The inn was just like the rest of Frostwreath. Just a bit too cold, a little rickety, and just a bit too small, though that could probably be attributed to the fact that the four of them were sharing a room.
Not exactly by choice, but with only one room available, it wasn't like there were many other options. They fit, with Naruto opting not to take one of the two beds, and with Penny pointing out that technically, she didn't need one.
Naruto leaned back against the bedframe Blake had claimed, running his hand gently down Maya's neck as Blake handed him her scroll.
"That's the place Harley Zaffre is known to spend a good portion of his time," She said, adjusting her position against the wall, shifting the pillow behind her. "He's likely to have a few friends in there, so we're probably better off not trying to grab him inside the place."
Naruto agreed with that sentiment. "Yeah, a bar full of thugs and criminals, including ones with Aura, probably not a good idea to just barge in and grab the guy. At least, not if we want to limit collateral damage. I'd rather not be paying for property damages."
"I still say we kill him," Ilia stated, gently running a cloth down her weapon. "It says 'if he engages', not 'as we decide'. If he resists arrest, we eliminate him. I said it before, that's the law here. And in most places."
"And I don't want any more death on my conscience, Ilia," Blake answered hotly, folding her arms. "There was more than enough in the Fang. We can easily detain him."
"Look, let's compromise. We'll detain him, as planned, but if things go wrong, and it's a choice between failure and success, I'll choose success. I don't want to kill anybody, but if I have to…"
Naruto let the statement hang in the air, his words bringing an end to the discussion, even if he had more to say. "If it comes to it, I'll pull the trigger myself. My semblance has pretty much made it so I won't feel guilty anyway. Not that I'm a fan of it adjusting my mental state, but that's not something I really get a say in. Am I clear?"
Ilia nodded, turning back to her weapon once more. Blake seemed less inclined to agree, but decided to redirect the conversation. "How bad is it?"
"What?"
She redefined her question. "How much has your semblance affected your mental state? You just said-"
He interrupted her concern. "It's fine. It's never been an issue before. All it does is make me able to make hard decisions in tough situations. It's only ever come in handy, Blake."
"And it's not making you feel… differently?"
"No. All it does is help clear my mind in times of stress, so I can think clearly. It's not making me irrational, or unemotional, or murderous, Blake. Trust me, you'd be the first to know if I was acting differently."
His words seemed to dissuade Blake of her sudden worries, and she relaxed back into the pillow as Maya got up from where she'd been laid out, hopping deftly onto the bed and curling up against Blake's side, laying her head on Blake's lap.
Naruto got to his feet at the same time, stretching. "Think I might go for a walk, see the sights. Get some sleep if you can, both of you. We've got a long day ahead of us."
Blake nodded, and Ilia huffed in agreement, setting her weapon under her own pillow, leaning back.
He closed the door behind him, letting it click shut, and headed downstairs into the inn's bar and dining area, where he could see Penny enjoying a sizable dinner of steaming beef stew, a smile on her face.
He closed the distance between the stairs and the cubicle Penny had claimed for herself, and he could see the ginger girl waving in his direction.
He returned the wave briefly. "Hey Penny. I'm just going for a walk, don't wait up for me. I'll be back later."
"Of course! Although, I technically have no choice in waiting up for you, as I don't technically require sleep!"
Naruto couldn't help but let a rueful grin cross his face. "I guess not. Still, you should probably get whatever kind of rest it is you need. Who knows if you'll need it tomorrow."
"Then I'll make sure to do so, Friend Naruto! Have a nice walk!"
He waved a temporary farewell to Penny as he stepped out into the snow-patched streets of Frostwreath, giving his surroundings a quick check as he began walking further into the patchwork street, temperatures fluctuating as he passed from one heat-lamp to the next, far more sparsely lined than they had been in Atlas, and even Mantle.
Frostwreath was not a town of stupendous luxury like Atlas, or dense infrastructure like Mantle, and out of any of the places Naruto had been, it was quite honestly a lot more like Kuo Kuana than he suspected many of the people living here wanted to admit.
Unlike Kuo Kuana, however, aside from the climate, of course, Frostwreath featured two sights that could definitely draw the eye. The first was the dungeon raid High Tower, which, as the name suggested, towered high over the horizon to the north-east, and though it was hard to make out details at this distance, it was clearly larger than any other structure in the nearby surroundings.
Even the second sight of Frostwreath was dwarfed by it, but that didn't mean that the military facility hadn't tried. They'd failed miserably, but they were still the second biggest structure by a landslide.
He kept walking, thankfully near unaffected by the freezing wind and flaky, wet snow that fell across the road and other assorted surfaces. It would only grow in intensity as the night went on, according to what the inn's bartender had said, but for now it was still perfectly bearable.
