A/N: EDIT: Flames are flames, I suppose... *sigh* Made some edits too, and lengthened some scenes...not that anyone noticed T_T
Heeeeeere we go~! A nice long chapter for you, as promised.
As ever, the Embers rule remains.
If folks don't like this story? Poof! Gone! Deleted for keeps! That's no joke, folks. I'm so busy these days; basically, I don't have time off. Not anymore. My free time is limited and as such, I can't afford to focus on something folks don't like. Reviews keep me writing in these times, and keep the daily updates flowing. Silence...silence only hurts. I hate having to beg for feedback, but without it...well, it feels like I'm not making an impact.
Now lets answer some questions:
Q: Don't abandon your RWBY stuff!
A: I. Am not. Abandoning my RWBY stories. Just because I update different things from time to time, yeesh...
Q: Will we see the full Genshin Impact cast in this? And are you incorporating wishes/Primogems? Fates, and that sort of thing? And chests?
Paimon needs her treasure!
A: Yes, yes, and also yes. To say more would spoil things, but I intend to do it creatively, rest assured. For instance, Naruto doesn't need a glider; because he can bloody well fly with those truth seeking orbs of his
Q: How far along are you in Genshin Impact?
A: My first account is currently in Inazuma, grinding for materials. I'm deliberately putting off the story, because I've become a bit of a loot goblin haha. Made a second on another device purely for the sake of studying the story and I've KEPT it there.
Yes, that's dedication.
Good lord, Genshin impact is getting addicting.
I've only been playing for little more than a month, but this game is EATING my free time...especially when I play co-op! I've had to limit myself to an hour or so a day; and my friend list is already nearly full to bursting...
Q: You do know how Archons maintain their power, right?
A: By ruling a nation I believe? Correct me if I'm wrong. Don't worry. Venti's little Gnosis hasn't weakened our boy in the least. If anything...well. I could say more...
...but, well. There be spoilers.
Q: How do you write Paimon so well?!
A: By doing every quest I can get my hands on. Something to note; I don't think we've ever heard Paimon refer to herself as "I" not once.
Curious, don't you think?
Q: Yesss...have him create aaaaall the Anemo visions! That would certainly cause a stir!
A: Strictly speaking, I'm not entirely certain it works that way. Although Raiden did manage to ensure no one received an Electro vision for quite some time, so one could argue that they do have some say in the matter after all! Really, since we know so little about Visions and Gnosis as a whole, I've had to improvise. You'll soon see what I mean.
Hope you like this novel new take on things. Here goes nothiiiing~!
As ever, I own nooooo references, quotes, memes or themes.
This chapter's overflowing with humor and personality.
Hope it brightens your day as it did mine.
Now prepare yourself for insanity.
"Are you a god?"
"No, no, and no! Don't you start that!"
~?
Wind of Change
"Treasure!"
Truly there was no greater battle cry than this.
Well, it was certainly the fiercest thing Paimon could muster.
Naruto stifled a smile behind one hand as his travel guide all but flung herself into yet another wooden chest. Hmm. Perhaps flung wasn't the right word. Paimon dove into that thing. Indeed, she delightedly delved into its depths with an enthusiasm that would've made even the staunchest of treasure hoarders blanch with fear.
Kurama scoffed in the back of his head. "How many does that make, now?"
"Dunno." the blond shrugged. "Lost count hours ago."
"We're never getting to the city at this rate...
Inwardly he agreed; this was taking more time than expected. Paimon's neverending quest for so-called "treasure" had slowed them a bit. Ideally he could simply run there himself, but that would mean leaving her out here for the wolves.
Outwardly he said otherwise. Wouldn't do to torment the poor thing...too much.
"You're a greedy little loot goblin, aren't you?" Merely speaking the words drew a chortle from his old friend, and an indignant squawk from the tiny girl still slumming through the luxurious chest. "Maybe I should call you Paigoblin instead of Paimon?"
"What was that?!" her retort was muffled within the wood, but audible nonetheless.
A merry smile tugged at his whiskered cheeks. All too easy. "You heard me."
Really, she was too easy to tease.
"Hey!"
Sure enough, her head burst forth from the wooden vault, snowy hair showered in all manner of trinkets. There was even a second, larger circlet dangling off her tiara. Cheeks puffed out, lips pursed and starry eyes fixed firmly on him, she'd surely heard ever word he'd he just said.
