To Slay a God: The King of Insects

I found myself deep in the depths of the library now, seemingly in a space between the wings detailing each of the major territories which seemed to hold all sorts of interesting information with each shelf I passed by. It seemed that the legends were true and that there was literature on absolutely everything that has ever existed which made me feel like my tribute of basic insect anatomy and habitat was rather inferior to things already found here. Eventually though I found something that lifted my spirits, before I had always looked into learning more about insects to cheer me up and I had just hit the mother load. An entire section dedicated to every insect in the world. It was amazing, everything I could ever hope to learn was laid out before me, I found all sorts of interesting things like a tome on giant moths and even a beetle that could smell things across an entire country but then after several hours I saw it. A book titled simply, 'Kaiju: The King of Insects'. I pulled it off the shelf and blew the dust from its old seemingly leather cover to reveal a golden imprint of a giant hornet with two stingers looking toward the book's spine. I was rather interested in this book now and took it back to a desk located in this part of the library with a candle lit lamp for my reading. I opened to the first page and was greeted with a message, or possibly a warning, written in yellow and black ink.

'For those who have taken this tome for academics you are congratulated for your keen interest in interesting things. For those of you who are hunters, turn back and forget this tome else you be greeted with nothing but hardship and death.'

I looked up and thought about this for a moment, at this point even if this message was a real threat I had nothing to worry about since I had taken this book out of interest rather than having some other intent but considering the section it was in and how prone I was to hunting new breeds of insects I knew that it might change at any time so I had a lot to consider. Eventually I called over a fox who brought a tea pot filled with fine jade tea and a single cup for me to drink while I researched. I had nothing to lose at this point since even if I did obtain a hunter's heart during this I had to actually go hunt whatever this tome detailed in order to be in danger. So, after taking a moment to enjoy my first cup of tea and then pour another to drink while reading I turned the page and got ready for whatever I was about to find out.

The first few pages were interesting, detailing the feats of a legendary creature known as the Insect king as he roamed the world in search of a worthy opponent to strike him down. It seemed however like these tales were more children's bed time stories rather than actual facts which made the warning on the first page rather odd at this point. After all what harm could a simply fairy tell do? I kept on reading and eventually the stories went from the heroic tales told to children to more and more mature and gruesome content. Eventually this insect king was no longer shown as a man who wore armor made from the chitin of giant wasps but rather he was the wasp itself and rather than saving people he was causing death and destruction everywhere he ventured in his wake. I took a moment to look away from the book again, slightly disturbed as to how this character had developed into such a monster. I looked at one of the foxes passing by and she came by to see what I was reading but as soon as she saw the lettering nuzzled to see the cover so I used my finger to hold my place and show her. The insect on the cover must have been some sort of omen or something that I hadnt recognized since the fox yelped and ran off faster than I though she could have. Now I was rather curious about seeing just what was going on here so I took my book mark out of my jacket pocket and marked my place. Leaving this section for now I placed the book temporarily in my bag and began venturing off to find a section dealing mostly in Semiotics, the study of signs and symbols.

It took a long time, from what I could tell from the slight view of the moon outside the tallest towers windows at least three or four hours but at long last I found it, now to just try and figure out how to determine what this symbol was. I looked for hours, trying to determine just what this thing could be until eventually I found it. Oddly enough in a book about the bijuu which was something I had not anticipated before now. Apparently this book wasn't just a fictional collection of stories but the tales of a jinchuuriki of the nibi no suzumebachi and when the demon broke free once more to wreck havoc more than three thousand years ago. Needless to say due to lacking of any real conclusive evidence on the bijuu information was limited to most people so I had not know of an insect even being among the bijuu. Armed with this new knowledge though I went to return to the insect section for more information, it seemed that I had anticipated what would happen after delving deeper into this. My insect collecting instincts ignited and I knew that before I died I would have to collect this specimen as the ultimate prize. But first I was going to need much more information on it.

Current Word Count: 1002/5000

Eventually I found myself back in the insect section and got right to searching, now that I knew what it was I was looking for I started noticing hints of it everywhere. The symbol of the two tailed hornet was on the spine of a dozen different books and hidden on the cover of a dozen more. I took a while to procure all of this material but eventually they were all stacked up in several piles forming a curved wall in front of me with the titles on the spines looking straight at me in golden and ebony lettering. I got straight back into my reading when I procured every material on the subject in this section, removing my eye patch and laying it on the desk to reveal a scarred and blind eye to let it breathe while I worked. The words flowed as I filled my head with more and more knowledge, the recorded title of this beast was the Nibi no Suzumebachi. A hornet. I has hunted dozens of hornet species in the past and I knew that many of them were extremely dangerous and based on the size speculations I was seeing every now and then that this would be my most difficult capture yet. And that excited me much more than it should have.

