Testing, testing, 1,2,3…..Hello, is this thing on?

Note: I. OWN. NOTHING….well, except for my imagination!

Hello, my freaky darlings! Welcome to the fifth chapter of…..

-The-Hunter:-Warden-of-Vytal-

Chapter Five: Tall Tales and Dark Deeds

Naruto was standing on the portside deck of the ferry, taking in the salty morning air with closed eyes. The sun had barely peaked over the horizon, the sky itself slowly teeming with light. The soft sea breeze flowing through his hair, he could feel at ease knowing that soon they would arrive at the shored of Anima. As the whiskered blond leaned onto the railing, he heard footsteps approaching him. He turned to his left to find Frodo and Kurama, the former yawning whilst trying to cover his wide open mouth.

"Rough night there, Mister Frodo?" the blond asked his short-statured companion as the former biju immediately hopped onto his shoulders, coiling around his neck so as to aid his Hunter's cloak in adding warmth. "Y'know sea travel ain't for everyone..."

"I understand the concern, Mister Naruto, and I thank you for it." The bard replied. "It's just that neither I nor anyone from the Shire travel by boat quite often, so I guess you could say that I'm rather extremely fond of land."

"Hey, it's understandable, I get it. I'll admit, took me a few times to get used to it myself." the former shinobi admitted. "Though I wouldn't worry about it too much. Very rarely do any of us get to travel by sea, and so far it seems Anima might be our last stop boatwise so you'll be back on land in no time."

"Oh, that would be nice to feel the soft grass beneath my feet again!" The two shared a laugh. Unknown to them both, Kurama also sported a small, unnoticeable smirk on his face.

"Still, though," Naruto began as he stared out to the distant horizon, "Just out of the sake of curiosity, I don't suppose you have any idea as to why there aren't as many Grimm in the sea as there are on dry land, would ya? I haven't been able to spot or hunt any sea-going monsters for as long as I've been on this job, aside from Grindylows, Megaladon and the occasional Kraken."

"Oh?" The short-statured member of the pair, a curious eyebrow raised in intrigue. "You mean you don't know about the Tale of Perseus? My people are mostly landlocked within the grass-prairie parts of Sanus, and even we've heard of it from traveling caravans and passer-byes."

"Hm, can't say I have, now that I think about it," the whiskered young man replied, turning to look at his companion. "So, if you don't mind, care to share the story?"

At this did Frodo perk up with eagerness, reaching behind him to grab hold of the lute that was ever always at his back. Tuning his ever trusted companion, the humble bard of the Shire strummed the strings rather gently, and then he told the tale.

"Thousands of years ago, when the Age of Man was young and budding, teeming with innocence," he began, "There came a mighty storm..."

-It was a terrible day to be off the coast of Western Anima. There were thunderstorms, typhoons, Grimm so large they would swallow up entire castles whole. And two of the most terrifying of them all:-

-The Boros. A massive Serpent Grimm with a body so large it could breach the surface of the ocean and keep on going until its very head peaked within the clouds and still have the rest of its body left over beneath the waves. Easily able to coil its body around the island of Patch three times over, this massive behemoth of the seas was completely covered in bone white scales harder than even the toughest metals to this day, yet could still perform twists and turns one would almost think it unnatural even for a creature of Grimm. Its jagged, sharp teeth seemed to rip apart even the strongest steel known to man, shooting jets of water from its gaping maw.-

-The Cthulu. What most agree upon being the great ancestor to the Kraken, the underwater "Devil of the Seas" had twelve long tentacles spanning tens of acres waiting to crush any vessel to splinters before dragging them down to the unforgiving abyss; Its body so massive it could be mistaken for a decent island. Terribly so, its huge three pairs of eyes could be seen glowing from meters beneath the waters. Its bone-plated back adorned with huge spikes and shipwrecks serve as a harsh and cruel reminder of exactly how it was able to grow to such a tremendous size.-

