Chapter 17
Beta: Old man of the mountain/Darklord331
Naruto had quite a bit of a trip. Heading back to the first shrine he found that most of the people were missing. Only the fire specialist remained but he stated he had no reason to leave this spot now that the fire had returned and that there was comfort here. Naruto could understand that and told him to head to the capital if he ever got tired of living there which he agreed. He mentioned that Logan went off to find the Duke's Archives stating he wanted to learn magic from that place. Naruto sighed, he should have known, but he figured he would learn on his own the dangers of the road ahead. However, he did have a weird moment of realization; he needed a new sword after the fight with Ornstein and he needed to get better equipment if he is going to head after a lord soul next.
After arriving back at the capital, he asked Gwyndolyn where the girls were, and he stated he did hear the girls were moving around the grounds and exploring the castle's interior.
Naruto walked into one of the rooms past the bond fire that he reached once they got past the archers and found a secret passage the girls discovered. It was hidden behind a fireplace leading to a very vacant room minus a few chests.
Naruto turned down the stairs and sweat dropped seeing a dying mimic box that was burnt to near crisp.
He knew messing with the girls was stupid, but they must have been pissed at this creature.
Quetiva was by one of the trunks and frowning at some of the stuff she found.
Quelana was working on one box on the far side of the room.
"Hey girls."
Both sisters turned and smiled,
"Naruto glad you're here we found something!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow when Naruto saw Quetiva holding up a helmet, but it looked to be made from scales or bone.
"Um, okay what's with the freaky helmet?"
"Oh, this is the armor of a famous warrior. Havel the Rock!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow while Quelana shook her head,
"Havel was a warrior that served under Gwyn. From the stories I was told, he was one of Gwyn's most loyal soldiers and the man that stood by him through all the madness. It was said that he was helpful in taking down dragons and enemies that came from all sides while never losing his footing. I heard that he took the scales and bones of the Eternal Dragons and crafted armor from them. From this, he created a club made from the claw of one of the dragons and uses it to bash his enemies in."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Wouldn't something like that be extremely heavy?"
"Yes, but Havel apparently had the strength to wield it and carry the armor at the same time. It kinda remind me of your Dragon Slayer sword." Naruto nodded, the thing while powerful was heavy as fuck. "However, Havel had another specialty as well."
"What magic?"
The youngest shook her head while pulling out the armor set, but she struggled in holding them in her hands, leading to Naruto and Quelana helping her.
"No of all the things Havel hated magic and he hated Seath the most."
Naruto figured, given the history of the dragon and how Gwynevere and Havel were supposedly going to work together to get rid of him.
"You have to understand that unlike pyromancy," She held her hand up, "Magic works fundamentally differently. Seath is known as the father of magic and sorcery, because most spells known through the world were created by him. It was one of the reasons he was so feared among his own kind and why an entire school was dedicated to his teaching." Quelana rolled her eyes, "But the truth is that only few could master some of the magic that Seath created. He was a researcher, a mad one, experimenting on people and turning them into things beyond imagination."
Naruto frowned.
"The butterfly monster that I saw in the forest, was that one of his creations?"
"Yes and there was a minor dragon that was captured by Seath and pushed into the sewers of the Undead burg guarding the path to Blight Town."
"Yeah the dragon with teeth on its body."
"Yes, the Gaping Dragon as some have come to call it. Sadly, the creature itself is monstrous but it too was a victim of Seath. Priestesses of Gwynevere and rumors of Gwynevere herself were victims of his insatiable desires and beliefs."
Naruto clenched his fist, "Yeah but what about Havel you said he specialized in something else?"
"Yes Enchantments and Blessings. He made it clear that he would use them to counter the magic of the so-called great dragon and end his reign in this world."
Naruto sighed. "But Havel was captured and so was Gwynevere believed to be allying with the Four Kings to usurp the throne from Gwyn and destroy Seath at the same time?"
"Yes." Quelana frowned pulling out the flag of the Four Kings, "This is probably another reason for the belief."
Naruto shook his head, "If that is all that was used to convict him then it is amazing anyone got a fair trial. That could have easily been planted by Seath to frame Havel if this is really his room. I mean between the armor that could be manufactured and this, none of this proves a thing."
"True," Quelana put the flag back, "Honestly I heard stories of how much of a monster Seath was, it makes me wonder why he was so cruel."
"Does it matter?" Naruto sighed, "At this point it is clear now; Seath set up Havel and Gwynevere to look like traitors to Gwyn during his more paranoid episodes after conversing with the Immortal Serpent."
"Immortal Serpent?"
Naruto turned to the girls, "Yes I heard from Gwyndolyn, and I heard from Gwynevere that they are creatures that lived During the age of the Eternal Dragons. But for some reason only two have appeared now. One became an ally to Gwyn while the other is responsible for what happened in New Londo."
