Naruto rolled the Regular Soul Orb down the length of his arm until it reached his hand, where a quick flick of his wrist sent it skyward, arcing down into his other, awaiting hand, beginning it's path once again along his other arm, where it reached his shoulders.
A quick twist had it roll across his shoulder-blades and reach his other arm, continuing down until it once again reached his hand.
It continued in this loop a number of times as Naruto distracted himself, absent-mindedly training his Sleight of Hand skill.
His mind was not focused on the physical actions he was taking with the Soul Orb, and more on the implications of what he had at his proverbial and literal fingertips.
Naruto had the materials and the Soul Orbs to make a new summon. In fact, he might even be able to make a few new summons. The question was, why?
He supposed that, despite the fact that his Bound Souls showed personality, they were bound to his soul, and therefore not quite animals, so it wasn't like if he created them and then didn't use them he would be mistreating them. That, and logically, they didn't level up through means similar to him, so it wasn't like they were missing out on XP if they didn't come out to fight.
Naruto couldn't really see a reason as to not create more. He had the materials, the Soul Orbs, the motivation, and he couldn't see a negative.
Naruto decided to bite the bullet. It was better to be over-prepared now rather than under-prepared later, or at least, that was his line of thinking.
Next question was, which did he start with?
He had some drops from a King Taijitu, a Deathstalker, and a bunch from some Boarbatusks he'd killed, some time ago, too. Some of these had been in his inventory for months. Hell, he was pretty sure the Elder Deathstalker Chitin had been in his inventory since Initiation.
Naruto caught the Soul Orb in hand, quickly clasping it in both.
'Start from the top and work my way down. I've got no way of knowing what they bring, so might as well.'
It took him next to no time at all to carve the ritual into the ground in front of him, the clearing providing more than ample space, as it had many times before.
In the center, he placed the required amount of Soul Orbs, two Regular quality ones, and the Elder Taijitu Fang, and took a step back.
The commencement of the ritual was always slightly different, and the result was too, though that was more expected.
The glow began to get brighter, and brighter still, until it was blinding, surrounding Naruto in a pale, white light, and Naruto could feel something wrap around his arm, sliding up to his shoulder.
And, as suddenly as it began, it ceased, a snake of gold and white patterned scales coiled around his arm.
"Hello there," Naruto remarked, as the snake stuck its forked tongue out in response. "I guess you need a name, huh?"
The snake gave a slight hiss as its only response, and Naruto nodded to himself. He thought about it for a moment, and instinct directed him to a name, his mind unable to pull itself away.
"Ouroboros. Like it?"
The snake curled itself further up Naruto's arm, settling down its head on his other shoulder.
"Sorry to have to dismiss you soon, but I'm pretty sure the others would like to meet you. If they can. I actually don't know where you go when you're dismissed. Wow, that sounds morbid."
Ouroboros tasted the air, nonchalant.
"Like, it kind of sounds like death. Cause, I don't know what happens when you die, either, and so there's a kind of similarity, except I can bring you back. And Cadejo can bring himself out whenever he feels like it, but I think that's because he's mischievous. Alcmena and Callisto don't seem to care that much."
Ouroboros continued to stare.
"I'll, uh… just dismiss you now."
Like flicking a mental switch, Naruto watched as Ouroboros faded away into smoke, quickly evaporating into the air.
Before he moved onto the next ritual, he checked his notifications, noting a new perk.
[You've unlocked a new Perk!]
[Basilisk's Glare: Your connection with the soul of a King Taijitu allows you to have a chance to freeze targets in place for a moment, so long as they make eye contact, and you will it.]
That held a few interesting little uses. Succeeding in freezing someone right before landing an attack would be devastating.
The ritual sigil, still worn, would work again, so it saved Naruto from having to recarve it, though considering his current expertise with Terrakinesis, it wouldn't even be a particularly difficult thing to do. Instead, he reached into his inventory, taking the only piece of Deathstalker he possessed out, and placing it down.
With it he placed a staggering 10 Regular Soul Orbs, balancing them evenly in what could be approximately called a circle, and took a step back.
Much like the last time, the ritual circle began to glow, getting brighter and brighter, until the light began to coalesce, forming what looked almost like a small-cat-sized scorpion.
Black, iridescent chitin and two golden arcs etched into the back, the scorpion quickly scuttled along the ground, climbing up Naruto's leg, crossing his body, and settling into a firm grip on his left armwrap.
