A/N - Okay, I know you might have been expecting a chapter for a different story, but I decided to work on a chapter of this. Took a while to get it written, buuut...I think it turned out pretty well in the end. I hope you enjoy it everybody! The majority of the chapter is spent in Kazas and the Black Castle. Sooo...yay? Anyways, yeah...enjoy?
Chapter 8 - The End of the Serdio War
The large group of friends had a bit of a hard time finding the city of Kazas, where the Black Castle resided. In order to find it, they first had to return to the village of Konoha-Lohan and ask around if anyone had seen anything like it anywhere nearby, as the city of Kazas was originally located just a short distance southeast of Lohan in the old world.
Eventually they stumbled upon a wandering merchant who mentioned to them that he had just come from Kazas, which he explained was now to the north of Konoha-Lohan. Puzzled by this, the group decided not to question it and just decided to restock on their supplies before heading out for the city where their enemy resided.
Upon arriving a few hours later, the party stopped outside the city's walls and looked at one another with unwavering focus. "This is it. Kazas; the city of our enemy. Lloyd and Doel are bound to be here." Dart said.
"Agreed." Albert replied. "We've come this far. It's time to put a stop to their evil and end this war."
Naruto stared past them and up at the Black Castle. "Let's go guys. I want to make them pay for what they did to Lavitz." When everyone nodded in agreement, they soon turned and made their way into the city.
The first thing they noticed was that there were guards everywhere. When talked to, they each said something similar about staying out of their way or behaving whilst in the city unless they wanted to be busted. Then, when the group went into the first building on the western side of the street, they saw three soldiers discussing something around a map on a table. When they listened in, they heard them talking about the recent happenings in the war ranging from the death of Feyrbrand, the Dragon, to the fall of the 7th Fort, and so on.
After leaving that building, the group proceeded across the street to the first building on the eastern side of the main street and entered. Once inside, they saw a mercenary talking with a soldier behind the counter. When approached, the mercenary began to speak to Dart.
"Are you here to register as well?" he asked.
"No, I don't think so." Dart replied.
"That's right! Making a killing by taking advantage of victory is not the thing for little punks to do. Go away!" the mercenary exclaimed in response.
Shortly afterwards, another man entered the building and approached the mercenary. Turning to the man, the mercenary began to speak to him excitedly. "Hey pal! I just registered! It'll be easy money for me!"
The taller mercenary looked around at everyone in the room before looking down at his shorter friend and shaking his head nervously. "What are you talking about!?"
The shorter man frowned up at his friend and spoke up in a gruff tone of voice. "What do ya mean "What"? It's the registration to be a mercenary. You said let's rake in some money by joining the Sandoras."
Once again the taller man looked around at everyone, but this time in a bit of a panic. Looking back at his friend, he began to shout, "Hey, you can't feel so confident anymore! Somebody defeated the Dragon! In addition, Hellena has fallen!"
The shorter mercenary looked around at everyone with wide eyes before turning back to the soldier he had originally been talking to in a panic. "I don't want to register! I take it back! What!? You can't do it!? Why!? My grandpa is sick!" He turned to point at his friend at this point before turning back to the soldier. "See!? This is my brother! He came here to get me! Well, so long then."
The receptionist and the group of heroes watched the duo leave before the receptionist turned to Dart and company and said, "We only get that kind, recently. The quality of the mercenaries is declining. Well, good for you for not being mercenaries." he said with a smile. Dart could only nod his head in response, an awkward smile on his face as he tried not to bark out a laugh.
Once they were outside and away from the receptionist, the group couldn't help but laugh until tears formed in their eyes. When they finally calmed down, Naruto looked at Dart and shook his head. "Now THAT was amusing. I didn't think we'd receive such entertainment here in Kazas. You sure you don't want to go back in there and tell him you're a mercenary for hire Dart? I'm sure he'd appreciate it." Naruto teased.
Dart chuckled and shook his head. "No thank you Naruto. We'll be lucky to get through the city without them finding out who we are. Now come on, we need to continue on." he said sternly before they continued to explore the city in search of anything they could use or any juicy bits of information they could glean off of the townsfolk.
When they stumbled upon a crate that housed a Twister Glaive weapon for either Naruto or Albert in the second building on the eastern side of the street, the two of them looked at one another in contemplation. After a moment, however, Albert picked up the lance and handed it to Naruto. "Here Naruto, you take it. Thanks to the lessons I've been giving you, you're getting better, so think of this as a gift." he said with a smile on his face.
Smiling in thanks, Naruto gave the new lance a few test swings before strapping it to his back in place of the Lance he was using. Slipping the old weapon into their sack of items, he decided they would sell it as soon as they found a store, as there was no longer any use for it. Looking into Albert's eyes again, the blonde smiled again and nodded. "Thank you Albert."
"Don't mention it." the King of Basil replied before they left the building to continue their exploration of Kazas.
In the third building on the left side of the street, they were able to sneak into the walls and listen in on what people in the other rooms were saying. In one room, they could hear a young man shouting out, "The New Serdio Party! Where people who won't assent to being ruled by power get together and help each other! The New Serdio Party is a window to the salvation of the weak! When you are in trouble, rely on us!"
Hinata frowned thoughtfully at this and decided to speak her mind on the subject. "Well, that sounds all well and good, but something tells me that they don't really have the kind of power needed to do anything substantial to make much of a difference. But maybe they can help us somehow?"
Albert shook his head and sighed. "Let's not think about that right now. We'll keep our options open, and weigh them carefully before we make any moves. Right now we're trying to think of a way to get into the Black Castle undetected, correct? I say we keep searching and asking around. If we can't find a way in, then we'll think about talking to this New Serdio Party, okay Hinata?"
Nodding in understanding, Hinata proceeded to follow her friends as they moved to listen in on the person in the next room. In this room, they could hear a middle-aged man shouting out something. "The motto of the New Serdio Party! Most importantly, end the war! The powerless should protect their house! Protect by fighting! I have said everything I want to say!"
Hinata deadpanned at this before releasing a sigh. "You're right. We should probably look into other options before we seek them out." she said to Albert.
The king chuckled before gently patting Hinata on the head. "Sorry, but I had a feeling they were a bit...different. Now come on, we've done all we can in here. Let's see what else Kazas has to offer us."
As they entered the shop across the street, they were stopped by a mysterious adventurer who was at the counter. "Can I talk to you a little? You guys look like adventurers too." he said. "Well well! I can tell just from how you look."
Naruto couldn't help but quirk his brow at this guy's behavior, but before he could say anything, the mysterious adventurer approached Dart and smiled at him. "In addition, you have been on a very risky adventure. Well well! I can smell it from your aura."
Leaning closer to Shana, Naruto whispered to her, "He can 'smell' our auras? That's just wrong on so many levels." he said jokingly, causing the brunette to let out a giggle.
The mysterious adventurer continued to speak, ignoring the jab at his way of speaking. "By the way, I have a great story to tell you because you appreciate the real stuff. Just between you and me, I defeated the Dragon, Feyrbrand."
