Chapter 243
Hiccups POV:
It's been four days since my run in with the jami and in that time, I've continued my journey with no problems other than the occasional wild animal. Now it was nightfall and I was sitting by a fire with my nekubi fence surrounding me as I roasted my fish over the fire for dinner while I thought about my home and family since I knew their safety was the main reason I do what I do. It was then the familiar presence of a certain kitsune appeared in the clearing I had set up camp in and gave a small smile as I asked.
"I take it that the dragons forge was actually able to either cleanse the fan of the dark magic or make something out of those weird orbs." Asami walked under the fence and sat across from me.
"You are correct concerning the orbs but the fan I'm afraid is taking time as it seems that with the dark magic gone, it refuses to accept you as its master." I nodded.
"It's alright but what was done with those weird orbs?" She smiled at me.
"First, hold out your left arm." I nodded and did so. "I am truly sorry about this Hiccup." Before I could reply a chain that was glowing sky blue and were burning with a flame of the same color, flew out of her tail and immediately wrapped around my arm and I screamed at the feeling of my arm being ripped apart. "Endure the pain Hiccup, it shall be worth it." I ignored her words and focused on trying to get through the pain of my arm being ripped apart. "Just a little longer Hiccup, it's almost finished." I grit my teeth, wanting to yell at her to shut up but it was then the pain finally stopped and I was able to catch my breath but noticed that the chains were gone. "Are you alright Hiccup?" Looked up and glared at her while breathing heavily.
"What was that?"
"The chains that just attached themselves to you were forged from the cleansed essence of the multiple jami you defeated with each link being made from a single jami's core that you collected." I nodded. "Now please roll up your sleeve." I raised an eyebrow not knowing if I should. "Don't worry, nothing will come at you again this time." I hesitantly nodded and rolled up my sleeve but the second I did, I noticed that my arm now had the tattoo of a chain wrapping around it and this new tattoo ended halfway up my upper arm, just below the eagle marking from the spirits.
"What is this?"
"The chains are now much like your wings and have fully bonded to you so that when in need, you can release them from their current form as a tattoo." I nodded and tried willing the chains out of my arm and was surprised when they came out with the end slithering into the palm of my hand and then extended off it so I could swing it around. "This chain can be used in many ways Hiccup but those are things you will have to learn for yourself." I smiled.
"As The Ancient One told me whenever we trained with an item, in the right hands, anything can become a weapon." She raised an eyebrow.
"Do you truly believe this?"
"I admit, I was skeptical at first until he demonstrated what he meant by knocking the wind out of me by launching a single grain of rice into my gut." She stared at me in shock. "Yeah, never question him or interrupt him when he's having dinner." She shook her head.
"One of these days, you must tell me about those who have trained you."
"If I survive this adventure I will." She smiled and stood back up.
"You should get some rest Hiccup; you never know what Akuhei will send after you next." I nodded before she took off and I looked down at the chains wondering what abilities they had and how I could use them but first I needed to tend to my dinner which looked ready to be eaten.
4 days later
Akuhei's lair
Nobodies POV:
The hooded figure bowed before Akuhei who was tapping his fingers against the arm rests of his throne as his servant looked nervous as his master looked down on him in silence. Nobody would be able to blame him though since Akuhei had regained his original form and had almost surpassed his original power and Akuhei had yet to tell him why he had been summoned this time. It was then Akuhei finally broke the silence saying.
"Every yokai you have brought me and sent after Hiccup Haddock has not only failed but made my foe stronger."
"Forgive me master, I should not have sent such weak yokai believing that they would stand a chance against one who was able to defeat you."
"Your mistake is understandable as I underestimated your foolishness but never the less the ones you sent succeeded in stalling Hiccup Haddock long enough for me to regain my former power." He stood up from his throne. "Now it is time for me to return to where it all began and face my foe once more." He then looked at the hooded figure. "Bring him to me alive as the pleasure of killing him is mine and mine alone." The figure bowed to Akuhei.
"As you command my lord." He then made his way out while Akuhei sat back down in his throne.
"Soon we will meet again Hiccup and this time it is you who shall perish." With that said he began making his way out to begin travelling to where it all began.
Hiccups POV:
It's been four days since I received the chain and, in that time, I've been practicing with it and learnt a few things like how it can extend up to thirty feet but unlike my magic rope, I can't control it by will other than having it grow longer and return to my arm. Other than that, its abilities are mostly those of a normal chain which in my hands can make it a powerful weapon like the one I used to strangle the Nemean lion. It did have some unique abilities though like how the one end could immediately wrap around my prosthetic arms wrist so I could form a line between the two arms that can be used to either strangle a foe or block an attack. Speaking of blocking an attack, I learnt that these chains were unbreakable and when released from my arm, it could fully wrap around it and used as armor.
