Hey everyone! It's good to be back. I don't know about you but it's been flooding on my side of the world. I've been trying to move along with the chapters at a steady pace now, of course there's been a pile up of work, especially since I'm moving to create more of my own stories. You'll be able to find out where those are available from Tumblr to keep up.
I hope you enjoy this chapter! And chapter sneak peeks at the end!
Sakura breathed a soft sigh of relief as her eyes settled on the towering structure that loomed in the distance. The landscape was barren, with the only sign of life being the ominous green mist that swirled around the tower's peak. The vegetation around the tower was withered and dead, as though it had been sucked of all life force. The ground was littered with the remains of dead animals, from small birds to larger predators like wolves.
"Seriously, the mirror transports us to this deserted land and this is the result?" Sitri's voice was laced with anxiety as she spoke.
Sakura's eyes glittered with a strong determination as she faced the towering structure. "We didn't come all this way just to turn back now. We'll keep going, one step at a time, until we conquer this dungeon and find our way back home."
She took a deep breath and began to make her way toward the tower, her heart beating with excitement and apprehension. The road ahead was uncertain and fraught with danger, but she knew that the reward at the end was worth the risk. With her loyal companions by her side, Sakura pushed forward, ready to face whatever lay ahead.
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Sakura stepped through the shimmering portal and found herself in a maze of glowing plants. They glimmered in various colors, emitting a sweet scent that filled the air with a mystifying aura. The entire area was illuminated as if the light were coming from within the plants themselves. It was a stark contrast to the other dungeons she had conquered, where the environment was either barren or filled with darkness.
As she walked through the maze, Sakura couldn't help but feel both amazed and apprehensive at the same time. It was strange that there were no monsters in this dungeon, and there were no instructions on how to proceed. For someone who was used to overcoming obstacles and enemies, the lack of challenge felt eerie. But she didn't want to let her guard down; she knew that anything could happen, and it was better to be prepared for the unexpected.
Sakura looked up at the walls of the maze, which towered above her, and sighed. If only she could fly as she did with Beleth's dungeon, she could easily navigate through the maze. However, she was still learning how to control her djinn equip, and she wasn't quite able to harness its full power. As she attempted to scale the walls, she quickly realized that her chakra didn't seem to work there.
It was as if the maze itself was suppressing her abilities, leaving her with no choice but to walk.
Sakura continued through the maze, taking turns, and trying to keep track of where she was going. But as the twists and turns grew more confusing, she became aware that she was hopelessly lost. The maze seemed to stretch on infinitely, and Sakura could feel her nerves getting the better of her.
"This is worse than any of the other dungeons I've faced," she muttered to herself, frustrated. "I didn't even know it was a maze until after an hour."
Sakura knew that she needed to be patient and find the right path to the djinn. She had spent months training herself, both physically and mentally, for this moment. She wanted to be able to wield her djinn equip fully and be prepared for any situation. It was a power that could save her life and the lives of her comrades.
She continued to walk through the maze, her senses alert and her heart pounding. The challenge of this dungeon was different than what she was used to, but she was determined to overcome it. She knew that every step brought her closer to the djinn, and that was all that mattered.
As Sakura made her way through the maze, she couldn't help but think that this was just the beginning of a long journey. There were still more dungeons to conquer, and more battles to face. But she was ready for whatever came her way.
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"Here you go," A woman came up to Sakura placing food from the tray in her hands on the table in front of her.
"Thank you."
Sakura glanced at her reflection in the wooden mug, there she saw a sixteen-year-old girl with really short pink hair-instead of cutting it above her shoulders like before Sakura had cut her hair until it was above her neck. Since then, the hairpin that now hosted Sitri was pinned to her clothing of course her headband still stood proudly on top of her head. And then there was her new addition...
"Boy you sure were a pain," Sakura said softly glancing at the silver arm bracelet on her.
"Really my king, I'm hurt."
"Put a cork in your beak Stolas. It was a good thing I figured out how to get out of that maze of yours or I would've been trapped forever."
Sitri giggled "You only managed to get out because of your stomach!"
Sakura blushed as she recalled everything.