Naruto pondered the matter for a moment. 'Is this what its like to have a younger sibling...?'
"Paimon's not a goblin!" she winged said circlet at him, to which he nimbly dodged. "Besides! There's all sorts of useful stuff in here; stuff that can help us!"
A blond brow quirked. "Such as?"
Her face scrunched up. "Um...treasure?"
Naruto's other eyebrow rose to join the first.
Paimon made angry Paimon noises. "Paimon will show you!"
Before he could think to ask what, she dove down and came up with a hefty sack in one hand. It made an unfamiliar clinking sound as she showed it to him. It almost sounded like...coins? A great many coins. Naruto felt his throat go dry at the sight. Who in their right mind left their life savings lying around in an unlocked chest?!
"Loot is loot! See?!" His guide held up said sack and waved it like an almighty war banner. "You said it yourself! We needed money! Now we have some!"
"I did," he relented with a rueful sigh, "Still, is that any reason to run around opening strange chests in the wilderness? Give it here."
Paimon clutched it close and floated back with narrow eyes, suddenly afraid he'd take it from her. "No! Finders keepers!"
"I'm not going to throw it away." he chuckled. "If you keep flailing it about like that, you'll rip the bag."
"Oh!" her mood did a one-eighty in an instant. "Here you go, then!"
The little fairy flung the sack of Mora at him in an overhand toss. He caught it with ease, bounced it once in his hand, then unbound the string just to be sure. Under any other circumstance he might have something to say about her trusting nature. He certainly intended to, until he got a look at the contents of the pouch.
"Huh." he muttered. "This really is a lot...
Paimon hovered over his shoulder and touched a finger to her lips. He could hear her salivating from here. "Enough for a whole bag of fisherman's toast?"
She sounded so small and sad when she said it, too. His stomach growled, reminding him that neither of them had eaten in the last hour.
"Softie."
Maybe he was, but that wasn't about to change.
"Sure, sure," Naruto closed the pouch then reached over to ruffle her hair. "Guess its on me."
She batted his hand away with a smile. "Yup~! Oh! And lookie what else Paimon found!
With a giddy giggle she delved down into the chest again -really, how deep was this thing?- and came up with a polished polearm that shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. Though its metal was pale its tapered tip glowed a beautiful blue-on-green. Easily larger than she was tall, the poor girl struggled to lift it, yet presented it to him nevertheless.
"Ta-da!"
Naruto blinked, somewhat taken aback by the sight of such a lovely weapon. "What's this?"
"Archon or not, Paimon thinks you need...a weapon!" Huffing and puffing, she dragged it out of the chest. "Here! You can have this one! It looks rare!"
"A polearm?" Kurama scoffed. "Ha!"
Naruto crossed both arms before his chest and huffed in a rare fit of childish pique. "I don't need a...weapon...why are you looking at me like that?"
"Yes, you do!" her tone startled him. "Paimon doesn't want you to get hurt anymore!"
He felt a migraine coming on. Not this argument again. "Look, I'm fine."
"You can't just punch your way through everything!"
"Can and have!"
Only then did he notice the genuine concern in her eyes. She actually looked angry for once. Right, he'd not shown her his staff his skills, or even a fourth of what he could do. He'd most taken down his enemies here thus far with quick punches and the occasional rasengan. No need to show off. Unfortunately, that had left his little travel guide to languish under the misconception that was all he could do.
...blast it all, now he felt bad.
On a whim he held out his right hand.
"Fine," a long-suffering sigh escaped him. "Give it here."
Paimon perked up. "Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Really, really?"
"Fork it over before I give you a noogie!"
She did so with some effort, yet nevertheless managed to drag it into his open palm.
His fingers closed around it, and a spark shot through his wrist, raced up his arm, and blazed into his right eye. Somehow knew its name the moment his fingers closed around it. Skyward Spine. The name emblazoned itself upon his brain. He held it up and felt strange faster for it. With his already considerable speed, that was saying something. Strange weapon. Strange, indeed...
"Huh. Not a bad weight." he kicked its long haft, producing a hollow clang as he swung it into position. "Balance seems good. No idea how to use it, though."
"It can't be that hard." Paimon swirled around him. "Just stick 'em with the pointy end!"
"You do know I can fight without a polearm, right? I've been holding back."
Now it was her turn to sulk. "But Paimon picked it out just for you...
Great, turn on the guilt, why don't ya?"