This was an ability that would come in handy in the future since when opponents realize my right arm is a prosthetic, they target my left arm instead plus it could also be used to give more power to my punch since single strike from these chains was enough to destroy a boulder. I know this because I actually tried it by cracking the chains against a nearby boulder and it broke in two but I didn't stop practicing with the chain after that since I needed to get a feel for how to best weald it. It was during this practice that I learnt of another ability that made it clear the chains were made from the jami and this ability was the ability to ignite the chains with a ghostly blue flame that acted like the flames of my shadow sickle. This meant they turn what they touch into charred rock but unlike my sickle, it didn't need to absorb shadows to fuel the flames and these flames couldn't be launched so they stuck to the chain and would burn anything it touched.
Besides that, things have been peaceful with the only yokai encounter being an Ijū, a yokai native to the mountains who are shy and gentle and at most beg for food from travelers and helps them in return. I gave the one I encountered some dried boar meat I had, and he showed me a shortcut through the forest which cut my journey time in half. Besides that, I had no more yokai encounters and the only other things I encountered were some traveling merchants and some people in some of the villages I passed through. Still though, despite the peace I never let my guard down since that could lead to my defeat and death which is not something I could allow until Akuhei's defeat. Now I was on my kappa shell helmet, making my way down a path through an open grassy field but it was then a hooded figure walked into my path and stood there. I sighed and stopped before I pulled my kappa shell helmet back into my weapons sash and asked.
"Akuhei send you to kill me?"
"No, I am here to bring you to him." I raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure he didn't send you to kill me since that's what all of his minions have tried to do since I got here?"
"True but this time my master wants you alive and when I bring you to him, he will reward me for my loyalty."
"Do you really think he'll reward you?"
"I've done too much to not be rewarded by him after I resurrected him." My eyes widened hearing this.
"Wait a minute, you're the one who brought him back?" The figure nodded.
"And I couldn't have done it without your help." I gestured to myself.
"My help?"
"After a few of your adventures I was able to gather items needed to create lord Akuhei a new body with the help of the telchines and the arm he severed so he could use your prosthetic."
"You're the one who saved the telchines?" He nodded.
"I needed them to build my master a new body." He then chuckled. "And to serve as a meal to feed my masters power."
"So, you betrayed them?"
"They had served their purpose and could only serve to as a way to restore my master's body to its former glory."
"But what do you get out of all this?"
"Akuhei has promised me my greatest desire, the destruction of all humans." My eyes widened at this.
"But aren't you human to?"
He growled at me with anger that made me step back as he ripped off his cloak to reveal a man with blood red hair and blazing yellow eyes, wearing nothing but long blue pants. It was then he began changing in front of my very eyes with blood red fur growing all over his body as his mouth pushed out to form a muzzle with pointed ears forming out of his head and nine tails forming out of his lower back. This was all I needed to know that this guy was a kitsune and judging by the heat he was giving off he was a very old and a very powerful one as he said.
"I am the kitsune Kurama."
My eyes widened hearing this since I'd heard tales of Kurama on my travels and read about him in the books in Akuhei's library and none of this story was a happy one. The reason Kurama hates humans is because at an early age they brought nothing but pain, trouble, misery and hate to his life, starting when he was still just a pup. Humans killed his parents, not for food or harming their livestock but because the men who killed them wanted some fox fur to decorate the homes. After that Kurama was alone, fending for himself for years and during that time, humans kept being a bother by destroying his den, stealing his food or just trying to kill him. At some point though he met a female fox who began to dissipate his hatred for humans with her love and even gave him nine fox pups of whom he loved so very much.
One day though he came back from hunting for his family to find their den destroyed and his family missing, following their scent he found them being skinned by three humans. They were in the process of tanning his mates hide while his pups were being drained of blood and heard how they were hunted for nothing other than pleasure. This threw him into a rage in which he slaughtered the hunters and then buried his family but at that point his heart had turned black as coal. From that point on Kurama went on to slaughter any humans he came across and along the way his fur was stained crimson from all the blood he was constantly covered in. He also gathered so much negative emotions that when he met his end at the hands of a group of soldiers, he became a kitsune filled with nothing but hate and a thirst for revenge. He continued to kill humans but also began to feed on yokai, allowing him to grow in power to the point that he drew the attention of Lady Amateratsu. At first, she approached him peacefully but he eventually tried to attack her thus he burned her but she continued to try to settle things peacefully only for him to continue to attack her. After a while she eventually sealed him away, but she always remembered the amount of hatred he had in his eyes before he vanished into the seal that would serve as his prison. I was brought out of my thoughts when he said.
