A/N: Thanks for sticking around. Just wanted to say that to everyone.
Some massive updates are on the way, and a few surprises besides. Hope you enjoy~!
This chapter is somewhat shorter than I'd like- still sick and exhausted- but I'm still updating. These aches and shakes are driving me mad, but I must persevere...
As my fifteen year anniversary on this site draws ever nearer, 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. The recent earthquake in Turkey/Syria serves as a terrible example. 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.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. Meaning folks don't like this, it won't be continued. If the story itself ain't popular/well-received...well, I won't be able to continue it. I'm working two jobs, holidays are here too, meaning 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.
No questions this time around. Gotta keep it interesting~! Alright, I've kept you long enough!
Alright, I've kept you long enough. As ever, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one.
They're merely tributes to legends and myths far greater than this weary old man...
"How did he do this, Radagon?! Who helped him?!"
"No one. I warned you, but you would not listen. You underestimated him."
"Of course I underestimated him! He's a weakling! The runt of the litter, shame of my lineage!"
"And now he is so much more. Your spite is the cause of this, sister mine. Now what will you do about it?"
~A Queen's Folly.
Runt no More
Naruto read Godwyn's letter aloud to his allies:
"Dear descendant,
"If you are here, reading this, chances are, Ranni and I have passed. In body or spirit, I know not. There is no way of knowing which way the coin shall land; who shall live, and who shall die. Likewise it is difficult to know how the ritual will unfold without experiencing it directly. But this must be done.
The Night of the Black Knives must occur, if there is to be change.
I have no doubt Mother will take our deaths poorly. I would ask you to keep her from doing anything rash, but she has likely already exiled thee by now. It is my belief that she will send you and your new shadow away to Stormveill; if only because it is the furthest from the capital. In any case, you may trust in Yorshka. She is no threat to you at present.
Its nearly time now. I must be brief.
Little Godrick, my blood, my descendant. I am...so sorry for the Fate thrust upon thee. I know I have not shown thee the love thy deserved and I will regret that until my dying day and beyond. If there is a hell, then I will likely find myself there soon enough. But I beg of you. Grow. Prosper. Seek out allies and make your own way in this world.
You already have Maria an Yorshka but Fia is another such ally. She is as loyal to the concept of Death as she is me, and shall not lead you astray.
Remind this world that Destined Death has its proper place. Carve it into the hearts of your enemies, my heir.
Remind them that even gods fear death.
I'm sure most of the family will resist your efforts in the years to come. Marika and Radagon cannot change, as you know. One is too set in her ways, the other too loyal to the Greater Will. Morgott and Radahn are...not so bad. Perhaps one may yet help you. Do not trust Rykard and Mohg. They will use you. Miquella and Malenia have an agenda of their own, and I suspect it will intersect with yours. For good or ill, I cannot say. Mayhaps you will make peace with them...or kill them. I do not know. I cannot speak for Great Godfrey or Maliketh; for I know not where they are. My visions have not seen thus.
If Ranni yet lives then I am certain she will seek you out in time.
Perhaps, in that regard, you ought write a letter to Rennala as well. Ranni's mother is friend to neither Marika nor Radagon and would gladly aid you if only out of spite. Raya Lucaria is close to Stormveil and would prove a powerful ally in the chaos to come.
Finally, a last word of advice from one who never gave you enough. The people of the Lands Between call you a runt. Let them. Know what you are. Wear that word like armor and no one will be able to use it to hurt you. We share the same blood after all. I know you will rise to your new station.
And if you yet encounter me, or some twisted form of me...kill me.
I wish you good fortune in the wars to come, little Godrick.
~Godwyn."
By the time he finished speaking, his throat was hoarse and his eyes were burning all over again. Damn Godwyn. Who was he, a dead man, to tell him what to do? The arrogance of it all. The gall. He nearly laughed again; an angry, bitter thing that threatened to explode from him at the slightest provocation.
Somehow, reading it aloud to his allies hurt more.
"Oh, dear." Alexander found his voice first, arms crossed before his cracked shell. "Quite the family you have there, old chap."
Oleg and Engvall exchanged a brisk glance between one another and said nothing; they didn't have to. Their stoic silence spoke volumes.
...he knew." Yorshka looked up from where she sat, wringing her hands. "We never met, but he knew my name before I was even created. How...?"
"Begging your pardon," Fia sprawled herself upon a lounging couch and sighed softly. "But this was his way. Your grandsire was trying to prevent the end of the world."
Naruto turned a baleful glare on her. "Fine job he did, then...
"Lord Godwyn was ever a strange one," Maria rolled one shoulder in a shrug. "I hear he suffered from visions even before I met him. Perhaps that's why he assigned me to Lord Godrick at such a young age...?"