-Fearing the might of such creatures, the King of Crete had ordered all the fishing boats and ferries in its ports to be grounded until the Grimm threat had been neutralized. For a time, the people thought that it would be a matter of days. But, days turned to weeks. Weeks to months. Months to years. For a time, it seemed that the people of Crete would forever remain prisoners in their own kingdom.-

-One day, a mysterious stranger came by walking into the now barren streets of Crete. With hair black as night, eyes of emerald, and a bronze trident in his hand, he came towards the palace seeking audience with the King. There he was brought into the throne room before the King and Queen, and with a bow he waited until the King spoke.-

-"I bid you welcome to the Kingdom of Crete. Now tell me, what brings you to our home?" the King asked. When allowed, the stranger raised his head to face the king.-

-"I heard of many great things of the kingdom, your majesty. How its grandiose fisheries are considered to be the finest in all of Anima." the stranger replied with an even tone. "It is truly unfortunate for such a place to be under siege."-

-The king frowned, unaware of what the stranger was leading. "Yes, with the Grimm besieging our very shores and waters, our culture is under risk of dying. I am truly ashamed that you have come here under our current circumstances, dear stranger. I wish there was some way to compensate you for your trouble."-

-There was a pause, and then with a low and steady voice, the stranger spoke. "So, if I were to slay these Grimm troubling your home, would your kingdom's glory be returned?" To this the stranger was met with nothing but laughter. But amidst the jeering and mockery of the court, only the king and queen remained silent for they could see the sincerity in his eyes. So the King of Crete raised his hand to silence his subjects, and so he spoke to the stranger:-

-"And how exactly would you go about killing such large beasts, if I may ask?" to which the stranger answered with a small smile. "All I ask, your grace, is that you provide me with a ship fast and sleek. I shall take care of the rest, milord."-

-The King of Crete pondered these words for a moment before giving the stranger an approving nod. And later at the docks they stood before the Adrestia, a trireme so fast, powerful and sleek it could be called the Sword of the Ocean. However, when asked if he would be in need of a crew, he strangely declined. Before he could set sail, however, the King of Crete asked for the mysterious stranger's name. The man turned, smiled, and spoke his name.-

-"My name is Perseus, milord." And thus he sailed into the deep blue sea to do battle with the Grimm. There were surges of quakes and massive tides, and the Boros was launched into the air, fading as it returned down to the surface. All of Crete could hear the Cthulu's death cry from beneath the waves. The Grimm that plagued the shores of the kingdom were gone, never to be seen again. The people waited for Perseus' return, hoping to celebrate his victory. But neither he nor the Adrestia were seen again.-

"To this day, no one knows for sure how Perseus managed to do it. Some say he was blessed by the gods themselves. Others say he was born of the sea itself. However he did it, the Boros and the Cthulu were slain, and the Kingdom of Crete thrives today." Frodo continued, never once having stopped playing his lute. "But I do know this: that even after all these years having long since passed, they say that Perseus still roams beneath the seas to this very day; always hunting the creatures of the deep aboard his ship with his trust trident in hand. And that is why no Grimm of such size has ever plagued the seas again."

Naruto whistled in amazement as Frodo finished the tale. "Damn, and here I thought I've heard everything." the whiskered teen commented with raised eyebrows. "Still, if what you say is true, then how does he know that humans aren't also a threat. We may not be Grimm, but we also tend to have our own faults."

The humble bard of the Shire merely smiled as he went to put his trusty lute behind him once more. "Now there's a question with a rather easy answer. Sometime after Perseus had sailed to do battle, there were bits and pieces of the Adrestia's sails that washed ashore of Crete." Here Frodo started using his hands to better explain to Naruto. "When they knew for certain that the mighty Grimm beasts had been slain, the King of Crete ordered colors to be made of the sails in the great hero's honor. And the symbols he had chosen were of careful observation by the Queen herself, who noticed some symbols upon their untimely champion's person. When the final touches were made, the king had them fitted onto every ship in his kingdom's harbor." As he looked up, the short-statured bard's smile widened into a full-blown grin as he pointed to the mast. "In fact, this very ship is one of them! Look up, my friend!"

