Naruto: Valkyrie
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Norse Mytholgy
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Naruto is going to seem a bit dark and angsty in this chapter. He's still recovering from the Battle of Vestmar so it will take time for him to return to his more cheerful self. We'll also see more of his past as well as a bit of Hinata's. Here is Chapter 2; enjoy!
...
Last Time:
"…This is a mission from Lord Odin himself, not some form of punishment. The three Norns requested you to guide Lord Naruto because the change in his fate could affect all of Norway. It is not a mission to be taken lightly."
Hinata calmed down and said. "I will respect the Allfather's wishes of course. I just wish the fates chose someone else for this task. I'm very sorry I lost my temper with you Hugin."
"It's alright." said the raven. "I predicted you'd have a bit of a tantrum so I was already braced for it. You really should learn to control your temper better though. I should get back to the Allfather as my task here is done. I will inform him that you have happily accepted this mission." Hugin chuckled and then took off as Hinata growled about the 'happily' part.
Sakura came out of the cottage and said, "Lord Naruto is up and about Hinata. Lady Tsunade sent me to fetch you."
Hinata sighed. 'Looks like I'm in this for the long haul. I hope Lord Naruto and I can get along without me having to kill him.' "Thank you Sakura; let's go in to see him…"
…
Chapter 2
The Road to Valkyrie
-Dream Sequence-
…Hinata was on her first mission as a Valkyrie under Captain Shizuka, She'd gone through some truly harsh training with Captain Kurenai but it had all been worth it! "Pay attention Hinata!" spoke Shizuka harshly. "That battlefield is where we are headed. You've been trained well. Today is your day to prove to me and the others in our unit that you are worthy of the title Valkyrie!"
"Y-yes Captain Shizuka. I will do my best!" Hinata answered shyly.
An hour into the battle Hinata hadn't taken a single soul. Most of the others had at least four or five. Shizuka face palmed. She'd seen Hinata spar. The girl was an artist with the blade! "Captain Shizuka?" asked one of her subordinates.
Shizuka turned to face the bustiest member of her unit. "Yes, Samui?"
"I don't think this new girl is cut out to be a Valkyrie." said Samui in her usual flat tone. "She is much too kind and too soft. She knows what to do but feels guilty about doing it. She also seems shy and demure around men."
Shizuka knew Samui was giving her usual brutally honest advice and there was no malice behind it. Still, Hinata had so much potential! The problem was the girl had been raised to be a proper lady of nobility. What to do….Shizuka was at a loss as more forces entered the battlefield. She quickly dismissed Samui to get back to work. A lot more warriors were going to die today.
Another hour later Shizuka saw that the one side of the warriors had lost. She'd watched Hinata standing by. She'd corral the souls for others to take but hadn't taken any herself. Shizuka was at her wit's end with the girl. It seemed Samui's assessment was accurate as usual. Still, Shizuka felt bad for Hinata. She had become fond of the girl while they'd trained together. She saw the lord of the losing side go down and was about to take his soul when she got an idea. This Lord Olav was widely known for his womanizing reputation. Shizuka called Hinata over. Hinata came over shyly, Shizuka could tell the girl feared being reprimanded but she would have to be tough for Hinata's sake.
"See the leader that just fell Hinata?" asked Shizuka sternly as she pointed at Olav. At the shy Valkyrie's nod she said. "He is rather famous. He's known as Lord Olav the Swift. You WILL go over and take his soul to the appropriate place. You've let your teammates down and disappointed me today. Take care of Olav the Swift for me and I will give you another chance."
Hinata looked at Shizuka with her soft pearly eyes and nodded rapidly. "Yes C-captain! I will d-deal with him!" Shizuka nodded and shooed Hinata off to do her job. She felt sorry for the girl and knew that this would either make or break her….
Olav the Swift saw an exquisitely beautiful maiden descend from the sky on horseback. Her long indigo hair and radiant eyes would make her a prize any man would want. Her form fitting armor and filmy white skirt accentuated all her feminine charms as well. Hinata dismounted before him and said, "E-excuse me, a-are you Lord Olav the Swift?"
The forty year old Olav was totally captivated by her innocence. "Why yes I am my dear."
