Chapter 15
Hallway of Illusions
Beta: Old man of the mountain/Darklord331
Naruto stared down the dark sun. They were standing at the end of a far off hallway and it was annoying.
Rushing down the hall Naruto drew out his sword ready to swing but soon saw him waving his hand in the air and soon some white orbs came flying.
He rolled quickly under the attack and avoided a barrage of bolts flying at him. Naruto worked around the arrows and hid behind a pillar to avoid another powerful burst of magic. It hit the pillar and he heard him hissing.
Coming around the pillar Naruto rushed once more, but Gwyndolyn saw this coming and opened fire with another burst of magic orbs.
Naruto had to dodge each orb with precise running and rolls.
However, he saw that Gwyndolyn started glowing gold and he tried to swing at him when in range.
But his attack went straight through him.
He ended up hearing the hissing noise all around him and looked down the hall for him. In both directions he couldn't see a thing and it was terrifying.
'Where did he-,'
Naruto heard the hissing noise again and soon felt something moving to him.
Ducking down, he rushed to the two pillars avoiding a barrage of white orbs aimed at him.
"How sad, thy will die here a hertic."
Naruto growled,
'I'll show you bitch.' Naruto saw another set of orbs flying at him, but this time he could trace the trajectory to further down the hall. There he saw Gwyndolyn reappear and Naruto could only continue rushing.
Dodging the spells he managed to avoid getting hit by any of his attacks and taking another swing at him but soon he felt something stopping him.
In front of him he saw a metal arm guarding him and he was confused as when he looked up he saw a familiar golden giant.
"What the fuck-"
Naruto jumped back and avoided a giant hammer slamming into the ground.
"How, how are you alive!"
The giant in question grunted before rushing at Naruto with his wild swings.
Naruto just rolled under one of his swings and sliced at his armored legs with his sword, causing some blood to spurt out and cover his face. Ignoring the blood, he then saw the monster tumble to the ground, with him slamming the blade through one of his eye holes.
Naruto grunted as he twisted his blade and the being screeched in pain before disappearing in a flash of light.
Turning he saw the man standing there with a blank expression,
"Though are impressive. Sad you didn't swear your loyalty to us. Now you must perish." They waved their hand in the air again and fired another array of white orbs but Naruto just rolled under them.
Throwing a dagger he managed to cut the cheek of the Dark Sun, angering them and releasing more powerful blasts of white magic.
Naruto threw another dagger while rolling around his attacks but soon the dagger pierced the side of the Dark Sun.
It screeched at the pain and soon vanished once more.
Naruto grunted,
"This is getting tedious."
Naruto felt something behind, quickly swiping backwards he slashed a screeching Dark Sun and they collapsed to the floor. The damage extensive and it gushing blood all over the floor.
Naruto stood on his chest and removed the talisman in his hand before aiming his blade at the god.
"Well it would seem this hide-and-seek didn't last as long as I thought."
"Kill me thy filthy enemy. Know that the wrath of the Sun shall never allow you to leave this world in peace."
Naruto frowned,
"I would have killed you believe me but I know someone that would be upset if I killed their family."
"Who would thy be talking about?"
"Gwynevere of course."
The god writhed and growled,
"You lie! Sister has long since been dead after betraying father with that filth Havel! She tried to usurp power from him and with Havel she planned on killing Seath for the atrocities he committed."
"She is dead, but she is also alive. I know I talked to her."
"Where is thy? You have no proof of this claim! Now finish me and be punished by the Sun!"
Naruto sighed,
"You promised her."
The god raised an eyebrow, "You promised her that you would protect her child. The one that Gwyn had sealed away somewhere, you made that one promise knowing that your father was going to kill her."
Gwyndolyn's eyes widened.
"HOW!"
"I told you, she told me."
"WHERE," Gwyndolyn writhed on the ground, "WHERE IS MY SISTER!"
Naruto sighed,
"I can tell you but it is a bit unbelievable."
"I don't care speak your piece hertic!"