"Judging by the look in your eyes, you've heard of me."
"It's not that hard to miss a story about a being who's filled with so much hate."
"If you know what your kind did to me, can you blame me?"
"No, but you could've learnt how to let go of your anger and hatred to keep the part of the fox who your mate fell in love with alive." I shook my head. "Now I can see there's nothing left of him but I am curious to know how you were able to break free of Lady Amateratsu's seal."
"Lord Akuhei saw my use and released me from it after he discovered where it was hidden." He then growled and stood on his hind legs holding out his hands which were clawed human hands. "Now enough talk, it's time for you to come with me to master Akuhei to face your doom." I smirked and released my chains in my left hand and let it dangle to the ground, pulled out my wakizashi from its sheath with my prosthetic and activated my nue mask.
"If you really think it'll be that easy, then think again." The kitsune smiled.
"Then let us begin since I doubt lord Akuhei will mind if I bring you back a little beaten up." I growled and charged at him with our fight beginning at that moment.
Nobodies POV:
Kurama immediately launched a large ball of flames right at Hiccup but Hiccup quickly used his ability to manipulate flames to split the ball in two and part way for him to continue his charge against kurama who stood in shock, not expecting Hiccup to be able to control his flames. Hiccup took this opportunity and swung his chains down at Kurama who quickly got over his shock and raised his right arm, blocking the chain that wrapped around it. Knowing he might do this, Hiccup quickly yanked the chain forward and with it came Kurama who stumbled forward in surprise allowing Hiccup the chance to slash at him with his wakizashi but Kurama recovered and was able step back. He wasn't fast enough though and Hiccup was able to deliver a shallow cut across Kurama's chest making the kitsune growl in anger before he yanked Hiccups chain forward as hard as he could before Hiccup could react. Hiccup came flying forward towards Kurama who quickly loosened the chain around his arm before slamming the palm of his hand into Hiccups stomach, knocking the air out of him and sending him flying through the air and then sliding across the ground and making him drop his wakizashi.
When he recovered, he slowly stood up and spat out some blood for the first time knowing Kurama was going to be a far more dangerous foe than the other yokai he'd gone up against on this journey but he expected this. Kurama then raised his tails and began spinning them around in a circle with the tips of the flames lit up forming a large ring of flames above his head. Hiccup could tell by the feeling of the heat that these flames were stronger than the original ball of flames that was launched at him and got ready to move. It was then Kurama launched the ring into the air but instead of going towards Hiccup it just hovered over Kurama for a few moments before spreading out and then landing on the ground creating a large wall of fire, surrounding both Hiccup and Kurama who said.
"Don't bother trying to control or break through these flames, this ring is completely made from flames formed by my own essence so a single touch will be enough to turn you into ashes."
"I thought Akuhei wanted me alive."
"He does which is why I lowered the normal power of my flames or you would be ashes right now but for now the heat will slowly suffocate you till you pass out." Hiccup smirked.
"That just means I'll have to work on defeating you faster." He growled.
"I will enjoy silencing that arrogant tongue of yours human." Hiccup smirked as he returned his chains to his arm and pulled out three crystal shuriken loaded with his explosive gas.
"This human still has some tricks up his sleeve." Kurama raised an eyebrow right before Hiccup threw his shuriken but Kurama and with speed that made Hiccup gasp in shock, caught them out of midair but Hiccup got over his shock and chuckled. "You might want to extinguish your flames now." Kurama opened his mouth to reply but before he could the shuriken shattered, releasing the gas that was immediately lit by the flames on Kurama's tail setting off a massive explosion making Hiccup smirk. "I warned you."
As soon as the words left his mouth Kurama roared as he charged out of the smoke at full speed with his fur covered in soot slamming his shoulder into Hiccup lifting him off the ground but before he could go flying, Kurama grabbed his leg and through him to the ground sending him sliding a few feet. Hiccup groaned in pain right as Kurama jumped up high and formed a fist that he brought down towards Hiccup who quickly recovered and rolled out of the way to avoid the blow that shattered the earth when it hit the ground. Hiccup quickly stood up before Kurama could stand up from his hunched over position and brought his left foot right down on the back of Kurama's head. Kurama went down to the ground but before he could get up Hiccup grabbed him by the back of his and slammed it hard into the ground and continued to do so six more times before Kurama was able to wrap his tails around Hiccup from behind and throw him off.
