HELLO EVERYONE!
First Off...Sorry I have been gone for so long. Work, Life, and Family have been...taxing to say the least. That said, as you will see in all of my stories, I have indeed been writing, it's just been a little bit slower going.
Secondly...Yeah I have missed you fine ladies and gents!
Thirdly...Life is continuously being crazy, so I can't guarantee regular updates, but I will continue to update all of my stories so you can all continue to enjoy and critique my work. As always your opinions, ideas, and critiques are welcome. The more I hear of your thoughts, the better my work can be.
Finally...all (minus two, currently developing) stories have gotten an updated chapter, so if ya like, check out my other stuff. Each has their own unique...lets say challenges that I am trying to take on. Different scenarios, character styles, and story-lines that can help my future work.
Let me know what you think, and as always, blessings upon you all!
Chapter 40: The Tide of Darkness...The Shadow's Chosen
The sun began to fall as the Shinobi and Magi Alliance cut through the advanced scouts of the invading armies as they made their way to the beaches of Lightning. They knew they were short on time, the longer they took the longer their foes would be able to solidify their foothold.
Sakura felt her stomach lurch as the black blood splattered upon her face and into her mouth. Wiping the orc's cursed blood from her face she drove a fist into the skull of another. As the final orc scout fell she looked to the others in her squad.
Lee, Tenten, Freed, and Laxus cleaned themselves of the foul blood as they gave the all-clear for the army to step forward. Even as they marched, Sakura was determined to tear through these monsters...she needed it.
She didn't know how to describe it...but there was a fire in her soul that had surged through her since she had learned of Naruto's confession. The only thing she knew...was that she would crush anyone in her way as she sought to find her foolish, former teammate.
And knock some sense into the man.
Right now however...that fire was slightly dimmed as she looked upon the carnage he had inflicted upon their people. Was the man she had grown to see as a hero, who had once sacrificed everything for the sake of his people…
Who had returned as a dark and terrible being…was he still in there?
She had heard the "confession" as everyone else had. As she looked upon the death and destruction their army marched through...she felt her conviction faltering.
The hurried march through these wastelands...it moved all the more swiftly just to escape the macabre scene. Swiftly the forces of the Allied Nations had moved in to contest the enemies on the beach head. So swift and urgent was their march they could only glance at the death toll inflicted by The Cataclysm.
The muddied lands were riddled with the signs of it's devastation. Debris from homes and buildings, rooftops, walls, and sometimes lone, splintered beams could be seen floating or half sunk.
The mangled and drowned corpses...at times they had to wade through sunken land where water had settled. On occasion a member of the army armies would kick up bodies which had sunken below the muddied surface causing to rise up just enough to show their visage before vanishing once more beneath the murky water.
To see the pale, horrified looks of so many fallen was a sight that nearly crushed the will of the brave souls who sought to protect their home. Even if they could not see them...they could feel as they stepped on bodies that had sunken into the mud, or felt cold, rigid hands glide against their hands.
They knew they could not focus on this however, for even as they marched...they were harassed by the Dark Lord's scouts. From behind the debris and other obstructions, several orc scouts had prepared ambushes to attack the oncoming troop.
Though their arrows found their mark...they too were swiftly cut down by Shinobi and Samurai who were quick to respond.
The Shinobi and Samurai of the Great Nations had speed, strength, and powers beyond the minds of lesser men. Even the Men of Old would be in awe of how far the Mortal Children of Illuvatar have come.
Their Jutsu and Chakra based attacks, their training, and their fierce determination made them capable of enduring all the Dark Lord had sent against them up to this point.
The Orc Raiders, while fierce and deadly, were no match for the Disciplined Samurai and the Elusive Shinobi when prepared.
Even the non-chakra foot soldiers: the Ashigaru, bravely marched alongside their chakra powered allies as they sought to drive their foes back into the sea. Though not able to match their enhanced counterparts, their bravery and numbers made up for their skill.
