A/N:...I'm back.

Sorry for vanishing.

Not in the best headspace at the moment.

For those who don't know, there's a reason; I recently lost a family member in an auto accident. Some young punk hit one of my uncles while driving...and the impact killed him. The news has since driven me down to a deep, dark place I haven't been in twenty years.

What am I to do with all this pain? With this rage? He didn't deserve to go like that! And now I'm told his killer might walk free despite the crime...that just makes me want to lock myself in my house, curl up into a ball, and never come out.

...just what the hell is wrong with this world?

I'm truly beginning to hate this year, no that's not quite right I f***ing DESPISE it. 2023 has taken so many loved ones from me already, with no end in sight. So much pain. So much death. Now, my uncle has joined them. When will it end? When will it stop? Will it ever? Why does this keep happening? What's the point?

Trying to shake it off and bury myself in work. Hopefully it helps...here we go!

Yet another early update as promised! Amazing what a bit of feedback can do. Really spurs me to write faster.

If this chapter gets a ton of feedback as well-hopefully!-then I'll do my best to ensure a weekly update again. If not...I don't know. I really don't.

I nearly retired with all this nonsense going on with the site, but I'm still writing...for now. We'll see.

In other news depression's starting to hit real hard these days. I've been writing here for fifteen years and yet 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. Can't find a proper therapist to save my life.

Trying to find a decent an AFFORDABLE one is absolute hell, and its driving me bonkers. *siiiigh* Don't mind the rambling of this geezer...

No questions this time. Someone complained. Ah, well. I think I've kept you waiting long enough already, dear reader.

As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes, or memes. Not a wit or a one!

They're tributes to legends far greater than little old me.

Here we go.

"You're early, my knight."

~?

You Cannot Pass

"Will he live?"

Naruto looked past Greyroll and gave the battered, beaten, broken body of Morgott a brief once over. The last of his wounds had been closed, his concussion mended, horns reattached, all. By rights he should've woken up by now. He nudged his fallen foe -gently!- with a booted foot for good measure. The Lord of Leyndell groaned in response, but otherwise remained where he lay. Another soft nudge didn't even accomplish that; the Omen King wheezed out a weak breath, and refused to open his eyes. He was still clinging to life, if only just.

"...hard to say." He shrugged. "I've done all I can for him. Its in his hands now."

Make no mistake, Morgott still drew breath, but his life lay in limbo. He'd held a great many runes -thousands!- upon his defeat and now they all belonged to him. Even now his body trembled with the energy of them all, untapped power ready to be turned into strength at Melina's hand. It was a dangerous heady feeling, one he could addicted to if he wasn't careful.

But whereas he'd grown strong, the once mighty Omen Lord looked old and frail at his feet. Smaller now, no longer the towering titan he'd once been, his strength spent, body a shriveled shell of its former glory. He could heal his wounds, and already had, kind soul that he was, but it fell to Morgott to decide whether or not he would wake. He had yielded and accepted defeat, yes, but that had been under duress. With his spirit broken and his great rune stolen, he had ignored any and all attempts to awaken him. He might not even want to.

Still, this victory was theirs, however bittersweet it might be.

With an awful crack of light, he slapped Morgott's Great Rune down onto his body.

Kurama garbled a growl in his head as the world swam for a moment. "I'll never get used to that feeling...

There was the briefest flicker of pain as he claimed his prize, and then it was gone, leaving his latest trophy shining on the back of his free hand; a gentle glowing gold, standing in stark contrast to Mohg's blood red rune, calm and peaceful, while the other swirled with blood and madness.

Mohg. Just who had he been? He'd never met the demigod himself, but apparently the Bloody Lady had bested him and taken his rune before giving it to him. By all accounts, she'd made him sound like a horrible person. A monster who cared only for his dynasty. And yet he had been Morgott's brother. He'd meant something to him, enough to send Omen King into a frenzy the moment he'd seen his Rune. That implied at least some form of brotherly love on his part, however one-sided it might've been.