Naruto suppressed a shiver that never came, despite feeling like the scorpion would make him uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the soul connection he shared with the Bound Soul that made him at ease with it on him.
[You've unlocked a new Perk!]
[Chitinskin: Your connection with the soul of a Deathstalker gives you a kind of chitinous dermal layer, giving a small amount of physical protection.]
Naruto couldn't feel it, but it was there. Apparently.
He decided to stop poking himself in the chest and instead give his new companion a name, much like he had for Ouroboros.
And, much like before, the name sprung forth from the font of knowledge that was his mind.
"Ishara," Naruto let out, almost like an exhalation. The sensation of tiny pinpricks could be felt through the fabric he wore on his arms, and Ishara clambered around to face him, already beginning to disappear.
He watched as Ishara evaporated completely, the feeling of the scorpion vanishing almost distracting.
He reached into his inventory and grabbed the final two objects he needed to finish his summoning spree, at least, thus far.
A Boarbatusk Tusk and his only Greater Soul Orb as of that moment found themselves placed within the worn, scorched ritual circle, and Naruto, once more, took a step back.
He waited, breath abated, as, once again, the circle began to glow.
Brighter. Brighter still.
Then nothing aside from the standing form of a black boar, gleaming white tusks doing nothing to detract attention from the etched golden hair in the shape of twin crescents, the Uzumaki insignia.
Naruto knelt down onto one knee, arm outstretched as the boar snuffled into his open hand.
Another name sprung forth, from somewhere in the deep recesses of his subconscious. "Hey, Freyja. What've you brought to the table?"
Freyja brought another snuffle, and a notification.
[You've unlocked a new Perk!]
[Tracker's Instinct: Your connection with the soul of a Boarbatusk unlocks the Tracking skill for use.]
[You've unlocked a new Skill!]
[Tracking (Active): Thanks to the System, you are capable of tracking, using all sorts of means to track a potential target, like following footprints, trampled undergrowth and other similar means. Level MAX.]
Naruto gave Freyja a head-scratch, urging the snuffling boar into whatever alternate dimension or wherever it was his summons went when he dismissed them.
Was it inside his head?
It didn't matter all that much, to be fair.
With what amounted to an afterthought, Naruto constructed a chair beneath him with Terrakinesis as he sat, eyes browsing his listed inventory items.
Most of them weren't of any particular interest as of yet, some things he was planning on selling, some he would keep until he saw a use for them, and a few other miscellaneous things.
As he browsed, he set about creating a replacement Greater Soul Orb, realizing that the cost of which was significantly more Ambient Soul than any of the other orbs he'd been able to create thus far, and considering he hadn't noticed last time, he had to accept the conclusion that more densely populated areas had higher Ambient Soul.
"Grade IV Lightning Dust, Alpha Beowolf Spines, Iron Ore…" Naruto trailed off, eyes drawn away to something else.
"Grade III Metal Dust…"
Naruto shot up out of his makeshift earthen chair, already pulling the sharp crystal out of his inventory and placing it on the somewhat-damaged ritual circle, an idea forming.
Alongside it he placed what he knew the ritual would require, depositing a Minor Soul Orb next to the crystal as he shook the blood from his finger, having accidentally cut it open on the Dust.
It had healed before he'd noticed, but that didn't stop the residue of blood left over on his finger from being, well, left over. He continued to ignore it, though, and stepped back, hoping that it would work.
Work was exactly what it did. The crystal began to vibrate and shine, increasing in intensity as he took another pace backwards.
Naruto watched in awe as Platinus, the Metal Elemental formed in front of him, sharpened crystals clinking and grinding as they formed the metallic, humanoid figure.
[You've gained a new summon!]
[Platinus]
[Metal Elemental]
[Shard]
[Harden (Active): Thanks to the System, your Metal Elemental is capable of hardening to a point where it is effectively impenetrable. Level 1; XP 0/12.]
[A title has ranked up!]
[Soul Tamer Adept is now Soul Tamer Expert!]
[8/16 Souls Bound to next Rank.]
Naruto had to physically shut his jaw with his hand under the onslaught of awesome that was Platinus.
To be fair, all his summons were pretty cool, but Platinus just… shone. It's metallic sheen refracted light in that metallic kind of way, the one that always looked really, really cool in movies. Those movies, with the blade that always seems to shine in the light, that glint that makes it look all the more intimidating.
