A/N: EDIT: Not much feedback this chapter...aw, well. We tried. Here we go!
Explicit version of this chapter is now be available on A03~! Give it a look after dropping a review here, would you kindly?
Additionally, a MASSIVE update is coming tomorrow for Runt of the Litter. The update is nearly finished, and the chapter is one of the longest I've written.
Ask and you shall receive. Early update it is!
Nearly retired with the site breaking, but I'm still here and still writng...for now.
We'll see if folks enjoy it. If they do, great! Weekly update, much like Shed no Grace on Me might be getting. If not, it'll be updated later.
In other news, depression's starting to hit real hard these days. Sometimes I wonder why I do anything at all. I can't claim to understand what's going wrong with my head. I don't even know why! One moment I'm fine, then my mood craters for a few hours, then I'm back again for a bit, and the cycle repeats. Its rather annoying; as though I've become a prisoner in my own mind sometimes. Sure, what's one more mental problem on the pile. Not like I don't have enough, what with already being this old. Feels like every day is a battle sometimes.
My doctor is of no help at all and I'm off to find a psychologist. *siiiigh* Don't mind the rambling of this geezer...
With my fifteen year anniversary on this site finally here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. Not a one.
They're tributes to legends far greater than I.
"Hell no fury like a wounded wife full of strife. Oh dear, did I say wife?
Why, yes. Yes, I certainly did. Now, I say unto thee...FLEE.
Flee, and I shall hunt thee. Thy death will not be quick!"
~?
Thy Righteous Rage
Naruto was cold.
Colder than ice, and barely breathing.
Death had sank its cruel claws into him; with each passing moment he drifted further from.
Ranni didn't know what to do. She prided herself on knowing most everything -and she knew much!-but she simply didn't know what to do. There he lay, sprawled out on the cot before her, much of his chest and stomach swathed in bloody bandages. Even his bloodshot eyes had been bandaged, to better help them heal. Were it not for the faint rise and fall of the former, she would've thought him dead.
Rykard had seen his flare and brought him home posthaste, but the damage was done. He was already fighting at least three infections -one for each hole in his body- and running a dangerous fever. His body appeared to be laboring under a curse of sort, one in his very blood. Whatever it was, it had weakened his healing factor for the moment, forcing him to heal as most mortals did. Slowly.
Rage curled in her like a gnarled old root twisting inward, choking her every thought.
He was hers. As she was his. He belonged to her. And she, him.
They could not be parted.
And yet someone had tried! Someone had the audacity -the gall!- to attack when his back was turned! To do this to him. She could think of very few individuals capable of such. Her first thought was the Baleful Shadows. The Two Fingers were spiteful creatures and she could see them sending heir assassins after those she cherished.
There were other Demigods, of course, who could have done the deed. Malenia was powerful enough to catch one unawares, though none had seen her or Miquella for centuries. Morgott might, via his projections. And of course there was Mohg, but surely he wasn't so unfathomably STUPID as to rouse her wrath so soon after their meeting. Then again, she'd intended to renege upon her promised to give him the Finger Slaying Blade once she was finished with it, so anything was possible.
In the end, it didn't matter who had done. Their fates would be the same. To a one.
"I will rain down every agony upon them." her hands, all four of them, clenched into fists at her sides as she stared at her lover's still body. "Every violation imaginable. Every pain. Every torment." Her words were not just for him but for herself as well, for whomever had done this to him. "Those who hurt you will know agony glimpsed only in myth, horror seen only in nightmares." a muscle jumped in her jaw and she grit her teeth. "I shall parade their broken bodies from ever corner of the Lands Between," her voice rose higher, piquing in a furious cry, "And make their souls pray for death! THAT IS MY PROMISE TO YOU!"
She trembled and knelt before him.
"Just...please." her voice broke as she conjured a weapon to her hands. "Hold on. Live. I beg of thee." she laid the Dark Moon Greatsword at his bedside, and fiddled with the ring in her pocket, longing to slip it onto his finger, but unable to for fear that doing so might disrupt the oh so delicate lattice of mother's healing spells and kill him. "Rest and recover and I swear to thee I will give you all that I am and more...I will say the words I should have said so long ago."
