Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > River of the Night - Part 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and Naruto. I think I'm going to go cry in a corner now, it always makes me sad to write that.
Author's Note: Da da da daaaaaa! We continue with the awesome S-Class exams this time on chapter 13! Not really a lucky kind of number is it? If you want to know the history behind it - the unlucky thirteen that is - I''l tell you, if you don't just skip ahead.
In most ancient religions and some current ones there are twelve main Gods, the Pantheon so to speak. Focusing more on Greek mythology for the sake of an easier story these twelve Gods lived on Mount Olympus. However, what many do not know is that there were originally thirteen Gods. This remained so until one of them challenged Zeus for the right to rule… he lost and so was was banished from his position on Olympus. His name was Ophiuchus. What was most interesting though was that his seat was never removed from the 'round table' so to speak, but it was also never filled remaining empty for the rest of their rule over mankind. Which is why the number thirteen is considered unlucky.
His symbol is that of a serpent wrapped around a sceptre and is seen as such in astrology. It can also be speculated that he is the snake in the garden of Eden. In relation to Fairy Tail he is considered the thirteenth Zodiac key that is used in the Magic Games. What is interesting is that if he was included in the Zodiac birth reference then many Scorpio and Sagittarius born people would fall under his symbol.
Bit of history and mythology for you about why the number thirteen is unlucky.
'Fishing' - Normal
'Fishing' - Spells
'Fishing' - Thoughts, Flashbacks and Dreams (Use logic to differentiate!)
Chapter 13:
Squatting down in front of the box, Naruto contemplated his next course of action. Other then poking the thing with a ten foot long stick while he stood some distance away he wasn't really sure what to do. The cube like object seemed quite plain and inconspicuous with it's dull metal colouring, but like most inconspicuous things it had a hidden nature. From what little he could sense there seemed to be a trigger set on the cube. Not a trigger as in a gun trigger that when pulled would shoot him in the face, but rather a touch activated trigger that would cause the box to… do… something?
He was finding the creator of these rune sets to be quite annoying because he couldn't determine what it would do. Sure he appreciated good work when he saw it, but it was a real kick in the nads to realise his understanding of runes wasn't good enough to break them. Which leaves only one option, he thought despondently. I really am going to have to poke it with a stick.
"Yoru no Tsume," he muttered as he spun round, claws of dark magic forming at the tips of his fingers. Heading towards the nearest tree he stuck the claws in deep and began to carve himself a really long stick. The process moving quickly due to the magical quality his claws possessed.
Grabbing the pole he quickly stalked forward, stopping approximately ten feet from the 'innocent' little box lay. Pulling in a deep breath he raised the pole, slowly stretching it closer and closer. Until finally… they made contact. As soon as they brushed against each other Naruto launched him self backwards and up. His nerves getting the best of him as he did his best to escape any sort of counteractive measure he might have invoked. Luckily for him no one was watching. He had a bad feeling he'd looked rather stupid in his attempts to escape retribution.
Heaving a sigh at the non-reaction he let himself slowly drift back to the ground, his right hand tugging gently on the hair that fluttered lightly with his movements. There was a part of him that had doubted anything would have happened, largely because he suspected the thing would react to contact with his skin. It was a far more secure source of action.
Alright, alright, he thought as he gazed at the box intently. I've got to do this now before I lose my nerve.
Closing his eyes he sucked in a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before his eyes flickered open and he launched himself at the box. With gravity hardly touching his body he flew towards it. His finger tips reaching out and brushing against lightly, but when he continued his motion and attempted to pull them away it didn't work. His body was halted mid-flight and yanked to a sudden halt that flipped him over and left him flat on his back. Looking through the dusty cloud that had risen with his fall he stared at the box that held his fingers stuck. Above it he noticed flashing numbers and caught a brief glimpse of the number one before a white light flashed. Blinding him as a horrible drawing sensation yanked at him from where his fingers were connected to the box.
For a moment there was nothing. A world without sensation that could perhaps be classified as a sensation in and of itself.
Then it was gone and falling sensation gripped him briefly before his back slammed into the floor setting up a dust cloud around him. Coughing slightly from the dust Naruto groaned from his prone position on the floor. "What the fuck?" he muttered. That had certainly not been what he was expecting. If he'd known he wouldn't have charged the damn thing full speed. That move had almost dislocated his shoulder.