That kind of sheen.
Platinus was currently kneeling in the dirt, and Naruto mentally bid it to rise, to which it followed the instruction with ease, which came as no surprise to Naruto. If it had struggled, well, Naruto would be more than a little concerned.
Now that Naruto thought about it, however, mind still lingering on the shine Platinus gave off, the metal it was made of was almost impossibly familiar.
Naruto looked to his own blade, drawing it out of its sheath, and inspecting it closely.
Had he ever Observed Crocea Mors before? He couldn't remember if he had or not, and considering there was quite literally no downside to doing so, he decided to.
[Crocea Mors (Longsword)]
[Primary Weapon]
[A simple blade, bearing minor scratches. The blade has never dulled, however, and it feels like there is something... more. The blade appears to be made out of a high-quality Dust Alloy of some kind.]
A few parts of that little description caught his eye, but he realised that his minimal hypothesis was onto something. If Crocea Mors blade was made of some kind of Dust Alloy, and Platinus's Metal Dust looked familiar, well, two plus two did tend to equal four…
Of course, as with all things that involved Naruto, he found himself on a tangent without end.
"Something more?" He asked aloud, as if the nature that surrounded him would be enough to answer.
It was not, though that was not any kind of surprise.
What was a surprise was the shock of a notification, another one, popping up, and making him jump.
[Quest Created!]
[Family Heirlooms]
[Discover the secret behind Crocea Mors.]
[?]
That… didn't exactly give a whole lot of information. Man, what he'd give for a walkthrough.
"Something to keep in mind, I guess," Naruto remarked, sheathing the blade. A quick nod to Platinus had the elemental crumble into nothingness, dismissed, and soon Naruto turned about-face, heading towards the staircase that would take him back up to Beacon.
Already the early-morning sun had risen above the horizon, and birds were chirping their morning calls.
All in all, it had the building blocks to be a peaceful day on Remnant.
Almost a shame it was going to be filled with over-the-top announcing of the world's biggest combat tournament's second round of fights.
Almost.
"Naruto, over here! We saved you a seat!"
Naruto was quick to locate Yang's voice, gently shoving past a few people to take the proffered seat. "Thanks. Didn't realize it had gotten so late."
"What were you doing, Naruto-Naruto? Messing around with lightning again?" Nora asked, leaning over Yang to peer at Naruto, a conspiratory expression on her face.
Naruto let out a laugh, but shook his head. "Nothing that dangerous this morning. Just rounding off a few things, checking off stuff from the ever-growing to-do list."
Yang let out an exaggerated shrug. "Can't say I envy all that organizing stuff. I figure I had your semblance, I'd just wing it, see where it takes me."
"Yeah, and Weiss would spend all her time organizing and not actually progressing, and Ruby would focus completely on Crafting, and Nora would immediately focus on making the biggest explosion she could, and Blake and Pyrrha… would do something smart, probably."
Blake, sitting behind him, raised an eyebrow. "At least you've grasped my personality somewhat."
Weiss, however, seemed unamused, sat next to her partner. "For your information, Uzumaki, I'd be more likely to experiment much in the same way as you, though not quite as radical nor as self-endangering."
Naruto had to accept that point. "I did get hurt quite a bit in the beginning. That wasn't as fun as it sounds."
Seven of their typical eight watched in amusement as Ruby practically evicted the chair next to Naruto, taking it as her seat. "Pretty sure we all got a little bruised up when we first discovered our semblances. I definitely hit a lot of trees. Turns out the go-fast part is the easy part. Stopping is the hard part."
Naruto laughed, the mental image of Ruby running full-pelt into a tree too comical not to laugh at.
Her pout did nothing to prevent him from continuing, but he regained control quickly. "I mean, I get that, but if it wasn't for the whole regeneration thing, I'd be a cripple ten times over by now. Remember that time I literally jumped inside a King Taijitu?"
The assembled group nodded, and Ruby blushed hard. "A little too well…" She murmured under her breath, Blake choking on air as she accidentally overheard.
"Yeah, turns out King Taijitu have strong acidic saliva. That stuff burns. Really badly. Not just clothes, which was awkward, and armor, which was annoying, but skin and flesh, which really, really hurts. Don't do it, just a recommendation."
"Pretty sure any of us could've told you that, idiot," Yang remarked.
"I resent that."
Ren, ever the voice of reason, spoke up. "I believe they're about to announce the first match-up. Perhaps we should pay attention?"
