Hello!
I have to say that I am surprised by how much this fic seems to be growing. How come there are like 20 more favs in this fic than on my other fic when this has less than half the number of chapters? Anyway, last chapter, I asked you guys to suggest a ship for Caelus, and the results so far are as follows. Robin is in the lead with 5 votes, followed by Firefly with 3 votes and, with one vote each, is March 7th and Topaz. I'm going to leave the ship votes open till the end of the Belobog arc, which may be a few good weeks away. Either way, I'm excited to see your ship choices. Also this chapter will have a stab. With that, the disclaimer is in the previous chapters and I hope you enjoy!
"Tailed beasts/powerful beings"
"speech"
'Thoughts'
"other stuff"
Feeling the morning sunlight shine directly on his face, Caelus tiredly opened his eyes. He slowly sat up on his bed and stretched his arms with a yawn before opening the closet next to him and pulling out his jacket. The smooth wooden closet gave a soothing smell that combined with the warmth of the room and the softness of the bed to give a homey feeling. Yet despite all this, there was something that bothered him. Last night, he had a dream. He had seen and heard a voice talking to Cocolia. No matter how much he tried to dismiss it, there was a strange sense of dread, like what he saw wasn't a dream. Caelus sighed. He was probably just being paranoid. They were here to help and the Supreme Guardian had gratefully accepted their help. What could go wrong?
A knock on the door broke him out of his stupor and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Opening the door, he was met with the monotone face of Dan Heng. "Good morning, Caelus. March went up to wake Mr Naruto. If I were you, I'd consider myself lucky. We are going to look around the city and begin the hunt for the Stellaron by around this afternoon. Once you are prepared, I'll meet you at the hotel lobby." With that, Dan Heng left for the lobby while Caelus was left scratching his head. What did Dan Heng mean by lucky that it was him that came to wake him up? Caelus shrugged and walked down to the lobby to meet the others.
Looking at the disheveled looking Naruto and the cheerful March 7th, Caelus was pretty sure he understood what Dan Heng meant when he said that he was lucky. Naruto barely looked awake and more like he had just been dragged up from the best sleep he'd ever had. Seeing Caelus approach, Naruto shook his head and put on a smile. "Morning Caelus! Sleep well?" Caelus nodded his head and Naruto put his hand on his shoulder before giving him a serious look. "You don't look too good. Did anything happen? You can talk to us if you need." Despite that dream still bothering him, Caelus just shook his head with a smile. "Nothing's wrong Mr Naruto. You don't need to worry." Naruto shrugged and took his hand from Caelus' shoulder, walked towards the hotel's door and turned to face them. "Come on then! We've got a Stellaron to seal."
"Commander Bronya is waiting for you downstairs so hurry up and go see her. And no tricks, hear me?" The stern voice of the Silvermane guard reverberated around the plaza as everyone gathered stopped to stare at the crew.
Naruto tilted his head and shifted his shakujou in front of him where they could see it to assure them that he wasn't a threat. "Is she our escort or something? Did the Supreme guardian send her?" He didn't really feel comfortable with this guard and the fact that he was loaded with negative emotions didn't really help the case. They had just come out of the hotel and were met with s bunch of Silvermane guards stationed outside the front door.
"Just go down the stairs. Commander Bronya will meet you there. She will process you and decide what will be done with you." Naruto took a deep breath and nodded at the guard before signaling to the others and going down the stairs. Once they reached the road and turned around, they were met with the girl they had seen in Cocolia's office. Standing next to her was Pela, the girl that had given them a lecture about Everwinter monument. "Hey! Aren't you that girl from the fort?" March asked.
"I am Bronya Rand. In the name of the Amber Lord and under the orders of Supreme Guardian Cocolia Rand, I hereby arrest the infiltrators under the charge of trying to incite rebellion within Belobog. I hereby temporarily strip you of your freedom of action and speech. You will be given the opportunity to defend yourself during a fair trial. Resistance will prove futile. You must come with me." Bronya's little speech made the crew's eyes widen.