"I-I am the Valkyrie Hinata and I'm very sorry to say this but I have to take you to Valhalla with m-me. Your life is sadly at its end." said the shy battle maiden.
'Can I talk her out of it?' thought Olav. "Please battle maiden, I entreat you, do not take me from this earth. My beloved wife and children would be devastated by my loss and my people would be without a leader."
Hinata fidgeted. "W-well…."
"I am so beloved by my people. Surely you could grant me a little more time even if it is just to say goodbye to my children…." Olav said sadly.
Hinata was on the verge of heartbreak. She felt so bad for this poor man and his family. "….Is there n-nothing I can do to convince you to willingly come to Valhalla's halls with me?" asked Hinata.
That's when Olav slipped up. "Well, you are such a sexy little piece of fun. Surely you could personally please me on the way to Lord Odin's halls."
Hinata's eyes grew big as saucers. "W-what are you saying? W-what about your beloved wife and children?!"
He smiled lecherously. "What they don't know won't hurt them. Besides, I just can't wait to taste that supple young flesh of yours. You have the body of a goddess my dear…."
Shizuka and the others heard Hinata's voice of rage explode across the battlefield. "WHAAAT?! Do you think I'm some sort of tavern wench you filthy pig?! Your soul is mine bitch! You aren't going to Valhalla! For attempting a Valkyrie's virtue I'm personally going to escort you to Lady Hel herself in Niflheim. Kiss your lecherous ass goodbye!" With a burst of dark power that absorbed the soul of Olav the Swift and Hinata vanished….
The battle came to an end and the rest of the Valkyries regrouped shortly thereafter. Samui said, "It seems that I stand corrected Captain Shizuka. How did you know?" The other Valkyries were eager to hear also and gathered around.
Shizuka sighed in relief. Her little gamble paid off. "Olav the Swift was a notorious womanizer that liked girls half his age and took advantage of any woman he could regardless. I reasoned that such a man would revile Hinata given she was raised in a noble home where women were treated respectfully. I know she died young of illness and the idea of some older man having his way with her would either make her run in fear or fill her with righteous rage. I gambled on the latter and it seems I was right. Let us wait for our new sister to return."
Within the hour Hinata came back from Niflheim. Her eyes now glowed with righteous power. She said in a much harder voice than any of them had ever heard from her, "Uggh! Men are pigs; the whole lot of them!" She bowed her head before all the others, "Captain Shizuka, my sisters, forgive me and my foolishness. I had no idea what men were like. I assure you I will never falter and never show mercy again to those who oppose the will of the Valkyries and Lord Odin in our duties."
'That's pretty hardcore.' thought Samui with a tiny, minimalist smile.
Shizuka said, "From now on you are our true sister Hinata of the Moonlight Eyes."
Thus Hinata became the fearsome Valkyrie whose sight and swordplay was second to none…
-End dream sequence-
Hinata woke up from her dream of the past. "Uggh; that damn dream again….I really wish I didn't dream about the past and how stupid I was then…"
…
Lady Tsunade's Cottage
That was last night. Now Hinata was following Sakura into Lady Tsunade's Cottage to talk with Lord Naruto for the first time. She also hoped his male appendage was well hidden. It would be distracting enough without having to deal with him probably having an emotional breakdown on his part. Hinata did agree that he deserved some kindness though; he had been through a lot. She wasn't looking forward to telling him about the tragedy at Vestmar or that she was now his travelling companion. She didn't want him to get the idea she was his plaything or something….
Hinata came in and saw Naruto sitting at the table with Jiraiya holding the halves of the arrow and looking at it in detail. He was wearing a long nightshirt and pants that obviously were too big for him. Judging by the number of dishes it looked like Lord Naruto demolished a whole ox for lunch. Hinata was glad she didn't have to witness that. Considering how tired Sakura looked she wondered if the poor girl hadn't done all the cooking. Hinata whispered to her, "Just how much did Lord Naruto eat?"
Sakura shuddered. "Lady Tsunade and I firmly believe that his stomach leads to another realm. He should have ruptured with as much as he ate –and his eating manners are more atrocious than most."
Hinata cocked an eyebrow "Wasn't he raised in a lordly court?"