Almost as if on cue, Oobleck's voice began to blare out through the stadium's speakers.
"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, to the second day of the 40th Vytal Tournament! Today we're pleased to be back announcing the doubles rounds, and Peter Port and I will begin by calling out our first round!"
"Ho ho! Today is bound to be an exciting series of matches as we dive right in! But, before we announce who will be fighting who, let's remind our audience of which teams are still in the competition!"
"Right you are! After a gruelling set of matches yesterday, we're left with eight teams to compete for their spots in the third round! We have Team AWBN, Team CFVY, Team COPR, Team CRDL, Team EMBR, Team FNKI, Team RRYN and Team SSSN! Now, Peter, if you would be so kind as to announce our first matchup today!"
Port nodded, a beaming smile underneath his bushy moustache, as he pressed a button on the desk in front of him.
The holographic projection began to spin, humming as it sped up, only to slow down on two names.
"Team RRYN vs Team FNKI! Our contenders had best get ready for a tough fight!"
"It's us!" Nora cheered, bounding up and out of her seat, grabbing Yang by the wrist and effectively yanking her out of her chair.
"Woah, easy! I don't wanna be out of Aura before I make it down there!" Yang exclaimed, managing to free her arm from her teammates grasp. "Anyone watch them before, anything we can expect from these guys?"
Naruto shrugged. "I caught their match, nothing particularly special. One guy fought with a trumpet, that was… odd. They didn't show anything off, though, so I think they're keeping things close to their chest."
"Good luck sis, good luck partner!" Ruby cheered from her seat. "We're all rooting for you!"
Yang and Nora both bumped fists before making their way out of the stands.
"Wow! You two look like you pack a punch!"
Yang and Nora shared a glance before returning their gaze to their two opponents.
"Uh, thanks?" Yang replied, a little nonplussed.
"Don't worry about Neon, she's too talkative for her own good. Good luck, I guess."
Both the opponents stood almost directly in competition with each other, one with bright orange hair and a tattoo down the arm, and the other smartly dressed, a stylish hat and sunglasses only adding to the oddity that was the two students from supposedly strict Atlas.
"Yeah! Break your legs!" Nora exclaimed.
Yang looked to her teammate. "Isn't it 'break a leg'?"
Nora's only response was to widen her grin, and Yang found herself unsurprised by the ginger hammer-maiden.
All four competitors began to watch as the wheel began to spin, waiting to see the environments that would be selected.
Desert, then Fire Plains, then Forest, and then, finally, Stormy Mountain.
Yang and Nora shared another glance.
"Oh, hell yeah."
Six people in the stands simultaneously winced.
Flynt Coal and Neon Katt had no idea exactly what was awaiting them in this coming conflict.
A trumpet was a surprisingly versatile weapon.
That was definitely not at all what Yang had planned on coming to mind as she found herself straining against the Sonic Dust-powered brass instrument that threatened to blow her away, all the while Nora was becoming more and more irate as she struggled to catch up with the roller-skating, nunchuck-wielding, party-hardering Faunus that continued to evade capture.
So far neither team had taken any considerable damage to their Aura, which was frustrating, and nor did it look like they were getting close to a ring-out.
This was dragging on, and it wasn't just the audience that was getting bored.
So Yang allowed herself to get angry.
Lilac flickered to crimson, and she leapt, discharging shotgun shells behind her over and over again until she reached Flynt, fist cocked.
It never connected as the force of the trumpet quadrupled, as did the sound.
"Oh, looks like Mr Coal has used his semblance, Killer Quartet!" Oobleck announced, all the while Yang found herself impacting against a tree, cracking the log behind her back.
"Nora! We gotta do something about this guy!" She shouted, grimacing as the sound blotted out her voice, already cacophonous.
Yang was effectively alone, unable to call for backup.
She allowed herself to get angrier.
"I'm not about to back down to some two-bit trumpet-playing asshole who doesn't even sound good!" Yang shouted at the top of her lungs. Sure, it wasn't her greatest comeback, but this was about to be.
Two movements had her gain ground on the quartet. The first, an incendiary shell igniting a patch of Fire Dust near where the purple Flynt stood, knocking him and the other three off balance.
The second movement had Yang replicate her prior motions, though this time, powered by pure rage, excess semblance damage, and raw, unadulterated spite for bad jazz, Yang connected.