...still, it couldn't be that had. Sick 'em with the pointy end, she said. A rueful smile tugged at his whiskered cheeks. Taking it up with both hands, he planted his feet and closed his eyes. Naruto focused inward. He could feel the wind. It threaded through his fingers and sang in his soul beyond his control. Now was as good a time for practice as any.
He clenched his teeth and pushed.
Almost immediately he felt the Gnosis in his chest flare to life, burning with anticipation. It didn't hurt; quite the contrary. As if someone had laid a warm blanket across his upper torso, so too could he feel it; this tiny new piece of him ached for action. It longed to be used, to be given the purpose its last master had denied it. Like a small child wailing for attention.
Use me! It seemed to say. Don't ignore me!
His smile became strained. Was that it? Was that why it kept acting up? Was it sentient? Alive?
Thoughts for later he supposed. He desperately didn't want to open that particular can of worms right now.
"Careful." Kurama cautioned. "Be sure to hold back. As you are now, you might kick up a storm just by swinging that thing overmuch."
"Don't need to tell me twice...
One step, one swing. That was all. Naruto stepped in, metal was warm in his hands, the wind surprisingly happy to oblige. He flicked it out in a lazy swipe and something buzzed in the back of his hand.
Completion. Purpose. Peace.
Yeow! Those weren't his thoughts! What was that?!
Kurama flicked a tail in the seal. "Don't look at me. I feel fine."
Naruto tossds his head from side to side. It wasn't a feeling of wrongness...just something else. He felt utterly at his ease, his chakra intact, his spirit secure. His chest itched a little, but beyond that he confessed he didn't experience much in the way of discomfort. If anything, it felt pretty good...
"Ummm...?" Paimon coughed into a fist. "Are you alright? You've been staring into space for awhile now...
"I'm fine." Casting his doubts aside, he moved into a loose stance. Very loose. As in he had no idea what he was doing.
Soon enough the polearm danced in his hands and the wind sang a joyous song with it. In no time at all he lost himself to the flowing currents of the wind; the rest of the world became a faded backdrop; ever present but muted, ignored in this singular moment. In no time at all he lost himself to the flowing currents.
This was a life free from all worries and cares.
This was freedom in the truest sense.
This was peace.
Before long he forgot about holding back altogether. He pushed his body to the limit and beyond, forcing himself through a wild whirl of movement that grew gradually faster as he became accustomed to his new tool. Odd as it might sound, the Gnosis almost felt...pleased with him. Laughter echoed in the back of his mind, high and reedy, reminding him once more of a child.
Distantly he became aware of Paimon clapping, cheering him on. "Go, Naruto! Go, go, go!"
Her voice echoed his every swipe, each thrust and whirl. He leaped up and kicked the spear, obliterating a nearby stone. A thought and the wind yanked it back, sending it sailing into his grasp. His teeth parted in a grin as it tore through dirt, kicking up a small cyclone in its wake. Finally when he felt satisfied, he finished the combo...
"ORAH!"
...and whipped his newfound weapon forward.
His new Gnosis sang and wind burst free with a cry to strike a nearby tree...and the one behind it...then the one behind that. Three might oaks evaporated in a shower of splinters, showering him and paimon with bark and sap alike.
"Ptooey!" Paimon coughed and dusted herself off. Then she saw the ruin he'd wrought and gulped. "Okay, yikes! Paimon didn't know you were that strong...
Naruto winced at the massacre he'd made. "Oops? Got a little carried away.
Kurama groaned into a paw. "Oops, he says!"
Well, Naruto hastily reassured himself, it was just a few trees. He doubted anyone would notice. From there he bound the polearm to his back, only to find it hardly weighed anything at all. Strange. Still, it benefited him so he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Speaking of gifts, he wasn't sure he liked the look Paimon was giving him.
"That one was free," he cast a cheeky grin Paimon's way, noting her pallid expression. "I'll charge you for the show next time."
His remark snapped her back to reality and she huffed. "Meanie!"
Jeez, she really did remind him of a small child sometimes. Maybe that was why he tolerated her...and teased her. He supposed that was part of her charm. She certainly wasn't emergency food or anything. No, certainly not! How could anyone think such a cruel thing?!
"Besides," she grumbled, "Paimon can't fight and you can, sooo...
"I know, just pulling your leg." he tried to rustle her hair again, only to laugh even harder when she darted out of the way. "See if you can't rustle up a few more chests before we get to...what was it called again?"
