DSM 9

"You can fight for your life, or lay down and die. Achieve greatness of become nothing but a faint memory. I choose to live."

Start

Menma idly fiddled with his new arm, his sense of touch wasn't affected at all, as he could still feel the dirt on the ground as easily as he could with his right hand, Quelana had immediately begun to show him a few of the basic Pyromancies, such as Fire Orb and Combustion the latter being a more powerful version of Fireball, Quelana felt that the tiny spell would be too easy for him to get so didn't want to waste time on something trivial. And Combustion was a decent starter for the other spells like it; basically Combustion was a quick and powerful blast of fire that worked best at short range as its effectiveness quickly died away the further it travelled.

Menma was quite enraptured by the feeling that came with using Pyromancy, like a safe warmth was wrapping around his body, like nothing could go wrong. It was comforting to say the least, that and the sheer amount of destruction one could create with fire wasn't lost on him either.

Those two formerly mentioned spells were freebies that she thought he deserved due to the sheer amount of pain that she, indirectly, caused him with her Pyromancy Flame. Though she was rather adamant that the second he rung the second bell that he returned to learn more, as she was quite bored where she was.

Menma decided not to mention the fact that she could move at any time. Lest he garner her ire.

Three large ogre-like creatures guarded the way towards the cave entrance into the, possible, spiders den. Each of these creatures held a large boulder in their arms; Menma looked to his left arm out of the corner of his eye, "Let's see how much damage you can do with chakra…" He grinned deviously, charging forward he unsealed BKGS two of the Ogre's threw their boulders towards him, Menma leapt from the water's surface and onto one of the flying rocks before doing the same onto the other, his demonic-looking arm burst with flames, chaotic azure flames that roared with a powerful ferocity, "Katon: Gokakyu No Jutsu! I wonder if this will work?" Were the thoughts of the Uzumaki.

All the pale blue fire that had surrounded the arm congregated into a spiral before forming into an unstable orb, all in a few milliseconds, before it shot forth and exploded on the ground, incinerating the three Ogre's. Menma landed. His eyes wide and almost immediately staring at his still smoking arm. "Fuck me, that's incredible…It's made my fire ridiculously powerful." His Pyromancy flame flickered onto his palm, dancing around, its azure blue contrasting harshly against the world around it. Made him curious though, the flames of Chaos were a rich orange, if the flecks in Quelana's Pyromancy Flame were anything to go by.

"Probably because orange flames are typically the coldest, whilst white is the hottest. Your new flame is a middle ground of the two." Suggested Kurama, boredly.

"Your point is valid and accepted." Said Menma, dismissing the flame. "So, been nappin' this whole time?"

"No. I've just got better things to do than comment on every little thing you do." Replied the Fox.

"Such as? All you do is sit in my mindscape." Questioned the Uzumaki, eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

"Such as breathing." Ouch.

"Harsh." Was the only response Menma gave to the apathetic fox. The connection died away as Menma sighed, running his hand over his hair, "Lovely to see he's still in a good mood as always, honestly I think Naruto got lucky with the angry version, though that could be construed as more of a Tsundere with the amount that my brother talks about how well their getting along. Ugh, foxes." Sighing once more Menma made his way up into the cave mouth and inside.

The walls were a lot similar to the outside, though the webbing was much darker due to the amount of dirt and mud all over it from said walls. Then he saw two things that will forever be burnt into his mind, horrible things.

Egg-Bearers.

Menma's eyes widened to epic proportions as he took a step back in horror, "Sweet Sage, that's…" His greatest nightmare, the thought of some creature laying eggs in his skin was literally the worst thing he could think of, and now he saw it, right over there, about 5 feet away, some horrible crippled little hollow with eggs consuming almost all of its body, they were all horrible veiny and malformed.

Menma almost threw up, "Oh fuck, oh fuck that's fucked up man." He said, covering his mouth with his glowing fingers, taking a few deep breathes he shakily stood his nerves already frayed from the event not long ago now he has to deal with this shit.

"Ok…" Breathing out he closed his eyes and nodded, opening them once more he rose his arm, it was enshrouded in azure flames, "Katon: Karyu Endan!" The flames once more spiralled into a singular form, before bursting forth in a great wave of flaming destruction, the front forming as a dragons head that roared loudly, the whole tunnel was filled with fire in front of Menma, his eyes dark and sharp.

"Sealless Jutsu. Yes please." Muttered the Uzumaki, "Though that is quite a bit less powerful it's much more convenient. Ugh, after I ring this fucking bell I'm finding a river and not leaving it until I've washed at least 7 times."

