A/N: There we go! All caught up.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular? POOF! Gone. Completely. I'm working two jobs -might need a third soon!- so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy. So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that.
Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
Now for your questions, comments, and concerns.
Q: The Volcano Manor...he's walking right into the Volcano Manor...alone...
Naruto, that's hell you're walking into! Turn back! Baaaaack!
A: I see that reference. I'll say more, but there be spoilers. Read if ye dare!
Ranni's influence has clearly been rubbing off Naruto, and in this chapter, we finally get a hint of that; in other words, how the Manor sees him.
And make no mistake, we WILL be seeing those of the Manor in this chapter. All of them.
Including, but not limited to Rykard, Tanith -Tanith's knight, who is hinted to be a woman, surprisingly!- Patches, Bernahl , Inquisitor Ghiza -that annoying mook on the second floor with the wheel weapon- Diallos, and of course, Rya, too. Safe zones ain't really a thing in this story.
If it comes to a fight...well. Lets hope it doesn't come to that, eh?
Must protecc best snake girl.
Q: Update schedule?
A: In no particular order, Gimme that Fire, Set Your Heart Ablaze, Archon, Doctor, What Could Have Been, and...well, a few surprise updates. Archon is coming along under Ronin's steady hand. That one will be ready when its ready.
Q: To hell with Rykard! What's gonna happen to Radahn?! Is he going to suffer the same fate your "Grace" story? Nay! MERCY!
A: Won't say it here. You'll have to wait and see.
Q: So, is there any chance you could snap up Tanith and Rya-
A: Nope. Single pairing remains.
Gives you more to look forward to in "Shed No Grace on Me" eh?
Still, I'm not remiss to giving them some screentime. At least one of them deserves it. We're about at the halfway point in the story at present; we've still got Radan and Malenia to go through, to say nothing of Godwyn, Radagon, and Ranni's trauma.
And little blue four-armed children of course. Can't forger those~!
Q: Were Ranni and Rykard on good terms?
A: Its implied Ranni and Rykard were allies at one point, or that she at least trusted him enough to gift him the Blasphemous Claw as a failsafe at one point.
Q:...they're just gonna let him walk in? I mean if they let our Tarnished do it...
A: Read and see!
Alright, then, this old man has kept you long enough now! I'll let you enjoy the story.
As ever, I own no quotes references, themes or memes. Not a wit or a one!
The "Thy" thing is a still of a theme. Do you like it, perchance?
Oh, and Castlevania references. Because it fit...
...faaaaar too well.
"Oi. Rykard. I wanna word with you."
...hrrrrm? What is the meaning of thissss? You know meeeee?"
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Of course I know you. Fighting things and recognizing things like you is what I do...and you are absolutely a thing."
"I ssssshaaaaall conssssssume the Greater Will itssssself! I am faaaaaar more than a thiiiiiing!"
"No, you're only a thing. You're only an old killer...
~?
Thy Fateful Choice
The Volcano Manor welcomed Naruto with open arms.
A lie here, a fib there, and he was in.
All too easy.
Even this far in the North, in the shadow of the Erdtree, Ranni's name opened doors for him. One look at the Carian crest on his armor and the tiny doll in his hand had Tanith all too happy to play hostess. Downright giddy some might say. She'd fed him the finest food and drink -none of which were poisoned, remarkably!- and provided him room for the night. She seemed determined to play her part, if nothing else.
Her faihtful knight...decidedly less so.
Even now he could feel the Crucible Knight watching him like a grim hawk as he sat across from her mistress. Sword brandished, point first into the floor, ready to pounce at the slightest sign of danger. She would defend Tanith to the last. He could respect such loyalty, flawed though it was. Good for her. It wouldn't make a lick of difference.
Ah, but little miss high horse was speaking and he must attend...for now.
"Lord Rykard has ever had great faith in his dear sister." As he looked on, Lady Tanith folded both hands in her lap, the very picture of decorum, mask reflecting nothing. "He will be most pleased to learn of her survival." Her head tilted just so, a note of intrigue threading its way into her words. "When will she be coming to the manor?"
