A/N: BEHOLD~!
We return early once more! So much work went into this particular chapter...we're exhausted.
That said, long chapter ahoy! Hope you enjoy the effort here. Looking forward to your feedback after work~!
Slifer's computer is fixed; together, we're working on Father of Monsters, among several old favorites. So you'll have those to look forward to.
In other news, I was recently promoted at one of my jobs. Extra pay is nice, but the chaotic hours are doing my head in. Might affect my updating schedule for a bit. I'll try to keep things steady as best I can. Still, That delay on Tuesday/Wednesday really worked out in my favor, it changed this chapter from an ordinary one into something...extraordinary.
Nearly retired with the site breaking, but I'm still here and still writing for now.
We'll see if folks enjoy it. If they do, great! Weekly update, much like Shed no Grace on Me and Witch. If not, it'll be updated later.
Alas, depression's starting to hit real hard these days. Even after fifteen years on this sit, 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 now I'm stuck trying to find a psychologist. *siiiigh* Don't mind the rambling of this geezer...
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.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes or memes. They're tributes to legends far greater than little 'ol me.
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.
In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
And as a warning, someone goes full Maul here.
Oh, yes. That Maul. You'll see.
A brief Obi-Want moment as well.
Had the Elden Ring Soundtrack blasting while writing this, and it helped a ton.
Naruto and Maria finally get their chance to shine, and its bloody glorious.
Emphasis on bloody~!
"Why are you laughing! Stop! STOP LAUGHING AT ME!"
"I'm sorry-oh, wait! I'm not! I can't help myself! You think you know me?
You think I languished for years thinking nothing of you, nothing but this this moment?
You delude yourself. Even now, you honestly believe that my entire reason for doing this -all of this!- is because of you. Yet you ask why I laugh? You're not even a footnote. And now the perfect tool for my vengeance is right in front of us. Here, in my hand. I never planned on killing you...
...but I will make you share my pain."
~A reference.
I Command Thee
In the days that followed, Naruto settled in to wait.
His aunt and uncles would come for him, he knew; it wasn't merely a matter of if, but when. They had to, if only to preserve their honor. With the aid of Fortissax he had dealt them all a humiliating blow back in Leyndell; in leaving them alive he'd all but guaranteed that they would come howling for his head with the fury of a thousand storms.
Good.
He wanted his family angry. Anger meant they wouldn't be thinking straight; that they would be distracted. They might even attack him all at once. That might be fun. He was looking forward to bringing the lot of them low, to breaking them, making them see the errors of their ways, and if they refused to...killing them once and for all. Destined Death would see it done, one way or another. You see, their bullying wasn't the root of the problem; it was merely a symptom; the mindset that allowed them to do so.
He was going to shatter that mindset, as surely as the Elden Ring itself.
One such shard had come to him recently; he'd snatched it on his way out the capital. It shone in his chiseled chest even now, a bright promise of things to come. Its blessing was a potent one, raising all his attributes that much more; enough to make him downright dangerous. This particular Great Rune was known as the anchor ring, found in the center of the Elden Ring. The irony of that wasn't lost on him. The first true demigods were The Elden Lord Godfrey and his offspring, the golden lineage.
All others had come afterward.
Fitting then, that He be the one to set things right.
He was a Shardbearer now, through and through, and he wondered when his fellows would strike first.
Would it be Radahn? The oaf was certainly noble enough to announce his intentions beforehand. That one might actually face him alone.
Malenia, maybe? She had sworn bloody vengeance against him after all. Miquella might be dragged into whatever sordid scheme she concocted, but then again she might not. She was overprotective of her twin, and her Scarlet Rot made her a viable threat, possibly even the most dangerous among the demigods.
And speaking of twins, that brought him to the Omens. Morgott likely wouldn't leave Leyndell unless provoked, but Mohg seemed the sort to try something dastardly. He'd take precautions against that.
Last but not least, there was Rykard. Hopefully he'd learned his lesson and would stay away. After the beating he'd given him, he'd surely know better...hopefully.
There was also an outlier of course, but he hadn't heard from HIM in quite some time. Wherever old Malekith was, he wasn't here...
.
..
...matters for later, he supposed.
All told, Stormveil was probably going to face a wave of attacks in the future.
Yes, regardless of whose face it wore, conflict was inevitable. One way or another, his fellow demigods would come to Stormveil. He'd be more than happy to take the fight to them, but unfortunately he couldn't sally forth to meet any of his kin without looking like the aggressor or worse; leaving his home unprotected. And so it fell to him to make ready.
Let it not be said that "Godrick" was lacking; he studied his foes thoroughly.
He exchanged letters with Rennala regularly, and so gained an insight into Radahn's vaunted gravity magic alongside Rykard's blasphemous hexes. The knowledge proved...illuminating. He researched both the Outer Gods and the lore of the Haligtree alongside the misbegotten and wretched that Miquella and Malenia so seemed to favor. Legend had it a blind swordsman had sealed away a being bearing the Scarlet Rot before. Finding such a being proved impossible, but that research bore fruit in its own way. He even delved into the depths of the capital to find the remnants of a certain shackle.
As to the other...well.
That one he bought off an enterprising bandit.
Luck favored him, and he gained another follower that day.
Patches was a sketchy sort, but he knew strength when he saw it and swore his loyalty sure enough when faced with the prospect of a fight. He seemed the sort to flee at any sign of real danger, but that suited him just fine. Morgott and Mohg's shackles would serve him better than the man ever could. The man would serve him better as a merchant and purveyor of information that a problem combatant. And besides, Alexander seemed to like him, which meant little Theresa liked him, and that, as they say, was that.
Nor did he settle for merely recruiting.
Over the span of the next three months, Stormveil's relatively archaic defenses were fortified tenfold; parpaets were mounted with heavy repeating crossbows, and trebuchets, the walls both expanded and strengthened, the better to protect the town and its people from the coming battle. Knights were sent out on patrol regularly. Scouts prowled the borders of Limgrave -really ought to change that blasted name once he won this war!- and he himself began to camp outside the castle with his guards, the better to respond to any crisis that might spring up in his absence.
There were other matters of the realm to attend to, of course.
The women and children would be evacuated to the inner keep for safety while the soldiers prepared. Stormveil could be rebuilt if any damage came to it. Innocent lives could not be so easily replaced
Meanwhile he had twenty good men, elite warriors in his personal guard, with a ragtag army of nine thousand men and other mercenaries besides. Nine thousand was a good number. He liked nine. His aunt and uncles outnumbered them at least five to one, but they would have to face him here, on his turf, on his terms. And he'd stacked the deck in his favor.
Remarkably, Maria and Yorshka proved surprisingly cooperative in that regard, almost eager to spend their nights together under the stars. He was sure those two were up to something, but he never had time to figure out what.
Nearly three months after the Godsmeet, the scouts spied an army on the horizon.
The promised attack had come.
He was ready.
(.0.0.0.)
The army prepared to march.
"Lord Godrick!" A pale man swept the tent flap aside and stumbled inside, gasping for air. "Lady Malenia has made contact! She demands that you to meet her on the field of battle alone! Failure to comply will see the city put to the torch!"