"It still didn't excuse what he did." Aggravated by the letter as much as its contents, Naruto crumpled it in one fist and threw it into the hearth. It struck the flames and began to sizzle in the heat. He stood there for a long moment, watching the paper blacken and curl. "If he's dead, then let him stay dead...
"And what of Ranni?"
"We'll cross the bridge when we come to it."
Maria touched a hand to his wrist. "What now?"
"Marika won't leave us alone." he stared into the flames, watching them char the last of the letter to ash. If its war they wants, then we wage war." he marched away from the fireplace. "Send a raven to Lady Rennala. I've got work to do...
"And where are you going?"
He gave her a baleful look. "Below."
He'd tarried long enough; now the "bounty" of Stormveil awaited.
"Must you go now?" Yorshka tugged him back. "Surely whatever treasure lies beneath the castle can wait. We've barely enough men to hold the walls as is, nevermind protecting the people...
Ah, the logistics of lordship. How he loathed them. "What would you suggest, then?"
His shadow preened. "Well, for starters, I think we should...
(.0.0.0.)
"We've left Godrick be long enough. Take twenty good men, go to Stormveil and see what the Runt has made. Bring him to heel."
"And if he does not bend the knee to us? What then? What should I do?"
A heavy silence reigned between them. "You already know."
Radagon's child bowed their head.
"As you wish, father."
(.0.0.0.)
The bounty beneath Stormveil was...not what Naruto had expected.
He'd meant to come down here from the beginning but there just had't been enough time.
Two years. Two long years he'd spent building Stormveil up from nothing; recruiting banished knights to his ranks, finding a steward, repairing the walls, building up the villages surrounding it. From there it became more difficult; not only did he have to ensure their safety, but he must make sure they were secure, able to retreat to the castle proper in a pinch. To that end a choke point of sorts had been created in the tunnel leading to the gate. Any intrepid soul foolish enough to assault the castle now would be met with a rain of fire and ballista bolts besides.
But finally, finally after so long, he was here.
It had been a grueling climb downward; in that regard, he found himself inordinately grateful for his new height. Longer legs and arms made for easier climbing and his newfound strength was a boon. He'd hit something of a growh spurt since leaving Leyndell behind, and it didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
"It likely won't. I said you'd hit your potential later rather than sooner...
Kurama's compliments aside, he'd thought to find gold and jewels, legendary relics, perhaps a mythical weapon to aid him in his quest. Instead he found...he didn't know what this was. This place reeked of death. Skulls and bones lay scattered about the waste, limned in wan sunlight from above.
And there below him prowling about like some kind of caged dog...something awaited him.
It was a creature, of that there could be no doubt, but he wasn't sure what. Long and sinuous, it writhed and coiled across the ground, dragging itself about on long, spindly arms. Back and forth it paced seemingly without purpose, adrift and mindless. If it noticed him looking down on it from above, it gave no sign. It simply continued its lonely vigil. Poor creature. He could see the cysts and tumors growing on its serpentine hide from here. Merely moving seemed to cause it pain, judging by the angry growls it made.
What was it?
Naruto lowered the binoculars from his eyes. "What are you...?"
"An tree spirit." He looked to his elbow, only to find Maria and Yorshka there, each dressed for battle. "An ulcerated one at that." It was the former who spoke. "I didn't think to find one in such a place...
"Thought I told you two not to follow me down here."
Maria lifted her chin in return. "I am your sword, my lord."
"And I am your shadow. Yorshka granted him a small smile. "My place is at your side. "
There really was no arguing with them sometimes. "Fine, fine, be stubborn. What's to be done with this thing, then?"
Maria drew her blades. "I expect we'll have to kill it if we want to see what's down there. Best to be quick and put it out its misery.
"What?!" No! Yorshka flung out her arms to stop her, voice piquing in protest. "You musn't! Can't you see its suffering? We should help it!
The beast heard her cry and rounded on him with a sibilant hiss, glaring hatefully up at them.
.
..
...well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Naruto slung himself over the edge with a sigh and landed before it. Maria and Yorshka weren't far behind. Fetid water splashed beneath their boots, bringing with it a foul stench. The Tree Spirit reared back with a wordless snarl. He knew at once it would try to bite him if he approached. He waved his sword and shadow back.
"Easy, now." he held up his hands and dropped his daggers near a shallow puddle. "Friendly. Friiieeend. I'm not going to hurt you.
Wrong words.
The ulcerated tree spirit boiled forward and snapped at him with its toothless maw. In that instant, a voice stabbed at his mind. "Suffering! Pain! Hurts!