Naruto fought down a tiny twitch. 'Never, if I have anything to say about it.'
"Steady, now. Don't show your hand."
"I know, I know...
If this Rykard was half the monster Ranni claimed he was, then he wouldn't be letting her anywhere near him. The only thing Rykard would be meeting was his fist, maybe Kurama if he really riled him up. He wouldn't be lingering here long; just enough to get a sense of there the "Lord" of the Manor was hiding. And then...well. He schooled his face into a mask not unlike Tanith's own and buried his anger. Buried it deep.
Outwardly he plastered a simpering smile to his face and continued to play the part.
"She's eager to see him again," he leaned forward, lowering his voice in a faux whisper, "But her body doesn't allow her to travel for extended periods of time. Such are her limits. You understand of course. She sent me ahead to...pave the way, as it were."
"Certainly," her head bobbed in agreement. "We are, all of us, diminished by the Shattering. Doubtless she did what she must to survive. You are of similar stock, are you not?"
His brow furrowed. "...I'm afraid I don't follow."
"You seek a new age, just as we do." Tanith sat just a bit straighter in her chair, yet for all that he felt something coil deep inside her. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. It only makes sense to join forces, in our rise against the Erdtree.
Naruto didn't trust himself to words and nodded instead.
Credit where it was due, the mistress of the manor betrayed nothing, not even a hint of a smile. Her words almost masked the madness simmering beneath her skin. Almost. He read the currents of her emotions all the same. She actually thought she had the upper hand here. Adorable. Made him want to take her over his knee and spank her until she squealed. He wouldn't be a Recusant. He'd sooner eat his own heart than kill innocent Tarnished that were just trying to get by.
"Will you not have an audience with our lord?" she asked suddenly. "I'm sure he would be delighted to welcome you in your lady's stead...
Oh, no. No, no, no. He wasn't walking into that trap until he was ready. "Maybe later, once I've settled in."
...fair." she alowed. "I'm sure the rest of the manor is eager to meet you.
His smile was all teeth.
"I'm sure."
(.0.0.0.)
"You're not here to join our Family, are you?"
...nope."
Such an innocent inquiry; and yet for all that, Rya didn't even flinch when he gave her his answer. She continued to follow him, lingering after him like a lost puppy. Naruto almost laughed at it all. Were it not for his own ironclad self control, he might well have. Instead he kept his eyes fixed firmly ahead as he weaved his way through the darkened hall. To look back now would expose him to more of those ghastly snails and their poison. They couldn't harm him, but he'd gotten plenty of their gunk on his armor already thanks to the cramped corridors.
Ranni would have his hide if he came back to her smelling like a grave.
He could imagine it now: "What is that wretched scent?! To the baths with you! Do not enter mine chambers until thou art clean!"
The ghost of a smile touched his lips; it gave him the strength to persevere, even in the face of this latest challenge.
"Then why are you here?"
Right, adorable little snake girl. Almost forgot about her. He wasn't fooled by her disguise.
If she wanted to walk about as a human, that was fine with him.
Far be it from him to question a simple soul like her.
For all intensive purposes, Rya was...pure. More than the other residents of the manor, at least. She had her own reasons for being here, but he sensed doubts in her; belief that her Family was doing good clashing against some uglier, darker secret. Yet for all that, she didn't have a hint of madness or mischief about her. She didn't cower before him like that Diallos fellow, and she certainly didn't simper as Patches did. Likewise, her gentle curiosity and tentative questions were a far cry from the gruff stoicism offered by Bernahl, whom he'd resolved to deal with at the first opportunity.
That one was struck him as vengeful. Best put him down fast and hard when the time came.
"On your left."
A bloodhound knight lunged at them out the dark, claws bared as it brayed a challenge. Rya yelped and ducked behind him. Naruto caught the mad dog by the skull, spun, and without missing a beat, levered it into a wall. Blood spattered the stones. A body hit the floor. Runes flooded into him. He kept walking, feigning indifference as she scampered after him. He'd expected if the casual display of violence to spook her, but she kept pace with him regardless.