At hearing this, Dart and company went silent and just stared at the man in disbelief, unable to believe what they had just heard. This idiot was going around telling people that HE was the one that defeated the Dragon?! On top of that, he was telling this bullshit in KAZAS of all places?! How stupid could you possibly get?!
"..." Dart was silent. He couldn't think of anything to say in response to what he had just heard.
"Oh, you don't trust me. Then, take a look at this. This is the feather of Feyrbrand. Whoa, don't touch it. You'll be poisoned by it." the adventurer said as he produced a feather that he hoped would convince the group that he was the one that slew the mighty Dragon. "You trust me, right? Now, I want to introduce this great product to you. It's a powerful drug that even beats Dragons, the dragon beater! For a limited time offer, I'll give you this dragon's feather for free!" he exclaimed passionately, trying to persuade the group into purchasing his 'goods'.
Naruto couldn't help it; he began to snicker. "Dragon beater. That's priceless." he said between his giggles. When Hinata slugged him in the arm to try and get him to stop, he winced and looked at her with a pout on his face. "Why Hina-chan? That wasn't very nice."
"Get your mind out of the gutter Naruto-kun. I love you, but still, I won't have your mind going places like that." she said sternly.
Before anyone could say anything more, the door opened and in walked a Knight of Sandora. When he approached the group, he shouted out, "Is there a guy who defeated Feyrbrand in here!?"
At first he began approaching Dart with an accusatory stare, causing Dart to back up away from him, though he remained calm so as not to raise the Knight's suspicions any further. Then the mysterious adventurer began to try and sneak out, which caused the Knight to turn his attention to him. Rushing over to the adventurer, the Knight captured him and shouted out, "It must be you! Come with us!"
Panicking, the mysterious adventurer began to shout, "Wait, wait a minute! I'm just a "businessman"! I was lying about the Dragon!" Sadly, the Knight of Sandora wasn't having any of it and proceeded to escort the mysterious adventurer out of the building. The heroes looked at one another and proceeded to simply shrug their shoulders before they approached the shopkeeper to see what she had for sale.
They proceeded to sell the weapons they no longer had a need for first before they bought a Heat Blade for Dart, two Long Bows (one for Shana and one for Hinata), three Armets (one each for Dart, Albert, and Naruto), and three Iron Kneepieces (again, one each for Dart, Albert, and Naruto). After being equipped with these new pieces of equipment, Dart sold his Bastard Sword and they sold their Leather Boots as well. Afterwards, they proceeded to leave the store to continue their exploration of Kazas.
As they entered the next area where the drawbridge was, they couldn't help but notice the guards patrolling the bridge. Stopping at the foot of the drawbridge, they huddled together and began to speak with one another. "I don't think breaking through from the front gate will work." Dart said.
"Let's do some more research. We may find a good way to sneak in." Albert suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement and then they were off once again to continue with their exploration of Kazas.
It wasn't long before they came across a very rundown fort. Upon entering it, they saw a large amount of people that seemed to call this place home. Frowning at this, Naruto couldn't help but remember his own life back home in Konoha and the conditions he called home. "This war needs to end...these people need our help…" he said sadly.
"And they'll get it." Albert promised. "Remain strong, my friend. This war ends today. We'll make sure of that."
Thanking his friend, Naruto rejoined everyone as they continued their trek through the fort in search of a way into the Black Castle.
Eventually they reached what appeared to be a dead end where they found a boy standing in front of a ladder leading down. Before anyone could say anything, the boy spoke up. "Welcome to the ruins of the underground fortress. You guys look like new faces. You want to join the New Serdio Party, don't you?" he questioned with a smirk on his face.
Hinata blinked and looked to Albert, who looked to her with a shrug. "Looks like they're going to be the ones to help us out after all." he said with a smile on his face. Hinata giggled a bit at this and nodded her head in agreement.
The boy ignored their little moment before he continued speaking. "I want to let you in, but I need to ask three questions. I have to check you out." he explained. "First question. Which country do you want to win, Basil or Sandora?"
Dart frowned at this and thought for a moment about what he should say for his answer. After a moment, he looked to his friends and saw that they were trusting him with this, so he nodded in response and turned to give his answer to the boy. "I cannot say which. The important thing is to end the war as soon as possible, not winning or losing." he responded.
The boy smiled at Dart and nodded his head in agreement. "I think so too. Always hate or spite remains after the fight, regardless of whether you win or not." Closing his eyes, the boy took in a breath before he began to speak again. "The second question. During the war, what should powerless kids like us do?"
Frowning again, Dart thought over his answer and shook his head for a moment. This was a bit of a tough one. If he said the wrong thing, he might offend the kid and cost his party the help they needed. But… "Take care at home. We cannot send kids to battle. But somebody has to take care so that the people fighting have someplace to come back to." the red-clad warrior said with a determined look on his face.
The boy, much to everyone's relief, offered a smile and a nod in response. "I agree. There are some things we too can do." Taking a breath, the kid continued on. "The last question. Why do people have to fight?"
This one was an easy question to answer for Dart and he answered immediately, "To protect something. If "War" is to obtain or destroy something, I'll throw my sword away. I only fight to protect something."
The boy once again nodded his head in complete agreement with Dart. "I think so too! People should only fight to protect something! I learned that from my grandpa."
Dart smiled at the kid. "You had a good grandpa, but you are…?"
The kid laughed a bit and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head before he replied. "I am Popo. I am a representative of the New Serdio Party. I am campaigning to help people who are having hard times because of the war."
Dart and Albert looked at each other for a moment before Albert began to speak to the kid. "It is amazing. I heard about the party, but I didn't think the representative would be this young."
Popo turned to Albert and frowned thoughtfully as he looked him over. "Oh…. You…. Did we meet somewhere before?" he asked.
Albert chuckled and shook his head in the negative. "We've never met before, but you might know my face. I am Albert, the King of Basil."
Popo flailed about in shock for a moment before pointing at Albert in wide-eyed shock. "Oh my god! You, you, you are…! King Albert!?"
Moments Later - Down Below in the Secret Base
Popo couldn't help but flip all around his secret base in joy! Eventually he stopped in front of Albert and turned to face him. "I've been waiting for this day to come! The day King Albert liberates Kazas and sets us free!"
Dart smiled from his place beside Shana and spoke up. "That's what we are here for. We will end the war now."
Popo looked around at everyone in the group and frowned thoughtfully before looking back up into King Albert's eyes. "But, I don't think these few people can break through the defenses of the Black Castle."
Albert offered Popo a reassuring smile and gently patted him on the head. "Don't worry. We can do it. We can't tell you how though. They say that the power once was the card that liberated Humans from Winglies. Now, it is the ace to open up our own fate."
Popo smiled brightly and clenched his fists in front of him before he began to practically bounce in place. "Ah, it's like a dream! Now I can go look for my father and mother when the war ends."
Rose sighed and pushed herself off of the wall she was leaning against before stepping forward and turning to face Albert. "Don't waste time babysitting like that. Why don't you think about how to get into the castle?" she suggested grumpily.
