True Guardians

by Nasha Rei-Kun

Dragged from his world and being inflicted with a curse of the magical kind, Naruto had lucked out by his newly adopted father, Hakone. With the man's recommendation, the boy could get into the famous institution, High Guardian Academy, where he'd hopefully be capable of getting over the curse but with difficulty as his secret might gets out. Crossover with High Guardian Spice.

3. Responsibilities I

~NRK~

Naruto frowned at the cool feeling on his face, eyes creaking open to see just his pillow.

'Huh? I feel a bit colder,' he didn't know what was up but he guessed his pillow had been in a perfect position and now wasn't. 'Time?'

Looking at the clock by Cal's bed, he saw 6:30 on its face.

The blonde hummed as he got up, feeling great like always. 'I honestly should just keep meditating when I sleep,' he always felt great after and his body felt revitalized.

An hour later and the entire group of eight were walking to the school, Rosemary and Amaryllis looking tired, still.

"Ugh, let me get my beauty sleep. Do you know how much planning I had to do yesterday to wake up?" The short purple-haired girl grumbled as Snapdragon chuckled.

"It's food, I know how you are in the morning. Coffee and bread rolls," the ginger said sacredly as she perked up.

"C-Coffee?!"

"Ugh, how do you guys do it?" Rosemary said with a look of death. "I'm sore all over and you guys walk like you don't feel pain," she whined as Naruto chuckled, Snapdragon smiling nervously.

"I-I got used to it," the smart redhead said. "When you feel that way almost the entire week, it just passes at some point. Well, that and Thyme's small healing spell."

"Which is awesome, by the way," Parsley grinned as Thyme blushed a bit, Naruto grinning all the while. "It's not some Refresh Stamina skill but it's good for what it does."

"Hmph, perhaps you all should learn some healing spells," Thyme said.

"I'd love to do that but I don't even know any spellbooks like that," Naruto admitted and Sage tilted her head.

"I… might have some of those, maybe," Sage frowned. "It's just, I didn't bring everything with me to HGA. I left a lot of books back home in Pebble."

"Hmph, we'll just have to go back on break and nab some!" Rosemary said as Amaryllis hummed.

"Can't you just go to a Magic Library?" She asked and the group blinked at her, the short girl freezing before coughing into her fist. "I-I mean, those exist, don't they?!"

"Wait, they do!?" Naruto said in shock.

"Well… it's not that they don't," Thyme said as Sage nodded.

"It's just, with the advent of New Magic… most libraries, which used to carry all forms of Old Magic, likely stowed them away since not many people use them," the blue-haired girl said with a sigh before blinking at Naruto's grin. "What are you smiling about?"

"Well, if they don't want them, why don't we take them!?" He asked with a wider grin as the two blinked in shock. "If they just wanna waste all that good stuff, might as well donate it to a good cause! Hell, I bet Professor Caraway could probably give us some books or even get us in on that kind of stuff! He seems like the booky-type!"

"Hmph, you don't know if those spells are even outdated," Cal said as Snapdragon hummed.

"Well, it'd still be more than Naruto knows, wouldn't it?" He offered and Cal shrugged.

"So, you're gonna head to the nearest library?" Parsley asked him and Naruto nodded.

"Yep… well, when we can," he said. "I asked dad yesterday and he told me we won't be allowed to really leave until our first month of training is up," Naruto explained. "Though, he could get me to go out there once a week if we're lucky."

"Sounds like a plan."

~NRK~

The days passed by and, soon enough, the group had gotten through their first week of HGA.

And with that came their newest activity on Monday afternoon, the eight standing in the rotunda with Wyverna again.

"Now, we'll be having you all decide where your exploration trips will be," the demoness said as she snapped her fingers, the group of students glowing their Vow colors. "Declare your destination and you'll be tied to it via your Vow. Destinations can't be changed until the next time you get to explore which is every other week."

"Hmph," Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked at the four choices again. "Demon World!" He said and his gold colors shifted over to that portal, creating a small gold dot.

"Oh, we've got some brave young students!" The teacher grinned. "Anyone else?"

"Demon World!" Came another call and Naruto's eyes widened along with everyone else's as Parsley put her hands on her hips, grinning as her yellow glow went up and stood next to his gold one. "There, pretty easy."

"Pars?!" Her friend group said with shock as the dwarf chuckled. "The hell?!"

"O-Oi?! I thought you-!" Naruto began to say but Parsley shot him a look that caused him to blush. "U-Ummm."

"Yeah, you think I'm just doing this so you won't be all grumpy and lonely?" She asked him and the boy grumbled. "Exactly. Duh, remember? Magical sword? I did some studying and learned that there are several levels to magical weapons, Flowering Thorn over there is a Mid-Grade magical sword. Demons and high-level magical creatures/wells can form High-Grade swords. I want to know what's going on."

"Wait, really?!" Rosemary balked at her weapon on her back. "T-That means nothing, Flowering Thorn, you're perfect the way you are!"

"So, you're gonna go and learn Demon Language?" Wyverna asked as Parsley chuckled nervously.

"I mean, I guess that means it's a big part of making those swords?" She asked and the demoness chuckled.

"Yes."

"Then I'm going!" Parsley said with a look of excitement while Naruto sweatdropped. "Come on! We said we were gonna make a big ol' magic sword!"

"... Y-Yeah, yeah," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck with a chuckle. "I guess, this is a big part of it. Especially since demons can create hexes and curses."

"Anti-Curses is certainly an interesting idea," Wyverna said.

"Thanks," the two said.

"Oh, mannnn!" Rosemary looked nervous. "W-What place should I go to?! Should we go?! Maybe I'll see demon swordsmen?!"

"It's not like you don't have your own dreams, right?" Snapdragon asked her. "I… I need to get stronger, you know? I-Is there a location for that?" He asked their ethics teacher.

Wyverna hummed before smiling. "Then, you'll want to go to the tainted forest, Alberach," she said as Thyme's head snapped to her. "Hm, hm, hm, didn't you know? The Elf King does, in fact, reside in a tainted forest."

"Wait, what?!" Thyme choked. "I-If that's… true…" She clenched her fists. "I'm going there."

"Wait, why'd you say Snap should go there, too?" Amaryllis asked.

"Because, Alberach isn't a normal forest," the demoness explained. "The Elf King, who resides there, is known as a master of weaponry. Having the purest blood of elves within him, he's been alive for over a thousand years and spent that time learning every weapon possible, even making several that have never left his domain."

"A-And he'll teach me?!" Snapdragon asked, hopefully, before his face fell at Wyverna's laugh.

"Teach you?! Snapdragon if you could pull that off, I can say, you are truly something special. The Elf King doesn't have a taste for humans if you would. He's been around since the past wars and hasn't grown fond of your kind despite everything."

"S-So why?"

"Because he doesn't need to teach you. The forest he resides in is one that has been populated by almost every creature he's ever defeated along the path to mastery," his eyes widened as she grinned. "Exactly. I'd suggest this path for most of the Warrior Course students. Right now, you all have the permission to go into the forest thanks to a connection I and he have. Though, I feel I should say something," Wyverna frowned at them and the group felt ice dripped into their veins. "Do not, I'm SERIOUS, do NOT attack someone of the forest. There are living beings there full of sentience with who the Elf King has grand connections. An attack on them is an attack on him. He'll easily come down to… ahem, STRAIGHTEN YOU OUT."

The students flinched. "... Sounds like a good idea," Cal said with a grin as Sage babbled.

"W-What?! Didn't you hear her?! He'll kill us!" The mage said and Cal shrugged with a chuckle.

"Only if we break the rules. This is a prime time for me to get super strong, why wouldn't I take it?"

"... Cal's right," Rosemary said as Sage choked. "Hehe, come on! It's not going to be that bad! I bet we won't even go into the forest."

"Only if you desire a bigger challenge than what's outside of it," Wyverna said. "There are all sorts of monsters there. Don't let yourselves grow lax. Though, I suppose, you could be a bit more reckless."

Her fingers glowed a wicked purple before each student's body glowed purple.

"That's a Safety-Trigger spell. If one of you is even close to stepping into a fight or confrontation you can't handle, it'll bring you back to the rotunda immediately. That or when Everything Hours is about done."

"... T-Then which way would be good for Mage Course students?" Amaryllis asked as Sage grew nervous.

"Well, that'd certainly be cursed tombs," Wyverna said with a chuckle. "Your mental states get affected by the aura of a cursed tomb. The one I'd be sending you to isn't all that strong and it's a good starter for you all. As soon as the second semester starts, the locations you'll be allowed to go to might increase in danger," she said with a shrug. "So, when we say make the most of it, we mean make the most of it."

"Then I know where I'm going," Amaryllis said with a nod as Sage looked nervous. "Come on, Pebble child, what? Do you not want to be an amazing mage?"

"I-It's just… our friends are going other places?" Sage muttered.

"So?"

"H-Huh?! We've all heard of cursed tombs before, haven't we?! We know how scary they get!" Sage hissed.

"... Whatever," Amaryllis shrugged and the other mage flinched at her dismissive look. "Stay the way you are. I have a legacy to create. Cursed tomb!"

Her glow moved next to the portal in question.

"Alberach!" Snapdragon said nervously.

"Alberach," Thyme followed suit.

"Heh, Alberach," Cal grinned.

"Albearact…" Rosemary said and the group sweatdropped. "... H-Hey! I don't just get words like you guys!"

Their Vow colors shifted off them towards the portal, Wyverna chuckling as Rosemary blushed.

"T-This is gonna be new for us," she said to Sage who looked alarmed. "... O-Or, you're coming with us?" Rosemary asked and Sage was rather hurt by how unbothered her childhood friend was by the idea.

"D-Do you want me to leave?" Sage asked with a pale face as her friend scrambled.

"What?! No! Don't you want to be a cool mage like your mom?"