"Mondstadt!" she admonished, poking his shoulder with a tiny finger. "Jeez, for an Anemo Archon you really don't know much of the city you're meant to watch over...don't tell me you're a slacker!"
"Right, that." Naruto snapped his fingers. "Also, not doing what you said-hey!" It was no use, she was already darting on ahead, forcing him to trot after her. "Slow down!"
She whirled back and stuck out her tongue. "But you're so sloooow!"
Naruto twitched a little. Slow, was he? How little she knew...he'd have to surprise her later.
"And don't go diving into a pack of hilchurls if you see them guarding a chest." he shouted after her. "Wait until I clear the baddies out first, yeah?"
She whirled back to face him as she flew and tented her fingers. "Well, you made mincemeat of the last bunch...
His brow furrowed. "Paimon."
"Meep!" She gave a startled chirrup and waited for him to catch up. "Yessir...
Naruto let his mind wander as they walked. At least their money problems were solved for the foreseeable future. But really, who left loot out in the wilderness? That was just asking for trouble. He supposed the loot could have belonged to those creatures, but that was just unlikely. What need had monsters of mora? And if it was theirs, why leave it out where anyone could stumble upon it? Really! Who did that?!
"Idiots? Imbeciles? Game designers?"
On a whim, Naruto gave pulled another, smaller pouch from a storage scroll, this one taken from another such raid today. Deft fingers undid the drawstring and appraised it most intently. Unlike the last bag Paimon had given him, here were strange shiny gems scattered among the golden coins. More than he could count. Interlocked lines of rainbowesque light teased his eyes, begging to be touched, promising something wondrous if he did.
Almost like a wish.
Naruto considered them for a moment then bound them back to his belt. Probably not important, but he'd err on the side of caution for this journey. Shaking his head, he favored his traveling companion with a wry look. There was another matter that had been nagging at him for the better part of the day now...
"So, Paimon." he said apropos of nothing, "Tell me about yourself."
"Hmm?" She whirled around in the air to face him as they trekked up a grassy knol, still maintaining her forward momentum somehow. "Paimon is Paimon~!"
Too cute. Must protect.
"You certainly are," Naruto hedged, "But I was hoping to get ta know you a little better. If I hadn't fished you out of the water, you'd still be there, ya know...
A faint bit of color hit the fairy's cheeks. Her mouth opened. Closed again.
"Huh. she touched a finger to chin. "Now that you mention it, Paimon doesn't really remember much about herself."
Curious. "So you've go amnesia?"
She huffed and kicked out at his shoulder. "Don't be a meanie!"
"Wasn't being mean." he took the weak blow with a laugh. "Just curious...
He let Paimon prattle on and turned his attention elsewhere. He could still feel the Gnosis in his chest again, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
'Any luck getting this thing out of my chest?'
"Easier said than done." Kurama's retort proved almost waspish. "Its in there pretty deep."
His lips pursed into a thin line. "Is it...I dunno, doing anything?"
"Not that I can tell...bar our little flareups. Say what you will about this Gnosis thing, but its made us more powerful."
Naruto flung out a hand and the wind stirred. "Seems like it. Might have to experiment a bit...urk."
A faint tingling build in the back of his head the moment throttled it back. Not this again!
Paimon saw it at once. "No, no, no! Resist! Hold it in!"
Naruto wrinkled his nose and reared back.
"I...can't...ACHOO!"
(.0.0.0.)
Amber considered herself a good knight. Superb, even!
She was quick on her feet, a fair shot with her trusty bow, and there was no one better when it came to wiping out camps of hilichurls. That was her given task today, eradicating a camp that had cropped up too close to the city.
All said, she had fought and studied and trained hard to be a knight.
None of her training could have prepared her for this.
"ACHOO!"
A sudden sneeze echoed somewhere in the distance behind her, deep within the wilds. That was her only warning.
Amber whirled to face it with a frown. Then all hell broke loose.
With mighty wail the wind sprang to life, clouds sweeping in to darken the sky. There was no transition between one moment and the next; she scarcely had time to blink before the wind swept her off her feet. She hurtled into the air with a yelp, cast aloft like some errant leaf.
"What in the wooooorld?!"
Panic bleated through her thoughts; alas, her startled shriek was snatched up by the winds, leaving her to tumble end over end.
'Glider!' her mind flailed! 'Gotta deploy my glider, or I'm done for!'
