Hi everyone, this is the 4rth chapter of this fic of mine. Hope I aint boring ya to death. Thanks for all your reviews, both positive and negative as they help me improve there are a few I'd like to address. Well, I won't reference em directly but there are a few things.
First of all, don't tell me to add anyone. I am not entertaining any of that because a lot people will go crazy and add 20 girls and shit. Listen, if you wanna see that then write your own story where people are just gonna submit and go omg , your dick is gigantic omg its penetrating my womb, omg u came so much you made look 9 months pregnant, omg you are strong so I'll guzzle ya cum, omg you are super famous so you'll have 20 gfs (Only realistic one here but they all gold diggers.)
I personally don't anything see wrong with polygamy as long as its consensual. I also don't have a problem with homosexuals or pan sexuals. It's 2021, why do you care where someone's dick goes? Like goodness bruh, get over yourself lol or maybe I'm the trippy one. I suppose I am as my morality is twisted. Eyy, it ez wat it ez ya know.
Anyway, I digress, I am gonna cap it at 6 maybe drop it to 5 because I want the relationships to be realistic to an extent. Having too many cards in the game won't work at all because forming solid bonds with a shit tonne of people is next to impossible so I ain't putting ma self through that nope.
Oh yeah, if you have read my other fics you will know that I don't give lemon warnings because I feel as though it shatters the flow. There will definitely be yuri here so to respect people who really hate it, I will warn you. I am not gonna tell ya how I will approach the harem but... Actually, I already gave you a clue as to how Naruto's group will work.
You guys are aware of that spoiler where it turned out that Freya is [Redacted]. If you know, you know I guess. So anyway this the list, Imma mention it again.
Aiz
Freya
Riv
Lef
Ryu
Tiona
Done, no more than this though I am tempted to swapped out the amazon for Aimid because she will appear frequently. Maybe I raise the cap? (Eye emoji)
One dimensional comments. Good chapter, I hope you do this and that, bad chapter etc. I appreciate the reviews but these don't tell me anything. If its good then what made it good? If it's bad then what made it bad? The "I hope" comments, do I need to say anything?
There are lots of things you can tell me about, like your grammar is really bad so do A, B and C to improve it. Your sentence structure is flawed so here is a tip... I didn't like that you... because... Your use of tense is wack (I know, I am still working on that. Time is hard to come by ya know?)
This feels forced... because... etc
Yeah, that should be it. If you feel that you need to comment on this but wanna read the chapter first then I'll remind ya at the end. My apologies for grammar, it's a little worse than usual. Anyway, enjoy.
Chapter 4
Naruto's pupils condensed in an attempt to reduce the amount of light entering them, but it was in vain, leading to his arm being raised to hide the sun. "It's already morning," he thought to himself. After turning down his advisor's offer to cure his wounds, the child had just walked out of one of the Guild's headquarters buildings.
He didn't need the attention because his hyper-accelerated healing factor was developing a formidable immune system as a byproduct. Even when he opted to stop his body from repairing itself, this side effect kept wounds from festering. This ability only applied to his rapid regeneration, implying that he didn't actually stop healing, but simply delayed it to the point where he appeared normal... Who has the ability to heal wounds faster than normal...
The preliminary duty he had assigned himself to aid him in managing time was to leave the dungeon and come to the guild. The diary provided precise graphs showing how active people were at various times of the day. Making use of this information
Many of Orario's populus were adventurers, and they satisfied their demands by visiting the dungeon. Because the dungeon is so deadly, there is a great demand for weaponry and armour to defend those who venture inside. This demand naturally meant that people went to weapons and armour stores to either buy new gear or have their existing gear serviced as an auxiliary to maintain the item's effectiveness and increase its life cycle.
A migraine jolted Naruto out of his daydream, leading him to place the back of his hand on his mask's brow. Naruto grimaced at the impulse, recalling that he couldn't touch his own face because it was shielded by the porous barrier.
While his stay at the Guild was considerably shorter than he had anticipated due to his erroneous notion that people would just ignore him. Instead, they offered him their places in line, thinking that the sooner he finished his trade, the sooner he would receive assistance. The time reduction was appreciated, but the looks were not.
The noisy fluttering of cloth was preceded by a shadow devouring Naruto's average frame greedily. Naruto felt a familiar warmth caressing his shoulders and a cold air as his cloak manifested and joined his hood in protecting him from the outside world. "Now you've decided to appear," he said, his eye twitching before ceasing.
He studied his surroundings as he walked down the street, looking for anyone who could witness his next move. When he couldn't find anyone, he dashed into a nearby alley at the speed of a cat and the silence of an owl's wings. The boys pushed off the balls of his feet and landed on the roof of a nearby building.
The reason why Naruto prefers to travel via hopping off the roofs of buildings is the traffic that occupied much of the space on the streets. If Orario was a normal town, it wouldn't have been a problem but Orario is far from normal. One of the most outstanding abnormalities is the city's sheer size and the population to match. Yeah. Orario is so large that even if the entire city was deserted, it would take Naruto hours to travel from one to another while sprinting.
It is fortunate that his home isn't too far from guild headquarters, otherwise travelling from there to the dungeon would be a headache.
Despite his lack of experience due to traversing through forests, the adventurer was unafraid of the urban terrain. His ability to travel quickly and efficiently over elevated terrain was a testament to his analytical and calculative abilities. Every step he took, every jump and flip he performed. They were all calculated. Even where he landed was calculated.
His eyes sifted through various roofs, creating a path for him to follow primarily based on the distance he'd have to travel and the sturdiness of the material he'd have to land on. He found his grandfather's journal to be a blessing as the old man knew Naruto so well that he had recorded every aspect of Orario Naruto would want to know of and various illustrations as well.
He took advantage of one aspect of himself that made sleep unnecessary and studied what was written in the book. He had a mental map of the city and a good idea of how each sector was constructed. Some parts of the city had a lot of ledges, some had a lot of trees, and some had solid objects sticking out of the buildings. That wasn't enough because some materials were not recorded in the journal as a result of the city changing, creating a disparity between its current and past selves, so to compensate, Naruto relied on his eyes, logic, and instincts in determining which materials he could land on without damaging them.
The feeling of travelling in this manner was nostalgic to him and it felt like second nature to him. So natural that he did have to practise it like his combat skills.
The boy came across a gap that would normally force him to land on the stress, cross and get on the roof again. But that day wasn't normal and the following days would never be normal as well as he had acquired magic, magic that allowed him to manipulate the winds themselves. Naruto activated Gale and sent himself flying over the gap before silently landing on another roof and continued his sprint.
After some time, the boy finally found the street that lead to his home and hopped down from the roof to the ground. He performed a monkey roll, to diminish the force that had been carrying him and sending him over buildings. The force fell to the point that he got up with ease and walked the rest of the way without incident.
His quiet footsteps suddenly stopped because of stimuli unfamiliar to most people but high-class warriors. His 6th sense tickled his brain and he felt a presence within the church and that presence had a storm of emotions raging within its heart. "I made goddess mad again," with that thought, he accepted his fate and trudged forward and met Hestia who had been dressed for work and was closing the door.
"..."
"..."
"Good morning goddess. My, your beauty dazes me as always," he attempted complimenting her in his flustered state. The boy took a step back when he noticed her eyes narrowing and gulped.
"Where were you?" she asked simply, attempting to reign in her frustration.
"I was practising my magic as I told you I would goddess."
"But why all night!?" She all but screamed. Though she did not vocalise it, Naruto noticed there was a second part to her statement, I was worried about you.