Sage looked down as Parsley smiled calmly.

"Hey now, it's not like you can learn more about yourself by sticking with the same person all the time," the blacksmith said. "That said, it doesn't mean you have to do otherwise, every develops at different paces."

Naruto nodded. "Though, I think Rylls should get a friend to go with her," he said with a finger scratching his nose.

"Whiskers, do I look like a baby to you?"

"No, but I think we could all go with someone we know."

"Ain't that rich?" Naruto looked away with a nervous laugh. "Very on brand."

"... Sorry."

Sage looked between the group before swallowing. "A-Alright, c-cursed tombs?" Her color went away and Sage felt like she'd been about to do the same but to the afterlife. "T-This is gonna be horrible."

"You sayin' I'm a bad trip?" Amaryllis asked dangerously and Sage fumbled. "... HAH! Calm down, pore I'm just messing with you."

Sage didn't look ready to come down from her anxiety high.

The other students were quick to follow suit, Sage and Amaryllis quickly finding themselves with Mint as their other 'known' student, for lack of a better word.

Cal huffed, meanwhile, as Parnelle made it over to his group with that weird green-haired boy Naruto caught last week.

"Alright," Wyvern smiled as she clapped her hands, the groups, individually divided by boy and girl, dropping through portals beneath their feet. "Get dressed!"

~NRK~

Naruto rolled his eyes as he untangled himself from the 'boy ball' in the dormitory, the girls a bit further away.

"Alright," he said as he got out, his weapon's purple glow fading away. "I guess these guys are more precise than I expected," Naruto realized before going into his dorm room. "Alright, suit-up! Time to kick some ass!"

The groups groaned but followed suit, hurrying to get their weapons and armors.

Ten minutes later, Naruto and his friends exited their dorm rooms, seeing one another for the very first time in their combat gear.

Rosemary had worn a… dress, it seemed. A combat dress that was white around the torso and had a light pink skirt beneath it. Over that, she had on a darker pink leather vest that came down to her thighs and was all tied together by a dark red ribbon on her waist with leather shoulder pads, a bow at her collar, and a pair of dark brown steel-toe boots. Her sword was adjusted on her back holster by her fingerless, elbow-length, dark purple gloves.

"I'm ready to rock!" She said with a grin as Sage looked miserable next to her.

Wearing her favored purple witch's hat, she now had on a princess-like gown of a similar color with also-the-same-color boots, a broom in her hands.

"I hate this," the blueberry said with a face full of frustration and misery.

"You'll do great," Parsley said with a grin, hands on her hips. "Us, meanwhile, are gonna be jumping into a whole new world."

Wearing a pair of brown steel-toe boots, brown lederhosen, white muscle shirt, and fingerless brown gloves, she had her hammer behind her back.

"Hmph, we'll survive," Thyme said.

Wearing a pair of brown thigh-length leather boots with a bit of white leather wraps around her left thigh, Thyme had on a green, short, long-sleeve dress with a brown belt, a brown chest guard on the left side of her bosom over a gold tunic. She adjusted her gold bow-handle, her left forearm's leather arm guard keeping her 'uniform's' colors.

"W-Well, this is it," Snapdragon said nervously as Amaryllis grinned next to him. "I-I hope this goes well."

Wearing a one-piece blue jumpsuit, the ginger had on leather greaves, a leather belt around his waist with his holsters, leather chest pieces and pauldrons, and fingerless leather gauntlets.

"We're gonna rule!" Amaryllis declared with a grin. "Do you think we'll find some kind of lost Terraspheres?!" She asked Sage who flinched.

"... W-Wait, Terraspheres can be found?" The blue mage asked.

Amaryllis grinned in her white boots, black bodysuit, and white thigh-length cloak tied at her waist and collar by small gems. The girl cocked her hip as she adjusted her white witch's cap, her two silver bracelets on like always.

"Duh, it's in the name. Terra, they're not only man-made by Witch Country, they can be found in the earth, itself. There are rare kinds and common kinds like most of us have. The rare ones are said to be found in places dense with magical power and pressure! Tombs are perfect!"

Sage didn't think so but she did think the fact was interesting.

Cal huffed, mace resting across his lower back. "It's news to me."

Wearing a pair of dark gray pants that fed into a pair of dark brown leather greaves, the boy's torso was covered by a long-sleeved gray tunic with a black belt, and fingerless leather gauntlets and shoulder pads of a grayish-brown color.

Naruto looked interested. "Huh, I wonder…" He said.

The blonde rounded them up, wearing a pair of black bants that were tied at the shins by black strings, orange ninja sandals, an orange robe-like top with golden string on the collar and wrists, and elbow-length, fingerless, black gloves.

Over his forearms were gray gauntlets while a pair of pouches sat on his waist, his top tied by a black belt that the pouches rested on.

His sword rested on his left hip while his shield was on his left arm like always.

"We look like a bunch of adventurers!" Rosemary declared with a grin and fistpumped. "Yes! We're in it to win it!"

"Yeah, it's a bit cool," Snapdragon said with a smile. "For now, we should-"

Purple portals appeared beneath their feet and the group slumped.

"Not again-"

They dropped into a barely controlled heap in the rotunda along with their fellow Freshmen, Naruto, Thyme, Parsley, and Amaryllis barely catching themselves on their feet.

"Whew! That was close!" The short girl said with a look of relief as Naruto chuckled, holding Rosemary in his arms as Cal was, embarrassingly, caught by Amaryllis, Parsley catching Sage, and Thyme catching Snapdragon.

"T-Thanks," he said as the elf let him down to slump. "Dammit, that wasn't cool," Snap mumbled with a face full of embarrassment.

And the worst part? He'd kind of liked it.

Rosemary grinned as Naruto's body revolted in the worst of ways, the boy quickly setting her down as his fingers curled involuntarily and his smile stitched itself onto his face lest he reveal his pain.

The others followed suit, Thyme, Parsley, and Snapdragon watching the boy's reaction, his hands trembling before he crossed them with the ends going beneath his armpits.

"T-Thanks," Rosemary said with a blush and embarrassed grin, Naruto nodding as he looked away. "?" Weird.

"Welcome back," Wyverna said with a smile as many of the students groaned. "Good, you're all dressed and all here! Come now, no time to waste," she added as the portals to their desired locations grew in sizes that were large enough to fit a group of them through at once. "There are your portals, get to it!"

The group stared for a moment before Naruto nodded, stepping forward.

"Come on, guys, we've got training to do," he grinned. "This is the chance to make the most of it!" He declared with a clenched fist as Parsley nodded, walking to stand next to him.

"I-I guess this is it," Snapdragon swallowed nervously before Thyme gestured to the portal.

"It'll be fine. Besides, there are four of us," she reminded him and he perked up.

"T-That's right!" He realized before blushing at Cal's snickering. "T-That is! We'll do our best to protect each other!" Snap corrected quickly as Amaryllis rolled her eyes.

"Don't get killed out there!" She told him, patting him on the back with force that had him stumbling and looking back at her nervously. "Man up and go show the world who Snapdragon is!" Amaryllis cheered him on with a nod.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so," he said.

"Alright, come on, stone witch!" The short girl said to her fellow short girl, Sage mumbling as she and Rosemary hugged before they separated. "Geez, what, you two an item?"

"What? No, Rosemary's like the sister I never had," Sage responded as she held her broom within clenched fists. "S-She's the kind of person who drove back the monsters under the bed and t-things," she admitted in embarrassment as Amaryllis smirked.

"Hmph, I kind of get it," she said and Sage looked surprised.

"Y-You have a sibling?"

"Nope but I have a Snapdragon," she said as they walked through the portal. "He's basically a big old little brother!"

Thyme smirked as she heard that. "Come on, let's go," she said to the other three, turning to face Parsley and Naruto. "We'll…"

Parsley grinned before holding out her fist and the elf blinked before rubbing the back of her head with a blush.

Their fists bumped together and she nodded… before balking at Naruto's own embarrassment, the boy's fist out.

No shakes, no quivers, no trembling, a powerful limb presented itself to a surprised Thyme.

"You're right," he said with a look of resolution before grinning. "Be safe out there," Naruto said as she looked at his fist before nodding, the two's fists tapping. "... Hmph," he nodded before doing the same to the others.

Snapdragon nodded as the last of the 'forest team' before heading off.

"Alright, let's do this, Pars," Naruto said as he raised his fist to her and she smiled kindly before they tapped them. "I can do this, you can do this, we can do this. Let's go and learn some stuff."

"Yep!" The dwarf said with an eager grin as they ran into their portal… before sweatdropping at one student being there.

"Hmph," Mint raised her brow at them, the strict-looking girl standing there in a large black cloak, her eyes lacking her usual glasses as they glowed softly. "You two took your time, I've been waiting for approximately three minutes," she said impatiently, tapping her black boots as they saw her thigh-length red tunic.

"Right, sorry," Naruto said. "Naruto-"

"Uzumaki, fox beastkin, you primarily focus on physical combat with high scores from last week's limit test, right?" Mint said as the two blinked. "Son of Hakone, you likely have martial prowess as well with magical affinities."

Naruto wore a nervous grin as Parsley chuckled only to blink as Mint's focus went to her.

"Parsley the dwarf, you have a large family of notable blacksmiths, one of the best in Lyngarth which helps promote your family's growth and prosperity. You've average fighter scores but your strength, even for a dwarf, is outrageous and your smithing skills are farther ahead than anyone else even in the second year."

"O-Oh! Uhhh," the dwarf looked embarrassed and a bit weirded out in the same breath. "... Thanks?"

"No thanks needed," Mint said. "We have a balanced team. I can handle most long-range situations with my Terraspheres. I specialize in red light magic," the two looked confused. "For now, know, it gives me long-range attacks and versatility."

"Alright… Let's go!" Naruto declared.

"Taking the leader role so easily, hm? I'll be surveying you, Naruto."