"A challenge?" he recognized his steward and stood slowly in the shadows, sun glinting off his bare, broad chest. "Alright. Fetch my ax, Gostoc. And make sure Theresa is ready with our little...surprise."
His steward paused, not quite comprehending why he was so eager to answer. "My lord? Surely you don't intend to meet her demands?"
Naturally. This was Malenia they were talking about, after all. He couldn't wait to rub her nose in the mud.
"But of course." Bright eyes burned bright in the gloom, one sapphire, the other scarlet before he mastered himself. "Don't you know its rude to keep family waiting?"
The messenger winced and began walking backward, head still bowed. "...as you will, my lord. I shall see it done.
Naruto frowned at him. "One last thing before you go, Gostoc."
His steward tensed. "Yes, sire?"
"I found another serving girl warming my bed this morning." he pivoted to face him with a frown. "I don't remember inviting her into my tent. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now, would you?"
The silence was decidedly telling.
Cheeky, sneaky little man. Gostoc made for a good steward but sometimes he just got the strangest ides. "So it was you! Stop throwing concubines at me!"
The pale man bowed deeper still. "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! Now get!"
The servant scarpered.
Maria and Yorshka entered as Gostoc beat feet, the latter sparing a look for the poor fellow before they reached his side. The former held no such mercy; she only had eyes for him. Indeed, she stalked right up to him and stared him right in the eye and...oh dear. He knew what was coming next.
"Malenia is here." It was not a question.
Naruto heaved a sigh. "She is...
"I demand to fight her."
Called it. "Maria, no.
"Maria, yes!" his Second planted both hands on her hips and leaned up to glare at him. "I can beat her! You know I can!"
Could she? Maria was a veteran when it came to blood arts and fire, both of which were Malenia's weakness. She was also skilled with a blade. He found himself tempted. It would be terribly entertaining to watch her beat down his aunt. Downright cathartic even. He could just picture the face of little miss "I Have Never Known Defeat" when she got her rotten arse handed to her.
"I'd like that," he said at last, "But I need you here, commanding the troops with Yorshka. You can't let Theresa out of your sight. She's pivotal to the plan.
She wasn't budging, bless her. "Yorshka can watch her!"
The draconic girl flinched at that. "Hey...
"I'm not insulting you dear," Maria roudned on her quickly, "You're simply not built to be a frontline combatant. I am, and our lord knows it." quick as a flash she whirled back to him and latched onto his arm. "Let me go with you!" She tugged insistently on his limb. I can fight. I can protect you. You know I can!
His shadow winced. "Maria speaks the truth, loathe though I am to admit it. You mustn't go alone. Its too dangerous."
"Are you alright?"
"No, I am not." she granted him a pained smile and looked way. "But thank you for asking. I will stay here, watch over Theresa...and get stronger." She bit her lip, either unable or unwilling to meet his eyes. "I am your Shadow. I should be strong. Not weak. I won't fail you again."
He gave her head a quick pat. "You haven't failed me. Never let yourself think that. Understood?"
Yorshka's tail began to wag happily. "I will remember those words, my lord."
Still, her pained expression stuck with him. He'd have to do something nice for her later to make up for it.
On a whim, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Yorshka squeaked, a decidedly soft sound, but adorable all the same. It reminded him of someone...who was it? He couldn't quite recall what they looked like. Maybe his memories were beginning to blur together after all. He recalled so very little of his old life beyond the basics these days. Sometimes it worried him. He still remembered all his old techniques, but the faces and places had grown hazy. Indistinct.
"That's not your fault."
He heaved a sigh. "I know, Kurama. I know...
Maria tugged on his arm suddenly insistent. "Lets be off! We've a bitch to kill!"
"Alright, alright." he sighed and with one last reluctant wave Yorshka's way, let his Second draw him out the tent. "I haven't decided if I'm going to kill her yet or not." he shrugged a shoulder when she made an annoyed noise. "Killing her here might unleash the Scarlet Rot, and I'd rather not have that on Limgrave's doorstep.
She scowled at him. "Surely you're not going to just let her walk away after she brought an army here?!"
"Now, now, I never said that...
...good." her face closed down. "That's good. In that case, since you already did it with Yorshka...
"Did wha-
Maria grabbed his wrist, took a deep breath for courage, tugged him down, and pressed her lips to his.
Then she pulled away, leaving his mind utterly frazzled.
"Have I made my position clear, now?"
Naruto nodded, dumbfounded.
"Good." she reached up to cup his cheek. "I shall kiss you again when this battle is over, my lord, and you can give me your answer then."
She sashayed away from him, hips swinging with intent.
"Now lets be off! We've a bitch to brutalize!"
(.0.0.0.)
Malenia saw him from afar.
There he was. Her "nephew" limping in on a cane.
She scowled at the sight of them, smug and insufferable as ever.
She'd chosen a grassy knoll for their meeting, the better to let him see the army at her back. Sixty thousand soldiers and her Cleanrot Knights besides, all ready and willing to wipe Stormveil from the face of the earth. It wouldn't be hard. She was confident in her warriors and the siege engines she'd brought besides. Stormveil might seem a tough nut to crack on the outside, but it, like any other castle, could not hope to stand up against a demigod. She would lead the charge herself if need be. After all, she had never known defeat.
And yet despite that, "Godrick the Golden" showed no fear.
If anything he seemed emboldened by the presence of her army, though he'd not brought his own.
"Dearest aunt!" She knew he was putting airs on the moment he opened his mouth. "How wonderful it is to see you again. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"..."
Malenia didn't deign to respond, not right away. She'd make him suffer a bit before she did. Instead her gaze sought out his companion. There was that churl beside him again, his Second who never left his side. What was her name? Ah, Maria. She was wary of this one. Not just as a woman, but a warrior. She looked capable. Granted, she'd never seen her fight properly back in Leyndeel, but the truly dangerous ones seldom did now, didn't they? None had seen Godwyn fight since the Day of Dragons, and he had been the mightiest of them all...until that night. Her hackles rose at the memory, souring her mood yet further.
"You were told to come alone."
"I'm weak, remember? His limpid smile immediately set her on edge. "I need all the help I can get. I cannot help but fear for my life.
He wasn't weak; else Morgott wouldn't have lost a leg back in Leyndell. He'd spoken little of the attack or his new bladed prosthetic foot, but really, who else would've had the motive to maim him thusly. Which begged the question; Who was Godrick, really? What was helping him? When had he concocted this elaborate ruse, where had he gained all these resources and most importantly, why had he done so, and most importantly, how had he hidden his strength from them for so long? Too many questions. They made her angry. Critical thinking had never been her strong suit.
"I don't see your shadow...
Her lips pursed at the painful memory. "They died."
As did all who came in contact with her, sooner or later.
His head bowed a little, pale hair lofting in the wind. "My condolences."
Malenia scowled. Those words rang falser than fools gold. "You don't sound sorry."
Oh, but I am." His head bobbed. "I'm sorry they had to put up with you for as long as they did. Death must've been a relief."
Little shit...!
She stepped forward.
He was quick to step back.