Blinking blearily up at the ceiling he struggled into a sitting position then with great effort managed to stand up, his legs still feeling shaky from his sudden teleportation. His mind clicked, transportation - that explained why he felt like he was going to throw up. Shaking his head to rid it of the dirt that had managed to find its way there he looked round the area he now found himself in and tried to determine where on earth it was.
Wherever he was it was a lot colder then it had been outside and the air was - despite the dust he'd sent up with his landing - quite damp. The almost watery feeling of it giving him the urge to stick out his tongue and taste the air. This meant that either he was in a swap or marsh in the midst of winter, in a thick jungle once again in winter or he was simply underground. Underground seemed like the best bet given that the others seemed highly unlikely. There was also the fact that there was a ceiling above his head which looked to be made of dirt and clay, no light being let in to his location, the floor under his feet felt much unlike the floor in a swap and most importantly there were no bugs - mosquitoes most importantly - buzzed round his head.
So, he had the basic location down. Now he just had to find out where underground he was.
Attempting to walk deeper into the dark area he found himself unable to. A barrier once again up and preventing him from moving. Turning his gaze to the box on the floor he glared. He really was beginning to hate runes. Heaving a sigh he plopped himself back down next to the box. Whatever Makarov had planned would require him to wait. He knew from his earlier dealing with the runes that he was incapable of breaking them. He also couldn't glean much from the box and knew there wasn't a chance of him figuring out what he was supposed to do.
Wait a second, he thought with excitement. Maybe I could just carry it with me, after all the runes surround the box. So, if I could just carry it with me there wouldn't be a problem. Jumping to his feet he grabbed the box and proceeded to lift it, rather unsuccessfully. He sighed and flopped back down, I knew it was too simple a solution.
Laying down on his back he just decided to enjoy the quiet for several moments. It seemed though - in a rather out of character turn of events - that he couldn't relax. His body was still rather sore in some places from the fight and his muscles were still tense, waiting and ready for a fight. His mind too, was running in circles as he thought about what could happen next. Letting one arm rest behind his head he filtered moon magic to his other hand and flared it brightly above his head like a torch. Shining round to get a better look at where he was. While his night vision was superb compared to most even he had trouble seeing too far in the dark environment.
Gazing round from his confined space a little furrow formed between his brows. If he didn't know better he'd think he was in a grave. His eyes widening Naruto shot up from his lying position. Stalking to the edge of the small circle Naruto looked round the enclosed space carefully as he moved.
"Catacombs," he whispered in shock. "I'm in the catacombs of some town or village… wasn't expecting that."
Moving closer to a pillar Naruto felt a slight shudder go up his spine as he took in the skulls that made up most of it though he suspected there was a solid pillar at the centre and they just surrounded it. That didn't do much for the creepy factor though. Yeah, he was still feeling slightly disturbed by the fact that he'd been surrounded by a ton of dead people with no idea.
Putting sue distance between himself and the skull enforced column Naruto moved back to his prior waiting spot next to the box. He wasn't actually sure if he was happy about knowing or not. Either way it certainly wasn't going to help him fall asleep. Even he had limits to his sleeping abilities.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Half an hour later his assessment of his sleeping abilities was proved false when he was awoken from a peaceful slumber by a loud beeping sound coming from the box. Shooting into a sitting position it took Naruto a moment to remember where he was, at which point all feelings of sleepiness evaporated and he quickly focused his attention on the beeping box. Attempting to stop it like an alarm clock he smashed his hand against the top of it. Getting nothing, but a throbbing hand for his efforts. It was ten beeps later and several curse words from Naruto that the box stopped beeping of its own accord.
There were several flickers of light above the box before something similar to a thought projection of Makarov appear hovering over the top of the box.
"Congratulations on reaching the second stage of the exam!" the loud voice of Makarov echoed through the cave. "Currently there are three of you left in the competition. Though I'll keep who and how that came to be to myself. For the next stage of the exam you've been left a map which you will be able to find in the box. If you don't arrive at my location within the next hour you will be disqualified. For now I leave you with this, 'I await your arrival at the centre in the light, let that light be your aid for this task'. Good luck," he finished and the image flickered out.