But it was no use; the wind ripped it from her grasp and dashed her wings; she could no sooner tell up from down then she could left from right.
And then.
Quite suddenly.
The storm abated.
With neither word nor warning the forces holding her aloft dissipated. For a single moment she hung there in the air. Then the world took hold, sending her hurtling to the earth below. She spied a lake beneath her and winced, because there on the shores of said lake...was that a person?
No, no, no! She was going to crash!
She flailed in the air, to no avail. "Loook ooouuut beloooow!"
The bystander looked up, eyes gone wide. Amber had all of an instant to admire them. Beautiful bright golden eyes, framed by an untamed mess of flaxen hair. A discarded fishing rod lay at their feet, forgotten now as the stranger tried to catch her. She really did try. She just failed spectacularly.
Amber crashed headlong into her; they went sprawling head over heels into the lake.
Poor, poor Lumine. Her time in Teyvat would be memorable if nothing else.
But that's a story for another time.
(.0.0.0.)
Every nation felt it.
Indeed, how could they not?
From bustling Liyue to isolate Inazuma, frigid Snezhnaya and beyond.
Each and every Archon -and one former!- noticed the sudden outburst of energy...
(.0.0.0.)
Venti regarded the rapidly darkening horizon from a distant hill.
"Oops." a grimace touched the pale visage of the former god, now merely a humble bard once more. "That looks unpleasant. Maybe I should've given him some lessons before I ran off.
.
..
...
A beat of silence passed as he considered the raging windstorm; as he heard the distant shout of incredulity.
"Nah." he thumbed his nose. "He'll figure things out, I'm sure of it."
Shouldering his knapsack, he continued on his journey.
(.0.0.0.)
Zhongli looked up into the clear, cloudless sky and savored his wine.
A faint smile creased his face. "And so a new chapter begins...
It seemed they had a new addition to their ranks.
(.0.0.0.)
The Raiden Shogun rose from her throne.
"Exceptions...the enemy of eternity...
Time to accelerate her plans.
(.0.0.0.)
"For crying out loud...!"
Naruto winced, regarding the raging windstorm he'd inadvertently summoned in the distance.
He could hear the wind howling from here; even now he couldn't help but grimace as he watched the squall spend its fury. It would burn out quickly -his flare ups always did- but the chagrin of losing control remained all the same. Trying to control it like this was impossible. He could only stare at it and hope it would fade before it hurt anyone. Because really, who would be out here in the wilds?
Kurama groaned. "You're impossible sometimes...
A bead of sweat ran down his brow. "Think anyone noticed?"
Paimon tented her fingers, looked away, and tittered nervously. "Ehehehe...
Naruto rounded on her, a muscle jumping in his jaw to pound alongside the vein his temple. "Whaddya mean, ehe?! Why you-
A sudden guest of wind hit, all but ripping those words away.
Shadow and darkness came with it; summoning a sudden swell of malice on the wind.
Naruto pivoted to face it, forced to duck as something impossibly large hurtled past.
His head snapped up just in time to behold the source; a might azure creature bearing four limbs and burgeoned by two massive wings, alongside a flowing tail. Its claws were sharp, its eyes dark with anger that bubbled just beneath the surface, its maw gaping wide. There could only be one classification for such a creature. Not lizard, not a wyvern, and certainly not a newt. No, it could only be a-
Paimon beat him to it by a country mile. "That is one biiiiig dragon!"
"Bah! We've seen bigger."
They had indeed; the Ten Tails made this admittedly majestic creature look puny by comparison. Still as he looked on, the mighty beast winged down and alighted upon the field before them. The ground quaked with his passing, the sheer power of its wings nearly blew Paimon away. Without looking back he reached out and caught her by the ankle, reeling her in as one might a fish. She plonked down onto his shoulders and latched onto his hair, clinging on for dear life.
And then said beast parted its jaws.
"You are not Barbatos." its voice was a low churning storm, one in whose eye they stood. "Where is he?"
"Well, a talking dragon." Naruto whistled. "That's new...
"Wait, wait, wait!" Paimon tugged at his hair. "You can understand him?"
"Yup." he waved a hand from side to side, "I've dealt with talking summons before. Some even larger than this guy."
Granted, none were a freaking dragon but beggars couldn't be choosers.
"Meh." Kurama opined. "I can take him. Just say the word."