The rosette shook her head. "No, from what he explained he was an unwanted orphan until his Lord revealed on his deathbed that they were half brothers and named Naruto Lord of Vestmar before he passed. Lord Naruto seems very bitter about the situation. He didn't reveal much else but he did thank us graciously for our hospitality. He acted as if he's never had a real meal prepared for him in his life."
Hinata nodded. 'Interesting….a lord that isn't a lord.'
Tsunade quickly made introductions as Hinata joined them at the table. Naruto blinked as if he was trying to clear his thoughts. "You are the Valkyrie that threw me over the back of your horse and brought me here. I remember your eyes in the moonlight."
"That's correct, I am known as Hinata of the Moonlight Eyes. Do you wish to know of the final Battle of Vestmar?" she asked.
Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment and then his sad blue eyes turned hard as steel. "Tell me what happened and spare me no details. Unless I am mistaken I am the only one from Vestmar that is free now."
Hinata shook her head. "You are the only one from Vestmar left alive. No one was captured. Your people fought to the bloody end." Over the next hours the Valkyrie described the horrific battle that took place. Sakura had to excuse herself as she could take no more of the description. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade had lived long enough that they'd experienced these horrors before so they were able to stay and listen. "….And the last to die was a young maiden who cursed them for their treachery before she cast herself into the realm of Ægir and Ran. Your warriors killed ten times as many as they lost and were taken to Valhalla by my sisters and I. Lord Odin welcomed them all. You should be proud of them Lord Naruto."
The tears that silently streamed down Naruto's face had long since dried by now. He had no tears left to cry. His jaw was set in such a way that Hinata expected him to scream for the blood of his enemies. It was what all warriors did. Naruto stood up and bowed to Hinata. "Thank you for telling me the truth, chooser of the slain. Please give Lord Odin my thanks for allowing you to tell me though it means little coming from a homeless mortal. I'm going to go back to my room and think on this matter so I'll bid you farewell now since you are no doubt headed back to Valhalla." With that, he quickly and silently went back to the room he was staying in and quietly closed the door behind him.
"What a strange man. Isn't he out for revenge? I'm surprised he didn't storm out of here in that nightshirt looking for a sword." said Hinata. "He never gave me a chance to explain to him that we will be travelling together. Lord Odin has made me his guide."
"He's an odd boy." said Jiraiya. "He doesn't seem to have book smarts; I don't think he was ever taught much. But at the same time his eyes seem to spark with a cunning intellect. It's like he's a walking dichotomy. He seems like a simple boy but at the same time he's a total puzzle that even the gods are interested in."
"What are you getting at Lord Jiraiya?" asked Hinata.
Jiraiya said. "I met the boy's father many years ago. He was a true genius. I see some of that in Naruto. When Naruto examined the arrow that shot him he scrutinized it in such detail that he noticed things that even I overlooked and I have hundreds of years of experience. There are many runes etched here that may give us a clue as to where it came from. Yet the boy can't even read runes; so how could he recognize them as such? What I'm getting at: Miss Hinata; is your future traveling companion is a riddle wrapped within an enigma that you may have to solve to complete your mission."
Hinata put her hand to her forehead. "Great; I have a bad feeling about all of this already. I'm going to go out to gather supplies for our journey. I'll be sleeping in the trees tonight. I ask that you don't let him run off without me speaking to him first."
"I'll take care of that Hinata." said Tsunade. "While he's eating breakfast tomorrow I'll come get you."
"Thank you Lady Tsunade." With that she bid them both farewell…
…
The next morning…
A falcon arrived at dawn with a message and dropped it off with Hinata. It was from the Norns. Twenty minutes later another message arrived from Lady Freyja. Hinata quickly read them both and decided to sit down with Naruto once he was up and around. She really could have done without the lewd suggestions Freyja had for Hinata regarding Naruto. Really.
When Naruto awoke he had a large breakfast and donned what was left of his chainmail and other combat gear. Though his spear and bow were apparently history; he still had his sword and twin daggers. He was surprised to see the Valkyrie Hinata sitting there at there at the breakfast table apparently waiting for him. He sat down and greeted her before he demolished his breakfast. Hinata was both disgusted at his manners and awed at the amounts he consumed. He seemed totally oblivious to everyone staring at him as he scarfed down his food like a man dying of starvation. Jiraiya seemed to find it all rather amusing and simply said Naruto was a growing boy…
…
After breakfast…
"….What do you mean Valkyrie? The three fates have a mission for me and you are to be my guide?" asked Naruto. "Haven't the fates done enough to me already?" he growled.