Naruto frowned slightly and gently took his girlfriend's hand in his and brushed his thumb against the back of her hand. When she turned to face him, he leaned in and captured her lips with his in a soft kiss before pulling back and smiling at her. "Calm down Rose-chan. We're getting there. I promise." Looking at Popo, Naruto offered him a smile and decided to ask, "Popo, do you know of any way we can enter the Black Castle undetected? We could really use the help."
Popo looked around at everyone before looking directly into Naruto's eyes and nodding once. "I...I am just a kid, but I can show you how to get in the castle!"
Everyone's eyes widened for a moment before Dart shouted out, "Can you!?"
Popo smiled brightly and nodded in response. "Yes! This place used to be a fortress, so there is a secret path to get to the Black Castle!"
Dart couldn't help but grin in response to this wonderful news. "Secret path? Now we are closer to Doel!"
"Come with me now!" Popo shouted before he began to walk off, planning to lead them to the secret passage.
Albert spoke up after a brief moment however. "Please wait. If we fail, it'll be too risky for you. We will come back after we prepare." he said.
Popo nodded in understanding and shouted out, "I got it! I'll be waiting at the secret path! Please hurry up!" before he hurried off to wait for them at the entrance to the secret path.
Before Rose could say anything in protest, Naruto looked into her eyes and spoke up. "Rose-chan, we should return to that inn we passed and rest up. All of us. We need to be fully rested and healed up before we tackle the Black Castle. Once we've recovered, then we can return. Is that okay?" he suggested.
Sighing, Rose nodded her head and relented to his point without much of an argument. "Fine Naruto. I am...a little tired, I suppose." she admitted. "Is everyone in agreement?" she questioned.
Seeing everyone nodding in agreement, Dart smiled and motioned for everyone to follow him as they made their way out of the secret base and back through the fort to return to the inn where they would pay the 20G for a room and get some rest a few hours.
A few hours later
After getting some rest, the group was now back with Popo, waiting to go through the secret passage he had informed them of. "Are you ready to go into the Black Castle?" Popo questioned.
Dart looked around at everyone, checking to see if they were all ready. Seeing them all nodding in acknowledgement to show that they were, indeed, ready, he turned to Popo and said, "Yeah. We are ready. The only thing left is to make it to the Black Castle."
"I almost gave up when I heard Bale was taken, I thought all my campaigning was in vain." Popo admitted. "But I found out you are alive, Your Majesty, and we can still fight. I now see the future! Good luck!"
"Yes. I will defeat Doel, and end the war." Dart said adamantly.
"To prevent a repetition of the sorrow of you and Seles." Shana said.
"I guess I'll be serious for the first time in a while!" Haschel exclaimed with a grin on his face.
"For the people who desire peace, I'll fight." Albert said.
Naruto couldn't help but smirk at what Dart said and punched him in the shoulder, wincing a bit after doing so. "Damn, shouldn't do that when you're covered in all that armor." he said. "Anyways, you're not defeating him by yourself. We're all here to help you kick his ass." he said with a chuckle.
Turning to Popo, the young blonde held out his fist and waited for Popo to bump his fist against his. When he did, Naruto grinned at him. "Don't you worry Popo, we're going to win and put an end to this war. Believe it!"
Hinata smiled and nodded her head. "I promise you that everything will be okay after today Popo-kun. You won't ever have to worry about this war again after today." she assured him.
Hikari nodded her head before she placed a hand atop Popo's head. "Doel will pay for all he's done to the people of both kingdoms. I assure you that he will not live past this day if I have anything to say about it." she promised.
Popo could feel chills going down his spine at these words, but he couldn't help but sniffle a bit and smile as he heard all their words of encouragement. "Thank you." he said as he began to shed tears of happiness. "Thank you so much."
Rose sighed and turned to stare at the secret passage before turning around to stare at everyone else. "I'm going ahead." she said irritably.
Dart stared after her in disbelief before shouting, "Ro, Rose!"
Naruto couldn't help but bark out a laugh before he hopped down after her without a word.
"Damn it, not you too Naruto!" Dart shouted. Turning to the others, Dart nodded and they each began to follow the couple down into the secret passage.
Once down there, they saw the couple waiting for them with grins on their faces. "What was that all about Rose?" Dart questioned.
Rose shook her head and simply turned around before walking off. When the red-clad warrior turned to look at Naruto, he chuckled and shook his head. "You should know well enough by now that she isn't one for all that mushy, gung-ho stuff. She's into getting stuff done. So, let's hop to it!" Naruto exclaimed before he began skipping off after his girlfriend.
Chuckling to himself, Dart nodded in understanding and began leading the group off after the couple, not quite able to believe how easy it was for Naruto to break through Rose's shell and understand her when she was so unwilling to open up to everyone else.
It wasn't long before they were within the Black Castle. From what they could see from where they were, there were guards patrolling EVERYWHERE they looked. It would be very hard to avoid them, so when Naruto piped up with, "Let's just beat 'em all!" the group was all for it.
After clearing out the enemies in that area, they ventured out to the drawbridge again and collected the items from the treasure chests before venturing inside the Black Castle proper. Once there, they defeated the Knights and inspected the purple lanterns beside the elevators due to how curious the objects looked. Upon doing so, they realized that something was burning in those lanterns until just recently.
"Hmm, it would appear that without whatever is meant to burn inside there, we can't proceed any further in those directions. For now we have only one way to go." Albert said as he looked to the eastern doorway.
Dart frowned at this and nodded his head. "Then I suppose we'd best get going." he said before he began to lead the group forward.
Inside the next room there was a strange device that appeared to be drawing magic from a purple flame in the center of the room. Approaching it, Dart questioned, "What is this?"
Before anyone could speculate a guess, they heard a voice call out to them from off to the side. "You are…?"
Looking that way, what appeared to be a researcher stepped forward and stopped in front of Dart. "Are you here to see my research?" he questioned.
It was then that they heard another voice. "Or…." Another researcher stepped up to the group, stopping next to Naruto. "To visit me?" he questioned.
The first researcher began to speak again. "Either way, we are pleased. We like it when mercenaries like you have an interest in our research."
The second researcher nodded along. "Indeed. Recently, barbaric, suicidal attacks have become common, but if our research is successful, it will reduce the casualties of war." Turning back to where he came from, the researcher pointed towards the white flame he had been working with. "For example, that White Flame," as soon as he said that, the white flame sparkled and shined brilliantly, "has a healing power."
The other researcher chose this time to speak up. "And that Green Flame isn't extinguished by water. When we put it to practical use, it will provide an advantage in war." he explained right before the green flame sparkled and shined in the same way the white flame had before.
Albert was astonished. Looking between the two researchers, he spoke up. "But...I've never seen such technologies. It's like...like magic." he said in disbelief.
The White Flame Researcher looked at Albert and said, "You don't need to know about that. There are already enough of us involved in this accursed research."
The Green Flame Researcher nodded along in agreement with his companion. "Yes. Your job is to fight. There are too many things we don't know about this power. If you get involved too much, you might end up like Mr. Magi."
