Hello all Storm here with a new chapter! Here it'll be showing more of the Scan Quest, as well as another look at Krystella collecting her own scans in preparation for the chance of going against Naruto. Along with showing Sarah who learns a shocking a secret in the UnderWorld. So, without further ado.
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After porting back to Chaotic and uploading his scans, Naruto began checking over everything he had gotten so far.
'I've got a couple new scans of Prexxor Chasm along with scans of Loup and Jackal, I'll also be able to port back to Smildon's camp for a scan of him too. I've also got Ubliqun and a Nexus Fuse, plus the Mipedim Oasis scan, not to mention if I'm able to go back to scan the OverWorld Embassy and Kinnianne if she's there. And I just got plenty of UnderWorld scans with Takinom, Agitos and Chaor another Location scan of UnderWorld City, along with the Whepcrack, Refrain of Denial and Song of Fury.' Naruto thought, pleased at seeing he now has the required six Creatures and almost half the required ten Locations.
Though that didn't mean he wasn't going to get plenty more Creatures and Locations, since relying on just six Creatures and ten Locations would be a terrible idea.
'I should try getting some scans from the other Tribes since I've got a good amount of UnderWorlders for the time being. Though I'll make another trip, just in case I find anything else useful in the UnderWorld.' Thought Naruto, grabbing his Scanner and heading back to the teleporters.
Stepping onto one, Naruto ported away back to UnderWorld City.
*UnderWorld City*
Appearing in UnderWorld City, Naruto looked around to see any Creatures he could scan before he began exploring to see who or what he could find.
'If I don't find any Creatures, I suppose I could make a quick stop at Ulmar's Castle to see what kind of BattleGear he has, if he's made any new ones.' Thought Naruto as he moved through the city, only to stop when he spotted a familiar Creature.
"H'earring? Hey H'earring!" Naruto called out when he spotted the smaller UnderWorlder sitting in a garbage dump, along with noticing Xield nearby eating the garbage.
"Huh? Oh, hey Naruto. Are you here collecting scans too?" H'earring said, glancing at the whiskered blonde before looking forward while resting his chin on his fists, making Naruto frown at the sight.
"Is everything alright, H'earring?" Questioned Naruto, seeing the normally upbeat Creature looked more upset and melancholy.
"Yeah, it's fine. Kaz just came by earlier looking for information on where Chaor is, but I don't know where he went. But since Kaz was looking to get scans of Creatures I brought him to my friend Xield, since maybe he's not the strongest Creature, but his shell can block some of the strongest attacks and he can fly. So I thought Kaz would still like to scan him, but…" H'earring replied before sighing at how Kaz stormed off.
"The guy got angry just because H'earring was trying to help him and seems really obsessed with finding Chaor, just to scan him." Stated Xield bluntly, making Naruto frown at this, not liking that Kaz got angry at H'earring over his Chaor obsession when he was just trying to help.
"Sorry that happened H'earring, I promise that I'll prank Kaz hard for acting like that. And if it makes you feel better, I'll be happy to scan Xield and you." Said Naruto, making H'earring look up and smile thankfully at the Uzumaki.
"Thanks Naruto, that does help a little. Here, if you want you can scan the Deconstructor too." H'earring said, pulling out his pen-like BattleGear, feeling better that Naruto wants to scan him and Xield.
Even better that he also is going to prank Kaz, something H'earring hoped to hear about once it happens.
"Cool, thanks H'earring. I can get two Creatures and two BattleGear at once." Said Naruto, smiling as he scanned the Deconstructor and then H'earring, while both Creatures looked at him in confusion.
"I don't have any BattleGear, human." Xield said, wondering where the other BattleGear comes from.
"You are the BattleGear, Xield. In the game a scan of you can be used as a Creature or equipped to another Creature as BattleGear, acting as a mount." Naruto revealed, intriguing H'earring and Xield.
"Oh. Cool." Said Xield, liking that he can still fulfill his purpose of helping his allies even in the humans' game.
Porting back to Chaotic to upload his scans, Naruto quickly ported back to the UnderWorld and scanned Xield as well, before exchanging farewells with him and H'earring as he left.
*With Krystella*
"Thanks for the new scans, Pyrithion. This Viperdriver is going to be really useful in crushing any pests." Krystella said, smirking wickedly at getting a scan of Pyrithion and his new BattleGear, the Viperdriver.
