Title; Fading
Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.
Chapter - 9
There are only three known settlements outside of the Citadel of Naru, besides Naru's own barracks at the mines and the small farm lands.
Molrra a small village to the far south just visible from Naru's mines had little interaction with the city except for the occasional trader seeking timber and spices, they often offered fruits and fish in trade leading most to assume that a river or some other body of water was within useable distance from the village- occasionally there had been attempts to send Raiders to find where these resources came from but the trip always proved too long and cost more than one group their lives.
To the south-east lies the enemy territory of Reylass, trade between their city and Naru has been unheard of and as far back as records date both cities have been at war, of course given the Daemons control of the continent open warfare has never been a possibility rather it tended to come down to more petty conflict with Reylass and Naru troops fighting over portions of the fertile fields that lay between them.
An important fact about Reylass is that they too have a partially white eyed population similar to the Hyuuga, this has only enforced a minorities distrust for Naru's Hyuuga populace.
A second more ambiguous enemy known as the Phalanxes- named for their tenacious skill with a spear- roam the lands to the north and north-western of Naru, they have never in fact attacked or moved against the city itself but regularly come into conflict with Raiding parties on the plains; little is known about them as unlike Molrra and Reylass's slightly different dialect their language is completely different and alien to that spoken in Naru.
Historians have hypostasized that Naru, Molrra and Reylass may once have part of one complete territory before the Daemons came alongside the former Hyuuga settlement and some of the other ruins, the ancient texts supporting these theories often refer to the area as Konoha.
"So what do you think?" I asked my friend poking the charred rations before me, they were certainly overcooked but I'd bet most of us would agree that was a good thing.
"I've had worse." Grunted the bandaged Uchiha, I decided not to ask what other kills he may have sampled to conserve rations before.
With the other Raider's reassurance and the knowledge that the meat wouldn't poison me- Captain Rex had been insistent on eating first, less I'm sure to protect his men and more as an indulgence and honour probably without any thought of potential danger- I took my first bite of the black burned meat.
The Wyvern meat wasn't all that bad actually, sure it tasted of charcoal due to our paranoid overcooking and it was more than a little tough and chewy but I'd honesty expected a more sour or bitter taste from the ugly creature.
"Are we going to have to take the Wyvern's body back with us?" I asked sipping carefully from my water skin, it wouldn't surprise me if Rex wanted to mount the beasts head on a wall in his father's estate of course claiming to have parted it from the monster himself.
"We'll take what's useful, there hasn't been much of value in this place anyway." Answered Sasuke with a grimace, I could imagine why, getting what was 'useful' from the Wyvern would be a grizzly task, it's claws and teeth were the only thing we'd be interested in personally as weapon resources but who knew what else we'd be taking back for the Gifted or the morbid tastes of the Nobility.
We hadn't broached the subject of my possession yet, what was to be done with the ring, or if there was anything to be done against the Shadow; I'd personally been thankful that I hadn't had any of my secrets revealed, Omlan Cistus's stranger manner was thankfully written off as its own by Sasuke or so I hoped anyway.
Had Sasuke waited a couple of more minutes or if the God made use of gender specific language they would likely have revealed one of my most important secrets.
The ring worried me the least, for draining my Gift it had only obtained a faint black glow to differentiate it from its unused counterparts, it was if anyone suddenly realised my Gift was missing that brought me some small worry, I could be experimented upon to discover what had happened or it could reveal that Sasuke and I were in fact hording artefacts that the rulers of Naru enforced claim over.
It was the Shadow that frightened me the most, and given that we were on our own around the campfire it seemed the opportune time to make that fear known.
"So…we probably pissed off a God you know." I offered, in a strange attempt to remain casual, I didn't want to sound ungrateful after all because most of the pissing off of the God was done to free me, sure the Shadow wouldn't have been happy with Sasuke's refusal but compared to him refusing it then managing to break it's possession in a rather condescending manner…well the two just didn't compare.
"Lesser God." Answered Sasuke finishing his meal, I supposed he had a point- Omlan Cistus the Shadow was a God of a lower order and a significantly lesser threat than if we'd crossed one of the primal Gods like Blaac Deavorr the Darkness or Illum Baecom the Light its parent Gods.
We were still pretty fucked though I thought.
"Just to remind you we're mere mortals." I quipped back, well I was anyway, completely mortal now actually- before with my Gift I'd been something more even if I hadn't realised it and it was a only slight touch of the divine- maybe on principle alone I regretted that I now lacked a part of me.