Quetiva nodded her head, "That would explain the changes in Gwyn's behavior as he first made it our priority to find a means to continue the flame or recreate it but when that failed suddenly rumors started to burst. That there was a way to continue the Age of Fire, but no one knew where he got the information." She sighed, "But by that point we had been corrupted by the Chaos Flame and were overwhelmed with the poison that was spreading through the realm."
Naruto nodded before turning back to Quelana, "At this point it seems like everything comes back to the serpents and Gwyn and Seath. But the question is, who is telling the truth?"
The girls shrugged and Naruto could only sigh before they proceeded out of the room.
"By the way where is Quelaag? I figured she would have glomped me by now?"
"Oh, she is talking to the blacksmith. Apparently, he has the power to use one's soul to create weapons and she is taking part of her soul to make a new sword for you." She saw the panic in Naruto's face, "Don't worry the process is harmless to us."
"I see." Naruto released a sigh, "Good, I'll go and check on her but in the meantime check on the priestess I think she is recovering nicely."
The girls nodded and proceeded to that bedroom while Naruto walked over to the other side of the castle. There he saw Quelaag rushing him with a weapon in her hand.
"Naruto!" She quickly glomped him and he sighed feeling her rubbing her face against his own.
"Quelaag your sisters told me you were working on some kind of weapon?"
"Yep!" She quickly jumped out of his arms and held out a katana. "This is my personal weapon made from my soul! Now you can use it however you see fit!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow before pulling the blade from her hand and saw how light it was. The weapon itself had a certain feel; it; light as a feather to swing, but he felt it was stronger than most katana he had seen over the years.
The weapon had a black metal hue while having coursing streaks of red and orange in the blade. While he couldn't feel fire coming off the blade he could feel the power flowing out of the weapon.
"Thank you Quelaag, it is a powerful sword."
"Yeah be careful though, it has a draining effect to it due to how powerful it is. The weapon can deal massive damage but if you are not careful it can drain your life faster than you can swing it."
Naruto frowned.
"Got it, make sure to swing when I have an opening." Naruto sheathed the sword before attaching it to his side. "Come on I want to meet up with your sisters and discuss what I learned from Frampt and what we need to get done."
Quelaag nodded and followed Naruto into the castle, there they arrived in the empty hallway where they fought Ornstein and Smough.
"Alright, first things first; we are going to the Duke's Achieves. It is the closest location to our position here. Plus, I want to see this all-powerful dragon that everyone keeps talking about, especially since he is considered the father of sorcery."
The girls frowned,
"Well, there is an entire school based around him."
"Yeah so, we should be prepared." He sighed, "So let's get going."
The group of four walked out of the castle and back to the bond fire with the moon fire keeper. Turning to their right, they headed up past where the two golems were and proceeded to their right and proceeding up the stairway.
There, Naruto saw the entrance way, from what Gwyndolyn told him, there is a barrier that would have prevented him from traversing but since he has the Lord Vessel, he is allowed access to this place.
Walking up Naruto frowned.
"War pig straight ahead."
Quelaag and Quelana sighed, while Queltiva pulled out her fire bow, releasing a single powerful arrow. It tore through the air before hitting the pig square in the head, killing it on the spot.
Seeing it turn to dust the group traversed deeper into the hallway but had to move.
Another war pig roared at the sight of its brothermen killed and wanted revenge.
Naruto acting quick took out his sword and with one mighty slash downward the pig was sliced in half. The two parts falling to the ground in a thud and its body turning to ash.
"Well," Naruto sheathed the sword, "This is a powerful weapon for sure. Thanks, Quelaag."
She smiled, "No problem," A blush formed on her face, "Maybe you could give me a reward later?"
"Um, sure but later." Naruto turned ahead, "For now we need to head into the Archives."
Exiting into the main room, Naruto lit up the bond fire. Somewhere to retreat to in time of crisis.
After settling there for a minute, they walked up the stairs, finding a lift. Naruto grabbed the handle and pulled it back, but he had to put more effort into it. For some reason the handle seemed to be stuck part way.
They heard the gears crack and shift before they felt their platform lifting them up. All the tumbling was heard, the sound of the machines hitting against the metal, slowly carrying them to the top.
Once the machine stopped Naruto's eyes widened,
"Duck!"
The girls dropped down and saw something flying over their head. Looking up, everyone saw a being standing there holding a bow in their hand. Another one was rushing straight for them with a sword and shield.
"What the-"
Quelana didn't hesitate, she fired a powerful ball of flame at the creature. The blast itself hitting the monster and knocking it back. Feet skidding across the floor and when the smoke cleared everyone saw the monster and Naruto's blood ran cold.
It was an undead, like the ones he had seen before. But this one; it was more distorted than the rest of his kind. Light blue crystals were all over his body, from his head to his hands to even his back. They were growing all over and seemed to be giving off some kind of light.
Naruto could see the anguish expression on the undead's face. While some had the look of fury or pain, this one was carrying a look of pure agony.
The monster ran again, this time with his shield up, and thrusting his blade in a straight line. Aiming to take out Quelana in short order.