"Why does that feel like a threat?" He said as they walked into it.

None the wiser to the black cat walking through with them.

~NRK~

Stepping through, Sage and Amaryllis blinked as they, and several other students, saw the area.

It was a decently big set of stone stairs in the middle of a jungle, the air sticky with moisture, and the ground slightly soggy.

"Hmph," Amaryllis tilted her head before walking down.

"W-Wait! S-Shouldn't we go as a group?" Sage asked in horror as she skittered behind the braver mage. "W-Why are you so gung-ho about this?!"

Amaryllis shot her a flat look as her form glowed a soft purple, causing Sage to flinch.

"Listen, you seem to be forgetting that Guardian life is dangerous," Amaryllis said with a frown as Sage looked away. "Do you honestly think you'll never be facing this?"

"T-That's! I-I know, together, me and Rose-"

"No," the purple-haired girl said with narrowed eyes as Sage flinched. "We're not talking about a hypothetical with Rosemary. We're talking about you. Alone. DOING GUARDIAN WORK."

Sage's eyes shrunk as the other mage facepalmed.

"Let's just go, we're wasting time."

~NRK~

The four and many other students landed in a good ten meters away from the so-called tainted forest, Alberach.

"So, you know anything about this place?" Cal asked Thyme who crossed her arms with a tilt of the head.

"... Everything Ms. Dretch said about it is all we need to know. There are spells inside but those are mostly for the sake of protecting the inhabitants within. For now, I know that the monsters that roam out the treeline and outside aren't that tough but they've got surprising strength."

Snapdragon looked out at the treeline… before swallowing as something stalked out.

Many 'somethings' as they skittered out with vicious rattling.

"G-G-Giant centipedes?!" He shrieked as the students looked on with nervous energy about them. "T-They're probably-"

"Poisonous, yeah," Thyme said as even Cal grimaced at that. "Though despite their size, their poison only paralyzes and it takes quite a bit of it to do that to an adult."

"And to guys our sizes?" Rosemary asked as she brandished her sword, the other students doing the same with their weapons. "Worse off?"

"Yeah," Thyme said as her golden bow handle formed wooden arches that quickly formed a string between their tips. "Now," her fingertips glowed as a long, rather thin, item formed in them. "Let's get some training in."

The arrow flew before nailing one of the creatures in the head, green fluids squishing out as it died on the spot.

Thyme smirked. "Not that tough."

~NRK~

The three students blinked as they came through the portal only to find themselves atop a hill.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked as he looked out into the distance. "..." He focused and looked around.

"You see anything?" Parsley asked him and he shook his head.

"No but I can feel life nearby," he said, pointing ahead, the canyon-like landscape greeting their eyes, dark red stone, yellow weeds, and cool purplish-blue water greeted them. "It feels like it's just on the horizon."

"Feel?" Mint asked and Naruto nodded, even Parsley was left confused.

"Wait, do you have a sensory skill like Thyme?" Parsley asked and Naruto nodded. "Dude, you should have told us! Why I bet you're a killer tracker!"

"Hehe, thanks."

"So, you sense life?" Mint asked for clarification as Naruto nodded.

"Life, souls, presences, energy, I can sense it all," he explained and she looked impressed.

"Very valuable. You're not looking to join the Hunter's Union, are you?"

"Nope, no offense to them, I want to be able to explore as I please."

"That's just the spice of life, for ya," Parsley said with a grin. "Now, come on, we need to get as much time as we can!"

Naruto nodded before blinking as Mint floated on a broom that the two weren't sure of the origin of. "Are you both coming? I know neither of you two can fly a broom."

"Yeah, help me please!" Parsley said as she hopped on. "You can sit right… h-here, Naru…" She winced at her words.

Crap, was he gonna be fine-

"Nah, I'll hop as you guys fly," Naruto said with a grin as the two girls blinked at his stretching form.

"T-That seems unwise! What if you tire yourself out?! Besides, a broom is faster than any average Guardian's running speed," Mint said with an annoyed huff. "Goodness, are boys always like this?"

"Hey, I'll have you know, I'm being serious," he said as he hopped in place thrice. "Alright, how about you see if you can keep up, yeah?" He told her with a smirk as the mage's eyebrow twitched.

"We'll see how your bravado holds up, stupid guys," the girl muttered with a pout as Parsley raised a brow.

"I kinda have to agree. You sure you're gonna be alright?" The blacksmith asked and Naruto nodded.

"I've traveled through forests for training, Pars. I did that because I wanted to. This distance isn't that far."

"... So, you can judge distances, too?" Mint asked with a huff as he nodded. "... If you fall into a ditch, I'm not healing you until we get to the location. Just so you learn."

"I get ya, glad you care," he said before widening his stance. "Keep up."

They hadn't expected much, maybe some decent speed but the boy would have to traverse steep cliffs.

It shouldn't have been a contest.

So, when he shot into the air, across the chasm in front of them, to reach the other cliff, color them shocked.

"H-Huh?! T-That shouldn't be possible!" Mint said. "You're using magic, aren't you?!"

"Nope. Well, not a spell, just pure magic energy inside of my body!" Naruto shouted across the chasm. "Now, come on! We've gotta go!" He said before taking off, form a blur that was quickly losing them.

"He's got a point! Hahaha!" Parsley laughed as she pat the girl on the back. "Let's catch up!"

Mint huffed before they took off on her broom, their speed impressive to Parsley as they were catching up to Naruto… slowly.

"Damn, he's fast."

~NRK~

The three were together once again, Naruto keeping a steady run as they focused on the destination ahead.

They came to a stop on a cliff edge, Naruto skirting to a stop as he crouched to look down at the settlement before them, Mint and Parsley lowering to his level.

"So, this is a demon village?" Parsley asked as they looked at the settlement.

It seemed like a regular village back in the normal plane but the homes were made of bone, stone, and bloody-looking mortar.

The village before them was kind of serpentine, with big buildings at both ends that connected to the whole perimeter via large white tarps.

Even from up here, they could see small red dots, people, moving about their daily lives or around the perimeter of the village.

"Hmm?" Naruto blinked at little blips of darkness that flashed about randomly with those on the outside. "... I think that's magic," he said as Mint tilted her head before pulling out a big book. "Where'd that come from-?"

"Demon settlements can range from primitive to outright more advanced than our own," Mint interrupted him as she read something in the book. "Though be warned, you can't know the temperament of a demon or demoness," she said to them. "They could be as nice as Professor Dretch or as mean as a dark beast."

Naruto and Parsley nodded. "So, let's go down, yeah?" He said as he stood up, the two girls floating by him.

"Alright, come on-" Parsley began to say only for Naruto to grin as he hopped off. "T-The fuck are you doing?!" She cursed for the first time since he'd known her, the girls' broom dipping to follow after the blonde. "What idea is this?!"

"I'm fine! I promise!" Naruto said as he held his arms out as he fell, the sight of the trees below coming in hot. "A big burst," he said to himself as he held out his shield.

Moments away from contact and he swung out while releasing some magical energy, a ball of gold forming around him and arresting his and the girls' movements before it went away, the three falling the last few meters safely.

"Hmph," Naruto landed in a crouch as the two females looked at him flatly. "Hey, I told you, I was good."

"Doesn't mean my heart's not out here beating like it wants to have a heart attack," Parsley said with a hand over her chest and a breath of relief, Naruto wincing.

"Sorry, I mean it."

"Yeah, I know, I know. Don't just do that kind of stuff without telling us, please."

"Promise."

"Hmph, well, it worked out, we made record time and we weren't seen," Mint said as they began to move, Parsley getting off her broom so she could walk. "Geez, how heavy is that hammer?" She huffed.

"Sorry," Parsley rubbed the back of her head.

Well, that was a start to their teamwork.

~NRK~

Sage squeaked as she waved her hands at a small apparition whose form became a mess in her rapidly waving hands.

"Ew! Ew! Ew!" She waved it off as the benign spirit flowed around her hand and went away. "W-Why are we going deeper?!" Sage whined.

Amaryllis rolled her eyes. "It's a tomb! There's probably all kinds of shit down here!" She said with a grin as Sage flinched. "And if we find some scriptures and stuff, you can take that shit. I'm here to make me look good."

"Y-You're cursing more than usual," the other mage noted as the two of them walked down a hallway. "I-I don't get it."

"We're not in school, I can curse as much as I like, not like a proper dainty bitch hiding up in a castle doing who knows what or who."

"..." Sage swallowed as they looked at the walls. "... It was a sacrificial site?" She wondered as they stopped by an odd mural with a circle on it that had skulls all around it before showing a pair of crossed bones in the middle, fire motifs all around the thing entirely.

"What? You into that kind of magic?"

"What?! No! W-Who'd even DO that?! That's horrible!"

"Heh, yeah, I know you wouldn't," Amaryllis said with a shrug. "Still, we're in some sick shit if that's what this tomb was originally for."

It was true, if this place was for that, it meant it was likely more cursed than they expected.

"What do you think is down here?" The purple-haired one asked with interest. "If it was a sacrifice site… that means they were going to summon something, right?"

Sage swallowed. "T-The thing with these kinds of sites is that, yes, they were mostly used to appeal to a higher power. Whether it was for an odd god, a mystical creature, their king… o-or-"

"A demon, right?" Amaryllis finished for her with a frown as they saw another mural.

A big, hulking, demon was pictured on it. Something with three bovine heads that sported skull-like faces with long horns. The main body was a pot, seemingly, and their necks looked like they were made of fire.

A fire demon.

"I-Is being down here a good idea?!" Sage whispered in horror as they saw it, Amaryllis looking disturbed as well.

"I-It's been years, right? I-It's not like this place could still be harboring that demon," she said to Sage who looked down the halls with her. "... Come on, let's get back to the others-"

A scream ripped through the air, nearly sending the two girls' souls out of their bodies.

