Shy Fox Chronicles
Chapter 13: Wrath of the Spirits
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Bolded Italicized is used for descriptive actions.
Italicized is used for internal thoughts/flashbacks.
Bold is for emphasis.
"Underlined Bold" is for dialogue/internal thoughts concerning otherworldly beings.
"HAAAAYYYYAAAAHHH!!!" shrieked the creature as it lunged from the shadows with blazing speed.
"Evasive action!" Sasuke called out.
"Evasive what-AGH…!" Seikoku asked only to be kicked in the stomach by the tiny beastie.
"Dodge, you idiot!" his brothers told him in frustration as they dodged aside to avoid an assault from the thing attacking them.
"Ugh… that's more distracting than helpful…" Seikoku replied as he got up, looking at his brothers as he jumped aside as well.
When it hit the ground between them, they finally got a good look at it. Standing on two crooked legs, it was covered in a moist, mottled skin of grays and yellows. Its limbs, if one could call them such, were long and gangly, yet still with a seeming strength to them. Slinging a large wrench like the kind the boys had seen from workmen on machinery, it was as tall as the creature was. Wide pointed ears stuck out from the sides of its craggy, wrinkled face. Stretching its thin lips into a smile, they saw crooked, sharp fangs inside its maw, as cat-like eyes darted amongst them. Trying to figure out which one it wanted to brain first with its weapon.
"Gremlin…!" Kei hissed in surprise.
"What's a gremlin?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"Don't they steal your socks?" Sasuke asked, equally confused.
"No, those are the sock gnomes." Shinkoku said in response.
"Gremlins are nature spirits that have been altered by human settlement. Their job is to ensure a balance of man and nature by messing with human things." Kei explained, getting into a defensive stance.
"They sound annoying." Sasuke grumbled, cracking his knuckles.
"I'll show you annoying, Duck Butt!" it cackled, cracking its neck before lunging.
"Why does everyone always call me that!?" Sasuke growled before dodging a smash attack from the wrench.
"Okay, to hell with this! Sasuke, roast him!" Naruto called out to his friend.
"Gladly…!" Sasuke growled out before going through hand seals.
Completing his hand seals, Sasuke took a deep breath. Making a ring in front of his mouth with his index finger and thumb, Sasuke unleashed his jutsu. 'Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!' he thought before exhaling the biggest fireball he could.
In an attack more akin to a flamethrower, Sasuke exhaled a fireball multiple times his size at the gremlin. Its eyes widened in surprise as it put up its wrench to block the attack. The fireball collided against the makeshift shield, heating the metal while burning the gremlin's hands.
"Hot, hot, hot!!!" the gremlin screeched, but it was too late for it to say more.
Dropping its wrench in pain, the beastie was hit by the rest of the fireball and lit ablaze. Shrieking in agony, it dropped to the ground and rolled to put out the flames. Hissing in fury, it glared at the boys with eyes full of hate as it got to its feet, its hair and skin singed by the fire that had engulfed it.
"Stupid, stupid heavenly manthings! I'll crush your bones!!" it screeched like a maniac before grabbing its heated wrench and rushing at them, swinging it wildly like a blazing, glowing club.
Ducking, Sasuke threw a pair of shuriken at it that the gremlin deflected with its wrench. Eyes wild with agony and fury, the beast rushed at him and swung its wrench down in a hammer blow that Sasuke barely got a kunai up to block. However, the kunai heated up from contact with the red-hot wrench and burned Sasuke's hand, making him cry out in pain and drop it as he subconsciously jumped back. Blowing on his hands, he barely avoided getting his skull caved in as the wrench slammed into the dirt, leaving a small crack in the ground.
"That's enough! CHARGE!" Naruto called out as the boys jumped the gremlin, dog piling on it.
"Shut it, or I'll clip your wings!" it roared back in rage, looking at Naruto as if it saw something that he did not.
"Hold it down!" Kei called out, wrapping his arms around its neck as the others each went for a limb.
Struggling against them, the gremlin tried to get loose as Kei's arms around it choked it. Having no other options, the gremlin opened its mouth and bit down hard into one of Kei's arms. Its fanged teeth drew blood from the young Kamishini's arm as they sunk into his flesh.
"GAAAAGH! You're gonna bite me, I'll bite back!!!" Kei screamed in pain and rage before biting down hard enough on its neck to draw blood as well.
"AAHH! You little git!!" it shrieked, thrashing like a recently caught fish in their grasp.
Drawing kunai, the boys began stabbing into the gremlin's flesh. Trying to weaken it enough to bring it down. Screeching and howling in pain and fury, it shook and writhed as it tried to throw them off. Eventually, the beast collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, panting as it licked its own wounds, glaring at the boys.