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"ARGH I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE" Sakura screamed grabbing onto the ends of her hair "IT'S LIKE IT NEVER ENDS."
"My king, please calm down," Beleth instructed
Sitri yawned "I'm not sure how much longer I can take wandering around this place either; too bad you can't fly huh king?"
"SITRI IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SAY SOMETHING USEFUL I SUGGEST YOU SHUT UP BEFORE I SHOVE YOUR METAL VESSEL RIGHT UP SOME GUYS-
"My king!" Beleth gasped at his master's foul words
Sakura scoffed before she continued, she was tired, hungry and thirsty, and quite irritable. There were no signs of life anywhere-not even dungeon monsters, which right now was something she wouldn't mind seeing because it usually meant she was getting close to the goal.
Looking at the grounds there were all of these plants that were scattered alongside the maze.
'I wonder if they are edible,' Sakura thought as her stomach growled again; swallowing hard Sakura stopped and reached out for one of the red plants, the smell of the plant was intoxicating, unlike anything Sakura had ever smelled before.
"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO EAT THAT ARE YOU?" screamed Sitri
"Just one..." Sakura trailed licking her lips 'It looks like a big fruit!'
"DISGUSTING"
But when Sakura pulled out the plant something odd happened, the mist in the air began to disappear and the other plants began to wither away. Sakura blinked a couple of times before rubbing her eyes. She looked up again and the walls were.....different, they were as high, if fact they were no taller than a few meters now.
"What the hell?" Sakura asked jumping up, she gasped when she saw it...
Sakura crossed her arms over her chest "Stolas, the djinn of wisdom and venom."
The supposedly large maze that Sakura was trapped in was nothing more than an illusion. The mist had such a potent effect on her neurology, that it was able to affect her behavior, which explained her irritability and sudden hunger. As a shinobi, she was trained to endure, but the poison had tricked her mind into having the attention span and patience of an infant. Hence her mind and body were too contaminated to even use chakra.
As Sakura struggled to find her way out of the murky dungeon, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a foreboding castle emerging in the distance. She had failed to notice it before, shrouded as it was by the thick mist that enveloped the area. Nevertheless, fueled by a newfound determination to escape, Sakura hastened towards the imposing structure, hoping that it would lead her to freedom. As she drew nearer, however, she couldn't help but notice something peculiar about the castle's appearance. It seemed to be hovering atop the inky waters of a vast lagoon, casting an eerie shadow that stretched far into the distance. Despite her growing apprehension, Sakura pressed on, eager to discover the secrets hidden within the castle's ominous walls.
"How you gonna pass over that?" asked Sitri. She had been pushing for Sakura to make more of an effort to master her djinn equip so that she would be able to use their powers to the fullest potential, but Sakura was more concerned about collecting the shards and entering as many dungeons as she could in the shortest amount of time.
Sakura smirked as she began focusing her chakra to her feet "Not a problem."
With a single step, she began making her way toward the castle. Silence surrounded her but she didn't dare drop her guard. Sakura looked down at the dark, murky water. She wouldn't want to go swimming in here.
"She can walk on water?" Sitri asked, "What other anomalies could she be capable of?"
"Our king has many special abilities," Beleth said
"Shh!" Sakura said stopping in right in the center between the castle and the place where she had come from. Sakura's eyes looked around the water, checking for any signs of ripples but there were none; her eyes continued to dart around.
"What is it?" Beleth asked
"I feel like something's watching me...." Despite Sakura's diligent search, the desolate perimeter remained devoid of any signs of life. Little did she know that a sinister presence lurked beneath the murky waters, which she had failed to notice in her haste. Suddenly, a dark figure surfaced from the depths and violently propelled Sakura into the air. The impact left her reeling in agony, as a sharp object tore diagonally across her right side, from her shoulder down to her waist. Gasping for breath, Sakura struggled to make sense of the situation as blood began to seep from the vicious wound. Fear and desperation set in as she realized the gravity of the situation, and she knew that she had to act fast if she hoped to survive.
'W-What the!?"
