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Chapter 164 Griggs of Vinheim
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The Lower Undead Burg was a coffin of stone.
Narrow alleys stretched between leaning buildings, their doors boarded shut with warped planks and rusted nails. Cracked cobblestones lined the paths, slick with damp and grime. Overhead, mold-streaked banners sagged like old wounds, barely catching the breeze. Vines crept up every surface, not lush but brittle gray-green tendrils worming their way through brick, as if trying to strangle the last life from the place. Barrels lay shattered. Wooden carts rotted where they collapsed. The stench of burnt flesh hung heavy in the air, carried on the smoke curling from a nearby pyre of blackened corpses that hissed quietly in the distance.
Naruto stepped through the alley slowly, cautious. He recognized this stretch. His clones had run this route once before, wall-walking along the upper edges to bypass a locked door. He remembered the risk. The narrow ledges. The smell.
Wait...
He didn't get to finish the thought.
Something lunged from the shadows.
Naruto ducked to the side, just fast enough to avoid the snap of rotted teeth. An undead dog landed where he'd stood—a gaunt, twitching thing with muscle exposed beneath patches of decaying fur. Its eyes were milky, blind but tracking him with uncanny precision. It snarled, crouched near a collapsed well.
Then came the sound of claws on stone.
He spun as Way of Focality warned him of the multiple dogs coming to maul him to death. These weren't the feral, mindless types from earlier. They moved like they'd hunted together. One snapped at his leg while the other darted for his blind side.
Naruto slid back, sword held horizontally.
The Uchigatana felt unfamiliar in his grip. He hadn't trained much with this kind of weapon, but he remembered how Tenten moved with hers. He tried to mimic the stance, planting his back foot and raising the sword.
The first dog charged.
Naruto sidestepped and slashed.
Wind chakra screamed down the blade as the strike cleaved through muscle and bone like wet paper, the dog's body split diagonally mid-pounce.
The second came in from the right.
He pivoted low, blade tucked tight, then swung upward in a rising cut. The chakra hissed again as the dog's front legs and torso were severed clean off. It shrieked once, then thudded to the ground in a heap.
A third jumped onto a ledge and leapt for his throat.
Naruto raised the blade horizontally and caught it mid-air—wind chakra turning the simple block into a dismembering clash. The dog's body spun away as Oscar's beam lanced past Naruto and blasted another off its feet, crystals bursting along the corpse.
The final two flanked him.
Smart.
One feinted while the other came from behind.
Naruto moved in the same beat. He turned his shoulders, bent low, and drove the tip of the Uchigatana into the gut of the one behind him—thrust, twist, withdraw. Wind chakra exploded from the blade's exit point, disemboweling the thing.
The last lunged, too close for another swing.
He kicked it.
Hard.
The dog hit a wall and dropped with a cracked yelp before Oscar vaporized it with another shot.
"That was cathartic," Naruto muttered, exhaling through his nose. He looked around at the blood-drenched alley, then at Oscar, who floated down from the rooftop with a satisfied chirp.
Yet something still felt... wrong.
The dogs were always a problem, always fast, but this was different. They hadn't just hunted. They'd coordinated.
Was Capra watching from the shadows?
He thought about scouting with clones, when something caught his attention.
BANG.
A dull thud echoed from deeper down the lane. He moved cautiously, slipping between half-collapsed houses and burned-out stalls, past twisted barrels and old bones. Then again:
BANG. BANG.
And a voice that was faint, muffled but human.
"Somebody! Please, let me out of here! Somebody, anybody! Help me! Unlock the door! ...Damn... I'm finished... How did this ever happen..."
Naruto blinked. "Is someone in there?"
"Yes! Yes... please, you have to let me out!"
The door was heavy oak, reinforced with thick iron bands. He rapped his knuckle against the surface.
"I'm going to break it."
"Don't bother," the voice came back quickly. "There's magic woven into the wood. You'll destroy half the building before it gives. Better to open it properly."
Naruto sighed and reached into his inventory. "Alright, let's see if this would do..."
He flipped through the key ring, testing them one at a time.
Click.
He froze.
It was the residence key.
The one the undead merchant had sold him back when Naruto still didn't know how anything worked in this world.
His throat tightened a little, but he forced the memory down.
The door creaked open, and the first thing that hit Naruto was the smell.
