Shy Fox Chronicles
Chapter 17: Invoking the Inferno
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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.
Boom! King Oda's hammer came down with the force of a thunderclap upon the wayward spirit, shattering its essence to the wind with a crushing motion.
Letting out a heaving sigh, he looked at the final flight of stairs before him. The closer he got to the magma reservoir, the hotter it got. The air clung thick with the heat, and his resistance runes had long since activated. They provided only some of the light in the derelict stairway, the runes normally providing those long since destroyed by the corrosive action of the magma's heat. Each step felt like a labor in and of itself, as multiple times he had to stop to catch his breath.
"Whoever invented stairs can bite my royal ass…" King Oda growled before finally making, at least what felt like to him, the herculean effort to reach the top.
Before him lay a raised dais of blackened volcanic stone, treated in runes to allow it to withstand the heat. The glow of the magma below provided all the light the chamber needed as multiple consoles of similar material and mystical runes lined the sides. Great adamantine chains, shining with unending luster, held the platform aloft above the pit of fiery oblivion. But at its center lay a simple stone shrine, of a great horned beast with a mixture of mammal and reptile. Whose eyes, replaced by great shining rubies, stared at him. As if judging him.
"My apologies, great Afrit. But I must do this." King Oda muttered to himself.
"Traitor! Leaver!" Came a fiery hiss from behind him.
Oda turned to look at who made such a proclamation. Before him upon a swirling tornado of fire was a vaguely humanoid shape. Its body was made of fire and magma; pox marked with blackened stone and pits emitting flame. Vast, powerful arms ended in wicked obsidian clawed hands, as a face with no mouth and white-hot eyes stared at him.
"I know this does not mean much to you, but I am sorry. Our stasis was not by choice and lasted longer than any of us wanted. You spirits should not have been left bound here for this long…" King Oda explained, before the flaming spirit cut him off.
"Do you know how it feels to be left for a THOUSAND years!!? We have served your kind faithfully for generations! A thousand curses upon your kind for breaking your oaths!!" It roared before a great blade of fire formed from its left hand.
"It appears we have reached an impasse…" King Oda answered regretfully as he brandished his hammer and shield.
"RAAAAAARGH!!!/HRAAARGH!!!" the two roared as they charged.
With a thunderous collision that shook the room, the flaming sword clashed against the great mystic shield. Pushing back, the fiery spirit swung its blade again only to be met with the shield once more. The King of Seaheart swung his hammer for the spirit's head only to be blocked with the flat of the blade. The blades around King Oda's shield began spinning at high speed like a rapid buzzsaw as he swung it, slashing and slashing it at the spirit only to be blocked by a blade of solid flames. Sparks and embers flew off between the two as they clashed, neither side giving an inch as each clanging blow shook the room like a great earthquake.
Forgoing defense, the King of Seaheart threw his razor-sharp shield at the spirit. Acting quickly, the fiery spirit swung his sword and knocked the bladed shield away. However, the defensive weapon rebounded off the wall and bounced back at the fiery spirit. Growling in fury, the spirit swung his blade to knock the shield away again. Every time the spirit swatted it away, the defensive weapon would bounce and rebound off every surface.
"Death! Death! Death!!" the flaming spirit chanted viciously.
"Death! Death! Death!" came the echoing chants of lesser spirits attracted by the battle.
"Why is it that everyone else gets to call in their friends, but I am the one who must be honorable and nobly fighting all alone? Utter tripe, if you ask me…" King Oda grumbled as he backed up to cause a flaming strike to miss, as the howling hordes of spirits charged in.
Seeing his shield coming at him, King Oda smashed it with his hammer, sending it pinballing around the room. It bounced and rebound repeatedly, cutting and ripping through approaching spirits as the blade-wielding spirit defended itself to keep the weapon from cutting it down. The spirits howled and roared in pain as the rebounding magical weapon carved through them like a hot knife through butter, dispersing their ethereal forms. Eventually, catching his shield and readying it for defense, King Oda scanned the room for any spirits beside the one with its blade in hand, relieved to find them alone once again.