"I don't require sleep or any form of sustenance so I can practise a lot when I go down there as long as I give myself time to rest in between sessions, I will be fine. Being in the dungeon means that I'm constantly in danger and naturally my skill's rate of Mind recovery receives an increase," he said calmly.
Her eyebrows knitted together as her next words were formulated in her heart. "Can't you do anything else but fight?"
Their eyes meeting was a catalyst for the time to seemingly stop around them. Their appearance suggested that the girl was the younger one even though it was the opposite.
The atmosphere shifted and became darker as if becoming a viscous mixture of that raged in their hearts. On one end was a woman who tried desperately to reach into the heart of her child and on the other was a child who tried desperately to block off her attempts.
Herculean effort was put into not breaking the eye contact he had with Hestia as that would be a symbol of weakness. A weakness he loathed so much that if quantified, it would replace the oceans themselves.
The oceans carried all manner of creatures, each with their own sense of self, desires and needs. Some desired nourishment, some desired rest, some desired places where they could breed and keep their offspring safe. In short, they all had to survive and survival itself put them at odds with each other.
They could either agree to work together or fall prey to other creatures or forcefully take away other creatures' homes and leave them exposed to unforgiving depths. Naruto needed none of that to survive. He could survive solely from the water around him so he would always be fine but in a sense, not really.
Because he did not need anything, he could never come to a compromise with the other creatures. To them, he and what was precious to him were sources of nourishment so there was no other way for them to survive. That is why Naruto desires to take away their ability to survive. Their existence is a threat to what he loves and those he knew would return one day so he could not let one of them survive.
The only path he could see is that of war. He had nothing to offer them and they had nothing to offer him so everything was left to their basic instincts and desires. Elimination was the only way.
He desired to be like the lord of the land, the Behemoth, the master of the ocean, the leviathan and the king of the skies, the One-Eyed Black Dragon. He desired to be so strong that other creatures would cower at his presence. He desired to add the condition that if you desire to survive, don't fuck with me and my family. For that he needed power. The only path he could see is that of war. That was all he could do, all he could do is fight but he was bound.
He thrashed violently against the chains that restrained him, confining him to a pit so deep that no light could bypass the darkness. The heat that enshrouded him was so immense that he felt as though he was hell. As if enduring the fury of millions of souls doomed to spend an eternity in the abyss. Each of them reminding him how similar he was to them, doomed for eternity. They had accepted their fate but he did not. He refused. As long as he was bound he could not save what he wanted so he needed to escape. To be with them.
It hurt... He sought comfort so he struggled and thrashed, ignoring the cuffs eating away at his wrists and ankles. He struggled so much that the life fluid that coursed through his body escaped and rusted the cuffs, making them more coarse. Making them as jagged as bear traps. His efforts were becoming his own detriment but the storm raging in his heart masked the pain, inciting him to push forward, to keep trying.
Crying would fix nothing as he was so deep that he could not be heard so in the end all he could do was fight. Fight against what was holding back until it snapped. The pit slowly got filled with sand as if timing him, warning him that if he took too long, he'd be buried before he could save anyone.
He wants them alive and happy so he struggled but he could not escape. He was far too weak to snap them off. One day he would become strong enough to do so but would he be able to remove the cuffs and the pieces of chain dangling off of them?
Naruto could never see himself as a person. He didn't need to care for himself like everyone, he didn't feel obligated to conform to social norms like everyone, he didn't feel like he had to have friends despite feeling lonely at times but that feeling was one that was easily ignored. This difference between him and other people lead to him having a constant feeling of alienation.
This alienation made it simple for him to try to rid himself of himself of what made him human. His decency. Humans are weak, arrogant, and emotional beings. He gave up any lingering desire for comfort in favor of becoming something powerful, but no matter what he tried, he would fail. The memories he had as a child, as well as the memories he is creating now, meant a lot to him and tugged at his heartstrings. Even though the people he loved were no longer alive, their bond remained in the form of the memories they shared. These memories both warmed and encouraged him. Despite the obvious differences between him and other people, he was still a human being who was driven by his emotions.
He never needed to take care of himself or be taken care of, so he compared himself to a sentient self-repairing weapon. After Bell and his Grandfather left him, he saw himself as nothing more than a weapon, a useless one, but his memories wouldn't let him believe that. He had people who adored him. He had people who took the time to look after him, to worry about him, and to show him affection, which was obviously counter to his mindset because their actions helped him validate his existence.
As a result, he felt welcomed, as if he were not something to be used, but rather as if he were a one-of-a-kind individual. One thing led to another, and he simply developed a strong sense of duty to protect those close to him, to make the world a better place for them as they had done for him. Not as a transaction, but as an act of love. It was exactly what his heart desired. To him, love is the ability to deny one's desire to serve others, which is exactly what he desired. He would gladly abandon the path of peace he so desired and instead take up arms and fight for them.
The world outside their home understood no words. The world outside their home contained monsters of various shapes and sizes all intent in indulging themselves in a fountain of blood, showing no concern for whether their victims had brought vindication upon themselves. The world outside their home only understood the power and the only way to attain power was fighting.
There was no way to obtain power from someone else because everyone had a hidden agenda. Motives that could endanger him and his family, so he could not accept outside assistance without careful consideration. He believed that anything given to him could be taken away, so he needed power that would be his. He needed power that would always be there to serve him whenever he saw fit.
Fighting was the path he saw as he sought to eradicate monsters to make the world safer for the return of his family and the protection of his current family.
As he mulled over his thoughts, he failed to notice Hestia's face contorting to that of agony. "Everything he does is for me but he never does anything for himself. He doesn't value himself," she thought, realizing the gift of regeneration and self-sustenance he had made it worse. Much worse.
Hestia gave herself the responsibility of handling Naruto's parenting and as a parent, she wanted what was best for him. Hestia didn't know much about being a mother but her interactions with Hera had bestowed upon her a wealth of information that made sense theoretically but now that it was time to put it to use, she was stumped.
She was unsure of how to handle her child and his less than normal tendencies especially his aggressive approach to the dungeon and his anti-social behaviour.
She strongly blamed his nightmares and his self-sustenance for his anti-social behaviour. Naruto avoided interaction like the plague and only interacted with people because of her orders which she felt irritated about. She didn't want to be that one parent who forced her ideas onto her child and strongly believed that learning was a result of experience. An experience which he would never have with the way he behaved. The boy displayed the basic desire for interaction but something held him back from acting on it and he had yet to tell her about it.
She assumed his sustenance ability had a lot to do with it as humans tended to socialize based on the fact that they need to cooperate in order to be able to get food so they don't starve. Because what they could do alone is limited, working together and forming an understanding with each other is essential to survive.
Naruto is the opposite of that. He has no need to interact with people despite the instinct he has. The boy didn't need to eat. People come together in order to achieve a certain cause with the hopes that having more people would cover their weaknesses. The boy could fight on his own and basically had an inbuilt radar in his head making the strongest blessings his most vicious curses.
It was as if he was built to complete tasks on his own, which worried her. She was concerned about his mental state because, as a god, she had witnessed countless events and seen many people rise and fall over the many millennium she had lived. She had seen many people go insane as a result of isolation, and the situations she had witnessed were similar to Naruto's.
All in all, she didn't want him to suffer but he showed no reception towards her concerns, placing a lot of weight onto her shoulders. Her heart ached when she watched him blend into shadows as she talked to her friends while he made no effort to approach the people around him.
His heart resembled a heavy orichalcum door surrounded by walls of the same material. It was not only difficult to move but it was difficult to penetrate as well. Naruto would not try getting close to people other than herself and this would be destructive to him in the future. She might not always be there for him when he finds himself in times of need as the future was becoming ambiguous to the gods themselves.