As he gazed up at the winged terror, something in his chest -Venti's gnosis?- sang at the sight of this great blue beast. Friend, it seemed to whisper in his ear. He craned an ear and the voice grew still louder in his head. Friend, friend, friend. Dvalin. One of the four winds. Ally. Be kind!
Naruto nearly recoiled. This thing was Dvalin?!
And yet, there was something decidedly off about this dreadful dragon. Negativity hung over him like a cloud to be sure, but there was another source that pressed at his sense. His gaze soon found the source. What were those two vicious spikes on its back? Two ghastly black spires stood in start contrast to its teal scales; one lay between his wings, while the other lurked near his neck. They radiated malice, while the dragon before him felt weary. Tired. Stricken with pain.
He flung his senses at the eerie thorns and winced at what he found there.
Whatever those things were, they didn't feel natural. Tainted. That was the word. His marked palm itched, aching to remove them.
"Hey there, buddy." he began slowly, "Are you feeling alright?"
"Do not test my patience, stranger." the beast growled in return. "Speak! Who are you? What have you done with Barbatos?"
"Well, if its names you're after, I'm Naruto." he swept a hand up to the fretful fairy still perched on his shoulders like a child. "This here's Paimon. Say hello to the dragon, Paimon...
"Nice dragon," Paimon managed through chattering teeth. "Good dragon...please don't make a snack out of Paimon...?"
Dvalin snapped his jaws at her and she flitted back behind Naruto's shoulders with a yelp.
"Not a nice dragon!"
...and you must be Dvalin." he finished with a sigh.
Just like that the dragon forgot all bout Paimon; with the mention of his name -and much to Naruto's chagrin!- Dvalin only had eyes for him now. Mighty claws dug deep into the loamy soil, tearing great gouges into the dirt. He didn't much relish the idea of being caught by those...
"I sense his power from you. Has he sent you in his stead? And how do you know mine name?"
"Hey!" His lips pursed in a frown. "Nobody sent me to do anything! As for the last bit," said frown deepened, "Its a bit of a long story...
Paimon swooped in like the little guardian angel she was.
"Basically," she clasped both hands behind her back, "He met this crazy guy in green guy and got his power." her head tilted just so. "Maybe that's why he feels so familiar to you?" A tentative smile plucked at her pale face. "After all, he's the new Archon!"
The silence that followed was nothing short of ominous.
Dvalin suddenly seemed to loom large over them. "...I beg your pardon?"
"Poor choice of words there, partner." Naruto hissed through his teeth, never once taking his eyes from the corrupted creature before them. "Very poor...
"Huh?" She looked to him in blissful naivete, not quite comprehending the magnitude of her blunder at first. And then. "Oh! Realization dawned in her starry eyes a moment later and she pivoted in the air to face a now snarling Dvalin. "No, no, no! Paimon didn't mean it like that!"
Too little, too late.
High above, the skies began to darken. Wind swept in, ripping leaves from trees.
Dvalin reared back, towering in his fury. "MURDERER!"
"Wait a second!" Naruto flung up a palm! "This is all a misunderstanding! I didn't ask for this power! That damn bard gave it to me!"
"Liar!" Dvalin raked a claw through the air, forcing him to retreat or risk grievous injury. "Deceiver! You hold his Gnosis within you! If you won't tell the truth, then I'll destroy the city you seek to rule! You shall have nothing of his! Even if I must destroy it myself!"
What kind of twisted logic was that?!
Kurama stirred. "The logic of a poor soul twisted and corrupted by misery...
With a yowl, Dvalin took wing. Naruto leaped up after him and latched onto his tail. Behind him, he heard Paimon's terrified yelp.
"What're you doing?!"
The blond cast a glance backward. "Follow if you can!"
Wind swallowed her cry as both man and beast hurtled into the sky.
Perhaps Dvalin was faster than they looked, or mayhaps Mondstadt was simply closer than it appeared. Whatever the case, their tussle carried them upward into the clouds for all of a minute before Naruto found a proper handhold. The very moment he did, he unleashed Kurama. Gravity, and the sheer weight of his partner did the rest.
A giant fox smote the raging dragon from the sky and rode it to the ground.
They crashed down in the city plaza like a meteor from on high. From a distance, Naruto heard shouts and screams, but he was too focused on the conflict to think of anything else. Kurama pinned Dvalin's wings, and that was the end of their flight. Without the gift of his wings, the enraged dragon had nowhere to go but through him.
Nine tails of purest light slammed into the dragons limbs as he wrestled it to the ground.
