Testing, testing, 1,2,3…..Hello, is this thing on?
A/N: I'm sorry, kept you waiting, huh? Between my job working through EOCs, Summer Cleaning, and Regristration, I've also had to deal with someone trying to use my bank account HALFWAY ACCROSS THE COUNTRY. Luckily, the situation was resolved and dealt with and I'm leaving it at that.
Note: I. OWN. NOTHING….well, except for my imagination!
Hello, my freaky darlings! Welcome to the seventh chapter of…..
-The-Hunter:-Warden-of-Vytal-
Chapter Seven: Royalty and the Small Council
-Three Days Later...-
Daylight shone once more upon the Kingdom of Crete as it was in the midst of daily activities. Houses and shops were rebuilt as though there was never an attack by the Grimm Creature, to which Naruto, Frodo, and Kurama have come to call it a Chimera. Currently, the merry group of four had split off to partake their respective interests:
Ozma and Juniper had entered a local merchant's shop to view his wares. Anima-exclusive spellbooks for herself, historical tomes for Ozma, new recipies and an orcana for Frodo, as well as pieces of scrap-metal, wires, and black powder for Naruto to fashion into some of his many traps. Of course, Kurama had to make do with a nice juicy piece of Wild-Caught Smoked Boar Shoulder with a side of Rabbit Stew. The nine-tailed fox was by no means complaining, nor did he admit his satisfaction in public, much to Juniper's ire and Ozma's amusement.
Frodo, in the meantime, was busy entertaining the town square alongside other bards. There was dancing and singing and feasts-the pungent aroma of Honeyed Pork Strips cooking over an open fire, complimented by fresh Sour-Dough, Caramel Apples, an abundance of fruits and vegetables, Roasted Lemon-Pepper Chicken. And of course the finest Ale and Sween-Wine the Kingdom of Crete had to offer. But the short-statured bard was content to simply regale the local children with tales and songs.
As for Naruto and Kurama...
THUNK!
At a clearing a fair distance from the city walls, Naruto dug the blade of the shovel deep into the earth before a mound of dirt before him. Like so many other kingdoms, Crete had its very own cemetery for its dead. But, as a man was possessed by a Creature of Grimm, superstitions overruled common sense.
So, in the end, Naruto volunteered to give the poor soul a proper burial a little beyond the outskirts of the city.
"I wish I'd have done more for him, Kurama." the whiskered blonde sighed. "He deserved better than this."
The former bijuu raised its head from its resting place on a low-hanging tree. "You freed him, Naruto. From a fate worse than death. If anyone is to blame it'd be those bandits we'd all slaughtered. And you were able to save the girl." Kurama turned to face his longtime companion. "You did what you could. If the man were still here, he'd thank you for saving his family."
"...I know, Kurama. I know." A sad smile was etched onto the former shinobi's face as he turned to head back to the city gates. "Now come on. We've got to meet the others by the castle gates."
*yawn* "Do we have to? You know how much I hate stuffy, highborn courts. Too much plotting and backstabbing."
"I know. Reminds me of home. Besides, I've got a feeling about this one."
Sometime Later...
"PRESENTING THE GOD OF LIGHT'S HUNTER AND HIS COMPANIONS!"
Naruto merely raised an eyebrow at the incredilous looks he and his friends had recieved upon their arrival into the throne room. It was large, ornate, with extravagant gold pillars supporting the ceiling. The floor was of obsidian stone with a gold circular mural of a bull in the middle of the room. Intricate depictions of vast animals adorned the walls in varying color. But at the far end of the room, atop the small steps, sitting in a throne of gold overlooking the crowd with an impassive gaze, was the King of Crete himself. Dressed in royal purple robes with a golden crown and curiass, the dark-skinned, 6'4" ruler made out to be an imposing figure. Eyes of intimidating, molten gold were cast upon their forms, causing a cold chill to run down Frodo's spine. As soon as the group came into the middle of the room, they knelt before the king. And so they stayed kneeling before the king spoke in a deep, booming voice:
"Rise, strangers."
When they had done so, he began.
"I am Minos, King of Crete. On the behalf of my people, I thank you for slaying the Creature of Grimm. As such, I invite you to dine and rest here for the night." Here, King Minos stood up from his throne to walk towards the party of five. He stood just ten fee before them before turning his head to face Ozma. "I have heard much a great deal about your exploits in the frontier, Hunter of Light."