"What?!" They ran after the sound, more screams ripping through the air. "This isn't good!" They said in unison as they went back the way they came before going down a hallway.

The more ground they covered, the brighter it got. Sage huffed a bit as they came to a stop by a doorway… and then both of them choked at the sight of their classmates all backing up against the walls by them, all of them looking at an odd-looking pot.

A familiar pot.

Two students lay unconscious by it, flames spilling out from the container to reach them but their forms vanished in bursts of purple energy, leaving it wanting.

"That's the pot from the mural!" Sage screamed as Amaryllis grimaced, activating her Terrasphere. "We need to get away from it!"

"Are you serious?! We don't know if that thing is even a threat right now! We need to destroy it while it's weak!" Amaryllis said as she took aim, Sage paling as she reached out to stop her.

"No! Wait! If it's stuck in the jar-!" Sage said, barely pushing Amaryllis's aim off to only chip the jar.

And yet that was seemingly enough as the entire class watched in horror at the bubbling mass of flames coming out of it.

~NRK~

Rosemary hacked through another centipede, spinning around two other ones' lunges before slicing through them with ease, coming to a stop just in time to stab a giant beetle in the horn, blocking its slicing attack.

The 'horn' hovering past her blade began to shoot down and she barely jumped back to dodge it.

Three arrows found its horn's base, cracking it off before a mace crushed it under its owner's strength.

"Hah!" Cal grunted as he hefted his weapon out of its crushed cranium, rubbing his forehead. "We've been at this for almost 20 minutes! They just keep coming… pause!"

"I-It looks like they're thinning!" Snapdragon said nervously as he swiped at a centipede's head, the green bodily fluid in its head splashing over him, causing him to shiver. "T-That was its-"

"It's fine," Thyme said to him, holding his shoulder with a knowing look that he looked away from. "It's fine, chances are high, we're approaching these things' boss," she offered to the others as the floor rumbled a bit. "Ah, there it is."

Snapdragon flinched at the movement beneath his feet, head looking up at the treeline to see trees bending around something… oh God.

"I-Is that some giant beetle-crab?" He said in paling horror, hitting his rear.

It was. It was big too, easily bigger than a train cart.

It was beetle-like in that it had two portions of its body but crab-like in looks, its four big pincers snapping at the air as its moss-covered body, which was primarily light green, shifted, each step of its eight extra legs causing a mini-rumble in the ground beneath their feet.

"That's a Crabbe," Thyme said with a shake of the head at her fellow students' looks. "Do not ask me, I didn't name the damn thing."

"So, uh, what are our chances?" Rosemary asked as she bounced on her feet, sword in its holster. "I-It looks kinda big," she said nervously, grin shaky and face sweating.

Thyme looked at the other students then finished off her survey with Cal and Snapdragon. "... I don't think we need to fight it. Getting through that horde of dangerous animals was enough of a workout as is," she said but she looked the least bothered, the slightest hint of sweat on her forehead. "We don't need to fight, let's get further away from the forest."

Snapdragon looked relieved even as Cal scoffed.

"Look at that, weakling, you don't have to fight anymore," he said brazenly to Snapdragon who flinched. "Even if you barely did anything."

"That was uncalled for, Cal!" Rosemary said as she helped Snapdragon to his feet, the ginger looking down. "Not everyone can just run at that thing. I-I don't think I'd want to."

"That's not the point, he's not pulling his weight," the grape head said with his weapon resting on his shoulders. "It's pathetic."

"T-That's!" Snapdragon looked down as he bit his lip, Cal looking annoyed.

"For the love of God, fight back, crap!" He said. "Do you have a hint of courage in your body?!"

"Cal, that's enough," Thyme said as she backed up to the other three standing students, Snapdragon looking full of shame. "No, his words aren't important," she hissed at the scoffing Cal.

"Stop babying him, will you?"

"I'm doing no such thing," Thyme growled. "Not everyone is born ready for combat. Snapdragon still made it into this HGA on his own merits, recognize that."

Cal kissed his teeth as Snapdragon's fists clenched.

He's right.

He shook away the thought. 'Remember what Naruto said. There's nothing wrong with being weak unless you're doing nothing about it,' the ginger told himself as they backed up. "..." He clenched his teeth, letting out a hiss of anger before biting his lip.

The students backed away, the field of carcasses left in their wake as the giant monster didn't give chase.

They kept going, many in the back minding their flank, before coming to a halt.

"Rest," Thyme said to the group who collapsed onto their rears. 'Dammit, why's he doing this right now?!' Cal's words bothered her.

Yes, he was right in that the ginger wasn't pulling his necessary weight, yet, but the fact that he was here meant he had qualities not all of them had.

Getting in on only smarts wasn't as easy as people thought. Thyme knew she was pretty smart but the tests were rigorous and multi-layered.

Strategy, situational awareness, ethics, and more were on those tests and she knew she was a bit colder in her answers.

So, she knew that Snapdragon did deserve to be here, he was training, studying, helping, alongside all of them. She'd be damned if Cal tried to bring some bullshit into this.

She took several calming breaths before checking on the group.

It took, at best, five minutes, the tall girl coming back around to her personal group within this one.

Rosemary was simply relaxing on the ground as Cal sat cross-legged, mace head-first into the ground with his crossed arms and chin resting on its pommel, ever vigilant.

And Snapdragon… Dammit, she walked over to the boy who was sitting with his knees pulled up to his head, arms around them, and head down.

"How are you holding up?" She asked him as she sat down next to him. "... Don't let Cal get to you."

"... I know," he sighed. "I-I do. It's not like you're wrong, either. I studied my ass off to get here… to prove something. I just wasn't smart enough to realize I needed brawns with these brains," he said, knocking his fist against his noggin.

"... you remember Naruto's words. No matter what, the moment you give up, you will remain weak," Thyme said as he nodded. "... I know what it's like," she said as he blinked at her.

"Really? I mean, you look more put-together than the rest of us," he said.

"... When I was a kid," she began slowly. "My dad… me and my… mom left our home a long time ago, when I was still a kid," Thyme said as Snapdragon listened. "... He was staying back to protect the forest. I wanted to help so much, but I was too young. Too weak and too inept to help and, so, we left my dad there along with some of the others. Alone, to fend for our home."

"Thyme, I didn't know…" Snapdragon frowned. "What about your mom?"

Thyme's eyes narrowed and he winced. "We're not on good terms."

"... Yeah, I can understand that. I bet Amaryllis can, too," he said and Thyme raised a brow.

"It's not hard to figure that out," she said and he nodded.

"... Her mom is… she's not…" He winced. "Her mom sucks, okay… literally and figuratively," Snap said with a blush but grimace. "I don't know my own mom, she died back when I was born," Thyme winced but he shook his head. "I never got to meet her, all I had was dad and… and I don't think me and him see things the same way."

"What? Did he hide you away, too?"

"I wish, or, really, I wish he understood me more," Snap explained. "He was always ready to throw me into things. 'Don't let them take your stuff, get it back!', '
You have to love roughhousing, it runs in the blood!', 'Come on, my boy, let's go outside and practice your ax swings!'," he blushed a bit. "Though… I-I probably should have tried a bit harder with that last one. The thing is, though, I didn't want to do that kind of stuff. Yet, he kept saying I should."

Thyme blinked at that. "Sounds rough."

"... It is," Snapdragon said. "... I-I don't think he hates me, I don't think your mom does either," he added in as Thyme's eyes narrowed.

"She treats me like a child," she said.

"... I get that."

~NRK~

They watched from the treeline, the numerous red-skinned individuals moved about as one would expect from a tribe of native people.

"So, what should we do?" Parsley asked as they popped above some bushes for a bit before hiding again. "We don't know if they're friendly, do we?"

"No, we don't. We need a proper plan," Mint said as Naruto hummed. "We need to watch them for a time."

"We don't have that time, though," Naruto said as Mint frowned. "We've got maybe an hour and thirty minutes left. We can't."

"And, what? Would you suggest we just walk up to them?"

"Yeah."

"You insufferable buffoon! What will you do if they're evil?!"

"But we don't know, Mint," Parsley chimed in. "Do you honestly think we can wait this out?"

The mage looked nervous. "... If this falls on our heads, it's on you," she hissed at Naruto who grinned.

"I'll take the fall. Now, if you want, I can go up first and you guys just watch from the bushes, alright?"

"Just take it easy, alright?" Parsley said, eyes brokering no argument.

"I promise," Naruto said with a finger scratching his cheek. 'Geez, I like that she's worried about me but I feel like I'm giving in way too easy.'

Maybe that was because of this little world's change in his luck with women?

He nodded and moved around to another bush before stepping out, much to the surprise of the demon tribe.

"So, uh, hi. The name's Naruto," Naruto introduced himself as the demon guards at the gate they'd snuck towards shot him suspicious looks. "Uh, I was actually traveling around the Demon World from my school."

"Hmm? School?" One of the guards said before the other blinked. "Wait… hold on, you're a Guardian!?"

"H-Huh?" Naruto blinked. "U-Um, well, yeah, an in-trai-" He tried to clarify but it was too late, the guard came over and bowed to him. "... what's wrong?" He asked immediately as the girls in the bushes blinked in confusion.

"I-It's the village's protection, sir! Right now, we're awaiting a horrid creature by the end of the week," the demon said as Naruto flinched.

"T-The end of the week?!" He asked, nervously. "W-What is it?"

"A Gnarl," came the voice of a mature demon man who came out the gate. "So, you've come," he said with a look of pleading Naruto couldn't deny.

"Y-Yeah, I did," he said before considering something. "Me and my team," Naruto added. "Just a second ago, we were heading here. They'll be here eventually. Can you give me the whole story?"

Parsley and Mint looked at one another nervously.

"Until Friday?" Parsley realized. "T-That's not a lot of time!" She said, concerned.