The tower grew closer and closer with each step, which thankfully had been his intention, and the massive tower wasn't somehow moving towards him like it had grown legs like some tall, vertical insect scuttling across the terrain.
He paused mid-step, shaking his head in confusion. Why his imagination had carried him down that path would forever be a mystery.
Regardless of his mild insect-based paranoia, the High Tower still seemed to want to draw Naruto towards it, and who was he to refuse such convincing summons?
The surrounding area of High Tower wasn't fenced off in the same way that a wall wasn't technically a fence.
Sure, it was walled off, but that was a technicality he could argue at a later date, when he wasn't trespassing on a military-enforced compound around an ancient tower that was, at least as far as his semblance was indicating, a highly dangerous dungeon.
Which, interestingly enough, nobody had actually ever managed to enter. Whether or not that meant Naruto would be able to be the first, or he'd be just as stumped as every other scientist, archaeologist or other-related-profession, well, that was entirely up in the air.
There was, of course, only one way to find out.
Well, there was more than one way, but this was the fastest, required the least amount of explanation, and blew his cover the least, in that the only way it would involve any of the three was if he got caught.
He was also hoping not to get caught, sensibly. Not sensible enough to not trespass, of course, but enough to know that getting caught would be particularly difficult to explain. And then he'd have to explain why he went wandering to Blake, and that was going to be even more difficult.
She'd also probably call him an idiot, which he'd probably deserve, were he to get caught.
He didn't even bother trying to vault the tall compound wall, instead pressing his hand against the stonework and concentrating, Terrakinesis warping the concrete slowly to allow him passage, which in turn he sealed behind him, yet another application of his earth-manipulating magics making it seem as if he'd never been there.
In fact, it almost seemed too smooth. A close inspection by a crew of professional geologists would be able to pick out the significant lack of flaws in the texture, but there wasn't any way Naruto was anywhere near a bunch of professional geologists, being inside a military encampment that protected an ancient archaeological marvel.
Instead of being concerned about the incredibly faint traces he was leaving behind, he instead was focused on moving further into the compound, quiet steps carrying him deeper past rapidly-assembled prebuilts, worn age showing behind old, fractured paint and weather-damaged steps.
The tower stood in stark contrast to the surrounding constructs, gleaming metal silver, and yet despite the low, artificial light, Naruto could see almost a faint hint of red in it, almost like thin veins of some other material running amongst grey and white.
Old, decayed pieces of machinery, more rubble and refuse than actual usable parts, lay rusting on the icy ground nearby one portion of the tower, alongside some not-so-insignificant scorch marks, and Naruto knelt down, lifting an old drill bit that looked like it had been used for so long that the end had completely flattened.
The tower didn't even have a scratch on it.
He wasn't normally much of a detective, but from the evidence in front of him, something funky was going on.
He placed his hand against the surface of High Tower, attempting once more to mold a passage, but unlike the concrete wall of the military compound, Naruto felt no connection, nothing to even try to push his Mana into. It was almost like touching a void with his mind, with how much the tower rejected any kind of Terrakinesis.
He switched up his strategy, instead trying Ferrokinesis, which proved to be somewhat less disconcerting. He still couldn't actually manipulate the materials beneath his fingertips, but he at least knew that they were metallic in nature. Not a metal he could alter, at least, not at Ferrokinesis' current level, but that didn't come as too much of a surprise, considering that Ferrokinesis wasn't a high level to begin with.
He frowned, taking a step back. If he couldn't move the tower, maybe…
He concentrated, focusing inwards and stepping forwards, feeling the odd feeling of Phaseshift wash over his body, that sort-of underwater sensation of the world not quite existing around him as he passed through the metallic walls of High Tower.
Once he ceased Phaseshift, the world around him returned to a more normal feeling, and his vision was restored to a more standard perception, allowing him to actually take in the sights.
The very same silvery-red metal lined the internal walls, but that was hardly what drew Naruto's eye. What did was the pair of curved staircases, banisters in gold and silver, marked with precious gemstones on each step, arching up to a central dias that sat raised above the rest of the large, cylindrical room, a faint thrum of energy pulsating out from the center like a heartbeat.
He took a careful step forward, the ground a series of complicated shapes etched in mosaic, mismatched and haphazard.
If he was right, no living soul had been inside this tower in many, many years, and he figured that treading carefully was possibly the smartest decision he could make.
No one knew he was here, not even his friends. Then and there, before he could go any further into the ancient raid dungeon, Naruto decided that if anything looked to be remotely threatening, he'd pull out without complaint.
He was only exploring out of curiosity and boredom, and also some kind of external motivation, a draw that had led him here to begin with.