"W… we've got you now, you little jerk! Now tell us what we wanna know…!" Kei panted as they got off it, sitting on the beast's back with his foot on its head to pin it down.
"I'll never talk to you, god killer! Not while there's blood on your people's hands!" it hissed, spitting at Kei in defiance.
"I didn't wanna do this… I really didn't…" Kei sighed before pulling out his kunai and aiming it at the gremlin's eyeball threateningly. "Talk. Now. Or, maybe, you don't care about losing an eye or two…"
"You think you can free the big men, huh? You think you can bring them back? He made them flee. He crushed them. And he will crush you." it snarled, glaring at Kei.
"We're not out to free anyone, Mr. Gremlin! We're just looking around because of some weird dreams we've been having!" Naruto insisted, wanting to deescalate the situation.
At that moment, its eyes widened and looked at him. "You come for the Chaos Kin? You're mad. You're all mad! You'll doom us all!!" it shrieked in a panic and thrashed against their restraint.
"The Chaos Kin? There's one here?" Kei asked in disbelief.
"Kei, you better start explaining." Sasuke said sternly.
"We all had strange dreams about a boy of light and shadow. About yay high, purple eye on the left, gold eye on the right. I think." Naruto told the gremlin, using his own height to show that the boy was a bit shorter than himself.
"Bringers of death! Bringers of death, all of you!" it shrieked, thrashing about enough to break one of its arms free.
Moving quickly, Shinkoku pinned down its arm. "Easy, pal! You tell us what we wanna know, we let you go, check things out without freeing anyone, and go on our way back home!" the Kamishini boy offered.
"I believe I can explain. On the condition that you do not kill my more uncivilized compatriot." a shockingly regal and gentlemanly voice said.
Looking over, they saw many more such gremlins, behind one that easily stood a foot taller than them, and in a more upright, human stance. On its shoulders was a cape of fine fur, its hand clutched a golden scepter with gems of the finest quality, and even a silver crown on its cragged brow. However, this sight produced an unusual effect, as the Kamishini boys bowed. Shinkoku and Seikoku both nudged Naruto and Sasuke with their elbows.
"Bow, you fools!" they whispered hoarsely, as the two remained confused.
"Why?" Naruto and Sasuke asked in disbelief.
"Because that's a Gremlin King! I never thought I'd see one in person!" Kei whispered back harshly, causing Naruto and Sasuke to bow as well.
The king surveyed them as the injured gremlin sheepishly returned. "Now then. Why did you boys decide to trek through many hundreds of miles through dangerous mountains to come here, Children of Senju Hashirama?" the king asked them inquisitively.
"Hashirama? The First Hokage?" Naruto asked, confused.
"Yes, quite. As the founder of your village of Konoha, you may be considered children of his Will of Fire. Now then, do please explain why you five are all so far from home?" the Gremlin King requested.
"Well…" The five sighed out, beginning their long tale.
An Hour and A Half Later
After the long, long, long explanation, the five were left with a pack of trembling gremlins and their king deep in thought. He did not speak for several minutes, filling the tunnel in deafening silence, until he finally spoke.
"In all of my lifetimes of life and reign, I did not think the day would come when the storm bringer would be awoken." the king sighed.
"So, Mr. Gremlin King…" Naruto began to say.
"Bartholomew, dear boy. First of my name." the king answered politely.
"... Right. Mr. Bartholomew, why are you and your friends so afraid of this 'storm bringer' being freed? And what does it have to do with our weird dreams?" Naruto asked, still confused.
"Well, dear boy, it is quite simple. We spirits do not have the best track record with the Chaos Kin. Oh, they mean well enough, but they cause nothing but trouble. And this one especially is going to cause some trouble when he is up and moving." Bartholomew explained simply.
"Does this have anything to do with that 'Prophecy of the Warriors' grandpa Seishin mentioned once?" Seikoku asked King Bartholomew.
"You lot really are the descendants of Lord Moto if you're going about blabbing about such things so willy-nilly." the king answered in a disapproving manner.
"Prophecy of the what?" Naruto and Sasuke asked, confused.
"We are getting out of hand with things beyond what should be spoken." Bartholomew said sternly, forcefully steering the conversation. "This is the Day of Awakening."
"Okay, I've heard this name a couple of times now. Just what is a Chaos Kin?" Sasuke asked irritably, trying to help steer the conversation in the right direction.
"If we make it out of this day alive, my boy, you will get that explanation. For now, we must awaken the lords of this mountain and seek their guidance, so that you may get down to that troublesome brat." Bartholomew explained. "Follow me, children. And do not walk down the middle of the tunnel. That activates a ballista that will split you in twain."