"Calm down, ya damn dragon! I know you're upset, but you've got it all wrong! Hear me out!"
"Artifice!"
"Listen to me!" Naruto grit his teeth as they grappled. "I didn't kill your friend! That tone deaf bard is alive and well!"
Dvalin's long neck twisted around and bit out at a golden arm, for all the good it did. One could not harm a body of pure chakra, much less poison it with tainted blood. His tail flicked out tripping him for all of a moment; then he bulled back in and rammed him through a building. This time there could be no ignoring the bystanders...or the damage he'd wrought.
"Will you just listen for a second?!"
"Never! What do you know of my loneliness!" claws raked and tore at him, to no avail. "When have you been cast in the dark and left to rot?! You know nothing of my pain!"
"I know exactly what it feels like!"
Fiery breath bathed his face, causing Kurama to recoil.
"I've been where you are now! I've lived it! I know it hurts!" a mighty fist caught the dragon in the jaw to cut his breath short and sending sharp teeth whistling through the air. "I know you wanna scream! But you can't let this beat you. So you can't find your friend!" when the enraged beast tried to rise, he headbutted him for his trouble. "Make new ones! So you lost your reason to live! Find a new one! That's what I did!" Naruto's gaze fixed on the twisted spires jutting from Dvalin's back. "Don't take it out on everyone else!"
A wordless roar answered him.
His eyes narrowed. "Those weird spikes have something to do with this! I just know it!"
In an instant he zipped out of Kurama and alighted upon the dragon's back. Dvalin cursed him; said curse turned into a yowl of pain as He snapped off first spire of tainted blood, followed soon thereafter by the second in its wake. He whirled pressed his marked palm to nearest wound. Chakra raged at it, cooling the corruption there, drawing it out like poison from a wound.
In that moment, the gems in his pouch pulsed with power.
Naruto cast a wild glance at them. "For the lovee of...! What now?!
Blinding light burned the world white, and Dvalin's bulk shifted beneath him, denying him the balance he sought. Unable to course correct in time, he toppled forward with cursed and struggled to blinking spots away. His hands grasped something and he heard a pitched contralto of a growl.
.
..
...eh?"
His vision cleared a moment later and he found himself face to face not with a dragon, but a young woman, -more a girl really- in late adolescence. His eyes were startled slits of glowing sky blue, her hair a rich teal. Faint scales etched her face and arms, but most importantly...
She hadn't so much as a stitch of clothing to her name.
The girl looked at the position of his hand. Frowned. Naruto frowned right back at her. "Um...?"
Wide eyes widened further still. She looked down at her fragile, human form and made a noise that sounded like a hiss. At least he thought it was meant to sound like one. Instead the noise that emerged was the sweetest of music. That only seemed to outrage her yet further.
"What have you done...?!" the sound of her own voice seemed to surprise her, for her hands flew to her face. "My wings?! My claws?! Where are they?" she flailed, kicking at him to no avail. "Unfair!" She cried! "This is unfair! I don't know how to fight like this!"
Naruto blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice, now. "Dvalin...?"
She absolutely snarled at him. "Who else! Change me back this instant!"
"Erm...brat?" Kurama coughed. "Might wanna move your hand. Preferably now."
Heat suffused Naruto's cheeks and he retreated, taking his palm from her breast. He all but flung his jacket at her, if only to preserve her modesty.
"Ahem...?"
Someone coughed behind him. Only then did he notice the ring of steel surrounding them. Blast. How had he missed that?! He stood slowly, somewhat alarmed to find a host of unfamiliar faces staring back at him. Many of which held weapons in their hands. That said weapons were mostly pointed at him went without saying.
"Alright," he temporized with raised palms, "I know what this looks like, but I can explain. This is just one big misunderstanding...
Dvalin made angry Dvalin noises behind him, clutching his jacket closed to herself as she keened furiously.
...alright." he amended. "That, I can't explain. She was a dragon a second ago, I swear!"
Everyone looked to the startled young woman. Back to him. To Dvalin once more.
"I have just one question." A man with an eyepatch took the initiative and stepped forth. "Who in the world are-
"Where's the dragon?!" Someone cried, cutting him off! "Quick, blow it up! BOOM!"
Something sailed through the air, struck Naruto's back and exploded with all the force of a bomb. Fire reigned. Smoke flared. It didn't so much hurt as it did sting, but the impact alone sent him stumbling forward nonetheless. Kurama muttered something less than pleasant, but he could scarcely hear him over the ringing in his ears.