Her hands curled around his, pale and cold. The lack of warm terrified her. Even so, she pressed her forehead to the back of his knuckles, exhaled softly, and kissed him on the lips.
No response. Of course not. This wasn't a fairy tale. True love's kiss was an illusion, nothing more.
She stood slowly, marshaling the tattered threads of her thoughts.
...you must abide alone awhile, my dear consort eternal." she breathed out and turned away from him, hardening her heart. "I shall find the one who did this to you, I swear."
"Don't...
Had she imagined it just now?
A wet cough had her spinning around. "Naruto?!"
He made a weak, mewling noise, wrapped eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. "Is that you, Ranni? Can't see...
She tore the bandages off his eyes; bloodshot though they were, those bleary blue orbs focused on her all the same. He granted a weak, wry smile. A trembling breath fled from her lips and she nearly embraced him, only to remember his wounds at the last. Touching his chest seemed an ill-advised idea at the moment, even for a mistress of magic such as she.
It didn't stop her from kissing him.
Her lips met his hungrily, desperately, frantic to have him. He returned her affections and her heart soared. She would've liked nothing more than to mount him in that moment...but she mustn't. With an effort, she forced herself to release him. Four hands ran frantically over his fave and he leaned into each one.
"I'm so glad you survived...
...more or less." His visage was pale. She could see the veins pulsing in his visage. "Bastard got my heart. Its healed, but I'm gonna need some time to recover...
"Oh." Her face fell, crestfallen. Rage returned in its absence. "All the more reason for me to hunt them down and flay them alive."
"Wait." he grabbed at one of her wrists, his grip was so weak that she was given paused. "Ranni, I know you're angry, but don't do anything stupid.
She rounded on him with a hiss." You speak to me of foolishness? You, who ran headlong into the enemy's trap without though or backup?!"
"Didn't know it was a trap." he coughed a bit of blood, stirring her guilt. "And besides, Godwyn made you cry. Couldn't let that slide."
Her heart performed a silly little fluttering flip in her chest. "Who did this to you. Tell me and tell me true."
His eyes met hers, knowing what she wanted. "If I do, you're gonna go after them."
"I am. Scrying their location is well within my power."
He heaved a sigh. "They'll hurt you."
She flinched, stung. "Do you really think me so weak?"
"No, I just don't want them to kill you."
She laid her hands on his. "Trust in me, as I've trusted in you."
A small part of her wondered if he would. Naruto could be just as stubborn as she, when he wanted to be. Another reason they were made for one another. She saw the ghost of indecision flit across his face, chastised by anger as much as concern. He knew she'd find out one way or another. In the end, his emotions finally won out.
"Mohg." He groaned out. "He said his name was Mohg."
Aha! The culprit was caught! She had her name, and her target.
Grim satisfaction swelled within her. "So this treacherous little worm is to blame for thy wounds. I shall repay him in kind."
"He uses a blood-boiling curse, that's how he got me. And I didn't sense him."
Ranni huffed and made to stand. "Your warning is appreciated. He shan't catch me off guard-
"No!" He grabbed at her again, his grip strengthened by desperation. "You don't understand. Sensing is my thing. Its what I do. I should have noticed him. I was exhausted, yeah, but I was alert. Either I've gotten sloppy or he's using a talisman of some sort to conceal his presence. Be be careful."
"I shall." She laid a hand on his shoulder and graced him with a long, lingering kiss. "And you shall lay here. Rest, now. Recover her strength.
Naruto tried to rise, willful as ever." Ranni-
"Don't you Ranni me!" she flicked his forehead with one hand and pushed him back down with another. "Finish that sentence and I shall be very cross with you." her heart softened at the pained expression he wore. "However...what you did for me was very kind." A fit of lust seized her and her smile grew coy. "Very brave, I dare say. For that, you deserve a reward."