Must have been why I had to wait down here, he thought as he bent down to flick open the newly compliant lid of the box. Quickly sliding out the paper before the box changed it's mind he lit one hand with slivery white magic and lay the map flat out in front of him as he knelt down in front of it. Whilst charging off straight away could get him there quicker it could have equally adverse effects and cost him large amounts of time. It was better to get a look at it now before he did anything detrimental to his success.
He stared at the map intently for several moments before tilting his head slight to the side and frowning.
"This is the vaguest piece of shit I've ever seen," he muttered.
Leaning in closer he tried to make sense of the thing, but found a bit of problem with that for several reasons. One, it didn't indicate where he was on the map and so had he had no point to work from. Two, it didn't indicate where the so called centre was on the map either, which he assumed was where the entrance to the catacombs was and three, whoever had drawn it was a terrible artist. Reaching up a hand in frustration he played with the the hair near his ear as he stared at the map.
Okay, he thought, the only way I'm going to figure out where I am on the map is to explore the nearby area and see if I can associate it with something similar to the map. Standing up with the map in one hand and his other hand illuminated he began to count his paces as he walked along. Coming to a passageway he took a left, then a right only four paces later. This passage was longer though, and he took twenty steps before found another passageway turning right. Taking it he walked down another passageway fifteen steps or so before it opened up into a cave like chamber. Bones lining the bottom of the wall before converging up in several paths to a centre point on the ceiling.
That held little interest to him though.
What did hold interest was the fact that nothing he'd just walked through looked anything like the map indicated. He wondered if Makarov was just calling a bluff on the map and they were supposed to find their own way to him. It didn't seem right though.
"What am I missing?" he wondered.
Alright, just consider what you know about catacombs, he thought in an attempt to calm himself.
There was silence for several moments.
He sighed.
I don't know very much about catacombs do I? he thought ruefully. It's not like it was a common area of study and he'd never found himself very interested in the dead and gone. He certainly regretted it now.
Letting his glowing hand drop down he glared at a corner of the room.
Then shuddered.
It really was creepy.
Trying his best to shrug off the feeling he looked back down at the map. Not really paying much attention to what he was looking at. Staring unseeingly at the map it took him several moments to notice something out of place. Blinking in surprise Naruto brought the light back round to the front of the map and stared at it only to feel irritation creep up on him when what he'd noticed earlier disappeared. Growling under his breath Naruto dropped his hand back down when he spotted nothing out of place. Only when the hand lowered back down again he noticed it once more.
Almost raising his hand back up to get a better look he froze mid movement, his hand lowering back down to where it was before. Moving the light back down he raised it higher up underneath the map and suddenly it was like a thousand lines sprung up on the page. Filling in everything that had been missing before until he found himself gazing at a map that made sense.
It made sense!
"Makarov, you sly dog," he smirked.
He'd used a watermark. Something so simple and yet completely confusingly perfect for the job. If, it wasn't for pure luck he'd never would've figured it out. He thought Makarov was just referring to his location when he'd talking about the light, but he'd been referring to the watermark too. He wondered if the others had figured it out of if they'd been just as confused as him.
Grinning to himself he quickly located his position on the map and determined where the entrance was.
Time to go. He'd already wasted enough time. Lifting the gravity off his body till he was hovering he then added another gravitational pull in front of himself that had him flying into a passageway on the other side of the chamber like that was where the centre of the earth lay.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Naruto felt like pitching a fit - breaking down into tears would be a more apt description, but he refused to confess to such. He was here, right at the entrance. In fact he'd walked up the stairs of the entrance and into some sort of entrance room that lead to the catacombs. He'd even sent out his magical senses, but for the life of him he couldn't find Makarov.
He was a tad pissed. Just a tad.
He felt like the whole exam was just against any form of success.
Tugging on piece of hair he took several calming breathes before putting his mind to the problem. His poor little aching mind. He knew there had to be some sort of clue in the riddle slash annoyingly vague piece of advice Makarov had given them. It had been that after all which would have given him the clue earlier if he thought harder.
The most obvious thing was Makarov stating he'd be waiting for them at 'the centre in the light'. Clearly he'd been wrong to assume it was the exit to this place because Makarov was quite clearly not here. The light was the most obvious thing because the only light there was inside here was daylight and he said he'd be waiting for them at the centre in the light. The entrance was even quite obviously at the centre of the catacombs as the map showed.