Hiccup tuck and rolled on the ground after impact and stood back up before looking back at Kurama who was now glaring daggers at Hiccup right before he charged at Hiccup once more at full speed. Hiccup didn't get the chance to react this time and slamming into him, throwing him to the ground rolling before he quickly pinned him to the ground as he growled out.
"Nobody rubs my face in the mud and gets away with it." He then slammed Hiccups head into the ground before wrapping his hands around Hiccups neck and began strangling him. "I'll strangle you until you black out and then bring you back to lord Akuhei to face your doom."
Hiccup swatted at Kurama's arms in an attempt to stop but it just made Kurama chuckle until Hiccup noticed his wakizashi that he'd dropped earlier in the fight was in his reach. Fortunately, Kurama was too focused on Hiccups conscious state to notice Hiccups hand as he quickly grabbed the blade and stabbed it into the side of Kurama's waist. The corrupt Kitsune roared in pain as the blade pierced his side right before Hiccup was able to flip them over so now, he was on top of Kurama and put the blade to the kitsunes throat. Hiccup pressed the blade against Kurama's neck, drawing blood from it as he said.
"No tricks will save you this time Kurama." It was then a deep dark voice echoed through the area.
"I disagree my dear foe!" As soon as the last word finished a thick black fog rose from the ground around them, quickly covering them and then sunk into the groundleaving the clearing empty with no sign of Hiccup or Kurama.
In an old abandoned village square
Akuhei stood in the middle of the town, patiently waiting right before the same black fog that covered Hiccup and Kurama emerged from the ground, forming a small cloud and then pulled back into the ground to reveal Hiccup still on top of Kurama. Akuhei smiled at them as Hiccup looked at him in shock before Kurama smiled and quickly pushed Hiccup off and leapt towards his mater bowing to him as he said.
"Master, I thank you for using your magic to save me and also to bring our foe to his doom." Akuhei looked down at him.
"You seem to misunderstand something Kurama." He quickly sent his arm out and grabbed Kurama by the neck and lifted him up with such speed that it all looked like a blur right before Kurama struggled to get Akuhei to let go. "You have been of great service to me but I have no more use for you." As soon as that last word left his mouth, he squeezed tighter and the sickening cracking sound of Kurama's neck snapping under the pressure as Kurama's body went limp before Akuhei threw the body to the side while Hiccup looked on in disgust which Akuhei noticed. "He'd served his purpose but when I'm done with you, I'll be sure to give him a proper burial." Hiccup glared at him.
"You are a sick and twisted creature Akuhei." He looked at Hiccup and gestured to the village around them.
"And it is this village that made me this way and taught me that the weak need to become strong and those who can't shall only serve as stepping stones for the strong to become stronger." Hiccup looked around at the ruined village.
"This is the village you grew up in isn't it?" Akuhei nodded.
"I felt it would be poetic for the completion of my rebirth to take place where it all began for me." Hiccup shrugged.
"True!" Hiccup then pulled out Pirus and Ventus. "Well Akuhei, shall we get this over with so I can go home to my family." Akuhei chuckled.
"Then your family will be disappointed with you never returning to them again." Hiccup growled. "Just give me a moment to change into something more comfortable."
Roots that looked to be made from burnt wood with glowing red cracks burst from the ground and latched onto Akuhei, quickly spreading around his body, forming thick human shaped shell that completely covered his body. Slowly the shell began to take on a new form with feet that had three long talons on each foot with one talon on the back, clawed hands that looked as if they could rip through metal like paper, two curved horns with the beginning of them twisting like ram horns, all looking like they were made of charred wood with the cracks glowing a fiery orange. Akuhei let out a sigh of relief before he said.
"That's much better." His claws extended and grew thicker. "Now then Hiccup, shall we begin the sweet dance of battle." Hiccup got into his battle stance.
"Lets!"
Akuhei charged at Hiccup with speed that made him look like a blur, but Hiccup had not trouble seeing every single step he took thanks to his ninja and kung fu training. When Akuhei brought his claws down towards Hiccup was quick to lean back and do a back-flip kick into Akuhei's jaw before putting some distance between the two of them. Akuhei rubbed his jaw from the blow and smirked at Hiccup who came to land five feet away from him before he smiled and said.
"Not bad Hiccup, you're combat skills have improved since our last fight." Hiccup smirked.
"What can I say, I've been through a lot while you were dead." Akuhei readied his claws.
"Then this fight might actually serve as a way to help me test my new body instead of just a way to erase an annoyance from my life." Hiccup just ignored his words and quickly hopped ran onto the roof of a nearby hut.