"W-Wait a minute! This isn't what she agreed to!" March stuttered out while Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought. 'Not a bad plan Supreme guardian. Not a bad plan. Now how will the kids handle this?' He looked at the others an observed their reactions. March looked as nervous as he expected, Dan Heng had a monotone face, also as expected, and Caelus had an expression right along the middle. Recovering from her shock, March took a deep breath. "Looks like we're back to being accomplices again. Why does this happen just around every third planet?" She might not be very brave on her own, but when the others are with her, then it becomes a different story.
"That's because you always act without thinking. You never have a plan." Hearing Dan Heng's monotone reply, Caelus couldn't help but feel like he was the only one even slightly unnerved by the soldiers surrounding them. March and Dan Heng had their eyes on Bronya, but they were bickering like they had been in this situation before, which, judging from the previous conversation, they probably have. When he looked at Naruto, the latter had shifted his shakujou upside down in a way that it could easily be swung.
"Hey! I'm improving! Let me think of a plan right now." Looking around, March's eyes landed on a familiar alley. "Got one! See that alley?" The girl struggled to keep her voice down, but somehow, she managed.
"The one that has been sealed off due to the Fragmentum. That could work. Everyone. Be ready for an escape." Dan Heng looked at Naruto who gave the boy a nod, indicating that he approved of their plan and was ready to go through with it. March looked confused and Caelus slightly balled his right hand. "Three of a kind." Dan Heng said slowly. Caelus tilted his head in confusion and March decided to explain. "It's an old Astral express signal. Do you play cards? If you don't, then just go with the flow." He nodded and looked around, instinctively marking the positions of every soldier and deciding who was likely to hit who.
"Two pair." Everyone moved slightly and Naruto closed his eyes. He knew this may not turn out well, but he was proud of them for thinking this up. He widened his feet and planted his shakujou on the ground, drawing everyone's attention, before taking his hands off the weapon with a smile. Despite the distraction, a guard moved up to Dan Heng. "What are you guys talking about? Shut up and get going." Dan Heng just narrowed his eyes. "Ace!"
Dan Heng pushed March forward and Caelus hit the guards behind him with his bat. Seeing more guards approaching, Dan Heng summoned Cloud piercer and used its blunt end to trip many guards before running towards the alley. When some guards aimed their guns at them, they sparkled before freezing up. The guards looked at their weapons in confusion before looking at the fleeing trio, and saw March 7th sticking out her tongue at them. Just when she was about to turn around, she saw that Naruto hadn't moved from his spot. He turned his head to meet her gaze and gave her a smile. Meanwhile, two guards with larger guns had taken aim at escaping trio and were about to fire. While everyone was watching the guns, Naruto grabbed his shakujou and appeared in front to the guards. He hit one of the guns with his staff and kicked the other away before knocking them out. "Smell ya later!" With a two fingered salute and a foxlike smirk, the blond dispersed into a flock of crows, a trick he had learned from an old friend. The guards stared at where he was and turned Bronya for orders. Looking at her, the Silvermane commander's face had a near imperceptible scowl on her face. "They ran right into the Fragmentum. Do you think they'll survive?" Pela asked nervously.
Bronya looked back at the girl. "I don't know if they are just stupid, over confident, or just wishing for death but I cannot be certain of what happened to them without seeing it myself. Well, we still know the area better than they do. Guards! Follow me!"
The crows flew behind the trio and reformed into Naruto, who also started running behind them. "Not a bad plan March!" Hearing Naruto's complement made the girl smile. They kept running through the alley, beating up some annoying Fragmentum monsters while quietly sneaking past the occasional group of Silvermane guards.