"You were so brave before." her mouth curled in a sneer. "Where has that bravery gone? Look what's become of you." she scoffed at him, lips curling in a sardonic sneer. "A coward crouching in his castle. Are you so afraid to face me in the field of battle?"
His gaze flicked over her, calm yet intense. "Look what I've risen above."
His words burned worse than the Rot within her. "Pardon?"
"Do I need to spell it out for you? You've always defined yourself by your own innate strength, Malenia." he shook his head slowly, tutting at her as one might a naughty child. "The power to kill, to dominate, to crush any who stand before you. You may think you have everything, but in truth, you have nothing. You are Queen of Nothing."
Her blade flashed out, savage the air between the three of them. "And what do you have?!"
His smile unsettled her deeply. "Peace. And I won't let you take that away from me."
There it was again. Unease. "You speak as though you have something I don't."
"I do." he spread his arms wide. "Its called perspective. You see only one path forward, one way out. Through me." one hand pivoted, palm held out to her. She was temped to strike it off at the wrist, but his words rooted her before she could. "Your darling Miquella told you to kill me, didn't he?" she didn't give him the satisfaction of responding, and so he saw her truth. "Thought so. Its always Miquella. Miquella this, Miquella that, Miquella, Miquella, oh dearest Miquella! Tell me, do you even think for yourself anymore? Well, when you're not trying to kill your own nephew."
"Nonsense!" she spluttered indignantly at him. "I can think for myself."
"Then why aren't you?" Godrick titled his head. "Of what possible use would my death be?"
Beside the fact that Miquella deemed it necessary for the greater good? "It'll make me feel better."
Maria clicked her tongue. "Then you are lost."
Malenia scowled at her. "Quiet, churl. Your betters are speaking-
Steel slammed against her still-outstretched sword, forcing her to jolt backwards in surprise as she hadn't in decades. Even as she leaped away Maria lunged in, thrusting for her face and forcing her to parry. She caught a hint of euphoria in the younger woman's eyes as their weapons clashed, a glint of graceful glee in her smile before up became down and she crashed into the ground.
Shame flooded her face. She'd only lost that engagement, but not the battle. Even so, it rankled her all the same.
"The only churl I see here is you, Blade of Miquella." Maria's voice rang out rich with scorn, echoing clear and resplendent across the plains of Limgrave to mock her. "My lord Godrick should be left well enough alone. But you won't leave him be now, will you?"
Malenia struggled to her feet, one hand over her face. "You dare...?"
"Oh, I know very well." Even in her dazed state she heard the harsh song of steel sweeping her way. "How your Rot beckons so sweetly...only an honest death will cure you now."
She blocked clumsily, to no avail; Maria sensed weakness and pounced like the huntress she was. In an instant their blades crossed once more, leaving the shorter woman to leer up at her. Such strength! She disengaged and swept a kick at her feet, only for her foe to draw another weapon from her belt and thrust it in her face. Malenia glimpsed a slender barrel, heard the click of a trigger, realized her peril a second too late. Golden eyes bulged beneath her helm.
With an earsplitting CRACK, her world went white.
Pain flared in her face and her golden helmet went flying with an awful clang.
A howl of pain rent the air and in her dazed state, it took Malenia a moment to realize it belonged to her. She crashed backward, clutching at her ruined ear.
"What was that...?!"
"That, dear girl, was a pistol." Maria's voice cooed in her ringing ears as she swayed on her feet. "An invention from my homeland, fueled by a lovely little thing called gunpowder. Do you like it? Unfortunately it can only store a single shot, but Hewg is certain he can improve on the design. Now that I have your attention...
As she looked on aghast, the swordswoman cast her spent weapon aside and took up her sword once more. With a fluid twist of the wrist, she broke the blade apart at the hilt, revealing a terrible dual weapon clutched in each hand. Her smile promised pain, death by a hundred cuts.
"I shall liberate that pretty head from your shoulders."
Godrick heaved a sigh, but made no move to intervene, the coward. "Maria, enough. We talked about this-
"No!" She snapped, the world a snarl. "You promised me five minutes! It's only been one!"
The Lord of Stormveil sighed. "Fine. You have four more. Don't play with your food."
Was this a game to them?
Malenia righted herself with an effort, pride seething inside her. The Rot writhed alongside it, but she forced it down, trusting in Miquella's needle to hold it at bay as it always had. She would not submit. She would win the day by the strength of her blade and nothing else. She could hear the murmurs of her soldiers. To unleash it here would devastate Stormveil, yes, but it would also destroy her allies. More than that, ascending would grant Godrick no small amount of satisfaction. She could just imagine his smirk, his laughter as he mocked her.
"You had to become a Goddess to beat me. How sad."
No! She would not use that power-would not become someone else. She refused!
"You caught me off guard." she brandished her blade with a click of her false arm and took on her stance. "I underestimated you. That won't happen twice."
"Child," Maria giggled merrily. "It will "happen" as many times as I wish."
Brat. Perhaps killing her would break Godrick after all-
Steel filled her vision once more; this time she was ready for it. She pirouetted and parried, slashed her across the chest in vicious crosscut. Maria didn't even try to defend. She took the wound on her collarbone in stoic silence, uncaring as it cut her pretty pale skin and lunged forward, savaging her chest in a graceful counter. Malenia grit her teeth too late, unable to choke back a pained cry. Fresh agony wracked her body as steel kissed rotten flesh, tearing through her armor. Her fur mantle fell away, dragging her red cloak alongside it and much cloth besides to bare a rotten, calcified breast to the world.
A gasp went up from her shoulders.
Maria preened. "Not so smug now, are we?"
Her temper
They fell upon one another in a storm of swords,
Her rotten Great Rune allowed her to heal for every blow struck, but every wound Maria took remained. Her pale skin seemed almost ghost white now, deathly pale. And yet still she smiled.
She was as relentless as she was terrifying, uncaring of her wounds so long as she managed to hit her. She found herself growing a wary respect for her even as they tried to kill one another. Was she truly mortal? She didn't fight like one. Unknown to pain, unflinching in the face of her wounds, undaunted by the challenge before her, she relentlessly fought on.
It couldn't last.
Eventually the tableau had to be broken, and it was.
Malenia flowed around a sweeping cut, parried Maria again with a ring of steel...and slashed her neck.
Here at last, Godrick's second-in-command made a noise of pain. It wasn't a clean slice by any means or measure; she'd been aiming for the center of her jugular and only narrowly nicked the side by blind bloody bad luck instead. A normal warrior would have faltered, then fallen to blood loss.
Maria merely touched a hand to it with a sigh.
Godrick clicked his tongue in mild admonishment. "Two minutes."
Malenia flicked him an angry glanced, then looked back to the dying woman before her. "Do you realize now the extent of your folly? I am a demigod. And you...are just a mortal."
"Hmm." Maria pulled her palm away, gazing at her scarlet fingers with a rueful expression. "You're right about one thing. This is a bit of a problem now, isn't it?" her head tilted, blond hair lofting in a sudden breeze, and with it came a sudden shiver of fear. "I cannot defeat you in my current state...more's the pity." her full lips quirked upward in a small, sad little smile. "I had sworn never to use this again...