Naruto cut off the creature's sword hand with a downward strike. Then twisted the sword around and brought it upward cutting through the creature's neck. His head flew before his body fell to his knees. The monster released a final hiss, then his body started to dissipate.
Giving a silent prayer, Naruto saw the one with the bow was still there. So, he raced to him. But he heard the clashing of steel, turning to his right he saw Quelaag holding back another crystalized undead. This one having a crystal growing out of his head and one out of his neck.
"Don't get distracted!"
Naruto was embarrassed, that was a rookie mistake.
He felt a breeze of heat passing by his head. Soaring through the sky, he saw an arrow of fire tear through the air, hitting the crystalized archer in the chest. It groaned and stumbled, but it remained upright. The creature then pulled an arrow from its quiver, slowly knocking back the string, and aiming at them. Another flame arrow flew past his head, impaling him through the neck, leaving it gasping for air.
The creature stumbled around, then turned to dust.
Naruto sighed before hearing shuffling, turning to his right he saw another crystal being running at him.
He thrusted his hand out and fired a ball of flame, turning the creature into dust.
Another crystal monster jumped over the railing with another following behind him and Naruto sighed.
"How many more of these things?"
Quelana quickly fired two fireballs at the monsters and while their shields held up at first, the impact was too much. They were sent tumbling to the ground with a thud, Naruto rushing to the monsters, threw two daggers into their open eye sockets. Their moans echoed, but their bodies dissipated. Leaving nothing behind but the clattering of his daggers.
He grasped the weapons and put them back into his pouch before they gathered at the top of the stairs.
Peering into the room it was nothing, but large bookshelves, thousands of books, and tables covered in either books or crystals. Naruto had to admit if Orochimaru was here he would consider this a paradise considering the amount of research he could try and perform. The knowledge in this place alone gave Naruto a clear idea of how far this dragon has gone in his search for power.
He heard chanting and humming, metal clacking was heard, and the sound of something hissing in the air was prevalent.
"One of those trident men!"
Naruto frowned and quickly rolled under a crystal spell aiming for his head while the girls leapt to opposite sides of the room. Quelag was battling off crystal monsters while Quelana and Quetava were fighting firing fire spells.
Naruto unsheathed his katana and slashed at the monster's chest making it groan from the pain. The trident flipped upside down with the spear parts aiming for him. But he quickly parried the blow away, leading to him adjusting his katana. Aiming the blade straight up and impaling the monster through the throat.
It gargled from the blade, before Naruto forcefully removed it from his throat. Another crystal warrior was aiming a bow down at him, but he quickly threw a dagger making it hit the monster's chest. It's aim went upward and the arrow fired into the air. Naruto rushed up the staircase and sliced through the monster horizontally.
Looking back, he saw the girls having cleared the bottom floor, he motioned them to follow him.
Reaching the top of the stairs and seeing the lever, Naruto quickly pulled on it, taking them up a few levels through the archives.
Reaching the top area, Naruto and the girls were shocked.
There was nothing but crystals and metal all over the place. The walls seemed to be covered in them and they could see more of them scattered across the floor and onto the railings.
Naruto wasn't sure if this was just madness that took over or if this was something else. Because this was all too much for him.
Leaving the room, they proceeded down a dark hallway where Naruto fired a single fireball at another one the undead before walking up some stairs. Reaching the top of the stairs they saw a fog door.
Naruto sighed and looked at the girls.
"Listen, whatever happens, prioritize your own safety. Do you understand? I don't want you girls sacrificing your lives for nothing. So, if something happens run for safety understand?"
Quelana nodded but Quelaag and the youngest frowned.
Naruto sighed and pulled out Dragon Slayer, then pushed his hands against the fog gate and saw it.
A room filled with nothing more silver crystals; the floor, the ceiling, the walls, everything was covered in them.
He had never seen anything like this.
But he found himself lifted into the air. His body was immobile, and he couldn't seem to break free of whatever it was that had him. He struggled, but the binds were too tight. Forcefully turning his head, he saw the girls hadn't entered the room with him, for some reason the fog was not allowing them to pass through.
Why though? They never stopped them before so why was it happening now?
Naruto found himself slammed into the wall of the crystals coughing up blood, before being sent to the other side of the room. The slam makes his ribs crack and his vision blurry. He tried to keep his eyes open but soon found himself slammed into the floor after being put against the ceiling. Naruto groaned from the pain and tried to stand up but found himself frozen.
His body couldn't move from the ground, and he couldn't pick up his sword to use to get himself up.
'F-fuck what is this?'
A blow to his back rocked his senses and he blacked out. His mind had completely turned off and he couldn't even gather what the hell just happened.
Sitting there, a white being stared down at his intruder and snorted.
"The white wolf failed to jump the moon."
A white, slithery tentacle moved across the floor, wrapping it around the boy in question and stared.
"Familiar fragrance you have, but nevertheless, white wolf will be useful for discovering the answers of the ocean."
The creature slowly moved across the floor, slithering without a care in the world.
Chapter End