"Haven't you heard the old stories?" Sasuke asked bizarrely a small smirk gracing his features and a strange light flaring in his crimson gaze, I shook my head unsure of what he may be referencing.
"Only mere mortals can kill Gods, they can't kill or even fight one another they have to use champions to do it in their stead." He explained, I had in fact heard such stories before, well perhaps it's more accurate to say story.
My sister had told it to me when I'd been sick once years ago apparently having read it in her studies, a boy who's family is taken away of the whim of some God makes a pact with another God, eventually under the second Gods care the boy grows into a powerful warrior besting the first Gods champion and striking down the God itself.
The tale takes a darker turn, with their dying breath the First God reveals that it had been the Second God who had killed the boy's parents and the champion the boy had slain was in fact his brother recruited as a guard for the peaceful First God.
The moral, apparently, is not to place your trust in the Gods, though my sister had explained that lesson went for those who'd claim to be Gods too.
I wondered if that was the story Sasuke had heard to, and strangely I wondered if it played any part in his refusal to bow to Omlan Cistus, perhaps he feared being manipulated by the Gods and suffering the loss of something as precious as a sibling in his battle against Itachi the Rider and the God he served.
I was probably just over thinking it though, the boy in the story was referred to as champion by a God too and that was likely the only parallel.
"So you're planning to kill the God?" Sasuke it seemed could be quite ambitious, would that simply be another step closer to his brother too, or the other man Itachi he'd spoken of with the Shadow.
"If it gets in my way." He answered with a shrug, by now I had finished my food as well and drank another careful sip of water, I'd be glad to return to Naru and its abundant water supply.
"You're not afraid at all then?" I asked disbelievingly, everyone feared the Gods and it could only be bravado or more worryingly ignorance that the Uchiha wrapped himself in.
Sasuke was silent for a long time and I was taken aback, a hard look had entered my eyes and I suspected he was debating whether or not to tell me something, a reason why a Wyvern or 'Lesser' God gave him no cause for concern.
What was the enemy that dwarfed them so.
"There's…not much the child God can do, your Gift is gone and no one in Naru worships Shadow. Possessing you like it did was thanks to luck alone." He returned eventually and I managed to release the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding, whatever conflict I'd glanced at was gone from his expression and he appeared back to normal.
"No one we know of worships Shadow." I actually spoke the words as reassurance to myself, that the Uchiha had a point and given it's limitation's we may not have made such a formidable enemy.
"True, followers of Omlan would naturally remain shrouded." Commented Sasuke agreeing to my accidental counter point and helping fuel my doubts to his arguments.
"But it was searching for a Priest and Champion, so we know the God's grasp of Naru is lacking." Continued the Uchiha his brow furrowing slightly, I bit my own tongue not to bemoan his reasoning with unfounded doubts, despite Sasuke's reassurances I still couldn't shake the dread and terror of knowing that a God had a personal vendetta against me.
Maybe if he'd felt it first-hand like I had, Omlan Cistus's maddening rage, furious and bloodthirsty at having been made appear the fool and made impotent by a mere mortal man- I shivered at the memory, of the Gods clinging to its hold over me as it was torn away, it had felt like icy claws scratching at the inside of my mind.
"And shadow is abhorred in Naru, more than most other Gifts." The Uchiha nodded his agreement, and perhaps he would have even if he disagreed simply to keep me calm, we shared several moments silence before rather startlingly I broke into a fit of coughs.
By the time it subsided a worrying about of blood covered my hands and my chest ached as if I'd eaten a rusted battle axe…though perhaps that was a fair comparison for Wyvern meat.
"You need a healer, after the loss of your Gift." Commented the older Raider with as close as he could come to a look of concern.
"Those complementary for Raiders?" I asked with a grin rubbing a stray dribble of blood from the corner of my mouth.
"They are, but you'd best avoid them, it'll raise far too many questions." Answered my austere partner with a frown, I suppose the disappearance of my Gift would be a rather suspicious detail; I worried not for the first time if I'd notice any differences in myself, some formerly thought grace now lost…of course I knew if I went too far down that route of thought I'd end up second guessing everything I did.
"So…" I asked, feeling to paranoid to voice the thought.
"Yes." Sakura would be the best option, and I could allow her a secret of my own in exchange for the one she'd trusted me with…it worried me how entangled I was becoming in a group I'd eventually have to abandon.