"I really don't need a-
Ranni climbed atop him, straddling his hips with infinite care. From there she unlaced his trousers, simultaneously divesting herself of her robes as she did. The cool air tickled her skin but nowhere near as much as the tiny gasp Naruto gave. Good. She'd surprised him. Shocked him even, with her boldness. She couldn't help but preen a little at that. The fact that she got such a reaction out of him all spoke highly of his feelings for her. She planted herself firmly in his lap with intent and smiled down at him beneath the brim of her hat.
His breathing quickened a little, eyes flitted up to her bare bosom, lingering on her swaying breasts before traveling back to her face. "How are we going to-
She carefully planted her hands on either side of the bed, like a spider gently entrapping him in her web.
"Very slowly, and very carefully." her lips quirked in a smile. "Let me do the work."
Slowly, deliberately, she began to grind her hips against him.
Naruto did not protest after that.
(.0.0.0.)
Rennala heard a sudden gasp and paused, just shy of knocking on her dear daughter's door.
Then she heard the noises within. On a whim, she pressed her ear to the wooden frame.
Her eyes widened. What a commotion she heard! Such a dirty daughter she had.
It seemed several grandchildren would be well on the way after all.
Why, it almost made her jealous, it did. Ah, young love...
Humming softly, she turned and sashayed away.
(...Several Hours Later...)
Morgott's brother wasn't hard to find.
Ranni had known of Mohg's "palace" for quite some time now; indeed, she considered it a point of pride to know what her kin were up to any given moment. She'd ignored Mohg because he hadn't been a threat to her; his dear dynasty would be invalidated upon the moment of her ascension, when she took Marika's power and departed for the stars. There would be nothing for him to rule over then.
Hmm. Her impending departure was...something she dearly needed to address with Naruto posthaste.
And she would! Honestly! Cross her new heart and hope to die!
Once this deed was done.
Mohg was exactly where she knew he'd be; guarding his precious Miquella. It was no small feat to reach him -indeed, Blaidd nearly blunted his weapon cutting through all the enemies on their way to the top- but once she did, she tasked her shadow to guarding the entrance. He stood guard with but a nod, leaving her to venture forth on her own.
For you see, this was a battle she must face alone, if only to prove herself. Rykard and Radahn had been all too eager to join and help her avenge the attack on Naruto, but she'd talked them round. You see, they were too kind. Mother was as well. They would simply kill Mohg and consider that sufficient. A quick death as too good for him. Hence, kindness. Today, she did not want to be kind. His punishment must be more...severe. She had an inkling of what that punishment must be, but first...
"Mohg!"
He didn't try to flee.
There he stood before his egg, grinning like a loon without a care in the world.
"So the jig is up, is it?" he turned to face her with a merry grin, trident in hand. "A pity. I would've liked a bit more time to prepare." One shoulder rolled in a bony shrug, utterly unbothered by her rage, indifferent, even. "But no matter. I have what I need." fresh laughter tumbled past his fanged teeth. "You are too late, little Ranni."
A sneaking suspicions overtook her. "What hast thou done?"
"What was necessary." His lone eye gleamed with a crazed light. Y"our beloved's blood was precisely what I needed. The perfect catalyst."
"For what?
She had a sinking suspicion she already knew.
Mohg rounded on his egg with a flourish. "For my dearest Miquella's awakening, of course!"
The long attenuated arm behind him twisted with a sickening crack, shrunk now, and was summarily sucked back into the cocoon before her very eyes. An eerie red light swelled within its confines, blindingly bright. Ranni raised an arm to ward the worst of it off and muttered a quick spell under her breath. Mana gathered in her three remaining hands, hidden behind her back.
"Arise, my beloved!" Mohg raised his arms in benediction, ignorant to the danger. "Arise and together, we shall take the world!" His voice rose further in a language she didn't recognize; the words of which her head ache and darkened the very air around them, turning it hard and cold. Whatever he was making, whatever he was summoning, she wanted no part of it.
"Enough!"