Malenia lunged.
Maria whirled to meet her and...drove both blades through her own stomach?! Malenia abandoned her charge in an instant, horrified by the sudden evisceration, unable to look away as the madwoman hunched over her weapons. Much to her dismay Maria driving them deeper, all but forcing them up and out through her back. What manner of madness was this? Had she just killed herself? It didn't make a lick of sense!
Maria withdrew her blades in a shower of crimson, the weapons now coated with hardened-yet-vile blood.
The very moment she did, her wounds began to close, sliding shut as said blood flowed over them.
"There, that's better, don't you think?" Her smile held an edge now. "Shall we continue?"
For perhaps the first time in her life, Malenia felt her confidence quiver.
It was like looking at herself, no, an early version of herself...
"What are you...?"
"I suppose that's the question, isn't it?" Maria shifted her weapon and touched a bloody hand to her face, uncaring of the stain she left behind. "I could give you any number of answers." half-lidded eyes regarded her most intently, one monster to another. "After all, I used to be so very many things before I got on that boat."
None of that made any sense!
"Speak plainly or I shall cut out your tongue!"
Godrick scoffed from the sidelines. "As if you could."
"Truth is often stranger than fiction, isn't it, my lord?" Maria laughed again, the broken giggle of a madwoman who had bathed in blood -buckets of it!- and been marked physically for it, if not mentally; a warrior who, like her, had never tasted the bitter sting of defeat. "Call me a shade, a memory of Yharnam, a prisoner of the Nightmare, now free." her blade rose, flicking toward her in a smooth salute. "I was the same as you, once. Proud. Arrogant. Strong. So terribly sure of myself, until I lost it all. This world is my chance at redemption, my oath is my bond, and I shan't let you take it from me."
Godrick raised his voice.
"If you're the Blade of Miquella, I suppose that makes me the Reaper of Godrick. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" her head tilted again with an awful crack as the grievous slice in her neck mended. "I'm very good at killing, you see. I've made something of an art form of it. Let me show you!"
She dove at her with and Malenia struck, only for her foe to vanish in a whirl of bloody mist.
A flicker and she was behind her again; her counter rattled her prosthetic arm and she felt something creak in her shoulder. She struck back and cut Maria deeply across the collarbone, only for the woman to laugh. Tainted vile-blood splashed across her arm, and where it touched, rust began to spread.
Malenia balked and disengaged in a flurry of blows, warding her blade before her. Miquella had made this very arm for her to replace the one she'd lost so long ago. He'd said it was indestructible. Had he been wrong after all? And this woman! What was she?! She was no demigod or Empyrean, or even a Shadow! She was mortal! How could she be this strong?!
Maria linked her weapons together once more and drew back for a lunge-no, a piercing thrust.
"You cannot possibly reach me-
She did just that.
A lance of vileblood crossed the distance in an instant to slam into her thigh. It pierced upward into her hip and kept going; simultaneously skewering her and sending her tumbling to the grass with a yowl of pain. She curled in on herself, gasping for air. It felt like her very blood was boiling in her veins...! The Scarlet Rot howled within her, leaking through her fingers to dribble drunkenly down upon the dirt. Grass withered and died where it touched.
"So that's it, then?" Maria turned her head and spat. "That's the infamous Scarlet Rot? I expected more."
Kill her. Kill her. She'd absolutely kill her...!
"One minute~!" Godrick chimed.
Maria seemed to take that as a challenge; for she raised her blades at her sides and adopted an entirely different stance. Her feet left the ground as she seemed to hover in the air. Blood rose in the air around her, no that wasn't quite right. She almost seemed to draw it inward, into herself, before expelling it in a violent explosion around her. Malenia rocked back on her heels warily, watching her hated foe alight nimbly on the ground. Maria cast her hat aside, allowing her now-blazing eyes to catch the light of the setting sun.
No words were given, no petty remarks made. The Hunter dove on her, blades blazing blood and-why was her blood on fire?!
For she had caught fire, or rather her armor had. It both broke Malenia's concentration and caused her to stumble back, scowling furiously. She patted herself down as best she could, glaring hatefully at the increasingly spotty patches of pale splotchy skin that shone through the gaps. Her armor was fast-becoming little more than threadbare rags now, barely preserving her modesty. Maria didn't give her time to do any more than that; she attacked with renewed ferocity, driving her back, back, back again with relentless dispatch.
Her attacks had reach before, but now they carried with them a blazing after-current.
One chance...!
Maria leaped into the air, preparing for her Waterfowl Dance.
Maria mirrored her-matched her!-bursting upright with such speed that the earth burst beneath her in a geyser of dirt and dust. They collided and all of Limgrave shook. Each strike met steel, then flesh, then steel again in a devastating spiral of destruction as they moved with greater and greater speed. This went well beyond a mere storm of swords, this was a dance of death, each trying to kill one faster than the other could heal.
Something had to give.
They both did at the same time.
Malena's sword found Maria's chest even as the rapier tickled her skull...!
Someone slammed down between them, conjuring a plume of smoke. Malenia felt something pushed the two of them apart like a pair of naughty children. She landed hard on her rear, even as Maria stumbled back in a swearing rage. Fury mounted within her as well. Who dared interrupt their duel?! Who dared deny her the sweet taste of victory?! She would have their head! She would-
"Time's up, Maria."
Malenia whirled, incredulous as Godrick walked through the dust, leaning upon his cane
Maria looked like she might protest, but subsided at his glare. "...very well. I bow to your will, my lord."
Malenia saw her chance for what it was and backpedaled quickly, reaching for her helmet only to remember she'd dropped it. She found it sprawled on the ground not a yard away, caked in blood and dust, one of its two wings blasted clear off by Maria's eldritch pistol. She'd need to have a new one made. Donning it now would only bring her shame. She turned away from it to glower hatefully at her nephew instead.
"You think she can defeat me?"
"I'm tempted to let her finish the job, but no." Godrick rolled his shoulders, divesting himself of his green cloak. He stood proud, pale skin gleaming in the sunlight. "She's had her fun and embarrassed you. Now she's going to watch you fall."
Oh, dear. Malenia lifted her chin and tried to put on a brave face despite her wounds. "I have never known defeat."
"You're about to." he spread his arms wide. "Bit of a bad day for you, isn't? Watch closely now.
The weak, helpless boy before her shattered like so much glass.
Oh. So he'd been an illusion after all.
For only the second time in her life Maria found herself looking up at someone; he was nearly a head taller than her, not towering like Radahn, but large and well-built all the same. Gone was that pale wraith. In his place stood a monster straight out of myth, lazily leaning upon not a cane, but a mighty golden axe. Her confidence flickered like a candle in the wind. Small wonder Rykard and Morgott had lost to this. Still, size clearly wasn't everything, and his second was thoroughly exhausted. She just had to close the gap and be done with it, surely. Even wounded as she was, she at least had a chance...
"Catch."
Something sailed through the air. Malenia snatched at it feverishly, stiff fingers fumbling.
A golden flask awaited her, filled with red liquid and sealed by a wax stopper.