Nodding, the boys followed King Bartholomew as he showed them the way safely deeper into the mountain. "So, the Mountain of Death…? Is this where… they used to live, right…?" Kei asked as they followed the Gremlin King's zigzagging path around the traps.
"I am starting to understand why you Kamishini have failed for so long to gain allies. What with the whole 'cryptic speaking' and all that. Yes, dear boy. The Seaheartians live here. For this is Seaheart." the king asserted firmly.
"The Kingdom of Seaheart, alive and well right under our noses in the Land of Fire this whole time…" Shinoku noticed in awe.
"Under your noses? Boys, this is one of the tallest mountains in the world, and a focal point of magic across the entire planet. This mountain in places is more magic than stone. How did you not realize it?" Bartholomew asked, as if it was common knowledge.
"We'd heard the kingdom was wiped out, your majesty. We'd all thought the people of Seaheart scattered to the four winds." Seikoku explained.
"Five." One gremlin said behind them.
"Sorry. Sei always forgets about the Center Wind." Kei apologized for his brother being dumb.
"The Center Wind is the most important, lads. For it yokes the others to one direction. The survivors scattered, but those were merely those that fought. The true heart of Seaheart remains in the mountain. Including its King." the intelligent gremlin explained, much to the awe of the three Kamishini.
"... What's Seaheart? And who's this king?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.
"Did you explain anything to them, young god killers?" Bartholomew asked.
"No, your majesty. We didn't think following these dreams would lead us to finding Seaheart alive and well." Kei explained.
The king shook his head as, with a wave of his hand, he opened a grand stone door. Dust flew as the wind rushed at them. Soon they were hit with light, as if the sun had come for them in the tunnels. Yet, when their eyes adjusted, they saw a sprawling city before them like they had never seen. Stone, metal, and wood were cut and bent into spiraling forms that did not seem possible. The streets ran with dark marble and silver, as it all grew towards a central spire at the center that reached for what looked like forever.
"This, gentlemen, is Seaheart." the gremlin king said, spreading his arms like a circus ringleader.
"Whoooooa…!!" Naruto and Sasuke uttered in awe.
"Seaheart was the realm of a truly ancient people. One born of gods and might unmatched, save for those even older than them. Their king, the last king mind you, was named Oda Shang the Second. He gave the order to seal his people, save those volunteer defenders, in stasis to wait out the catastrophic battle that threatened them. However, they have not awoken since." the short king explained as he led them down the main boulevard.
"My great-great-grandpa is named Uzumaki Oda." Naruto noted, wondering if there was a connection.
"From what I know, your grandpa Oda's dad named him after the king because he expected a lot from him. Grandpa Seishin told me." Seikoku noted.
However, as they walked and talked, Kei noticed that the other gremlins began to hunch their backs more and twitch their eyes, looking all around. Kei tried to figure it out as well, however, the sheer concentration of mystical energy made everything blur together. Forced to use his more conventional senses, he began to pick up… voices? Echoed, scratchy, and certainly off, but he swore he heard voices among the abandoned buildings.
"King Bartholomew… who do those voices I've been hearing for a bit now belong to…?" Kei nervously asked the gremlin king after several minutes of trying to figure it out.
The king's ears perked up, and his face grew quite dour. "We must hurry then. Everyone, to me!" the king ordered, and quickly the gremlins began to make a more rapid pace.
As the boys began to move with them, they heard a loud shriek, echoing into their very souls and making their blood run cold. From behind them, rising from the marbled ground, came a flowing set of robes and a pain set of arms. No waist or legs could be seen as this creature reached into its back and pulled out a pair of spectral axes of truly ancient origin, with snarling dragon faces on them. Soon more began to appear, many bearing swords, spears, and other weapons. Some even wielded great chains and anvils in their grasp.
"Keep moving, children! My men will hold them off! Keep following me! We must free the king!" Bartholomew ordered as he began pole vaulting himself along with his scepter to increase his speed.
"You heard him! Run!" Naruto said in fear, following behind the gremlin king.
As they rushed off, the boys got glimpses of the gremlins behind them. Forming a line, they pulled out weapons of their own and began to fight, their weapons arcing with their own spectral power. However, more began to come at them from the sides. Touching various parts of the terrain, Bartholomew's touch activated kanji runes of an ancient dialect. Soon, traps began to make their presence known. Some spirits were hit by glowing nets, others sucked up by tornados of mystical energy, some even being snapped up by spectral jaws of some great beast. Reaching into the central spire, they finally managed to get a bit of space as they were forced to follow close behind the gremlin king as they navigated what felt like a labyrinth.
"We are close to the service shaft to the stasis vaults. Come quickly, and when you jump, keep your eyes closed until your feet touch the ground." Bartholomew said as they reached a circular holed groove in the chiseled walls.