Having heard rumors he commissioned Ulmar to make him a new BattleGear, with it turning out to a massive mechanical snake version of the Viledriver. With it still being able to shoot out fire, along with energy blasts to trap Creatures and even shoot acid. It also could move much faster than the Viledriver by slithering across the ground, while still being able to move slopes.
With Krystella being pleased at finding Pyrithion while he was testing it out, meaning she'll likely have the only scan of it for the tournament.
"Yessss, you're so welcome. Now can you leave so I can finish my test drive." Pyrithion said in annoyance, not liking how Krystella interrupted him while he was testing his new vehicle.
"Watch it! You still owe me, after breaking our other deal when those losers messed it up!" Krystella said while glaring at the serpentine UnderWorlder, with Pyrithion flinching slightly at her anger.
Something he'd never admit is that even as a human, Krystella could be as wicked as any UnderWorlder, which honestly unnerved him.
"R-right." Muttered Pyrithion, making Krystella narrow her eyes.
"Hmph, whatever. If you learn anything useful about any Creatures, or find any new Mugic or BattleGear, be sure to let me know." Krystella said before porting out to upload her scans.
*Later-Everrain*
After she uploaded her new scans Krystella had ported back to Everrain, intending to finally get her Nauthilax scan.
'With any luck, he's still here and if he's not, then I swear…' Krystella thought, knowing if this ends up being a wasted trip then someone's going to pay.
Luckily, it wasn't long before the brunette found the aquatic UnderWorld making her smirk before pulling out her Scanner and scanned him. Only to frown when she looked at her scan, seeing it was different than the usual ones.
'UnderWorld Minion Scout? He's supposed to be an Elementalist, why's he a Scout now? And what's Minion supposed to mean?' Krystella mentally wondered, intrigued on if Nauthilax had changed positions since she last scanned him, though that still didn't explain what the "Minion" status meant.
Before the UnderQueen's smirk returned when she saw how much higher Nauthilax's stats were, as well as the new abilities he had.
'Winning a Power Challenge gives him a new element and if exactly twenty-five damage is dealt, he can destroy BattleGear. Now this is the kind of power I need.' Krystella thought, pleased that her scan would be even stronger than normal, before she ported out.
*With Tom*
Meanwhile, Tom had finished collecting his scans at the Mipedim Oasis along with getting some information on where he could get some more.
'Okay, if Tiaane's right, then I should find Gnarlus somewhere around here.' Tom thought while looking around the Illusionary Lake, which was called that given that it looks like a lake in the desert despite not being real.
Taking his Scanner, Tom got a scan of the Location and grinned at seeing what it could do.
'It takes away Creatures Water Elements, that'll definitely be something good since Mipedians don't have Water Elements. Plus, when the time comes to fight the M'arrillians this would be a good place to fight them, since there's no actual water here and they wouldn't have any Water Attacks.' Thought Tom, knowing this'll be a good Location to use in the tournament and to help the Tribes fight the M'arrillians.
Before Tom looked around for any sign of Gnarlus, soon spotting a group of Mipedians near the shore of the "lake" and quickly ran to get closer to them. Feeling pleased when he saw Gnarlus among them and quickly got a scan of the large Mipedian.
'Awesome! Gnarlus might not be that strong, but being immune to damage from Mugic more than makes up for it.' Tom thought as he ported out.
*Chaotic*
Appearing back in the Port Court, Tom went to a docking table and uploaded his new scans, looking over the growing deck for the tournament.
'I've gotten some good OverWorld and Mipedian scans, I think I should head to the UnderWorld next and see what I can get there. Then after I get some UnderWorlder scans I should go to Mount Pillar for some Danians so I have scans from all the Tribes. Finally I'll head to the OverWorld again to finish getting a couple more scans, there.' Thought Tom, nodding at his strategy as he grabbed his Scanner and returned to the teleporters, porting away to UnderWorld City.
*UnderWorld City*
Reappearing in UnderWorld City, Tom began moving around to see what Creatures he could find while thinking of which ones he should scan.
'UnderWorlders are best known for using Fire Attacks, so maybe I should look for ones that specialize in other elements. Nauthilax would be a good choice but I don't know where he is. There's also Kerric, who's one of the few UnderWorlders good with Air Attacks but I'd need to go all the way to the Cordac Falls Plungepool to scan him and I can't risk the chance he's not there and waste any time. And then there's…' Tom thought, only to be pulled from his thoughts when he felt the ground shake slightly.