It was bad. A heavy mix of old sweat, rot, mold, and something worse—like meat that had gone foul. It clung to the air, thick and sour, like it had soaked into the walls and never left.
The room beyond was small. Cramped. Shadowed corners and no windows. It looked like a storage space. Barrels lined the walls, some sealed with lids nailed shut. Others broken open, wood splintered and dark with stains. One near the back had its top half pried off and inside was a body.
Naruto saw the limbs first. Bent in wrong directions. The arms were folded in on themselves, bones clearly broken to make the corpse fit into the barrel's tight space. Skin pale, bloated. The face turned just enough to show wide, unblinking eyes.
His stomach turned, but he didn't flinch. Not anymore.
In front of the barrel, slumped against it, sat a man. He looked to be in his early twenties. Not old, but worn down. His skin was pale, almost gray in the low light, and his eyes were sunken, dark underneath like he hadn't slept in days. He didn't move much, just shifted his head a little to glance at Naruto, like even that was an effort.
His hair was long and dark brown, hanging around his face in tangled strands. He wore a flat, round hat with a silver pattern carved along the brim. The shadow of it hung over his face, but not enough to hide how tired he looked. His cloak was thick and black, made from some kind of waxed fabric that looked stiff and water-resistant. Metal buckles ran along the front, and a few silver clasps held it closed at the chest.
Naruto recognized the outfit instantly. "You're a sorcerer?"
The man gave a faint nod, hand pressing against his ribs like they hurt. His voice was weak but steady. "Yes. I thought I might never escape… I am Griggs of Vinheim." He paused, catching his breath. "If I may… do you have anything to eat, great knight of Astora?"
Naruto blinked. "Oh... uh, I'm not… I mean... yeah, I've got food."
He pulled out a cup of noodles from his inventory, making it look like it came from the pouch at his waist. He placed it down beside Griggs with a small grin.
"Name's Naruto Uzumaki. Squire of Oscar of Astora. And, uh… Knight of…"
He trailed off. Konoha was on the tip of his tongue, but he wasn't sure it still fit.
"Ah. More travelers. I'd begun to wonder if your voice was a hallucination."
"It's just me and my partner Oscar," Naruto said, gesturing toward the door. "We're making our way through Lordran."
"I see." Griggs gave a slow nod. "Then I thank you for this kindness."
He picked up the noodles and, without hesitation, bit into them dry, crunching them like jerky.
Naruto flinched. "Whoa... hey, no, stop! You don't eat those like that!"
He reached over and took the cup back before Griggs could finish chewing.
Griggs stared at him. "Is this… really important? I haven't eaten in days."
"Trust me," Naruto muttered as he crouched near a busted barrel. "This is basic stuff, and if you're not careful, you'll puke it right back out."
He grabbed a few dry wood splinters from the floor, added some cloth strips, and placed them inside the broken barrel. Then he held out one hand and focused his breath.
A spark of chakra jumped from his fingertip.
The cloth caught fire in an instant. The small flame grew steadily, casting flickering light across the dark room.
It was a basic exercise in elemental chakra control—converting chakra into fire, just like he'd learned to do with wind. Sasuke had walked him through it during their swordsmanship training, explaining that mastering this step was essential before moving on to something bigger, like the Fireball Jutsu.
"...How did you do that?" Griggs asked, watching the fire.
Naruto lied back, remembering Rickert's warning not to tell others—especially sorcerers—about chakra. "I'm a pyromancer. Or, uh, kind of. I got picked up as a squire, trained, then knighted."
Griggs gave him a tired look. "If you say so." There was a dry edge to his tone now. "Am I expected to explain the corpse in the barrel?"
"Preferably."
Griggs took a deep breath, steadying his nerves, but Naruto noticed something in the motion. The man's face and voice had the right weariness and tremble—but the timing and cadence… it felt rehearsed.
"He was a fellow student of the school," Griggs said. "We tried to hide here, sealed the door to protect ourselves. But someone locked it behind us. Our Estus flasks emptied... He bled out, and when he came back, he wasn't him anymore."
He went quiet, but not mournfully. Just quiet like someone who knew exactly where to stop.
Naruto remained still, his mind working as he analyzed the words Griggs had just spoken.