Sakura hit the water with a jarring thud, her back stinging from the impact. Gasping for air, she frantically scanned her surroundings, searching for any sign of the attacker that had sent her flying. Suddenly, movement caught her eye, and she swiveled just in time to see a vile-looking creature hurtling toward her. Her eyes widened as she took in its grotesque features - a pitch-black body covered in razor-sharp scales, a long snout resembling that of a serpent, and beady yellow eyes that glinted with a malevolent intelligence.
The beast charged at Sakura, swimming vigorously. Drawing back her fist Sakura waited until the creature was close enough before she delivered a powerful punch that sent it shooting downwards to the bottom of the floor of the lagoon before she began making her way to the surface.
'SITRI'
Calling on her djinn's power Sakura summoned a tornado of wind beneath her feet and controlled it to push her up to the surface. Standing on the water once again Sakura began looking down for the creature expecting it to make an appearance.
Sakura leaped into the air, twenty feet in the air before summoning Beleth's power; she gathered her magoi and then released it towards the beast, black flames in the form of a dragon fell with full force.
Sakura listened to the horrible wail to release before it fell, its upper body landing on the land where the castle stood. The body of the monster began turning gray, to stone. The pinkette watched carefully as the creature turned completely to stone and then cracked slowly starting at its head and the rest of its body following before it became nothing but dust in the wind leaving nothing behind but a single yellow stone.
Sakura picked it up and looked at it "This must be the key."
Walking over to the castle Sakura held her side in pain feeling the warm blood run down her cold body. She was beginning to feel sick.
"I'm poisoned," Sakura hissed removing her top, she saw the gash was sizzling and burning, and a kind of green tinge was beginning to take form.
"Dammit."
"Are you alright?" Beleth asked in concern
"Oh, I'm sure she's just as fine as anyone who's been poisoned would be Beleth!"
"I wish you would watch your mouth Sitri."
"And I wish-
"ENOUGH" Sakura shouted gripping her side tightly attempting to heal the wound, however, poison wasn't something that would magically vanish by just using chakra to heal it but she was able to extract it...
When she wasn't feeling as numb Sakura began to make her way to the castle entrance. There was a gate of iron designed as ivy covering the entrance with a slot in the center, the exact shape of the stone Sakura was holding.
With a shaking hand, breathing heavily Sakura brought it up to the slot and placed it in, she watched as the gate began to vanish, the castle now wide open for her to enter. The inside began to light itself revealing mountains of treasure, and gold decorating every inch of the castle floors. Sakura didn't touch anything as she began searching around.
Where was the djinn?
Sakura continued to explore the room until she found a single silver-colored bracelet sitting on the top of a pillar. Surrounding Sakura was gold and jewels of all kinds that glittered and shone but there wasn't a single sign of silver, except for this bracelet.
'I wonder....'
Reaching forwards Sakura touched it, the second she did something surged within her and she pulled back, there was a massive force that made her fall to her knees-that and the fact that she was dizzy from the poison.
There emerged the djinn, it was blue like all djinns with a third eye in the center of its forehead, it had the appearance of a large owl, decorated by an array of ivy around its head and talons while all kinds of jewels were visibly lined up in a pattern on its wings and beak.
"I am Stolas, djinn of wisdom and poison who is to become king?"
Sakura coughed heavily and felt blood fill her mouth, she spat it all out in a puddle in front of her before wiping her mouth and then glaring up at the djinn.
"That would be me!"
Stolas looked down at her "Ah, but you are nothing more than a young girl on the verge of death. I highly doubt I can accept you as my king's candidate as you are going to die from that poison."
"W-What?" asked Sakura with wide eyes, she had come this far only to be rejected by this djinn as its king.
"Yes, I simply cannot accept a weak little human like yourself as my king, as the djinn of wisdom and poison I seek a king who is both cunning and sharp-minded, not some girl who got through my dungeons by sheer luck."
Sakura let out an angry growl before pushing herself to stand, she stomped her foot on the ground watching as she created a crater "YOU THINK I'D DIE FROM SUCH A WEAK POISON? YOU THINK THAT MONSTER WAS A CHALLENGE? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH, I CONQUERED THIS DUNGEON AND YOU ARE NOW MY DJINN, I AM YOUR KING, AND IF YOU DARE THINK OTHERWISE I WILL PROVE IT TO YOU A THOUSAND TIMES OVER IF I HAVE TO."