Surprised at the sudden shake, Tom stumbled a little when it shook again, making him curious on if there's a fight going on before going to where the shaking was coming from. Eager for the chance of it being a powerful Creature he could scan.
With the OverWorld Player smiling eagerly when he arrived at the source and saw Rothar who seemed to be training by smashing boulders.
'Even better, and he's got his Burithean Axe with him too! A Creature as strong as Chaor and his signature BattleGear, this is great!' Tom thought as he quickly pulled out his Scanner, scanning Rothar and the Burithean Axe.
*With Sarah*
Hiding around a corner as a group of guards passed by, Sarah peeked out to make sure the coast was clear before she kept moving. Having ported back to Gothos Tower after uploading her scan of Krekk and was now searching for Skithia.
'The one time I'm actually trying to find that blue she-demon and she's decided to suddenly hide, somewhere!' Sarah thought in annoyance, still remembering all the times Skithia made more messes around the tower for her and Naruto to clean up.
Though no matter how much she didn't like the UnderWorlder, Sarah knew her ability to do extra damage with Fire Attacks would make her a very useful Creature to scan.
'I swear if I can't find her, then hopefully I can find someone else.' Thought Sarah not wanting to have come here for nothing.
Only for the Danian Player to miss something moving along the ceiling above her, with it glaring down at her with glowing red eyes.
"Come on, where is she?" Sarah muttered, peeking into a room, but still didn't see Skithia anywhere.
"Human intruder, die! Flame Orb!" A raspy voice shouted, making Sarah's eyes widen.
Before she quickly jumped into the room and dropped to the ground, wanting to make sure she got out of the way of any attack. Feeling relief at having moved just in time to avoid being roasted by several fireballs that flew over her.
Only to be shocked when she saw the Creature that attacked her, one she'd definitely never seen before at Gothos Tower or in the UnderWorld in general.
It looked like a giant dark red scorpion with black markings covering its exoskeleton, along with having what looked like a segmented shell forming over its head and down its back to the large stinger on its back with a needle-like protrusion. With Sarah shivering at seeing the Creature also had pincers on the side of its mouth which was filled with fangs.
It reminded Sarah slightly of a Eurypterid, also called a sea scorpion, only it looked like it was bred with an actual scorpion to create something much worse.
"Worthless humans! Slurhk will make all of you pay for helping to steal his desert! Riptide!" Slurhk hissed before shooting out a jet of water from his pincers, making Sarah quickly roll out of the way with wide eyes.
'That's Slurhk?!' Thought Sarah in shock, not believing this Creature was actually Slurhk.
Tom and Peyton having told them of their Scan Quest to the Al Mipedim Desert and the encounter with Slurhk, how he was branded a traitor to the OverWorld for disobeying orders. With it looking like he managed to escape and joined forces with Van Bloot it seems. And judging by his new appearance and larger size, Sarah guessed that he's been doing more than just hiding down here.
"Rock Wave!" Slurhk said slamming his pincer down on the ground, creating a wave of rocks that descended onto Sarah, forcing her to move out of the way again.
Acting instinctively, Sarah aimed her Scanner at Slurhk and scanned him, knowing she needed to show the others just what's happened to him.
"Torrent of Flame!" Said Slurhk, shooting jets of fire out of his pincers at Sarah only for the Danian Player to quickly port out once she had her scan, just barely avoiding being roasted.
Slurhk roared in anger at seeing the human escaped, only to turn when Van Bloot burst into the room with Skithia and several soldiers.
"What's going on here?!" Van Bloot demanded upon seeing the state of the room.
"A human! A human was here trying to get scans for their stupid game! But Slurhk tried killing them, but they escaped!" Said Slurhk, only for this to anger the Lord of Gothos Tower further.
"There was a human, and you let yourself be seen?!" Said Van Bloot, causing Slurhk to wilt under his glare.
"W-w-we-w-well…Sl-Slurhk simply wished to…deal with the intruder in your home, Lord Van Bloot." Slurhk said in his defense, lowering his head as Van Bloot loomed over him.
"Need I remind you, Slurhk, that you are a wanted fugitive of the OverWorld! A fugitive that's being hunted by the rest of the Tribes as well, including the UnderWorld! And if Chaor finds out I'm harboring a fugitive that threatened the Tribal Alliance, then all of my plans will be ruined! All because you couldn't use what little wisdom you have and stay hidden!" Van Bloot shouted, angered at how a human was now aware of Slurhk being here.