Silence stretched between us for maybe twenty minutes as Sasuke withdrew into himself, I still had a few questions I wanted to ask but after a while conversation with the other Raider always felt forced and difficult…given that I only knew of one other person he was on friendly terms with it seemed fitting he'd have a penchant for silence.
Since he'd saved me for a third time now I decided to allow him the indulgence.
A certain paranoia stuck to me even after returning to the city, the citadel of Naru had more shadows than I'd ever realised and more remarkably I managed to jump at each and every one of them.
Maybe a little unfairly I'd been dragging Sasuke along with me a lot more, he didn't seem to mind- I don't think he did much more than train, eat, read and sleep in a continuous cycle- but I did feel a little guilty at the miserable expression on his face as we browsed the wares of the night market.
Most of the stalls sold strange and I suspected fraudulent charms, some were the obvious, there were plenty to supposedly ward away Daemons, many more that would boaster a warriors abilities in battle and of course the ones to make the wearer irresistible to women; I threatened to buy Sasuke one in hopes of perking up his spirit…he was less amused than I had hoped.
It was surprising what a superstitious and scandalise lot the Raiders were, more than a few quickly eat up the lies about how a foul spelling purple potion will increase their endowment and many hung around in large groups discussing the latest news and gossip circling the dark corners of the depts.
In particular I'd heard one interesting news item circling like wildfire, apparently there had been several mysterious murders in the lower levels- not an uncommon thing in itself- it had only become public interest after the last victim, a noble bore man who had descended into the depths to fulfil some less than pristine urges had been murdered igniting the ire of other nobles.
The killings had been apparently ritualistic and hedonistic, ghastly and horrific scenes with more blood spread around the site of the murder than there should have been in the body to begin with- how the excess blood was provided or why it had been was only guessed at rather macabrely.
I didn't put much weight in the rumours, these things were common- unfortunate, but common- the only thing different about this situation was that a noble born had been stupid enough to join the other victims.
If Sasuke was unnerved by the rumours he'd also overheard it didn't show on his schooled features.
"You there!" I heard a raspy voice call, given that there were so many others on the street and it was hardly unlikely for the merchants to call and shout at potential customers to lure them in I didn't pay it much attention; the shout came again but I continued on leading Sasuke further through the stalls.
"Here ugly deaf Raider!" this time I did turn, Sasuke and I were the only ones wearing our armour- and hence obviously Raiders- we'd been practising just before I'd dragged him to the midnight market.
The woman that seemed to be calling us sat alone at a tiny stall, on the shabby wooden table before her there was nothing but a painted board- I recognised some of the symbols on the peculiar artefact, the church of Naru's occupied a north-north-east portion, Omlan Cistus' shadow sun graced an area south-south-west, around the whole board in fact was a symbol for each divinity but there were still many more patterns and several raised pieces that I wondered at the nature of; she was some manner of fortune teller it seemed.
As I stood before her I realised it was actually my companion she'd been interested in, her large shimmering brown eyes met the Uchiha's own unblinkingly, the half frown and half grimace her small mouth had set itself in though left no room for a misinterpretation of attraction.
"Small man from small rock, great forces shadow your steps." She spoke after a long pause eying the older Raider as a healer might a grievous and cruel wound, disgust and professional interest mingled into one focused leer, the Uchiha did little more than grunt and shoot me a glance, a silent message that I could only guess at.
"One an enemy already and all now much weary." The woman spoke in riddles but I felt I understood what she hinted at, the Gods symbols on her board and now the mention of one enemy, I think Sasuke had come to the same conclusion and that was what kept him listening to the woman.
"Throw, drop, cast!" sneered the woman, between speaking she appeared quite beautiful but once she spoke and snarled her visage cracked into a more harrowing one, she pushed a couple of dozen pieces of small metal across the board to Sasuke- several were shaped like stars, half had three points and the rest four; a tooth, a bar, a wolf or dog head, a bird in flight, a square, a circle, a sun, an oval, a crown, a three link chain, a closed lock, a hook, a jagged sword and lastly a crescent shield- as to what they may have represented I had no clue.
Sasuke gathered the pieces and without much ceremony dropped them to the board, I could still see he was sceptical as to the woman being a genuine…whatever she was, the metal scattered unnaturally many pieces falling from the board while the remaining ones found themselves laying on the boards symbols.
"First the known, the Shadow child." Whispered the woman gesturing to Omlan Cistus' dark sun symbol, a four point star, the sun and the jagged sword had fallen within its area.