If he lost her then he'd have no one, he'd have nothing but his goal of eliminating the dragon that slumbered at the edges of the world somewhere. When the time came for him to battle it, he'd endure hell in his lonesome. Their battle would tear the world apart and when he comes out victorious, he'd have nothing, have no one he'd just be... Empty.
Despite how impossible the task seemed, Hestia firmly believed that Naruto could defeat the dragon. She denied it at first but seeing his dedication, now combined with the manifestation of his skills it seemed very much possible. But still... It still did not change the situation at hand.
Her heart ached when he did his best to tend to her every need but never bothered looking after himself, showing how little he cared for himself. All he did besides take care of her was train, stare at a wall or go dungeon crawling. His life was incredibly bland and it hurt her to watch him live that way.
One feeling she had become familiar with over the course of him staying with her was one of uselessness. A parent provided for their children but there was nothing she could offer to him except the few bits of advice she gave him. He didn't need shelter but only stayed with her because she ordered him to. He didn't need sustenance and showed no interest in anything a boy his age would. She couldn't even be an example to him because his tidiness exceeded hers by miles.
When walking with him, she'd never see him staring at any object with interest, instead, he just focused on her or the pavement. Seeing that was quite a harsh experience for the goddess so she knew she had to do something before it was too late because Naruto was a person not an object to be used. He was her child.
Him meeting the grave before living his life to the fullest is an idea she refuses to entertain. Him being left empty and alone as the world rejoices in the slaying of the dragon was absolutely unacceptable.
Hestia released a sigh and relaxed her shoulders before closely watching Naruto. She decided that she wouldn't focus on what she couldn't do but instead focused on what she could and decided that even if he didn't need a lot of things, she'd do her best to expose them to him.
Her status as deity allowed her to sympathise as back in Tenkai, all gods are the same as him but the difference is that despite not needing material goods, they were epicureans.
"I am not in a position to indulge myself in luxuries... I'll be taking my leave goddess, I need to make preparations for a few errands," he closed his eyes and moved to walk past his goddess. "Wait," she commanded and he heeded. He turned to meet her gaze once more and tilted his head.
"My lady?"
"Come here, let me update your status."
"Wait, goddess, won't you be late for work?"
The woman shook her head and gave him a tired glance, a glance so pitiful that it tore at his heart.
"You are more important to me than work. I don't want all your efforts to be for nothing and I understand that you are really reckless. I mean, look at your arm!"
He averted his gaze.
"Truth be told, I am really worried for you. I know you are a great fighter and all but I just... Look, I don't want you to die and... I really don't want the reason for your death to be the fact that your agility wasn't raised by 1 or your strength or... Something and..." the woman fumbled her words as her shoulders shrank before shivering.
"I don't want to lose you. If you leave me alone, I'll be really sad you know? I just wanna do everything possible to make sure you come back to me," the expression held by her face further enunciated the downtrodden nature of her tone. The thought of him passing was not something she would have liked to happen as he would not be able to live the life she believed that he deserved.
Naruto's gaze softened as he placed his hand on top of her goddess' head. Steam exploded from his other arm, signifying the rapid multiplication of cells. The darkened colour of his arm faded as the side effects of his regeneration rammed into his head with the force of a charging bull.
The boy's world spun causing him to stumble, tipping over prompting Hestia to hastily rush to catch him in her arms. "Goddess."
"Yes."
"Please update my status," he requested as he leaned on to her for support. The woman swung his arm around her neck to assist him in getting to the church and responded with a nod.
Naruto
Level 1(?)
Strength (?): H121 - H188
Defence (?): I20 - H120
Utility (?): H140 - G265
Agility (?): H143 - G278
Magic (?): I0 - G278
Magic
(Zenith Tempest)
Skills
(Omit)
(Sage)
Hestia's eyes nearly exploded from her sockets from what she was seeing on the boys back. 930 points! What in the world had he been doing down there? Her eyes fell onto the boy lying belly down below her. She stared at the hieroglyphs, looking them over and verifying that she was not descending into insanity.
She was by no means an expert in this field as Naruto was her first child and because of that she had no experience but she knew that his status was completely abnormal. Most adventurers went through a stage of quick growth at the early stages of them getting a blessing before stagnating, hitting a wall and most likely staying behind it for a while.
Naruto's massive growth no leap was just... It made a joke of all the adventurers that ventured into the dungeon's depths in hopes of becoming stronger. What they could achieve through years of dedication was dwarfed by what Naruto did in one night.
"Even if his excelia is multiplied, his stats should not be this high. What sort of insanity did he endure down there? Look at his defence, over 120 point increase. I watched him spar with Take's kid, he is really good at dodging. His arm looks like it suffered heavy burns and no monster on the upper floors is capable of a flame attack. Experimentation definitely had a role in this, 278 jumps. What in the world's!?"
"Naruto..."
"Yes, goddess?"
"How far down did you go?"
"8th floor I think?" his pitch raised, showing his confusion.
"Oh, he didn't go that far down. Wait Naruto is a rookie-level 1," she smiled briefly. That smile instantly froze as his words echoed into her ears. 8th? Why did he sound so unsure, as if he had gone even deeper? Hestia could no longer ward off the inferno raging in her heart.
"8th! Are you INSANE!? ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!?"
Her voice rose, reaching a crescendo, causing him to flinch visibly. "Oops?"
"OOPS!? DON'T OOPS ME, YOUNG MAN! LOOK AT YOUR DEFENCE! WHAT? WHERE IS YOUR ARMOR!? AND YOUR ARM WAS... I- I -I," Hestia could no longer maintain her posture as she sat on his back.
He slid out from under her, quickly turned his body and caught her in his arms, preventing her from falling off the couch from dizziness. Naruto began using his magic to reduce the room's temperature and he picked up his goddess in a princess carry and gently set her off the couch. The cool breeze brushed against her ponytails as a searing migraine made itself known.
Naruto looked at her strangely and noted that she seemed fine, just a little shaken by what she had seen on his back but that did not stop him from worrying. He stood there, transfixed and unsure of what to do until he just concluded that she is fine. Naruto raised his hand and opened it, exposing his palm to the ceiling then began producing a mist from his hand. This mist coalesce into a cloud and had its temperature reduced by his cryogenic abilities.
The cloud floated to the young lady's forehead and stuck there as Naruto kept his eyes on her. Once he detected that she had become more relaxed, he cut the flow of mind to his spell, dissipating the cloud.
"Ohhh!" she groaned as she pressed the palm of her hand against her temple. "Goddess, I'm sorry but I have an errand to run, I'll look at my stats later. You are going to be late for work so I'll take you and leave you at a distance that will allow you to get there on time," without waiting for an answer he plucked her off the couch.
"No! Leave me alone! I wanna rest!" she protested, throwing her fists at him but failing to hit him as he could read her like a book. Throwing her body around did not help as the boy had a tight grip on her body. She did not want to go to work which was stressful and definitely didn't want to be held by the object of her stress.
She eventually calmed down after he took some time to talk her down and offered no resistance as she brought her iron fist upon his head. It did not hurt much but it felt like a parent scolding their child so Naruto felt great guilt. Soon after that hopped from roof to roof with Hestia, eventually landing a few blocks away from her stand.
A ride she had never experienced played a role in elevating her mood so she could finally look at Naruto again.
"Naruto... Will you be going back to the dungeon?" she asked the teenager carrying her.
"Yes," he confirmed.
"Please."
"?"
"Please don't overdo it."
"I cannot make that promise."