"He's an idiot! We're not Guardians!" Mint said with a grimace. "We can't-"

"PLEASE! For the sake of our tribe! SAVE US!" The chief bowed along with the guards, the two girls' forms flinching.

Then gold spiraled up Naruto's form as his eyes softened.

"Sure, I'll help in whatever way I can," he said with finality as the golden glow shocked the guards. "... Do you know where this Gnarl thing is?"

"... That settles it," Parsley said as Mint choked. "We… I don't think we can ignore this."

"So, you'll also fake being an actual Guardian?" The brown-skinned girl asked with a dangerous tone. "You realize, this isn't some game, right? The moment we take this as a mission, we'll have it under our names that we faked our way into solving this."

Parsley's eyes closed before she nodded. "Yeah. I'm well aware, that's why we're not going to fail," her eyes opened to see Naruto bowing back to the three demons. "Right now, we've people in front of us who need help. What happens if we leave them alone?"

"We'd be able to go back and tell the teachers!" Mint hissed back. "Besides, don't you realize something?" She asked as Parsley blinked. "Listen to his words: 'You're finally here'. They called a Guardian! That person is going to eventually show up!"

"I'm curious," Naruto asked the chief. "You said you were waiting for me, right?"

"Yes, it was odd…" The man looked concerned. "The Guardians we'd called on, they were supposed to have arrived days ago… a-and I suppose you're back-up?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "So, come on, tell me everything I need to know about this Gnarl thing."

The chief nodded before Naruto pretended like he felt something.

"Oh, they're here," he said with an apologetic grin, looking at the two's hiding place.

Mint's fuse was lit and she was dangerously close to calling out all this nonsense as is.

Coming out of the bushes, Parsley nodded to the three demons who looked surprised.

"Good evening," she said with a smile.

"A dwarf? We've never seen one before, apologies," the chief said and Parsley shook her head.

"It's not a problem, I look unassuming but, trust me, I'm strong."

"We'll take your word for it."

"I'm not a part of this team, just an observer," Mint immediately separated herself from the two without hesitation. "For now, I'll be documenting the mission but I've no hand in this. I hope you understand."

"We do, ma'am. Please, right this way," the chief said as he led the three inside of the demon village.

The three students blinked as they looked around with interest.

Demons, all with red skin as noted earlier, blinked at them before their eyes shined.

"G-Guardians?!"

"T-They're a bit young, aren't they?"

"Idiot! A Guardian's basically better than 100 soldiers!"

More of such things were thrown around, surprising the trio before Naruto blinked before he kneeled and pulled on the back of a rushing demon boy's tunic, stopping him from falling as he caught all six of the oranges he'd dropped.

"Easy there, kid," Naruto said with a chuckle as he set him back on his feet before handing him his fruit, the boy's yellow eyes shining with awe as the blonde chuckled some more and stood up. "Take care-"

"T-These are for you!" The kid said with a grin as the three blinked. "For helpin' us!"

Naruto's eyes softened before he took one with a grin. "Thanks, we'll do our best to not let a single hair on your head get hurt, alright?"

"Yeah!"

The boy offered to the girls and Parsley chuckled before taking one.

"Thanks, kid. Come on," the dwarf said to Mint who scoffed before taking one gently.

"Thank you. I'm sure these two will do their best to protect you all… and I'll evacuate you all if necessary, alright?" Mint said softly and the boy nodded with a determined expression, amusing the girl before she blushed, clearing her throat and returning to a stoic expression.

"Hm, hm, hm, go along, Toma, I still need to speak with them," the chief said and the boy grinned before running off. "Apologies."

"No problem," Naruto said with a smile as Parsley nodded.

"He's one of the bright lights we're here to protect, after all," the blacksmith said as Mint sighed.

They quickly made it to the chief's tent at the other end of the village, quickly being ushered into the man's tent, the chief sending his guards off to rest as they spoke at length.

As they all sat down, Mint was prepared to clarify, once again, she wasn't-

"I'm so sorry for doing this to you all," the man said as Parsley and Mint winced.

"You knew from the very beginning," Naruto said without a change in expression as the man nodded. "The other guys… do you know what happened to them?"

"Those Guardians I spoke of… are likely some of the worst that took-up occupation in the Demon World," the demon grimaced as the three frowned.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Parsley asked.

"Haa, youngins, surely, not every Guardian is going to be a bright light in the world," Mint grimaced. "We'd called on a team but by the time I'd checked their reputations, it was already too late."

"So, you knew that and still took them on as the so-called 'back-up'," Mint said with a frown. "What were you thinking?! We're teenagers!"

"I know! I know! I'm sorry but… I-I had to."

"Why?-"

"Mint," Naruto spoke up and the girl flinched at the stern tone, Parsley looking a bit surprised. "It's not hard to see why," he said softly and the two young women blinked before remembering the Guardians not here. "Not just the Guardians, either," Naruto clarified and they were now confused.

"What do you mean?" His friend asked.

"The people," he said as the chief nodded. "You heard them, you saw how they bowed, you saw those guys up front, this Gnarl thing… it's brought them deep into despair."

"The tribe can't survive like this," the chief said as Mint grimaced.

"S-Still! We can't!" She argued. "We'll be going back in 2 hours! W-We might be able to bring a Guardian!"

"Can you? Ones who can get permission to come into the Demon World and then here?"

"Wait b-but we're right here!" Parsley said, worried. "You make it sound like-"

"It takes time for a Guardian team not of the realm/country to be allowed to come," the chief said as their eyes widened. "Did I not say those Guardians were supposed to be here days ago? The thing is… they were supposed to have come days ago, a week after we sent for help."

"So, we're your last chance?! That's ridiculous! H-How the hell can this be!?" Mint grew livid and Naruto sighed. "And you! Don't think I've forgotten, this is all on your head-"

"I KNOW!" Naruto shot back as Mint flinched. "You think I'm just trying to play hero, Mint? Do you honestly not have a single hint of kindness for these people?"

"It's not our job!"

"YES, IT IS!" He shot back as she flinched once more. "We chose to become Guardians-in-training. Do you honestly think your rules are more important than someone, an entire people's, life?"

The girl's hands clenched the bottom of her tunic as she trembled.

"... Alright, cool it," Parsley said to the two with a frown as Mint looked down while Naruto sighed.

"I'm sorry, I mean it," he said as Mint looked at him in disbelief. "But I'm not taking back my other words, Mint. We're at HGA to be Guardians. How can we do that if we turn away from people who have nowhere else to go?"

"We're not ready," she grimaced as Parsley sighed.

"You're probably right, we're likely not. We're not that far into our school year and yet here we are, being the Guardians for this tribe… but there's likely never going to be a chance where we'll know we're ready. That's not how life works. I didn't know I'd help play mother to my own siblings as I grew up. I didn't plan for it, I couldn't have, I simply understood they needed me. I couldn't be selfish about it even if I wanted to. That's why I think we have to do this," the dwarf said as Naruto nodded. "Um, chief. The thing is. Right now, we're only here for another hour. At best, we'll have eight hours to prepare here. Is there anything you can tell us to give us an idea on how to beat this thing? Hell, how do we even know it'll come while we're here?"

The demon man looked solemn but nodded. "The creature is a being made of evil wood. It aims to cause suffering, to simply destroy without a thought. It has no mind, it's essentially a beast without thought. So, if you have light magic, fire magic, possibly even sharp weaponry, you'll have the advantage. And… that creature will come here at this time, due to… due to its cycle."

"... About those attributes," Naruto considered something. "Old man, originally, me and Pars came here because we wanted to learn Demon Language so we could work towards the goal of making an evil-destroying sword," he said with eyes full of resolution as Parsley's eyes widened. "Is there any way you can give us something to work with?"

The man frowned as he cupped his chin. "You can't learn Demon Language so easily, it's not just about understanding the words, you need to be able to apply negative emotions to them to bring about an effect. What you're talking about is going into a fused branch of magic. Between Demon Language and Sacred Runes. Anti-Language Magic, or Anti-Magic, is the term for when the two are mixed due to how often it's only used for the sake of denying the negative effects of hexes and curses on principles. I wish I could say otherwise but there's likely not a lot you can accomplish in the time we have."

"You're right but we know that, sadly. What we need is every edge we can guarantee," Naruto said with a dark frown. "And… if it's negativity, I know I can apply a curse or hex," he said, shocking his teammates.

"Naruto?" The dwarf frowned.

"... One day, I'm sure I'll tell you, Pars," Naruto said with an apologetic smile. "But, right now, we need every advantage we can get."

"... Fine. Chief, is there a difference between smithing here in the Demon World and our world?" Parsley asked and the man looked hopeful.

"If it's those two things, yes, we may be able to supply you the tools to stand a chance. Though, an hour isn't long as you said."

"We'll practice while we're not here! Please let us help you!" The two blondes said with their heads bowed.

The man's eyes teared up before he wiped them and got up. "Then let's go. Please, save our tribe."

The two grinned as they followed him.

"Oh, right, Mint," Parsley said softly as the girl sat there, stunned and horrified. "... Sorry, you can just help by doing as you said. Please evacuate everyone if things don't go our way," she admitted as she and Naruto left the tent.

The last HGA student was left there to just stare after them.

'What the hell is wrong with all of them?!' Were they mad?!

Risking your lives, your more valuable lives than some happenstance trouble, was the height of stupidity! What the hell were they thinking?!

"We chose to become Guardians-in-training. Do you honestly think your rules are more important than someone, an entire people's, life?"

Naruto's words rang in her mind and she clenched her fists.

~NRK~

Parsley watched as the tribe's metalworker showed her the method.

"The way we handle smithing isn't the same as humans," the man who ran the smithy said. "What we need isn't fire we just started but natural fire. Or, more likely, magical fire."

Parsley nodded slowly. "I get that, starting from the very bottom of it and working our way up. What else?"