...Lets just say I'm gainfully employed at the moment." he risked a quick glance back at her. "Is there a reason you followed me?"
Her eyes flashed bright in the dark, giving him a hint of her true form. "You're here for Lord Rykard, aren't you?"
No point fibbing about it now, deep as they were. "I am. You gonna stop me?"
Please don't, he willed at her. Don't make me fight you.
"My mother once aid," the mousy little blond paused, swallowed, wrung her hands, then comported herself at last. "That I was the daughter of a noble lineage, of a great king." her eyes held his in the low light intently. "It wasn't a lie, but neither was it the truth. My father was a great man...in the past."
Realization dawned. "...Rykard's your old man, isn't he?"
Rya nodded stiffly.
Well. Today was just dropping all sorts of bombshells, wasn't?
"That's rough." Naruto ran a hand through his hair, paused, took a left, then chose a set of stairs to ascend in the gloom. "How'd you find out?"
Her light footsteps echoed after him. "A dear friend of mine looked into the matter for me."
He saw light ahead. "What happened to this friend of yours?"
"She was granted an audience with my Father." Rya hung her head. "She did not return."
...I'm so sorry."
"Don't be." her voice warbled a little behind him, just a tad, just a touch; but it was enough. He knew if he looked back, he would see tears in her eyes. "They were very kind to me." her voice piqued a little in frustration he didn't understand. "I thought my talisman would bring them good luck...but I was mistaken. In my desire to help them, I unwittingly hastened their own death." a faint scuffing sound reached his ears, as she rubbed her face. "Still, I believe they would've liked me to continue their work."
"And what work is that?"
A thread of steel wove its way into her words. "...bringing an end to this madness."
Together they emerged into an elegant church festooned with crimson candles and elegant pews hewn of oak. A glimmering point of grace awaited them on the dusty red carpet without. It burst into brilliance at his touch but he paid it little heed. His eyes were already fixed on the doors ahead. Or rather, what lay beyond. Far beyond.
"Do you feel that?"
Naruto almost wished he couldn't. He sensed it. Something old. Tainted. A hint of golden grace, of noble intentions corrupted into arrogance and avarice. A mass of screaming souls deep beneath the earth, crying out for release. If he could feel it this strongly, experience it at such a distance...he shuddered to think what it would be like up close. All the more reason to put it to rest, then.
Rya tugged at his sleeve. "You said you were Lady Ranni's consort."
Heat speared into his face as he looked away. "Might as well be."
"Would she allow something like this?"
"No." A thought struck him, then. "Wait." he paused. Counted on his fingers. "Hold on. if I'm pretty much marrying Ranni, and Rykard's yer dad...?"
Rya perked up, near giddy in her exuberance. "I have an uncle?"
Naruto reared back, eyes bulging. "I have a niece?!"
Someone laughed first. He wasn't sure who.
"Well, this is delightful!" Rya clapped her hands together and laid them against her cheek with a giggle. The smile that followed nearly stopped his heart. "I always wanted an uncle."
...you might have more than that." he couldn't quite keep the smile from his face. "That makes Ranni your aunt." Prime teasing material there. He'd have weeks worth of fun. "I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know she has a niece."
Now Rya's grin was truly something to behold. "Why, you're right! I never thought of it like that."
"And I'm sure Rennala's gonna love havin a granddaughter."
Her eyes widened. Kurama sighed.
"Now you've done it.
"I have a grandmother, too?!" This is wonderful! I must tell everyone! I'm so ha-ahem." her exuberance faded a moment later as she recalled the task at hand. She coughed into a fist, flushing fiercely. "You'll stop Father, won't you? Mother won't thank you for it, but it needs to be done. Truly, it does."
...I will." he'd intended to, from the very beginning. "This place is full of monsters and madmen. It should be burnt down."