More stories popped up as I read, this bijuu certainly had quite a bit of lost folklore long ago because it would appear that it's nature was highly aggressive and thus was willing to be in the open and fight anything in it's path. Knowing that these tailed beast were still in the world today I could only guess that based on these findings that this thing was wandering around the globe in an attempt to find some sort of final opponent but apparently never having the intention of losing and being captured again. Throughout history there has been a total a three recorded hosts for the hornet so I would later need to go and find books specifically on them as I came across their names. After speaking with a fox I obtained some parchment a quill and some ink. Taking scribbled notes as I went along in my reading it was starting to become more and more apparent that to get inside the head of this beast I would need to get inside the head of those who conquered it in battle before. Taking my materials with me I ventured off once more into other parts of the library and decided to seek out these name, first on the list was the most recent host who I had actually heard of before in the history of the country. One, Hachi Sasu, one of the men that played an instrumental part in the founding of the hidden dune village which would mean that all those who came before would be independent operators which struck an interest within me as I walked at a quick pace to the area detailing the hidden dune to discover a dark secret behind one of our founding fathers.

It felt like it took an entire day to find the materials that I needed and I probably wasn't that far off in the time that actually elapsed give or take a few hours. As I poured through each text on Hachi I found all the generic information about him that was normally available. That he was a great man and was the only one in history that was able to try manipulate my Aburame secret technique on his own but rather than kikai he took it a step further and breed a species of bee that was even more efficient in raining the chakra of his opponent's and could even inject it back into him which had always been a rather interesting concept to every Aburame although no one but this outsider had even managed to come anywhere close. I was starting to get dis-heartened by the fifteenth book that gave me almost the exact same information as before but then there was a fox standing at the end of the aisle that caught my eye. I had noticed them before, most gave me curious looks for reading from stacks of books on the floor over here but they always moved on shortly after but not this one. In fact based on the twitchy nudging it was performing I could only guess that she wanted to be followed. Hacing reached a dead end in my work for now I had nothing better to do so after making sure I still had my bijuu storybook on my person I got up and got to following her through the darker and less lit sections of the library, I wasn't sure where we were going but if cliches lived up it would be some place with just what I needed to progress.

It didn't take long for us to come to a set of stairs that led down deeper that I though such a structure could withstand underground in the shifting sands of the Ressa desert but when we started going down it would be a long time before we made it down to the bottom which seemed to be not much of anything other than four stone walls forming a small bleak room with a single grate on the far side that probably would have been used to being in water before the desert dried up centuries ago. The animal took off and dove into the grate leaving me alone, I cursed under my breath. It would appear I had been led down here only to be left which was a waste of precious time. It was then though that I started to forgive the fox as I heard a lever being pulled followed by gears turning against each other as the walls sank down into the ground to reveal a solid white lab which I could only assume had been made into a sterile room long long ago based on the taste of the air. What was in this lab though was what caught my attention in full, this was an autopsy center complete with a morgue built into the walls from what I could only assume were corpses brought here long ago as forms of knowledge as payment to enter. I started thinking about why I was brought here by the clever fox and then it hit me but I refused to believe the possibility until I found it. Taking a moment to compose myself I entered the room and got to work looking for what I needed.

Current Word Count: 2110/5000

The fox had run off without me seeing where to which left me alone in the lab with my insects and the bodies. My search of course started in the S section, Sasu being my target name which eventually I did come across. When I noticed that the full name matched up my heart stopped for a moment, I was looking at the door inside of which contained not only one of the most powerful men to ever walk the earth but also the single best insect wielder since the beginning of time. I sat there for nearly an hour, pondering what it meant to be standing here before I realized that without actually seeing the body I had no assurance that it was actually inside so I took a deep breath and started undoing the seals on the edges of the storage crypt. By the time I got to the last one it popped open a bit and I saw a perfectly preserved foot attach to a body covered by a sheet. A tag on the big toe confirmed more of the identity with things such as blood type and chakra nature, unable to believe what was before me I pulled out the tray that held the corpse and tossed back the sheet and at long last knew for 100% certainty that this body was indeed who I thought it was. Quickly I fetched a rolling table and moved the body over onto it so I could transport it to the stationary metal slab in the middle of the room and at long last get to work.

I reached for a scalpel and started to make a slight incision at the upper abdominal region when something strange happened, a slight buzzing was heard. At first it was so faint that I could have sworn I was just hearing things but it just kept getting louder and louder until eventually I knew what was going on; by some miracle brought about by this library not only was this body preserved but some living samples of his legendary bees. I went and fetched a jar from the wall marked, 'sample containment', and went back to my work. Making the quick cut a total of a dozen large yellow bees escaped from his corpse and by using my own kikaichu who took advantage of these insects just coming out of stasis was able to capture them for future research. Curious about something though I took the jar and covered it with my sleeve which showed each of them to light up with a black and yellow aura which further confirmed the presence of the Nibi's influence over this body long ago. Physical evidence and samples of the targets legendary chakra was more than I could have ever hoped for but then again this library didnt seem to be done giving me more than I needed.

