naruto-story Book 9: Chapter 48: A Visitor
Book 9: Chapter 48: A Visitor
Book 9: Chapter 48: A Visitor
On wings of fiery rage, the Lava King soared through his domain, his blazing eyes hunting for the interloper. This was his hall, his kingdom. This was where his Ash Queens laid their eggs, this was where his father and his father before him had fought free of their shells, and this was where he had fought for the right to call himself King! His domain was deep under the earth, caverns through which lava rivers and lakes stretched farther than the eye could see. His domain was vast, his dominance absolute, and any fool that thought to breach his defenses would feel his claws and taste his fiery breath.
He banked, channeling more Energy into his wings, surging forward faster than any creature with his bulk had a right to move. He passed through a great, natural stone arch, his wings scorching the stones on either side. Once through, he swooped up toward the mile-high, domed stone ceiling, and from that lofty vantage, he scanned his largest cavern, his eyes piercing the darkness, snatching out the blues and greens of things with blood too cool to dip into his molten domain.
“There,” he growled, diving toward four green and blue figures. They were large and bipedal, and they clutched their steely fangs in their forelimbs like so many of their kind. It didn’t matter. The Lava King gathered a great lungful of air, expanded his chest, and, with a spark from his Breath Core, doused the cool-blooded fools with an avalanche of lava. By the time he set down on the steaming, ticking stone shelf where they’d stood, naught but bones and some bits of charred flesh remained.
The Lava King turned to face the center of the cavern and roared his victory, signaling to his brood and his mates that their subterranean world was safe once again. He settled his great bulk on the hot stone and folded his forelegs beneath his chin as he lazily allowed his fiery wings to fade. Absently, he stretched his neck to snatch up one of the hot bones, a bit of flesh still clinging to it. He crunched it, savoring the hot marrow, and then swallowed it whole. Life was good.
#
When Victor woke from his vision, he felt so good that he laughed, realizing his cheeks were already sore from the smile plastered on his face. He stretched and rolled over and lay there for a good minute, trying to figure out where he was. Slowly, as the décor of his ducal suite began to register with his sleep-addled mind, he remembered he was in Iron Mountain and that he was Victor—a Quinametzin Titan from Earth. He remembered eating the lava king's heart, and then he remembered his vision, and the smile returned. What a life! He chuckled again but then noticed, on the edge of his vision, System messages that he’d somehow brushed aside:
***Congratulations! You have gained a new Feat: Flight of the Lava King.***
***Flight of the Lava King: Your species is gifted with the ability to channel Energy into powerful wings capable of providing flight to even the great, scaled, densely boned bodies of your kind. This ability is innate and requires only the fiery Energy in your Core to function.***
Victor blinked, staring at the message for several long minutes. It was the same ability his Sojourn armor set provided. However, if it proved to be anything like the flight he’d experienced in his vision, then it would be far more versatile and last a good deal longer.
The System had written the message as though Victor were a lava king. Was that how it was when his titanic nature absorbed the ability of his vanquished foes? Was that what a titan was—a conglomeration of the species it absorbed? Victor stretched out his arms, clenching his ring-covered fingers into fists, turning them left and right. He hadn’t grown scales or anything. He brought forth his status page:
Name:@@@@
Victor Sandoval
Race:
Quinametzin Bloodline - Epic 5
Class:
Warlord - Legendary
Level:
82
Breath Core:
Elder Class - Advanced 7
Core:
Spirit Class - Epic 3
Breath Core Affinity:
Magma - 9, Blue Ice - 9
Breath Core Energy:
6100/6100
Energy Affinity:
Fear 9.4, Rage 9.1, Glory 8.6, Inspiration 7.4, Unattuned 3.1
Energy:
43812/43812
Strength:
580
Vitality:
819 (867)
Dexterity:
280 (302)
Agility:
303 (325)
Intelligence:
220
Will:
673
Points Available:
Titles & Feats:
“Huh?”
“He’s an ancient primordial—a being who follows his own rules. When he contacted and met with you, it opened some doors for me...politically speaking.”
Victor was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Tes was standing before him, speaking to him almost like nothing had happened since the last time he’d seen her. “Jesus, Tes, I can’t believe you’re standing here!”
“Well, I am, so please try to believe.” She giggled and twirled, looking past him toward the door. “Someone comes.”
Victor stared at the door for a moment, and then, sure enough, knuckles rapped on the wood. Now that he was concentrating on it, he recognized the pattern as Bryn’s. He looked at Tes. “Does anyone know you’re here?”