He did not give her time to answer after gently placing her on the pavement before dashing away as his next destination, Babel would get packed if he did not hurry. Since his clothes, armour and weapons were destroyed in the dungeon. While he was a technique type fighter, the sheer number of monsters he had slain had caused his tanto to shatter and because of that, he had to farm War Shadows in hopes of getting them to drop their fingers which he could makeshift blades out of. That was one of the reasons his clothes were as worn down as they were. Another reason was... Well... The monsters themselves. Claws and everything. Maybe his magic played a role here and there. Maybe.
The reason why Naruto needed to go to Babel was to purchase new weapons and armour to replace what he had lost. That was about it really but given how long lines would be at cheaper weapon shops, he needed to time it just right or else he'd find himself at the far back of the line. Given his circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to grab a spot during the earliest hours of the morning as he had been immersed in the dungeon for some time. He left his home at 1640 hrs and returned at 0725 hrs. That was close to 13 hours of experimentation, far beyond what most people could handle.
Fortunately for him, however, he wasn't most people. He did not need sleep or food just water every now and then. He also had a skill that facilitated his magical experiments as it quickly refilled his reserves as him nearing a mind down would put him at death's door which enhanced his skill's effects.
The night before heavily comprised of experimentation, him testing the limits of what he could do and today he intended to slap in implementation. He could use magic freely but now he had to find a way to have it complement his fighting style not the other way around. In as much as it was amazing, Naruto felt that using his magic as a crutch was a horrible idea. In fact, solely relying on his falna and its attributes was pretty stupid in his eyes because he believed that everything was an extension of the mind and one body.
His reasoning is it takes a mind to come up with plans, to calculate and to come up with functions while it is the body's duty to execute those functions, calculations and plans. It also had the duty of protecting the mind whilst the mind had the duty of protecting the body. Their symbiosis is so tight-knit that they cannot live without each other. The body can't operate without the mind and the mind can't survive without the body.
Add magic and remove it. The two will be fine as magic was never part of the equation but magic cannot operate without either one of them. The same thing with weapons, the body manipulated the weapons and the body directed the body to take the best actions during a fight. Not having a weapon wouldn't change much as the bother and mind would still be able to operate. In conclusion, Naruto prioritized his own skills and saw everything out of his body as a tool to be used not as part of the body. His weapons are his tools and while said weapons are reliable then they are his partners, they will never be him.
Currently, Naruto is dressed in a black long-sleeve T-shirt with blue thunderbolt markers under his armpits, reaching to his hips and black shorts with matching black tights. On his feet, he wore black sandals and socks. Pretty decent and was not too eye-catching... For adventurers anyways.
His cloak fluttered as he shot from building to building, dashing along the edges of the tiles that made up their roofs.
"Oh, it's Naruto."
The boy halted on top of the roof he was about to jump off of before turning his head to meet the voice's owner. He was tall with a strong chin and a high nose and had the look of royalty. He had a waterfall of navy blue hair and had no facial hair. The plain grey robe he wore did nothing to hide the characteristic divine presence all gots emitted.
"Miach. Good morning," he jumped from the roof to meet the god. The god was one of his patron's closest friends and naturally, the boy showed a decent level of amicability. The boy wasn't short on time because of the events earlier that morning so spending a few minutes with the god would not trouble him much.
Even if he was short on time, he wasn't travelling on the roofs at full speed plus Babel wasn't far from where he was so he'd make it regardless if he just increased his speed.
"You aren't in your usual battle gear today, are you on a break perhaps?" the good-natured god questioned. Naruto had no inclination to end the conversation and move on because while he would never admit it out loud, he liked the god Miach. His familiar's lone member, however... Not so much.
"Nay, I spent the night in the dungeon and got all my tools destroyed. I am in need of replacements and as such, I am heading to Babel to purchase some."
"For a rookie to stay in the dungeon for that long..."
"I see. What floor are you on?" the god questioned, leaning in slightly.
"I am unsure, but I assume around the 8th floor. I was much too focused on other matters to give myself time to analyse my environment. I just memorized the terrain for manoeuvring purposes," he responded drawing wide eyes from the god.
"E-Excuse me?"
"Around 8th floor."
Because his divine intuition detected no lies, the god gaped for a moment before snapping himself out of his reverie and bringing his attention back to the boy. The man gave a worried look, "You really are amazing to have made it that far. It's like you setting off to destroy many records but please be careful. It's unheard of for a solo, rookie-level 1 making it that far and leaving without injuries... I assume you suffered significant trauma to your body that has been healed by your healing factor."
Naruto confirmed Miach's thought with a nod and said, "Yes... On that note, could you prepare mind recovery potions for me? I reckon half a dozen will be enough, lower grade potions please," he requested, handing the god a pouch which he pocketed. The god raised an eyebrow when the boy emphasized the word 'you' implying that he had little trust in Naazha.
"Is... Something wrong with Naazha?"
The god's inquiry caused Naruto to pause, "Why am I hesitating to state it as it is," he thought, questioning his reservation. It was a very simple question to answer... While shielding his reluctance with ease, he answered.
"Yes. She watered down my potions..."
"!?"
Miach looked struck, causing Naruto's heart to feel a little heavy with his goddess' teaching having a resonance in his head. He shook it off and maintained his demeanour and answered once more.
"Yes. On the day we met, I purchased a few vials of healing potions from her. I also purchased a few industry-standard low potions from elsewhere to conduct a study to find out which works best for the price... I am sure you know how many monsters I slay per session, yes? I do occasionally find my defence getting compromised and healing my wounds causes a temporary side effect on my state of mind so having potions around could help until I get used to my healings side effects.
When I decided to use your pharmacy's variant, it tasted strongly of water and it wasn't very effective. Its performance was horrible compared to the other variants I purchased..."
The god had a look of outrage that slowly evolved into something a step away from full-blown fury. "Why would she do something like that?" he hissed, clenching his fists so tightly that you could hear his joints protesting. A behaviour that was extremely uncharacteristic of the kind even-tempered god.
"Perhaps he can't take the news that his most trusted and only companion would indulge in criminal acts..."
Naruto tilted his head slightly, watching the man avert his gaze and grit his teeth. Miach took a deep breath and closed eyes his eyes, a torrent of grief flooding into his heart. At first, he was in denial, refusing to believe that his sweet follower was capable of such... Underhanded schemes.
His heart ached when he compared the girl with a gentle and affectionate smile with the image given to him by Naruto. It couldn't be but... His divine intuition informed him that Naruto spoke no lie. His heart was crushed when Naruto's truth and the logic that came from watching humans interact with each other for thousands of years. It was the cold truth, people really were like that.
"M-my apologies, I will have your order ready. At what time will you pick it up?"
"Between 1130hrs and 1230 hrs," Naruto responded curtly, watching Miach turn away.
"I will see you then," the god responded and began moving to make his way towards his familia's workplace, The Blue Pharmacy. The disappointment in his eyes was so great that even the most prideful uninvolved parties would feel severe shame and guilt. His otherworldly presence carried his grief and it was especially clear to Naruto could tell what negative emotions people harboured.
Recognising the frustration building up within the god's heart, Naruto had a solid idea of what the end result of its expression would be. Naruto had no desire to see a dejected Hestia that came as a result of trying to comfort her friend plus Naruto had an appreciation for the god as well. He had helped Hestia in her times of need before Naruto arrived and the boy couldn't help but feel appreciation towards him.
"A moment Miach," Naruto called, halting the god's movement. The god slowly turned to meet Naruto's eyes, his own quivering slightly.
"Some friendly advice. Before you go do or say something that will cost you the relationship you will regret losing, consider the fact that you don't think about the consequences of your actions. Being kind is fine but being kind at the cost of your livelihood is not in my opinion and most mortals as well. Your kindness is poison to your familia. You give away potions like free candy to kids when your familia is in debt instead of doing what's better which is selling them at more affordable prices and stuff..." Naruto had trouble expressing problems related to the heart but he felt that he was expressing what he was on his mind correctly.