The White Flame Researcher looked to his friend and shook his head. "It's too late for that guy. We have to complete this research before it is too late for Sandora."
Albert nodded in understanding. "I see. I will end the war. But…. Can we ask you a little more?" he questioned. "For example, what kind of function does this Purple Flame serve?"
The White Flame Researcher decided to explain. "This flame is the power source of the castle. The Purple Flame drives the elevators and lifts. It helps people's lives. That's the proper way of usage."
King Albert could only sigh and shake his head sadly. "But the war decides the usage now."
The Green Flame Researcher nodded. "Yes. Even if this technology could be used for the happiness of the people, once it is used wrongly, it may bring unhappiness. What we are making may bring unhappiness to the people in Basil." he said with a deep frown on his face.
Sighing softly, the White Flame Researcher spoke up again. "I agree. This research is, after all, based on the calamity caused by the Dragon. War creates catastrophe."
"It's a sad thing for both the people and the Dragon." the Green Flame Researcher said.
"The Dragon!? The Dragon is involved in this research?" Dart exclaimed in shock.
The White Flame Researcher chuckled nervously for a moment before speaking up. "Oh, my tongue slipped. Forget what I said."
"Now, back to the research." the Green Flame Researcher said. "Let me give you some Magic Oil. This is the fuel for the Purple Flame. It gives you mobility."
After receiving the Magic Oil from the Green Flame Researcher, the other researcher spoke up. "If you want to be healed, come visit me anytime."
"Thank you very much. It was very...useful." Albert said gratefully before the group reconvened and the researchers returned to their stations. Now that they had the Magic Oil, they could continue making their way through the Black Castle!
Choosing to continue through this room, they went down the elevator to the right and, after talking with the researchers in the room down below, continued down another elevator. Down here, they saw a collapsing platform that trash was continually being dumped on before it was, in turn, being dumped down below from. Naruto, seeing a person on the other side of the platform, as well as a chest, decided to give this a shot. "Alright guys, stay here. I've got this." he said with a grin.
Sure enough, Naruto was able to not only avoid being spotted by the janitor, but he was also able to avoid being crushed by the falling trash as well and reached the other side almost effortlessly. Once there, he first collected the Red Stone from the chest before speaking to the janitor. "Heya there! How's it goin'?"
"Oh? It's dangerous and you cannot come in. Although I give you credit for making it through. I only have garbage, but make yourself at home." he said to Naruto. "And...I suppose I'm alright. Thanks for asking."
Naruto chuckled and patted the man on the shoulder. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to get back to my friends. Take care now!" and with that he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving nothing but a note in his wake.
When the janitor bent down and picked it up, he read it aloud. "Hope you have a nice day. Peace out, Naruto. Huh. Interesting kid." he said to himself before pocketing the note and continuing on with his work.
Once he was back with his friends, Naruto grinned at them and gave them a quick salute before they ventured further downwards to collect the items in the den of sewage down below. Afterwards, they returned to where they originally saw the first two unlit lanterns and had to make a choice on which way to go first. Of course, they first had to defeat two guards again, as they had apparently already been replaced. Damn was that ever quick!
Deciding to go up the elevator on the left first, they killed the Knight of Sandora and his Hell Hound before venturing into the next room. When they approached the researcher standing in the center of the room, he began to freak out. "You...who are you!? I know. You are thieves who've come to steal my magic!"
Dart quickly waved his hands in the air in a placating gesture in an attempt to calm the man down. "Wait! We are…."
"No excuses!" the researcher shouted.
"Watch out! We don't know what he'll do!" Dart exclaimed as he prepared for a fight.
Rose leaned back against the wall and smirked as she folded her arms across her chest. "Let him. It seems interesting."
"Take this! The steel shearing vacuum blade!" the researcher cried out as he flung his hand up in the air. After a moment of nothing happening, the man stopped his silly pose and spoke up again. "Why!? Why doesn't the magic work!? Why doesn't it shear them!?"
"It's worse than I thought." Rose said contemplatively.
"That was...still under research! I'll show you this! Take the rock crushing thunder arrow!" the researcher exclaimed as he took the same silly pose as before, his hand flung up in the air as he tried to cast another spell to strike down the group.
Haschel quirked a brow and chuckled a bit. "I see...you are the researcher who is "too late" aren't you?"
"Then…. Mr. Magi is…?" Shana questioned thoughtfully.
"Yep. This guy is definitely Mr. Magi." Naruto said with a chuckle.
"Humph! Those dumb researchers of trashy stuff said something to you, didn't they!?" Mr. Magi exclaimed angrily.
Rose sighed and pushed herself off the wall. "Leave us alone." she ordered.
"We are not here to criticize your research." King Albert explained patiently.
"Shut up! I have already made the discovery! The secret of a magic that those losers could never even hope to know!" Mr. Magi exclaimed passionately. "The magic of transformation can only be known by someone like myself, who completely understands the magical power of Dragons! I'll show it to you now! Cerberus! Emerge!"
"It seems real this time!" Dart exclaimed as he once more prepared for what seemed like an inevitable battle.
When Mr. Magi grew larger and then suddenly smaller in a brilliant flash of light that blinded everyone, they didn't know what to expect. However, when they opened their eyes to see a dog that began to bark at them before running around, they couldn't help but deadpan. When it stopped in front of Shana, she knelt down and looked it in the eyes. "I wonder… Is this dog Mr. Magi?"
"I guess it requires more research to be controlled by Humans." Albert said thoughtfully.
"But, at least in the end, he amused us." Rose said with a smirk on her face.
Hinata pouted at her and shook her head. "That's not very nice of you. But…" looking back at Mr. Magi, the Hyuga heiress couldn't help but giggle. "I suppose you're right." she admitted.
Everyone else couldn't help but chuckle a bit before shrugging their shoulders in response to Rose's statement. Opening the chest in the corner, they acquired the Blue Stone and returned to the main room once more to ascend the only elevator they hadn't taken yet.
After ascending the elevator, they looked at the two possible directions: west and east. Eventually they decided to go east, where they met a merchant that would sell them items for a fair price. However, as they still had a healthy stock of restoratives and didn't need any attack items, they didn't need to purchase anything from her.
In the nearby room, however, they did find a weapon called a Beast Fang for Haschel, which he readily equipped. With it, he knew he'd be more than a match for whatever enemies stood in their path now. Afterwards, they sold his old Iron Knuckle weapon to the merchant and continued on their way.
After ascending the elevator in the next area, they stepped out in front of three Knights of Sandora who were in the middle of training. The first Knight shouted out, "Invaders!?"
"You had such good luck sneaking into the practice center, didn't you!?" the second one questioned angrily.
"Catch 'em!" the final one shouted.
When only one guard charged at them, the group deadpanned and allowed Dart, Haschel, and Rose to deal with him. A three-on-one battle might not seem very fair, but it was better to destroy the enemy and get it over with than to think about fairness in a situation such as theirs.
After he was dead, the second Knight turned to his friend and shouted out, "The, these guys are unbelievable!"