Shinobi were not familiar with fighting alongside such forces...but neither had they faced such dire circumstances. They would not complain however at the renewed reinforcements.
Even with the Cataclysm having swept aside all life in Port Towns and Fishing Villages, the Daimyos were still able to amass a mighty force by calling upon the able-bodied of their lands to take up arms.
An act that many were more than happy to oblige after learning the cause of Nature's carnage. However as they came to the beaches as they found their foes already in formation...they understood.
Sakura understood now what the Earth Resistance Generals meant...how the Dark Lord waged war. Sakura had heard from the others when it was like to witness the legions of monstrous foes besieging Ba Sing Se...but to see it before her was another matter entirely.
Even with the several thousand already on the shore, plenty more were disembarking from the massive Fire Ship Transports. If they were allowed to continue...they would easily overwhelm their own forces.
They were thankful for one thing however...there were very few mages. The few who did seemed to be of Sauron's own dark practitioners from the Tower of Orthanc.
It seemed that the Empire of Alvarez was still preoccupied with their invasion of Fiore. Though it was only a matter of time that they too turned their attention to The Hidden Nations. Which only increased the urgency of their task to drive the foe before them back into the sea. There was one thing however...that filled Sakura with both relief and concern.
Although his forces were amassed and preparing to carve a bloody path across the Hidden Nations...the Dark Lord himself was nowhere to be seen.
Relief because she did not wish to fight her fallen friend...concern because it likely meant he was guiding twisted machinations elsewhere.
"Naruto…" she whispered to herself, "where are you?"
[In the Land of Mordor]
In horror Natsu and Mirajane watch on as the two women before them continue to drink the blood of their dark master. Sauron himself had not made a physical response as their teeth sank into his flesh, only silently allowing them to continue as he wrapped his arms around the two.
Indeed only Thuringwethil herself seemed to show any sign of emotion: that of elation.
They were free to move, the Dark Lord's will no longer commanding them...and yet they could neither stop this act nor flee from this sight.
Mirajane herself was only able to cover her mouth to hide the horror that was evident in her eyes. Natsu himself seemed to shake, trying to will his body to move...and yet his own fear and horror of the sight before him made his feet feel like iron anchors.
He wanted to scream, to shout, to use his draconic strength and rip the two women he had grown to care for as he did his own guildmates from the Dark Lord's embrace. Yet it was the same draconic nature, it's instincts that told him to stay away...to flee.
For a time, the vampiric scene seemed to draw itself out for eternity...until the two women convulsed, emitting a terrible retching sound.
In that instant, the Dark Lord's grasp became firm, holding the two women as their strength betrayed them. Slowly the two were lowered to the floor before Sauron rose to his full height and stepped back.
"What's happened!?" Mira cried out in horror as the two women began to convulse violently. Breaking free of their own fears the two Magi dashed forward, taking hold of Hinata and Natsumi in an effort to keep them from hurting themselves.
All the while the Dark Lord and the Lady of Shadows watched on as the dark power began to burn in their own veins. They screamed, convulsed, scratched at their flesh which seemed to have a terrible heat seemed to glow ominously through them.
"What the hell have you done!?" Natsu snarled up at the Dark Lord. Natsu was unprepared for the look on the Shadow's face however...pain.
Within those hellish glowing eyes, Natsu could see a hint of regret and sorrow. Freya gracefully came to his side and gently placed a supporting hand on his shoulder. It was she who answered Natsu's query.
"He has given them the strength of what's to come...but like all things it comes with a price that not even the Dark Lord can deny," she said as her own crimson eyes looked on the sight before them. Gently she lowered to her knees and took hold of a hand from each of the women.
"They must endure," she said firmly.
In all this the Dark Lord continued to watch on, a turmoil burning in his core silently as he watched the two continue to writhe in pain. They whimpered, they groaned, they cried...all the while Sauron's gaze did not break.
It wasn't until the two both issued horrid, unearthly screams...that he turned away.