"Argh… this doesn't make any sense," he growled in frustration. "He said he'd be waiting at the centre in the light and I'm currently at the centre in the light. I'm going to kill him when I find him! Does he expect me to dig a whole to the earths core because then I'd really be at the centre in the light."
He paused.
Catacombs are built under a town or village, generally speaking. Which means that this room is only a small part of it. A small part of it that is not necessarily the centre of it. It's the centre of the catacombs… but no necessarily the centre of the village!
'I await your arrival at the centre in the light'!
That's it he's in the centre of the village! Naruto mentally cried.
Running out the small building Naruto paid his environment little attention as he quickly pushed off into the air. Circling high above the largely destroyed city Naruto hovered above the buildings, searching for the centre of it. The village was bigger then he expected though and he had to fly higher before he could get a better approximation of it. Up high though he found himself in a position where it was a lot easier to spot then he thought. Despite the fact that most of the buildings in the village were destroyed by what appeared to be both time and war they formed a clear pattern in the earth.
A spiral.
A spiral that was far more familiar then it should be.
Reaching up to the chain around his neck Naruto gripped the symbol tightly as he looked down at its larger replica.
What… what is this? What is this!?
"Is this where… was this her home town? What… I don't understand," he murmured as he hovered dazedly above the city. Moving on autopilot Naruto moved towards the identified centre of the village where the largest of the few buildings left standing stood tall like a spire into the sky. Letting himself drop slowly down towards the ground he landed lightly on his feet. Toes brushing softly against the earth before he let himself fall gently the way down onto the dirt.
He felt so confused so disconnected.
Walking into the room he blandly noticed Makarov standing at the centre of the room. The centre of the room where another spiral converged at its centre. He felt surrounded by them. He sat there with his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees.
"This village," Makarov said interrupting his thoughts, "was once a prosperous place where a guild was centred. In fact this entire village was run by a guild. It was the village that was built around the guild not the other way around. They were a powerful guild, in fact when their village was prosperous it was impossible to get to this island without their permission because they had the entire island surrounded by whirlpools. That would have been fine, if that was all they were. Unfortunately they were not a guild that obeyed the laws of the council. In fact they were a village that specialised in assassination."
Naruto looked up sharply at that.
"For many years the council had warned them to stop, but they continued. Confident in their power, that they could prevent anything the council could do. But, they were wrong. Knowing they would be unable to defeat the large number of mages here the council unleashed beasts upon them. Beasts from the time of Zeref made by Zeref himself. Creatures that seemed to be indestructible. It was a win win for the council. The creatures would destroy the rouge guild too powerful for them to control and the guild would destroy the creatures they were unable to," Makarov continued his explanation as he looked out at the horizon, " or at least it would have been that way had they not miscalculated."
"Yes, they destroyed each other and it seemed that the mages would come out on top. At least until the council unleashed a demon they were at this point to weak to defeat after an endless battle. A demon that went on to terrorise cities across the Earthland for years to come… a demon known as Deloria. Weak from their prior battles they were unable to stop it and few survivors remained of the once powerful guild, of the once powerful city Uzushiogakure."
It was now that Naruto spoke, "That is why, you've always stared at the symbol. The spiral."
Makarov nodded, "It was actually your surname though, that cinched it. Uzushiogakure both as a guild and village was run by a family hierarchy. The name Uzumaki belonged not only to you, but to them too."
His head dropped back down into his hands and he whispered almost to quietly for Makarov to hear, "It was my kaa-san's. Both the surname and the necklace belonged to the woman who gave birth to me and died to protect me." He sighed, "Is that why you brought me here to test me? To tell me this and see what I would do?"
He gripped the necklace tightly, "It is part of who I am, but it is not the entirety of me. Our history is important and knowing where we came from can be a part of what shapes our future. So, while your intentions to bringing me here my not have been pure I am grateful nonetheless to know part of my history."
"I admit that part of this was to test you and your loyalty, but never wanted you to fail," he replied with honesty.
Naruto nodded.
"But it is best we put this matter aside for now," Makarov continued then he pointed up at the sky through an arch window. "It would seem your competition is arriving."