"Don't think! We are Knights of Sandora, so just defeat 'em!" the other Knight exclaimed.
Once again, only one of the Knights charged. So, with dual sighs, Albert and Hikari decided to step up and handle this one.
As soon as he was dead, the final Knight of Sandora began to panic. "Ag! Am I the last one!?" Taking a deep breath, the Knight steeled himself and shouted out, "But I won't give up!" before charging forward, prepared to take on the whole group if he had to.
This one, Naruto, Hinata, and Shana decided to handle. It didn't take long to finish him off either, as they worked well together as a group.
Once the last one was dead, Dart shrugged his shoulders and looked around. "Well, we took care of that." he said with a smile. Everyone nodded in agreement at that, quite pleased with themselves for a job well done.
Taking the nearby elevator up, the group entered a small room where a black-garbed Great Commander of Sandora was found. Approaching him, he turned around and, upon spotting Shana, began to speak. "You are here. The girl from Seles…."
Upon hearing this, Dart immediately drew his sword and prepared for a fight. "You said "The girl from Seles"?"
Shana looked into the eyeslit of the Commander's helmet and frowned slightly. "You, you took me away to Hellena."
The Commander nodded. "Indeed. I am the one who assaulted Seles under the orders of Emperor Doel."
"So you killed everybody!" Dart exclaimed angrily as he prepared to attack.
Shaking his head, the man continued. "That was done by the brutal unit loyal to Fruegel. I wouldn't let them kill unnecessarily if I were there…." he said with a sigh. "Anyway, it doesn't change the fact that Imperial Sandora scorched Seles. If you want revenge for your home, you can draw your sword against me. But please do me one last favor. His Majesty Doel changed after a man called Lloyd showed up." The Great Commander began to pace about as he talked. "He must have instilled something into Emperor Doel, a demonic word that ignites his desire to vanquish…. You were able to make it here, so you might be able to do it."
Walking over to Dart, the Great Commander grabbed his shoulders and shook him a bit. "I beg you! Wake Emperor Doel up!"
Dart sheathed his sword and frowned up at the taller man. "Do you understand what will result from this?"
Nodding in response, the black-clad Commander responded, "Yes. If you can accomplish that, the Imperial Sandora's dominance will end and we even might be defeated by Basil…." Sighing, the man continued on. "But the result will be the same if the current oppression of Emperor Doel continues. So we might as well make it happen faster and remove the hardships on our people."
Dart looked down and began to mutter to himself quietly. "There was a man like this in Sandora. Lavitz would be happy to hear this."
"So...are you in!?" the Commander questioned hopefully.
"That's what we are here for." Dart explained with a smile on his face.
"I'm relieved to hear that. Now, take this with you." the Great Commander said before handing over a Yellow Stone.
"What is this?" Dart questioned as he looked at the strangely colored stone in his hand.
"It's the "key" to the chamber of Emperor Doel." the black-clad warrior explained. When everyone nodded in understanding, the man continued on. "Hurry up. We have no time."
With that, everyone nodded once more before they moved down the elevator and continued on their way.
When they came across a new enemy, the Sandora Elite, they knew instinctively that this was going to be a tough fight. Hikari, deciding to start things off, quickly threw a handful of shuriken at their opponent to test the waters. When he attempted to dodge, Naruto was already there, striking him in the face with a haymaker and forcing him back in the path of the shuriken, causing him to take quite a bit of damage right off the bat.
Hinata and Shana quickly unleashed volleys of arrows with their Long Bows, trying to at least keep their enemy distracted so he couldn't unleash any truly devastating attacks. Sadly, despite being hurt, he managed to avoid a number of their arrows and got close enough to Dart to land a powerful blow upon him, causing him to gasp in pain.
When there came a lull in the battle, their enemy threw a battle item at them and unleashed a storm of fire that caused them to scream out in pain before it finally died down. Snarling at this, Naruto rushed up to their opponent and unleashed his Gust of Wind Dance Addition, really tearing into his opponent with his new weapon, the Twister Glaive.
Once Naruto had finished, Dart took this opportunity to rush up and unleash his Volcano Addition, dealing as much damage as he could with it before leaping backwards away from his opponent, who, taking advantage of the temporary lull in combat, once again, performed an All-Out Attack on Rose, dealing MASSIVE damage to her and causing her to collapse to the ground in agony.
Seeing his girlfriend in such pain caused something in Naruto to snap. Turning to their enemy, Naruto gripped his lance tight and began to feel the Kyuubi's influence rearing its ugly head again. Unable to stop himself, he gave in temporarily and unleashed absolute hell on his opponent.
When he regained control, their opponent was a bloody smear on the ground. Collapsing to his knees, he gasped for breath and dropped his lance at his side, choosing to stare at his hands in horror at what he had just done. For a moment, all was silent. But then he remembered Rose and he quickly picked up his lance again and rushed over to her, where he saw Shana healing her with her magic. "Rose! Is she going to be okay?!" he asked Shana.
Shana looked worriedly into Naruto's eyes, concerned for his well being, but decided to shake it off and nodded at him, offering him a warm smile in return. "She'll be just fine Naruto. More importantly, are you okay? You had me really scared for you there. What happened to you?" she asked him.
Sighing, Naruto looked down at Rose and began to gently run his fingers through her beautiful black hair. "I...I don't really know. I lost myself to my anger again and the Kyuubi took control for a moment. I'm okay now though. I just...I saw Rose-chan get hurt and I lost it. I'm so sorry…"
When Shana finished healing Rose, she turned and hugged Naruto tight. "It's okay Naruto. You have nothing to apologize for. These things happen and it's nobody's fault. We're all okay and that's all that matters."
Smiling in thanks, Naruto hugged his crush back and said, "Thank you Shana-chan. I mean that."
The group took some time to rest and recuperate after that long battle. Afterwards, they continued along, collecting the items from the treasure chests and speaking with the workers across the way that really didn't seem to like working for Doel. However, when they found no visible way to ascend the Black Castle any longer, they seemed a bit lost and confused. At least until Hinata spoke up, offering a suggestion. "Let's return to one of the previous elevators and see if we can ascend to a higher floor."
Nodding in agreement with her, the group returned across the lift and proceeded back to where they fought the three Knights of Sandora and proceeded to use that elevator to ascend to the fourth floor. From there, they continued on ever further into the Black Castle.
Upon entering the next room, they saw a gigantic angel statue as well as a man standing at its feet on a circular platform. Approaching him, he soon began to speak, "Oh…. It's unusual to have guests at this time. But it is fine. Let me talk to you." he started. "The long war decays people's hearts. It must have happened to you too. The bloodstained armor tells all." he said with a wry smile. "However, His Majesty Doel is also experiencing the fatigue of war."
Dart wanted to let out a sigh, but he opted to just remain silent. "..."
Father Faza began to speak again. "This statue of a goddess was created in memory of the late wife of Emperor Doel, Empress Karina. It shows the frailty and fondness of Emperor Doel. He, however, continues the war for his own ambitions, with increasing scenes of carnage. It shows his strength and cruelness." he explained. "Strength and frailty. Fondness and Cruelness. You must have them inside you. Because the human heart can envelop them all. Face up to your true self. Then you will become as strong as Emperor Doel." Father Faza wisely advised to Dart and his companions.