"I know it does." He held up a hand. "You're protecting something here, aren't you?"
A wordless whimper pervaded the air between them. "Must protect the lord."
Naruto quirked a pale brow. "...Godwyn is dead.
"No, not dead. Worse than death."
What did that mean?
"Then let me see him," he said instead, choosing his words carefully. "You did your job well, but you've done enough. You've earned your rest. He touched a hand to it ruined hide. "I release you."
A wordless keening noise answered him.
Light rose, burning so bright he found himself forced to avert his gaze. He expected it to fade away. It did not. When the burning beacon dimmed, he found himself looking at...
.
..
...what manner of madness was this?!
A small child -a girl!- clad in a ragged black gown and bits of broken bark blinked up at him. Dark hair shading eyes of the purest of silver. Tiny little thing. She barely came up to his waist. She turned those piteous eyes upon him now.
"You're nice." her voice was soft, trembling weakly. "You sound like mother. Are you my mother?"
Naruto tried to speak. His brain fizzled. All he managed was thus. "Eh?"
Yorshka absolutely squealed. "Can we keep her?!"
"Absolutely not!" Maria chided. "We don't even know what she is, let alone her name!"
Naruto sighed, looking past the girls as they squabbled. And in doing so, he saw.
Here at last he beheld that which the Tree Spirit was so staunchly guarding.
It was a...face. Godwyn's face. Carved in rotten thorny roots.
"Well, that can't be good...
A/N: Aaaand scene. Didn't see that coming, did you?"
Well, what say you? Should this remain a story or not? It'll likely be rated M with Mature themes, lemons, character death, and the like.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this particular story, and others.
If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular? POOF! Gone. Completely. I'm working two jobs -might need a third soon!- so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy. So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
Aaaand there we go. As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I cannot write. So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly? And have some previews -potential blot bin things- that I'm working on.
Things that may or may not become stories in the far flung future.
Previews are mos the same, don't want to spoil things.
But ohhh these battles are a' coming...
(Previews)
Guess who?
It was too much to hope they would be left alone. In hindsight, it should've been rather obvious; they were thriving. Others weren't.
It seems you've done well for yourself. Neverthelss you owe fealty to the Golden Order. As such, I've come for tribute.
Hmmhmm, he feigned a smile. Funny you should mention tribute; because you owe me a few years of PAIN.
The sky shattered. There could be no other description. One moment the world was whole, then with a single hammer stoke.
The Shattering began.
"Art thou happy now? Art thou pleased? Art thou...enough. I'm tired of talking like this." he wiped a bloody hand through his hair, staining it red. "No more games."
A shadow plummeted from the sky. Naruto recognized its shape far too late and roared a warning. "DRAGON!"
The beast landed with a thunderous boom, blasting everyone backward...everyone, save him.
Its scales were blackened its body twisted. Its very soul reeked of Destined Death.
"You," it rasped, "Descendant of Godwyn...I would have words."
Naruto tilted his head. "Fortissax...?"
...stop throwing concubines at me, Gostoc!"
"A lord must have heirs, sire. You are no exception."
"I understand that, but seven is way too many! I'd be happy with three!"
"You're weak, boy. Though thou art a descendant of Godwyn and Godfrey. You'll never measure up to them."
Young Godrick -Naruto!- swept a hand through his silver hair. "I do so love being underestimated."
That smile worried her.
"You have a choice, my lords. Surrender, or death. No Erdtree burial, no revival.
Only destined death.
What will it be?
The army prepared to march.
"Lord Godrick!" A servant swept the tent flap aside. "Lady Malenia has made contact! She wishes you to meet her on the field of battle alone! Failure to comply will see the city put to the torch!"
"A challenge?" the giant stood slowly in the shadows, sun glinting off his bare, broad chest. "Alright. Fetch my ax."
His servant paused, not quite comprehending. "My lord? Surely you don't intend to meet her demands?
"Of course I do." Bright eyes burned bright in the gloom, one sapphire, the other scarlet. "Don't you know its rude to keep family waiting?"
"What is this?!
Not so fun when the shoe's on the other foot now, is it?
You once told me to lick your boots. I'll take a page out of your book. I command thee...KNEEL."
"What's wrong? Naruto snarled and Morgott grunted as a boot stomped down on his throat, pinning him in place. "You were talking a good game a second ago." A golden ax swept down, shimmering in the light of the sun. "Then I blew your legs off." The giant reached down. Squeezed. "What was that you called me, old man...? I believe it was something along the lines of being a Runt? Well, now...
"THE ERDTREE IS MINE."
EDIT: Hey, you made it! Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day!
Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back from work~!
R&R~!