A long pause followed his words. And then: "...do you consider me a monster, uncle?"
Naruto fought down a pleasant shiver. Alright, that was going to take some getting used to. More than a little. But how could one refuse such a pure child?
"Not you. You're a little cinnamon roll."
Naruto blew out an quick breath. He knew no one was looking; that it was just the two of them in this chapel. He flushed anywa. Then he stepped in. Rya didn't try to escape. He couldn't be sure whether she trusted him implicity, or if she simply knew better than to try and escape. Regardless, she didn't run.
Her sole response was to stiffen, spine straightening as he drew her into a brisk embrace.
"Oh!" her gasp was muffled against his chest. "You're quite warm. This feels quite pleasant, actually. No one's ever held me quite like this before...
...I'm going to have a spoiled niece, aren't I?" He drew back and patted her head. "Stay here. I'll be back."
"You're going to face him alone?"
"I am." he grunted. "You're going to stay here, safe and sound."
Before she could protest, he thrust the doors open and leaped down into hell.
(.0.0.0.)
He found the Serpent easily enough.
Cutting a swathe through all manner of monsters and madmen led him to his final destination within the hour; even so, nothing could have prepared him for what he found within that chamber. A writhing mass of coiled scales writhed over a pit of lava; as large as it was grotesque. It didn't even notice them. If anything it looked to be...sleeping?
...that is a big snake."
"Meh." Naruto fought down a shiver and gripped his right arm. I've seen bigger."
His partner picked up on his unease quickly. "You alright?"
He shuddered. "Just bad memories."
He'd been eaten by a serpent once before. Not something he was keen on reliving. And he wouldn't, if he had anything to say about it. Back then he scarcely had a scrap of power to his name; he'd escaped certain death by only the narrowest of margins.
A strange rocky outcropping caught his eyes. No, not a statue at all. It was the remains of a man, holding...a spear?
He hefted it and felt the power within. "Well, hello there...
Something crunched underfoot. Naruto looked down. Saw the skulls etched into the hardened floor. Felt the bones under his boots. Something deep inside him recoiled. He'd expected to find the dead here, but never in such an abundance. Kurama cursed and he joined him a moment later as the revelation hit.
This wasn't a chamber at all. This was a tomb. These were people.
Countless souls had been slain here, dying by the hundreds. Mounds of them. Wailing souls, clutching at one another in their last moments, flesh long since hardened into stone. It didn't end there, either. Much to his horror, realized that the hardened pillars around him weren't pillars at all, but the calcified remains of those who'd tried to climb away from this...thing in their final moments. By comparison the gaudy chandeliers strung high only made the scene even more eerie.
His gorge rose anew. How many lives had been lost here? How many had gone unknowingly to their deaths?
Not just Rya's companion, but all these Tarnished...eaten...devoured...
A low, rumbling snarl tore out of him.
"RYKARD!"
The Snake jerked awake.
Naruto stormed to meet it, spear in hand.
"C'mon then, you big bastard! Take me to your boss!"
The battled that followed could barely be called such.
The Serpent lunged, the spear sang in his hands once in his hands, skewering it through the skull. The Serpent fell.
"Wake up, you slimy bastard!" he planted a golden boot in the gravel and glared up at the serpent. "I know you're in there!"
He thought he knew what to expect. He did not. Because the Serpent twitched.
That bloodied head twitched backward, dragged by some unseen force. Its body pivoted, head still dangling. And he saw it. A face on the back of its slender body, growing more and more pronounced with each passing moment; a visage formed entirely from scales, yet still humanoid nonetheless .
"Hrrm...
Golden eyes opened in a laze blink.
Saw him, glaring up at it, trembling with rage.
...very well." A spindly hand stabbed upward into the beasts maw and drew...oh gods, what was that? It looked like a giant sword, and maybe it really had been golden once upon a time, but it was all wrong now; wrapped in wriggling viscera. Souls. They were souls. His gorge rose.