"This is all I want to say. If you are lost, come visit me anytime. I'll help you find the way." the red-robed man said with a kind smile on his face.
Nodding in thanks to the man for his sagely advice, the group proceeded to run around the back of the enormous statue and up to the top of the stairs. Once there, they stared at the strange pedestal. "Three holes. What are they?" Shana questioned curiously. "They might be something to do with the statue of the goddess."
"Why do you think so?" Dart questioned.
"Because, look…." Shana said, pointing upwards at the statue, "It seems this place is for admiring the statue."
Dart nodded in agreement. "There must be something."
Frowning in thought, Naruto stepped forward and looked at the holes curiously for a moment before glancing down at where the door was located that they passed on the other side of the statue. "Hey guys, remember what that Commander said about the Colored Stones? How they were 'keys' to getting to Doel?"
Hinata's eyes widened in realization. "Dart! Try putting the stones we got in the holes!" she exclaimed, watching as Dart went about doing so. In the top hole, he put the Red Stone. In the left hole, he put the Yellow Stone. In the right hole, he inserted the Blue Stone. When the orb held in the statue's hands began to shine, they knew they had it right. What really cemented it for them though was when the door swung open with a click!
"The door opened….I got it!" Dart exclaimed happily.
Naruto frowned at him and whacked him in the back of the head. "You mean "We got it!", don't you?"
Chuckling nervously, Dart nodded his head and apologized for taking all the credit before they made their way back down the stairs and through the now open door.
Once inside, they took the elevator up and proceeded to make their way through the winding passage until they came to a rather large spiraling staircase. Starting their climb, they soon came to a stop when they sensed something ahead of them.
"!?" Dart exclaimed in shock as he drew his sword and took a battle stance. "Stay back!" he shouted.
Rose frowned and drew her rapier, pointing it ahead of her. "I smell blood in the air."
"It's not human.." Haschel said, remaining as calm as ever.
"Kongol!" Dart exclaimed in sudden realization.
Sure enough, Kongol stepped forth, dressed from neck/shoulders to toe in Giganto battle armor. Stopping mere feet from them, he began to speak. "Gigantos don't lose twice! Giganto make pay back for Hoax! For His Majesty Doel!" And with that, the battle was on.
Seeing as they had a limited space to fight in and they were a large group, they unanimously decided to agree to let Dart, Rose, and Naruto be the ones to fight Kongol. So, stepping forward, the three of them immediately began their assault.
Naruto rushed forward and immediately unleashed his Rod Typhoon Addition, dealing a good portion of damage to Kongol with his Twister Glaive lance thanks to it being a wind-element weapon, Kongol's natural weakness. However, before either of his allies could continue the attack, the powerful Giganto turned his attention to Rose and punched the ground hard enough to raise an earthen wall behind her. As she rushed to attack him, he threw one of his bladed gauntlets just right and caught her by the neck, managing to pin her to the wall where he then proceeded to pummel and kick her for a time until the wall broke and he retrieved his weapon.
Needless to say, this attack dealt a good deal of damage to her. Naruto managed to keep his cool this time, however, and had faith that his girlfriend would be alright. If needed, Shana could heal her and they'd be able to keep up the fight. So, while Dart and Naruto kept Kongol busy with repeated attacks, they allowed Rose to keep up her guard while she recovered her health bit by bit.
Sadly, however, Kongol managed to nail Dart with this same attack after a while and thus that left Naruto the only one truly capable of continuing on the fight without the need to rest for a time. So, shooting a quick glance over his shoulder, Naruto shouted out, "Shana! I'm going to buy you some time! Heal them while I'm taking this bastard on!"
"Got it! Just don't take any unnecessary risks Naruto!" she shouted back as she hurried to Rose's side first to begin healing her.
Kongol smirked at Naruto before letting out a bark of a laugh. "Little man plans to take Giganto on by himself? Kongol will show little man why that is bad idea!" he exclaimed before swinging a punch aimed to take Naruto's head off.
Smirking back at Kongol, Naruto easily weaved out of the way of Kongol's attack and proceeded to jab him twice in the gut with his lance. When Kongol snarled at this and aimed a knee strike towards the blonde hero's abdomen, Naruto did a flip backwards and dashed back in quickly, performing a Harpoon Addition, dealing a decent chunk of damage to the Giganto.
Kongol, growing furious at this little monkey man, aimed a kick towards Naruto's side, but when it connected, the young man disappeared in a cloud of smoke, causing the Giganto to cough a bit. When it cleared, the young man was nowhere to be seen. "Where little man go?! Stop acting like coward and fight!"
"It's now cowardice Kongol. It's called fighting like a ninja." the whiskered youth said with a grin as he unleashed his Gust of Wind Dance Addition on Kongol from behind, dealing another good chunk of damage on him before he rejoined a now fully healed Dart and Rose back where they first started this fight.
Turning towards them, the Giganto howled in anger before rushing towards Naruto, preparing to beat him into the ground. Not having any of this, Dart charged and unleashed his Crush Dance Addition, dealing a decent amount of damage to Kongol and forcing him back.
Rose, not liking Kongol targeting her beloved, quickly got in his face and unleashed her More & More Addition, leaving a scar on his face and cutting deep into his armor, thus dealing even more damage to him.
For the final attack to end the battle, Naruto took a final, deep breath and charged forward with a war cry. "Gust of Wind Dance!" he shouted out as he unleashed that Addition one final time, defeating the mighty Giganto with his attack.
Once it was over, Naruto rushed over to Rose to check on her and make sure she was really alright. When she stopped him and gave him a deep, passionate kiss, he froze for a moment before he began to return her kiss with just as much passion. When they broke apart, he grinned at her. "I'm so glad you're alright Rose-chan."
"Of course I'm alright. But I don't like you taking risks like that. What if you had been hurt?" she questioned sincerely. "Kongol's one of the strongest opponents we've ever faced. I was truly scared for you Naruto. I love you. I love you very much. Don't ever scare me like that again."
Wrapping his arms around his girlfriend, Naruto smiled at her and shook his head. "I promise you Rose-chan, I won't be leaving you anytime soon. I knew what I was doing. But I swear, I'll try not to do anything too risky like that ever again. Okay?"
Smiling at him, Rose nodded and held him close. "Good. Now, let's deal with our fallen enemy." she said, turning her attention to their defeated foe.
Rushing forward, Rose thrusted her rapier into Kongol's chest, destroying his armor and causing him to scream out in pain. "ARRGGGHH!" he shouted as he collapsed to his knees. "Giganto, with strongest armor...lost. Me, brother of hero...has pride. Cannot live in disgrace…. Kill me." he pleaded.
"As you wish." Rose said, preparing to end Kongol's life.
"Stop it!" Dart shouted out, trying to stop her from doing so. "The game is already over!"
""Game"? Don't be silly, this is a matter of life or death." Rose replied.