Author's Note: Da da da daaaaaa! We continue with the awesome S-Class exams this time on chapter 13! Not really a lucky kind of number is it? If you want to know the history behind it - the unlucky thirteen that is - I''l tell you, if you don't just skip ahead.
In most ancient religions and some current ones there are twelve main Gods, the Pantheon so to speak. Focusing more on Greek mythology for the sake of an easier story these twelve Gods lived on Mount Olympus. However, what many do not know is that there were originally thirteen Gods. This remained so until one of them challenged Zeus for the right to rule… he lost and so was was banished from his position on Olympus. His name was Ophiuchus. What was most interesting though was that his seat was never removed from the 'round table' so to speak, but it was also never filled remaining empty for the rest of their rule over mankind. Which is why the number thirteen is considered unlucky.
His symbol is that of a serpent wrapped around a sceptre and is seen as such in astrology. It can also be speculated that he is the snake in the garden of Eden. In relation to Fairy Tail he is considered the thirteenth Zodiac key that is used in the Magic Games. What is interesting is that if he was included in the Zodiac birth reference then many Scorpio and Sagittarius born people would fall under his symbol.
Bit of history and mythology for you about why the number thirteen is unlucky.
'Fishing' - Normal
'Fishing' - Spells
'Fishing' - Thoughts, Flashbacks and Dreams (Use logic to differentiate!)
Chapter 13:
Squatting down in front of the box, Naruto contemplated his next course of action. Other then poking the thing with a ten foot long stick while he stood some distance away he wasn't really sure what to do. The cube like object seemed quite plain and inconspicuous with it's dull metal colouring, but like most inconspicuous things it had a hidden nature. From what little he could sense there seemed to be a trigger set on the cube. Not a trigger as in a gun trigger that when pulled would shoot him in the face, but rather a touch activated trigger that would cause the box to… do… something?
He was finding the creator of these rune sets to be quite annoying because he couldn't determine what it would do. Sure he appreciated good work when he saw it, but it was a real kick in the nads to realise his understanding of runes wasn't good enough to break them. Which leaves only one option, he thought despondently. I really am going to have to poke it with a stick.
"Yoru no Tsume," he muttered as he spun round, claws of dark magic forming at the tips of his fingers. Heading towards the nearest tree he stuck the claws in deep and began to carve himself a really long stick. The process moving quickly due to the magical quality his claws possessed.
Grabbing the pole he quickly stalked forward, stopping approximately ten feet from the 'innocent' little box lay. Pulling in a deep breath he raised the pole, slowly stretching it closer and closer. Until finally… they made contact. As soon as they brushed against each other Naruto launched him self backwards and up. His nerves getting the best of him as he did his best to escape any sort of counteractive measure he might have invoked. Luckily for him no one was watching. He had a bad feeling he'd looked rather stupid in his attempts to escape retribution.
Heaving a sigh at the non-reaction he let himself slowly drift back to the ground, his right hand tugging gently on the hair that fluttered lightly with his movements. There was a part of him that had doubted anything would have happened, largely because he suspected the thing would react to contact with his skin. It was a far more secure source of action.
Alright, alright, he thought as he gazed at the box intently. I've got to do this now before I lose my nerve.
Closing his eyes he sucked in a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before his eyes flickered open and he launched himself at the box. With gravity hardly touching his body he flew towards it. His finger tips reaching out and brushing against lightly, but when he continued his motion and attempted to pull them away it didn't work. His body was halted mid-flight and yanked to a sudden halt that flipped him over and left him flat on his back. Looking through the dusty cloud that had risen with his fall he stared at the box that held his fingers stuck. Above it he noticed flashing numbers and caught a brief glimpse of the number one before a white light flashed. Blinding him as a horrible drawing sensation yanked at him from where his fingers were connected to the box.
For a moment there was nothing. A world without sensation that could perhaps be classified as a sensation in and of itself.
Then it was gone and falling sensation gripped him briefly before his back slammed into the floor setting up a dust cloud around him. Coughing slightly from the dust Naruto groaned from his prone position on the floor. "What the fuck?" he muttered. That had certainly not been what he was expecting. If he'd known he wouldn't have charged the damn thing full speed. That move had almost dislocated his shoulder.