Quelaag's Domain.

Stepping through the fog-gate felt like a tradition now, for each new struggle was hidden behind a misty door, each time one stepped through a trial of fire would be set upon them, each time one stepped through, life and death was placed upon the table and one would have to struggle forth to attain life, lest you fail and are given death as punishment.

Menma closed his eyes each time he stepped through a gate, muttering the same phrase each time, 'I embrace death, but fight for life'. Whether he do so verbally, or in the back of his mind, each time he accepted that he could die here, whilst he fought tooth and nail, claw and fang, he didn't allow himself the option of death, he fought at the top, and overwhelmed his opponent each time.

For death would not take him, lest he was weakened and bloody from battle.

"Alright, show me what'cha got Lordran." He mumbled softly, hefting his sword up onto his shoulder and taking a quick scan of the area, it was much more open than the rest of the short cave, across the room was a crumbling spiral staircase, where it led he had no idea.

Then he heard a noise, like something clicking against stone, and something emerged from behind the ruined stone, a hideous spider, each of its legs slightly malformed and coated with spikes, the tips an angry red colour, its eyes misaligned like a small child drew them on, its fangs crooked and bent, the back of the creature wafted a powerful heatwave, short hairs standing up and waving as an invisible flame rippled the air around them.

But atop the creatures head…

Was a woman. This caused him a short bout of confusion, she had creamy pale skin, unblemished and unmarred, dark hair that hung down her shoulders, and covered her exposed breasts, her dark red eyes were slightly glazed, as though she was bored, she looked him up and down and a smirk drew across her face, she played idly with one of the strands of her hair, her nails showing to be a bit longer than the norm.

Clutched in her hand was a greatsword that was on fire. It was pitch black and about as long as he was tall, that was about all he could discern as the flames made it hard to see smaller details.

"So…I'm gonna assume since you're carrying a weapon, that you're going to try and kick my ass. But before we get all blood and gore, are you sane? Because that'd be pretty awesome." If she had sentience it'd be pretty messed up of him to just go straight up try and kill her without at least trying to talk with her.

"Sane is a very flexible term, my dear. For what thou thinks is sane I may think vastly different." She quipped, her voice was gentle but at the same time strong, hardened shall we say.

"Well you're talking to me, and didn't attack me the second I got here. So I'd say you're already in my good books." He said with a smile and a shrug.

"Thou must have quite low standards." She observed, once more garnering no more than a shrug from him. "Why hast thou cometh to my domain?" She asked silkily.

"To ring the second bell of awakening, it's either in here or in that big-ass tree on the other side of the swamp; I decided to try here first. I have no qualms with you, so if you can just tell me where it is I'll be on my way." Said Menma, trying to play the diplomat.

"And if I do not wish to inform thee of such? What will thou do then?" She asked, almost tauntingly, Menma's ear twitched a little as he gave her a short stare, "If thou seekest the bell, thou must be strong, or at least thou would be under the illusion that thou art strong. So I propose thus, defeat me and I shall take thee to the bell, loose and I shall devour thee." She said simply, placing her hand atop the spiders head, stroking it like one would a pet.

"It's always fighting isn't it?" Asked the Uzumaki rhetorically, sighing he once more dragged his hand over his head and nodded, "Fair enough, I guess." Quelaag's eyes followed his strange arm with great interest. "Oh this? Yeah I guess that's what happens when you combine my special 'magic' with Chaos Pyromancy."

Quelaag's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Did thou seeketh the Chaos thine self?"

"Not really no. My teacher just had some residual Chaos Flame in her Pyromancy flame; I guess it just took only that small amount to change my arm." Menma offered only another shrug with his answer, though it seemed to quell that growing darkness in her eyes.

"Very well. Prepare thine self, for combat." Said the woman as she readied her blade, Menma did the same, but had to remind himself this was not a fight to the death, or at least, not for him. Quelaag may very well be trying to kill him.

Quelaag made the first move, leaping forth, crossing almost the entire room with a single leap, Menma darted forward passing under the spider woman, quickly spinning on his heel and blocking a strike from her blade, Quelaag looked quite surprised at his foresight before smiling deviously as she and her spider body began attacking in tandem, lunging forward with intent to rend his flesh with crooked fangs or stab him with her flaming blade.

Menma kept redirecting her strikes as best he could, before he found himself an opening Quelaag reeled back for a stab, he waited for the last second before smirking, "Shunshin no Jutsu!" Quelaag's eyes widened as the Uzumaki vanished into a burst of flames, only to feel a boot collide with her thorax, a powerful force was behind that kick, she was sent sprawling into the wall.