Hinata glowered. "I'm not happy to be going to be on this little trip either but it is the wish of Allfather Odin so if I have to drag you across the countryside kicking and screaming I'll do just that Lord Naruto!"
The two glared at each other for awhile until Jiraiya interrupted and said, "According to this you just need to get the dwarves to check this arrow out to see who made it Naruto. Look at the bright side, Lady Freyja has left you more than enough red gold here to buy yourself some new gear – and quality stuff too. It shouldn't be that hard of a task."
Naruto relented and said, "Fine….let me get my stuff Valkyrie…."
And so, the unlikely pair set out. Naruto looked like his chainmail armor had been through a war (which it had) and Hinata was a picture of pure elegance. They had to travelled south across a plateau between two mountain ranges and then towards a marshy area full of hills and peat bogs before they could make it to the dwarf settlement where the dwarf Dvalin lived. According to Freyja's message he was a 'friend' (presumably with benefits) that would be more than happy to help them out in getting Naruto into some new equipment. Naruto hadn't ever dealt with the dwarf people so Hinata was explaining some of their customs and how they liked to be respected. She also was teaching him how to fend off enchantments by focusing his willpower. By lunch Hinata was satisfied that Naruto could defend against lesser enchantments that she cast at him.
At lunch Naruto ate like a pig and Hinata cringed as she ate properly. She explained to him in the presence of nobility his eating habits would be abhorrent and insulting to his hosts and that she would tutor him in proper manners (if nothing else for her own sake). The pair finished up and as Naruto cleaned up the camp to cover their trail they were found by a group of six would be bandits in light leather armor. Naruto wasn't really in the mood to fight and said, "Look, we have nothing of value to take and you'll only wear yourselves out fighting me. Just leave and we'll pretend we never crossed paths." Hinata wondered why Naruto was talking to these ruffians (She would simply have cut them down) but didn't know Naruto travelled around as a bandit before he joined the Vestmar army so he felt a bit of kinship there.
The apparent leader eyed Hinata hungrily. "Oh, I think you have something we want. Give us your wench and we'll let you walk away soldier." His men laughed and Naruto groaned as he drew his sword,
Hinata turned to a black phantasm with her glowing Moonlight Eyes before them. Her voice was cold as death. "You would trifle with one of Odin's choosers of the slain? Your life is forfeit!" The bandits didn't have time to react as she drew her saber. Before they knew it four of them were dead and one was missing an arm rolling on the ground screaming before she deftly removed his head. The leader was the only one fast enough to avoid her initial strike and found his libido had (oddly) subsided as he watched the Valkyrie dismember his men effortlessly.
He turned to run only to find his throat gripped like a vise in Naruto's right hand. Naruto said emotionlessly, "I tried to warn you off but you wouldn't listen. Now it's over." He tossed the man backwards towards Hinata and the bandit leader was dead before he had a chance to even scream….
Hinata returned to her normal state and said angrily, "Why didn't you help me? I may be your travelling companion but I'm not going to do all the fighting for you!"
Naruto remained calm. "You declared a personal vendetta against them before I could speak or help. I figured you'd get angry if I interfered with your bloodletting. My gut reaction was if I'd killed the leader like I easily could have you'd lose your temper and turn on me! Besides, you didn't put out any effort at all in killing the lot of them. I doubt you even broke a sweat.
"I'm charged with guiding you stupid man! I wouldn't attack you!" she snapped.
"I don't quite believe you Valkyrie." he replied. "For what it's worth though, you were brilliant and beautiful in combat. I don't want to argue anymore. Let's go." with that he started walking again.
'What is with this man?' she ranted mentally. 'First he tells me he doesn't trust me not to kill him and then he tells me I'm beautiful? Arrgh!' Hinata wanted to blush at his compliment and smack Naruto around at the same time as she trailed after him.