"She doesn't seem to scam to make herself richer instead, it would seem that she is constantly pulling your familia out of the red. She is tired Miach and you just keep torturing her. I wonder what drives her to continue, perhaps that expensive-looking arm of hers... Anyway, I have places to be, things to do," Miachs shocked expression had no effect on Naruto as the boy turned away and crouched slightly, prepping to launch himself to the roof as no one was facing him and the god's direction.
"H-he is right," Miach ruminated, allowing himself to delve into the past where he had a lot more children that worked under him. He thought about Naazha's traumatic experience in the dungeon and his reaction to it. He used up all the familia's capital and even took a loan from the Dian Cecht familia. All without consulting his children whose lives would change drastically because of his decision. He suddenly recognised himself as a very greedy god, his ugliness making itself known like a brand that came as a result of hot iron.
He then thought about his familia's monetary situation and realized how inattentive he had been. His pharmacy hardly had customers but it always somehow managed to scrape up enough cash to pay Dian Cecht... It was Naazha. Just how much had he cornered the poor girl.
"Please remember to have my potions ready," were Naruto's last words before he soundlessly made for the roof and quickly dashed away from the scene.
"Yes," the god muttered before moving in his own direction.
Naruto stood at the base of the tower that seemed to reach for the sky.
"Hey! It's that kid! Yo, wait up!"
"Dude come on... Calm down, goddess told you to be nice to people around you..."
He didn't bother attempting to escape as he turned to look towards the masculine voice that called out to him. His eyes met the trio he had met in the dungeon the previous day, all in good health.
"Mord was it? It's good to see you in good health," he greeted as pleasantly as he could but his tone ended coming out as plain, almost robotic voice like how he always spoke. His mask hid his expressions and even if it didn't people wouldn't see them as he hardly made any. His voice was plain to the ear but those attentive enough would be able to catch tonal shifts which were one of the ways his goddess was able to get a read on his mood.
If not for the experience of the dungeon where Naruto was alarmed but his voice did not accurately express his feelings, Mord would think the boy was mocking him.
His companions soon caught up to him and saw the strange masked person that had played a major role in their escape.
The man grinned and plopped his hand on the boy's shoulder, nearly causing the boy to jump back because of his haphephobic tendencies. He held back a flinch just in time and focused on giving his attention to Mord and his crew.
"Ya really got us outta the shits there buddy. I'm surprised you still walking after all that, getting mauled by killer ants is rough, especially for a level 1. When I heard people sayin that they saw ya ripping apart monsters on the 7th floor last night I thought they were shitting me but seeing ya here right now," the man nodded, grinning.
"Ah, yes. I did do that didn't I?" Naruto confirmed, nodding.
"I'll admit I did feel horrible when the Sword Princess told us that you didn't survive. Just wanted to say thanks, ya know."
"That phrase... Ya know... Dattebayo? Hmmm," Naruto had no way to express the warmth creeping into his heart after hearing the phrase.
"No problem. It was natural that I gave you a hand as I wouldn't have been able to escape on my own, same with you. It was for my benefit."
"Except you could have escaped by leaving them to us," the man responded cheekily causing Naruto to blink before shrugging. The man's statement was correct and Naruto saw no benefit towards denying it.
"Maybe... It was nice seeing you again but I got stuff to do and... stuff," Naruto trailed off, pointing the Babel.
"Just a minute kid, stores won't open for another few mins. Almost everyone is kitted so you don't have to worry about lines and stuff. Since ya new and ya used your own weapons and armour, I'm guessing ya don't know that most people get and service their stuff from the guild and shadier places at the market area plus not many people know about the prices up there," the man revealed making Naruto raise his eyebrow in surprise.
"Ah... Fuck me," he thought in exasperation. It wouldn't matter much if there was a line anyways, he'd need to test the weapons after all and it's not like these smiths were god tier or anything. Just normal chads. Naruto suddenly felt like an idiot. (AN: He learned the word Chad from his gramps. Some of the more modern phrases he uses are the result of his exposure to Gramps.)
"To think we'd be saved by the kid killed over 70 monsters on his first day of being registered and getting a blessing. Holy hell man," the blonde man behind Mord spoke. "The names Scotts by the way," he introduced himself.
"Mine's Guile. Nice to meetcha," the black-haired man waved.
"Anyway, we don't want to hold ya back any longer, we just wanted to thank ya," the man and his companions. "If there is anything you need, if it's within reason, of course, feel free to ask for it."
"... I apologize if this is too personal of a question but you are all Level 2 yes?" Naruto questioned. He already knew what he wanted but he needed to confirm if the people in front of him met the requirements necessary for his request.
The men glanced at each other and after a moment they answered.
"Yeah."
"Good then, accompany me to the dungeon. I'd like to go to, at minimum, the 12th floor. You'll be there to be controls in case things go awry, I'll do most of the fighting," he requested and stated the conditions he desired.
"I've had enough of people giving me the wide-eyed look," he thought dryly.
"If it's my combat capabilities you are worried about then don't worry. I am highly capable-"
"Nah, it isn't your skills we are worried about, like seriously is that all? We would have accepted ya into our party anyways if ya asked and we didn't owe ya anything. You are just that good. I don't think there is any level 1 in the city better than ya," the man explained.
"Yes, that is all I need. This is only a temporary arrangement as I'd like to give myself time to acclimate to the dungeon and its conditions as a solo," Naruto responded curtly.
Without any hesitation, the men agreed to Naruto's request.
"What time are we going to meet?"
"Between 1300 hrs and 1330 hrs. Don't worry about not being able to see me because of traffic. I'll find you so just come here and wait," Naruto responded before turning away from the men. "I am very particular about the weapons I use so I need time to pick proper ones. In light of that, I'll be taking my leave. A good day to you gentlemen," he turned away from the men who nodded and left to attend to their own business.
"Now, where is that elevator contraption the journal depicted, hmmm?" he mused before looking around and taking note of the tower's ground floor. It sported numerous arcs that allowed adventurers to enter it from any side. Naruto walked the nearest arc, leading him to a large lobby. Naruto showed no interest in anything else and made his way to the third floor and found contraption that was listed, illustrated and explained in the journal.
"Glass... Pedestal," he walked up to the pedestal and stood on top of it, taking note of the glass-like material that surrounded it. "The control panel is... Here. The journal said that if I..."
He reached for the control panel and slowly tapped on it, slowly but surely getting an understanding of its workings. "Got it," the pedestal he stood in began rising. Naruto gazed onto various heavily decorated weapons that line that was displayed through the glass.
"These are the Hephaistos familia shops. This means that the place I'm looking for is a few floors up... These weapons look they would be great in battle and they are aesthetically pleasing. It's pity none of them meets my tastes though... What would my tastes look like exactly?" he questioned as he walked past the shops briskly.
"Woah, this sword. And I can get it for just 8k valis, what a steal!" Naruto's appreciation for the knowledge provided to him by the journal and its creator, his adopted grandfather skyrocketed.
"These weapons were all made by talented smiths. Some are a little rough but still... They got the fundamentals right."
Naruto had already found himself in an interesting shop and currently had a talwar in hand. He swung it slightly before shaking his head. He walked past the white mannequins dressed in armour and moved towards another section of the store and placed his finger on his chin, staring at a pair of combat knives hanging in front of him.
"Blade decent length but the grip is a little. Well, it's not for me."
He turned to the right and looked at a mannequin in white armour.