Naruto and Hinata quickly ran in her way, throwing their arms out wide and shaking their heads 'no'. "He's defeated Rose-chan. He's no longer a threat to us. I don't care if his pride is wounded and he's begging you for death. Let him live and let's move on. There's been enough death in this war already. Please let him be." Naruto pleaded.
"Naruto-kun's right." Hinata continued. "We don't need anymore senseless death on our hands. Leave him alone and let's get going."
Shana walked up to Kongol and smiled softly at him. "It's over. He cannot fight." she said before turning to look into Rose's eyes.
Rose looked at the three of them before sheathing her weapon and sighing. "Hope your sweetness won't kill you." she said.
Afterwards, they regrouped and healed up before continuing on their way. They collected the Material Shield item from the chest at the top of the stairs and continued from there into the throne room where Emperor Doel was waiting for them.
"I wonder how you could come all the way here. Silly daredevils." he said mockingly before his throne descended to the ground.
Dart stepped forward and glared at him. "You must be Doel!"
Albert frowned as he too stepped forward. "Uncle…. Do you remember me!? I am the son of your late brother…. Albert!"
Emperor Doel looked at Albert and frowned thoughtfully. "You remind me of...Carlo, 20 years ago. A bloodstained corpse in front of me…."
"Why did you kill him!?" Albert shouted angrily. "Why did you have to divide Serdio by killing my father!?"
Doel chuckled. "To save Serdio from an incapable leader named Carlo." he said before rising from his throne and taking a few steps forward towards the group. "And now my hands are about to give birth to the new Serdio!"
""Birth"!? What you are doing is only destructive!" Dart shouted at him angrily.
"Yes! You have given birth to sorrow, pain, agony, and our anger!" Albert exclaimed.
"Tell me! Why did you have Shana taken away!?" Dart questioned.
Emperor Doel folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head in thought for a moment before it came to him. "Oh, you are talking about Lloyd's conspiracy. "Finds the girl by the time the Moon That Never Sets waxes…." All is ordered by the reborn Emperor Diaz. Lloyd is a mere pawn. Along with the Dragoons…." he explained with a shrug.
Rose looked at him disbelievingly and shook her head. "Silly. Emperor Diaz died in the Dragon Campaign. As a human...hero."
The emperor shrugged again and spoke up in response. "I don't care whether you believe it or not. It won't make any difference to the reality!" Stepping up to Dart, Emperor Doel grinned wickedly. "You thought you would defeat me with greater numbers, right!?" Turning to face Albert, he shouted, "Come! I'll send you to your father's place!"
"Doel!" Dart shouted out.
"Uncle!" Albert shouted as he drew his weapon.
Thus, the battle began.
Considering that they were in a wide open room, they were all able to fight him. Smiling at this, Hinata took aim with her bow and fired, but she was kind of shocked when he stopped the arrow by cleaving it in two with his dual swords. Shana frowned at this and looked at Hinata, the two of them silently agreeing that they'd need to time their shots just right if they wanted to hit him.
Hikari slipped around behind him and and jabbed a kunai into his back before being forced to backflip away as he spun around, his dual swords narrowly missing her neck and chest. As she landed, she flung a couple of shuriken at him, but he deflected them with his swords, causing them to drop to the ground harmlessly.
Dart rushed forward and unleashed his Burning Rush Addition, dealing some easy damage to him with it, but he was hit by his dual swords, causing a decent bit of damage to the red-clad warrior and forcing him back. Rose took advantage of Doel's distracted state and dealt some decent damage with her More & More Addition before leaping back to avoid getting struck by his weapons.
It was at this point that Shana and Hinata both managed to hit him with a volley of three arrows each, causing the man to scream out in frustration. Turning to them, he thrust his swords into the ground and called forth some magic and unleashed it upon them, causing them to scream out in pain before they leapt back to recover from the sudden attack.
Naruto, not liking this son-of-a-bitch and his tactics, moved in for the kill shot and dealt a good bit of damage with his Rod Typhoon Addition, dealing just enough damage for the man to snarl and shout out, "UGGHH…! If you want to play tough, I can play that way too!" before transforming into a Dragoon, the Dragoon of Thunder.
Eyes widening, the group couldn't help but realize that this battle got a whole hell of a lot tougher. But at the same time, they had four Dragoons on their side as well as three ninjas, so they still had the advantage.
Looking at their opponent, Naruto smirked and shouted at his comrades, "What do you say we show him what real Dragoons can do, guys?!"
Dart, liking that idea, held up his Dragoon Spirit and transformed along with the other three. Afterwards, much to Doel's shock, he unleashed his Final Burst magic spell to deal as much damage as he could. "Take this Doel!"
Doel screamed out in pain as he took a ton of damage from Dart's spell. Before he could do anything to retaliate, Naruto came in with a Dragoon Addition to really lay on the hurt.
Rose, taking advantage of this, quickly used her Astral Drain spell to deal some more damage to him as well as heal the group from whatever damage had been done to them.
Finally, Shana unleashed her Star Children spell a couple of times to deal as much damage as she could to him.
When it was all over, he glared at those who were still in their Dragoon forms (Shana had reverted back after using up all of her magic power and spirit points) and panted as he tried to regain his bearings. "You...bastards… How dare you do this to me!? I'll make you pay!" he exclaimed before unleashing a powerful thunder-based magic spell that damaged every member of the party for an exceptional amount of damage, leaving them reeling.
Naruto, unwilling to risk letting something like that happen again, used his Rose Storm spell to cut any further damage in half before he reverted back to normal.
Albert took this opportunity to rush in and unleash his own version of the Rod Typhoon Addition upon Doel before leaping backwards to allow Dart to attack once again.
Dart, still having plenty of magic power left, unleashed another Final Burst spell on Doel in conjunction with Rose's second Astral Drain spell.
After this, it looked as if Doel was on his last legs. Hikari, seeing her chance to finish him off, disappeared from where she was and reappeared in front of him, burying her katana in his chest before flipping backwards and throwing a handful of kunai, each of them embedding themselves in Emperor Doel's Dragoon armor, but not deep enough to cause any damage to him. Frowning at this, she was about to do more, but Dart beat her to the punch.
Rushing forward, Dart leapt towards Doel and dealt one final slash to him to end the battle. As Doel slid backwards, he collapsed to one knee and coughed in agony, using one of his swords to keep himself upright while the other fell to the ground at his side.
Looking at Albert, Emperor Doel smiled and spoke up. "You have become...strong."
Albert lowered his Lance and looked into his uncle's eyes. "Uncle."
"What you should know is not the past, but the future." Doel continued. "Pursue...Lloyd. He is in the country of...Tiberoa." he said weakly. "After...after our worlds merged...Tiberoa moved. It is no longer in the northwest… You must head east. East to what the ninjas of this world call Mizu no Kuni, or the Land of Water as I've heard it called. That nation and Tiberoa have merged into one. Go there and you will find Lloyd." he explained.
"Tiberoa!" Dart shouted in shock.
