Ranger24: Another chapter. I'm still not happy about the lack in reviews tthough.
Chapter 22: Through a dragon's eye.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
When Naruto a woke he felt every one of his throbbing muscles. When he sat up he could see breakfast was ready and Ranger was fitting the saddle onto Cortana. Naruto groaned and started to eat his breakfast. Ranger was now tieing Naruto's saddle bags onto Cortana's saddle. When he was done with his meal Ranger helped him into the saddle while Cortana waited impatiently. Ranger gave him some quick pointers.
Ranger: Keep your head low and knees as close to Cortana as you can. Don't lose your grip or you'll fall off and crack your head open. And I, personally, am in no mood to scrap people of the ground.
Naruto: Gee thanks.
Cortana: Are you ready?
Naruto sighed in resignation and took a deep breath.
Naruto: No but lets do this anyway.
Cortana agreed enthusasticly then shoot into the sky with three powerfull strokes of her wings! Naruto's cheeks filled with air as they sped up into the clouds then leveled off. He clutched her neck spikes. Cloud's floated by and the sky was a clear blue.
Naruto: This is wonderful...!
Before he could finish Cortana did a full 360 loop-de-loop! Vertigo hit him hard and he nearly lost his breakfast. When they leveled off he clutched her spikes even harder.
Naruto: Don't do that! I feel like I'm going to fall off!
Cortana: You must become accustom to it. Thats one of the easist manuvers to pull in the air.
Naruto sighed again. They continued flying for almost an hour. Naruto was starting to get used to being up so high and the rythamic thump of Cortana's wings. When he had last flown with her every beat of her wings was strained. Now she flew effortlessly. and without any trouble. He was actually starting to enjoy himself.
Cortana: Let me show you what flying really feels like.
Naruto: How?
Cortana: Relax.
Naruto did as he was told and suddenly felt as though he were suddenly bonding to Cortana more than ever before! He saw through her eyes and could feel everyone of her muscles work to keep them air borne! Even the color around him had changed! Blues, purples, and pinks became more pronounced while greens, reds, and browns were subduded. He could feel her tail work as a rudder to steer them through the air. He never realized how much she relyed upon her rear apendage.
They tried to scout the trail ahead but couldn't get a good enough veiw with out getting to close to the road and risk being spotted by travelers or other unwelcome visitors.
They dove and swerved through the air for hours until Naruto finally recedded back into his body and they once again became to seperate entites. Naruto noticed his bangs were damp with sweat. He wiped it off with the back side of his hand.
Naruto: That was incredible! I never knew hanging in the air on two things of leather and bone could be so cool! How can you bare to land with all this?
Cortana: I have to eat you know.
Naruto: Do you always see so much blue, purple, and pink?
Cortana: Its the way I am kid. We will fly more often now?
Naruto: Yes every chance we get!
Cortana: Good.
She seemed very happy now. They flew in silence for about a minute before Naruto felt something prickling at the back of his mind. He quickly remembered Ranger's lessons on mental defence. He immedatly focus intently on one of Cortana's scales. It worked until they hit a bit of turbulance and Naruto lost focus.
Ranger: What the hell do you think your doing?!
Naruto: Ranger?
Ranger: Yes moron! Now get that over sized lizard of yours down here right now! I'm here!
He sent Naruto a mental image of his location. Naruto sighed and Cortana started to angle down wards.
Naruto: There might be trouble so be ready to get air borne again.
Cortana: I ready for more than that.
When they landed Naruto leapt of Cortana drawing his knife. Ranger stood there looking very pissed off.
Naruto: Whats wrong?
Ranger cursed then started talking.
Ranger: Never block me out again like that! Its hard enough to make myself heard at all over extreme ranges.
Naruto: Sorry.
Ranger: I was further along the trail when I noticed that the ectoplasmeres trail had vanished I back tracked until I found it again. Take a look.
He pointed at a very large patch of torn up earth. Naruto leaned in close to examine it. There were many Ectoplasmere tracks scattered amongst the ripped up ground. He had no idea what had ruined the tracks. Then he glanced at Cortana and it hit him. Everytime she took of her back claws dug into the ground and tore it up in the same manner!
Naruto: I know this dosen't make sense but the only explination I can think of is that they flew off on dragons. Or really big birds.
Ranger: I have heard of the Ectoplasmer's moving with great speed from place to place but this is the first evidence I've ever seen of it. But adragon would never concent to bare an Ectoplamser. But there are very few other explanaxtions.
Naruto: So what now? We can't track them through the air and even if we could they could be hundreds of miles away by now.
Ranger: Kid, this is your crusade. We should think about this over lunch.
They ate their lunch in silence Naruto think as hard as he could of any way to track the Ectoplasmers through the air. Any one passing by would have sworn they saw several lines of steam coming out of his head. Still nothing came to him. When they were finished Ranger spoke.
Ranger: I have conisdered every word of power I know and every trick in the damn book along with the unorthrodoxed. But I have no idea how in the name of god we're going to track the ectoplasmers.
Naruto: Well now what do we do.
Ranger: Well we need to think. Until we know what the hell were doing then we shouldn't leave anything to chance. I suggest wandering about for a bit. Its a good way to get thinking.
Naruto stood up and went to have another look at the tracks. Still nothing cam to him. Then he spoted a strange sliver flask. Intereasted he opened it and a strange clear liquid dripped onto his index finger.
Naruto: YEEOOOWWWW!!!!!
The liquid burned his skin! he rubbed it off as fast as he could! When it was finally off his finger was throbing and a patch of skin had been eaten away. He rushed back to Ranger, making sure not to drip anymore of it on himself.
Naruto: Look what I found!
Ranger took the flask from him and poured some of the liquid into the cap.
Naruto: Carefull it'll burn...
Ranger: My skin. I know and you went ahead and poured it all over your. Your finger. Well at least you didn't drink it or I would be talking to a puddle.
Naruto: What is it?
Ranger: Oil from the petals of the seithr plant which grows on a small island in the northern sea. Its very rare and very vauable.
Naruto: Whats it do?
Ranger: Well the normal oil is used as a preservative but when certain words are said over it along with a blood sacrifice it gains the property to eat any flesh. That alone wouldn't make it speacil their are plenty of acids out there except that this one dosen't harm any thing that wasn't once part of a person or aminal. It can be dipped in clothe, slathered on a spear, or poured on sheets so that the next person who sleeps on them will be burned. This has made it a favorite tool of torture and assassination. Its wounds are very grevious and slow to heal.
Naruto remembered the burns that had covered Hohenheim back in carvahall. Seithr oil was what they used on him!
Naruto: How rare is this oil?
Ranger: LIke diamonds in a pig pen.
He thought for a moment then ammended himself.
Ranger: Actual the normal oil is used by jewlers to preserve pearls. It makes them very very very shiney.
Naruto: So there are people who trade in it?
Ranger: Maybe one or two.
Naruto: Good now do the cities along the coast keep shiping records?
Ranger grinned seeing Naruto's logic!
Ranger: Of course they do! If we could get to those records the information of the empires purchase well tell us who bought the oil and where it was sent!
Naruto: And that will tell us where the Ectoplasmers live!
Ranger: Brillant! I wiish I had thought of this years ago it would have saved me atleast seventyfive headaches and some still linger. But now their all gone! I would suggest Terim as a good place I think my old freind David still lives their.
Naruto hopped onto Cortana.
Naruto: I'll see you at dinner then!
With that he and Cortana took off into the air!
Ranger24: Finally! I finished this chapter! At the rate I was going I was afraid I wouldn't finsih till aprial! Next time Terim. Also I apologize for any misspelled words or names.