By dinner time Hinata and Naruto had settled into a companionable silence and Naruto's detached look had lessened somewhat. Hinata was berating herself a bit when she realized Lady Tsunade was right; Naruto was pretty numb emotionally and would need help getting back to his normal self (whatever that was). They were soon sitting across from each other over a campfire and Naruto had finished inhaling the boar meat they had. Deciding not to let his horrific eating habits deter her, Hinata said, "So tell me about yourself Lord Naruto. What was it like growing up in Vestmar?"
Naruto looked like a deer in the headlights for a moment and then said, "It was hell growing up there. I was a hated and unwanted child thanks to the Lord's influence. Looking back I see it all clearly now." The sheer bitterness in his tone took her off guard.
"Then how did you become the Lord?" asked Hinata.
Naruto snorted. "On his deathbed the Lord of Vestmar who made my life hell revealed to me that he was my elder half brother and that he hated me when I was a child. He was responsible for my Mother's death and I grew up an orphan as a result. During my childhood I learned to lie, cheat and steal just so I could eat. I was a bandit in the region when I was twelve or thirteen. That's why I didn't attack those brigands. They have a hard lot in life; I know from experience. But they had no right to try to go after you. I was going to slay their leader as an example and scatter the others but you were already in motion…."
"Sorry I accused you of not helping…." said Hinata sadly.
Naruto shrugged it off. "It's all right. I've been accused of much worse….Anyway, when I was fourteen I decided to join the Army of Vestmar. I thought I could make a new go at life, taking the honest route. I soon found I was doing twice as much as everyone else in my rank and they were the ones getting promoted! I didn't understand then but now I know it was because of my dear brother. Eventually a border war started and I got a field command where I could really shine. I trained my men hard so we could achieve the impossible. –And we did!" Hinata saw a flash of life in his eyes she liked. It seemed the Naruto wasn't such a dour person after all….Naruto continued. "Again and again my group turned the tides when everyone said all hope was lost. I was granted a promotion to a full Captain and my men respected me and the people of Vestmar seemed to be warming up to me also."
"Six months later we had our backs to the wall and my damned dying brother made me Lord because there was no one else left and he had no heirs." Naruto shook his head. "As the bastard lay dying he told me the truth of it all. Then he had the gall to tell me he was proud to be my brother and gave me this damned ring." said Naruto as he held up the Ring of Vestmar. "I wanted so bad to tell him to fuck himself and shove a dagger through his throat. It took everything I had not to cut loose and then the fucker died before my eyes. I was just numb. All his lieutenants and buddies that treated me poorly suddenly started sucking up to me and swore their undying loyalty on the spot. I was so disgusted with them that I was stunned to silence. After that they acted like it was the will of the gods and I was their savior."
Naruto was on the verge of angry tears by now. "I called for parley and had a meeting with General Choza. I liked the guy and I felt maybe I could save the people of Vestmar even though most treated me unkindly. Then I got shot in the back and you know the rest…" Naruto trailed off into silence and dried his eyes. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have ranted so much. I just feel so….betrayed. I don't know how else to put it. A big part of me wants to banish Vestmar from my mind and become a hermit or something. But now gods and goddesses have taken an interest in my life for some reason and I've been set on a quest to find out who tried to kill me. The truth is I don't give a damn who it was as long as they leave me alone now. I think the three fates hate me for some reason…."
Hinata was truly shocked as the pair sat in silence. She saw that Naruto was a good person who had a really unfair life. After a while she said. "The three fates actually had big plans for you. They wove your fate so you would join with Harald Fairhair's army and lead the people of Vestmar to glory. Whoever tried to assassinate you with that arrow ruined everything and the three Norns are enraged. They want the mastermind behind the arrow that struck you down dead and I assume have a new fate for you though I'm not privy to what it is. I'm afraid this quest they've set you on can't be avoided. I will do my best to help you though."
Naruto looked at the beautiful Valkyrie in front of him and saw total honesty in her Moonlight Eyes. He'd learned long ago how to tell if people were telling the truth or lies to him. It was the only reason he survived this long truthfully. "Thank you Valkyrie…" he said quietly.
"Just call me Hinata from now on." she said. "We are comrades, yes?"
Naruto nodded and without a word he laid down on the hard earth and went to sleep. It had been good to get all that off his chest but he was emotionally exhausted.