Ranni flung her hands forward and three Dark Moons with them to interrupt his incantation. The first struck Mohg in the chest and sent him sprawling. The second went wide, smashing into a pillar. The third struck straight and true, smashing into Miquella's egg/cocoon head on. At once the light dimmed. A thin, plaintive wail echoed within its dark depths as the entity inside shrieked horribly. A thick film of frost crept across its veiny surface and the light dimmed, fading into ethereal fog to shroud their vision.
"No!" Mohg scrambled forward into the mist on his hands and knees, more a beast than man in that moment. "You witch! What have you done?!"
Ranni could've struck him down then while he was distracted.
She chose not to.
Instead she looked on, content to crush whatever came shambling out of that cocoon. That would break Mohg's spirits once and for all, surely. She had but to wait.
Her patience was well rewarded.
Mohg grasped at something in the fog. "Aha! There you are! Dearest Miquella, I am so pleased to see thee-
His voice cut off in baffled squawk. She soon saw why, As she looked on the fog cleared, revealing a cocoon cracked open and within...
An infant...?!
Mohg croaked in sheer disbelief. "M-Miquella...?"
A little blond boy of perhaps six months lay curled in on himself amidst a bundle of white robes, sleeping fitfully.
"This is your precious consort?" Ranni snorted in disbelief, unable to contain her mirth. "A babe not even past his first nameday? Brother, I had though you a lech, but clearly thou art more depraved than I thought."
Mohg twitched, shoulders quivering with rage. "Stop...
She couldn't help herself. She laughed a this failure. Long and loud, as she hadn't in years.
"Stop that now...
She kept laughing.
"Stop laughing at me, Ranni!"
A wave of burning blood lashed at her face.
Ranni marshaled her magic, froze it solid, and shattered it.
Mohg came barreling through the ice, swinging his trident with one hand. Amateur. All strength and no grace. She tumbled nimbly under the sweep and drove her staff into the back of his left leg, causing the limb to buckle. A wave of coldest glintstone staggered him and she took full advantage, punching a fist through his massive chest before fling him onto his back. Swordplay and strength had never been her forte; she was a sorceress through and through...but she knew she was also an Empyrean, knew she near a goddess now, and knew she was stronger than him.
For the first time, she let a cold, cruel smile pluck at her face. "How does it feel, Mohg? To be deconstructed? To be the victim?"
"This can still work! Miquella is mine and mine alone! My dynasty shall reign supre-ack?!" he gurgled wetly as her staff struck his chin, forcing his mouth shut with a harsh click.
Ranni walked past him, tutting softly. "It matters naught if you have the blessing of your so-called Formless Mother; you cannot manipulate my blood if you do not shed it."
A sorcerous spellblade flicked out, severing one of his horns. She caught in the hair and flung it like a dagger into into his knee. Mohg toppled back with a yowl.
"But I can shed yours."
Her half-brother swung at her again, all strength with no substance. Slow. She smacked his arm aside with her staff and blasted him away toward the exit. A fresh cantrip on her part sealed it, ensuring he couldn't escape to fight another day. Mohg must've sensed it; because he went wild.
"NO!" He thrashed upright, half-crazed. "This isn't over!" His trident speared the air, wounding the sky to dye the world red. "I'll make you pay!"
"By all means, try." she steeped two of her hands together. "But you'll not succeed with that paltry power of yours."
Mogh stabbed upward again.
"Tres!"
Rings of blood encircled her body. Ranni tilted her head and poked one with a finger. "Curious...
"Duo!"
A quick tap of her staff erected a blue bubble around her body.
"UNUS."
Mohg's final incant rang with finality.
He thrust his trident upward with renewed intensity.
"Nihil!" he cried!
The rings of blood bit into her spellshield, cracking it, but doing her no arm.
"Nihil!"
Another fracture etched itself into her barrier. She grit her teeth.
""NIHIL!"
On the third and final cry, her barrier shattered, taking the bloody rings with it.