After running for a bit longer, they stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of a Blaze out of space, just meandering around. They tried to quietly sneak away, but the monster noticed them almost instantly and let out a jet of fire before re absorbing it, heating itself up and preparing for attack. The crew instantly got on their guard and summoned their weapons for a fight. The Blaze spit out a bunch of fireballs, all of which were deflected by Naruto, and dodged a strike from Dan Heng before throwing a fireball at March, who was lining up her shot. This one was blocked by Caelus' bat, letting the girl take the shot directly at the monster's head. The frigid arrow struck home, making the Blaze's head jerk back and fall limp. The crew seized the opportunity and ran towards the monster to start beating up the poor thing. Soon enough, the monster was dead and the crew patted themselves on the back for a job well done. After walking some more, they saw another Fragmentum entrance and moved towards it. Hopefully, it can get them somewhere familiar. Just as they were about to reach the entrance however, a battalion of Silvermane guards surrounded them, all with their weapons aimed directly at the four.
Bronya walked up behind them and the crew locked eyes with her. "Did you really think you could escape? Even though this place has suffered Fragmentum corrosion, it is still a part of this city. Lay down your weapons and surrender now. You will be guaranteed a fair trial."
March had just about reached the end of her string. "Ugh. You're annoying! What did we do anyway?"
"I recall seeing you with the Supreme guardian. I'm sure that you remember her receiving us as honored guests. I doubt that can all change within one night." Dan Heng followed up calmly. He wanted to make sure that March didn't lose her temper.
"It is for the adjudication panel to present you with your charges and their punishments. As for the other question, the Madam Guardian informed me that she had done a background check and found out that you were trying to overthrow the rule of the architects." Bronya's usually flat tone had some small cracks in it. Whether it was from anger at all of them, or annoyance at March, no one could tell.
Naruto spun his shakujou and noted down the positions of the guards surrounding them. Seeing that the crew weren't about to comply, Bronya gave out a sigh. "Very well then. Silvermane guards! Take them down!"
In an instant, the crew was in motion, March drawing an arrow and the boys moving to protect her. Naruto deflected a stray bullet towards another guard and March shot an arrow that froze another. Caelus' bat and the back of Dan Heng's spear found purchase in the abdomens of two other guards. Two more shots were deflected and two more frozen arrows struck home. Caelus hit a guard in the knee kicked the unfortunate guard towards two other guards, proudly nodding at himself after seeing his handiwork. Seeing three more dash towards them, Caelus instinctively ran his hand across his bat The weapon gained a blue glow and crackled with energy. Caelus swung his weapon twice and sent the enemies flying with a wave of energy. On the other side, Dan Heng had his sites on an enemy with a larger gun than the rest. He held his spear parallel to the ground and took a deep breath before dashing at the enemy and hitting him directly in the face. He deflected two more polearms and kicked one down and hit the other one with the back of his spear. Seeing a group of enemies approaching, March 7th moved her had to her hip and pretended to draw from a quiver. As she did this, an arrow filled with frigid energy appeared in her hand. She sent the arrow upwards, and it became a bunch of stuffed animals in midair. The animals fell towards the guards and left them all frozen and immobile. Seeing the destruction she caused, she wiped her brow, but a guard decided to take advantage of that moment and jumped from behind, only to get knocked away by the back of Dan Heng's spear. Before the guard could hit the ground, Bronya's hand caught his shoulder and pulled him back up. When he looked at Bronya, her eyes were locked on to the aftermath of what had just happened. Looking back at the crew she sighed and pulled out a gun, causing Naruto to narrow his eyes. "Stand back everyone. I'll handle these evildoers myself."
Naruto took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh before turning his head towards the crew and giving them a smile. "How about I handle this?" March and Dan Heng nodded and Naruto moved his shakujou, blocking a wind bullet by Bronya. Naruto turned to face Bronya, his face bearing no signs of a smile, or a scowl. Without a word, he locked eyes with the Silvermane commander and started walking towards her very slowly while letting out a good bit of killing intent. Without missing a beat, Bronya fired off a shot, only for it to be blocked. Three more followed and all were also blocked. Seeing that they weren't working, she charged up and even stronger shot and fired it at the man. He simply shifted the grip on his staff and deflected it upwards, its power dying down before it could cause any damage. While Naruto was walking towards her, Bronya was getting more and intimidated by the second. No matter how many shots she fired, none of them hit and even her strongest attack didn't do anything to phase the man. Her heart was racing and she was panicking. She didn't know why, but all she knew was that this man in front of her was dangerous. As he got closer, Bronya steeled herself, shut her eyes and stabbed upwards with her weapon. "Mr Naruto!" Bronya heard the ice girl shout as she felt something warm drip down and soak into her gloves. When she opened her eyes, they widened when she saw what she had done.