"In the time since our last meeting, I've also come up with some new moves of my own." He then crouched down. "Here's one of my favorites." Hiccup then jumped from the roof towards Akuhei, performing his Catastrophic Quaken kick towards his foe who quickly crossed his arms over his chest blocking Hiccups kick, but it still succeeded in pushing him back three feet before Hiccup pushed off while Akuhei lowered his arms and chuckled.
"Not bad for a human."
He then launched himself at Hiccup with his claws extended and continuously slashed at Hiccup who was quick to block the attacks with his swords but Akuhei's attacks were too fast and some of the strikes got through but only cut his clothing. It was then Akuhei caught Hiccup by surprise and slashed both claws down at Hiccup who quickly raised both Pirus and Ventus to block both extended clawed hands. Akuhei smirked and Hiccup realized he'd just fallen into a trap right before Akuhei grasped both blades and then delivered a powerful kick to Hiccups stomach, sending him flying back without Pirus and Ventus. Hiccup went sliding across the ground and into a wooden totem that had been covered in moss and vines due to the overgrowth of the plants. Hiccup looked up at Akuhei glaring at him while Akuhei held up the blades as if to taunt Hiccup right before he infused his magic into them making Hiccups eyes widened as the sound of Pirus and Ventus' screams of pain echoed through area. Hiccup could only watch as the swords shattered, blades, handles and all.
The shards that were once Pirus and Ventus fell to the ground before Hiccup growled in pure rage as he looked at Akuhei with his fists clenched in complete anger, no longer feeling their presence and feeling that this time they were gone for good. It was then a symbol on his sash glowed before his Yajiri nari yari emerged from the sash on its own, but Hiccup was filled with too much rage and grief due to the destruction of Pirus and Ventus that he didn't care and took his weapon in hand and prepared to fight. This time though the Yajiri nari yari was pulsing with power that Hiccup could feel and knew this was the hidden ability that was granted by the dragons' forge. He tapped the butt of the staff on the ground that sent a pulse through the ground and a few seconds later multiple glowing spirits of people with skulls where the heads were meant to be all staring at the two.
Akuhei looked around and glared at the spirits before looking at Hiccup with such anger that if looks could kill, Hiccup would be dead ten times over. Akuhei let out a roar and charged at Hiccup with his claws extended but this time he looked as if he were moving in slow motion to Hiccup who smiled. He charged at Akuhei and thrust the head of his weapon forward towards Akuhei who quickly twisted his body to avoid the strike, but Hiccup swung the staff to the side towards Akuhei who quickly stepped away. He wasn't fast enough though and was only able to avoid being fully stabbed with blade only leaving a shallow cut across his stomach making Akuhei roar in pain. The reason for his screams of pain was the cut may have been shallow, but the damage was immense with dark mist like substance, oozing out of the wound.
Akuhei glared at Hiccup who smirked at him before Akuhei suddenly disappeared from where he was but before he could react he sensed a presence behind him and quickly rushed forward but he wasn't fast enough. Akuhei was faster though and had his claws scratch Hiccups back leaving shallow cuts going across his back, making Hiccup growl in pain and turned to his foe who chuckled. Hiccup turned with his weapon in hand and began spinning it in his hand before Akuhei leapt into the and attacked him from above but as he came down, Hiccup quickly raised the pole of his weapon in both hands and blocked the blow. Akuhei was quick to recover though and took hold of the pole, trying to take it from Hiccup but Hiccup held on tightly resulting in the two struggling against each other.
Knowing this needed to end, Hiccup quickly activated his noe mask and let out a loud sonic blast right into Akuhei's face but Akuhei barely flinched at the sound. It served another purpose though and that was distracting Akuhei and this was a purpose that it was doing perfectly since Akuhei didn't notice how Hiccup was manoeuvring his feet. Before Akuhei realized what was going on, Hiccup quickly pulled his right foot back, pulling Akuhei's left foot right from under him making him fall back and loosen his grip on the pole in surprise allowing Hiccup to pull it out of his grip. Before Akuhei could get up Hiccup pushed down on his chest to pin him down and then raised the Yajiri nari yari and said.
"There will be no way for you to come back this time Akuhei."
He then slammed the Yajiri nari yari right into Akuhei's chest right before there was shockwave that threw Hiccup off Akuhei who screamed as his body ignited. Hiccup watched as Akuhei screamed in pain with the black bark like skin falling off to reveal his original form before he stopped struggling and looked at Hiccup who was shocked when he saw tears forming in his eyes. Then much to Hiccups shock he smiled and said.
"Hiccup Haddock, the power of the Orochi corrupted my very soul but just for this moment you have returned me to the man I once was and I cannot thankyou enough for this and although it is a selfish request, please tell Asami I am sorry and that I never stopped loving her or our daughter."