"Sl-Slurhk a-a-apologizes." Said Slurhk, only to gag when Van Bloot wrapped his hand around his throat.
"I don't want your apology; I want you to do as you're told! If I hear of you setting a single foot out of line again, I'll drag you to Chaor myself and let him do whatever he wants to you!" Said Van Bloot before tossing Slurhk back against a wall and stormed out, trying to think of how he'll be able to salvage this mess.
*With Sarah*
Meanwhile, Sarah was relieved when she appeared back in the Port Court in one piece, only to frown as she went to a docking table and looked at her scan of Slurhk.
Seeing that he's now listed as UnderWorlder, along with how much higher his attributes were compared to other scans of him, as well as seeing that he now had a Fire Element along with his Earth and Water Elements.
'He must've gotten the Fire Element from his time in the UnderWorld. They must've used Mugic to power him up even more and mutate him into that new form, and with his new look, I feel like he'd be just as deadly in the water as he is on land.' Sarah thought, knowing she needed to tell the others about this.
Looking at the scan, Sarah sighed before uploading it, not really liking the idea of using Slurhk. But she couldn't deny how much stronger he is, making it foolish if she didn't use him.
'But I think I've spent enough time in UnderWorld territory. So time for the OverWorld.' Sarah thought before grabbing her Scanner and porting away.
*Forest of Life*
Appearing in the Forest of Life, Sarah got a scan of it, being pleased at being somewhere less dangerous and life-threatening.
'Now let's see if anyone is nearby.' Sarah thought before looking at her Scanner to check if there any Creatures close to her.
Getting a signal of a nearby Creature, Sarah headed in the direction of it, while hoping it's one that wouldn't immediately attack her. With the Danian Player smiling when she soon found the Creature and saw it was Eremia, who looked to be gathering some plants.
'Eremia, she's definitely a good choice.' Thought Sarah, knowing with Eremia's ability she could potentially gain every element, as long as the other Creatures she has loses them.
Scanning the wolf/fox-like Creature, Sarah soon noticed Eremia also had a sword sheathed at her side, which she quickly scanned as well.
'A Hornsabre too! Now that'll really be helpful!' Thought Sarah, smiling at the three scans she's gotten before porting away.
*With Naruto*
Naruto looked around the Numin Voidlands, making sure there weren't any M'arrillians in the immediate area before quickly scanning the Location.
'The Numin Voidlands will be a good place to battle in. Too bad I'm probably not going to be able to get any new M'arrillian scans.' Naruto thought as he ported away once he had the scan.
While he'd normally stick around and wait for some M'arrillians to show up, but with the time limit he currently has he couldn't afford to waste any time by playing cat and mouse.
*Chaotic*
Returning to the Port Court, Naruto uploaded his new scan before turning back to the teleporters to head to his next destination. Only to suddenly bump into someone when he turned around.
"Beat it los-oh, it's you Phantom." Said Krystella, scowling at the whiskered blonde, with Naruto frowning at seeing who he bumped into.
"Krystella. I'd say it's nice seeing you, but I'd be lying." Naruto said, making the brunette scoff and cross her arms.
"The feeling is very mutual Phantom. Now beat it, just being around you makes me sick." Krystella said, the Uzumaki raised a brow at this.
"You know I don't really care, but what exactly is your problem with me? I mean the assholes you hang around I understand, they all have fragile egos and can't handle being knocked out a couple pegs. But what's your problem?" Questioned Naruto, honestly having no idea what Krystella's problem with him and his friends is.
"My problem? My problem is that I can't stand losers like you and those dweebs you call friends getting in my way! First you ruined my plan for that crazy idiot Xaerv, then you blew out my damn eardrums!" Krystella growled as she glared at Naruto, while he narrowed his eyes at her.
Seeing she's the one who tricked Xaerv into believing he was trapped in a "magic" circle at Iron Pillar to mess with his Torwegg. Though he was confused at what she meant by him blowing out her eardrums, only to realize what happened.
"That bug was yours wasn't it. You were eavesdropping on us and were going to help Klay cheat." Said Naruto, which Krystella smirked at.
"What if I did? You don't have proof, just like you didn't have any that the bug belonged to Klay. After all with how loudly you screamed, it wouldn't be surprising if I'm not the only one who's hearing you messed up." Said Krystella, with Naruto frowning at her before shaking his head.