Charging mystical energy into his hammer, he swung it down onto his own shield as a shockwave was unleashed, the force nearly blowing back his foe. Glaring with hatred burning in its fiery eyes, the spirit charged again and swung its weapon down with a powerful two-handed strike. Raising his shield, King Oda barely blocked the blow as he struggled to keep his knees from buckling from the force. The blow traveled down through his body and cracked the ground beneath him, unleashing a great, fiery shockwave that shook the room like a massive quake.
"Hear me, King of Seaheart! Hear my thoughts…!" An otherworldly voice called out to him mentally.
"Who said that?" King Oda asked aloud as he blocked an overhead chop from the flame spirit's sword.
"Face the statue of my shrine, King of the Dragon Men!" the voice mentally called out from behind the king.
"Have you, oh great disembodied voice, noticed I'm currently under assault by a most particularly pissed off foe!?" King Oda asked as he smashed the spirit with a powerful blow with his hammer.
"I have, young mortal! I offer thee my aid! Now gaze upon the statue in the shrine!" The voice called to him again.
After landing a powerful enough blow to get some distance between him and his fiery foe, he turned to look at the statue. At that moment, it clicked in his mind. Afrit. The Afrit was talking to him. Soon, the rubies of the statue began to glow in a fierce and fiery display.
"Call out my name, young mortal! Call upon me and I shall aid thee!" the voice mentally beckoned to him from the statue.
"AFRIT! Hear my cry!" King Oda called out, as the dais beneath him began to shake.
Soon, glowing, crimson red and black cracks began to appear in the statue as it sent vibrations in its wake. Then a violent explosion consumed the statue, sending rock and blinding light out to fill the chamber. Oda was forced to raise his shield to protect himself from this. As the light died, he lowered his shield to see a great beast similar to the statue, wreathed in crimson and black flames, standing before him, its arms crossed over its great chest with eyes of white flame staring at him.
"L-Lord Afrit…!" The spirit uttered in fear.
"Do not defile this sacred ground with your groveling and grievances! I expect my servants to be above the petty concerns of the masses." Afrit growled at the flame spirit, its fiery gaze turning to its lesser counterpart.
Trembling in fear, the spirit ducked its head and silenced itself. Turning, Afrit looked at the mortal king before him. "It has been far too long indeed, King of Seaheart…" the creature said to him almost sadly.
"I apologize for my absence. A malfunction with the emergency stasis systems has left us out of action for quite some time." King Oda explained, giving the noble spirit a respectful bow of the head.
Nodding in understanding, the noble fire spirit placed a clawed hand to his chin in a thinking pose. "My presence alone shall not quell the wrath of every spirit here, child. I take it thou wish to take more… drastic measures?" it asked him.
"Afrit. Engage final denial protocols." King Oda ordered mournfully.
For but a moment, the eyes of the Lord of the Inferno widened before it composed itself and nodded. "It shall be done, my friend. I take it you know what I shall ask in return?" it asked him, lowering its clawed hand from its chin.
"Name it." King Oda answered without hesitation.
"Thou must take my kin, those who have not gone mad, and I with thee to whatever place thou hast decide to call home from this day forward. To raise a shrine there for a new place my servants and I can call home and protect. And, when the time is right, thou must find a host who can control my power. I sense dark times ahead where my strength shall be needed…" the great fire spirit told the king.
"Call your servants, Lord Afrit. Let me just get out a temporary vessel." King Oda said as he reached into a sack, his hand disappearing into it.
Taking a deep breath, the Lord of the Inferno spoke. "ALL FIRE SPIRITS WITHIN SEAHEART! YE ARE ALL TO CEASE THINE RAMPAGES AND AID ITS PEOPLE WITHOUT QUESTION! WE SHALL BRING THIS MOUNTAIN DOWN UPON ANY TRAITOROUS SPIRITS WHEN ITS PEOPLE HAVE EVACUATED!! SO SAYS AFRIT, LORD OF THE INFERNO AND KING OF THE FIRE ELEMENTALS!!!" the great fire spirit bellowed out, his roar echoing through the mountain as it began to shake from the force.