Black feathery wings burst from Mohg's back, bathing her in their towering shadows.
"Do you see now?!" he lurched into the sky with a maddened cackle. "Behold the power of the Formless Mother-ack?!
A searing blast of blue light sheared a hole through Mohg's right wing, scattering bloody feathers. Bereft of balance he was sent tumbling to the floor. He tried to land. Tried, being the operative word. All he managed was a graceless crash that sent him spiraling into the ground, tearing through several tombstones. Ranni tutted and gestured toward one of the stone pillars. A flick of her wrist brought it down on his back, mangling the other wing and drawing a fresh cry of pain from him.
"All I see, is a fool who is going to suffer."
Deprived of his aerial advantage though he was, her wretched half-brother still fought on. She met him in kind, brandishing her staff like a blade. His trident swept in and she smacked it away as one might a harmless stick. The very act broke his poise and staggered him. Her fist slammed through his chest, tearing another hole in his torso before hurling him backwards once more.
Still he wouldn't fall and climbed to his feet anew.
Hmm. It seemed physical blows alone wouldn't suffice after all.
She'd seen Naruto use those "jutsu" of his before. Perhaps it was time she tried something similar.
After all, anything he did, she could do, surely.
Banishing her staff, she raised all four of her hands. In each palm, she conjured a dark moon, a terrible sphere of purest ice. They grew larger, larger, largest as she fed them with her limitless power. Mohg realized what she intended and tried to backpedal, then shielded himself with his mangled wings when it became clear he wouldn't escape.
She let them fly, bombarding him with one frozen moon after the other.
His wings never stood a chance. She blasted them clean off, leaving little more than wretched stumps sprouting from his shoulders.
"You are strong, 'tis true." her voice rose over his groans as he struggled to free himself from her ice. "But you made one fatal mistake." She started forward then, parried a desperate lunge of his trident before it could even think to reach her, then ran him through once more for good measure. "You tried to take away what was MINE." the words escaped her in an icy hiss as she leered up at him. "My chosen. My dear consort eternal. "You may be a demigod, but I, you wretched little shit...am an EMPYREAN."
Her lips brushed his ear.
"And you, Mohg, are nothing."
He screamed and lashed another blood curse lashed out at her.
"Childish!" She slapped his spell aside and kicked out his wounded leg, sending him sprawling. "You may be older than me, but you are stagnant." she caught his trident, snapped it in half, then thrust it into his stomach before kicking him down onto his back again. She stalked after him slowly, savoring the moment as he actually tried to crawl away. "I am a mistress of magic and you, an impudent oaf playing with blood. I have conjured curses you cannot fathom, spells that will sizzle your very soul. I've never had the chance to use them in combat before, truth betold, I didn't want do. He may think less of me for using these. But I promised to return to him. And besides...
The corner of her mouth curled up just so.
"You're weak."
Mohg ripped his broken trident from his torso and rushed her in a berserk rage, hands flailing for her throat.
Ranni took a deep breath. And then:
Her voice rang with power.
"Prostrate yourself."
Mohg crashed down just short of her with an agonized gasp. Interesting. Gravity magic worked well with the power of compulsions. Perhaps...
"Be blinded."
His good eye clouded over and he flailed at her madly, unable to see. Ranni circled him, considering, and unleashed another of her blackest arts.
"Pain!"
Mohg crumpled to his knees, quivering in agony.
Not enough! "One hundred knives cut your wretched flesh!"
Wounds burst across his body, weakening him yet further with blood loss.
She intoned incantations one after another, each more terrible than the last, inflicting horrors upon him that would never see the light of day. By the end of it, he was a groaning, lacerated mess on the floor. And when that grew boring, she restored his vision, reached down and cupped his chin.
"Do you understand now, Mohg? This is the woman I was before we met, the wicked witch who orchestrated the Night of Black Knives." her fingers dug into his chin, drawing a fresh cry from him. "Someone who would do whatever they deemed necessary to achieve their goals, no matter the cost. I swore long ago that I would never to become this person again, never let her out to play, as it were. But for you, I'm willing to break that vow. Your death will not be slow." He raised a hand to ward her off.
