Naruto x ?
Ugh. Why had she accepted this job?
It was supposed to be a quick and simple task she took while her usual employer allowed her to take a break. Dunyarzard would be confined to her bed for quite some time, thanks to her Eleazar flaring up. Even after receiving some medicine from the Chief Officer of the Forest Rangers and bringing it to her, she would still be bedridden for quite some time.
But no! These researchers had to fumble through one of the more obscure pyramid ruins of her people!
Dehya sighed. She honestly didn't care one way or another what they did. She didn't harbor the same superstitions the rest of her people did. She didn't see the point in it.
What she did know was to avoid messing around in places like this, as danger lurked at every corner. And the risks of fumbling through ancient technology never ended well. She would have turned it down if this weren't as lucrative of a job offer that specifically requested her.
Flipping open her pocket mirror of her make-up kit, smoothing out the lines of her face, Dehya closed it and exhaled. "But with that kind of Mora… I was able to buy all the most lavish make-up and perfumes. …Dammit. Got to show more restraint next time. The guys could use better gear."
"Although I do look amazing." Dehya counterpointed herself with a sly grin, scanning the temple where the Akademiya scholars were observing the center construct of the pyramid.
It took a while to get here. She had to push through many scorpions that had made this temple their home, along with the occasional ancient constructs. But that was nothing out of the ordinary, and she was swiftly able to dispatch them. What she didn't like was assisting in figuring out the door locks! Those things were annoying puzzles!
But things had calmed down. She only had to keep a perimeter. Scorpions were always an issue, but there was always the chance that the more extremists of the Emermites could have heard about this expedition and ambushed the Akademiya scholars.
There was only one entrance, so keeping track of that was simple enough. The real issue was that there didn't seem to be a way back out if a cave-in occurred. The threat was genuine because the few other passageways that led into the building were blocked off by rubble. If something did happen, she'd have to be careful. Couldn't let off too much steam in fear of what could happen.
Not to mention, the massive construct model that lay inert on the ground could awaken at any moment. It happened often. Most were still in relatively good shape and only were storing energy. Or it could be tied to an algorithm or security program of some sort.
"Hey!" Dehya's temple mildly bulged, noticing one of the Akademyia scholars fusing around one of the control panels. "Be careful with that! There is no telling what it is connected to. Could be the security system, ya hear!"
With a click of his tongue to the roof of his mouth, the elderly researcher shot Dehya a nasty glare. Dehya responded in kind, crossing her arms over her chest, causing him to flinch from the intensity of her gaze. He then frustratingly turned his attention to the glowing panel. "I am very aware of that. I was simply examining it for it could be the central console for this pillar and solving the mystery of these ruins."
Dehya scoffed and rolled her eyes. Turning away, she shook her head. "Long as you don't mess with it. From my experience, a panel like that only leads to more trouble."
Scoffing in disapproval, Dehya moved away. She hated men like him. Worse of all, she could hear him muttering as she walked away. "Superstitious desert rat… It is we who hold the knowledge and wisdom to use it correctly. Impeding our progression yet again…"
Biting back a retort by clenching her fist, Dehya's expression soured. If he did anything… The Mora they were paying her would be useless if no one survived!
Taking a deep breath of the stagnant air, she shook her head and attempted to calm down. This wasn't a superstition. This was based on experience. She had seen it many times before. And unlike many of her peers… She cared to learn and seek more knowledge about the world around her. The more she knew, the more she was prepared for and understood.
Knowledge was power, not something to be hoarded but shared.
"What?" Dehya's heart skipped a beat as she heard the same researcher shout. As she felt a rumble beneath her feet, her eyes quickly darted towards the only exit available. Was it an earthquake? They needed to escape immediately to avoid being trapped in these ruins!
As she snapped back, her heart sank when she saw the panel glowing brilliantly, as if it had been activated. She snarled as she agitatedly rushed toward him. "What did you do?!"
"I did nothing, rat!" The elderly scholar screeched and pointed to the panel. "It just activated on its own accord with provocation!"
Hissing, feeling the man was not truthful, her eyes darted as the room trembled, watching sand begin to stream and filter in from above and stones become dislodged. She nearly gasped as dazzling light shot through the hard rock. It was like a pillar of light… The world rumbled around her, and the pyramid's stones began to shake loose. They crashed onto the sands around her and the researchers.
Her eyes sharpened, and her attention turned to the rest of the frightened scholars, silently observing the temple quake around them. And to top it off, the damn construct was coming back online!
Wonderful!
She didn't hesitate. With an embered glow burning around her as her Pyro Vision shone, Dehya withdrew her new claymore she had just paid down on with the installment of this job, staring down the rising machine. "You lot get out of here now! I'll cover you!"