The System wanted him here, or at least something that knew of the System did, he wouldn't have been pulled this way if it hadn't.
He took another step, and another, until he was walking, the central pillar pulsing, radiating a nearly imperceptible sense of energy that seemed to grow in intensity the closer he got.
Another step set something off, the whirring of gears and clicking of mechanics ringing out as a panel on the central pillar cracked into two, sliding swiftly both left and right to reveal a slot of some kind, almost like a housing for something.
The housing was empty, much to his rapidly-peaking interest, and he quickly looked around for something, anything that looked like it might fit.
He took to the stairs, climbing up them to check for items, only to quickly draw Crocea Mors and swing the blade, not giving the Husk a moment to even react to his presence as he cut its head clean off its rotted body, letting it sag back down from where it had only just begun to stand.
The thud of the rapidly fading head was accompanied by the sound of a light chime, like a wine glass being gently tapped by a table knife, and Naruto found his eyes drawn to where the sound was coming from.
He quickly ducked down and grabbed the small glass lens from where it had fallen, having dropped from the grip of the putrid Husk, and gently brushed it against his shirt, wiping a small mark from its surface.
Sheathing Crocea Mors, Naruto descended the stairs once more, back to the base of the central pillar, and after a brief assessment of both the housing and the lens he'd just retrieved, he placed the latter within the former, and took a step back.
He also decided it might be wise to cover his eyes as a beam of pure white light lit up from within the pillar, hitting the lens and widening to a greater, bluer tone that continued up, shining out from the top of the pillar.
The pulsating grew stronger, thrumming harder and bassier, the vibrations that carried through the mosaic tiles on the floor shifting them to form another image, this one even less clear than the mess before.
It also came with a notification, which he quickly read.
[High Tower: Floor 1 Cleared!]
[A reward has appeared!]
[You've gained 236,250 XP and 413 Lien! You've acquired 1 Husk Cadaver!]
He dismissed the notification, moving back up the stairs to where the pillar was emitting light, noting that before he could actually stick anything into said beam of light, first he'd have to deal with the crimson-trimmed chest that sat in front of it.
Warily, he gave the dark wooden storage a kick. When it didn't react, he gave it a second, perfunctory kick, and then a prod with Crocea Mors.
Now convinced it wasn't a Mimic, he knelt down and reached into his inventory, snagging one of his Crimson Keys and inserting it into the bronze lock, twisting it until it clicked, the key fading into obscurity now that its task had been completed.
Quickly, he took the contents of the chest and deposited it into his inventory, not even noticing the actual contents, instead waiting for the more understandable list that would pop up as a notification in but a moment.
[You have opened a Crimson Chest containing; 11 Tin Ore, 1 Hearthstone and 1 Viridis Vial!]
He dismissed it, disappointed but unsurprised, and instead turned his attention to the beam of light that shone in front of him, just past the already faded chest.
It spoke to him, in a less than explainable way. Like some kind of trance, he felt himself step towards it, and he could sense some kind of ideal from within the light.
What kind of feeling he was feeling could only be described by a single word; 'up', and despite knowing that that made absolutely no real sense, it was still that same sensation that pulsed in and out in rhythm, beating much like a heart.
In spite of all the media he'd consumed over his entire life where they always said not to go towards the light, Naruto did exactly that, stepping into the beam of light, and feeling the world fade away.
All that was left was that same sense of 'up'. So he committed, and ascended.
It was a confusing sensation, all light and no feeling, and he closed his eyes tight as reality seemed to bend around him.
When he felt himself shift back to normality, he opened his eyes from the blinding light, stepping out from the beam into a different room.
Shelving littered the rotund tower room, all devoid of any contents, just empty metal racks arranged haphazardly.
As he took another step out of the tower beam, his Sixth Sense fired up, the hair on the back of his neck standing to attention.
Either side of the room stood a large Alpha Manticore, staring unmoving at where he was stood, slowly reaching for Crocea Mors.
The blade slid free of the shielth without complaint, as both Manticore stood, wings unfurling and a deep, fiery glow beginning to increase in luminance from their maws, twin snarls sounding out as fang and claw found themselves being bared at the intruder.
Naruto, the intruder in question in a surprisingly large amount of scenarios, steadied his grip on his sword, other hand flexing as he prepared, Mana pre-channeled and ready, power at the tips of his fingers.
Both Manticores leapt towards him, and Naruto couldn't help the grin that crossed his face.
It was late. Or, er, early, depending on how he chose to look at it. The Manticores had proven to be less of a threat than expected, even if they had been remarkably tanky.
They hit hard, and took even harder hits, but considering Naruto was more than competent when it came to avoiding their attacks, it was really only a battle of attrition, and if there was one thing Naruto had over any other opponent, it was an advantage in attrition. Several, in fact.