“Naturally! I greeted many staff as I walked through your palace. Best you don’t announce me as anything other than an old friend, though.”
Victor walked over to the door and opened it. Bryn stood there in her usual uniform, though he noted a new, star-patterned embroidery on her collar. “Hey, Bryn, I think I called for you a little prematurely. I didn’t realize I had a guest in the palace.”
“You do? Shall I escort...them up?”
“No, no. She’s here already. I’ll introduce you after we finish catching up. I’m sorry about dragging you up here for nothing. Go ahead and go back to whatever you were doing, okay?”
Bryn’s eyes narrowed, but her face was nearly expressionless as she responded, “Of course, Your Grace. Nothing is amiss?”
“Nothing with me. Is everything good with the, um, queen and Trobban and all that?”
“Everything is fine, Your Grace. Based on how you spoke yesterday, I thought you’d be out longer.”
“Yesterday?” Victor laughed, shaking his head. “I thought it would be longer. Anyway, it’s good to know I didn’t miss much. I’ll call you soon.” At his words, Bryn nodded, and Victor closed the door.
“You care about her,” Tes observed, still standing near the balcony windows. She’d pulled the curtains wide.
“She’s been great.”
“Good. You’ll need allies.”
“Ahem,” Victor cleared his throat, still feeling off balance. “Care to elaborate on that?”
“Oh, Victor! What a sticky mess you’ve gotten yourself in!” She sighed, shaking her head. “I have some leeway to speak, thanks to him,” she pointed toward the mountain, “but my hands are still a bit tied. Nevertheless, I’m here and can guide you for a while. We’ll see you through this...I hope.”
“Through what?”
“Well, you’re determined to battle your way to the top of the food chain on this world, yes? I won’t lie and say I haven’t been watching you from time to time.”
“Yeah, I guess I’m determined. I made promises to—”
“Well, my dear, sweet titan, you’ve made promises that will prove difficult to keep. There are very powerful, very wealthy people ruling the great kingdoms of this world, and they have vast resources. Do you think you’re the only warrior from another world who’s found himself a position as a champion here? Men and women are lining up to kill you, sweet boy.”
Victor didn’t love her patronizing turn of phrase, but she had a way of delivering the words with that sweet smile and tone that disarmed his flickering anger before it could take root. He shrugged. “They can’t be veil walkers. I’ve fought steel seekers before.”
Tes smiled and stepped closer to him. She was larger than she had been most of the time on Coloss—giant-sized—but she still had to stand on her tip-toes to look more directly into his eyes. Her lips curled up on the right side in a crooked smile as she tsked. “Love, you aren’t the only person in all the worlds connected to Ruhn who has a potent bloodline. You aren’t the only warrior to have the blessing of a strong Core and legendary Classes. There are some true monsters readying themselves to face you—men and women unlike any you’ve faced before. At least one of them has an elder bloodline.”
Tes flickered in and out of focus for the briefest moment, and Victor saw her true form. A great, blue-scaled dragon’s head flashed before his eyes, her white fangs exposed in a wicked, leering smile, her glittering sapphire eyes like jewels with the light of a blazing star at their heart. “If you take my meaning,” she said, back to her human-appearing self.
“A dragon?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The way I see it, you’ve got some time to prepare. It’ll be a while before you face the first of Ruhn’s great houses. Their machinations will take time, their schemes to obstruct your queen’s progress. Oh, what a pit of vipers you’ve gotten yourself mixed up with!” She sighed and tilted her head, arching an eyebrow. “How would you like me to spend some time with you here? I know you’ve been studying elder magic. I can...tutor you.”
“Shit, seriously? Fuck yes, I’d like that!” The idea of having Tes there to help him again filled Victor’s chest with unmitigated joy. He loved her style of “tutoring.” She was straightforward and pleasant and spent time with him when he’d been on Coloss. Of all the “mentors” he’d had, Tes was more than his favorite—he wouldn’t deny that he’d been smitten by her. He could put that aside, couldn’t he? He could focus and learn from her. Right?
“Good! Thanks to yonder titan,” she pointed out the window at the mountain, “and thanks to your wandering spirit—you visited me, do you remember that?”
“W-what?”