That...proved a sobering thought.

In the Lands Between, the world wasn't always black or white, but shades of gray. He didn't know what to do with gray. A tiny twinge of pity tweaked his heart as he reluctantly looked away from his new Great Rune and back to Morgott's barely-breathing-body. It was must be a terrible thing, to be alone in this world. Without love, without family, without anything to call your own...he'd lived a life like that once. It wasn't a fate he'd wish upon his worst enemy.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish." Lansseax spat at Morgott's feet. "May he never darken our door again!"

"Stop that." He stilled her with a glower bordering on a glare. "He fought well; don't dishonor him."

He expected some semblance of resistance; instead she folded like a house of cards.

Stranger still, she nuzzled his neck!

"As you say, my mate...

Greyroll grinned and made a noise reminiscent of a cracked whip. Naruto commiserated with her. Jeez, dragons really were submissive once you beat them down, weren't they? He was beginning to think Greyroll was the outlier there, but then again she wasn't technically an ancient dragon now, was she?

His foot caught something as he stepped away, causing him to look down.

Huh. Morgott's sword.

Yoink.

He hefted it, considering the shimmering blade and its worn, weathered handle. It shrunk to fit his grasp, much like other weapons he'd claimed. Curious. For all its lack of ornamentation it was still a fine blade. Light and slender all things considered, more suited to slashing than smashing, unlike Radahn's swords, but still tool worthy of preserving. Humming to himself, he stowed it across his back. Another fine weapon for his collection-erm, arsenal. Definitely meant arsenal. He certainly wasn't collecting boss weapons like a certain four-armed mechanical swordsman who shall not be named. No sirree, not he!

A faint shimmer of blue light shivered behind him, interrupting his short-lived weapon.

"Well done." Melina's soft praise both distracted warmed his soul like no other. "You defeated him handily."

He couldn't help but preen a little that. It was the little things, ya know?

A thought occurred to him, then. "I thought you wandered off."

And she had, shortly after they'd reached the capital. Something about finding her own way for a bit, whatever that meant. Maybe she'd found what she was looking for and returned. Perhaps not. Didn't matter now, he supposed. She looked perfectly pleased with herself, which meant things hadn't changed.

"I found what I sought."

A blond brow rose. ...are you going to tell me what that was?"

Her smile was just a shade shy of sad as she turned away. "In due time."

Going to be stubborn, was she? Fine. He looked back to the brittle bark of the Erdtree, considering it intently.

"Tarnised...thou art but a fool. The Erdtree wards off all who dare approach." Morgott's words came back to haunt him in a raspy laugh. "Thy deeds shall be met with failure, just as I. We are, all of us, forsaken."

A muscle jumped in his jaw. "We'll just see about that."

"By all means," Greyroll licked her lips. "Enter the Erdtree and tear it apart. Lansseax and I shall await your triumphant return."

"We will?" The other dragon balked at her. "But I wanted to see inside...

"I said we shall wait."

"Tch." She bit her lip and looked away with a scowl." As you wish. But do not listen to anything the tree says!

Melina looked like she wanted to say something to that effect, but didn't. More secrets? A truth she had only just realized? Or perhaps something altogether...worse? Who could say? There would be time aplenty to ponder that later. For now he had a job to do, a quest to finish, a world to save.

Two great runes remained by Rennala's reckoning, but did he really need them? The Erdtree was right there...

Melina grabbed at his arm. "There is something I must tell you. The Erdtree-

-will be dealt with in a second." he muttered.

He shrugged her off and stomped up the steps leading to the tree taking them two at a time in his haste to reach it. Huh. More than he thought. The world grew darker as the tree enveloped him fully, swallowing even the sunlight itself. Yet still he pressed on, as the brittle bark loomed high overhead. The Great Runes in his body sensed the presence of the Elden Ring and shone in brilliant harmony and the rune ring on his finger pulsed. He glanced at them and kept walking, heart in his throat relentless in his advance until at last, he saw it.

Perhaps that wasn't quite right.