As Oda reached in and pulled out an ornate vase of brass and copper, he could hear the calls coming from below. It was as if the magma below had come alive as the great horde of fire spirits began to fly above them. They all soon began to swirl around the dais, waiting for the time to follow their lord.
"Spirits of Old, of Fire and Strife! Release your hold and seal from sight!!" King Oda chanted as the various runes inlaid into the copper light up in orangish flame.
Then, without any hesitation, the massive spirit of Afrit dove into the vase, disappearing as if a spark was blown out in the wind. With great howls and hissing cries, the vast horde of flame spirits followed their lord's mighty roar, swirling into the vase as a mighty tornado of eternal heat. Within moments, they had all disappeared, and the vase now was in Oda's hands with warm, comfortable heat emitting from it.
"Did he…" King Oda muttered in confusion but was cut off by the feeling of a rumbling through his feet. "He could have warned me first!"
The magma began to roar and bubble as cracks and chasms began to tear into the rock around him. Immense steam and stifling air began to lift the dais, making the chains go slack. Realizing time was limited, King Oda rushed at the wall and began to run up it at breakneck speed. His feet were not sticking or adhering to the walls, merely forcing himself up with sheer raw force and speed. Careful to avoid cracks forming, he was soon met by a wall of stifling air striking his back. Looking back, the lava plume began to rise after him.
"Let's hope this works!" King Oda yelled as his runes in his legs activated, green light emitting through his robes.
Disappearing in a flash, he made vast distances near instantly, rushing up into the cold, thin-aired heights of the peak. The fluffy white clouds below were almost serene, like an ocean before him. If there was not a volcanic eruption that was chasing him at full tilt. Throwing off his robes, he gripped his undercoat and leapt. From its back, a great kite unfolded as he began to use it to glide down with the vase in hand. All as the smoke, ash and lava roared from the top of the peak.
Bottom of the Mountain
The men and women of Seaheart watched as high in the sky came the black smoke and ash from the fiery glow of the peak. Soon the mountain began to quake and rattle, rending open from the force of the magma building up. Fissures opened to spew lava as if a soda can were shaken and unleashed. Molten rivers lit up the landscape and began to start fires as mountain valleys became hell on earth. Over it all was the immense painful howls of spirits unending being torn asunder by the immense heat.
"A sad end to a mighty city." Bartholomew mused as his gremlins looked on in horror.
"Not like we had much of a choice really. Did we?" Takato asked, looking at his older brothers.
"I wish we did…" was all Sato could muster.
"I wonder how our ancestors will look upon us for this?" Duan muttered to himself.
"Kei… is there any way to fix Seaheart after this?" Naruto asked, as if trying to grasp at a solution.
Kei shook his head sadly. "I don't think so, Naruto. Even after the lava cools, most of the city outside of the stasis chambers will have been destroyed beyond repair. It would take generations to fix everything…" he explained somberly.
"I guess it's a good thing we got the kid when we did. I suppose…" Sasuke said with a sigh, as he noticed the baby looking at him after he said that. "Stop looking at me."
"Gah…" the baby simply said in Seikoku's arms.
"What have you got against the kid, Sasuke?" Seikoku asked, bouncing the baby a bit, getting a small giggle out of it.
"Yeah. I mean, the baby likes you." Naruto added, smiling down at the little tyke and wiggling his finger in front of it as it tried to grab his finger.
"It pulverized a golem with a blast of lightning when it cried. I don't even wanna know what happens when it burps. And why does the baby like me!?" Sasuke replied in disbelief.
"Wouldn't you want that on our side instead of someone else's?" Shinkoku asked.
"... You win this round, Kamishini…" the young Uchiha replied in annoyance.
"Look! Someone's gliding down!" a man called out, pointing to the sky.
Looking up, they all saw a great kite gliding down. Eventually, however, it gave out, causing the man to fall before everyone, landing in a crouching stance. Standing up slowly, with an ornate vase in hand, was King Oda. The people of Seaheart stared at him before rushing over to their king. All of this was stopped, however, when a familiar voice cried.
"I see the boys!!!" Kakashi called out in concern.
"And they… have a baby… Why do they have a baby!?" Obito called out in disbelief.