Stolas stared at Sakura "You would dare challenge me? You are the one who is seeking my power; it is my decision whether or not I will give it to you."
Sakura narrowed her eyes "As if, your power isn't what I truly want from you. What I want is the shard of this mirror."
Sitri opened his talons, "Ah, that yes I was wondering what that was. So it belongs to some magical item,"
"Nothing get's past you does it oh great djinn of wisdom? Tell me if I am such a weakling how is it that I've already attained two djinns?"
"W-What?"
Smirking Sakura held out her hand "BELETH."
Black flames shot out from her hand with an intense heat, shortly followed by a gust of wind when she summoned Sitri's power. ed Sakura stood firmly and looked up at Stolas holding up her fist at it "My name is Sakura Haruno, and I am your king, nothing will change that the one who has conquered this dungeon is me,"
Stolas had fallen silent as he looked at the young girl before spreading his wings wide it was the width of the entire room, he bowed his owl head down eyes closed down.
"You have passed the final test, by showing strength and a will stronger than any man. I humbly accept the Sakura Haruno as my king."
After Stolas said that the pain from the wound that was inflicted on Sakura's body faded, the poison gone though still leaving the wound-not that she wouldn't be able to cure it.
'Yup you were a pain Stolas,'
However, in the end, she once again conquered the dungeon, a place that sent thousands to their end, including armies of men.
She was able to venture shortly after and was currently in the conservative nation of Sasan.
Which was created at the base of a mountain, giving it a breathtaking impression. Made up of several walls, in the streets there was no sign of poverty, people walked around wearing gold and silver-like casual clothing.
The first time she came here she was taken to the visitor's lodgings by a knight. The people of Sasan seemed to have a very strict religious uprising and they did not welcome those outside of that religion.
They were prosperous, but diversity was limited.
As for her goals. Sakura had spent a while searching for the dungeons before she realized that someone had already conquered them.
Sakura clicked her tongue in annoyance, leaning back in her chair. It had been another fruitless search through the mountains, which ranged for miles. And no sign of a dungeon anywhere.
"Psst"
"Huh?"
"Miss, under here."
Sakura glanced down under the table and nearly jumped out of her seat when she saw a young man-couldn't have been that much older than her, crouching down right under her table, he was obviously from Sasan given his hair and clothing.
"Why are you under the table?" Sakura asked glaring at him in suspicion.
"P-Please miss, I just want to talk to you-
"You better get out from under that table or I'm going to-
"Please!" he begged "I-I just want to talk to you! Only a minute or two then I'll go!"
Sakura looked at him suspiciously before noting the desperate look on his face, like a puppy that had chewed up your slippers. Residents of Sasan weren't this forthcoming towards tourists though, Sakura had gotten plenty of lingering stares, but no one approached her directly. Now there was someone right under her nose.
"Fine," Sakura said rolling her eyes "Why don't you take a seat-
"I-I can't, she might see me."
"Who?"
"Her!" he said pointing to the onyx-haired woman who was serving some of the few customers.
"Oh...I get it; you're not allowed to be here." Sakura stated
He nodded "Yes, we're forbidden from having contact with outsiders but I come here to listen to the stories of the outside world so please!"
"First though what's your name? Mine's Sakura."
"I am Mystras." he said sounding rather bashful before smiling "So um, are you a traveler miss Sakura?"
"Just call me Sakura,"
Mystras fidgeted with her name, "S-Sakura,"
"So you wanted to ask me some questions?"
Mystras nodded vigorously "Yes! Could you please tell me everything you know about the outside world?"
What an odd person.
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It was a quick friendship, as Mystras came to visit Sakura nearly every day at the inn, she told him stories about her travels and adventures and almost immediately her kind gesture was rewarded with the information she needed that saved her another wasted trip into the mountains.
