one corner of the room. Besides that, there was a broken dresser at one side of the room, and a narrow slit on the wall at another. Naruto left his pack in front of the dresser and went over to the slit, and peered his eye out on the street below.
'Nothing interesting.'
Shivering from the blast of cold from the window, Naruto quickly grasped the plank leaning against the wall below, and hung the large hole sawed through its surface on the stubby hook above the vertical slit. He spotted some sort of sliding mechanism bolted to the side against the wall, and Naruto gently pulled the slider against the plank which went through a specially cut indentation.
'That will keep the cold out.'
Weary from his lengthy day, Naruto nevertheless decided to take a bath before he went to sleep. It had been more than a week since he fled Oimos, and while the others weren't so adamant about staying clean, Naruto was suffocating in his filth. He stripped his thick cloak, his wolf-fur garments, his linen underclothes and finally his boxers. His nose curled as he gazed at his homespun underwear. At this time of year, he couldn't wash and dry it before the he had to leave. Oh well. Tossing the noxious garment to the cold stone floor, Naruto gently dipped his body in the freezing water, shivering as he hurried to wash himself before he died from hypothermia.
He scrubbed himself raw with the rough cloth hanging on the lip of the tub. As he progressed with his body, he could faintly hear some muffled sounds. Talking? Slowing his fervent routine, Naruto closed his eyes and peaked his ears. Heavily muffled voices conversed with each other.. in the room next to Naruto. They talked on for minutes, sometimes raising their pitches, but always quieting to a normal tone.
Minutes after, the voices stopped, and Naruto could hear nothing. What he did sense afterwards, however, were the vibrations of the floor. People were walking. He could feel each footstep through the surface of the large bucket, each smooth thump jarring his finely honed senses.
The footsteps receded to the stairs, thumping down until he could feel no longer. Only the loudest drunken laughs penetrated his room, and it was only very slightly. Shrugging, Naruto returned to his task, trying to rub off all the accumulated grime between his toes.
…mp…thmp….Thump thump. Thump thump thump.
'What was that?'
Thump thump. Thump.
He felt his head tingling from the tiny thumps against the bottom. Someone was.. stomping? Naruto held his head low for a moment, trying to discern a pattern, but he couldn't figure it out.
Thump thump thump THUMP THUMP THUMP!
The impacts suddenly went a lot more rapid, with more force behind the vibrations. Naruto's ears could now hear the sound of flesh stomping against a surface. Someone was crashing his heel against the floor, and if Naruto's hearing wasn't faulty, it originated in the very same room where he heard the previous noises of conversation.
Something was up, and it wasn't anything good.
With mistrust growing in his eyes, he soundlessly emerged from the water. He wetted himself off from the rough towel, and clothed his raw body with his spare garments, consisting of a simple pair of brown breeches and a faded unembroidered orange tunic. He finally retrieved his kunai and pushed it hidden under the belt of his breeches. If there was any trouble, he could arm himself in a blink.
He quietly unlocked his door and sneaked over to the next, leaning his head against the wooden surface to hear what was going inside. There was the frantic thumping, yes, but also… a voice?
"Anyone there?" He spoke softly.
When he didn't receive a reply, he knocked his fist gently against the door. It immediately brought a reply.
"Mnnmefwwmmwfemf..wmefmwwwmfwfwef…mwmmumwfm!"
The sound was faint, but audible. Someone was inside, and somehow in distress. He could tell by the frantic muffled moans that whoever was inside reacted desperately to his knock.
"Um… do you need some help?" He asked, more firmly this time. The muffled voice immediately grew more excited, although it was slowly growing more tired. Naruto had to be quick.
"I'll… try to find a way in, so wait there, okay?"
With a critical eye, Naruto stared at the construction. The door was identical to his own room's door. The frame was as thick as a leg, and as sturdy as a beam. Thin iron strips ran horizontally along the surface, keeping the thick planks together and reinforcing the surface against a breach. His hand felt around the corners, but the hinges were on the other side of the wall.
'Shit. I can't find any flaws to this door. I could either crash down the door, or I could try to pick around the lock.'
However elaborate his ninja training, he had never received a course on lock picking. He fumbled around the opening, poking a toothpick around the hidden interior, but largely accomplishing nothing.
'There has got to be a better way!'
Frustrated, he tried to put his own key through the lock and hope it would turn. It didn't.
'Of course it wouldn't work.'
"Mhwmw mwhwhwe!..."
Desperate, he cycled through all his memories and whatever techniques he could manage with his current depleted reserves. While he dwelled on his most recent battles before he ended up in this world, his memory somehow persistently returned to the battle between him and Gamabunta against the giant raccoon.
'Why?'
Some part of his body just knew the answer lay in there. He didn't know what part of his body had suggested that, but he knew it was somehow right. He cycled through the events, revisiting memories of hot-blooded passion, of summoning dozens of Shadow Clones, of exhilarating in the power of summoning a small mountain-sized animal. He remembered the battle between giants, of Gaara's insanity, who finally fell asleep to unleash the full might of Ichibi. He had fought a race against time, desperate to wake Gaara up before the sand monster's cut-off hand crushed Sakura to death.
"You're going to have to keep a grip on him!"
"My body doesn't have the claws or horns to dig in to the enemy with!"
"Use the henge to change into something to have what we need!"
The transformation technique! Of course! A grin plastered on his face as he eagerly set about, but suddenly stopped as his mind hit a snag.
How could he transform his key into another key that would successfully unlock the door when he didn't know how it looked like? He touched the end of the inserted key, wondering how to get past this predicament.
What if he were to henge the end of the key in an oversized metal block? Would the parts of the block that overlapped the lock's components fail to materialize, leaving a fitting key behind?
It was a crazy idea, and a ridiculous one at that. He had never tested the limits of his jutsu. Sure, he'd transformed into naked girls once in a while back then, but that was hardly groundbreaking. He simply didn't know what would happen if he intended to transform something that would overlap an existing object. And even if the extra parts did disappear, there was no guarantee that the lock could be turned then and there. The locks in Konoha were certainly proofed against such a possibility.
But was it taken into account in this world as well?
Without trying, he wouldn't know.
Gingerly, he put his fingers together in the required hand sign while resting them against his key.
"Transformation Technique!"
A small poof appeared over the brass key, which rapidly cleared to reveal a seemingly identical key. Already Naruto could feel the last drops of his chakra seeping away from him to maintain the difficult transformation. He hastily grasped the end of the key and jerked his thumb and finger in a turn.
Click.
He pushed the door open, which creaked slightly as it turned on its heavy hinges. The interior of the room was a larger and more luxurious version of his own. There was an identical vertical slit, a larger and much more comfortable double bed, a working dresser and a small crude mirror hanging on the wall. A cheap red carpet warmed his feet as he stepped inside. As pleasant as the room was, only one single object occupied his mind. Naruto could only gape at the improbable sight before him.
In front of him was an unknown bound and gagged girl. Her black coursing hair was matted to her sweaty face and her tantalizingly violet eyes pleading up at him. She struggled at the ropes holding her limbs to the chair she was jumping on. Her white and blue dress was stained with dirt and was ripped in several places, revealing glimpses of pale skin. The girl muffled against her gag, begging Naruto to free her as he stared at the unhealthy pallor on her face.
'Oh shit.'