She squinted at it, then back to him. "...what is this?"
"A flask of crimson tears." Godrick waved a large hand at her. "That should heal you, despite your Great Rune. Drink up."
"Have you lost your mind?" she balked at him, made incredulous by his sheer stupidity. "This might be your only chance to defeat me."
"Even so." he crossed both arms before his broad chest. "I want to crush you at full strength." His smile made her shiver. "I'm gonna take you," a hand rose before her, clenching into a fist. "And then I'm gonna break you."Nothing else will satisfy me."
...so you say."
She uncorked the flask back and drank deeply. Whatever it was, the concoction was strangely sweet. If he was trying to poison her, he would be disappointed. The Scarlet Rot warded off all toxins; after all, one couldn't be poisoned twice. Her wounds began to mend, slowly but surely as she drained the contents down to the last drop. Her heart hitched in her chest and the world lurched for a moment, bringing with a brief feeling of dizziness. She shook, cast the now-empty flask aside off and turned to face him.
Her blade sang as she took up her stance. "Are you prepared to die?"
...focused as she was, she missed Maria's slight smile.
But that's a story for another time.
"You once told me to lick your boots." her nephew tittered softly. "I'll take a page out of your book." His axe rose. "I command thee...KNEEL."
"Never!"
"You will, by the end of this." he shook his head, setting his long hair swaying, whiskered cheeks dimpling in a small smile. "Just wait. You'll see."
In that moment, Malenia nearly unleashed the Rot upon him. It was only her brother's words that held her back. Miquella had told her not to Bloom. So she wouldn't. She would not dissapoint him, not after he'd given her so much. She would win this battle, burn Stormveil to the ground, and make him proud. Miquella was all that mattered. He was the only hope for the Lands Between. The thought centered her.
Breathe.
Calm yourself.
Watch his legs for movement and-THERE!
She led with a thrusting lunge that carried her forward, intending to pierce Godrick clean through and be done with it...
.
..
...she missed. Impossible. She couldn't have missed. He was three feet in front of her. Where-
Her stomach opened in a shower of blood.
Malenia balked and clutched at it to keep her organs in...only for her hand to grace her unharmed stomach. There was no wound. None at all.
Had she imagined it somehow?
"What's wrong?" Godrick tilted his head, eyes dancing. "We're just getting started."
Focus. Malenia took a step forward, drawing well within his striking range. She would close the distance and-
Her prosthetic arm came flying off in pieces of porcelain alongside the other half of her body as her torso split in two and flew apart.
Malenia kicked backward with a yelp, only to find herself whole once more.
"Godrick" kept right on smiling. "You're not going to approach me?
"No more tricks!" Malenia scowled and surged forward.
Her eyes met his as his axe swept down with murderous speed. She tried to block but her blade shattered and his weapon passed through, unimpeded to strike true. Her head flew from her shoulders, shedding hair and scarlet blood as it tumbled through the air. Her skull bounced struck the ground and bounced once before rolling to a halt at his feet. She gawped up at him, mouth open in mute horror, golden eyes staring blankly back at him as the light faded.
Then she was back again.
And she understood.
Her own death.
That was was what she'd seen; she'd instinctively sensed it, watched it play out in her mind's eye. Three times. She'd seen herself die three time in as many seconds.
This was different from Maria. Somehow, instinctively, she knew she was facing an altogether different beast. Not an even match, but something...more.
Gulping she dared another step, eliciting the tiniest of twitch from him. He shifted just so, and she saw death in his eyes. She braced herself for it, felt the fear wash over her, and willed her imagination to be silent. Her every instinct was shrieking at her now, howling at her to fly, to flee, to retreat-but that would mean accepting defeat.
She managed to stand her ground, but only just.
Her nephew wasn't nearly so patient. "If you won't make the first move, then I will~!"
His axe swept in and she parried low, sparks spraying between their weapons. Her already rusted metal prosthesis creaked horribly but she managed to wrench herself aside and send her slender blade racing up the haft of his weapon. His lips parted in vulgar glee and her world inverted and an open palm crashed into her stomach. A brief flash of blue light was her first warning, followed by the keening whine of a technique she'd never seen before and then-
"Rasengan."
PAIN! Oh gods, the pain! Makeitstop!
That single snarling spell was worse than Maria's burning blood, a thousand times more painful...and powerful. Breath burst from her lungs as she tumbled backwards; head over heels, then arse over elbow, down the hill toward her army. The rest of her armor -what little remained after her tussle with Maria- was summarily shredded in the tumble, leaving her clad in naught but the awful growths of the Scarlet Rot. For once, Malenia found herself inordinately grateful for her curse. The awful calcification of her body preserved some small semblance of her body's modesty, though it did nothing to conceal her shame.
Was this what Godrick wanted from her? To see her naked and afraid, cowering before him? She would not bow. She would not submit. Not to him. Never to him.
She tried to stand, only to realize she was missing an arm. Her right arm. Confusion gave way to hoarse horror.
Her prosthesis had gone flying in the tumble, taking her blade with it. Where...?!
It landed at her feet in a dull clatter of dented metal, startling her terribly.
Godrick loped down the hill, face carved from stone.
"Pick it up."
Malenia hesitated. Fear wormed its way into her heart. She stepped back.
"No, no, no." Godrick wasn't having it. "You don't get to run." He kicked the limb her way. "Pick. It. up."
She heard her followers cry out in the distance; saw several of them perish now as a smiling Maria carved a line of burning blood barrier between them and her. There would be no aid on that front from her army. Not that with that abomination standing guard. Her pride wouldn't have allowed it in any case.
Godrick hummed. "Be a dear and keep them there, won't you?"
She smiled over her shoulder at him. "...of course."
Malenia stilled. Ah. So that's how it was.
Fight or die. Those were her choices.
If that was to be it...!
She snatched her arm up, dragged it to her shoulder, and locked it into place once more.
Godrick smiled. "That's the spirit."
They collided once more, this time she let his weapon sweep down, embedding itself in the ground. She raced up its length and flew at him with a snarl.
Surely her Waterfowl Dance would put an end to him. He was too close to evade.
She was right on that account. Godrick didn't dodge her slashes.
He tanked them.
"Slow!" He straightened up under the barrage of slashes, teeth flashing brilliantly in the light of the waning sun.
A bead of sweat ran down her brow. She flung herself into the second leap with great vigor, blade blurring.
He laughed at her, uncaring of the wounds that opened up all over his body. "Sloppy!"
With her third and final leap, she chopped down at him in a snarl.
"SAD!"
One last flurry of slashes and then he was through, grinning like a lunatic, uncaring of the countless shallow cuts criss-crossing his upper torso.
An open palm swept up, caught her face and slapped her clean out the air like an annoying gnat. She struck the ground and kicked off it, only for his fearsome shadow to fall over her once more.
...wait. Why did she hear boss music all of a sudden?
Wasn't she supposed to be the boss here?!