Hefting its prize, the ghastly serpent pivoted.
"You!" the abomination whirled to face him with a breathless rasp of a voice voice, like a man who'd spent to long underwater. "Join the serpent king as famillllyyyyy!" And so the abomination spoke; his low, rasping voice filling the chamber. "Togetha, we shall devour...the very gods!"
"How's about you fuuuuuuuck right off!" he drawled back. "Its Rykard I wanna talk to. The real Rykard. Not...whatever you are."
The heretical creature recoiled, still drawling its syllables. "You would daaaaaaare defyyyyy the Ssssssserpent King?"
"Sure would." The spear clanked down against the volcanic floor. "Now die."
The Serpent Hunter sprang to life, stronger than ever before.
To his credit, Rykard blocked the first blow. Even the second, by the merest of margins. Not so the third. It smote him upside the crown of his face, tearing a great gash across his nose and taking several teeth besides. He fell like a toppled tree, stunned, and crashed to the volcanic floor. Not dead, merely dazed. It was enough.
"That bought us, what, maybe nine seconds? Make it count."
Naruto dipped a hand into his pouch. "Hey, ah, Ranni?"
The tiny doll stirred in his hands. He felt the weight of her attention, but she said not a word.
"I found your brother." he spared a glance back at the abomination, just now beginning to rise. "Gonna try to save him. But if this doesn't work, if something goes wrong...I just wanted to say...
The words lodged in his throat.
...I love you."
Funny, how three little words can free a man.
The doll was silent for a long moment. He thought he saw the faintest smile crease her face. And then. "And I, you. Be safe."
"You'd better know!" a whim seized him and he grinned. "And just so you know, Renna's a terrible name."
She sputtered. "Fool of a boy! 'Tis far too early for such talk!"
"Love you too~!"
Naruto stowed her protesting miniature with a fond smile. Only then did he turn and face the abomination.
"Oi. Rykard." Blue eyes flashed into molten gold. "I wanna a word with you."
The madman drew himself upright, forked tongue flitting between his cracked teeth. "You know meeee?"
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." he stalked toward him at a languid pace, fists swaying at his sides. "Fighting things and recognizing things is what I do. And you are absolutely a thing."
"I ssssshaaaaall consume the Greater Will itself!" Rykard roared, spattering him with blood and spittle. "I am faaaaaar more than a thiiiiiing!"
"No, you're only a thing." a tan finger rose to condemn him. "You're only an old killer! You don't make anything! You don't live! You just eat and hide! Where's your dignity?! Where's your honor?!"
That actually silenced the abomination.
...issss there a point to this, boy?" it rumbled at last. "Art thou dictating yooouuuurrrr obituary to me?"
"No, its yours." he levered the spear, its edge still singing with wind. "Its time to give this world back to people who know how to build things." cocked it over his shoulder now, ready to throw. "You? You're just a killer of history. Its time for you to go."
"And whooooo issssss going to make me go?" The hybrid spat back, "You?" his serpentine visage curled in derision as he gazed upon the spear in his hand. "With your little stick?"
...probably not. Even so I have a dream. You probably did too, once upon a time. Have you forgotten? Do you even remember?" As the abomination glowered at him, he reconsidered his course of action and lowered his arm, taking the spear with it. "That's alright. From one monster to another...we'll MAKE you remember."
His body swelled with golden light as Kurama howled to life around him, gaining size and mass...
Time to give this one last go. All or nothing.
"WE must be better than this!"
(.0.0.0.)
Rykard raged as he fought.
Fought...and lost.
Badly.
For all his blasphemous strength the former Praetor found himself ripped apart piece by piece in humiliating fashion. Nay, it went beyond that. He was demeaned. Debased. Fangs pierced his scales. Claws rent his hide. He fought and hacked and slashed with his blade, but was too slow. Too large. Too cumbersome to mount a real offense. He could no control his form as he wished. For all his strength and tenacity, the Serpent was ill-suited to a fight such as this.