Thankfully, they didn't stick around. They knew the danger they were in and piled toward the perimeter she had set up at the only viable exit of this room. She would follow them momentarily— no need to hold back now when this place was already collapsing.
"Hey, scrapheap! Let's get this over with!" Fire pulsed around her in waves of flames that glassed the sand beneath her feet, blue eyes dilated and focused. Her new sword shone red-hot as she gripped it tightly in her right hand while flames tightly compacted around her left fist. Thing wouldn't last long when she went all out… They never did.
Two electromagnetic lasers focused on her position, but she had already disappeared. An intense wave of burning aura crashed into the matrix construct. And then Dehya struck it with her left fist from above, a burning wave of flames scorching and tinging the metal shell of the construct. It glowed from the super-heated blast while the force of her blow sunk it into the liquid glass beneath.
She knew from the smaller models that their outer shell was resistant to heat, but with enough application, it would melt. But that wasn't the point.
She was softening it up for what came next.
Even as it attempted to cloak itself in the light, she could see it shimmering due to the heat of its shell. There was no escaping what came next.
With a roar and swing of her white-hot claymore, the matrix was severed in half. But the cost was the blade itself shattering from the force of her blow.
Dehya tossed the handle of the sword she had just bought, and calming the flames around her, she dashed toward the exit. Stones were falling rapidly as the sands of the desert above poured in. She needed to get out of here, now!
But to her horror, stone flags from above collapsed onto the entrance just after the researchers had crossed the threshold. Staring in horror as the sand plumed and obscured her vision. No… No! Everything had gone so wrong…
"What?" Dehya's eyes flickered as the sand plume faded, and a minty green aura pulsed around the collapsed entrance…
Shielding the researcher within it.
At the center, generating the field, was what looked like a small child with silvery-white hair and the most vivid green eyes she had ever seen.
"Get in." A gentle voice echoed within her mind as the green eyes pierced into her, the pyramid collapsing around them. Holding out her hand, she beckoned her to come within the barrier. "Don't worry. You'll be safe in my care. But please step in for your safety. He is finally stepping into this world he created for the first time. He means no harm."
"The embodiment of Irminsul is here to save it."
Everything was so dark. All he could see were tendrils of misty darkness and vague hazy smoke.
He felt weightless in this unending void of shadows, but an intense weight weighed on his chest. He couldn't move. He could only watch as he floated through them without direction or purpose.
Was this a dream? He wished he could wake up and see his wife once more… It felt like forever since he had seen her.
No, this wasn't a dream. He had been lost in the shadows for as long as he could remember. This was the price of protecting his home one last time. To be lost in this ending void of uncertainty and darkness.
And for her safety… The safety of his children and his people… It was well worth the cost. He would make that choice every time. His son was ready to take charge and lead their people… It was his time to shine.
Why was he awake again? It had been so long since he had to endure this eternal drift through the abyss. All he had was his thoughts after being alone for so long… It was tiring.
Why wouldn't the end come for him? Why did he persist and remain in suspension? He wasn't sure for how long he had been in this state. Time didn't seem to exist within this shroud of darkness.
What was this? An intense but somehow soft light? Where did it come from? Why was it here?
"I finally found you." A kind but young voice spoke. She sounded giddy as the warmth wrapped around him.
He no longer felt aimless. He felt… He had control again.
Surrounded by this warm light, a stretch of light forged through the darkness like a path. "Follow me. You have been stuck here for so long… I wish to show you the world that has taken root from your presence, Lord Irminsul."
Lord Irminsul? That wasn't his name… Wait. Did she say something about a world created from his presence? Had he been lost in the void that long?! Was that what the void was?
"I will answer all I can." She softly whispered, her warm light basking him in her radiance. "It's time for you to come home…"
"To your new home that you created."
Everything was so bright… He could hardly see anything.
Was it because he was swallowed by the darkness for eons? Perhaps. This was the first time he stepped onto solid ground in what felt like forever.
It felt nice.
"Welcome home… For the first time, I should say." The same voice resonated as he blinked, shielding his eyes from the intensity of the light and heat around him. Was this a desert? Or did he just step into an inferno?
"Both, actually." The same young voice giggled in amusement as he could finally see around him.
As he gazed upon the remnants of a gigantic stone foundation that lay in the ruins of the scorching heat of the surrounding desert, he suddenly noticed a peculiar sensation under his feet. It felt like glass was forming and cooling from the hot sands while embers flickered and danced around him.
And directly before him, a young child strode before him with a small group of people behind, looking on in awe. "I've searched for you so long. I'm so glad we finally have the chance to meet like this, Lord Irminsul."
"My name is Nahida, but mostly everyone refers to me as Lesser Lord Kusanali."
R & R.