Naruto and Hinata looked at each other in worry. "This isn't good. Mizu's still in the midst of a civil war." the young blonde said.
Hinata nodded and sighed. "We're going to need to speak with Hokage-sama about this before we go there." she replied. Turning back to Doel, they continued to listen on.
Doel began to cough up blood. "He…. He knows everything. Go and find out…about the world, about...everything." he said before his head lowered and he finally passed on.
Dart lowered his head in respect to the deceased man while Albert gave a salute, his lance crossed in front of his chest. Everyone else paid their respects in their own way as well.
When the Dragoon armor faded and the Dragoon Spirit began to float into the air, shining brilliantly, Naruto couldn't help but wonder what was going on until he came to the realization that it was reacting to someone in their group. Wondering who it could be, he watched and waited to see who the Dragoon Spirit would choose.
After a short while of waiting with nothing happening, he heard Albert beginning to speak. "My uncle's, errr, Emperor Doel's ambitions are over. It places an end to this ceaseless, long war that has divided Serdio into two." Everyone nodded in agreement to that statement, each of them happy to have put an end to the Serdio War. "This is the end of our journey, everyone…."
Dart shook his head and began to pace. "Not yet…." he said. "It's not over yet…. This journey began when Shana was taken away! Then Lavitz was killed, and Lloyd headed for Tiberoa leaving the mystery about Shana behind! I am pursuing Lloyd! I'll make him explain everything!"
Shana stepped up to Dart and gave him a small smile. "I'll go with you…. I still don't know anything about Virage or what was said by Emperor Diaz. My journey cannot end like this…. I'll go with you, Dart!"
Albert began to pace before he spoke up as well. "My journey "cannot end" either…. Whatever conspiracy the man is forming, the Moon Gem is one of the keys. Hollowed object concealing the magic power of the ancient Winglies. We have to stop it before it ignites a catastrophe in Tiberoa. I'll go with you to Tiberoa. I'll give up my status as king for a while, and live as a knight instead. Lavitz would have completely agreed."
Naruto grinned at Dart and punched him in the arm. "Count me in. I'm definitely coming along. Besides, I'm a Dragoon now as well and I need to pay that bastard back for what he's done. That, and Mizu no Kuni's a dangerous place. You're going to need us ninjas." he said. "But…" here, he looked at Hinata and waited for her to speak up.
Hinata frowned and shook her head. "We need to return to Konoha-Lohan and speak with Hokage-sama before we go anywhere. I hope you don't mind making a little detour Dart-san, everyone." she said before looking around at everybody. "I promise that we wouldn't force you to make this detour if it wasn't important."
Everyone smiled and shook their heads. "It's fine. We can return to Konoha-Lohan and rest up there before we make the journey to Tiberoa. No problem." Dart said with a smile.
Hikari decided to speak up at this point. "I go where Naruto goes. You're stuck with me." she said.
Haschel turned to Rose at this point and asked, "Rose, how about you?"
Rose pushed off the wall she was leaning against and said, "I told you. I'm interested in you guys. Besides, I'm not about to leave Naruto. I'm with him until the end." she said with a soft smile on her face.
"So…." Dart said.
"Besides, you feel naked without me, don't you?" Rose continued.
Haschel chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "If Rose is going…. That's the end of my role." he said before he began to walk off.
Dart turned and asked, "Haschel, where are you going?"
At this point, the martial arts master looked up and asked, "This is…?" right before the Dragoon Spirit of Thunder floated down into his hands and began to shine.
""When Dragoons meet, blood will flow, and as they leave, time does slow."" Rose said poetically. "It's your choice to leave your fate behind."
"The question is answered." Haschel said.
Naruto chuckled as he looked at Haschel. "I figured it'd choose you. Welcome to the club Haschel!" he exclaimed happily.
Haschel chuckled, but before he could say anything in response, Dart spoke up. "Dragoon Spirits are leading us!"
"That they are Dart. That they are." Rose said. "Now, we should probably get going. We need to return to Konoha-Lohan."
"Right!" the group shouted before they began making their way out of the Black Castle and out of Kazas proper.
Konoha-Lohan, Hours later - Early Morning
As the group reached the northern gates of Konoha-Lohan, they could already tell that something major had happened. When the gate guards Kotetsu and Izumo spotted them, namely Naruto, they immediately rushed up to him and pointed towards the Hokage Tower. "Naruto, please hurry! There's an emergency and Hokage-sama would like to see you right away! As for the rest of you, you're free to join him if you like. But please, do hurry!"
Unsure about what exactly was going on, the group hurried on their way to the Hokage Tower and, without even bothering to speak with the secretary, burst into the Hokage's office, startling Tsunade. "Tsunade," Naruto began, "I was informed at the gate that something's wrong and you needed to see me right away. What the heck is going on?"
Looking directly into Naruto's eyes, the busty, blonde Hokage shook her head and let out a frustrated sigh. "Earlier this morning, Sasuke Uchiha left the village to go and join Orochimaru. I've sent chunin Shikamaru Nara to gather a team to pursue the rotten little traitor and I would very much like you to join him. Your orders are to bring him back to the village by any means necessary. Alive or dead, it doesn't matter. He'll suffer the punishment anyone does for the crime he has committed against his village if I have anything to say about it." she explained.
Naruto sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "I swear that teme is more trouble than he is worth. But, I could've told you this would happen eventually. Don't worry Tsunade, I'll capture that ass and bring him back to the village to stand trial for his actions. But I have a favor to ask: mind if I bring at least Hinata-chan and Hikari-chan along with me? They'd be a big help on a mission like this."
The Godaime Hokage looked at the group before her and shrugged. "Heck, take them all with you if you want. Just bring that little shit back with you. Now go, I want you and your team on that punk's trail ASAP."
Nodding in understanding, Naruto turned around and sighed. "Sorry guys, but it looks like following Lloyd's going to have to wait. We've got a teme to hunt down and maybe kill. Kami I hope he forces me to kill him. I'd be doing the world a favor." he said.
The group frowned at him for that kind of talk, well, most of them anyways. Rose, however, spoke up. "Don't look at him like that. You know what kind of person that brat is. Imagine the kinds of things he'll do if he's left unchecked for much longer. His actions today are just proof of how mentally unstable he is. I wouldn't be surprised if he attempts to kill Naruto for getting in his way today. Sasuke deserves whatever happens to him today, and don't you forget it."
Smiling up at Rose, Naruto hugged her close and kissed her cheek. "Thank you Rose-chan. Now everyone, let's get going!" he exclaimed before he made his way out of the office. They had a teme to hunt down, and he was looking forward to crushing that evil son-of-a-bitch.
A/N - Okay, as you can see, Haschel has become the new Violet Dragoon, just as in the game. On top of that, Sasuke has left the village to join Orochimaru! Dun dun dun! lol. In the next chapter, they'll hunt him down and deal with that shit.
Finally, they found out where Lloyd has gone as well as where Tiberoa has moved to. It's gonna be fun trying to deal with the civil war in the Land of Water on top of all the other crazy shit that happens in Tiberoa. I hope you're looking forward to everything that comes next!