"Right. The next thing is that, well, we don't use molds like other races, on your side, do. We'd usually use magic," he explained and she began to sweat.

"Um, no offense, but I'm crap at magic."

"Hm, hm, hm, that's fine. The thing is, you don't need to know magic but you have to command it. That magical fire, you can use it to shape the weapon. When you've pulled on the power of flames and molded it in your mind, you beat on it with your hammer," he said, raising his.

He went through the steps and Parsley covered her face as a vat of lava opened up on the floor.

"An old satyr came through here, once. He tried to bring these methods from here to the outside but I don't know how well that went," he said as her eyes widened.

'Professor Phlox?!' If that was true, she might be able to do this all the way until Friday!

The demon man raised a bar of metal in reinforced tongs and held it over the lava,

"All natural things in the Demon World have magical properties to them. Your job as a blacksmith is to pull on those properties and mold it as a blacksmith should."

Parsley watched the process with interest, the man's hammer came down and she was mystified by how it clanged even without an anvil.

Magic really was amazing.

~NRK~

Naruto focused on the word.

"H-Hei Flamma," Naruto tried, looking at the word on the parchment in front of him, the letters glowing dark red.

"Focus, my boy! We can't teach you the entire alphabet but we can learn words and bank on those! Focus! The body is the hex, the intent is to curse, the clause is the fuel. The kind of spell, the effect, and what it feeds off of! Those are the basics to hexes!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he called on… those feelings.

The feelings of swelling disgust.

The anger at that individual.

The pain she'd inflicted.

… And… and how good it'd felt during, how at the bottom of it all, he'd enjoyed it like a sick pervert.

The demon chief blinked as he watched the boy's whisker marks darken before the sound of something burning reached his ears.

Looking down, his eyes widened in awe at the burning flame.

"Ya've done it!"

~NRK~

Amaryllis and Sage grimaced as they ran with all the other students.

"Fucking, fuck off!" Amaryllis shouted at the whirling flames, wand out and sending out a blast of purple light.

It slammed into the flames, fending them off, before being overtaken like the other fifty or so shots she'd taken.

"D-Dammit!" The girl gasped as she sat on Sage's broom, the pair and all the other mage-course students rushing out with their flying sweepers. "I-It's keeping it at bay but I don't have more in me! My Terraspheres are even starting to lose their power!"

Sage's face contorted into fear, looking back for but a moment to see the reaching flames.

'What are we going to do?!' At this rate, it'd reach them before they could get to the exit. '... Wait,' her eyes widened as she looked behind her. 'Why is it following us?'

Of course, the obvious answer would have been… What was the obvious answer?

"A-Amaryllis," Sage spoke up as her fellow mage frowned.

"What?" She asked as she raised her wand again. "I'm doing my 'acts of futility' over here!"

"Yes! Keep doing that!" Sage said as she balked. "R-Right now, I need to know something! Why is it following us?!"

"Well, duh, because we disturbed it!"

"So?! It wants to be free! There has to be something it needs or wants! That's why it's chasing us!"

"Freaking, fine!" Amaryllis took aim. 'What's it chasing? There has to be something!' She took another shot.

It bubbled around the blow, freezing for a moment before shooting back with more vigor!

"Dammit! What is it-!"

"That's it!" Sage realized with a frown. "Magic power! A sacrifice needs to be given, Amaryllis! That's why it's chasing us. It's searching for the magic power that would be sacrificed along with it!"

"We don't want that to happen!" Amaryllis shouted in horror. "Are you insane?!"

"... No… I'm not," Sage realized as she looked at Amaryllis's bracelets. "But I have a crazy idea… well, crazy to you!"

"... Dammit," the purple-haired girl grimaced before undoing her bracelets. "I hope you choke on it, fire bitch," she said as she chucked the items as deep into the flames as she could.

"Good!" Sage said as it came to a stop and so did she, much to her comrade's horror. "We have to ensure it doesn't come out!" She trailed her finger into the air.

Symbols collided and shifted before a swirling ball of energy formed.

Amaryllis sighed in relief. "Don't tear off our arms, now. We're not Whiskers."

Sage grinned. "Gotcha."

She pushed as much energy into the ball before allowing it to pop.

"WHOA!" The two were sent ahead of the other students at alarming speeds, the group rushing after them.

30 seconds later, they all shot out of the tombs before falling off their brooms.

"A-Ac! We lived!" Amaryllis said in relief only for Sage to frown, shakily getting to her feet. "... Don't tell me."

"W-We need to push the cover back on the tomb!" Sage shouted. "I-If we don't! It might follow us out here!"

All the students choked before stumbling to their feet and hurrying to the sides of the tomb's entrance, two large stone door flaps on both sides.

They lifted with as much strength as they could, their fragile bodies moving the stone slowly.

"D-Dammit!" Amaryllis cursed as they felt that thing coming! "Push! Push! Push it like it's your fucking bully!"

The students double-timed and they slammed it down, collapsing back onto their rears in relief.

And then the stone doors were punched through as fiery hazy tore into the sky before coming back down on them.

Facing their death, Amaryllis sighed as Sage sniffled a bit.

"Hey, uh, sorry, you did deserve to be here," she admitted as the flames were upon them.

"That's enough."

The clack of a cane reached their ears and the girls clenched their eyes shut before blinking at no feeling of burning, possibly being eaten, fire.

"H-Huh?" The two blinked before looking behind them to a chuckling individual. "Professor Caraway?!"

"I'm glad we planned for this," he said as he walked over, one hand on his cane while the other formed symbols in the air. "You all did well. While I'm sure you're saddened you didn't leave with any material things, you left with experience and an understanding of how dangerous our jobs are," Caraway said as he smiled softly at some of the crying students.

Amaryllis rubbed her eyes while Sage sniffled a bit.

"Good job. You all will have the rest of today off, alright?"

~NRK~

They watched it, that Crabbe.

Still a stupid name.

Snapdragon sighed as the time ticked away, one of the Warrior-Mage-mix students having an astral clock for them to count down their time here.

"Ten more minutes," Cal said as he walked over and sat down. "Honestly, I probably wouldn't mind taking a shot at that thing," he said, sitting cross-legged and resting his cheek on his fist. "Sure, we'll come back, tomorrow but we're here now. We're all rested up and we know we're not gonna die."

"... No, it's still unwise," Thyme said with a frown. "We should-"

"I… I want to fight it, too," Snapdragon said as her head snapped to him, the boy looking down with a thoughtful expression. "... C-Cal's right, we're going to have to face it eventually, right? Why not learn a bit about it while we still have the chance?"

"Because you might suffer a wound before teleporting out," Thyme said as both boys flinched. "Did you consider that we don't know how fast the spell is? What happens if… God-forbid, one of you gets caught in its claws?"

Rosemary sat up, looking green. "I-It'd have to be safe, though, right?! Professor Dretch even said we had once-in-a-lifetime permission!"

"Yes and we've been given more mercy than you'll ever know," Thyme said as they looked at her. "Did you guys not find it weird it didn't chase us this far out? Think, that thing was allowing us to leave. Ms. Dretch likely had a bit more pull with the Elf King and he allowed this to happen."

Many looked shocked while Cal grimaced.

"Dammit! Fucking, why even send us here?!"

"... just to experience it?" Rosemary offered as the boy still looked angry. "I get it, I do. Right now, I want to get stronger, too. But we don't know as Sage said. What if we… l-lose something before we're taken away?"

Snapdragon looked down in nervousness before standing up and walking towards the Crabbe.

"SNAPDRAGON!" He flinched as Thyme yelled. "I swear to God, I'll kill you before that damn thing does if you don't get your ass back here!"

"H-Hold on, I know how this looks," he said as Thyme looked ready to tackle him. "Wait! Please! I mean it! I'm not going to do anything that'd put my life in danger!"

"Then what?" She growled as he looked nervous.

"I-I want to observe it," he said and the group blinked. "Closer than this. What if there's some kind of organ on its shell that does something? We don't know. Cal was right in that this is a chance but Thyme's right in that we don't know anything about our safety with that thing. So, right now, no attacking but observing."

"..." Thyme frowned at that before Rosemary grinned.

"Come on! That should be good enough!" She said to the elf as Cal smirked.

"Finding a weak spot is pretty alright in my book," he said as Thyme groaned.

"I'm letting it cut off your toes if this backfires," she said to the ginger who paled.

The group stalked closer slowly, the Crabbe watching them all the while.

Maybe 20 meters away from the treeline, and the monster by proxy, they laid down and watched it.

"... This is about twenty meters," Snapdragon whispered as Thyme's eyes watched the crab-beetle for any sudden hostility. "This is the safety point for its mercy, b-basically."

"Man, look at that thing, it's got shells all over it," Rosemary said as Thyme sighed and observed.

"..." Her eyes narrowed. "Its armpits, look at them, there's no plating there," the elf said.

Snapdragon's eyebrows furrowed a bit as he looked at what she was pointing out.

"... Y-Yeah, I do see it," he said. "I guess all those arms and legs have to be allowed to move somehow."

"Wait, doesn't that mean its entire side is open?" Rosemary asked as the creature patrolled, the group seeing the supposed weak points. "Well, they only go to the end of the first part of it but it's still a weak point. Take out the legs and arms and we're not only winning but we get an amazing dinner out of it!"

Many stomachs growled at her words and the group groaned in unison.

"Ugh, dinner's still two hours away," Cal groaned.

"We need to bring food next time," Snapdragon realized and Thyme considered the idea. "If we're going to just be standing around all the time, might as well. Especially if we cut down another horde."

"I'd say it's a good idea," Thyme said and the Warrior group nodded as the astral clock was one minute away from their time limit. "Hmph, I guess this isn't a bad idea."

Rosemary grinned. "Good going, Snap!" She said as the ginger blushed at her praise.

"It could have been worse, I'll give you some respect," Cal admitted and Snapdragon nodded before blinking.