"Fine."
There Naruto recounted his tale to the writhing god. Telling them about how they got to these lands, the dark creature he saw in the distance all that time ago, the sealing of the goddess inside of him, and his journey through the pilgrimage and claiming the Lord Soul and being able to read the memories of the souls of people he killed. At least the more powerful ones.
Gwyndolyn didn't believe the story but hearing him recount certain events and certain memories, they had no choice but to accept the reality of the situation.
"I see forgive me." The Dark Sun writhed less, "I have failed to see your reason for lashing out. You knew my sister, meaning that you knew the truth. So, you saw it as blasphemy please forgive me."
"Its nothing but I am happy that your reasonable like your sister ma'am."
Gwyndolyn nodded their head and after being brought back to their feet, they motioned him to follow back to the castle.
There they encountered the girls having the Fire Keeper at her wits end, both groups sporting injuries from their brutal encounter.
"Enough."
The group turned to see the god standing before them, "Stand down everyone these four are now our special guests."
"But my lord!"
"Speak not! He has revealed something to me that proves that he didn't lash out at the illusion without reason. We shall convey in the castle."
"As you wish my lord." The woman bowed to the god and allowed him to pass with Naruto right on his heels.
The girls stared at Naruto in confusion and he motioned them to follow with the Fire keeper heading back to her post.
Arriving in the main auditorium where he fought Ornstein, the god turned to the group.
"Please forgive the illusion it was the last order father gave me before he departed to relight the first flame. It was a means to ease the undead in their journey through the capital. To motivate them to help the gods in their quest in the continuation of the Age of Fire."
"I see." The girls frowned, "But why are you being cordial with us? A minute ago you were trying to kill us all but now you want to roll out the welcome mat as nothing happened?"
The god chuckled,
"Contrary to what you may thing Quelaag I have no intentions of doing such a thing. However knowing that my sister has returned and that this young man is her chosen champion is more than enough."
The sisters turned to him for an explanation,
"Long story short; came from across the ocean, ended up encountering some creature along the way, it spoke to me, and I woke up in the prison with the Goddess inside of me."
The group was shocked,
"Well," Quelaag frowned, "That would explain why you seem to be getting stronger after each battle and seem to understand certain aspects of our history. Also, it seems you are more equipped to survive than most undead linger in this land."
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, sorry for not telling you girls but I thought it be best to keep this to a need to know basis in case someone was after her soul."
The girls nodded,
"Its fine just don't keep us out of the loop about certain things like this again okay?"
"Sure thing Quelana."
The god chuckled,
"How sweet, such a tender moment among the party." It frowned, "However I believe it is important we get to the crux of the issue you are facing."
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, I want to know about this pilgrimage. This whole trial; it seems insane to ask just one being to complete it and arrive at the capital without a scratch on them let alone make it this far without complications. I remember this knight at the prison told me about it but I didn't understand what it's goal was."
"Ah, I see. You heard from an outsider then. Well, to put it bluntly, thy is to relight the first flame. You see," Turning their head to the side, "The age of Fire is dwindling again. The age won't survive much longer without the relighting of the First Flame. But without father to do such a thing and the Lord Souls not being passed on, there is no way to do it. So, I created the legend of the pilgrimage and spread it through speakers, in the hopes that this would bring people to us. Those powerful enough that they could go looking for the souls themselves and defeat father in the cradle of the first flame. There, they would continue the Age of Fire, giving us a greater future to behold."
Naruto sighed,
"So basically, this thing," he summoned the bowl, "Is meant to hold all the Lord Souls and allow me to face Gwyn in the Cradle where I must kill him and claim the last fragment before sacrificing myself to relight the flame correct?"
He nodded his head.
"That is the goal of all that pursue this cause."
Naruto shook his head,
"Well sorry to tell you I have no interest in relighting the flame. Ages end, new ones begin. The longer you fight against this process the worse your era is going to become. People will die, the undead will grow in numbers, and greater atrocities will befall this land. The truth is, if you don't stop relighting the flame who knows what you will unleash on the world?"