Their screams were not those of mortal women, they held a sense of devilry in these terrible wails. Their cries grew higher and higher...until they reached a pitch that was hauntingly similar.
Their wails were akin to those of the Nazgul.
The two magi were forced to drop the two women and grab their ears lest their drums burst. The cries cast themselves across Mordor and even sent man and beast across the Earth Kingdom shivering in terror.
Just as swiftly as the cries issues out however did they cease. As the cries ended the two women swiftly rolled over, their dry, retching coughs filling the chamber. The two magi looked over to see their hair fallen over their heads, hiding their faces as they continued to retch.
All the while, the Vampiric Lady Freya stroked their hair and backs in a comforting manner. The Magi could not hear her words, but her gentle whispers seemed to serve its purpose.
Slowly the women seemed to grow calm, their breath haggard as the pain finally subsided. They remained on the floor for a time, their bodies slowly growing still. As haggard breaths became clearer and smoother, their bodies slowly ceased to shiver.
In spite of the calming atmosphere however...the Magi's horror only grew.
In both Hinata and Natstumi, they could sense the change in their very souls. The Darkness had claimed them, their skin had paled slightly, but their dark power now clearly showed in their eyes.
As the two women looked up to drink in a long breath, Freya's gentle fingers drew their hair behind their ears.
Revealing their hellish eyes.
The sclera had turned ink black, a stark contrast from the hellish flame blazing from the iris. As their breathing calmed, these same eyes slowly blazed brighter. A fierce conviction burned in them, the blazing inferno that was once a sign of their master was now their own.
"How does it feel?" Sauron asked. They all looked up to see the Dark Lord's gaze had returned to them. In his question they felt as well as heard both query and concern in his tone.
Seeking to speak honestly as well as grant her brother peace of mind, Natsumi spoke first.
"Different," she said as she clenched her left hand, "stronger…"
"Warm," was Hinata's first word, "I...feel warm...yet also cold?"
With a nod, Sauron responded with a simple command, "Rise."
Slowly they obeyed the command as Sauron's powerful voice returned, "My Black Hand, my Dark Maiden...you will stand alongside my fellow servants in the coming conflict."
Turning to his sister, the Dark Lord addressed her, "Natsumi...you are my Shadow cast upon the land. Those who look upon your hand will see you speak with my authority and my power. Fear will claim the hearts of your enemies and courage in those of your allies."
Natsumi looked down to her right hand: crawling up from her fingers to the middle of her forearm, all had become cast in black ash. Focusing on it she nearly jumped as a dark power akin to obsidian, ethereal flames and smoke erupted from it.
"Equal is your place amongst the Dark Captains," he continued, "though I advise you listen and learn, drink in their wisdom and their cunning until you are their equal in might as well as station."
Natsumi looked to her brother in shock at both the power and authority he had entrusted to her...yet in her heart she also felt pride swell within her soul. With a nod, Sauron turned to look upon Hinata.
As the Dark Lord had spoken to the newly christened Black Hand, Hinata had caught her reflection in the mirror. Without thought she had wandered toward it in order to take in her form.
Hinata looks in the mirror of the hall at her form. There seemed to be a...magical air to her presence now. An indescribable, unnatural beauty similar to that of The Lady of Shadow. With this sight...she felt something else stir within her: a sense of confidence and fierceness. In that moment she felt...no she knew that she held sway to all who heard her voice or saw her form."
Standing behind her, the Shadow spoke in a soft but nonetheless powerful tone.
"You are the voice which sways," he said smoothly, "the whisper which soothes, the sight which pleases the eye."
She turned to look directly up as the Dark Lord continued.
"You are she who can raise the hearts of others with hope and peace...or drown them in the pits of dread and despair," he finished ominously. As Hinata took all this in, Sauron turned to the man who's deadly silence had made him a mere afterthought to the others in the room.
"Kakashi Hatake...my old mentor," the Shadow spoke with a sense of endearment and pride."