"Open enemy, and greatest danger, it's brought death near you." Spoke the woman, it certainly cleared my scepticism of her knowledge being false but a new suspicion had arisen, she'd only demonstrated a seers knowledge in regards to Shadow being our enemy- if she were an agent of shadow hoping to trick us she would know of that too.
"I'm a Raider of Naru, death has long since been a companion of mine and Shadow an enemy." Grunted the elder warrior, though he hadn't moved despite his comments, the woman grinned in vicious amusement.
"Then less known we wander." She commented spitting to her side before she pointed to Naru's own symbol, a white tear- a fitting symbol for the descendent of Light and Oceans- a three pointed star, the tooth, the bird and the chain sat around it.
"Aloof ally, insatiable devourer, home to a true companion and watcher most interested all within these walls or the Goddess' embrace." Explained the woman, if you could call that an explanation that is, this time she didn't await comment from Sasuke moving on instead to point to something new, Domos Miasma's symbol the grey scythe; Crown, Bar and a three point star hung around it.
"Curious Death smiles upon you, though unaligned it be closest to a Lord for you, or ally perhaps, and holds a gift at the ready. A good ally to have Wraith." I didn't agree with the woman's assessment, Shadow had taken an interest in Sasuke too and that had been more perilous than anything else we'd been through, more so Shadow was but a child compared to the Lord Death.
She also had revealed knowledge of Sasuke's secret.
"Death can keep its gifts to itself." Growled Sasuke causing the woman to cackle shrilly before she pointed to another of the younger Divines; Guidas Proest, child of Fire and Light the God was said to take interest in wanderers and travellers- the shield and another three pointed star lay atop it.
"The Wandering God beckons you to join it, offering protection and company." She next pointed to five one after the other in quick succession Blaac Deavorr, Deapt Hydras, Squell Torrnos, Cassom Quiken and Torent Hason- Darkness, Oceans, Wind, Earth and Storms respectively- all five held no pieces.
"These five slumber and ignore." Next she pointed to Illum Baecom, Froesm Raets, Siccus Dia and Deeis Palgis- Light, Forests and Deaths two children from Nature Decay and from Wind Disease- a four pointed star lay atop each.
"Enemies, minor not major as of yet." Commented the woman before pointing out the two symbols with a three point star, Raig Inferno and Worrs Tredior- Fire and it's child with Forests War or Destruction.
"Potential allies, they too have taken a liken to the False Wraith." Remarked the woman before pointing to the last three pieces on the board- the wolf, the hook and the oval- they all hung over Embass Loews, daughter of Fire and Water.
"A rift, Guide or Hunter not yet known." Spoke the fortune teller leaning back in her chair apparently exhausted, but not yet finished as she pointed to me.
"And you are not as you seem to be." She pronounced.
"Let's go." Commanded the frowning Sasuke dropping several coins onto the table, I followed him as he lead us out of the market, I'd suddenly had enough of it and didn't contest him as we made our way back to the barracks.
"So…what do you make of all that?" I asked as we walked breaking the cold fragile silence that lingered between us.
"A crafty Gifted trickster, any decent Mystic with a little knowledge could liken myself to the Wraiths easily enough." Answered the Uchiha, the eternal sceptic that he was, I wasn't so sure though; after all if one God had an interest then why not many? Neither my silent comrade or the constant pounding of the light night rain against stone offered me an answer.
A week passed by quietly with only humble dull news and both Sasuke and I focused on resting more so than anything else, the days were as peaceful as one could hope for and I continued with my intelligence gathering.
The seventh day however paid host to a rather ghastly affair, a dozen of the ritualistic murders were discovered around cardinal points in the city, more precisely there was one outside each and every of the major temples to Naru, more than a few claimed that it was a declaration of war on the city by a cult or following of another God.
As harsh as it may have been however I welcomed the incident, immediately orders were issued that between missions Raiders would work several Guard shifts over the Gifted to ensure their protection from this new threat.
Sasuke had seemed displeased at the news, not the deaths mind you but that he'd have to preform guard duty, I hid my own delight but I think he sensed it anyways.
If there was one key flaw in this new development it was simply that I still had no way of escaping Naru, in fact with the increased guard it would be all the more difficult.
That's all for this update folks, sorry about the delay but I've been travelling at the moment and that makes it quite difficult to find the time to write and all the more difficult to find an internet connection to upload stuff.
Hope you all are still enjoying the fic
R&R