His almighty axe swung so hard it physically caught fire before it struck her. She had no choice but to block; unfortunately doing so forced her down on one knee, braving her blade with both hands just to stay alive. Down he struck again and again, forcing her other leg down kneeling now against the relentless barrage of one-handed blows. The ground cratered beneath as she was forced lower and lower to the ground with each strike. She found herself reminded of a child's game she'd once seen when she was small; where one would smash down a series of wooden pegs with toy hammer.
She realized what she'd done, what she was doing, what position she was in, a heartbeat later.
"Well, well, well." Her nephew laughed at her; it was a deep, boisterous sound that set her blood boiling. "Would you look at that. You're kneeling."
Shame flooded her face. "Not by choice!
"Yet you still kneel."
"Damn you...!" she slashed upright, narrowly deflecting another swing of his axe. It gave her time to scramble to her feet. "I won't let you win!"
Godrick tilted his head. "Is that it?"
...what?"
"You really think you know me, don't you?" he lowered his axe, thumbed a thin line of blood from his lips and scoffed down at her. "You honestly think I languished for years thinking of nothing but you, nothing but this moment. You built me up as a monster in your head." a bitter chuckle escaped him. "To me? You're barely a footnote." Up came his mighty hatchet, hanging over her head. "And now the perfect tool for my vengeance is right in front of us. I never planned on killing you, but I will make you share my pain."
His battleaxe was upon her in an instant. She dodged it.
Not so the attack that followed; his boot caught her in the ribs and launched her back up the hill, away from her army.
"Classic demigod arrogance." He walked up the rise after her, hands clasped behind his back as she struggled for air on her hands and knees. "You think that if you hit something really hard, it'll go away. That's a weakness all of Marika's children share. Even myself, to some extent. Cruelty is not born, it is taught."
A hand swung down, seized her by the hair, and hoisted her upright. She whined in pain, to no avail. His grip was ironclad.
"That was why I endured your torment." he hissed at her, snapping in hr face. "I wanted to hope. I wanted to believe. I wanted to give you all every chance to change...and you squandered them. Only Ranni listened. And we all know what happened to her now, don't we?"
Malenia finally got her breath back and slashed at him frantically; bringing her blade around backward to cut her hair and denying Godrick his grasp. Her terrible tormentor didn't even bat an eye as she kicked off his chest and launched herself away.
"You were told that might makes right, that you're destined to become so much more. But you're not." his head shook in mild dismay. "Not really. You're a tool for your brother. You'll be cast aside, like all the rest.
She rushed him with a scream.
Godrick whistled and his ax came hurtling in, slamming into the ground beside him, forcing her to abandon her headlong rush and back off.
He hefted the hatched as though it weighed no more than that a feather. "Do you honestly think he loves you?"
Of course he did...didn't he? Her face burned. "You know nothing!"
"I KNOW EVERYTHING!" Here at last the mask slipped and she saw the beast within; the rage he kept so tightly leashed, snarling just beneath the surface. "I know what's going to happen here. I know how all this is going to end." he raised a hand and held out three fingers, counting down one by one. "The supplication of Malenia. The whimper of Radahn. The death mewl of Morgott. Felled by their own hubris. I know what Miquella's plans are, and I know exactly what Mohg wants." his smile turned ugly. "Or should I say whom?"
Malenia ran a hand through her hair, mourning its lack of length and the stray strands falling through her fingers. Her cut had been a rough and ragged one, leaving the scarlet tresses just shy of her shoulders.
She'd loved her long hair. It would take years to grow it back, assuming the Rot let her.
For that, she hated Godrick more than ever. "What are you getting at?!"
"You really have no idea, do you?" her nephew barked out a laugh. "It's been so long, and my path has been so dark, darker than I would've liked...but I survived. I endured, because I saw what was coming. They won't."
Something in his words made her shiver all over. "What are you?"
"Many things." Godrick's smile was colder than the Mountaintops of the Giants. "But for you? Retribution."
She stepped back and assumed a trembling, exhausted stance. "I've defeated you before, and I can defeat you again."
He tilted his head yet further. "Don't be so certain. I was holding back, there. Let me show you what Destined Death tastes like."
"Rah!"
Malenia twirled, slamming her blade down in a spiteful attempt to take Godrick's foot. He sidestepped and she realized her mistake too late; she was wide open. Suddenly there were three of him, two doppelgangers appearing in a plume of smoke on either side of her. She struck at one, only for another to swing at her exposed flank. Rotten blood flew through the air and agony seared down her spine as she danced backward to disengage-
Errors were made.
Two axes struck her from left, then right, smashing down into his collarbone. One of them found her prosthetic arm. It buckled with a tortured groan of metal.
She choked out a gasp and tumbled away. "What is this?!
"Not so fun when the shoe's on the other foot now, is it?" Godrick shunted her blade aside, grabbed her by the throat and slammed her down to the dirt. "Theresa! Now!"
Mighty roots burst from the ground around Malenia, snaring her arms and legs, no, more than that; crushing them. She struggled mightily against them to no avail. They were strong; far stronger than a mere tree had any right to be. That brief moment of inattention cost her most dear. Her false arm was torn away from her in an instant with a horrible squeal of grinding metal, followed by the prosthesis of her legs, leaving the stumps of her limbs flailing uselessly. All that remained was her natural left arm and that was nowhere near enough to free her. Not without a weapon.
"No!" She cried out and kicked her mangled legs at him, to no avail. "Unhand me! I am Malenia! Blade of Miquella! I have never known defeat! Do you hear me?! Never! RELEASE ME!"
Godrick did no such thing. He simply held her there until the roots tightened around her torso.
She struggled one last time, body bucking, back arching, to no avail.
"Imprison her below," Godrick commanded his "clones" with a dismissive wave. "Let her drown in her misery. Take her to a cell and leave her to rot."
His doppelgangers reached down and took ahold of her, leaving those powerful tree roots to fall away.
Blind, animalistic panic set in.
No! Not like this! She refused to go like this! "Miquella shall avenge me! You'll see! There will be nowhere for you to run!
"Call for him, then." He planted his axe int he soil and rested both hands upon it. "I'll wait."
His doubles dropped her to the dirt unceremoniously, echoing his words.
Satisfaction flowered within her, dark and heady. She'd show him! He'd see! She and Miquella were bonded as only twins could be; she had but to call out to him and he would appear, coming to her side in an instant. She had hoped to spare him of this slaughter, but victory was all that mattered.
"Miquella!" She called to the empty air.
She was met with empty silence.
Her heart hitched. "Brother?"
Only the wind answered.
"Answer me at once!"
Crickets chirped.
Godrick shook his head. "Do you see now? Your brother has abandoned you, queen of nothing."
"No! Liar!"
"I hear you, Malenia."
Her nephew looked up, surprised. "Well, color me surprised!"
Fresh hope surged through Malenia. "Come to me! I need your help!"
"...I am sorry, sister." his voice rang with sorrow. "Sacrifices must be made."
Sacrifices? Surely he didn't mean her. Nay, surely not. He couldn't be that cruel. "Brother...?"
"You have fought long and hard in my stead, all without giving into the Scarlet Rot. I had hoped you might triumph, but it seems it was all for naught."
"But...!" she faltered as she hadn't since she was a small child. "You have to help me. You're my twin, my brother..."