I went back to work on the body, finding all sorts of strange clues as to this beast and what its habits might have been. From the traces of chakra found still in the corpse's lungs there were bits of pretty much every environment which suggested that this beast was one that traveled much and disliked staying in one location for extended periods of time. I simply shook my head as this only complicated matters further since I would now have to not only discover things about this beast but also track its migratory cycle to determine where it goes and then analyze that data to determine the best arena to confront it. Cursing at the new pile of work involved my brain started to twist things around, I had a hunter's heart and thus every challenge put before me was eventually viewed as a game and I could not stand to lose at anything meaning that rather than being weighed down by the idea of more work I was more motivated than ever and ready to get back to work on the body placed on the table before me.

Carefully I worked my tools around the scalp of the legendary shinobi that had been reduced to a cadaver for whoever happened to find him. The hair peeled back with the skin which was slowly removed to show a the skull underneath. With a newly sharpened saw I got to work on the bone in my way which chipped in certain places which once again resulted in me cursing at the sloppiness of my work as these mistakes were brought about by my fan girl state of mind around this man and his legacy. In the end though I didn't make as many mistakes as I could have and while the roof of the skull was damaged the brain was still in tact. Using a few instruments that looked similar to spoons I started to wedge the organ out followed by a few more small incision on the pressure points of the skull which allowed me to easily remove it and place it on a tray next to the body for further localized testing.

I couldnt believe this, I had before me the brain of a legend across the globe and was free to do anything I wished with it. No pesky morality laws to get in my way this time which meant that my previous projects of thought projection would be possible to test out. I went around the lab and started collecting supplies, I would need to replicate the machine I had designed those years ago from the scraps around here but due to me having both time and a compelling desire to do so this would be more than possible.

Current Word Count: 3070/5000

It took two days to complete the transmitter which meant that in the middle of my work I had to track down a place to put the organs in cold stasis so that it didn't rot after being exposed to open air. In the end though everything was ready, the machine looked like something out of an old cartoon made by a mad scientist, a sort of old fashioned television attached to a couple dozen bundled wires that eventually ended in just as many alligator clips. Some most of which were attached to a bowl that was partly filled with a type of silver liquid with a few more hanging down freely. Those left not really alligator clips but rather needle looking things that appeared to have all sorts of electronic sensors running through them. I was a harsh imitation of the original he had built back in his lab which took the space of an entire large wall with a more refined containment vessel for the brain but this would have to do. Keeping in mind that overdoing things and trying to take to many memories to quickly would result in terrible results with the catalyst being fried. I went and fetched the organ to place it in the bowl and then proceed to 'plug it in'. This process was a very delicate procedure and took the better part of a half hour but eventually it was complete and everything was ready. I went to turn it on but then hesitated. This, should it work properly, would be the greatest achievement to date in my scientific career which at this point was a rather impressive thing as I had recently discovered a species directly that could be viewed as demi-gods of the desert. I thought about everything and weighed it out, eventually deciding that no matter how much I thought about it I would get no results by standing there pondering things that would takes seconds to see so I went for it and adjusted the knobs and flipped the switch to see what would happen.

It took a moment to get through all the static and flickering, at first I thought the project had failed and I had just wasted another two days of precious research time but then a picture came up. It showed an outlook of a gigantic wall being constructed around a large amount of farmland that was growing extremely rich vegetation. I couldn't believe what I was now seeing. Before my eyes on a screen was a video recording of the moment in history when the great Hachi Sasu stood and watched the great walls of Sakyugakure being first built. I let out a loud yell to express my excitement which seemed to startle the fox who had come down to check on me. As I had forgotten to o anything but work on this machine, including taking time to eat, I finally realized how hungry I was and would ask the fox to bring me some food. Knowing this would take a considerable amount of time I got back to work, watching the scene that was playing out while thinking up the possibilities of what else could be learned from this man's mind. But then I remembered the most precious knowledge of his personal ties to the nibi no suzumebachi which could not possibly be gained from any other source so freely. Thinking about times in his life when the nibi could have been surfaced I came to the great battle of walls break in the first era when the enemy forces attempted to take over the hidden dune village for its farms to feed their soldiers regardless of the village's neutral stance. The battle, and the village, was almost lost in that battle but the great insect hero rose up and with unknown means managed to beat back the invaders, I started messing with my knobs and levers in an attempt to search for this moment to see if I could find evidence of the nibi in action and then from there backtrack to find out how the previous host came into sealing the beast within him.