"Pyokinch- eyo, what kinda bull shit name is that? Mr Crozzo, this is the first item of yours I've put my eyes on and I'm already impressed but that name..."
He shook his head in disappointment and turned away before pausing. "Wait, Crozzo? Ah yes, the ones who created magic swords to sway the tides of war in favour of Rakia and destroyed a number of Elven forests. Why is there a Crozzo here? Wait… That's none of my business. I have better things to do besides, they lost their ability to create them."
He then moved to exit the shop as he had no interest in purchasing any of the items within it before he stumbled slightly. The cause was a small box situated at his feet, "Ninja Stabby Stab Set, Welf Crozzo. What the fuck?" he spoke aloud drawing laughter from other customers in the shop and an especially loud one from the clerk.
He moved to walk around the box until something caught his eye... He got onto his knee and inspected its contents before reaching into it. In his hand was a tanto with a black sheath and handle. He looked into the box and saw a kusarigama with a dark chain and crimson groove in the sickle, some kunai and shuriken. "Ho?"
He swung the tanto once, sending a gust of air that rattled the pieces of equipment around him. "This is really good. Compared to the other swords here, the weight is distributed well and the blade is well-tempered, it doesn't wobble much and its length is within my preferences. The grip is great and nearly my preferred size but it could still be worked on."
He reached into the box and pulled out a kunai, "I've never handled these before but I think I'd prefer the handle thinner and the ring at the top to wipe and more rounded. The handle is metallic making it prone to slipping out of my hand, I'll have to purchase bandages to counteract that," he thought looking at the black kunai situated in his hand. The ring at the top was hexagonal and the gap that made the ring was so thin that he couldn't fit his finger in. He strongly desired the ability to push his finger into the ring and quickly change the knife's grip.
He looked around the shop but there were no kunai around. His eyes landed on the clock, remembering his order at Miach's... "I don't have much time, the items in this crate are all good."
He picked the chain and sickle. The chain was very thin which would allow its user to carry the weapon without it hindering their movement too much, there only problem was the chain itself was weaker. Attached to the end was something that was abnormal in more practical versions of the sickle and chain. Instead of a lump metal that would deal blunt force, there was a rubbery ball that resembled those found on the type of Kusarigama made for training with the difference being the bounciness and stiffness.
The ball was much harder than the typical rubber ball and much more bouncier as well. After a moment of ruminating, something clicked in Naruto's head.
"I like his idea however, this ball needs to be replaced by better material. If only he had that forge skill that other blacksmiths have," he analysed. Naruto had deduced that Welf's idea was to have the ball ricochet around, carrying the chain with it to immobilize an enemy. With enough practice, the possibilities would be the stuff of fantasies but the chains length and the ball were the problems.
"I'll just modify it after my dungeon session. Now how much is this? 30 000, what a steal!" he cheered internally. He slid his hands under the box and wedged them in the space between it and the floor and lifted it. The boy quickly rushed to pay for his items.
Behind the counter in front of Naruto stood a man of dwarvish lineage. His bulging muscles were heavily outlined by the white shirt he wore and over the front of that shirt was a long, puffy black beard.
"Ah, I see ye got good taste," the man stated as he looked through the items in the box, making sure no extra item had been inserted.
"Yes..."
Naruto pulled out his coin pouch and extracted the necessary funds to purchase the set of weapons in the box. The dwarve collected the money and placed it somewhere under the counter in front of him. Naruto turned to leave but...
"Anything else I can help ya with? I noticed you looking around the shop for something."
Naruto tilted his head quizzically, drawing a chuckle from the stout man behind the counter. "I have heard of ya child. The masked wonderboy killed over 70 monsters on his first day in the dungeon despite it only being his second day with a falna and only returned because his pack didn't have enough space for more magic stones. Thought ya were a fluke but seeing ya handle yer weapon right now and scrutinize the others tells me a lot.
Yer hands are rough and calloused as well. Ye must have been heavily trained," he explained, stroking his beard and closing one eye, watching Naruto closely and smirking when the boy gave no response no reaction. He just listened.
"Ya aren't like the others that just waltz in here and grab whatever fancies their eye. Ya very particular about what ya use and in light of that, I see potential that is strongly backed up by your reputation. I heard that last night ya were spotted on the 8th floor. Goodness me," he let out a hearty chuckle.
"Please get to the point. I have commitments to attend to."
"Straight to business? I like that. Now, you are aware of how some smiths forge contracts with adventurers yes?"
"Mhm," Naruto nodded.
"I'll ask ya one question before I continue, how do you feel about magic swords?"
"Unreliable."
The man gestured for Naruto to continue, almost drawing a sigh from the boy.
"Their attack power can't be overlooked but them always breaking is a huge problem. Their power is captivating, making people forget about their real partners, the sword, the spear or whatever they like. They are expensive and sometimes not worth it. You can purchase several high-quality bombs for the same price," he answered concisely bringing a grin to dwarve's face.
"They might just get along."
"Since ya know how ya like ya stuff, how about having it custom made."
"?" Naruto tilted his head and gestured for the man to continue.
"Ya an upcoming adventurer and ya gonna be super famous so lots of smiths will come for ya. Since ya like lil' Welf's work how about a preliminary contract with 'im? Ya know how ta use ya stuff and ya have lots of potential so it's not a bad investment. Out of all da items here and outside, ya only took interest in his so how bout it?" he questioned, leaning in.
Naruto felt like he couldn't pass up the offer, the idea of having weapons made just to suit him was captivating and the thought of it being the talented smith that forged the weapons was too much to outright refuse. His interest was piqued so he asked.
"What are the conditions?"
"Benefits for ya include discounts, some item could be free. Ya just have ta use the weapon ya get as a primary weapon for all ta see mostly. Ya also have to pay a commission every month though I will be needing some sort of record to roughly gauge how much ya make per month."
"I need to see license to verify your authenticity. This shop is run by the Hephestaois familia yes?" For most people, the offer being presenting would be so exciting that it would cause them to throw caution out the window and get blinded by joy. Naruto was not one of them. Not even close, he chose to treat every appealing and seemingly unappealing offer he got with great scrutiny, not letting a single detail pass.
The man laughed out loud before moving away from his table. "Gimme a min," he rushed away from the counter and walked into the room behind him, dimly lit by magic stone lamps. He soon walked out with 3 three items. One was a hammer, one was a piece of what appeared to be wood and the last was a framed paper.
"Here," he placed the items in front of Naruto.
The boys immediately fell on the framed document in front of him. The paper inside was clearly high quality and the paper was a license from the guild and was signed in both Koine and Hieroglyphs. The patron goddess' name was present and the shop's exact location was detailed. The details, especially the location were correct.
His eyes then fell onto the piece of wood, "Made from a holy tree." The piece of wood also had the Hephaistos brand on it causing Naruto's eye to jump to the hammer on the counter. "Grandpa did state that members that get to level two are gifted high-quality hammers. I see..."
"Good enough for ya?"
"For now, yes," he responded before allowing the items in front of him to be extracted. Naruto then reached into his cloak and pulled out several pieces of paper.
"These are receipts from my first day up to now. As detailed, I have a high average of monsters per day though that will see a drastic increase within the near future," he explained, taking care not to leak any numbers to avoid the annoyances of prying eyes and ears. People who overheard their conversation were already staring at Naruto with jealousy lacing their eyes.
After going through the exchange, Naruto always requests receipts to help him keep track of market value change for magic stones and drop items. Because the guild held a monopoly over the magic stone business, the prices could be adjusted as per the guilds wishes especially on drop items. This could allow Naruto to have an easier decision in deciding where he would sell his items besides the guild. Maybe other people could offer better.