Fellow student... The phrase sat in his mind, heavy with unspoken implications. Despite having watched this student die, Griggs spoke with a detachment that bordered on indifference. There was no remorse, no lingering grief just a simple recounting of events. Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that Griggs was leaving something out.
What was he really after?
When the water boiled, Naruto poured it carefully into the noodle cup and stirred it slowly. When he slid it over, Griggs blinked at the steam, took a sip too quickly, and winced. His body jerked in protest, a shudder rolling through him as the hot broth scalded his mouth. He hissed between clenched teeth, eyes watering slightly as his throat struggled to adjust to actual sustenance.
"Glad I came before you decided to make your friend into jerky," Naruto muttered.
Griggs gave a short huff. It wasn't quite a laugh. It didn't reach his eyes—more a reaction than anything else. Something polite.
The silence that followed stretched too long.
Naruto stood and moved to the barrel.
"The corpse just has standard robes of a Vinheim sorcerer. Nothing too special, but they do provide magic resistance."
Is that so? Naruto thought as he moved the barrels aside.
"I wasn't checking for loot," he said quietly, watching Griggs for a reaction. "I'm taking the body out. I'll bury it later."
A pause.
"...Oh," Griggs said, surprised, caught off guard for the first time. "Seems like a waste, as he'll just go Hollow in a few hours. I'd say just strip him of his equipment. You don't want to deal with a Hollow that can cast spells."
All of that was logical but...
"He was your classmate. Do you want it?"
Griggs looked at the body, then at the floor. His face didn't change.
"...No. I don't think I deserve it."
His expression remained still, but Naruto understood his intentions.
"You can have it," Griggs added. "Incidentally, would you care to learn any sorceries? You're clearly talented. And besides, I owe you. Of course, we'll need some materials, but I'd be happy to teach you some elementary spells. Are you interested?"
Called it. Naruto had already figured him out. The indifference to the corpse, the offer of the gear, even the casual approach to magic—it was all Griggs trying to make himself useful. Someone Naruto would feel compelled to protect if he wanted more power.
Naruto genuinely preferred honesty. This reminded him too much of Kakashi's manipulations. Still, it wasn't in his nature to walk away from something that could be useful.
"I'll take you up on that offer," Naruto said casually, watching for the man's reaction.
"Great," Griggs replied, already slurping another mouthful of noodles, his voice noticeably lighter. "If you're capable of channeling, then the catalyst is yours to wield."
[Items Acquired:]
[Sorcerer Hat]
[Sorcerer Cloak]
[Sorcerer Gauntlets]
[Sorcerer Boots]
[Sorcerer's Catalyst]
Naruto examined the robes with narrowed eyes. "These aren't the same as yours. They've got more of a yellow tint. Different design, too. Like they're not even from the same group."
Griggs paused mid-chew. "Ah. You might not know this, but the Vinheim Dragon School is divided into several houses. Each one has its own colors, symbols, and traditions. There's the House of the Lion, the Badger, the Snake, and the Eagle." A subtle smile crept onto his face. "I wonder which house you'd be sorted into, Knight Naruto."
"I've heard it's frowned upon for knights to study magic."
Griggs waved a hand lazily. "Outdated thinking. Old hierarchies. But if that's how you feel…" He trailed off, the implication hanging in the air.
"I'm not like most knights."
He raised the Sorcerer's Catalyst, letting chakra flow naturally into the tool. It responded immediately. Light shimmered at its tip, bright blue energy forming without conscious effort. Then, without warning, a Soul Arrow launched across the room. It struck a hollow that had stumbled into the doorway, blasting it back in a flash of azure and smoke.
Griggs didn't flinch. "Where did you learn to use magic?"
This guy already figured out I wasn't aiming at him in a split second. Naruto knew Griggs was sharp; not just from his manipulative behavior, but because a sorcerer had to be smart. Calculated. Intentional.
Before he could say anything more, the moment shattered as the voices echoed up from the stairwell below. Hollow shrieks. The crackle of torches.
A mob was coming.
Naruto flickered to the entrance, stepping into the narrow stone corridor just as the hollows charged.
With a calm breath, he pressed his hand to his talisman and released an orb of force. Emit Force. The shockwave exploded outward, catching the front wave of enemies and hurling them back in a scattered heap.