The small group watched as the gray haired Shinobi walked toward the Dark Lord.
"You have served me well," he continued, "I leave the Shadows in your command."
Kakashi seemed to hesitate...a fact the Dark Lord noticed.
"I know…" he began, "that there is conflict within you. You wish to save the Leaf and all who stand by her side."
The others watched as the Jounin seemed to lower his head in shame...until Sauron spoke again.
"Good," hearing this work alone made Kakashi's eye widen.
"The time for your deceit is over. Your compassion for the Leaf and her people is what will allow us to bring a swift end to this conflict," Sauron explained, "I urge you to seek every opportunity to sway them to our cause. You know what awaits them should they refuse to see reason."
A spark in Kakashi's visible eye seemed to ignite as his shock gave way to resolve when Sauron allowed the unspoken truth to have it's moment.
"Don't worry," Kakashi said firmly, "I'll get them to see things our way."
Sauron nodded before turning to the Magi. This entire time they had watched on, they prayed to not be noticed by the Dark Lord...yet they were surprised when he did address them.
"Go, return to your friends and family," with a wave of his hand, a sudden mass of shadow appeared behind the pair. Slowly the darkness molded into what could only be described as a black tear in reality itself.
For a time they were stunned by this act, "The path will take you to Hidden Nations where your people have already fled. Before you depart, know this: once you step back onto those shores...you will find no peace."
Hearing such a statement made them freeze, "Of two worlds you live now...the Realm of the Seen and the Realm of the Unseen."
Sauron stepped forward to speak directly to them, "And with it's sight...you will see the terrible, final truth of this conflict...but you will not comprehend it."
"Should you choose to stay," Sauron paused, "I will help you, prepare you for what is to come. Help you understand why I created you.
"Or you may go. I will not stop you," Sauron assured them, "There will come a time when the moment comes, and the Bright Lord's legions turn...you will fight by my side willingly."
Without hesitation Natsu prepared to leave...but Mira hesitated, grabbing the dragon by the wrist. He turned to retort only to find a look of horror on Mira's face. It seemed she had caught onto something in the Dark Lord's words.
"What awaits us when we return to our family and allies?" she demanded through tearful eyes. She hated seeing that they had lost so many to the Darkness...but she needed to know.
Her little brother and sister...her Guild.
Her entire family...if there was some terrible fate ready to tear them apart, she needed to know. She needed to stop it.
"What aren't you telling us?" she demanded furiously behind tearful eyes. For a time Sauron read her visage. Before grinning softly...
At long last she had asked the right question.
[The Shores of Lightning...Shadow of Mordor OST: The Gravewalker]
In spite of the ominous foes before them, bravely the Allied Forces sought to hold back the Forces of Mordor at the Beaches of Lightning and keep them from gaining ground. In a matter of moments, the commanding officer Shikaku had begun issuing orders.
Earth-Style fortifications were swiftly formed.
Wooden barricades swiftly dropped in front of them.
Archers took up positions as Shinobi readied their jutsu and Ashigaru took up defensive lines. They had prepared themselves in such a manner that the massive numbers of well armored foes would have to struggle just to get to them.
Even though they had long contact with the Legendary Iron Samurai in the Cataclysm, the Samurai of the Lightning Daimyo were still more than capable of holding their own. At last they were ready for their foe, barricades, fortifications, and traps ready in a matter of minutes.
Something however didn't sit right with the Master-Mind of the Nara Clan.
All the while they had set up fortifications...the Shadow watched. They watched on as their foes readied for them. Apart from getting into rectangular-like formations, the Forces of Mordor had made no move to engage their newly arrived foe.
In fact, as the sun continued to fall to the horizon...they still remained still.
Finally, the Nine turned their hooded visages toward their foes. As this Allied Shinobi Forces took full sight of their former Jinchuriki's however...they felt an unnatural chill crawl up their spines.