"Hm?" His head tilted to the side as his eyes squinted. 'What's that?'

Something gold, shining white from the treeline by the Crabbe. He squinted some more and thought he could make out was a… well, it looked like a claw?

Then the timer hit 0 and their bodies were covered in a burning dark purple aura.

And they vanished.

~NRK~

They all reappeared back in the rotunda, feeling slightly drained but full of ideas.

Cal, Rosemary, Thyme, and Snapdragon looked around before finding their friends quickly.

And… well, they all looked like they had some stuff to work through.

Amaryllis and Sage were just sitting down against a pillar, gazes vacant, while Naruto and Parsley were focusing on some metal or paper in their hands, Mint standing by them with a frown and crossed arms.

She said something to them before stomping off, leaving the two blondes to let out some sighs of relief.

"Everything alright over here?" Cal asked as he and Thyme walked over to them, Snapdragon and Rosemary going to snap Sage and Rylls out of their funk. "You two look like you're working on shit."

"... Yeah, we are," Naruto said with a nod as Parsley hummed. "We learned some stuff and we're going to keep learning."

"Demon language?" Thyme asked and he grinned with bright eyes. "More?"

"Yep. Demon Language and Sacred Runes," Naruto said. "That creates Anti spells, spells that can deny effects of hexes and stuff. I need to learn both of them," he added as Parsley chuckled.

"I'm learning demon blacksmithing," she said as Cal looked intrigued. "I-It's not easy but I've been getting some cool ideas and stuff! I need to speak with Mr. Phlox early tomorrow or tonight."

"Damn, it feels like everyone else got something cool out of all of this," the purple-haired boy huffed. "Dammit."

~NRK~

They ate dinner at a large table, meanwhile, Sage and Amaryllis blinked at Naruto as he held his hands together.

Dark red flames swirled to life for a mere moment before falling away as he sighed.

"What? That's… new," Amaryllis said slowly. "What did you guys learn?"

"Man, you were really out of it," Parsley said as Naruto nodded, wincing a bit. "And you need to take it easy. Right now, you just learned it."

"I know, I know," he said as he ate some more. "Hmph. What about you guys? You sure you didn't learn anything?"

"Hmph," Amaryllis sighed as she looked at her bare wrists, rubbing them. "I need to get new Terraspheres," she said as Sage looked guilty. "Nope, blueberry, the only reason we're alive is because I had to toss 'em."

"Well, is that going to be hard?" Sage asked and the other mage frowned.

"I'll have to ask for it, I'm not looking forward to that but my dad should be able to send me some without too much trouble. I really need to send him a letter or something."

"Yeah, I think I should send one my parents' way, too."

"Hmph, we just fought a lot," Rosemary said as she drank some water. "It was so tiring! We need tons to eat!" She added as she tore through her soup as Snapdragon pulled out a book.

He'd drawn the Crabbe in it and put down notes about its weaknesses and strengths.

"The creature at the end of it all… i-it looked so big and scary," the ginger said with a shiver as he showed Naruto.

"... Eh," he shrugged as the boy gawked at him. "It honestly doesn't look that tough."

"It's a giant arthropod," Thyme said as Naruto tilted his head.

"I get that, seriously I do, but it honestly doesn't look as tough as you make it out to be. I'm sure I could fight that thing myself," he said without hesitation as the group looked at him oddly. "I know how much sense it sounds like I'm not making but that thing is slower than snail unless that's not true?"

"... Oh, well, Naruto would certainly have the speed advantage," Parsley said as Cal raised a brow.

"What? You guys run from something? Had a race? Anything more fun than what we did?" He asked.

"No, we traveled over a ton of land in about fifteen minutes," she said as Rosemary and Sage blinked. "Me and Mint rode on her broom but Naruto beat us on foot! We had to have gone over ten miles and he basically kept ahead the whole time."

"Bullshit," Amaryllis said as Naruto shrugged.

"It's really not. I'd go on long runs all the time. There's no point to my training if I'm not going hard. Besides, I'd run through forests all the time as a kid. Over the past year, I would travel back and forth to get water and stuff. End to end. All the time," he said.

"T-That's kind of hard to believe," Snapdragon said even as he was awed by the boy. 'He's trained for years and if what they said is true,' Naruto really could have handled that giant Crabbe by himself. "Still, the Crabbe, the name of the monster, likely has a powerful outer shell, how would you get through it?"

"Well, for one, I can use my Rasengan. It's incomplete but it's still powerful enough to handle what's basically a giant crab-beetle thing. Besides, its legs are clearly weak points," he added as Snapdragon looked at his drawing. "Take those out and then it can't really move besides using its claws and stuff."

"While that's true," Thyme began. "To say you could do it yourself is a bit much."

"Like I said, I know how it sounds," Naruto said with a nod. "But I have faith in my own abilities, that thing isn't as tough as it looks to me."

Rosemary tilted her head a bit before nodding. "Then, do you think we could train?" She asked with embarrassment as Naruto nodded.

"Sure, I'm up for training with anyone for the next three hours. I still need to practice this hex stuff after."

~NRK~

Mint grimaced as she sat in the principals' office.

"I see…" Mature Triad said with a sigh. "I didn't think you all would be coerced into something like that," she grimaced as her fellow Triad wore differing expressions. "What do you both think?"

"It's d-dangerous!" Young Triad said in horror as Mint sighed in relief. "Why would he… I-I understand why he did it, I do, but this shouldn't have fallen on his shoulders."

Mint nodded before grimacing at Elder Triad.

"Hmph, it was the right thing to do!" She said and the student couldn't hold her tongue.

"EXCUSE ME?! In what world is what he did any kind of right?!" Mint growled as the old biddy smirked. "Ma'am."

"Hehe, you should have listened to that Parsley girl, she's right. You lot couldn't have planned for it and now you've thrown in your hat with this tribe," she said as Mint froze and paled.

"W-Wait, wait, wait, w-what are you saying?"

"It's as it sounds," Mature Triad said with a sigh. "Naruto did the right thing… and, I fear, you all are that tribe's last chance."

"W-Wait! What do you mean?! We're not even full Guardians yet!" Mint couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"And yet Full Guardians are the ones who caused this," Young Triad said with a deep frown. "We… We can't let that village be destroyed because of our people."

"Then why doesn't a Guardian handle this?"

"Because, as the demon chief said," Elder Triad began. "The time it'd take for a Guardian to get there is simply not viable. The tape, young lady, you of all the students understand how politics works."

"Right now, we can apply for an emergency entry," Mature Triad reassured her as Mint slumped in her seat. "If we can get the king's permission, we could go as soon as three days."

Mint frowned but sighed in understanding. "Yes… ma'am…"

"I know this is more stressful to you than we could imagine," the Mature One said with a motherly smile. "But, rest assured, you aren't wrong. Naruto jumped into this when he should have told the truth but, at the same time, his heart is where it's supposed to be. Accepting responsibility is the right thing to do. To help others isn't wrong, especially ones who've nearly drowned in despair."

Mint groaned as Elder Triad cackled.

"Still, he's approaching this correctly. Find all the strength you can muster, take your advantages, and apply them! And never mind how you kind of lucked out!" The old woman said as Mint frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Naruto is likely the strongest among your year," Young Triad said as Mint blinked. "The only student who comes close in combat prowess is Aster and that boy wields spirits."

"Wait, what?" So, Naruto was their best fighter? "T-That doesn't sound right. He's mixed between courses, why would he still be the best when his focus is split?"

"Well, that's because he was likely already stronger than you all before he entered High Guardian Academy," Mature Triad considered. "And while he's not remotely as well-off in his Mage aspects, his way of combat outstrips most second-years even."

Mint's eyes shot open in surprise. "What? That doesn't make sense. S-Sure, even I have jumped a grade due to my esoteric skills, I know many can when they show greater aptitudes… but combat?"

"You'd be surprised!" Elder Triad cackled. "Why, if that Aster boy could actually use his family's so-called spirit channeling well, he'd probably be the best!"

"The son of the Great Chrys?" Mint considered their words before a weight rested on her shoulder. "H-Huh?!" Her head snapped around to see a smiling Wyverna.

"So, that's the situation. Honestly, I think he, and the two with him, will be fine. But, just in case, take some of these," she said as she passed three see-through stoppered vials with some kind of glowing liquid within. "Gnarls aren't small prey but they're a solitary species and only attack on Fridays since that's the height of their power in a month."

She flicked out her hand and an image took form in the middle of the room.

Mint balked at the monster's form.

Gnarled dark green wood curled around a demon-like creature with a powerful upper body that likely hovered over its front due to how long its middle section was. Its back legs were bull-like while its entire body was reminiscent of a monkey's. It had a wild 'mane' and each of its wrists was covered by spiked vines that freely curled and unwound. Its face held a huge mouth while its 'ears' were pointed.

Its fists were also HUGE as its stubby back legs somehow supported this weird-looking creature.

"That's a Gnarl?" Mint's mouth fell. "H-How big is it?"

"Hmm, about 50% bigger than the layered bus that travels across the lands to grab students," Wyverna said as Mint paled. "It's fine. We promise. Besides, we'll be sending Hakone as your watcher. And didn't you tell us those two were learning new methods? This shouldn't be as hard as you think!"

She hoped so.

~NRK~

He kept going before pushing up one last time.

"That's 500," Thyme said as she got off his back and removed the towel so Naruto could sit up. "You're really focused today," the elf noted as she wiggled her toes on the cool grass outside the dorms.

She'd found Naruto out here, training like no other, and had joined in for a bit before working as his push-up weight.

"Thanks and, yeah, I'm prepping for Friday," Naruto said as he jumped to his feet, standing up next to Thyme. "Thanks," he said as he pulled at the bottom of his shirt to rub his face.