When she brought up her dungeons and the djinn, Mystras revealed that his father, the leader of the knights of Sasan, Darius, had a similar power to hers. He had observed how God had given his father power, and it was hidden in his spear which allowed him to create a shield.
'He has to be a conquerer too,'
Now all she had to do was figure out how she would approach the knight king. Barging in wouldn't make a good impression.
Sakura was minding her thoughts, but a new conversation put her high on alert.
"All of you shut it; I don't want to hear anything about-
A loud booming laughter filled the area "They ignored us so much it made me laugh."
"I didn't think that the knights were so unaccommodating."
"Obviously! They're the governing organization that protects Sasan. Even if we get kicked out of the country you can't complain. You have got to be more careful Sinbad!"
Sakura froze, her spoon that was moving towards her mouth stopped as she felt her heart begin to pound. There was just no way she heard right...
"Okay, next time I'll defiantly get them to talk to me!"
Sakura felt her hands trembling as she chanted in her head 'No way, no way, no way, no way, no way, no way....'
"Sounds good, negation by force; I'll help you."
"No I'm sure that by speaking they were understood; there will be nothing underhanded."
"Are you listening to me!? I'm saying that you shouldn't do anything to upset the knights and you shouldn't be encouraging him Hinahoho."
"My king is something wrong?" asked Stolas
"Yeah, I can kinda feel your panic," Sitri stated
"Well, my king what shall we do?" Beleth asked being the only one aware of the situation and reason for their master's distress.
Ever since Sakura had left Sinbad and his companions she was content with the fact that there was little to no chance of ever seeing them again. Now she was practically paralyzed when she spots Hinahoho, Ja'far, and Sinbad, sitting at a few tables in the center of the inn.
Quitely and calmly, Sakura began to leave, intent on making it back to her room.
However, a voice made her freeze in her tracks.
"Sakura?"
There we go folks! You can check out the monthly schedule on my Tumblr Page but here's what's coming up. And sneak peeks!
Members now:
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes 46. 47. 48
-Kunoichi amongst Pirates Chapter 13. 14. 15. 16
-Crossroads of Fate chapter 11
-Through the Spyglass chapter 1 & 2
PUBLIC Posts 30 June:
-Kunoichi amongst Pirates chapter 13
-Through the Looking Glass chapter 14
SNEAK PEEKS: Other story Sneak peeks will be available on Tumblr on 21 June.
Through the Looking Glass chapter 14
"Sakura, what are we doing?" Mystras sounded like a mouse.
"Why are you here?" She didn't make plans to meet with him today.
"I-I saw these new travelers here today so I followed them."
Sakura pulled a face "Oh please don't tell me you mean-
"Look that's them over there," he pointed to the three familiar figures "I saw them in town earlier; they were trying to talk to my father but the knights pulled them back so I followed them here, I've never seen people like them before!"
"They were trying to talk to the Knight King?" Sakura asked, it didn't take long for her to figure that Sinbad was most likely here to establish a trading relationship with Sasan.
"Mystras," Sakura spoke her friend's voice in a firm voice, her eyes narrowed "Please don't talk to those men."
"H-Huh?" he looked at her dumbfounded
Sakura glanced down at her shoes before turning back up to Mystras with a fierce expression "Please, you have to promise me you won't talk to them no matter what!"
"B-But Sakura-
"Please Mystras!"
"I....
"HEY WHAT EXACTLY DO THE TWO OF YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
Sakura and Mystras both stumbled and fell back, knocking the barrels, spilling wine, and catching the attention of everyone in the inn. Sakura moved to get up from her position on the floor but found that Mystras had fallen on top of her; with a groan, she gently pushed him to the side and sat up rubbing her head.
"Hey are you okay?" she asked him
Mystras sat him as well "Y-Yes."
Sakura gasped and stood up quickly when she realized that they had just caused a ruckus and everyone around them had heard it. Unless you were deaf it was impossible to miss that. Mystras stood up as well and looked at her curiously noting that her posture had become much straighter, her hands at her sides with fists clenched and trembling.
He looked at her concerned "Sa-
"Sakura?"
Turning back, she could see her friends standing there with dumbstruck expressions.