Magma did nothing to the fox. It only laughed at his magic. Curses splashed harmlessly off its fur.
And all the while, his foe said not a word. And still it took from him. His strength, his power. His sword, wrestled away now, as it tore him apart, root and stem. With each blow his rage burned brighter. It didn't make a lick of sense! This man's intents were no doubt also blasphemous, for he too sought to rise against the Erdtree. And yet, he did not sacrifice himself in search of strength. He was pure. Whole. Hearty even, his resolve untainted by power.
"Damn theeeee! You were everything I wanted to be!"
This was the champion Ranni had chosen. This was his executioner. Fangs closed around his head, biting down. Pain engulfed him. Here in his final moments, Rykard felt something.
His head was torn free from the Serpent's hide and spat out, left to rot upon the chamber floor lke so much refuse. And with it, came an emotion he'd not experienced in an age. Fear. This...death! This was death! If this continued this fox would destroy him utterly. He would go to his grave as surely as the others. And Tanith would be alone...wait. Who was Tanith? Who was Rya..?
Tanith! A fair dancer from a foreign land, the love of his life
Rya...? His only daughter. His child.
Rotten eyes bulged.
"RYA!"
Memories rushed back. Rykard roared, raging with the last of his strength, thrashing in a frenzy.
Deep within the belly of the Beast, his Great Rune sparked.
"A serpent...never...dies...!"
(.0.0.0.)
Rykard's remains trembled.
A hand burst out of the serpent's shattered skull. Slender fingers clawed out the wound, a grey and granite hand grasped at the cavern air. A body dragged itself out after it...no, a man. Clad in damp armor of festering red and dull black, so too did he reach back, running his hands through the the tangled mane of his hair. Golden orbs snapped open.
In human form at last, Rykard seethed down at the man who had pushed him to the brink.
"Do you have...any idea...what you've done?" Eyes of cold, molten gold blazed down at him from atop the serpent's carcass. "All my work." All my struggles. All for naught. I cast myself away! I did not wish to return to this form! It will take eons to reclaim my strength!" Memories. Emotions. Guilt. All that he'd shunted aside for the sake of this blasphemous path, it weighed him down now, shackling him. "And for what, thy fool of a-
Clenched knuckles barreled into the side of his face, turning his words to a sibilant snarl.
Time unfolded slowly after that. Rykard's head snapped to the side, cheek cratering, face dented inward. Reality snapped back and he dropped like a sack of potatoes, landing hard on his rear. A fist caught him by the collar and reeled him into another bruising roundhouse. Teeth and spittle whistled through the air.
My, the ground was quite hard-no, don't focus on that! Stand! Rise! He willed his body upright, glowering as blood fountained forth from his nose.
And that gilded, golden boy glared down at him. "Get up and take your lumps, you slimy shit."
Rykard reached to his side and his once tainted sword flew into his grasp. "Never!"
The blasted interloper hefted his spear in turn and lunged to meet him.
Together, they collided.
A/N: Aaaaand scene. Will Rykard live? Will he atone? Suppose that depends on you.
Seriously, feedback determines a lot of things~!
So? What say you?
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this little tale. Sad to say, but if folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular? POOF! Gone. Completely. I'm working two jobs during the holidays so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy. So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that.
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And have some previews.
Granted, some are far off, but still...
(Previews)
Ranni was not best pleased with him.
Naruto knew it the moment he crept into her chambers. She was sitting there. Waiting. Glaring.
"Um...I'm back?"
"Lets just relax for a bit, eh? I think we've earned a rest.
Radahn gazed at the moon.
Soon. He felt it in his rotting bones.
Surely he would be released from this pain soon...?
Rennala squealed in delight. "I have a grandchild!"
...where did Seluvis go?"
"His absence does not concern me."
"Really? Because it concerns me! A great deal!"
...couldst thou truly craft me a body?"
She was tempted. Oh, was she tempted.
Her suggestion was worth it, if only for the look Naruto wore. Ha! Shoe was on the other foot now!
R&R~!