Gwyndolyn chuckled,
"I am aware."
"Then why continue on this path!?"
"For it was Lord Gwyn's wish. I have no control over his wishes, no more than when he murdered sister in cold blood." They frowned and turned to the window once more, "Do what you must, I care not. Relight the flame or let it die out and begin the age of Dark, I don't care. At the end, I have completed my role in this matter."
Naruto frowned,
"What is it with you? For a daughter of Gwyn you sure are different."
"Maybe because I is a boy."
Naruto deadpanned,
"Fucking figured." He sighed, "Another one turning out as a dude it just must be my luck."
Queelag lifted up her shirt,
"Naruto there is no need to worry about me! I can assure you I'm 100% woman!"
Naruto stared at her breast before turning and hearing a smacking sound.
"Sorry about that."
"None taken." He smiled, "You are taking this well but hearing you have encountered a situation like this before, it doesn't surprise me."
"Yeah." Naruto frowned, "So what will you do now?"
The god frowned,
"In truth I shall reside in the capital until the time comes and our age ends. At this point, it is my duty to protect this kingdom from all that would dare to trample its hallow halls. But you are welcome to return and plunder all its secrets to your leisure." He smiled, "Victor goes the spoils."
Naruto nodded,
"I see, thank you."
"Oh," Quetiva raised her hand interesting the god, "What about the Souls you never told us where they are exactly."
The god shook his head,
"You shall soon see but as you can probably guess; Nito, The Witch of Izalieth, Seath, The Four Kings, and the Dark Soul is all needed to fill in the Lord Vessel to reach Lord Gwyn."
Naruto frowned,
"So, where should we start first?"
Gwyndolyn shrugged,
"The choice is yours. Go to whichever you wish to pursue but be warned; tread carefully when traversing the Abyss. As Oolacile failed to hed this warning and soon paid the price."
"Oolacile?"
"Yes. A kingdom in what is known as Dark Root Basin, it was once a thriving nation with powerful magic and great enchantments. However, ages ago, they traversed the Abyss and awoken the being that resided there. In moments its rage exploded out of control and soon its touch was reaching everything in sight and no one was safe from the Abyss and its minions. However, Artorias managed to defeat the demon and save the kingdom."
"What happened to Artorias then if he managed to save the realm?"
Gwyndolyn shook his head,
"No one really knows. He faded before we could see him again and it lead to further loss of morale for those that knew him and were becoming more questionable when it came to my father."
"I see."
"The Dark Soul is found in the Pygmy but there is no path to the Ring City that I can surmise from here. Meaning, if you wish to claim the Dark Soul for the ritual you will have to find one that doesn't linger in this world in some of the undead pygmy's that are running around."
Naruto frowned, now that is going to be a bitch.
"Thank you Gwyndolyn but one more question."
He motioned him to go on.
"I was wondering, if we have people in need can we send them here? I would hate to send people out into the world not knowing what might lie in wait."
Gwyndolyn frowned,
"As stated before victory goes the spoils so if you wish to send them here, I shall accommodate them."
"Thank you." Naruto turned and walked away from the throne room leaving the god alone again and sighing.
"Sister you have chosen an odd champion." Looking over the walls he stared into the distance, "Maybe he is the one that will defy the fates?" He smiled, "We shall see."
Naruto and the girls walked to the bonfire and after feeling the power of the Lord Vessel, they touched it and could feel the heat of the flames. There, he saw images flash through the flames and realized that he could go wherever he was before. So, touching the flames, he passed through the images of the different bonfire before landing at Fire Link. There, they were covered in smoke and reappeared at the familiar place.
Arriving at the Shrine, Naruto was frowning as he saw Lauthrtic of the Swamp and Logan on the ground with bloody injuries.
"Logan, Lauthretic, what happened?"
Logan coughed,
"That knight you warned us about. He killed the Fire Keeper, we tried to stop him from escaping but he had allies and we were taken by surprise. He killed my student in the cross fire before fleeing."