The sharp blue spike on her gun had pierced Naruto's chest and his blood was slowly running down her gun. She looked around blindly, but only saw the shocked faces of the downed guards and the angry faces of the crew, gripping their weapons tightly. Feeling something touch her gun, she looked to see Naruto gripping it by the spike. "Why is it always the chest." He then closed his eyes and gave a small smile. "Calm down," The man's voice was eerily calm and he had lost the smile. In a moment, it was clear to Bronya that the man wasn't addressing her. When he opened his eyes, she was paralyzed by the red eyes of hatred staring at her. Her surroundings shifted and she was now standing ankle deep in water inside what looked like a dark room. "Kurama…" Hearing a growl, her eyes shifted to the giant beast staring at her with its fangs bared. The beast's glowing red eyes were mirrored in the man's own and the pressure made Bronya to let go of her weapon and take a step backwards in fear. Seeing her afraid, Naruto causally pulled out the weapon from his chest and watched bloody weapon clatter to the ground before disappearing. His eyes then softened when he saw her hands trembling and her eyes about to burst into tears. "Was that your first attempt at a real kill?" Naruto asked her softly.
Before Bronya could answer, however, a voice rang out. "Sorry, didn't mean to ruin the intensity of the moment, but I can't leave my friends when they are having trouble now can I?" An ominous hissing sound came from some smoke bombs rolling towards them before they exploded, filling the air with a grey smoke. Everyone, except Naruto started coughing an got down on their knees and he grabbed Bronya to stop her from hitting the ground too hard and laid her down. From the smoke, a familiar silhouette emerged, walking with a swagger. "I just have one thing to say. Sampo Koski, never lets friends who helped him ever come to harm. I say what I mean, and I mean what I say.~" Once everyone had fallen unconscious, Sampo moved to grab them, but a sharp blade at his neck made him stop. Looking to his left, he saw Naruto standing with a jet black sword at his neck. His eyes widened when he realized that Naruto was unaffected. Looking at the latter's chest, Sampo saw that the wound had already closed up, not even leaving behind a scar.
"What are doing, Fool?" Naruto's voice sent a shiver down Sampo's spine. "I hope you won't try to do anything stupid." Naruto took the sword from Sampo's neck, making him breathe a sigh of relief. "I must say, thank you for the distraction. Now if you tell me what you were up to, we can part ways on peaceful terms, don't you think? I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good deal to me." Sampo just stared, at a loss for words, before he realized what Naruto had called him earlier. His eyes widened when he looked at Naruto the latter just smiled. "So then, little fool, what say you?"
Time skip
Natasha had just finished checking up on the gray-haired boy sleeping in her clinic. When the notorious rule breaker, Sampo had shown up at her clinic with 5 new people, 4 of them asleep and the other awake, she had immediately taken them in. While Bronya, Dan Heng and March had all woken up, Caelus was yet to wake up and Naruto had fallen asleep on a chair in the clinic while waiting for the others to wake up. Natasha almost laughed at the irony. He had come to see if his friends would wake up but had ended up joining them instead. Soon enough, after Caelus woke up and left to find the others, Natasha decided to wake up the blond. The good doctor walked up the sleeping former shinobi and raised a hand to shake him awake. What she didn't expect, was for him to grab her hand and pin it behind her back in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, up in the gray
Naruto was sitting at the same cave from earlier, but this time, there was another guest in his mindscape. "So you're saying that a Masked Fool knocked out the crew and dragged them and the commander of these 'Silvermane Guards' into the, 'Underworld'? Could you elaborate more on that please?" The calm voice of Welt Yang was nothing strange for the inhabitants of Naruto's mindscape. Naruto had figured out a way for Welt to enter it at will after he realized how much he enjoyed conversing with the latter.