He'd leveled from the XP gained, gaining the typical five stat points that came with a level, and completed the floor, having checked the Citrine Chest that had spawned right in front of the brighter, longer beam of light to see if it was a Mimic.
Luckily it wasn't some kind of monstrous Grimm-chest hybrid, though unluckily he didn't have a Citrine Key, so he just tossed the entire chest into his inventory.
He rubbed his eyes with his palms, letting out a yawn and a stretch. He had a choice to make, either continue further, or to turn back and try and get some sleep before he'd have to get up and figure out the day's plan.
He stepped back into the beam of light, this time descending instead of ascending, the glowing supernatural elevator easily carrying him back down to the first floor, but he could feel a further pull, and he allowed it to take him, opening his eyes to the slowly-brightening sky, the chill in the air hitting exposed skin.
He rubbed his eyes once more, carefully checking his surroundings. Still no guards in sight, at least, not close enough to make him out. If he peered into the distance he could definitely make out the slight blurs of a few guards standing on duty on the compound's guardposts, but it was still dark enough that it was only barely.
Tired or not, he wasn't planning on sticking around within the compound to get caught and interrogated, so he quickly retraced his earlier steps, following the same path he'd taken to get to High Tower from the outskirts of the military encampment, keeping a wary eye out for passers-by, whether they were soldiers, scientists, or anything in between.
His retreat was more eventful this time around, even if it was only by a slight increment, having to duck behind a tent as a small cluster of soldiers patrolled past him, eyes facing forward under armored helmets.
He held his breath and steadied his position, waiting patiently for the guards to be out of earshot before he resumed his movement, roughly-coated powdered snow covered in footprints getting a new pair of his own as he kept his pace neutral.
No one would know there had been an intruder, and there would be no reason to suspect anything had gone amiss, because technically nothing had. Trespassing, as it turned out, was a rather harmless crime. One he'd not really committed before, but one he found came quite naturally.
Now he just had to hope his mother had been wrong when she'd said that any crime was a gateway, a slippery slope that could lead to becoming a terrible criminal. Or, well, a terrible person who happened to be a criminal. Not a terrible criminal, unless he got caught trespassing and arrested. Then he would be a terrible criminal, in the sense that he'd done a poor job.
Of course, his mother might've been onto something, considering he was currently planning to kidnap and murder a high-ranking socialite. Well, fake murder. And he doubted Weiss viewed herself as a 'high-ranking socialite', and it'd been her idea in the first place, so maybe there wasn't anything to really worry about.
He Phaseshifted through the compound without so much as a second thought, almost surprised by how second-nature it was to simply walk through solid objects, and increased his pace, his destination the inn they'd been staying at.
His night hadn't been a waste, and he'd still have some time to get some sleep in, so that was all well and good, and combining that with the fact that he'd managed to get inside a Dungeon was an additional benefit. The XP alone meant the night had been worth the effort. He was going to need all the experience he could get for when they put their plan into action, and it was also what Naruto was saving his Stat Points for. Emergency rations of a sort, he supposed, retracing his steps down Frostwreath's thoroughfare.
If he ran into a situation where he desperately needed a little extra boost, be it a skill requirement or a perk, or even just raw stats, any little bit would be more than appreciated. It might even be the deciding factor between success and failure.
That was, of course, if everything went poorly. If it all went to plan, they'd be all fine and good without so much as an encounter, but that was only if everything went exactly to plan, perfectly.
If there was anything Naruto had learned over the time he'd had his semblance, it was that no plan ever survived contact with the enemy, and that there was no such thing as over-preparation.
He'd been under-prepared for the attack on Beacon, and it had cost not only him, but everyone. He wasn't shouldering the whole burden, the attack hadn't been his fault, but he felt partially responsible nonetheless.
Survivor's guilt, he supposed. He was just lucky System Mind practically made him immune to PTSD, because by now he was sure to have developed a little bit of it, even if just one symptom.
Not that he was entirely familiar with how that sort of thing worked, or if he even was immune to it. He was, as usual, just guessing.
He quietly closed the door to the inn behind him, cutting off the only source of chill air that had flooded into the warm, if dim, inn main area, a low fire crackling in the fireplace. No one had tended it in a few hours, probably not since a little after he left, but that was, assumedly, typical.
Blake and Ilia had the only beds in their room, and so Naruto silently closed their door, taking the pillow Blake had left on the floor for him and laying down, the spare blanket the innkeeper had provided him being all the comfort he needed to begin to drift off.
The dark spectre of sleep overtook his mind and body in a matter of moments, and he found himself dreaming of warmer, better, more peaceful days.