And clamped her hands down on the end of the trumpet, effectively sealing it shut.
Suddenly, there was really only one way for the sound to go, and Flynt, congealed into the singular form, found himself flipping head over heels backwards, only to have Yang's fist connect with his midsection mid-air, and launch him straight into the arena barrier, with a groan.
On the other side of the arena, Nora's hammer missed again. Nora shouted in frustration, and despite her shout containing absolutely no understandable syllables, Neon let out a laugh.
"Hey, you're kinda pretty when you're angry! Maybe you should stop missing and try to hit me?"
This time, Nora's voice carried perfectly understandable words, ones that made Neon pale somewhat.
"Uh… sorry? No need to get so flustered."
Nora fired a grenade, which was easily dodged by the mobile Faunus. "Are you even trying?"
Nora relaxed, holding Magnhild in one hand. "Okay, colors. You want me to hit you?"
Neon skidded to a stop, taking the opportunity to leer at her opponent. "I want you to try, at least!"
Nora lifted her hammer above her head, and stepped backwards a single pace.
"Pfft. You're gonna get yourself struck by lightning, shortstack! Good try, I can see why you'd give up!"
Nora's smile widened until it was almost frantic.
Neon lost her smile as Nora was struck by all one billion volts of a single strike of lightning, and instead of keeling over, met her eyes.
"Neat trick! Gonna need more than some sparks to take me down!"
Nora twirled Magnhild delicately, uncaring of the weight of the weapon. "And people say I don't stop talking. Shut up."
With that, the match ended.
Or, at least, Neon found her chest met with the blunt end of a hammer, and felt at least one rib crack as her entire Aura shattered underneath the power of the strike that drove her half a meter into the hill behind her.
Then the match ended.
"Damn," Naruto remarked, staring somewhat wide-eyed at the end of the match.
"Yeah…" Ruby echoed, as starstruck as Naruto felt.
"I know CRDL aren't strong, but Penny just took Cardin and Russel out in like, one hit."
"That… yeah. She just kinda hit them with a rock. And I thought Yang and Nora knew how to hurt their opponents."
Naruto shrugged. "To be fair, I don't think Neon will be getting out of the infirmary for at least a day."
Ruby winced. "There's a reason why we keep Ren near her at all times. Less collateral damage."
Naruto had to admit that was a good idea. He then proceeded to imagine Nora without Ren, and suddenly realised that he would be the second strangest occurrence at Beacon. It was almost like imagining night without day.
"So, lunch?" Ruby asked. "I know you only stuck around with me to catch Penny's match, so everyone's probably already eaten, but we can probably find somewhere!"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Ruby, I didn't 'stick around'. I really do like spending time with you. Besides, watching Penny fight is always an experience."
Ruby practically glowed. "Yeah, Penny's pretty badass. C'mon, let's go!"
Naruto and Ruby wandered off into the expansive crowds at the 40th Annual Vytal Festival, to enjoy each other's company in the presence of good food and great atmosphere.
"How are things progressing, Emerald?"
Emerald stood straight-backed and unflinching as Professor Aurum, sat behind her desk, gazed intensely at her student.
"Things are proceeding as planned, Ma'am. Ironwood and Ozpin are on guard from an external attack, and their pet attack dogs are still following the wrong trail. The false lead Roman gave them has taken them out of Vale and to an abandoned staging area."
Cinder Fall nodded, picking up her scroll from her desk. "Some interesting information concerning the General has appeared, and I believe they have picked their maiden candidate. How are Neo and our White Fang plant performing?"
At this, Emerald appeared to slump ever-so-imperceptibly. "Marseille is blending in, and keeping an eye on RRYN. Neo has chosen to remain in our dorm room, though that doesn't come as too much of a surprise. I'm surprised she can stand to be around Mercury, though."
"And of our priority team, AWBN?"
"His summoning semblance is… interesting. He's increased his arsenal, and seems to only be getting stronger with every passing minute. He has a number of weaknesses, though. Mostly in the form of his friends and teammates, but Rose appears to be his biggest."
"The silver-eyed protégé and the secret summoner, hm? Good work, Emerald. Continue watching, we may yet learn something of import. Oh, and send word to Adam. His time is coming, and he'd best be ready."
Emerald nodded. "At once, Ma'am. Thank you."
Cinder waited until Emerald left before allowing herself a smile. "Such gifts, mistress. What a pleasant surprise."