"Well, simply put, Jarilo-VI is divided into two main areas, the Overworld, where he majority of people live, and the Underworld, where most of its resources come from. Apparently, 10 years ago, the Underworld was closed off from the Overworld by the order of the Supreme guardian. Based on this, I think it's safe to assume that she was well under the Cancer's influence by then."
Welt shook his head. "Why do you call a Stellaron a Cancer anyway? I get that it is also called a Cancer of Worlds but don't you think it could be a little a little misleading? Ignoring that, I think you are correct about this, Cocolia. She may have had good intentions, but the Stellaron must have corrupted her."
"I call it that because it is about as problematic to a plants as a cancer is to a person. In any case, we should watch out for everyone here. One wrong move, and, chances are, it'll be them that pay." Naruto's eyes were hardened with resolve. "We need to play this very carefully."
Welt's eyes also narrowed. "True. Is there anything you want us to do?"
Naruto smiled. "You know me well. I want you to try and keep me posted on the changes in Stellaron activity on the planet. To corrupt someone like her to their side, that Stellaron probably has an active conscious. Chances are, it knows of our arrival and it has something planned out for us. If the Stellaron activity spikes, we'll know something is coming."
"Are you sure Naruto?" Welt asked in a worried voice. "Sentient Stellarons are very dangerous and extremely rare to come by. The chance of one being in Jarilo-VI is extremely low"
Naruto put a hand on his chin. "True, but it doesn't make it impossible. Besides, it would also explain why she was talking to herself when I stayed behind to spy on her." Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened and he disappeared from the mindscape, much to the confusion of Welt and Kurama, who had been watching the conversation unfold. A few minutes later, Naruto returned to the mindscape looking all flustered. "Well, apparently Caelus also woke up. I'm going to go and find them." With that, he hurriedly disappeared.
A few minutes ago
Naruto opened his eyes to a sight that he would rather forget. Coming to his senses, he saw Nataha with her arm pinned behind her back and struggling to pull another arm off her neck. It took Naruto a second to realize that it was him that was choking her, and when he did, he released her immediately. "Sorry about that. Didn't expect anyone to wake me up."
Natasha, who had just finished catching her breath, gave a small smile. "That's fine. It was my fault waking you up. But I am curious, what made you develop an instinct to choke anyone that comes close to you?"
Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "That would be the Antimatter Legion ambushing us on a few different worlds. Usually, the hand would be a blade, so I got used to choking it to death." Natasha let out a sound of understanding. "Anyway, where are the others?"
"They woke up and left sometime ago. I was going to wake you up to tell you about it but you, well…" Natasha motioned towards her neck and Naruto looked away embarrassedly.
"Thanks for telling me! I'm going to see if I can catch up with them!" With that, the flustered blond ran out of the clinic while the doctor laughed at his misfortune. Two seconds later, he barged back in, grabbed his shakujou and ran out at the twice as fast, causing her to laugh even harder.
3920 words. Not too bad
With that, the crew are now in the underworld. Just to clarify, the word crew will refer to the party canonically involved in a quest, whether it's the trio or another group. Also, what do you think about the fights? I had to think before writing that. Also, I was rewatching the playthrough when I realized that the guard that jumps at March right before our battle with Bronya had a gun. Idk why he didn't shoot it. Also, I just checked out robin's voice lines and I see why many people of you guys ship her with Caelus. Also, I am at a dilemma here. I recently got Jingliu, and I found out that I like Acheron better. So, could you guys let me know which one do you guys like the best? Anyways, please review. With that, I'll see you in the next one!
P.S. Just to be clear, I didn't mean the Acheron/Jingliu question as a ship. I just wanted to know which one you guys enjoyed using the most. That's all.