No, not it, them.

Thorns.

A bristling wall of them had grown out the Erdtree, barring his path to the fog beyond. They seemed to thicken in his presence, firming up with an energy that hadn't been there before. He paused before them, gave them a brief inspection, thumbed his chin and nodded once. Alright. Obstacle in his path. He could think of an easy way to deal with this-

"ORAH!"

His fist swung back and slammed into the prickly barrier.

The Erdtree shook from top to bottom...but held.

Yet the fact that it shook at all was a victory.

"Again."

He whirled, wondering where the voice had come from. It sounded so familiar...and yet no one was there. Not a soul. He was alone. And yet he was certain he'd heard something-no, someone. So who...?

"Please."

Meh, screw it.

"Gonna be difficult, eh?"

He pushed a bit of chakra to his fist and wound up for another punch. Brambles groaned under his fist.

"Harder!" the voice came on a second time, stronger now. He drew strength from it.

Brambles burst beneath his fist, shattering like so much stone.

"Break already!"

A third and final blow rang the Erdtree, ringing it like a gong. The sound rattled his teeth, rumbled in his ears, reverberated through his very soul.

The thorns lashed out, grabbing a hold of his wrist.

And then he heard it clearly.

"At last, you have found me." A woman's voice caressed his ears, little more than a threadbare gasp. "I bid you welcome, my knight...though the hour is early. You are still missing three great runes." Three? Not two? Who was he missing? "Why have you come?"

He paused, on the verge of slugging the tree again. "Knight...?"

"Yes." he heard a faint note of whimsy in the woman's words. "You are mine. Have you forgotten?"

His hand ached like he'd thrust it into a fire. He looked down and found his rune-ring glowing, almost blindingly bright.

"You do not remember your mission." It was not a question, despite the laconic phrasing behind it. "Your promise to me. How you came to be here, in the Lands Between."

...I don't." he floundered, failing for an answer and finding none. Even now, he didn't remember how he'd come to the Lands Between. Neither did Kurama. He'd assumed there had been a seal of some sort involved, or a jutsu gone wrong; in truth he hadn't thought much of it. He'd just...woken up here, ya know? He had put it out of his mind at the time, thinking little of it. After all, this wasn't the first time he'd awakened to find himself somewhere new.

"Unfortunate." he heard the faint click of a tongue. "Then again, crossing the barrier between worlds is no meager feat. Memory loss seems a small side effect by comparison. You could've been turned inside out and then where would we be? I suppose we should both count our blessings."

"Lady, what the actual hell?!" he flung up an arm, only for the brambles to hold tighter. "You're not making any sense!"

"You are confused. Understandable. If you cannot remember, then I shall fill in the gaps." a barrage of sights and sounds flooded his mind, bringing with them vaguely familiar images. "Allow me to explain."

A fresh rush of memories hit him. The village gates. A blond woman garbed in black, striding through them.

"I reached out to your...what is you call them in your land? Fire Shadow? Is that the word? Your leader. I spoke to them via proxy. A request was made. Payment was given, services rendered in exchange. You accepted the mission and insisted upon doing so alone. I asked for a savior. A champion. A hero. You agreed without a second thought, although you do not remember. I was assured that you were quite strong. Strong enough to leave your village behind and take ship, venture to a distant land, fall between worlds and survive."

...who are you?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Broken, bitter laughter filled his mind. "My mind has been fractured by captivity. I have so many names I no longer remember them all, as many titles as there are stars in the sky. I am a mother, a failure, a goddess. But you may know me as...Marika."

A shiver shot down his spine.

"I have been trapped here for centuries." the captive woman rambled on. "Eons. Millennia, perhaps more. Time no longer has any meaning for me. You cannot comprehend how happy I am to see you again." She sounded strangely sad now, as she came to the end of her tale. "I carved off a piece of myself; a fragment as it were, one whose sole purpose was to bring you here, across the fog to the Lands Between. She succeeded beyond my wildest dreams and became the ring you now wear, tethering you to this realm, though the effort cost her life. And so I made another. A simpler soul. My last daughter. You know her as Melina."