The guild had no competition and because of that, they could set a market price and that price would become the standard. They could also refuse to service him if they wanted so solely relying on them just did not sit right with Naruto.
It was a relief that the journal had detailed 'other' ways of exchanging items. Maybe the 'other' methods would be fairer to him. You never know.
Besides, the receipts also helped him keep a ledger on his familia's expenses even though they hardly had any... Things might change soon, he had no way of knowing.
"My! He makes slightly more money than the average party of 5 level 1s. Did he just say their figures will increase drastically? What in the world!? Why do I have the feeling that he is only limited because of space..."
"Yeah, ya qualify alright."
"Good. I want to make an order."
"What? Already?"
Naruto nodded after reading a contract presented to him. The contract would last only a month and the details did not bother him at all. They were all reasonable so he signed it.
"Okay, I'll take down da specs ya want. Hit me."
Naruto reached into the box and extracted a kunai and raised it to the man's eye level.
"I would like the handle to be 8% thinner and the ring on top to be rounder and be able to fit around my ring finger. I'd also prefer that cloth is wrapped around the handle if possible. Lightly of course."
"Mhmm," the man responded, jotting down Naruto's specifics. "I'll need to measure yer finger," he said pulling out a measuring instrument and got the necessary details.
"I would also like a longer weapon. Preferably a wakizashi, blade length maximum, 2 feet. If he is unable to do that then anything above 40 cm is acceptable. I repeat, I just prefer a wakizashi however anything will do as long as it meets the specification I stated. The blade's width must not exceed two inches. I want the handle to be 40 cm long and if he is capable, he must wrap it in a material good for warding off sweat," he stated as he watched the man dot away at his orders.
"Heh, that all?"
"I'd also like some Hira-Shuriken. 4 dozen will do..."
"That's quite the taxing order ya have there."
"I am aware," Naruto responded, "the wakizashi is top priority," he continued.
The man nodded and put the paper away, "I'll Welfy boy decide on the price. Don't expect anything less than 70 000 valis."
"Understood. I have enjoyed your service. I will be taking my leave. Goodbye," he picked up the box and turned to leave. "Dontcha need armour as well?"
"How did I forgot about armour," Naruto nearly faced palmed and returned to the counter. "Leather will do," he said simply before purchasing the item and briskly vacating the shop.
"That's one interesting kid. The similarities between him and the doll princess are staggering however the boy does not have a flame of recklessness in his eyes. He is eerily composed. Every aspect of his body is well controlled, so much so, that it extends to his presence which makes it seem like he isn't in the area at all. If I wasn't looking at him directly, I wouldn't know he was there and I'm a level 4. What a terrifying rookie," the man twirled the strand of hair he had secured around his index finger.
Some time had passed since Naruto left the shop. During this period, he took some time to retrieve the potions he had ordered from Miach and to his annoyance, he had to endure Naazha staring at him. There was no hostility in her eyes, instead, there seemed to be appreciated. Whatever they spoke about lifted a great weight of her shoulder and he could tell based on the fact that despite the dark bags under her eyes, she looked as energetic as a child.
She was all smiles when he walked into the pharmacy, like a teenage maiden in love. Her face was plastered with a super dopey expression as she rested her elbows on the counter with her tail wagging, so when she left that state just to look at him, he couldn't help but think "Please return to your daydreaming about the dubious things you've just imagined. Thanks."
Thankfully he did not get delayed by a bunch of thank yous. Naruto did not really care about people expressing their appreciation for him instead he valued his time more. If people valued his time then he'd feel appreciated. Simple as that.
Miach came from the back and placed the vials on the counter and Naruto took and left without a word, not giving himself time to feel awkward at the smiles he was getting. He wanted no part in that. He had better things to do, such as a dungeon crawling to the 12th floor, maybe deeper.
Having people with him would allow him to inconspicuously blend his magic into his fighting style, allowing him to conceal it better if he had to fight in public. He decided to limit himself to wind to get it to the point that he could at least graze monsters with thicker hides.
During his night in the dungeon, he got time to improve his abilities with magic to the point that he could fatally wound a goblin with a wind blade. He could also produce multiple blades at once before curling and rotating them allowing him to create a perimeter that would injure monsters that entered.
Naruto stood outside the arcs that held up the great tower of Babel and allowed his gaze to trail up as far as it could. Any further then he'd fall backwards and he didn't want that because he'd probably break the potions in his back.
"There should be a better way to hold these... There we go."
He secured a pair on his belt. He was dressed in black, baggy pants, black boots and a black top covered with brown leather armour. The leather armour covered his shoulders like pauldrons and his elbows like couters. The armour stretched over his chest and covered it like a chest plate. His armour felt a little uncomfortable but it was nothing to whine over. He'd just take more time to buy another set because this set would be destroyed. Oh, and he also had a belt around his waist that held his tanto.
His nose twitched and he focused on his ears, breaking the noise that was comprised of the endless chatter around him into individual parts. Not finding the group he was looking for he then focused on his senses, hoping to find their signatures and he was successful.
"I'm here," he stated after reaching them. As usual, he approached them with the silence of an owl on the hunt.
"Woah!" Mord, Scotts and Guile exclaimed at the sudden appearance of a masked figure with a green backpack. They stood for a moment watching the cloak that the boy donned flutter as he walked towards the lid that served as the dungeon's entrance. They realized that they would get left behind causing them to rush after him in a flurry.
Elsewhere
As the masked boy ventured into the dungeon, there was a lone figure in yard under a tree elsewhere. Behind her was a massive structure, one that resembled castles from fairy tales. It was built on a small area of land meaning that the structure's size was mainly contributed to by its height.
It was made of a greyish stone material and had many windows. The structure was made up of several tall towers that supported and overlapped each other, with the central tower being the tallest. Its roofs were orange and matched the roofs of the other buildings that surrounded the premises. This fantastical home is located in the city's north-eastern outskirts.
The figure that stood in the yard was female, standing close to a 160 centimetres in height. Her golden hair flowed down to her lower back and swayed when she brought her rapier down. She had a slender body dress in a mini dress and long blue boots and had honey-coloured eyes. Her beauty gave the impression that she was the queen that sat at the throne of the castle behind her but the weapon in her hands brought forth a plethora of questions that related to why a maiden such as herself had something so dangerous in her hands.
It was simple really. She was training.
Despite being the epitome of femininity, the girl exuded gallantry. Her training showed that her jabs and thrusts honed over years of living by the blade. Each swing was heavier than it usually is and that was because the day was different because she was plagued by guilt, reminding her of her failure. An incident where she and her familia failed to stop a herd of minotaurs from escaping them, allowing them to travel to the upper floors. No one was hurt, except for one and she believed that he died.
Her arms moved robotically, repeating a series of movements she had become accustomed to while wielding her sword. Her mastery was so great that she could easily defeat any lesser man without even thinking about it. Despite the fact that her techniques were practically ingrained in her to the point where she could do them instinctively and with great discipline, she failed to hold back the grief in her heart, allowing it to carry itself into the blade and make her strikes more aggressive.
The person who held this rapier was one known by quite a few names. Some call her the doll princess, some call her the war princess but most call her the sword princess. Her prowess with the sword was demonstrated with the slaughtering monster hordes in her lonesome. Hordes of monsters that would overwhelm even the most experienced first-class adventurers leading to grievous injuries and even death. That is why is she is called one of Orario's strongest adventurers.
The air vibrated when the rapier whipped through, pierced and sliced it. Her movements were so quick that the blade had seemingly become invisible. The sound of whips echoed as the girl never lost form while she swinging her sword.