Blinking blearily up at the ceiling he struggled into a sitting position then with great effort managed to stand up, his legs still feeling shaky from his sudden teleportation. His mind clicked, transportation - that explained why he felt like he was going to throw up. Shaking his head to rid it of the dirt that had managed to find its way there he looked round the area he now found himself in and tried to determine where on earth it was.
Wherever he was it was a lot colder then it had been outside and the air was - despite the dust he'd sent up with his landing - quite damp. The almost watery feeling of it giving him the urge to stick out his tongue and taste the air. This meant that either he was in a swap or marsh in the midst of winter, in a thick jungle once again in winter or he was simply underground. Underground seemed like the best bet given that the others seemed highly unlikely. There was also the fact that there was a ceiling above his head which looked to be made of dirt and clay, no light being let in to his location, the floor under his feet felt much unlike the floor in a swap and most importantly there were no bugs - mosquitoes most importantly - buzzed round his head.
So, he had the basic location down. Now he just had to find out where underground he was.
Attempting to walk deeper into the dark area he found himself unable to. A barrier once again up and preventing him from moving. Turning his gaze to the box on the floor he glared. He really was beginning to hate runes. Heaving a sigh he plopped himself back down next to the box. Whatever Makarov had planned would require him to wait. He knew from his earlier dealing with the runes that he was incapable of breaking them. He also couldn't glean much from the box and knew there wasn't a chance of him figuring out what he was supposed to do.
Wait a second, he thought with excitement. Maybe I could just carry it with me, after all the runes surround the box. So, if I could just carry it with me there wouldn't be a problem. Jumping to his feet he grabbed the box and proceeded to lift it, rather unsuccessfully. He sighed and flopped back down, I knew it was too simple a solution.
Laying down on his back he just decided to enjoy the quiet for several moments. It seemed though - in a rather out of character turn of events - that he couldn't relax. His body was still rather sore in some places from the fight and his muscles were still tense, waiting and ready for a fight. His mind too, was running in circles as he thought about what could happen next. Letting one arm rest behind his head he filtered moon magic to his other hand and flared it brightly above his head like a torch. Shining round to get a better look at where he was. While his night vision was superb compared to most even he had trouble seeing too far in the dark environment.
Gazing round from his confined space a little furrow formed between his brows. If he didn't know better he'd think he was in a grave. His eyes widening Naruto shot up from his lying position. Stalking to the edge of the small circle Naruto looked round the enclosed space carefully as he moved.
"Catacombs," he whispered in shock. "I'm in the catacombs of some town or village… wasn't expecting that."
Moving closer to a pillar Naruto felt a slight shudder go up his spine as he took in the skulls that made up most of it though he suspected there was a solid pillar at the centre and they just surrounded it. That didn't do much for the creepy factor though. Yeah, he was still feeling slightly disturbed by the fact that he'd been surrounded by a ton of dead people with no idea.
Putting sue distance between himself and the skull enforced column Naruto moved back to his prior waiting spot next to the box. He wasn't actually sure if he was happy about knowing or not. Either way it certainly wasn't going to help him fall asleep. Even he had limits to his sleeping abilities.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Half an hour later his assessment of his sleeping abilities was proved false when he was awoken from a peaceful slumber by a loud beeping sound coming from the box. Shooting into a sitting position it took Naruto a moment to remember where he was, at which point all feelings of sleepiness evaporated and he quickly focused his attention on the beeping box. Attempting to stop it like an alarm clock he smashed his hand against the top of it. Getting nothing, but a throbbing hand for his efforts. It was ten beeps later and several curse words from Naruto that the box stopped beeping of its own accord.
There were several flickers of light above the box before something similar to a thought projection of Makarov appear hovering over the top of the box.
"Congratulations on reaching the second stage of the exam!" the loud voice of Makarov echoed through the cave. "Currently there are three of you left in the competition. Though I'll keep who and how that came to be to myself. For the next stage of the exam you've been left a map which you will be able to find in the box. If you don't arrive at my location within the next hour you will be disqualified. For now I leave you with this, 'I await your arrival at the centre in the light, let that light be your aid for this task'. Good luck," he finished and the image flickered out.