He stilled. "I do know her.

"Indeed you do. Your bond runs deeper than I had hoped." A wry note of amusement entered her voice. "She has brought you here, to me, to this moment, to do what no other can not, though she has yet to burn herself. But you...you must...

He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

She wanted to be saved, right?

Really, he thought so.

He was wrong.

...kill me."

"Eh...?" he recoiled in disbelief, tugging the thorns back with him. "You wanna run that by me again?"

"Slay me, end me, snuff out my life like a blow candle." her weathered voice rose in exasperation. "How obvious must I make this? I wish to die."

Naruto gnashed his teeth. "I heard that, but I'm wonderin' why! You can't just expect me to walk up and kill you out of the blue without a damn good reason!"

"Listen, you stubborn shinobi!" she snapped at him with a sudden bout of vitriol, cutting his diatribe painfully short. "Here is your reason. With my death, the Greater Will and its wretched Elden Beast shall no longer have a stranglehold on this world. It has retreated for now, but it will soon return, and when it does, the Lands Between must have a strong ruler to face it. For that to happen, I must perish. Only you can gather the Great Runes and end my wretched existence. Only you could thrive in a broken land such as this. Only you would refuse to give up and likewise, only you can take my place.

A muscle jumped in his jaw. "You're right about one thing."

"And what is that?" she sounded so hopeful for her own death. It hurt.

"I don't give up." he spat the words at her. "Not ever. I'm not killing you."

"Then thou art a fool!"

He laughed. "Morgott called me the same, but here I am."

"What do you intend, then, hmm?" a waspish note entered the queen's disembodied voice. "To save me? I cannot be saved. There is no redemption for one such as me. My schemes have seen the Lands Between brought low and my family shattered. All the while the Outer Gods squabble amongst themselves. This is my fault. I deserve nothing less than death."

"Who decided that?!"

He slugged the wall again. His Great Runes blazed in defiance. The thorns buckled with a ponderous cry.

Another voice came on, and this didn't one didn't belong to Marika. "Stop! It hurts!"

Kurama swore softly in his head. "Oh, bugger. Forgot about her."

Her? He winced. Right, he was hurting the Erdtree, wasn't he?

But what choice did he have? The thought shamed him.

"Sorry," He muttered. "I'll be quick."

A flick of the wrist and a touch of Kurama's chakra sharpened his fingernails to claws. He raked them across the thorns. They peeled back under his attack, only to regrow in an instant. They grabbed at him, constricting his arms and legs, yet still he fought his way through, bit by bit, step by step...

"Enough." A man's low baritone filled his mind. "You cannot pass."

Marika sighed. "Radagon, be reasonable. He's going to get in, one way or another. Just let him end me."

The man's voice scoffed. "I would sooner let this body of mine rot than let one such as he enter the Erdtree. He cannot pass."

"Thy mind was always rotten, foolish leal hound!"

"Enough!" Naruto felt the weight of the second voice settled upon his shoulders, pushing down like a physical force. "You. Shall not. Pass."

His eyes snapped red and his body blazed gold as he drew upon Kurama's chakra.

"BITE ME!" A frustrated snarl tore out of him, his temper breaking at last. "I DO WHAT I WANT!"

He tried to push through and for a single glorious instant, succeeded, breaking through to the golden fog beyond.

It felt...strange...as though part of it wanted to welcome him, while two other forces strove to push him out. Must be this "Radagon" and the Greater Will.

Even bound and encumbered and weary as he was, fighting on three fronts, he managed to overpower them.

The Erdtree wasn't happy about that, he could feel its terror, a nameless dread he didn't understand.