To the shock of the Seaheartians, and the kids, dozens of shinobi, Kamishini, and Anbu practically appeared from the landscape. Nearly surrounding them, it caused panic from the survivors. Acting on instinct, the royal guard by their hundreds rushed up to interpose themselves between the shinobi and the civilians. This strange sight put the shinobi on edge as Jiraiya and Seishin joined the rest of team Minato at the forefront. King Oda made his way to the front of his guards as Naruto rushed out with his arms waving.
"STOP!!! They're not a threat! They're not a threat!!" Naruto screamed, as if making sure everyone could hear him clearly over the commotion.
"Naruto! What were you thinking!?" Obito called out to his sensei's son in concern.
"I had to rescue the baby! Sei! Bring the kid out!" Naruto yelled back, causing the young Kamishini to rush forward.
"Eeeeee!!" the baby squealed as Seikoku ran.
"... I have several questions…" Rin uttered in response.
"Boys. Do you realize how much chaos you have caused?" Jiraiya groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as Kei, Shinkoku and Sasuke followed behind.
"Sorry, grandpa Jiraiya. But we were all having almost the exact same weird dreams. And you always say that, in the world of shinobi, there's no such thing as a coin… coinci…" Naruto began before trailing off in confusion.
"Coincidence, you brightly colored clown!" The other four boys yelled in unison.
"Yeah, that!" Naruto piped up as if they had not basically just called him a buffoon.
"... Kei. Is that why you asked me about the Mountain of Death?" Seishin asked, directing a stern glare at the eldest of the triplets while pointing at the baby.
"... If I say yes, I'm not gonna get the Hashi, right?" Kei asked nervously.
"You'll get it if you lie." Seishin simply told him.
"I didn't know till we went to the temple, but I kind of figured that that was where it was…" Kei explained with a gulp.
Sighing, Seishin pinched the bridge of his nose. "You boys… I swear, one of these days, you're going to drive me to drink. And I'm not going to be a pussy about it. I'm gonna be drinking the hard shit…" he uttered in frustration.
King Oda looked at all of this with curiosity before stepping forward. "Hail Pillar of the Kamishini. I am King Oda Shang the Second of Seaheart." he said, his voice cutting above the din of the chaos around them.
Seishin's eyes widened before he gave a respectful bow. "I am Kamishini Seishin, The Scorching Sun Pillar and the 140th Head of the Kamishini Clan. I apologize for any trouble my grandsons and their friends have caused you, Great King of the Dragon Men!" he announced to the king.
"They have not caused us any trouble. In fact, it is because of them that we have been awakened in the first place. And due to their presence, they uncovered a potential regional spirit catastrophe. Without them awakening us and allowing us to prevent them from escaping the mountain, there would have been a far greater catastrophe in the coming centuries." King Oda explained respectfully.
"See! We did good! So, we're not in trouble, right?" Naruto called out hopefully.
"Your mothers would disagree." Kakashi and Obito scolded him in unison.
"Dang it…" the five boys uttered in frustration.
"Dah ih." the baby said, trying to copy the boys.
Rin glared at the boys. "Boys…!" she growled, angered by them seemingly corrupting an innocent baby.
"... He did it!" the boys all called out, pointing at each other as the baby pointed at one of them randomly, with it happening to be Sasuke.
"I don't care who did it, you're all in trouble!" Rin called out.
"Seishin. Is there something you're not telling us?" Jiraiya asked, raising an eyebrow at the elderly clan leader.
"I have my theories. I just hope that I'm wrong because, if I'm not, a series of great disasters are on the horizon. And that baby will be at the center of many of them…" Seishin sighed in frustration.
"It's worse than that, my good man." King Oda chipped in.
"... How can it be worse than that?" Jiraiya asked, sounding worried as he tried to maintain his poker face.
"I will explain. After you take me to your leader." King Oda replied, crossing his arms expectantly.
This shocked the head shinobi on the mission, as none of this was what they had expected from this seemingly simple mission. But, seeing no other alternatives, they gave the king a nod. With that, King Oda gave the order, and the massive throng of people began to follow the shinobi towards the Hidden Leaf. As the shinobi wondered just what could possibly be worse than what was already foretold…
To Be Continued…