Naruto had to bite his tongue to keep himself silent. 'Oh, here we go again.'
It was here that Ozma spoke up. "While I am deeply honored by your praise, your majesty, I'm afraid you are mistaken. I am not the God of Light's Hunter," the Emerald Knight pointed his thumb over to the former shinobi, "HE is."
Turning towards the whiskered blond, the king raised a curious eyebrow. "Hmm...I was honestly expecting someone older."
Naruto gave a mocking smirk at the king. "Forgive me if I don't meet your expectations, your grace."
The king harrumphed before turning to face Juniper. It was here, however, when he narrowed his eyes. "Ah. You I know..."
Juniper caught on to his intent, as she quickly replied: "Milord, I have no intent of intruding-"
"You take me for a fool, Dragon's Daughter? Or are you deceiving even yourself?"
"I assure you, King Minos, that I am not my father." the blonde woman replied with a narrowed gaze. "To be even compared as such, I would rather die."
King Minos' visage was like stone as he peered into Juniper's eyes. A moment passed before he reluctantly nodded. "We shall see."
An unerving silence filled the throne room. Even Kurama, sleeping atop Naruto's shoulders as usual, could sense the tension; though the nine-tailed fox had done so out of annoyance. Thankfully, someone was able to break it.
"Excuse me, Your Grace?" All turned their heads towards the voice. It was the little girl Naruto had saved earlier, all cleaned up and well-fed. However, she was not alone. There appeared to be her sister standing by her side. And the eldest of the two looked to be somewhat his age. Long, dark brown hair like her sister's done up in a high ponytail reaching the small of her back. He could see now that there was almost no baby-fat on her face, and that she was dressed in a long verdant robes. What puzzled the former shinobi, however, were her eyes.
Eyes of pure silver...
"Proceed, child."
At the king's approval, the young woman continued. "I was wondering if I could give my gratitude to these heroes for saving my sister's life."
The king gave her a respectful nod at her request before returning to sit upon his throne. "Very well, if that will be all. Hunter, once your business has concluded, there is something I might ask of you. See to my council when you are ready."
With that King Minos had ended the gathering, and soon it was only Naruto, Ozma, and Juniper left with the two girls. Frodo had excused himself to visit the market square, and Kurama had returned to their room at the inn. Quickly approaching the trio, the young girl and her sister curtsied before Naruto.
"Th-thank you, Great Hunter of Light, for saving my life. My sister was away hunting for food to fill the town stocks when the bad men came. If-if you hadn't been there...if-if you hadn't-"
As the little girl started to break down in tears, Naruto got down to one knee and set his hand on top of her head. When the girl cleared her eyes, she saw the whiskered blond give her a small, reassuring smile as he spoke in a soft voice. "Hey, now, no need to cry. You're safe now. The bad men can't get you anymore." The small girl gave a shaky nod before embracing the former shinobi in a hug, to which he patted her back in reassurance. As they broke apart, the whiskered blonde then asked: "Can I get your name, my fair lady?"
Putting on a teary smile, the little girl then replied. "I'm Phoibe, and this is my sister Kassandra. Our older brother, Alexios, is currently away serving in the royal army, but if he were here I think he would thank you for saving us."
Naruto gave an appreciative nod. "I accept your gratitude, Phoibe. Although." Here his face turned downtrodden. "I wish there was more I could've done."
"Please, Mr. Hunter." he looked up to meet Kassandra's face. Though he dared not show it, Naruto felt guilty inside. These girls may be safe now, but he still denied them a father. "You saved our father from his fate. Gave him a proper burial when no one else in Crete would. You've done more than enough for our family."
Naruto closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. Then, silently, he nodded in reply.
Evening, King's Council...
"Ah, Hunter. Pleasure of you to join us." The moment Naruto entered the council chambers he took immediate notice of his surroundings. It was rather small compared to most of the other rooms and chambers. There were no windows of any sort, the walls draped in the king's colors of royal purple and gold. A large, rectangular wooden oak table took up the centermost part of the chamber, with a roaring fireplace at the side furthest from the entrance. Sitting at the head of the table in an ornate wooden chair was King Minos himself. With him were five others:
A short, robust, bald man with wide shoulders, a thick brown beard and coal eyes. He seemed to wear a combination of noble earth-tone tunic and trousers with leather forearm guards and a blacksmith's apron (and if the callouses and smidges of coal on the palms of his hands were anything to go by, it was quite clear on what the short-statured man did for a living). Around his muscular shoulders were the dark pelt of a wolf. A massive blacksmith's hammer laid before him on the table.