Before they even hit the ground, Naruto was already moving. The Uchigatana flashed in a clean upward arc, slicing through three hollows mid-fall. One tried to crawl away, gasping, only to crumple as a dagger pierced its throat.
Naruto turned sharply.
Griggs stood at the top of the stairs, arm outstretched, the dagger still glowing faintly with magical energy.
"Thanks for the assist," Naruto said, wiping the blade on a cloth.
"Of course. I can't have you doing all the work, now can I?" Griggs said lightly. "Besides, you're an interesting one. A pyromancer-turned-knight who can cast spells and miracles."
"Lordran giveth, and I taketh," Naruto replied.
"So… who taught you magic?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Was it Master Logan?" Griggs asked, a hopeful gleam entering his voice.
"Never heard of him," Naruto said evenly. He didn't miss the way Griggs' fist clenched at that. The man nodded, trying to mask his disappointment behind a composed expression.
Naruto pointed toward the upper staircase. "Head that way. You'll find a door at the top. It leads to a bridge and a bonfire just past that."
"Thank you," Griggs said, bowing slightly. "I'll see you again at Firelink Shrine, if you ever wish to continue your studies. I'd be honored to expand your knowledge of the arcane."
Naruto gave a quiet nod, noting something strange: there was sound to Griggs' footsteps now.
Earlier, when he'd killed the hollow, Naruto had been acutely aware of every detail. Griggs' steps had been silent. Like Zabuza's Silent Killing... a breathless, deliberate presence.
Now? Footfalls echoed faintly off the stone.
Was it some kind of spell? Why do I feel like there's more to Griggs than just being a simple sorcerer?
A flicker of movement snapped Naruto out of his thoughts as a knife flew toward Griggs' back.
Naruto's kunai whipped through the air, deflecting the blade just before it hit. It clanged off the stone wall and spun away harmlessly.
Griggs froze mid-step.
Oscar fired a crackling beam of energy down into the shadows below, the flash briefly illuminating the alley. The attacker flinched, forced out of hiding.
He stepped into the firelight, if he could still be called that. The figure moved like a puppet too long left in the rain. Wrapped in remnants of old, patchwork armor, his limbs were too thin, too long, and his hood cast deep shadows across his skeletal face. Only two glowing red eyes burned through the darkness like coals. In one hand, a curved dagger. In the other, a dented round shield, warped from years of use.
[Name: Undead Assassin]
[HP: 300/300]
Naruto responded with a quick flick of his wrist, sending a kunai toward the thing's chest just to test the water.
The assassin flipped backward with eerie grace, limbs contorting mid-air. But that was his mistake.
The movement should have exposed him.
Naruto watched the kunai fly clean into the man's spine and pass through it like smoke.
"What the...?!"
Naruto took a step back. Not genjutsu. Something else. Something wrong.
Then came the sound of slamming wood.
Doors burst open along the narrow street, and two more assassins spilled into the alley. Both were twisted reflections of the first. One vaulted from a rooftop, landing in a crouch that sent up sparks. The other skittered low, fast and insect-like.
"Go from the front. I'll support," Griggs called out, his voice level, already forming a spell.
Naruto didn't waste time arguing. He surged forward.
The three assassins moved as one.
The first rushed in with a Quick Slash, the curved dagger barely visible. Naruto ducked low, sidestepped, and felt a weird sensation on his shoulder as the blade barely grazed his armor.
The second came with a Running Stab, thrusting straight for his gut. Naruto twisted, deflecting it with the flat of his Uchigatana, but the impact still jostled his stance. He retaliated with a wide arc slash. The assassin rolled through it and again, the blade passed harmlessly through him.
They weren't illusions. They were real. But something about them bent around attacks.
Then came the third. From behind.
Naruto spun just in time to avoid a Backstab—the assassin mid-air, dagger ready to rip his throat open. Naruto ducked, slashed upward but again, nothing. Just smoke.
They were real enough to cut him, but insubstantial when it counted.
He growled under his breath, forced to defend, not dominate. Throwing knives clattered off his gauntlets. The Uchigatana sang in his hands, its edge laced with wind chakra, but the blade felt useless. They rolled through it. Slid through every gap in his technique.
One changed stance suddenly low and sharp.
Parry.
Naruto's arm jarred as his next strike was caught mid-motion. A second later, the assassin riposted, slicing across his armor. It didn't even leave a scratch. And yet that's when Naruto noticed it. That reddish shimmer pulsing beneath his skin.