Gone were the loose robes which masked their identity in the Mortal Realm, and proudly they wore the Servant's Armor, it's obsidian hue seeming to dim light around them. They were no longer the Black Riders of Mordor.
They were the Nazgul: the great Kings and Queens of Men whose power, wisdom, and cunning made great their own power, and the power of the Kingdom's they ruled.
Great was their power and terrible their presence. One Nazgul alone could break the bravest of men. Here now stood Nine.
Take into fact that each of the Nazgul were also the dreaded Tailed Beasts...and the people of the Hidden Nations had all the more reason to fear these beings.
Shikaku looked to the sky...the sun would soon fall beyond the horizon...and the Nazgul would be at their greatest. Yet to flee now would allow them to gain a proper foothold...something they could not allow uncontested.
Silence reigned for a time as the two forces took measure of one another, the only sound being the impatient snarls of the more savage creatures of Mordor. The Allies on the other hand were growing restless, impatient...and with it their fear rose. It was unbearable enough that Shikaku was certain that soon his men would surely give into madness, and his men would either charge wildly or flee across the dead marshland they had waded through to get here.
Just as it seemed it would come to pass however…the drums sounded.
[0:55]
Like a slow, terrible heartbeat they could be heard...then the Forces of Mordor began to join the percussive strikes.
Spear struck the earth at their feet.
Sword crashed upon shield.
Fist slammed upon breastplate.
Before long the once dead silent legions had begun their terrible display. It was a sight that caused even the bravest among the Allies to shake. This was an army that craved battle, they relished in bloody violence.
The Olog and Uruk-hai roared and snarled.
Vampires wailed and screamed.
Werewolves barked and howled.
Even the humans who marched with them seemed to embrace the madness of their allies as their own voices roared with the multitude.
Soon the vile Black Speech could be heard even among the Fire Nations soldiers as they sang the Poem of the One like a fiery war chant.
[1:45]
With each line the voices seemed to grow louder and more intense as they directed their bloodthirsty drive toward foes across from them.
To crush their defenses…
To shatter their steel…
To break their will...
Just as it came to a fever pitch however... the Witch-King's gauntlet shot to the sky. So swiftly did silence reign it seemed as if Angmar had stolen their very tongues.
Only the drums themselves seemed to fade naturally like distant thunder.
[Shadow of War OST: The Nazgul]
It was in this silence that the Black Captains spoke. Each voice held its own sense of power, of cruelty...of the terrible deaths they sought to deny.
"At long last," the Tower drawled through shark-like teeth, "the time has come to tame this wretched land in the name of the Dark Lord."
"We will crush ALL who oppose the Shadow's will!" the Hammer boomed with the Dark Lord's fury.
"Consume the flesh of those who fall!" the Mouth growled through bloody, wretched maw.
And as the Lord of the Nazgul's ghastly voices rumbled forth like the distant thunder coming behind them...the Spirit's of Men shattered.
"You would continue to defy our Master," Angmar snarled, "shall fall this day!"
Standing before the Dark Lord's forces, he snarled in a tongue that was slowly becoming more and more recognizable...the Black Speech.
"Dabog Ghara Vadok!" he roared over the rushing winds.
The Dark Army suddenly boomed in the voice of Legion, "Krimpurz Nar Ash!"
In horror the Allied Forces understood why the Witch-King had allowed them to set up their defensive positions...to allow a more stationary target for their artillery. Massive fires suddenly filled the night sky, launched from the siege equipment that had been left upon the Fire Nations Warships.
As the massive Siege Weapons of both Fire Nation and Mordor design unleashed the first salvo, the few who had been trying to understand their foe deciphered their tongue.
Banished from Death...Bound to the One!
AN: SCENE! Okay I have sincerely been looking forward to this moment. When Natsumi and Hinata both give in completely to their Fates as the Dark Lord's Chosen. Only question now...is why do you think Sauron give Mirajane and Natsu the choice to leave?
Tell me what you think!
As always blessings to you all!