Naruto growled,
"I fucking knew it. I knew we couldn't trust that asshole."
Logan groaned,
"Yes, it would seem that he is fleeing to the capital now that the gate is open. I fear what he has in mind there, you must return soon and deal with him."
Naruto nodded his head turning to the girls,
"Heal them up and head to the nearest bonfire we are going back to the capital!"
The girls nodded and got to work healing Logan and the pyromancer.
Naruto walked down to the Fire Keeper's shrine seeing the blood in the cage and nothing left behind but a small bloody piece of cloth.
'I don't get it, why did he do this? What did he possibly gain from murdering the fire keeper? I mean, she wasn't a real threat to anyone or anything.'
"A Fire Keeper's soul is powerful. It is something of great power and immensity. Naruto, we might have to accept that he already devoured her soul."
'Yeah I know that but why kill her? What did he gain from this and who were those two allies that they mentioned?'
"No idea but whoever they are, they must have some kind of motivation in joining in this crazy quest. Plus they must be powerful."
"Yeah that pyromancer and magic caster are no slouches, there is no doubt they could easily have handled most of the enemies we have encountered on this trip. We should tread carefully when we go back to the capital."
'Right.'
Naruto walked back up to the group and saw Logan and the pyromancer sitting there with frowns on their face. Obviously their bodies were okay and now they were just resting but Naruto quickly dragged the girls with him and they headed into the city. There they cut their way through the undead before arriving at the first bonfire and scrolling through to find their way to the castle. There, Naruto pushed the bonfire to take him to the castle, and they arrived in a haze of smoke and flame.
"Alright lets go."
Running out of the room, the group returned to the main hallway where they see the golden knight.
He was standing there with two others and just muttering something to himself and in his possession Naruto sensed it.
'The soul, he hasn't devoured it.'
"Odd, why wouldn't he do so?"
"Doesn't matter, we have to kill those three and get it back. If Fire Keepers souls work to where they are connected to the bonfire then technically speaking that means we can possibly bring her back right?"
"In theory yes but we-,"
'Good enough.'
Naruto narrowed his eyes at his two partners.
One was a sorcerer wearing some red robes with unique stitching pattern. On the other side he saw a knight with a sword and shield and both men were standing with the Knight of Lautriec and he was confused as they seemed to be arguing.
Motioning the girls quiet they slowly move across the floor and Naruto can vaguely hear them speaking.
"You told us this would work!"
"It did."
"No it didn't, you said that killing the Fire Keeper and escaping would be easy! You did'nt mention that we would have two people breathing down our asses! We had to kill someone at the shrine before we were chased off by that bird!"
"Yeah, now we can't return there."
"It doesn't matter. All we have to do is bring this soul to New Londo and the Four Kings will give us a place in their new world order."
"Bullshit, we don't even know if we can get close and I told you I had no intention of returning to that cursed city."
"Your lord and master is the only reason it happened."
"Pfft, maybe so, but at the end of the day we buried New Londo and killed anyone that lingered there outside of those damn Shadow Wraiths. Now, you want us to make the trek there after coming here!?"
"Yes the rumor is that the God Gwyndolyn still resides here and if not her then the child Gwynevere. If we can claim their souls, we can gain tremendous power and skill to help aid our question into New Londo."
Naruto heard enough. He motioned the girls into place, the youngest forming her flaming bow and firing a single arrow at the mage.
The arrow pierced his chest making him cough up blood and fall to his knees.
"W-,"
Explosion rang out through the hall leaving nothing but a crispy corpse in his wake.
The warrior and Lautheric knight both saw the direction of the arrow and pulled out their weapons.
Naruto jumped down the staircase and brought out his sword.
"Well if it isn't the golden knight."
"I see, so you're the reason those three attacked me when I took the Fire Keeper's soul?"
"Yeah and now I'm going to take your soul as compensation. But first I have to ask why do you need her soul and the soul of the gods?"