Must have been why I had to wait down here, he thought as he bent down to flick open the newly compliant lid of the box. Quickly sliding out the paper before the box changed it's mind he lit one hand with slivery white magic and lay the map flat out in front of him as he knelt down in front of it. Whilst charging off straight away could get him there quicker it could have equally adverse effects and cost him large amounts of time. It was better to get a look at it now before he did anything detrimental to his success.
He stared at the map intently for several moments before tilting his head slight to the side and frowning.
"This is the vaguest piece of shit I've ever seen," he muttered.
Leaning in closer he tried to make sense of the thing, but found a bit of problem with that for several reasons. One, it didn't indicate where he was on the map and so had he had no point to work from. Two, it didn't indicate where the so called centre was on the map either, which he assumed was where the entrance to the catacombs was and three, whoever had drawn it was a terrible artist. Reaching up a hand in frustration he played with the the hair near his ear as he stared at the map.
Okay, he thought, the only way I'm going to figure out where I am on the map is to explore the nearby area and see if I can associate it with something similar to the map. Standing up with the map in one hand and his other hand illuminated he began to count his paces as he walked along. Coming to a passageway he took a left, then a right only four paces later. This passage was longer though, and he took twenty steps before found another passageway turning right. Taking it he walked down another passageway fifteen steps or so before it opened up into a cave like chamber. Bones lining the bottom of the wall before converging up in several paths to a centre point on the ceiling.
That held little interest to him though.
What did hold interest was the fact that nothing he'd just walked through looked anything like the map indicated. He wondered if Makarov was just calling a bluff on the map and they were supposed to find their own way to him. It didn't seem right though.
"What am I missing?" he wondered.
Alright, just consider what you know about catacombs, he thought in an attempt to calm himself.
There was silence for several moments.
He sighed.
I don't know very much about catacombs do I? he thought ruefully. It's not like it was a common area of study and he'd never found himself very interested in the dead and gone. He certainly regretted it now.
Letting his glowing hand drop down he glared at a corner of the room.
Then shuddered.
It really was creepy.
Trying his best to shrug off the feeling he looked back down at the map. Not really paying much attention to what he was looking at. Staring unseeingly at the map it took him several moments to notice something out of place. Blinking in surprise Naruto brought the light back round to the front of the map and stared at it only to feel irritation creep up on him when what he'd noticed earlier disappeared. Growling under his breath Naruto dropped his hand back down when he spotted nothing out of place. Only when the hand lowered back down again he noticed it once more.
Almost raising his hand back up to get a better look he froze mid movement, his hand lowering back down to where it was before. Moving the light back down he raised it higher up underneath the map and suddenly it was like a thousand lines sprung up on the page. Filling in everything that had been missing before until he found himself gazing at a map that made sense.
It made sense!
"Makarov, you sly dog," he smirked.
He'd used a watermark. Something so simple and yet completely confusingly perfect for the job. If, it wasn't for pure luck he'd never would've figured it out. He thought Makarov was just referring to his location when he'd talking about the light, but he'd been referring to the watermark too. He wondered if the others had figured it out of if they'd been just as confused as him.
Grinning to himself he quickly located his position on the map and determined where the entrance was.
Time to go. He'd already wasted enough time. Lifting the gravity off his body till he was hovering he then added another gravitational pull in front of himself that had him flying into a passageway on the other side of the chamber like that was where the centre of the earth lay.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Naruto felt like pitching a fit - breaking down into tears would be a more apt description, but he refused to confess to such. He was here, right at the entrance. In fact he'd walked up the stairs of the entrance and into some sort of entrance room that lead to the catacombs. He'd even sent out his magical senses, but for the life of him he couldn't find Makarov.
He was a tad pissed. Just a tad.
He felt like the whole exam was just against any form of success.
Tugging on piece of hair he took several calming breathes before putting his mind to the problem. His poor little aching mind. He knew there had to be some sort of clue in the riddle slash annoyingly vague piece of advice Makarov had given them. It had been that after all which would have given him the clue earlier if he thought harder.
The most obvious thing was Makarov stating he'd be waiting for them at 'the centre in the light'. Clearly he'd been wrong to assume it was the exit to this place because Makarov was quite clearly not here. The light was the most obvious thing because the only light there was inside here was daylight and he said he'd be waiting for them at the centre in the light. The entrance was even quite obviously at the centre of the catacombs as the map showed.