"And this pains me more than you can ever know." his voice remained soft as a whisper. "But sacrifices must be made for the greater good. You will be reborn in the new era I create. Cleansed, perfect, whole. This will all seem a bad dream." There was something in the way he said that last part, a chill that made her blood run cold. "Go to your rest, now."
Miquella...?
Malenia heard a faint clink. Something metal landed at her feet. Baffled, she looked down and beheld the fruit of her brother's bitter betrayal. The needle. Miquella's Unalloyed Needle, painstakingly thrust into her flesh so long ago, now crumbled away before her very eyes. She grasped at it with fumbling fingers, only for it to fall apart in her hand.
And with its passing, Malenia felt the accursed Scarlet Rot began to stir within her of its own accord.
Contained for so long, it had grown and grown...and now it was unleashed. Not naturally as intended, but in a single towering wave. She was powerless to stop it, much less contain it. Godrick's doppelgangers faltered in the face of it, vanishing into plumes of smoke. The grass shriveled and withered beneath her feet. She could feel her vision going red, but she couldn't stand up, couldn't run. She was far too wounded and much too weak, her artificial limbs gone, and unable to support herself on a single arm.
"No!" She clawed at herself with her remaining limb. "Brother, please!" her voice piqued in a scream. "I don't want this!"
Godrick tutted above her. "And they call me cold."
"Farewell, nephew." Miquella's voice rang out above one last time, not even addressing her. "It pains me that we could not come to an accord."
Her nephew lifted his head to stare skyward as her body began to writhe. "This won't kill me."
"You overestimate yourself."
"And you underestimate your stupidity." he clicked his tongue. "You're throwing away a loyal ally and for what? On the off chance that this might slow me down?"
"She is not the first Malenia. Nor will she be the last. In the end, she will thank me for this."
Her thoughts fizzled out.
Not the first...?
Malenia felt something snap deep inside her. It felt like her mind. She could feel it fracturing, breaking, SHATTERING-
When her will broke, the Scarlet Rot rose yet further, coiling around her in a spiral, petals red to unfurl. Her second Bloom wouldn't be a normal one; her body might even be destroyed. The Rot had been forestalled for far too long; or perhaps it was simply disappointed in her failure as a vessel. Even now she could feel herself crumbling, her thoughts folding inward.
"Fascinating." the detached curiosity in Miquella's voice hurt more than any reject could. "I had wondered what might happen when she broke."
A sob tore out of her. "How could you...?!"
"Just give in, sister. It will be less painful. Farewell."
Malenia stretched a rotting arm toward Godrick. Help me!
Her nephew didn't respond. He was too busy glaring at the sky.
Her panic mounted, rising with the rot. "Should I bloom here, all of Limgrave will perish!"
Still nothing.
He wouldn't even look at her.
Rotten tears ran down her cheeks. "You're going to let me die, aren't you?"
Of course he would. Why wouldn't he? He owed her nothing-no, less than nothing. He loathed her. He'd all but said as much. Godric had been right after all. She truly was the Queen of Nothing, wasn't she? Once she helf power. Pride. Prestige. Now she only felt pain, and soon enough, not even that. In the end, she was a pawn. She'd always been a pawn. A sacrifice to be cast aside.
Warm arms enfolded her tormented torso.
Malenia jolted; as such, she was wholly unprepared for what came next. Godrick picked her up and tucked her against his chest. She made a noise of belated confusion-even moreso when he knelt and held her closer still, shielding her with his titanic body. He was...so very warm. Warmer than she'd thought she'd be. It was the first time someone had dared to hug her in a century.
"Now you know how I feel." his voice was a cool balm against her ragged nerves. "Betrayal sucks, doesn't it?"
She hadn't expected such kindness in her final moments.
And yet he hated her.
Did he not?
Was he really going to die here, with her? The thought should have brought her visceral pleasure...and yet...
"Release me!" She tried to push him away but couldn't with only one arm. "Have you no consideration for your life?! You'll die!"
"Done that before." he granted her a pained smile. "Didn't stick."
Her world fizzled. "Leave me! Please!"
His arms tightened around her.
...not a chance in hell."
Malenia whimpered.
How absurd it was that her most enemy showed her more kindness than her own betraying bastard of a brother. That kindness broke her. Everything she'd thought about him was wrong after all. Mother had been wrong, and more fool she for letting Marika pour poison in her ear. Godrick wasn't the Runt of the Litter. He was the greatest of them all.
And now he would die with her.
"I'm sorry, Godrick! I'm so sorry!" She clung to him with her good arm, all that was left to her, holding on for dear life. "I'm sorry for everything!" Great heaving sobs wracked her body as she buried her head in his chest with a low wail. "For all of it! Every bit of it! Please forgive me!"
Godrick whispered something in her ear. Three little words.
Her eyes widened as she heard it.
"...!"
With that her self control shattered and the Bloom burst from her back in a wretched climax, showering the world in Scarlet Rot. Voices cried out in horror around her. She heard Maria's horrified scream, and couldn't even feel any satisfaction for it. This was the end. Everything was over. It was all, all of it, finished. She'd taken too much damage and would surely crumble away in his arms. They died together. At least she wouldn't go to the void alone.
Something warm graced her lips.
Dazed as she was, it took Malenia a moment to realize what was happening.
Godrick had pressed his mouth to hers. He tilted his head now, deepening the kiss further.
And with his kiss, she felt the Rot drawn out of her like poison from a bad wound. First it was tugged from her core, to her chest, then to her lips and into him. He drained it from her as one might water from a broken sieve. All around them, the Scarlet Aeonia sputtered and died, leaving the hill blackened and charred, but Limgrave untouched.
Nor did Godrick stop there.
He took all her poison and pain and powerlessness into himself, draining every last drop of Scarlet Rot from her body. And as he did, Malenia could've sworn she heard something scream deep inside her; the angry wall of an Outer God howling imprecations as it was sucked clean out of her into him. By the end, it almost sounded like it was begging, trying to bargain with him, pleading for MERCY-
Godrick drew back, breaking their lip-lock and the begging voice died with a raspy whisper.
He released her gently, setting her down on the ground.
There was no pain; why wasn't there any pain?
Malenia propped herself up with her good arm and blinked down at herself, balking now as the calcified bits of her body began to heal, baring the nakedness of her crippled form to him in its entirety. Her mangled limbs began to itch and she resisted the urge to scratch at them in a daze. She knew she should be panicking, but she was too shocked -stunned!- to be embarrassed by it all, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.
The Scarlt Rot was gone. She could no longer feel it within her, not even the tiniest of whispers. For the first time in her life, she could move without pain.
Her savior loomed over her, shining like the sun. Here in this moment, she felt he'd earned his epithet.
Godrick the Golden indeed. She balked at him. "Your strength...extraordinary. What have you done? What did you use...?!"
"Destined Death." Her fellow demigod exhaled in a plume of red steam. "I used it to draw the Scarlet Rot inside me," he thumped his chest with a fist, "And killed it."
...how could one possibly slay the essence of an Outer Goddess?!
Death was the great equalizer she supposed, but still!
If he could do that to a Deity beyond the stars...