The whiskered Hunter looked up and saw.

It was a flag, mostly navy blue in color. But its symbols were in sea green: an Omega symbol surrounding a skull, which was placed in front of a two-ended trident running horizontally across the flag itself, the ends of the Omega symbol were fashioned with the heads of sharks. Two anchors lay behind it in an X-formation. There were words in Ancient Western Anima that he couldn't decipher, but there were four letters in bold gold, two on each side of the symbol which stood out to him:

SPQR

"I don't suppose you'd know what the words mean, do ya Frodo?"

"Hm? Oh, that, yeah I do! It's 'for honor and glory unto the face of peril'. Rather bold, don't you think?"

Naruto looked up at the flag one last time before giving a smirk. "Yeah, yeah it is..."

Then, suddenly...

"LAND HO!"

The two looked out towards the bow to see landmass on the horizon. A bit blurry due to distance, but the message was clear: they were finally nearing Anima. "Ah, will you look at that! The Kingdom of Crete! I hear their fisheries are second to none! Allow me to show you around, my dear Naruto!"

It was at this time that Kurama finally spoke out to the pair. "Well, we're here. Now who wants to wake sleeping beauty and tell her the good news?"

*Groan*

"GATHER 'ROUND, MY FRIENDS!" The bard of the Shire proudly exclaimed as the group walked down the ramp off of the ferry, his hands flung out widespread at his sides. "COME NOW, AND FEAST YOUR EYES ON ALL THAT CRETE HAS TO OFFER!"

*Groan* "Can I kill him already? He's starting to annoy me..."

"No, Kurama, we're not killing him." The whiskered blond sighed at his agitated companion. "Besides, I like Frodo. And don't deny that he hasn't given you food to try out."

"...I have no idea what you're talking about, brat."

"Sure ya don't..." Giving his four-legged companion a knowing smirk-and recieving the universal one-fingered salute in response-Naruto turned to the magic-using couple. "And how are the sleeping beauty and her prince charming doing on this fine morning?"

*Grumble* "Did you HAVE to wake us up by POURING COLD WATER ONTO OUR HEADS?!" Juniper snarled. Her eyes threatened to pop out of her head with dilated pupils and irises.

"Hmm, nope! But c'mon, it was funny as hell." To which he started laughing at the sight of the angry fair-skinned maiden being held back by Ozma, who merely gave out a tired sigh at the onlookers stopping what they were doing to look at the pair.

"Naruto, Juniper, please that's enough. You're both causing a scene..." Eventually they both relented, though Juniper kept glaring at the former shinobi, who stuck his tongue out in a jeering manner. Shaking his head, the emerald wizard then turned to Frodo, who was looking on in amusement. "If you could, Mr. Frodo, please show us a tour around the Kingdom of Crete. We'd be delighted to take up your offer."

The short-statured bard gave a toothy grin in reply. "But of course! Right this way, ladies and gentlemen!"

And so for the next few hours, he led Naruto, Ozma, and Juniper all over the kingdom. From the fisheries of the enriched harbor to the marketplace of the courtyards and even standing on top of one of the balconies overlooking the kingdom's vast woodlands. Soon, day turned slowly into night, and the party had decided to seek shelter at a nearby inn for the night.

It was late at night when Naruto awoke to the sound of knocking at his door. The whiskered blond rubbed his eyes for a bit intending to go back to dreamland before the knocking resumed. Grumbling, he got up-nearly knocking over Kurama in the process-and proceeded to walk towards the door with the full intent to yell at whoever was on the other side currently interrupting his dreams with Ramen-chan.