For a moment, the fog cleared and he beheld a woman in the distance, a broken blond hanging in the air against the gilded glowing bark; arms nailed to a cross made of runes. A crimson spear lay thrust through her torso, seemingly for no other reason that sheer spite. It took him a moment to behold her and in that instant Marika shifted to regard him. Belatedly, he realized she was missing an eye. Someone had caved her skull in, fracturing her very body and oh, jeez, he could see her-

"No!" Her head snapped up suddenly as she spoke; the word was a rasp, filled with so much fear that hadn't been there prior. "You're too late; its here! You aren't ready! Flee! Don't let it see you!"

He took a step forward, still grappling with the thorny web. Another. Yet a third now.

"You dare trespass here?!" An eldritch howl assaulted his ears. "BEGONE!"

Reality reasserted itself in a rush and he found himself ripped backwards; not by the thorns but by sheer force of will; whatever it was -the Greater Will?- proved powerful enough to overwhelm him for an instant. Battling with the briar of barbs as he was, it was enough. His concentration broke, shattered like so much glass, then he was gone, rocketing out the tree to hit the ground back-first. Momentum was most kind. He tumbled down the stairwell, head striking every step on the way down before finally skidding to a halt.

He closed his eyes and slammed a frustrated fist into the floor, cracking it.

So close! He'd been so close! Maybe he really did need those other three Great Runes...

Melina was waiting for him at the shard of Grace, when he opened his eyes, gazing down at his sprawled form. "I take it things did not go well."

"Nope." he massaged the back of his skull with a rueful sigh, grimacing furiously. "They did not."

Her smiled thinned. "Allow me a moment to converse with you, then."

...sure, why not. You got any plans?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

He sat up beside the shard of grace and she mirrored him gracefully before daring to continue. "You were unable to enter the Erdtree, no? Prevented by the mantle of barbs. The thorns are impenetrable, even for you, a husk of the Erdtre's being, that spurns all that exists without."

Suspicion reared its ugly head in his heart. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"I suspected." she countered all too smoothly, and he realized she'd been preparing this argument for quite some time, "But I wasn't certain. Now I am. Now the only way to stand before the Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord...is to pass the thorns. My purpose serves to aid in that very act." when he didn't shout her down, she dared to barrel on. "So I'd like you to undertake a new journey, alone, with me. To the flame of ruin, far above the clouds, upon the snowy mountaintop of the giants. There, I can set the Erdtree aflame. And guide you down the path to becoming Elden Lord.

She reached out and pressed a medallion into his hands.

"Here, my Lord. You will need this for your journey.'

Naruto tucked the medallion away in his pouch...

.

..

...and shook his head. "No."

Disbelief flashed across her face. "No?"

"It means no." he stood and paced toward Lansseax and Greyroll. "I'll find another way."

"It is the only way!" The kindling maiden gathered up her skirts and raced after him. "How can you not understand this?"

"We'll just see about that." He turned back to the tree with a glower. "I'm not above blasting this thing with a Bijudama if I have to...

"You won't succeed."

...but that's not my plan." he shook his head. "The Erdtree wants to live, even if Marika doesn't. I'm doing this my way."

"Marika?!" She recoiled, a little shocked. "You spoke with her?!"

"I did." he gave her a disappointed look. "Your mother," oh, and how she flinched when he said that, "Wanted you to die, too. Even more reason for me to say no."

"Naruto!"

"Melina!" He snarled and rounded on her, headbutting her forehead with such force that she yelped. "I've watched comrades sacrifice themselves before; I've seen people die right in front of me, people who should've lived. I've already had one person ask me to let them die today. Not again. NEVER AGAIN."

She stepped backward, rubbing her temples and looking livid. Of all the foolish, reckless arrogant...! Then what do you intend?!

Naruto looked past her, to the ruined city of Leyndell.

Morgott was beaten; but that didn't make the capital worthless; on the contrary, it was the very heart of the Lands Between; here one could feel the very pulse of the land itself; see both to the North, South, East and of course, the West. You could hold a place like this with less than a hundred warriors. Lucky for him, then, that he was an army unto himself.

An idea dawned; a mad, reckless scheme.

But reckless was what he did.

"I'm taking the city."