Hinata found she couldn't sleep and stayed awake for some time. In spite of herself she thought Naruto was very handsome and wanted to ease his pain. She thought about it a long time before she dozed off as well…
….
Over the next three days the pair travelled peacefully enough. The only people they ran into were a small caravan of merchants that they resupplied at. On the third day, knowing Naruto was fully recovered, Hinata decided they should spar so she could gauge his strength properly for future battles. Hinata was very impressed with Naruto's fighting abilities. No matter what situation she put him in he always seemed to pull a maneuver that took her off guard and set her back on the defensive. He was incredibly unpredictable and Hinata found that sparring with Naruto was lots of fun. With his bottomless bag of tricks and a self taught sword style he was very formidable and a real challenge to her. It surprised her how much fun she was having.
….
A couple of days later they reached the marshy area that they'd seen in the distance. It was vast and the terrain was treacherous. The pair was travelling from hill to hill to avoid slipping into the bog covered areas that were often like quicksand. Naruto got a bit ahead of Hinata when suddenly he heard a haunting noise and a strange veil surrounded the area he was in causing it to fall into a twilight like state. He could no longer see Hinata at all and made his way to backtrack to her when the last hill he'd been on began to make noise and move…
"By the Gods, what is it?!" thought Naruto aloud as he stared at the phantasm emerging from the hill. First acres of teeth formed from the earth of the hillside itself and then dark gray snarling lips and a misshapen head formed as well as a long, narrow neck that seemed to undulate as it moved. Naruto could see no apparent eyes or ears. It seemed to just be a twenty foot set of jaws on a muscular neck with leagues of teeth. It snapped at him and made a noise that sounded like a cry of death. Its breath held the stench of rotting corpses on a battlefield.
The creature seemed to speak to him briefly in a whispering tongue he did not know before it shot forward at the speed of a viper. In spite of being stunned by the strange hypnotic voice the creature seemed to have, Naruto's body reacted on instinct and leapt clear of the massive thing before its teeth could tear him to shreds. When Naruto landed he focused his will as Hinata taught him to and whatever enchantment the creature's voice cast over him was dispelled.
Naruto narrowed his blue eyes that flashed briefly a leveled his sword at the creature. "I'll send you back to the pit that spawned you…" He sprang forward and cut the upper lip the creature and shattered several of the dagger like teeth only to find row after row of teeth behind them like a shark's and the lip healed instantly. It didn't even bleed! The blonde was forced on the defensive as he dodged about doing damage when he could but the creature didn't seem to tire or even slow down. If anything it seemed to speed up. Naruto had several gashes by now.
The thing's head crashed into the ground in an attempt to consume him. Naruto leapt up on top of the creatures head and drove his sword home in the area he thought its brain should be. The creature cast another enchantment on Naruto with its voice but the blonde wasn't affected this time. It reared its head back sending Naruto flying and his sword was still lodged in the top of it. The monster tried to cast another enchantment with no results and then turned its head backwards towards Naruto who was now standing on the hill from it which it had emerged.
Naruto pulled his daggers and slashed at the creature's neck. This time the monster cried out in pain as its black blood spewed all over Naruto. It was acidic but Naruto's healing ability kept up with its corrosive effects. His blue eyes flashed again and his face was painted with a bloodthirsty smirk. "So that is where your weakness is? It will be your end!" yelled Naruto as he charged up the creature's neck slashing as he went. Black blood flowed liberally as the thing violently tried to shake Naruto off to stop the torment.
Naruto wanted to get to his sword but he had to have his daggers dug deep into the soft flesh of the creature's neck just to hold on. He quickly realized the beast was regenerating and his grip he was holding wouldn't last forever so placing his daggers one in front of the other he gradually 'crawled' up its neck. The monster almost got him with its snapping jaws several times but Naruto pressed his body as close as possible to the creature's neck and kept his head down so it couldn't bite him without injuring itself. The acidic blood burned him but it was better than dying.
Naruto's eyes suddenly widened with realization. As the creature's neck undulated upwards again Naruto stood up as the beast's jaws closed in on him; the gaping maw was open wide to consume him. Naruto waited until he could feel the air displaced by the jaws rushing at him before he leapt of backwards. The creatures teeth crashed shut….on its own neck. It had decapitated itself. Naruto landed like a cat on all fours and saw the creature moan out as its flesh and blood seemed to evaporate before him. The acidic blood on him vanished as well leaving behind his rapidly healing skin.