Naruto coughed once. "Ow...?"
"Oh, no!" someone wailed. "I hit a person by mistake!"
At this point, the poor jinchuuriki wanted to cry. Would the madness never end?!
Stifling a groan, Naruto whirled and beheld the culprit; a young girl bearing pale hair alongside strange curved ears. Red eyes fixed on his, wide and startled; her arm still overextended from throwing...whatever it was that hit him. Her expression became decidedly sheepish as his gaze pinned her.
"Klee, no!" He heard someone shout in the background. "Bad girl!"
"Klee's done for!" the culprit wailed with teary eyes. "I broke the rules...!
"Whoa, hey!" He flailed his arms, startled by her outburst. "Its fine! You didn't hurt me!"
She sniffled. "I didn't...? But uncle Kaeya just said...?"
"No," Naruto temporized with a raised hand, "You didn't hurt me. See?!" His arms pinwheeled anew. Not a scratch!"
Ruby red eyes gazed up at him. "Promise...?"
Urk. Naruto's heart twitched. "Yeah, yeah," he looked away, clutching at his heart. "Sure. I'm alright...
"Okay~!" She peered past his legs. "Do you know where the dragon went?"
Dvalin made angry noises anew.
Naruto palmed his face. "...that's her. Not my fault."
The strange child blinked. "Why is the dragon a person?"
Finally! Someone asking the real questions! How in blazes did this happen?!
"Alright," not missing a beat, the man with the eyepatch sheathed his sword. "Why don't we follow Klee's example and just... calm down?" His visible eye squinted at Dvalin's quivering form. "Right." He stifled a sigh with the back of his palm. "At least until Jean gets here...
Oddly enough, the chaos sliced through the tension. It gave Naruto time to mumble an assent and step back, to see, to think. The weapons facing him lowered, allowing him to take in each of their faces in turn. Their appearances ranged from odd to outright eclectic in some cases.
He beheld one in particular, a brunette clad in striking purple with grassy green eyes.
"Well, well." Her gaze held his like lightning. She looked him up. Looked him down. Smiled. "Aren't you a cutie...
"Wait, what?" Cutie?" Naruto couldn't help but gulp a little at that remark. "Why is she calling me that? And why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
How little he knew.
A/N: Before anyone squawks, please read this note all the way through.
First! Behold Humanoid!Dvalin! I'm fairly certain it was stated in the lore that dragons, adepti, -and Archons!- can change their appearance as the please. Well, the latter can while they still have their Gnosis, but still!
Once more, the Embers rule remains.
If folks don't like this story? Poof! Gone! Deleted for keeps! That's no joke, folks. I'm so busy these days; basically, I don't have time off. Not anymore. My free time is limited and as such, I can't afford to focus on something folks don't like. Reviews keep me writing in these times, and keep the daily updates flowing. Silence...silence only hurts. I hate having to beg for feedback, but without it...well, it feels like I'm not making an impact.
Right then, as ever, Reviews are love, Reviews are Life.
Reviews keep me safe from any and all strife.
So in the immortal words of Atlas...
...review, Would You Kindly?
Every bit helps out!
(FUTURE! Previews?)
Some are very far out indeed...
Hope you enjoy the taste of what's to come.
Dvalin scowled at her hands.
"My mind is clear, but this...what is this feeble form?!"
"Paimonial wrath!"
Her foe slumped, eyes rolling up in their head.
Naruto quirked a brow. "Really? That's what you're calling it?"
The little sprite waved the heavy tome and stomped a foot in the air. "Paimon's trying, all right?!
"Paw!"
Razor's hand slapped down into his.
Naruto couldn't help but grin. "That settles it! You're adopted!"
Lisa touched one hand to her cheek. "You know, I've always had a thing for single fathers...
"Pray, not for the gods or the betterment of others. But for yourself."
"Sorry. Never been one for praying...ouch! That's a mean kick you got there, lady! Aren't you supposed to be a nun?!"
"You want me to act like a nun? Fine! Rosaria lunged at him. "False god! DIE FOR YOUR SACRILEGE!"
He danced back, fending her off with one hand.
"Can't we talk about this...?"
"Look, I didn't ask for this power.
You want it? Try to take it. Go ahead. I'm waiting.
What's wrong? You seemed so eager a second ago. Take it! TAKE IT ALL!
~Nz.