What… is that?
It wasn't chakra or magic. It moved differently. Like it was being drawn out. He stepped back, and pain flared across his whole body.
A glowing sigil suddenly seared itself onto his skin its lines like burning wire. He gasped. Then, all at once, blood burst from a dozen tiny wounds. Not cuts. Not from the blades. From inside him. He staggered, vision tilting. The assassins closed in like wolves sensing weakness.
Oscar's cry rang out above.
A single shot lanced through the air and struck the nearest assassin. It froze mid-lunge, body crystallizing instantly as its legs locked, limbs snapping. The shard statue collapsed into glittering dust. The second was already charging when Griggs launched his spell, a deep blue Soul Arrow, faster and more focused than any Naruto had seen. It struck the assassin square in the face. The undead's head imploded. Its body dropped limp like a sack of rotting meat.
The final assassin, seeing its companions fall, broke into a desperate sprint toward Naruto.
Naruto gritted his teeth, blood running from his nose and fingertips. He shoved the Uchigatana into the scabbard and drew the Zweihander in one smooth motion. The massive blade hissed through the air.
The assassin made a sharp roll to dodge and Naruto waited, patient. The moment it landed, ready to counter... he swung.
The Zweihander tore through the assassin's torso in a brutal, horizontal sweep. No chance to vanish. No space to phase.
The creature fell in two pieces, twitching on the ground before finally going still.
Naruto exhaled sharply. Blood dripped from his armor. He was dizzy. That sigil had hit deeper than expected.
Oscar chirped from above. Griggs slowly made his way down the steps, boots quiet but present.
"Are you alright?" Griggs asked as Naruto uncorked the Estus Flask. He took a slow sip, feeling the warmth flow through him, knitting torn muscle and sealing the smaller wounds.
Naruto stooped beside the fallen assassin and retrieved the curved dagger it had dropped.
[Item Acquired: Bandit's Knife]
[Description: This wide single-edged shortsword is the favorite of lowly thieves and bandits. Primarily a slicing weapon, but highly effective when used for critical hits, such as after parrying or from behind.]
He turned the blade over in his hand.
The knife was short and mean. The blade itself was warped with age, darkened steel mottled with brown and black corrosion, as though soaked in blood and left in the rain for years. The edge was jagged and chipped, no longer clean or sharp, but dangerous in its own ugly way. Near the base, just above the guard, a small round hole was cut through the blade's center. Etched within the ring was a symbol so faded it almost blended into the rust. The handle curved backward like a hooked claw, wrapped in a grimy strip of leather that barely clung to the grip. The pommel was blunt, dented from use, but balanced enough to feel functional in Naruto's palm.
"Griggs," Naruto called, tossing the blade in a gentle arc.
The sorcerer caught it mid-air with a slight grunt and looked it over. "Hm… interesting. Seems like a simple knife… but…" He squinted. "Ah. Nahr Alma's blessing."
Naruto raised a brow. "What is that?"
"Nahr Alma is the god of blood." Griggs nodded and stepped closer, lifting the knife toward the light. "People once went to war under his name. With a special rite, they'd carve his sigil into their weapons. The miracle was simple, but potent."
He pointed to the hole at the blade's base.
"Here. Look closely."
Naruto leaned in. The design was ancient, almost tribal. At its center was a thick vertical line that split downward into a wide V-shape, then curved sharply outward and back in like hooked scythe blades. The outer curves looped around until they nearly formed a circle, enclosing the sigil in a symbol that suggested completion… or entrapment. It looked almost like a bloodstained eye with thorns for lashes.
"That's the mark of Nahr Alma," Griggs said. "Blessing or curse, depending on who you ask. The enchantment lingers. A few grazes from a blade like this and it seeps into your veins. You feel nothing at first then the blood explodes outward."
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. He knelt beside the other corpses, pulling their gear with calm efficiency.
As he looted, his eyes drifted to his Uchigatana, still faintly red from the last swing. Something tugged at him, a memory of its item description. He untied the cloth wrapping around the hilt. Sure enough, near the handle, buried beneath the grip's leather bindings, was the same sigil.
"...Interesting," he muttered.
That explained the bleed effect. And if he could learn to bless his weapons this way...