“Yes! Your spirit came my way during some fever dream or another. Anyway, thanks to that little fact—you contacted me, technically—the Celestial Envoys have granted me permission to visit. I’m not allowed to reveal my true nature to others, and I’m not allowed to intervene, but I think some gentle guidance and a little tutoring are well within my limitations.”
Victor laughed and stooped, reaching for her, wanting to pull her into another sweeping embrace, but she took a step back. “Easy, now!” she laughed, “We’ve much work to do and...well, we need to keep things professional. I’m so impressed with your growth, Victor; I truly am. You’ve made tremendous strides in so many ways. You’re truly a man of great accomplishments. Nevertheless, if I’m going to teach you, you must take me seriously, as well.”
Victor nodded, a little embarrassed but too happy, too relieved to have Tes there, to care. She was a lifeline for him, someone he trusted implicitly—more than Arona, more than Queen Kynna, more than anyone else on Ruhn—even more than Ranish Dar. No, the truth was, he felt that way, especially about Dar. How wonderful would it be to have a mentor again whom he wasn’t second-guessing, whom he didn’t think might have ulterior motives? He still wasn’t sure Dar expected him to win all these duels. As far as he knew, Dar had plans based on either outcome—success or failure.
“Good!” Tes nodded, turning back to the balcony. “Let’s start with a review of where things stand. You can tell me about your allies here, your equipment, and the things about you that have changed. I can see much, but I can’t see everything. Truly, Victor, you impress me! So?” She produced a crystalline decanter. “Would you have a drink and sit with me? I might have a tale or two to share with you, as well.”
Victor smiled and nodded, moving to the couch where he sat. She walked over and settled beside him, tilting her knees so they pointed his way. She set the decanter on the table beside them and produced two crystal glasses. She put them on the table and nodded. “You pour.”
“Oh, sure,” Victor reached for the decanter and pulled the stopper. The heady scent of potent alcohol and something cloyingly sweet filled his nostrils. “Smells good.”
“It is! And,” she leaned forward and smiled, slapping his knee, “it would kill most people even to have a sip. You’ve advanced your race past epic, though; I can feel it. You’ll be fine.”
Victor’s eyes widened, his mouth set in a stupid grin; he felt like the drink was a peace offering. It was Tes acknowledging that he’d changed, that he was ready for more from her. They might be embarking on a student-mentor relationship for now, but he was more than just a student to her, and she was showing him as much. He poured the honey-colored liquid into Tes’s glass, and the potent fumes wafted into his nose. He smelled fire, rain, and something like cherry blossoms in that eye-watering haze. “Nice.”
After he poured them both a finger of the stuff, he handed one of the glasses to Tes and then tapped his against it. As their glasses clicked together with a crystalline chime, she said, “To old friendships made new again.”
Victor nodded. “To old friends and warm hearts.”
She smiled, and they drank. Victor took just a tiny sip, afraid he’d get drunk too quickly, but it went down easily, and, despite Tes’s earlier words, it didn’t seem all that dangerous. Still, he set the glass down and turned to look into Tes’s eyes. “I’m so grateful that you came.”
“I love that about you, Victor—how you wear your heart openly for all to see. Now, tell me everything, and you can start with the shadow on that big heart. What steered your course to Ruhn, and where has Valla gone?”
“Ah.” Victor’s smile faltered. He leaned back, contemplated picking up and draining his glass, then sighed, shaking his head. “Things started to get difficult for us when we got to Sojourn...” So, he and Tes sat together, and he told her everything. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he bared his soul to another person, sharing his fears, his doubts, and his heartache. Tes listened and, to his relief, didn’t offer any platitudes. She nodded and commiserated, and before long, their conversation turned to Ranish Dar and Victor’s mad quest to make Kynna Empress of Ruhn.
Before he got far, though, Tes asked him to back up and tell him about what he’d done since Coloss. Victor nodded, and he recounted his time on Fanwath, his conquest of the Untamed Marches, and how he and his allies had traveled to Sojourn to save Edeya. In a way, it was cathartic to sit there rehashing everything he’d done, all he’d been through, and all he hoped to do. It helped him to remember that he had accomplished a lot. He might have gotten himself into a “viper’s nest” there on Ruhn, but just because he had some tough pendejos lining up to fight him, that didn’t mean he couldn’t find a way to win.
So, he talked, and then Tes talked, and they planned, and they plotted, and before he knew it, the night had grown late, and they were both drunk and laughing. Victor’s chest was filled with joy as he shared all his troubles, and that shared weight made them light, and he forgot about them for the first time in a very long while.