His remark evoked several reactions from his companions. Greyroll hummed and gazed upon him with half-lidded eyes, looking like she wanted nothing more than to jump him then and there. Lansseax tilted her head in confusion, not quite comprehending what he intended, but didn't appear to oppose him all the same.

Melina did neither of those things. She flung up her hands with an aggravated shout. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"On the contrary." Naruto felt something harden deep inside his chest. "I've found it." Resolve reaffirmed, he looked to Lannseax. "Go find Ranni and Rennala. Bring them here."

She didn't hesitate; perhaps she knew what she intended, perhaps not. A quick step in, a searing kiss, and she was gone, winging away across the sky.

Not entirely satisfied, he turned to face Greryoll. "Go the Roundtable Hold. Fetch our friends. Every one of 'em."

The Mother of Dragons blinked, then grinned. "Finally, you take charge! Its about time!"

Melina balked, cottoning on at last. All of them?"

He smirked. "All of 'em."

A/N: Aaaand scene.

And yes, surprisingly, Greyroll's canonical title IS Mother of Dragons ingame, as I've said before. Dwell on that for a moment.

Unlike Lord of Frenzy, this iteration of Naruto's not quite so desperate as to immediately seek out the Frenzied Flame. He has friends, resources, allies, and you're about to see them all in action, and oh boy its going to be a doozy. We've not forgotten about the remaining sidequests. At this point, I'd say this story is about three-fourths of the way done.

Well? Did you like this story? Yes? No? Maybe?

By all means, speak up! Make yourselves heard! Your voice matters~! Silence hurts worse than any flame. Looking forward to reading your feedback when I get home from work~

If this chapter gets a ton of feedback-hopefully!-then I'll do my best to ensure another early update again. If not...I don't know. I really don't.

Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story.

If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular? It will remain, but it won't be continued! Gone. Completely. I'm working two jobs to keep the lights on, as such 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, Wouldst Thou Kindly?

And have some previews. Some are quite a ways off, but still...

Mind you, most of these previews are the same.

Wouldn't do to spoil what's coming up.

Vote for what you want to see!

And as ever:

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

SPOILERS LAY AHEAD!

YE BE WARNED!

(Previews)

A small army of allies soon gathered in Leyndell, before the foot of the Erdtree...


She lifted the blanket, exposing herself to him, wearing naught but threadbare undergarments. "Lay with me."

His throat went dry.

Damn.


Ranni leaned back. "You want my Great Rune?"

A shrug. You threw it away, so...

You know not what you ask."


Rya sat beside him. "May we talk?"

Sure, why not," he chuckled into his palms. "Just got the Irina bombshell dropped on me...


Therolina didn't look happy. "You cannot burn the Erdtree!"

Melina stepped to her with a growl. "And what would you know of it?!"

"I know such a thing is sacrilege! If you think I shall allow this, then you are truly mad!"

"Hey, hey!" Naruto thrust himself between them before they could come to blows. "Calm down!"


...what is that thing?"

Hewg offered him the Weapon.

"Its what she asked for. The power to kill a god."


"I'm so sorry!"


"GIVE HER BACK!"


He grabbed the needle.


There was a blade in his chest. He looked down with a sigh. "And you thought this would work because...?"


"Please don't go...please...I can't do this without you...


"What was this? A projection? He didn't think so. And yet...

"I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella. And I-

CLONK!

-am not in the mood." Naruto finished as he stalked over her prone form. "Buzz off."

...wait."

Aw, hell.


"Whoa, now!" He waved up at the fire giant. "Friendly! Friend! No stomping, please!"

The behemoth squinted down at him in utter confusion. Progress.

Naruto beamed up at it. "Wanna be friends?"


"I AM HOARAH LOUX!"

"I AM NARUTO UZUMAKI!"

Two titans collided. And the Erdtree trembled.

EDIT: Hey, you made it! Hope you enjoyed this!

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 isn't popular? Well, it won't be continued. 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.

Silence...silence only hurts.

Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back from work~!

May you have a good day filled with luck and peace,

~Nz.

R&R~!