'There better be a damn good reason for this, or so help me I'm about to rip and tear off some heads!' the former shinobi ranted as he reached for the door handle before swinging it back to see a young man in his late twenties garbed in dark robes.

With a raised eyebrow, Naruto asked, "Can I help you?"

"No." *FWOOSH!*

Without even thinking, Naruto seemed to somehow dodge the point-blank fireball aimed at his face and responded with a swift stomp to the chest, causing his attacker to backpedal into the wall behind him. The assailant was only able to raise his head before feeling the cold steel of a hidden blade at his neck.

"Now, now, no need to be rude~" The whiskered blond chuckled as Kurama came out through the door, having awoken from the ruckus. "Ya know, you could've just thought this through, cleared your head a bit and choose your words. But nooo~" A sharp gleam entered his eyes as he narrowed them at the stranger. "You just had ta cause a ruckus 'cuz you thought you were all big and bad. Wanted to get my attention, yeah?"

*THWACK!*

With the back of his fist, he sent the attacker flying through the wall and out on the streets. Naruto jumped out of the hole to follow him. A commotion was heard and, slowly but surely, an audience formed from nearby buildings. Next-door Ozma and Juniper were startled awake from the sudden noise, the latter almost bare save for a blue-lace negligee that covered the important parts. Quickly throwing on robes, the pair raced out the door to see Frodo and others looking outward to the street. The assailant's cloak had been torn, revealing a brown shirt and pants. In short, the man looked average.

"Well congratulations, dumbfuck! You've got it!" Holding out both Silver Talons in a reverse-grip, the former shinobi gave his opponent a feral grin. "I hope it was worth it."

"Mmmmgh!"

*SQUELCH!*

'What the fuck?'

To his surprise, the stranger seemed to bleed from both his arms. Then, to Naruto's horror...the man became monster.

First, came the cry of pain. Then the bulging of the back to where the shirt ripped, showing protrusions beneath the man's skin before bursting to reveal four long tentacles of jet black; the ends covered with barbed, jagged bone. The body grew to the point the skin started to tear, leaving muscle and bone for all to see. The man's complexion rapidly paled as he bent over, allowing four more tentacles to emerge from his back. Claws grew out of where the nails used to be. His-no, its-mouth split at the corners to the cheekbones revealing sharp, needle-like teeth. The spine and ribs jutted out from his skin. And when the man finally looked up, his eyes were sunken in and glossy with a tinge of red; bone had started to jut out from parts of his face and body.

Naruto could only stare in morbid fascination. He had never seen something like this. And he didn't like it. "What the FUCK are ya?"

"GWWWOOOOAAAAAAGGGH!" No intelligent response was given as more and more pieces of the monster's skin ripped to allow for more muscle mass and bone spikes, yet he somehow still looked human. Gritting his teeth, the former shinobi readied himself for the inevitable.

"Fuck it, then! It's huntin' time!"

Within the desolate land of Dracarys, the God of Darkness lounged in his domain; conjuring new types of Grimm in shapes and sizes. One, in particular, he has grown rather fond of. It was, by all accounts, appearing to be a small orb the size of a human head. It was all obsidian in color with bone plating and red markings. Suddenly, the dark deity turned his head outwards as though to gaze at something, only chuckle at his own amusement.

He vaguely remembered the strange mortal his brother had acquired early on; a man not of this world for that matter. At first, the dark deity merely waved it off. Then within a year the strange mortal was killing off his creations in scores. Granted, the Creatures of Grimm were numerous and replenishable, but it did get his attention.

"Hmm..." the Dark Brother thought to himself, "it appears that the boy is more entertaining than I expected. Wouldn't you agree...brother."

-End-Chapter-

A/N: I apologize for the long wait, everybody! Between friends and family coming over, Thanksgiving and Christmas preparations, and a flat-out hectic work schedule, I almost didn't have time to continue writing! But alas, I got a reprieve! 'Till next time, my freaky darlings!