"I don't need to prove anything Krystella. Even if you did help Klay cheat, the results would've been the same with him losing and being kicked out for cheating. The only difference is you would've been dragged down with him." Naruto said, only for the UnderWorld Player to scoff.
"Yeah right, you still wouldn't have any proof I was involved." State Krystella.
"No, but Klay would have. After all, do you really think that if he was getting kicked out of Chaotic that he wouldn't make sure to drag someone down with him? And with you having been the one that'd help him cheat, it would make you the easiest target." Said Naruto, making Krystella freeze as her eyes widened.
Realizing that, as much as she hated it, he's right, Klay was the type of person that'd make sure to drag someone down with him. Meaning if her plan had worked and she gave Klay information on Naruto's team, then she would've been banned from Chaotic as well.
"That seems to be an ongoing problem for you isn't it. Your plans never seem to work out the way you want them to, it didn't work with trying to trick Xaerv and it didn't work with trying to help Klay. And from what I've seen of that group of minions you're making, that seems to be going just about as well. Since you couldn't work with Klay you're working with a bunch of players that lost to us, I beat Nick and Sanjay, Tom beat Nick and Tank, and Kaz beat Sanjay. That's not even counting how it seems you can barely keep things together as it is, with how they do whatever they want without your say-so." Naruto said, while Krystella now glared at him again.
"So, no I don't need to prove anything Krystella, let alone to you. If you have a problem with me, then by all means challenge me to a DromeMatch or wait for the tournament finals. I'll be happy to take you down just like everyone else that has a problem with me. Unless you think Tank or Sam have a chance, I don't mind making it four-for-four in beating your minions." Said Naruto before walking past Krystella, much to her growing anger before she soon smirked.
"It seems you need to learn another lesson Phantom, that you should stop underestimating your opponents. Because if you underestimate me, it'll just be another trip straight back to rock bottom for you." Krystella said while turning to the Uzumaki, making Naruto stop and look at her again.
"You remember how that felt, when Sanjay first sent you crashing down because of your own inflated ego? You think I'm the same as those idiots, but I'm much worse and a better Chaotic player because I don't make assumptions. I know you're a powerful opponent, something they sadly still don't realize, which is why I know that when we battle I'm going to be the one coming out on top." Said Krystella before going up and poking Naruto's chest.
"You think I'd actually waste time sending one of them to battle you? Please. The only person who's going to be knocking you out of the tournament, is me." Krystella said while pushing him back, only for the Uzumaki to not budge.
Looking at the brunette blankly for a few moments, Naruto merely turned around and stepped onto a teleporter before porting away to the Skeletal Springs.
So, what did you all think, good. Yep we see Naruto uploading his scans and looking over his deck before making one last trip to the UnderWorld, where he meets H'earring and Xield, learning what happened with Kaz and promises to prank him for what he did, along with scanning H'earring, Xield and the Deconstructor.
Before we go to Krystella getting a scan of Pyrithion and his Viperdriver (not sure if it has an actual name, but the robotic snake he drives in "Out In The Cold"), before going to get her Nauthilax scan which reveals his new Minion status after Phelphor put him under his control. With Krystella not complaining once she sees how much stronger Nauthilax is combined with his new abilities.
Next we go to Tom getting a scan of Gnarlus at Illusionary Lake along with a scan of the Location itself, before heading to the UnderWorld for some Creature scans, where he manages to scan Rothar and the Burithean Axe.
Then it's off to Sarah trying to find Skithia to scan her, only to come across Slurhk who's changed a lot since joining Van Bloot, being much bigger, stronger and mutated to now be able to travel underwater, giving him the chance to better use his Water Element, as well as developing a Fire Element from his time in the UnderWorld. With Sarah managing to scan him before porting out, knowing she'll need to tell the others about this.
Finally we see Naruto scanning the Numin Voidlands before leaving, knowing he didn't have time to play cat and mouse with the M'arrillians. Only to bump into Krystella after uploading his scan, leading to their official confrontation and showing their rivalry developing, going from one-sided on Krystella's part to being mutual. Though Naruto does underestimate her due to her recent troubles, something Krystella knows will be his downfall, again, when she knocks him out of the tournament. So, for those that like the story, thanks for your support. For those that don't or at least don't like the direction taken, you're more than welcomed to drop the story. But thanks for giving the story a chance anyway.
Storm out