"A rule of combat, never let your opponent out of your sight. Though I suppose the people of this realm will no doubt have trouble with keeping up to my speed." Menma grinned wolfishly, flexing his demonic fingers into a fist, before releasing all the pent up energy, flame roared across his arm, "You seem pretty resistant to fire, and I hope you are." The fire formed into and orb, spiralling and spinning to keep its round shape, Menma took a few steps forward before throwing the Fire Orb.

Quelaag's response was to spit lava at him.

Menma's eyes widened as he leapt back to avoid the deathly orange mass only for his foe to cross the lava and smack him down brutally with the flat side of her flaming blade, Menma howled in agony as the fire bit into his skin, "Thou must try better than simple fire, dear adventurer." She mocked before her spider leg swiped at him, making him roll dangerously close to the lava.

Menma rose and growled lowly, "And here I thought I was getting stronger." He murmured, rolling his shoulder he narrowed his eyes, "Guess I shouldn't go easy on you, just because I don't want to kill you." Once more his arm glowed, as did his eyes, though this time not with the burning flames he was slowly growing accustomed to, no this time they crackled with electricity the very thing that kept him alive so many times.

Lightning danced across his armoured arm, the powerful blue it exuded shining brilliantly, Menma's dark red eyes matched the colour, shining blue that held an ominous glow to them. The current from it right arm danced across his blade; "Don't blink or you'll die." Intoned the Uzumaki ominously, Quelaag's eyes were wide as he seemingly vanished, static electricity fizzling against the ground.

She readied her blade only feel all the wind in her lungs be stolen harshly, an electrified fist colliding with her abdomen, a knee with her wrist fracturing it and forcing her to drop her blade, then another powerful force, possibly a kick, with her spiders face, sending her to the ground, it's limbs falling boneless underneath her, she wondered for a moment if this is how Quelara felt.

Powerless.

The sheer dominating force the emanated from her foe was certainly overpowering, with her only means of moment nullified she flinched as a sharp, glowing blade was held level with her heart, "Do you yield?" He asked voice dull and straight to the point.

Quelaag stared up at her foe, recognising him for what he was, her better, in terms of sheer power he outclassed her greatly, after practically slaughtering all the hapless fools that had attempted to invade her Domain time and time again, whether it be to slay her, her sister Quelara or to reach the depths of Lost Izalith, she'd dispatched them easily.

Yet here comes along this young man, his chaos tainted arm and he dispatches her in only a few moments, it caused unrest in her stomach to know how much stronger he was, obviously she needed to keep herself in his 'good books'.

"And I believe I know how to accomplish such a thing." She thought, while the idea of seducing a human, no matter how tall, wasn't exactly on the top of her 'to do' list she realized when an ally needed to be made, and if she could capture his heart it made it that much easier to keep herself, and no doubt her sister, safe.

"I yield." She said, wincing as she tried to move her hand, she heard a tsk as he'd seemingly reverted to his former stance, stabbing his blade into the ground she yelped as he took her wrist into his hand, "What art thou doing!" She demanded.

"Fixing your arm, fucking hell you'd think I was ripping it in two." He grunted, though his tone lacked rancour, his hands glowed a soothing green, Quelaag had always associated green with the toxic refuse that her sister had taken into herself, but the soothing warmth that came with the green glow made her more curious than cautious.

"What is this, Miracle Magic?" She asked.

"Not a fuckin' chance." He scoffed, making her brow raise confusedly, "It's Medical Jutsu, I don't know much but I know enough to realign bones and speed up the healing process, I suppose it's good I knocked that fuckin' thing out…" He pointed to the spider under her absently, "It's ugly mug would make me lose concentration and we'd be here for a while."

Quelaag would be lying if she said she wasn't offended by that statement, and it must have shown. "Look I'm sorry…I'm just a little agitated, I usually am after a fight, that and this new arm is playing on my nerves. So excuse me if I'm a bit of an ass." Quelaag remained silent but nodded lightly.

A small pause was set between them before Menma once more spoke. "So…Come here often?" He asked, a cheesy smirk on his face.

The joke was lost on the spider-woman.

End.

Thank you to those who review, it makes me happeh.

And yes, that was a short fight, but I am replaying Dsk 1 as I write this, and with Gold Pine Resin and a Rapier, that is a very short fight, so I didn't want to drag it out any more than needed.

But yeah, Menma will be getting a wake up call to the dangers of Lordran and how much this world fuckin' hates its inhabitants pretty soon, so look forward to that.

Raxychaz!