Once the thing was reduced to and unmoving skeleton Naruto climbed atop the skull and gingerly retrieved his sword out of the massive lump of bone it was driven into. He let out a victory cry as he held the gleaming blade above his head. It was then that the strange veil of twilight parted and the sun was shining again. He saw Hinata standing there watching with her beautiful Moonlight Eyes wide. She had a look of wonder on her face as she came towards him and asked, "Are you alright Naruto? I've never seen one of these things actually perish before. Most who escape alive die from the acid burns.I thought I'd lost you."
Naruto shrugged. "I'll be alright. The acid has all evaporated and I'm already healing rapidly. I'd kill for a bath though. This thing reeks of death. What was it?" he asked as he hopped down off the massive skull he was standing on.
Hinata took a step back. "You are right. You really do stink. To answer your question though, we've never really named them anything but bog lurkers." said Hinata. "They are the hapless souls of the people and animals that sank into the peat bogs never to escape. If enough of the souls are there then they amalgamate into those creatures. Given this area has so many bogs I guess it makes sense such a truly massive one could form. Pull some of its teeth that would be suitable for a weapon's blades. They could be very valuable later." she said as she handed him a mystic dagger to cut them loose.
"Aren't you going to help me?" asked Naruto with a pout.
"Hell no! You already smell like that thing so you can do it." she said authoritatively. "You will be travelling downwind of me until we get you a proper bath." Naruto slumped and she got a soft smile on her face as she watched him pick a few choice fangs. "…Still, you did outstanding in combat against the bog lurker. I've never seen one so large let alone seen one killed…You did very well." she said as she blushed slightly. 'I've seen weaker gods flee from those things. He really did look heroic…and he actually killed one!' She mentally giggled and blushed to herself. 'He is so handsome with those blue eyes that flash in the heat of battle…What the hell am I thinking?' Hinata mentally was smacking herself as she blushed…
Oblivious to Hinata's mental conversation/battle she was having with herself, Naruto found a particularly choice fang that was just the right size for a blade for Hinata. He turned around to ask her what she thought only to see her blushing and talking to herself in a disturbing way. Deciding he didn't want to interrupt the Valkyrie's train of thought (lest she lose her temper again) he decided to stick the fang in with the other's he'd collected. After choosing six really good ones he wrapped them in cloth so they could be carried safely. He looked over and saw Hinata was done thinking and said "Well, I picked out six along with some smaller ones for daggers. I think two of them would work really well as blades that would suit you Hinata."
She looked surprised, "Oh, you picked out some for me too?" At his nod she blushed again and said, "Thank you Naruto; you didn't have to. That's really nice of you." Mentally smacking herself again, she regained her more commanding demeanor and said. "Well, I suppose I'll trust in your choices."
We need to hide or destroy this skull." said Naruto. Can you send this skull to the bottom of the bog?"
"Why?" asked Hinata. "It's a total waste of magic to move such a massive object!" she objected.
Naruto said, "We can't let others get their hands on those teeth that rightfully are my spoils. Hiding them will give us a supply later and we won't have to worry about others having those same weapons to use against us."
Hinata's expression softened. "Sorry Naruto. Sometimes I forget you weren't educated as a lord even though you still think like one. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's okay Hinata." said Naruto with a smile. "Go ahead and hide the skull. We'll remember where it is." Nodding, Hinata cast a spell and the skull disappeared. Naruto then said, "You sure are amazing Hinata."
She blushed bright red and hid her face from him. "L-let's go." she stammered. "We're burning daylight."
POSTSCRIPT:
So, yeah; a bog lurker. It's kind of a lame name. I really couldn't find a creature that suited the idea of what I was trying to do so I just came up with that from my imagination. The inspiration for the critter's appearance came from the album cover of Blue Oyster Cult's Cultasaurus Erectus album. It was kind of freaky so I ran with it. Next chapter we'll make it to the dwarf settlement and hopefully some surprises as well. Blue out. 2/10/15. Remaster posted 10/31/20