"Please...mercy...
She leaned back, considering him with one eye. "There is no mercy." An awful thought occurred to her, then. "Your Formless Mother likes wounds, does she? Well!" She took a deep breath, flooding her lungs with cold air; it centered her, much like the icy rage that currently consumed her. "Does she happen to know what temperature blood freezes at?"
Mohg whimpered. "No?"
Ranni's smile gained an edge. "Lets find out.
His right arm shattered into bloody glass. He reeled back, clutching at it. "Why?!"
"Because you see, I am cold, Mohg." she tapped her staff and the air grew colder still. "My heart has only ever truly warmed for one another outside my family. And you hurt him. She cupped his cheek. Do you know what I promised my beloved, Mohg?"
"..!" He tried to speak. She pinched his mouth shut.
"I will rain down every agony upon you." she gripped horned head face with all four of her hands, slowly crushing his skull within them. "Every violation imaginable. Every pain. Every torment." she watched his good eye grow wide with horror. "You will know agony glimpsed only in myth, horror seen only in nightmares. I will parade your broken body from ever corner of the Lands Between, and make your soul pray for death! That is my promise to you...and it begins now."
Mohg did not die well.
In truth it took the Lord of Blood the better part of a day to expire; a testament to his heritage and vitality, but expire he did. When the deed was finally done and her vengeance satisfied, she cast the ruined remains of his corpse aside and snatched up his Great Rune. With him dead, the curse assailing Naruto should abate. This, she would keep as a trophy, with his head besides.
A faint noise behind her claimed her attention.
Ah, yes. She'd nearly forgotten. One last loose end to tie up before she returned.
Padding across the bloody mausoleum, Ranni paused before Miquella's infantile form. The boy was awake now, looking about himself owlishly. Her wrath did not include him; he was as much a victim of Mohg's machination as Naruto was. And besides, his curse had regressed him to a mere babe. How could you be angry at a baby? They didn't know any better.
She felt no anger toward him, only confusion.
"Now what do do with thee...?
The babe sniffed softly.
Ranni balked, eye widening in sudden concern. She was covered in blood and still wearing her hat; she must look a sight. "No, no, no. Please don't!"
Miquella must still have his mind, surely. SURELY he would not-
He absolutely would.
Little Miquella's face crumpled and he threw his head back in a piercing wail.
Maternal instinct took flight in her heart. She'd dealt with this before.
With a long suffering sigh, she scooped the babe up into her arms.
Humming softly, she began to rock him to and fro.
"Hush little baby, don't say a word...
A/N: Aaaand Scene. Rage, thy name is Ranni.
Additionally, Baby Miquella has now been acquired~!
I believe its stated somewhere in canon that Ranni was VICIOUS in her original body. Really wanted to emphasize.
Well? What say you? Should this remain a story? Moreover, do you want weekly updates? Ya or nay! By all means, lemme know!
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? Well, I'll love the drive to continue it! 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?
NO PREVIEWS THIS TIME.
...alright, don't make that face. You get one. Just one!
God of War references are obvious and intentional. Best brace yourselves, its RAW.
(Preview)
Is that a child?!"
Rennala swept past her.
"Oh, what a darling little boy!"
A silent shadow fell over him.
A pair of arms rose high.
A blade descended.
"Heed my words. I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella. And I have never known defeat.
Naruto smiled. It was not a nice smile. "You're about to. I brought friends."
The doorway shimmered behind him. "Hello...sister."
"Usurper! Smoldering with thy meager flame of ambition! You shall not pass!"
Footsteps resounded behind him.
...I already have. I'll just be taking a look at the tree now...
Morgott rounded on them. How had he gotten past?!
In a frantic fit, he lunged at him!
"I want a daughter."
Naruto's throat closed. "Excuse me?!"
EDIT: Hey, you made it!
Hope this chapter brightened your day!
Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back~! Have a great day~!
R&R~!