Drip. Drip
A steady stream of red fluid slowly travelled from her calloused hands to the patches of grass below her but went unnoticed. Her eyes were blank, her mind was gone, entranced and drugged by the blade she held in her hand. Her grip was on her sword's handle was to tight that it deformed and dug into into her hands, cutting and chaffing at her skin.
"That's enough Aiz," said a female voice,
The rapier stopped mid-swing as the light returned into the girl's eyes allowing to realize her hand was more moister than it should be.
"Ah..." she blankly stared at the stream of blood staining her blade's handle and her boots.
The voice's owner made her way to Aiz's side.
Like Aiz, she too was a beauty that would make even the god's green with envy and cause entire nations to collapse just for a chance to court her. Her hair fell to her lower back like a waterfall but had the colour of the greenest of trees at the prime of their health. From the sides of her head emerged long, knife-like ears, longer than that of the average elf.
She was garbed in a dress that not only had a royal air about it but also had a militaristic feel to it. It had yellow borders and yellow buttons running down in pairs, parallelly down to the hem of her dress. She had a black belt over it and a yellow sash before having a cloak to cover that. Below her dress emerged black leggings that travelled into a pair of long brown boots.
She was is from a race known as the high elves and her status as one that played a role in the heavy dignity that surrounded her. Her nearly militaristic outfit did not take away from her charms, instead, it helped distance people from them and help them recognize how capable she is, allowing them to give her the appropriate respect.
She stood behind Aiz, gazing at her worriedly in manner similar to that of a worried mother. Aiz could say nothing as she realized how intensely she had been going at her training.
"Riveria..."
"You've been like this since yesterday," she said calmly, allowing her eyes to glaze over the blood-stained, blades of grass. "Your practice is more rigorous than usual and you are hurting yourself..."
There was silence between both of them. An unspoken had been delivered.
"I-" Aiz tried speaking but the words got stuck in her mouths forcing her to avert her eyes and keep them on the ground. Riveria gently placed her hand on Aiz's and lifted it before casting a spell and healing it.
"The boy was it? Masked and cloaked. I have heard rumours about him and fortunately, it would seem that he is alive and well," Riveria gave relieved smile as she reported.
"What?" Aiz tilted her head.
"The way you described him. You informed us that a group of men approached you and reported that he was being attacked by a horde of Killer ants and a pair of minotaurs. It would seem that he made it out alive. Someone interesting has created a buzz whilst we were in the dungeon," she commenting, closing a single eye.
"After your reports, I headed over to the guild to submit a report and my ears happened to catch a conversation between adventurers. They spoke about a person who had the same qualities you described and it would seem that he has become the talk among lower-level adventurers," she continued before pausing, allowing Aiz to digest the information.
"Because my curiosity was piqued, I decided to question Rose about and she informed me of an adventurer on the rise to fame. She explained that on his first day in the dungeon, first time with a falna, surpassed your record, coming out with a total of 76 kills and this was all verified by multiple gods.
Last night he was spotted on the 8th floor, soloing," she grimaced as unpleasant memories flooded her head as she stared at Aiz. "And he made an appearance this morning. No familia has reported the loss of their members as well so I believe it is fair to assume he is fine," she gave Aiz a comforting smile.
"But... I didn't feel him... How did he escape?"
"That is another thing Rose explained. It would seem that he is extraordinarily talented at concealing his presence to the point that second class adventurers fail to detect him unless they are looking directly at him. But for him to be able to avoid your perception as well... He seems to be quite the strange character as he unnerves anyone he interacts with."
"Ah," Aiz's rapier fell from her grasp.
Something clicked in Aiz's head as she turned to the woman once more, "Did you say 8th floor, soloing? As a rookie?" her eyes went wide at the thought.
"Yes, that is correct... That is part of the reason he gaining recognition around the city. His origins and familia are unknown but he is exceptionally skilled and talented. The second class adventurer's I heard discussing him likened him to you in terms of how he handles himself in battle. Witnesses claim that he approached parties on the verge of being overwhelmed by monsters and requested that he leave them to him before wiping them out in his lonesome with just a short sword on the verge of breaking and black knives roughly crafted from War Shadow fingers.
He was last seen in the guild this morning after causing a scene with who people say is his adviser."
"Just two weeks and he is this far. T-that's unheard of... How did he become so strong?" Aiz thought, her curiosity piqued. Riveria frowned, realizing the can of worms she had just opened. Aiz was... Very unstable at the moment.
Because of her strong desire for strength, she pushed herself beyond her limits and acted recklessly in order to achieve excelia. She couldn't hide her violent desire when she was younger, and she rebelled against anything that wasn't training. When it came time to eat, she ate only what her body required and dashed off to practice with her sword.
She is obsessed with power and that obsession stems from a great desire to region what was lost.
The girl had dedicated her body, mind, heart, and soul to her practices in the hopes of attaining a certain level of strength in order to achieve a goal. One that, unbeknownst to her, had a strong resemblance to a certain boy.
She only felt happy when she progressed but stagnation had the opposite effect on her. This effect affected her mind to the point that she would drop reason just to kill that one extra monster hoping that the numbers on her back would shift. The numbers on her back were so valuable to her that they replaced her life, leading her to become just a sword to be re-forged and strengthened. The numbers on her back barely budging after she had achieved great feats tore into and weighed heavily onto her conscienceness, making her feel that she wasn't doing enough despite her pushing herself beyond her limits. Her training fueled by her goal in the forefront of her mind, burning brightly and making her push herself until she could no longer feel her body.
That is why... That is why being told that a boy who had been an adventurer for just two weeks had made more progress than she had in 8 months caused the flames that enveloped her heart to flare. Her blood, sweat and tears felt like they were losing their significance because of the news. "What is his secret? How did he get so far so quickly?" her anguish filled face did not go unnoticed by Riveria who moved to disturb her thoughts before they took her down a darker spiral.
"Aiz," Riveria's voice called out to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Aiz let out a heavy sigh, forgetting her thoughts and feelings clouding her mind for a moment. "I am glad he is okay," her doll-like expression shifted slightly, "however, my failures did harm him... I want to make it up to him..."
"..." Riveria stayed silent because as genuine as her Aiz's feelings were, her other motives were clear to her. "I spoke to his advisor as well... When she interacted with him this morning, he did not seem to show concern about what happened on the 5th floor, instead, he seemed more concerned about other priorities. Guild regulations prevented her from giving me the finer details about him but she did tell me that the boy is very elusive. He dislikes being interacted with in any way such that even looking at him makes him uncomfortable.
You might wind up irritating him if you try approaching him, if you can find him that is."
Aiz tilted her head at the 'if'.
"He evaded your perception and is practically invisible unless he is directly looked at. In a city as large as this, finding him will be very difficult," she explained causing Aiz to frown.
"But..."
"I see... I'd like to continue practicing for a little while longer," Aiz expressed as she reached for her sword's handle once more. Riveria nodded and turned away not before saying, "Don't overdo it. Loki wants us to go to the Hostess of fertility tonight... Until then," she said awkwardly before turning away.
Aiz watched Riveria's back leave yard before turning her attention to the sky above. "One day, I'll take you back."
End
A reminder to anyone who wanted to comment on what I said before the chapter started... Yeah.
So the chapter 4 is over. Naruto went into the dungeon with his new allies, what will happen down there I wonder, what will happen after I wonder. Infact lemme give you a snippets like other writers do cuz they look cool and people like them (Me included)
-"So he walked in the kitchen, not noticing that I was sitted at nearby corner and stuck his finger into the pie and muttered, 'just like pie.'... Hey Mord.
"Yeah?"
"You know how I people fail to notice me unless they observe me directly?"
"Yeah?"
"I just wanted to eat my sandwich..."
Anyway, that's it from me. Have a good one.