His mind raced. Kunai. Shuriken. Arrows. Traps. He grinned. Just a scratch, and the blood would burst from them like a crimson geyser. Dead before they even knew they'd been cut.
He was still entertaining the idea when Griggs dusted off his robe and turned to leave. "Well," the sorcerer said, "I'll leave you to whatever scheming you're doing."
"Before you go," Naruto said, "any idea what those things were?"
"Assassins of the East."
"What?"
"They were once human. Undead, sold into slavery," Griggs explained, voice calm. "Bought by a figure known only as the Man of the Mountain. He trained them as weapons."
"That's not what I asked," Naruto said, standing fully.
"...Pardon?"
Naruto's gaze sharpened. "Their powers. That thing they did. Phasing through attacks."
"Oh. Right." Griggs cleared his throat. "They possessed what we call I-Frames."
"...You're losing me."
"Imagine the world as a single painting," Griggs said, gesturing with his staff. "Now picture another version of that same world, layered right beside it but invisible. The assassins can momentarily slip between those two frames of reality. While in between, they can't be touched."
"Invincible while dodging," Naruto murmured, frowning. "How do they do it?"
"No one knows," Griggs said. "Only that it started after the convolution of time and space. As reality frayed, some learned to step between it. Assassins. Sorcerers. Even monsters."
"Of course it's this world's convolution of time and space," Naruto muttered. "Thanks for the knowledge, Griggs."
Oscar dropped down from the rooftop with a chirp, landing neatly in Naruto's arm. The knight caught him with practiced ease and turned to introduce him. "This is my partner, Oscar."
Griggs blinked at the crystal lizard, then chuckled softly. "The pleasure is mine." His eyes lingered on Oscar with amused curiosity. "A crystal lizard for a companion. Most would expect them to flee at the first sign of danger, not carry weapons and fire spells. But then again..." He gave Naruto a half-smile. "Nothing about you seems standard."
Naruto scratched the back of his neck with a grin. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
"Well then," Griggs said, stepping away. "Do stay safe, both of you. May we meet again under less... bloody circumstances."
He offered a nod and turned, climbing the staircase until he disappeared from view.
Once the area was clear, Naruto raised two fingers in a familiar gesture. Shadow Clone Jutsu.
A dozen identical clones flickered into existence with bursts of smoke. Without a word, they scattered in pairs and trios, moving like practiced scouts through the alleys and rooftops, ready to clear out any lingering hollows or hidden assassins.
Naruto watched them go, then turned to Oscar, who perched confidently on his shoulder.
"Alright, partner," he said, voice firm now. "Let's go kill ourselves a goat."
Oscar chirped once, loaded his gun with a sharp click, and together they descended deeper into the Lower Undead Burg.
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Author's Note: One Chapter Before Naruto vs Capra – Let's Talk About a Few Things
1. Griggs of Vinheim
Personally, Griggs is one of my favorite characters in Dark Souls. In-game, he's the early-game NPC who sells you a solid lineup of sorceries and two of the strongest magic rings for any intelligence build. Seems like a simple, helpful guy, right?
But if you know his lore… things get complicated fast.
When you first find Griggs locked in a room in the Lower Undead Burg, he comes across as polite, humble, and maybe a bit obsessed with Master Logan. At face value, he seems like just another loyal student trying to reconnect with his mentor.
But take a closer look, both at his dialogue and the items around him and the mask starts to slip.
Right next to where he's imprisoned, you'll find a corpse stuffed into a barrel. That corpse is wearing the standard Vinheim Sorcerer set. Griggs, on the other hand, wears the Black Sorcerer Set, associated with covert agents and the secret assassination division within the school.
Even more telling: when Griggs dies (or when you find his body later in Sen's Fortress), he drops spells like Hush, Fall Control, and Aural Decoy. All of these are stealth-based sorceries, traditionally tied to the darker side of Vinheim's magical society.
So what's the real story?
Griggs isn't just a loyal student. The prevailing theory—and the one I personally subscribe to—is that he was sent to shadow (and possibly eliminate) the actual student of Logan, impersonate them, and gain access to Logan's forbidden knowledge. That body in the barrel? Likely the real student. Griggs? The assassin in disguise.