There was another man, this time in pure noble dress robes of gold with a navy blue and white sash crossing his chest from the left shoulder to the right hip. He had a head full of slicked-back silver hair, a silver moustache, and seemed to have small wrinkles, indicating his graceful age. But the former shinobi could still see the sharp glint behind his forest green eyes, and he could practically smell the heavy scent of ink and parchment on his person. More specifically, there were rolls of parchments in a bundle on the table in front of his person.
The third person to see was, in fact, a woman. Having short dark hair with caramel skin covered by a white hood, she was adorned with silver circlet around her head, her pure white robes and dark mocha riding leathers doing somewhat little to hide her curves or D-cups. From what Naruto could gather, the way she walked was light-footed, implying that she had training. And her eyes of molten gold would occasionaly sweep over his form, he noticed the way her eyes gauged him. As though perceiving as to whether or not he was indeed a threat. And, judging by the twin long daggers at her sides, it appears that her role was more clandestine. Oddly, there was a black raven perched on her chair, overlooking the poeple gathered in the room.
The fourth was another man. Tall, rather spindly with short, chestnut brown hair and blue eyes, and what appeared to be a monk's robes with a chain worn around his neck composed of various metals. The whiskered blond had just met the man, and yet he could smell blood, herbs, and poisons to know the councilman's area of expertise.
The final member of the council, however, was what garnered his attention. Long, flowing crimson hair framing a visage of alabaster skin with striking eyes of amber. Covered in golden hoplite armor to protect her person-though he cursed Jiraiya for beating into his head of how to tell a woman's measurements through any type of clothing in case of espionage missions-yet somehow accentuated her DD-cup breasts. A pure white cape hung off of her left shoulder trailing down her back. Her right shoulder was protected by a pauldron bearing the etched face of a screeching owl. An armored leather pteruge overlapping a skirt of ivory adorned her waist, followed by a golden set of greaves. From where he was standing, the whiskered blonde could see her preferred weapon of choice: a long nodachi with a golden tsuba with white engravings along the obsidian handle. At the kashira, or pommel of the nodachi, was a snowy owl feather.
Clearing his throat, King Minos gestured for the others to stand from their seats. "Now that we are all gathered here, I believe it would be best to introduce the members of my council." The imposing, dark-skinned king turned to the blacksmith, who nodded and turned towards Naruto with a wide grin.
"Name's Roran Stonehall. I'm the Master of Forges in the council." The now-named Roran spoke in a deep, smoky voice. "My job is to make sure our armory and defenses of Crete are up-to-date and working, as well as researching and developing new minerals and ores for smithing. Pleasure to meet ya!"
"Likewise, m'lord."
As Roran sat back down, the elder noble began to speak in a refined tone of voice. "Greetings. My name is Lord Aurelius Perevell, King Minos' Master of Law and Consul of the City Guard. It is my solemn duty to uphold all legal matters of the kingdom and to enforce them if need be. I also relay orders and reports between His Majesty and the Coin Magistrate."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the older man's words. "If you don't mind me asking, milord, but from what you've just spoken, I take it there's a reason as to why there's no longer a Master of Coin?"
The corners of Lord Aurelius' lips turned slightly upwards at the young blonde's inquiry. "I'm afraid there was an unfortunate case of embezzlement a few summers ago. The brazen fool was itching to plunge the entire kingdom into war and debt for his own vices. Naturally, it was brought to my attention and he was dealt with in mere moments. After which His Grace had decreed that no one man should be Master of Coin, but rather a conglomerate of individuals."
"Hmm, so as to maintain the balance of power and prevent another bankruptcy by means of a coup d'état. I've known of similar circumstances resolved in such a manner. Impressive work, Lord Aurelius." The aforementioned lord nodded his head in appreciation and sat back down, allowing the dark-skinned woman to introduce herself.
"I am Medea of the Veiled Web, the Mistress of Secrets in His Majesty's court. When there is a task either too delicate for a show of force or too perilous for diplomacy, it falls to me to take care of such matters in a discreet fashion. Likewise, it is also imperative for any and all knowledge passing through Crete and its neighboring kingdoms to be gathered by many of my sources and brought before the council."
"Today's ally can be tomorrow's enemy, for the night is dark and full of terrors."