The knight cackled,
"Isn't it obvious? I need them for one reason and one reason alone. To reach the Abyss that is in New Londo. Rumors are there is a power so great in New Londo that Gwyn feared it, it is the reason he flooded the city. In the hopes this power never reemerges and threatens his domain. But he failed, the Abyss continued to thrive in this city even now, it is said that the Kings were taught this power. That being still exists and I want to see them. So they might teach me the way to ascend! The souls of the god and the fire keeper are just minor compensations that I must give to achieve this goal!"
Naruto sighed,
"Sacrifice others for your own blind ambition huh?" He shook his head, "You're a waste of energy." Naruto head his sword straight, "Come at me."
The knight cackled more and rushed at Naruto.
Thanks to the fight with Ornstein and Smough, Naruto had gained enough in terms of power and speed that this fight was nothing. The pure brutality of the battles really showed him how much he had to improve and thanks to Gwynevere he had now achieved the level necessary to survive future battles without being in such tight spots.
Naruto saw him swinging his two blades at his head and his body hoping to hit one or the other.
Naruto backstepped from the attacks before slashing at his armor forcing him back.
The Knight rushed to help his ally but Quelana threw a fire ball forcing him away. He growled,
"Fuck off you heritic witch!"
She rolled her eyes,
"Got anything original?"
The knight roared and charged but soon found a fire arrow at his feet exploding, sending him flying backwards with a sword going through his back.
He coughed,
"N-not like this. I can't, I can't, I can't afford to-,"
He turned to dust and the girls turned to Naruto's fight.
He was dodging the wild swings of the knight before cutting through his armor on the return and leaving him bleeding all over the floor.
The knight collapsed to his knees and saw his blood oozing out of all of his wounds and he wasn't sure what he can do in this situation. But he quickly jumped at Naruto in the hopes of hitting him.
He sidestepped the jump while watching him roll through his motion. Ultimately, the move failed and when he turned around he was met with a blade through his mask slits making him scream.
Until a sword pierce his throat, making him gurgle on his own blood.
"See you in hell traitorous knight."
He gurgled more blood before his body vanished. The souls and armor dropped to the ground and Naruto saw that the Fire Keeper's soul was in one piece. Reaching down he held it and felt the life in the soul before picking up the armor and making it vanish into his storage space.
There, they returned to the bonfire where after putting her soul into the fire and the cloth, they saw the fire spiral and soon rematerialized the woman's body. She was on the floor collapsed from exhaustion and Naruto smiled seeing her seemingly unharmed from the experience.
But with her passed out there was no way they could talk to her, let alone move her, so he put her up on the nearby bed in another room while they all decided to get some rest for the upcoming few days.
Naruto sat by the fire keeper and smiled as she was snoring slightly.
'Glad she is alright.'
"Indeed, you always did have a soft spot for those that were wrongfully persecuted."
'Yeah.' Naruto frowned and leaned back, 'Wake me up if she wakes up.'
"Got it."
Naruto closed his eyes and soon drifted to sleep with the girls also finding rooms to do this with them all sharing one bed like they used to.
City covered in darkness, water filling the streets. Nothing but corpses floating in the water and the sound of silence filled the air.
They saw dark figures emerging from the water, those cloaked in darkness and carrying dark blades. Each one wearing dark cowls covering their faces from view.
He saw one of them grab one of the survivors by the face and soon their screams ringed in their ears. But after a few seconds they collapsed to the ground with a thud and their eyes showing no sign of life.
The figures continued to patrol the area, ghosts started appearing, and more dark figures emerged from further into the city.
Dark eyes emerged form the darkness,
Come seek me Dark Lord, I know you will cometh and soon we will enter the Age of Humanity, the Age of the DARK!
Naruto jumped out of his chair and was panting.
'What, what was that?'
"Kit?"
Naruto sat there, never answering the questions of Kurama or Gwynevere, all he could remember from that dark memory, were those glowing orange eyes and the looks of giant teeth.
Chapter End