It fits with the tone of Vinheim's political games. If Logan's knowledge fell into the wrong hands, it could upend the balance of power. Griggs was probably sent to ensure that happened—just not for the right reasons.
He ultimately fails, meeting his end in Sen's Fortress. But his ambiguity adds an incredible layer to an otherwise overlooked NPC.
And for this story? Expect Griggs to become a very important figure in Naruto's magical development. There's more to him than meets the eye—and much more he's not saying.
Let me know what you thought of him in the story so far.
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2. I-Frames
Alright, let's talk about something very important in Dark Souls combat: I-frames.
If you've played the game, you already know. If not, here's the simple version:
I-frames (short for invincibility frames) are the few moments during a roll or dodge when your character cannot be hit—even if an attack connects visually. This makes rolling a core part of the combat system, even though it's not particularly realistic.
Obviously, in real-world combat or most martial arts, rolling like that is a bad idea—you're vulnerable, you lose sight, you break stance. But in Dark Souls, due to the convolution of time and space, the player is shifting between dimensions or "frames" of reality.
Which means… in this story, that lore logic works beautifully.
Naruto's already using things like:
Way of Focality (camera lock-on)
Hawkeyes (zoom vision for archery)
Poise Breakers (for shockwave strikes)
And many others
So how will I-frames work for him? That's something I'm very excited to explore.
I want to open that idea to you, the readers. If you have suggestions or theories about how Naruto should gain the ability to use I-frames, I'd love to hear them.
Comment your ideas. I'll read every one.
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3. The Bleed Status Effect
This is something I've been really excited to talk about: Bleed.
In Dark Souls, Bleed is a gameplay mechanic—a debuff status effect and a specific type of damage. When inflicted, it deals a percentage of the target's maximum health. We're talking 30%–50% HP for most enemies, and 10%–15% for bosses.
Here's an important in-game detail:
The number listed under a weapon's Bleed stat (e.g., 300) is not the buildup. It's the percentage-based damage it will do once the buildup threshold is hit. So 300 = 30%, 500 = 50%, and so on.
Just like how I've novelized other mechanics, I wanted to novelize Bleed as well.
You might ask—why bother? Isn't "bleeding" just… bleeding?
In real life, any bladed weapon causes bleeding. It's a basic physical consequence.
But in Dark Souls, only certain weapons inflict Bleed status. That alone makes it unique and worth exploring as something more mystical, more meaningful.
So instead of treating it like a generic biological effect, I'm writing Bleed as a kind of magical affliction or divine curse, and I'm grounding it in actual Dark Souls lore.
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The Lore Behind Bleed:
A) Nahr Alma – Who Is He?
Nahr Alma is the god of blood mentioned in Dark Souls II. He is associated with violence, murder, and sacrificial combat. His followers gather blood in his name, and in turn, their weapons are empowered by it.
B) How Does He Connect to Bleed Status?
In DS2, there's an item called the Crest of Blood, which:
Adds +50 Bleed attack to weapons
Is obtained from the Covenant of Blood, which worships Nahr Alma
So we already have a direct lore connection between Bleed status and Nahr Alma's divine influence.
C) How Bleed Works (In This Story's Canon)
In the same way miracles are powered by faith in a god, Bleed status is a spiritual affliction caused by belief in Nahr Alma and his sigil.
Here's how I'm writing it:
When a weapon is blessed (or cursed) with Nahr Alma's symbol, it gains the power to afflict Bleed
Every strike doesn't just wound physically—it builds up a curse of blood
Once the threshold is reached, the sigil activates, and the blood inside the victim bursts from within
This effect deals 30%–50% of their total HP, even if the cut was small
That's why only certain weapons can cause this. They need to carry Nahr Alma's mark—and the ritualistic curse that enables Bleed.
D) So, What About Naruto?
Naruto has just discovered this ability through the Bandit's Knife and the Uchigatana, both bearing Nahr Alma's symbol.
Now the question is: How should Naruto utilize the Bleed effect going forward?
I'd love to hear your ideas.
Should Naruto:
Learn it by studying under Griggs?
Find an old tome of Nahr Alma's cult?
Make a dark pact?
Or even begin questioning whether to use it at all?
Let me know in the comments.
This world's combat mechanics are becoming Naruto's own toolset, and I want you to be part of how that develops.
Capra fight next. Stay tuned.
– Adam
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 81, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!