The dark-skinned spymaster raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You seem familiar with our line of work, Hunter. I'm almost impressed."
Naruto replied with a knowing smirk on his face. "Let's just say I've done similar jobs of a rather questionable nature, Lady Medea."
The Lady of the Veiled Web smiled as she sat back down, prompting the fourth council member to start speaking.
"Great Hunter, my name is Maester Hippokrates, the Court Physician of Crete. There are many of my number serving various kingdoms in Sanus, Anima, and even Solitas. Our work lies in the various healing arts, tending to the sick and wounded. With each kingdom's funding, the members of our order are provided apothecaries in which to conduct our practice, be it in healing, researching new poisons and illnesses, as well as gathering the necessary plants, herbs and cultures to make elixers and remedies. Should there be any healing services you and your companions require, know that you are welcome at any of our order."
The whiskered blonde nodded his thanks as Hippokrates returned to his seat. Finally, Naruto turned his attention to the only person left standing at the table. The red-haired woman turned her gaze upon him and, with a voice that commanded the utmost respect, she spoke.
"I am Malenia di Nikos, the Lord-Commander of His Majesty's forces. My role is to lead and maintain the needs of our military. I am able to order training garrisons to be built with assistance from the Coin Magistrate. From there, we employ, train, build, and deploy soldiers and mages. My standing allows me to command and oversee military operations throughout our kingdom, ranging from bandit exterminations, defending villages and outposts, regional patrols by land and sea. In times of war, I must also assist His Grace in leading and strategizing military campaigns against enemy kingdoms, whoever they may be."
Naruto waited until Malenia was done speaking befroe he asked his question. "So, as Lord-Commander, do you have commanders for each division or legion? Or does the Royal Navy not fall under your responsibilities?"
The Lord-Commander of Crete was able to answer his question with ease. "No, we have two Lord-Commanders for the Royal Navy so as to better maintain our borders overseas. But they are currently not here for the time being. Maia is leading a hunting party after a band of pirates that have been giving our people trouble in the south, while her brother Brasidas is currently off on an Grimm hunting expedition at sea. May the Great Perseus guide them home safely." At this did Malenia di Nikos finally sit at the table.
"Now that introductions are out of the way, perhaps it is time we get to the matter of business at hand." King Minos suggested. Without question, the whiskered blonde swiftly took his seat at the only available place at the table. Nodding to everyone present, the king began. "Lately, we've been receiving reports of strange disappearances from the residential and marketplace districts in Crete. At first, we thought it was bandits using the underground passageways."
"I remember. That was about three summers ago." Lord Aurelius pondered. "I had sent a few of my patrolmen underground to search for any of the bandits or missing citizens, but they've not been able to find either."
"That is because they are dead." King Minos took pause and then, after watching everyone's attention focus back to him, he resumed speaking. "A body was found earlier this morning. I could hardly recognize what was left."
"Hold on, there, when you say what was left-"
"What I mean, Master Stonehall, that there was hardly anything of her body that was recognizable. She was torn apart. Limbs missing. There were teeth and claw marks along the length of her remaining skin. And there were traces of a long, barbed tongue being used upon her corpse. I say it is quite obvious that no man could have done this."
Realization dawned on the former shinobi's face. "So that's why you asked me to be here. You need me to find the Grimm that's doing this and kill it." A small nod of the head was his answer. It was never a good sign when there were Creatures of Grimm lurking about beneath the city. "Do you at least know exactly what kind of Grimm could have done this?"
King Minos was quick to reply, his calm demeanor never fading. "I have consulted with Maester Hippokrates and our court mages as to identify the creature. We have reason to believe that it is something called a Skaven."
Naruto gave a frustrated groan as he pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering curses under his breath. "Then we have a serious problem."
"You recognize the creature?"
"Unfortunately, I do." The whiskered blonde laced his fingered together in front of his face as he continued. "A Skaven is a subterranean species of Grimm. They basically look like demented bastard spawn of rats and roaches. Not only do they prey upon any unsuspecting prey, but they will also go after other Grimm that enters their territory. They can grow to be as large as horse-drawn carriages, and are always known to live in very large numbers. If I'm to rid Crete of these Grimm, then I need to burn their nest." He took a quick mental inventory and grimaced at the thought. His weapons wouldn't be enough for so many Skaven and who knows what else. It seems he and Kurama would need to see an old friend.
"Looks like I need new toys."
-End-Chapter-