Naruto sighed deeply as he left the money pit, stepping aside to allow one of his hyperactive imps to rush by and magically claim the room as his own. With Horny, Gnarl, and the Mentor in tow he entered the broken Throne Room and sat down on the shattered throne.
The Mentor and Gnarl stood at the foot of the throne while Horny snorted and walked for the door. “I'm going for a walk. Maybe I'll find something to k-k-k-k-kill.”
Naruto sighed. “Alright, just don't hurt any goblins and don't get lost.”
The demon snorted and left without comment.
Slowly, he glanced over to the hovering spirit and asked, “So, anything really cool and valuable down there?”
“Besides the Portal Gem and some other minor magical odds and ends, not really,” the ghost admitted, “I tended to keep most of my magical items in circulation. After all, if you have a Flaming Sword of Destruction, it’s better to lend it to one of your Black Knights so he can smite your enemies with it, rather than allow it to collect dust on a rack. The only items I kept in storage were the ones I didn't use that often, and needless to say, there are reasons I didn't use them that often.”
Naruto nodded. That made a lot of sense. After all, what was the point of having cool stuff if you didn't use it.
“So,” Naruto asked again having not really given the others time to answer, “What now? I mean I have all this gold and I've got a bunch of Goblins to look out for, but besides that what do I do?”
“Well, Keeper,” The Mentor observed, “You do have a great deal of currency to spend. You should complete your dungeon. Tell me, what have you completed so far?”
Naruto frowned. “Well, I built a Hatchery and Lair so I wouldn't starve to death and just kept digging until I found this place.”
“So basically nothing,” the Ghost remarked. “Your dungeon heart is deep within the rock?” Naruto nodded. “Yeah.”
The old ghost smiled slightly, though it was difficult to make out. “My dungeon was expansive. If you could rebuilt and expand it, it would be an outstanding outer fortress. Build your Inner Sanctum around your Dungeon Heart, deep within the bosom of the earth where few know where to look. ”
“That's good and all,” Gnarl cut in, “But all keepers need an element of style. I mean look at yourself, I've seen beggars more terrifying. You need to go shopping. Buy some stuff to decorate the old place. Maybe some drapes, some rugs, some clothing…“
The Mentor‘s reply was a dark chuckle. “Your pet is quite amusing, Keeper. When it opens its mouth, it makes it so amusingly clear that is unaccustomed to having any level of real authority.”
“What?” Gnarl snapped, “You expect our master to sleep in a Lair?”
“Of course not, but speaking of lairs you have much experience with sleeping in such quarters, do you not?” the Mentor asked with a belittling tone that made it quite clear his question was completely rhetorical.
“Yes,” Gnarl snapped in response. “What of it?”
“And you never noticed how the magic of the room is able to magically generate a bed that is at least somewhat to your liking?”
Gnarl’s eyes widened slightly. “You mean that the Inner Sanctum magically creates all that pomp and luxury?”
“Of course it does!” the Mentor snapped, “What kind of Inner Sanctum would it be if you had to furnish it yourself? Sure, you will have to provide your own servants and concubines, and if you want anything truly unique or exceptional you will indeed have to go shopping, but clothing, furniture, and all the fundamentals are covered.”
“I didn’t know that,” Gnarl admitted.
“And that my dear Goblin is why I was a Keeper and you are minion,”
“Why you…”
“Quit it!” Naruto commanded, “Okay, so I need to build an Inner Sanctum. I’ll do it once I have a place for it, okay?”
“Very good,” the Mentor replied. “If you wish to attempt to claim mine, it can be found right past the collapsed doors behind us. It was rather extensive and once your Imps have claimed these halls as your own, you could easily rebuild it to your liking.”
Naruto nodded. “Okay. That’s good… so what else?”
“You should look into finding my body,” the Mentor replied.
Gnarl snorted. “What should he want your moldy old bones?”
“Nothing,” The Mentor snapped, “But as you remember I liked to keep my magical items in circulation. Wouldn’t it simply make sense if had I kept my best for myself?”
Naruto smiled. “So you have some really awesome magical stuff on your body?”
“Oh indeed. Weapons, armor, magical charm… more than enough to make myself a rather intimidating figure. We just have to dig me up. Last thing I remember is falling down the bottomless pit that I used to dispose of those who disappointed me. There is a chance they might have missed finding me in the fall. You just have to check the bottom”
Naruto blinked. “Wait? How are we supposed to check the bottom of a bottomless pit?”
Gnarl grinned. “There is no such thing as a bottomless pit, Master. They just look that way. Remember, master, it’s not the fall that kills you, it's the fast stop at the end!”
“Quite right,” the Mentor replied, “And I’d call back your Reaper. It is a very nasty drop connecting to a small, isolated cave system that runs quite deep. It’s been quite the long time, so who knows what may have moved in during my absence.”
Naruto nodded. “Alright. I think I can handle that. So where is it?”
The Mentor smiled. “Why Keeper, just sit on my throne.”
Naruto did so. “Okay.”
“Now move your foot just a tad to the left…”
He did so.
“Wonderful. Now just press down with your heal.”
Naruto did as he was told, and the floor opened up underneath Gnarl. The Minion Master dropped like a screaming stone through the hole. Naruto’s eyes went wide and he looked at the Mentor with shock and rage for just a moment before Gnarl appeared, crashing to the ground before the throne with a poof of smoke. Panting wildly the Goblin sat up and looked at the Mentor with rage.
“You almost killed me!”
“Oh Relax,” The Mentor replied. “It seems our master is a good catch. You’re alright. Besides, a coward like you would know teleportation magic better than most.”
“True,” Gnarl admitted, “Still, it’s bad for my constitution!”
Naruto laughed slightly and shook his head. “That was a good prank, just don’t do anything that would get anyone killed. Okay?”
“Yes, yes…”
Naruto lifted his foot and the hatch closed. Pressing it down again, it opened like clockwork.
“How did you fall down that anyways?”
The Mentor shrugged. “ Freak accident. It’s rigged to only go off when someone is sitting on the chair and is rather difficult to press unintentionally. Someone fell in the chair during my final battle and you can only guess where I was fighting.”
“Ah.”
“But enough about me. Let us locate my body, and more importantly, the stockpile of magical items on my person.”
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(Posted Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:28)
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