Hiccup was shocked by this but smiled and gave a nod before Akuhei gave one last smile and then his body turned to ashes that floated into the air while the Yajiri nari yari turned to stone that was black as coal. Then there was a giant light green ball the size of my fathers belly that floated from the Yajiri nari yari and then exploded, sending a large green wave through the sky and then nothing but Hiccup didn't know what it was. It was then for the first time the spirits moved with all their heads turning to face where Akuhei's body was as the skulls were replaced with human heads who were all looking at the place with sadness and regret. It wasn't hard to figure out that these were the spirits of the villagers who'd tormented Akuhei when he lived in this village and it was easy to tell they regretted what they did to him. The spirits turned to Hiccup and bowed to him in respect before they disappeared, finally able to move on to the afterlife. With them gone, Hiccup walked over to his Yajiri nari yari and examined it before pulling it out of the ground and examined it, not feeling any power within it anymore and all he could say was.
"I've got to remember to ask the master of the dragons forge what he did to this thing." It was then he saw the shards of Pirus and Ventus and kneeled down with tears forming in his eyes. "I'm so sorry my friends, you didn't deserve this." He then let out a sigh and pulled out a two leather bags and collected the shards into them before he sat down on one of the porches of one of the ruined houses and took a breath. "The girls are going to kill me when they find out about this fight." He yawned and flinched because of the wounds before he looked around. "This place must've been beautiful when it was still alive." He let out a yawn. "I don't suppose a little nap would do any harm." With that said he leaned down and fell asleep.
Hiccups POV:
I opened my eyes and found myself laying on the grassy ground of a familiar bamboo forest with the familiar sound of a koto echoing through the area. I sighed knowing this was the same bamboo forest where I met the sun goddess of Japan, Amaterasu Ōmikami and stood up and began making my way towards the sound of the koto. It didn't take me long to arrive at a familiar shrine where I once again found Amaterasu Ōmikami playing her koto with a gentle smile on her face. I walked up to the steps of the shrine and kneeled before Amaterasu Ōmikami who smiled at me and said.
"It is good to see you again Hiccup Haddock."
"Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami, I am honoured to be in your presence once more." She gave a gentle smile as she continued to play her music.
"Hiccup, before we do anything let's fix up the damage Akuhei has done to your body and clothes." She raised a hand that gave a gentle yellow glow and all my wounds healed before my clothes were fixed as if they were never torn. "That's better." Her hand then returned to playing the koto. "Now let us discuss your deeds in this land." I nodded. "Hiccup, not only were you able to defeat multiple yokai who have threatened the people but you also freed the spirits of Akuheis old village who had been imprisoned there for decades and for just a few moments, you returned Akuhei to the champion and good man he once was." I raised an eyebrow.
"He was being serious about that?" She nodded.
"Before I sent him to the afterlife, he asked me to pass on a message to you." I gestured to her that I was listening. "He said 'do not let the power you are given control you as it did him for it shall cost you all you hold dear'." I sighed.
"It may have taken time, but he finally saw the light." She nodded.
"And that is the most impressive thing you have helped do in this land as helping him see the light was something not even a god could do." I nodded before I remembered Kurama.
"If I may ask, what's going to happen to the soul of Kurama?" She struck the wrong string on her koto and a frown came to her face as she stopped playing and sighed.
"I'm afraid his soul had been filled with far too much hatred and desire for the complete destruction of humanity." She looked at me in sadness. "It was decided that his soul would be sent to the underworld where it shall remain until he can learn to let go of his hate and only then will he be allowed to ascend to the heavens and reunite with his family." I nodded.
"I hope that he'll be able to do so eventually." She smiled and continued to play her koto.
"We can at least take some comfort in the fact that his death has brought some good that shall help you in the future." I raised an eyebrow before she stopped playing and clapped her hands before some items floated out from behind her back and as soon as they were exposed I immediately recognized them as my grootslang coat, jaguar mask, leather chest plate, third arm sash and blade scarf. "I took the liberty of collecting these from your islands vault for this." She clapped her hands once more and the glowing body of Koto floated up from behind her. "Koto's soul may have left this world, but his body still possesses a great deal of power that I was able to cleanse and now I give this power to these items made by the gods." Koros body shone brightly and then burst into multiple streams of light before they each flowed into my gear that began glowing bright orange and then shone so bright that I had to cover my eyes and when I was able to see again my gear was gone. "Right now, your belongings have been returned to your vault so they may take time to absorb this new power and should be done by the time you are sent home." I nodded.
"I look forward to seeing what they are able to do when I return home." She smiled.