Nodding, the boys followed the gremlin king down the groove into the wall. Closing their eyes, they slid down the shaft and followed its route. They felt as if they were falling at a speed that should not be possible, forced to fight every instinct to panic. However, they soon touched down on solid ground as if they had fallen like a feather. Cautiously opening their eyes, they found themselves in a far more simply carved catacomb. The walls were lit by kanji runes, emitting a pale blue light. The air was stale, filled with the dust they kicked up by their entry, and the dust went ankle high into their sandals.
"Right. The royal stasis chamber is not too far from here. On me, children." Bartholomew said with shocking chipperness as he walked ahead of them.
"Are you sure this king can help, your majesty?" Sasuke asked, both nervous and skeptical as they followed him.
"If he cannot help you, Sasuke, then no one can. And you made this great trek for nothing. The Chaos Kin can't free himself from his vault. If he could, he would have done so by now." Bartholomew answered plainly.
"Is now a good time for you to finally explain what a Chaos Kin is? I wanna know what we're freeing if that's what we have to do…" Sasuke replied, looking around as they made their way.
"Oh, of course, dear boy. Where are my manners? Chaos Kin are a wayward creation of a Chaos God. And the most devilish one of them all at that." the king said in an apologetic tone.
"... Chaos God? You mean those gods that embody everything about something that Kei mentioned once? Things like War, Fate, Wants, and Life and Death? Those Chaos Gods!?" Naruto asked nervously.
"What are you talking about, boy? Those are inherited parts of mortal beings, not Chaos. Chaos is freedom incarnate. Free will, choice, the ability to say what you are to your disapproving parents. Those sorts of things." the king answered matter of factly.
"Sorry, your majesty. Naruto didn't really get it when I tried to explain it." Kei nervously replied.
"It is quite all right. You are all young. However, the Chaos Gods were not formed from a pleasant source, and the one that created them… Well, I will simply call her The Dark Queen. They rankled and rebelled under her desired vision for them, and they staged a break out. Long story short, they ran off merrily into the wilds of the void, from which few had seen them since." Bartholomew explained.
"And… we're gonna free something made by one of them, why, exactly…?" Sasuke asked in fear.
"Oh, I was not the one who wanted that. You all came here with that intention after a series of interconnected dreams. Really, it is a question you should be asking yourselves. Quite the conundrum, ey?" the king responded, less asking and more suggesting a plan of action to them.
Naruto gulped. "H-how do we know he won't try to kill us after we free him?" he asked the gremlin king fearfully.
"Oda? Oh, my dear boy, he is a talker, not a fighter. They called him the Militia King for a reason." Bartholomew answered him simply. "And here we are children."
"N-No… I mean this 'Chaos Kin' kid…" Naruto replied, looking up at the door to the royal stasis chamber.
"Oh, dear boy, you are indeed mistaken. Chaos Kin are not malicious people. Despite their origins, they are charming folk, even if they are quite accidentally destructive. They mean well. Well, aside from anyone with red eyes, but you don't have to worry about them visiting the mortal plane." Bartholomew answered as he tapped at some runes, and soon the stone door slid open.
As the hiss of air leaking out finally subsided, they saw a truly gargantuan room before them. Rows upon rows of immense stone and glass pods lined the hall, crackling and glowing with arcane power of a sort even Kei, Shinkoku, and Seikoku could not comprehend. An eerie humming filled the room the deeper they got, as if the pods around them were alive. Peeking inside, they saw people inside the pods. Sometimes it was a single person, sometimes it was a family. Sometimes they saw something so massive in there, there was no way it could be a person. Yet, at the very end of the massive hall, Bartholomew raised a hand to stop them.
Looking ahead, before them was a pod larger than the rest. The glass was tinted black, preventing them from seeing inside. The runes nearly covered the entire pod, inlaid with gold and silver in an ornate, flowing fashion. Bartholomew inspected the pod carefully, as if looking for a specific rune to tap. However, as soon as he finally did, they all heard the shriek of spirits. Turning around, they saw three of them come through the ceiling right over them.
"Alright, guys. If this is the end, I just want to say one thing." Seikoku said nervously. "Naruto, I hope you go to hell for dragging us all here to die."
"Hey!" Naruto snapped indignantly.
As the specters eyed their prize before them, and the kids stared up at their impending doom, none of them noticed the pod open. With a wailing howl, the three spirits charged at them with unholy speed. To everyone's shock, they did not get far, as three blasts of arcane power shot from behind them and impacted the three banshees. Howling in all consuming pain, the blasts tore through the spirits and scattered their essences to the winds.
"Gentlemen. Please bow to the King of Seaheart." Bartholomew proclaimed with a grand flourish of his arms.
To be Continued…