I kept looking and looking, not finding any results and getting fairly frustrated as it was starting to look like even though I had put all this work in that Hachi might not have ever even been a host but then I heard something that made me put all doubt aside as I got my first piece of concrete proof.

"Shut up and get ready you idiot, even though I hate to admit it I need you to win this fight othewise there is a good chance Ill become the pet of someone even less worthy to command me than you."
"How sweet Nibi, if I didnt know any better Id say you are starting to care about me."
"This is why I hate you humans, always thinking that you can control us bijuu and eventually we will start acting like you. The day I honestly care if you live or die without it affecting my well being in the end is the day that you willingly let me out of this meat hive for a rematch."
Then the man scoffed and lightly chuckled,
"Alright old friend no need to get offensive, after all should you hold your promise and stick around long enough and keep lending your power so freely to help my people fend off this war till its bitter end Ill go into the mountains and release you for good, even let you claim me should you choose to do so."
"Dont worry, I havent forgotten your promise and on that day we shall see what is in each of our souls in full."
"Until then I suppose, for now let us get to work on winning the day for the hidden dune!"

The scene got rather blurry after that and I was unable to continue watching with much success, I noticed that the solution the brain was in was starting to boil so I cooled off the machine and shut it off for now. I had much now to work with, the idea that the Nibi and Hachi were not only bonded as host and slave but by the shared banter possibly even friends which seemed to have not been achieved by the previous two hosts who at this point were becoming more and more unneeded in the course of this project as I was getting everything I needed right now.

Current Word Count: 4162/5000

After a good fifteen minutes or so everything had cooled back down but I knew that I wouldnt be able to do this much more without wearing out the old flesh. I slowly dialed the machine back into operational mode and got picture once again near the same spot I had left off at though I knew there was nothing more to be gained than wasting time seeing the beast fight and while that could prove useful any information about how to track it down would take precedent over it. I went back much further in his life, eventually finding myself further than I had intended when he was still a young boy and moving across the desert in a nomadic tribe. Suddenly though I saw a sign that signaled that this memory might not be useless after all, off in the sky was a giant figure that appeared as a blob of a shadow. As it came closer though this shape took on the form of the two tailed hornet that I had become obsessed with after recent events which resulted in the young Hachi and his family hiding for dear life in a cave. It would appear that through comments shared among the nomads but then the young ninja stepped out and avoided the snatching hands of his elders who were attempting to prevent him from leaving and going out into the open.

"Monster of the waste and sky, hear me speak." The giant hornet stopped suddenly and dropped to the ground, turning to look at the child like a locomotive against a doll. Apparently this day had been boring and this disturbance of the peace in the beast's favored territory made for interesting entertainment. "I know of your past, I know that you can be tamed and made into nothing more than a horse to drag my burdens with your power. This is my declaration that one day I will do this again. That one day you well become a part of me and no longer will the people of the waste have to hide and suffer in silence as you roam free doing as you please. Know this and wait as I hunt you, now begone." The beast laughed something terrible and then rose up quickly to jab at the blasphemy spewing human that dared challenge him, the boy took the stinger without staggering even a bit, shocked that something so small was able to withstand his blow he decided to verbally accept the challenge. "Very well human, should you be able to find me in ten years time we shall do battle. Become prepared for what is to come for it will be far more fierce than a single stinger through the gut."

Once again the liquid was starting to boil, apparently the intensity of the emotions were playing a part in how fast things heated up and although this scene was much shorter than the last one it seemed to have a much more serious nature so I would have to put these things away again and let them cool off before I tried to squeeze one final memory out of it. And luckily from the last trip down memory lane I knew exactly where my next destination would be.

The time had come and I knew exactly what to look for, dialing up the proper time code for just under ten years after the events that had transpired. I found everything I needed and quickly got to work copying down maps and notes about the migration cycles of this beast. A full tens years of dedicated research to this beast was available to me now. This knowledge was something not even available to visitors of this library unless they were doing what I was doing which meant that I had not only used my resources to gain what knowledge was offered but exceeded that and learned even more by going a step further in the collection process. When I completed scribbling down every last detail it was over, the brain was no good. While still holding its form the organ was unusable by the standards of my machine. To pay respect to my fallen hero I carefully went through a long three day process of putting his corpse back together as it had been before I tampered with it and then stored it away once more in the slab marked with his name. After that I gathered up all of my research materials and shoved them in my bag so that I could start heading back upstairs. It had been a full week meaning my comrades would be waiting on me at the entrance and no doubt the all knowing owl would be curious what I had learned but alas he would be met with a sour fate as I would be sharing my knowledge with no one unless I needed them to know, the hunt would soon be on after all and its much easier to do such a thing when there are as few hunters out as possible.

[end topic]

Final Word Count: 5012/5000