"Now onto your next gifts." She reached into her sleeves and pulled out a katana with a jewelled sheath. "This katana can slice through anything, but it is also a symbol of your deeds in this land." I nodded as the katana floated into my hands and I took a moment to admire the beautiful piece and bowed to Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami.
"I thank you Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami."
"You are most welcome Hiccup Haddock but please leave all your thanks till the end." I nodded as she reached into her sleeves once more and pulled out an orb with what looked to be a dragon made of flames inside palm sized a crystal orb. "This is a gift not from me but the dragons forge." I raised an eyebrow. "Within this orb is the essence of the forge itself, you are to throw it into your own forge back on your island and it shall reveal the true gift from the forge." I nodded and took the orb into my hand and felt its warmth within it as if it were alive. "Now Hiccup, do you recall that strange ball of light that formed from your Yajiri nari yari after Akuhei's body was destroyed?" I nodded. "That was the life and magic of the land and yokai that was stolen by Akuhei to feed his new body, being returned to its proper place, returning life to the land and a few of the yokai who called it home." I nodded. I raised an eyebrow.
"That can happen?"
"Only with yokai who are born from the land or draw power for their forms from the elements that make up the land such as earth, wind, water, fire, lightning, plants, wood, metal, lava, ice and sand." I nodded. "When was restored you also restored all eleven of these elements you also restored eleven yokai who draw their power from these elements called nibi."
My eyes widened hearing this since nibi were cat yokai who drew their power from the elements and although mostly peaceful, they were said to be as able to cause disasters. The way they're able to do this is with their chosen element since they have full control over it like how an earth nibi can travel through the earth as if it were water, wood nibi can make trees grow from the ground or lightning nibi can travel at the speed of lightning. Along with this the older they get, the more powerful they become and are smart enough to know that when they choose their element at the age of four, it's a lifelong commitment. To top it all off, they're able to go back and forth between the land of the living and the land of the dead, bringing information from either world.
It was then Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami brought me out of her thoughts by clapping her hands once and out from behind the shrine walked eleven cats the size of fully grown gryphon, each with two tails with each possessing a body that looked to be made entirely out of one of the elements Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami named. I knew right then and there that these weren't just nibi's but 'grand Nibi's' which are two-tailed cats who've lived for more than several thousand years and have actually gained a Mastery over their element. It's been said that their power and control over their elements has reached the point that it's impossible to tell the difference between natural disasters and them when they're angered. I'm guessing my shock showed on my face since Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami giggled as the nibi's bowed to me before she said.
"I hope they are able to serve you well Hiccup along with this next beast." She clapped her hands and from behind her came a large bird cage that was the size of my upper body with a black bird inside that I recognized as one that I'd seen on my travels. "This bird was Akuhei's way of watching you on your travels and I have cleansed him of the dark magic that enslaved him to Akuhei and now he wishes to serve you for freeing him from his dark master." She opened the cage and the bird flew up to land on my shoulder before it glowed and I dropped to my knees in pain since for some reason, the eye of the dragon had begun burning like a hot coal and then it stopped.
"What was that?"
"That was your new companion simply merging with your eye so you will now be able to see what he sees."
"So, he's like my automatons now?" She nodded.
"In a way but I believe he has more abilities than those little toys of yours which you should find quite useful." I nodded before I bowed to her.
"Thank you Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami for everything." She just smiled at me.
"You are most welcome Hiccup Haddock and although I am grateful for all you've done for the land of my worshipers I'm hoping that the next time you come, it'll simply be to enjoy what the land has to offer." I smiled at her.
"I'd like that Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami, I'd like that a lot but it all depends if I can survive facing the three most dangerous creatures in my life." She raised an eyebrow. "My wives who are most likely going to kill me when they hear of all the dangers I faced on this trip." She giggled.
"They sound like female oni who have found their mates to be avoiding their duties to both them and their offspring." I chuckled since I'd read about it before.
"Yeah but the male oni have better survival chances." She giggled before I remembered something that brought a frown to my face.
"Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami, if you don't mind me asking, when you send me back to the mortal world, could you send me back to the dragons forge." Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami frowned.
"Is this about your comrades, Pirus and Ventus?" I nodded.
"I'm hoping they can be repaired like last time." Before she could reply the familiar voice of Pirus came from above saying.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple this time old friend." I looked up and saw both Pirus and Ventus come to land before me as Pirus said.
"Hiccup, we are sorry to say that our journey together with you has come to an end." Tears formed in my eyes and I dropped to my knees.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for the both of you to die the way you did." My tears began to fully form and fall to the ground until Ventus said.
"There is nothing to be sorry about." I looked up to him as Pirus continued.