"Argh… this doesn't make any sense," he growled in frustration. "He said he'd be waiting at the centre in the light and I'm currently at the centre in the light. I'm going to kill him when I find him! Does he expect me to dig a whole to the earths core because then I'd really be at the centre in the light."
He paused.
Catacombs are built under a town or village, generally speaking. Which means that this room is only a small part of it. A small part of it that is not necessarily the centre of it. It's the centre of the catacombs… but no necessarily the centre of the village!
'I await your arrival at the centre in the light'!
That's it he's in the centre of the village! Naruto mentally cried.
Running out the small building Naruto paid his environment little attention as he quickly pushed off into the air. Circling high above the largely destroyed city Naruto hovered above the buildings, searching for the centre of it. The village was bigger then he expected though and he had to fly higher before he could get a better approximation of it. Up high though he found himself in a position where it was a lot easier to spot then he thought. Despite the fact that most of the buildings in the village were destroyed by what appeared to be both time and war they formed a clear pattern in the earth.
A spiral.
A spiral that was far more familiar then it should be.
Reaching up to the chain around his neck Naruto gripped the symbol tightly as he looked down at its larger replica.
What… what is this? What is this!?
"Is this where… was this her home town? What… I don't understand," he murmured as he hovered dazedly above the city. Moving on autopilot Naruto moved towards the identified centre of the village where the largest of the few buildings left standing stood tall like a spire into the sky. Letting himself drop slowly down towards the ground he landed lightly on his feet. Toes brushing softly against the earth before he let himself fall gently the way down onto the dirt.
He felt so confused so disconnected.
Walking into the room he blandly noticed Makarov standing at the centre of the room. The centre of the room where another spiral converged at its centre. He felt surrounded by them. He sat there with his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees.
"This village," Makarov said interrupting his thoughts, "was once a prosperous place where a guild was centred. In fact this entire village was run by a guild. It was the village that was built around the guild not the other way around. They were a powerful guild, in fact when their village was prosperous it was impossible to get to this island without their permission because they had the entire island surrounded by whirlpools. That would have been fine, if that was all they were. Unfortunately they were not a guild that obeyed the laws of the council. In fact they were a village that specialised in assassination."
Naruto looked up sharply at that.
"For many years the council had warned them to stop, but they continued. Confident in their power, that they could prevent anything the council could do. But, they were wrong. Knowing they would be unable to defeat the large number of mages here the council unleashed beasts upon them. Beasts from the time of Zeref made by Zeref himself. Creatures that seemed to be indestructible. It was a win win for the council. The creatures would destroy the rouge guild too powerful for them to control and the guild would destroy the creatures they were unable to," Makarov continued his explanation as he looked out at the horizon, " or at least it would have been that way had they not miscalculated."
"Yes, they destroyed each other and it seemed that the mages would come out on top. At least until the council unleashed a demon they were at this point to weak to defeat after an endless battle. A demon that went on to terrorise cities across the Earthland for years to come… a demon known as Deloria. Weak from their prior battles they were unable to stop it and few survivors remained of the once powerful guild, of the once powerful city Uzushiogakure."
It was now that Naruto spoke, "That is why, you've always stared at the symbol. The spiral."
Makarov nodded, "It was actually your surname though, that cinched it. Uzushiogakure both as a guild and village was run by a family hierarchy. The name Uzumaki belonged not only to you, but to them too."
His head dropped back down into his hands and he whispered almost to quietly for Makarov to hear, "It was my kaa-san's. Both the surname and the necklace belonged to the woman who gave birth to me and died to protect me." He sighed, "Is that why you brought me here to test me? To tell me this and see what I would do?"
He gripped the necklace tightly, "It is part of who I am, but it is not the entirety of me. Our history is important and knowing where we came from can be a part of what shapes our future. So, while your intentions to bringing me here my not have been pure I am grateful nonetheless to know part of my history."
"I admit that part of this was to test you and your loyalty, but never wanted you to fail," he replied with honesty.
Naruto nodded.
"But it is best we put this matter aside for now," Makarov continued then he pointed up at the sky through an arch window. "It would seem your competition is arriving."
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