Green eyes flickered to a lean stomach that had abs with light definition, the eyes' owner crossed her arms with slightly red cheeks.

"Thanks, again," Naruto said as they began to walk towards the dorms. "I gotta start practicing those hexes. All this week, I'm going to be learning Demon Language," he grinned in excitement as Thyme hummed.

"We'll be observing that Crabbe again. Probably should circle around the forest to see if we can't get closer or how much area it covers," Thyme said as she saw Naruto's cuff. 'He still wears that even now?' It was odd.

Of course, anyone could like jewelry, she had a pair of earrings she always wanted to wear but couldn't due to not wanting the attention.

But Naruto never seemed to take that thing off. It was a bit curious.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm curious, that gold cuff, you always wear it," she said, getting straight to the point like always. "Showering, when you're clean, dirty, or even just during class. Do you like it that much?"

Naruto blinked at that before smiling softly. "Yes and there's another reason," he said softly. "It's an illusion bracelet," Naruto admitted and Thyme's eyes widened as they stopped.

"For what?"

"... Scars," he admitted and she paled. "Yeah, it's not pretty," the boy said jokingly but this was no laughing matter.

Scars? To be fair, Thyme always thought it was weird that she didn't see a lot of Naruto's scars even though he fought, got down and dirty, and moved as much as he did.

He'd explained to them his previous training, hell, Thyme remembered him saying he had lots of scars from the Rasengan. Yet, where were they?

And now she knows.

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine. It's kind of nice to let someone know while not having my secret blown out of proportion," Naruto folded his arms behind his head as he looked up at the night sky.

She followed suit and they watched the bright shining stars twinkle above.

"... It's beautiful," Thyme said quietly as she and Naruto smiled. "Nighttime really is the best time of the day."

"Hey now, I think a sunset or sunrise is pretty awesome," he shot back and she smirked.

"Because it reminds you of your reflection?"

"Hey, being the big ball of light that raises down good vibes sounds awesome."

"The sun also causes heatstroke."

"... I mean…"

She chuckled and they continued back to their dorms, their minds on the future adventures.

~NRK~

"So, today, we'll be starting our understanding of Sacred Runes or the Rune Language in other parts," Caraway said with a nod as the students opened their books.

Naruto looked down at his page full of characters that each had a word, set of words, descriptions, and/or photos.

The following day's second class for him, Sage, Thyme, and Amaryllis being Sacred Languages.

"Now, you all might not know this but Runes didn't use to have the power they do today. In the past, they'd just been another language but, one day, they gained power thanks to the usage of the language all around the world. Nowadays, our current language is a mix of many different ones altogether."

"Wait, really?" Naruto had to learn the language a year back.

Hakone's tutelage wasn't faulty but he'd never really gotten why there were so many damn parts to this language!

"With that, Runes became a specialized language that not many use. Outside of the newest form of magic, Runes are… different," Caraway grinned brightly. "It's similar to Demon Language and Elvish Speak. Though, comparatively, it's a bit simpler due to how to construct a spell but FAR more unpredictable. If you change a single letter, you could go from a fire spell to a spell for warming your feet. For now, we'll be learning the ten language's letters, symbols, and one of each letter's meanings. This week's aim is to form a Rune Word that you understand down to a 'T'."

Naruto looked at the alphabet before his eyes gained a determined gleam.

A Rune Word, huh? He needed one that'd work to his advantage.

~NRK~

Back in the rotunda, the group of battle-ready students blinked as they found Professor Caraway there.

"Huh, what happened?" Naruto asked before Amaryllis and Sage blushed. "... Right," he finger-gunned at them. "Gotcha."

"Welcome back," the Sacred Languages teacher chuckled. "I hope you all don't mind if I tag along for your tomb exploration."

"W-Wait, we're going back in there!?" Sage balked.

"Yes, despite the issue from last time, that tomb has more than one entrance to it and that being won't be able to get to you all. Even if it does, I'm here for protection."

"... U-Uh, about that," Amaryllis rubbed the back of her head as he raised a brow. "I don't… I tossed my Terraspheres, so… I won't be able to fight."

"What do you mean? You have Runes, don't you?" Caraway said with a smile as Amaryllis looked more embarrassed. "I know it's not easy but it's situations like this that you'll realize you need more than just a Terrasphere," he said before removing a book from off his waist and handing it to Amaryllis.

She hissed at the sight of it before… hesitating. "Um, this is?"

Sage's eyes widened. "I-It's a Rune spellbook?!" She gasped in awe as Amaryllis paled.

"It's one I made," Caraway said as Amaryllis took the item as if it'd hit her. "I've locked most of the pages so you can only view the defensive, offensive, and trap spells on the first three pages."

Snapdragon looked concerned as he walked over and rested a hand on Amaryllis's shoulder. "You alright?" He whispered and as Caraway spoke to the other mage students, the girl trembled.

"I-I don't want to use this," she whispered as Sage and the others looked alarmed at her horrified face. "I really can't."

"Amaryllis?" Rosemary looked confused as she walked around to see the book. "I don't get it. Why? I mean, I know you don't like Old Magic but-"

"I hate Old Magic," Amaryllis hissed back and the whole group looked alarmed at the venom in her voice. "I hate it. I don't want to learn more about it. Not to be like that bitch-"

"Rylls," Snapdragon said firmly and she flinched. "... I-I won't say anything, you know I won't… b-but you're venting."

The group had watched as a purple aura slipped off the short girl's form, a building of energy that confused them.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Rylls… can you use Old Magic?" He asked and she looked away. "... Alright, I'm sorry, I was just curious."

Cal looked surprised. "So, what? You didn't like it? That's not something to get worked up about," he said with a shrug as Sage sighed.

"Boys," she grumbled. "... If you want to talk about it… I'm here," Sage said to her as she sighed.

The short girl clipped the item on the side of her waist cloth, the item locking in with a purple glow like she'd done this for years.

They were surprised as she looked down. "Let's just go."

"... Alright, take it slow," Rosemary said with a smile as she pat her shoulders. "And… s-sorry."

"... Hmph," Amaryllis huffed and Snapdragon smiled as she rolled her eyes at him. "... Give me that," she said as she went behind him and took off his shield. "I'm going to use this thing as little as possible," she grumbled.

Then they watched her finger draw across the shield's surface at incredible speeds, lines of purple light forming a set of designs on it that flashed before shrinking to meet her needs.

"God, that's so weird," she grimaced even as the group gaped at her. "... What? You never see Rune Enchantments before?"

"Wait, no?!" Naruto said with excitement as Amaryllis scratched her cheek.

"Right, you and smith girl over there want to make a magic sword or something."

"Yeah! Rylls, this is amazing!" Parsley said with a look of excitement. "You have to help Naruto in class! That sounds like such an amazing skill and you look so good at it!"

She blushed but scoffed. "... F-Fine but don't expect some expert. I'm not. I'm really not."

"I understand, thanks, seriously," Naruto bowed to her and she crossed her arms with a raised brow.

"You know, sometimes, I question if you're of high birth or not. You're way too polite," Amaryllis said as Naruto grinned nervously, tail wagging slowly behind him. "Come on, Sage, we're gonna be late even if I'm sure I don't want to."

"Then why?" Sage asked.

"You want to go, don't you?"

"... Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Watching the two go, the group hummed.

"She must have had a hard life," Naruto said softly as Thyme nodded.

"I didn't think she had an actual reason for disliking Old Magic… this is surprising," she said as they looked at Snapdragon who rubbed the back of his head.

"Like I said, I won't tell her secrets… but she's basically like us, Thyme, remember?" That was all he said and Thyme nodded. "Come on, let's go. We'll see you all later," Snapdragon said as he and Naruto bumped fists.

"Take it easy. It seems we've all got things to work through."

"Don't I know it."

Sending the group off as he had before, Naruto clenched his painful hand in determination as he and Parsley walked towards the waiting Mint.

"... I don't like this but the principals and Ms. Dretch said this is the only way," she explained to them, the two blondes looking surprised for a moment before they nodded.

"Then let's make sure to help them," Naruto said.

"No failures," Parsley added.

Mint hesitated before nodding. "I've got some healing water. It's very scarce right now so don't make me waste it on you."

"Thanks."

Time for some more in-depth training.

~NRK~

That's a wrap and we'll be running through another chapter soon enough.

So, a lot of things. Their first missions being the most evident.

Making use of the locations, we have Sage and Amaryllis facing off against a flame demon from a sacrificial tomb. Thyme, Snap, Cal, and Rosie are pushed to their stamina limits with Snap being heckled by Cal, even if the aggressive boy has a bit of a point. Finally, Naruto, Parsley, and Mint go off to a demon settlement where they end up having to live up to their future status due to a bunch of Guardian misfits.

We'll eventually get around to those guys, I promise you. That'd make interesting antagonists for the group of friends.

Also, we learn a bit more about Aster, this chapter. Trust me, that's leading up to make a lot of his personality. I hope you all like the idea when we get to him.

So, this chap, we had a lot of people growing a bit closer. Amaryllis and Sage and then Amaryllis and everyone. The former hating New Magic due to backstory reasons I've developed while the latter is easily scared and hates separation from her one true friend.

I had Cal and Amaryllis calling out Snapdragon and Sage here because they would. Without Naruto around, the biggest 'cushion' for the group isn't there so they can act more brazenly but the difference is in attitude.

Amaryllis is willing to just drop it while Cal won't. He only gained a bit of respect for Snap but that doesn't mean much.

Next, Thyme and Snapdragon become better friends as they realize they're similar though it's tainted by teen goggles. They just see things how they see them.

Next, Naruto shows his grit as he accepts responsibility he doesn't have to but will due to who he is as a person. In that same vein, he and Parsley begin to learn under a demon tribe while he also learns his friend can do Runes at an insane level.

Things are ramping up and I hope you'll be here the whole way.

Ciao.

Words: 16.5k

~NRK Out~