"We knew our journey could not last forever and we are glad it ended the way it did as it thanks to you, we were able to leave the world of the living with honor and dignity." I smiled at this before Ventus said.
"You collected the shards of the blades we were imprisoned in?" I nodded. "You may forge, them into new blades that may serve you as we did since they still have some of our magic within them." I smiled since it would at least feel they were both still with me in some way but I'm guessing my sadness showed. "Don't be so sad Hiccup, this isn't goodbye forever but a goodbye for now." They then began to take flight as Pirus said.
"Goodbye Hiccup Haddock and thank you for everything." They both took off as I watched in sadness before Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami said.
"Goodbyes are never easy Hiccup but know that you will meet them again one day." I smiled and nodded sadly. "Now it is back to the mortal realm you go with all the gifts you have been given."
I smiled and then there was a bright flash before I opened my eyes to find myself back in the village but this time, my nibi were sitting around me while the katana and orb containing the dragon forges flame were on either side of me. I sighed and stood up before I looked up to see it was getting dark and said.
"Better set up camp for the evening since I can head home tomorrow." I looked to the nibi. "Care to help set up camp for the night?" They each growled and got to work wherever they could.
2 hours later
It's been two hours since I got back to the mortal realm and that time had been spent setting up camp for the evening and of course, studying my new nibi's appearances.
The lightning nibi's fur stood up and went down with multiple streams of lightning running across the lightning blue fur with white lightning shaped stripes covering its body.
The earth nibi had brown fur with darker splotches in various places that looked to be dirt that got pulled into the body and reappeared somewhere else except for one piece of dirt that looked like a mask on its face that went above the eyes and down the muzzle.
The ice nibi on the other hand had pure white fur that looked to be as smooth as ice itself with a few ice shards sticking out of various places around its body with its claws and two large fangs sticking out of its mouth being made of ice.
The wind nibi had light grey fur that seemed to keep flowing as if it were standing in the middle of a windy field with darker curled wind like patterns on its fur.
The water nibi on the other hand had ocean blue fur with swirls to make damp markings that looked to ripple like water with water seeming to stream around its body like a rushing river forming a harness like shape around its back and chest.
The fire nibi had flame orange fur that looked as if it were made from burning flames and black stripped like markings reminiscent of a blazing fire covering its body with fire like pillars coming out of its shoulders.
The wood nibi looked as if were made entirely out of oak wood with patches of bark sticking to the shoulders to form some sort of shoulder guards and going down the back like a spine.
The sand nibi had fur that made it look like a sand sculpture with spotted parts that were darker than rest of its body and like the earth nibi it had a mask like form on its face that circled the eyes and went down the muzzle.
The lava nibi had black fur that looked to be made of lava rock complete with glowing red cracks that looked to have magma flowing in them and going down from the top of its head and down the back of its neck were flames that looked a bit like a horses mane.
The metal nibi had dirty grey fur that looked to actually be made of metal and for a moment I actually thought it was an automaton but who could blame me since it had a sharp metal spike at the end of its tail and metal spikes running down its spine and two large curved spikes on its shoulders.
Finally there's the plant nibi who had bright green fur that looked so fluffy I almost mistook it for moss with vines coming out of various places and sticking to the body with the vines also wrapping around the bottom of the two front legs like bands.
As for my new bird, he looked the same as he usually did whenever I saw him except now, I could get a better look at him and finally noticed the horns and lower jaw that split open three ways. It was really creepy, but I then remembered how my catastrophic quakens were with their split lower jaws and how I got used to how they were. I figure it'll take some time but I'll get used to this birds look as well and like Lady Amaterasu Ōmikami said, it has more abilities than my automatons and I was looking forward to seeing everything he'd be able to do but for now, I just wanted to get some rest. With this in mind, I turned my attention back to the fire and began preparing myself some dinner for the evening since tomorrow, I'd head home to my family.
AN: I got this chapter out sooner than I thought I would but with it comes an end to this adventure with some new upgrades to current equipment, new items to help out in the future and more beasts for the island. Anyway, sorry to leave you all on a cliff hanger like this with me not revealing what the upgrades to the gear do, what the bird's capable of or what the dragon in the orb does. Sorry guys, you'll have to wait till the next chapter to see that but anyway, for those of you wondering about the chains, I got the idea from this manga I read called 'All Rounder' where chains are the main characters weapon and I figured why not so if you want an idea of how they can be used, go read it. Now until the next chapter stay safe and please review kindly since despite the number of favs and follows this story has, I get less than seven reviews in a good week so I would appreciate some feedback for this chapter.
P.S.
A special thanks to my pal Rogue Deity master for giving me the idea to use nibi and the kitsune, he really helped me out there.