...what could he do to her?
More importantly, what was to become of her now? Yes, she'd apologized to Godrick. Meant it, even. Did that excuse a lifetime or torment? It did not. Nor did it change the fact that she was now effectively powerless without the Scarlet Rot. She remained an Empryean, yes, albeit a crippled one. One arm and no legs. Her prosthetic limbs were lost to her now, all but destroyed in the battle. She didn't qualify as a proper combatant anymore. Without them, without her sword, she felt weak and vulnerable as she'd never been before. She was entirely reliant on his mercy and they both knew it.
Godrick considered her for a long moment.
Malenia quailed under his gaze. "Are you going to kill me?"
"Should I?" he cocked his head, rather reminding her of a fox. "That depends entirely on you."
She wanted to live. The realization surprised Malenia. Despite the bitter betrayal she'd suffered, she didn't want to die just yet. If anything, she wanted answers. Why had Miquella cast her aside? Why had he turned on her in her moment of need? Why had he abandoned her? It wasn't like him to be so callous. The link between them had been broken, but she remained determined to find her twin; find him, and have her answers. And if he'd truly forsaken her...then there was only one path forward.
Revenge.
She would start with revenge.
It would serve as her purpose, for now.
Malenia dragged herself upright, propping her body up unsteadily on her remaining limb. It was a terrifying thing to try and interact with the world without one's legs. Everything seemed so much bigger from down here, somehow. She supposed she'd have to get used to it in the interim.
Was this what defeat felt like? She'd thought it would gall her. Burn, at least.
It did none of those things; it felt...freeing. Like a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
She understood, now. Everyone experienced defeat at least once in their life. It only made them stronger. The only way out was through, as they say. She knew what she had to do, what she should do, what she must do, if she wanted to preserve even the smallest scrap of her honor.
"I swear myself and my army to you, Godrick." she bowed her head to him and knelt as best her mangled leg stumps would allow, "Broken though I am. Let me be your Blade, as I was for Miquella, and I will not fail you."
He was not the monster she'd thought he was. She saw that, now. He'd thrashed her, yes, but only after she'd come looking for a fight. He would've been well within his right to kill her and still could. She dearly hoped he wouldn't. There was nothing she could do to stop him from bringing that battleaxe down on her head. She couldn't even use her arm and defend herself for fear of falling over. All she could do was raise her head, look him in the eye and hope that whatever he did, it would be quick. Her poor battered heart couldn't handle all this anticipation and anxiety.
His eyes met hers. The world held its breath, awaiting his judgement.
And then, with a shrug of his shoulders: "Alright."
Just like that?!
Godrick crouched down and swept her prone form up into his arms in a single seamless movement. Malenia squeaked. Belatedly, she realized he was carrying her as one might a princess straight out of a storybook. Heat speared through her cheeks but she didn't have the strength to protest; it was all she could do to keep herself awake after exerting herself so thoroughly.
...can't bring you back like this." he muttered absently, keeping her from sweet sleep. "Hold on a second...
He retrieved his green cloak from the grass, gave it a shake, then draped it over her shoulders for modesty's sake. Malenia sputtered anew. She knew what it meant for a man drape their cloak over a woman, even from one demigod to another. To make matters worse, he even tied a little knot in the middle to hold said cloak together, accidentally embarrassing her all the more.
"There!" he grunted, satisfied with his handiwork. "That'll do."
Malenia made baffled Malenia noises.
"I...you...did you just...?!"
There was nothing else she could say; nothing she could do but cling to him as he loped down the hill to face her army. More than a few cries went up at the sight of her; she could well imagine their shocking seeing her near naked and defeated, nestled in his arms, clinging onto him for fear of harm. She'd never felt so vulnerable in all her life.
Maria's smirk when she saw her was unbearably smug.
Malenia refused to look at her and instead focused her attentions upon the loyal men and women who had followed her hear. "The battle is over. Godrick and I have reached terms. Lay down your arms."
Maria wagged an eyebrow. "Seems those terms ended with you face down in the mud...
Malenia bit her lip and glared steadfastly at her army, silently willing her army to do the sensible thing.
A discontented murmur passed through her warriors. Most of her Cleanrot Knights obeyed, but the rank and file hesitated, glancing among themselves.
That wouldn't do. She mustered her flagging energy and rallied as best she could. "Lay down your weapons at once! I command thee!"
"KNEEL."
A single word from Godrick joined hers and rippled out among the masses in a shockwave.
Most knelt on the spot. Others remained rooted where they stood, paralyzed by sheer bloody fear from his voice.
"Unless of course," Her nephew-no, The Lord of Stormveil cracked his neck ominously. "You'd prefer Destined Death. That can be arranged."
Maria walked forward, blades drawn with a merry grin. "Please resist. My sword isn't satisfied yet."
Her words were the catalyst that sparked a mass surrender. Swords hit the grass. Axes tumbled to the floor. Shields clanked down. Daggers descended. Spears were thrust into the mud. Someone moved suddenly-Malenia never really knew who-and just like that, they were bending the knee. Her army, a force sixty thousand strong, knelt to them in a singular wave passing from the vanguard to the army's flank. She couldn't be certain if the lot of them were kneeling to her, or Godrick. She supposed it didn't matter. She was hardly in any shape to command anyone, anymore. Really, it was a miracle they'd obeyed her at all.
"Great~!" Godrick hummed his approval. "All's well that ends well. Now lets...
Malenia felt herself slipping. Keeping her eyes open was a battle, one she found herself losing.
Oh, she tried to listen and stay awake, mind you, but after the day she'd had, she just couldn't be arsed with this anymore.
Freed from the stresses of command at last, her body finally failed her.
She slumped in Godrick's arms and blacked out.
A/N: Scene~! Didn't see that coming, did you?
Malenia has been bested, once and for all. Body, mind, and spirit.
She might be a completely different person by the time she wakes...won't that be a fun scene?
Well, what say you? Should this remain a story or not? It'll likely be rated M soon 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)
He did not expect Yorshka to be so opposed to the idea. Maria, yes, but Yorshka...?
"You cannot be serious. You're sparing her?! She was your enemy!
Was. She was betrayed, just like me, and she's seen the error of her ways. That's reason enough to spare her.
"She's a one-armed crippled for crying out loud!"
"If she doesn't grow her limbs back, Hewg can forge her new ones. And a proper sword. If anyone can do that, its him."
Your kindness will come back to bite us. Mark my words!
Malenia creaked an eye open.
Theresa was leaning over her beside, grinning ear to ear. "Hello, auntie~!"
...who is this small sassy child?"
Onto the next battle.
"I'm an honest man. You had your chance. And you squandered it.
His axe bit deep into their skull.
I am Nepheli Loux! Show yourself, Godrick!"
Remarkably, he answered. A towering figure emerged.
...I had a door, you know." his voice stilled her. "You could have knocked."
Oh, dear. He was bigger than she'd thought he would be. Wasn't he supposed to be the Runt of the Litter?
His shadow fell over her. "Lets see how good you are with those axes."
Meep.
Rykard took a deep breath to steady himself.
The serpent beckoned, promising him power if he but yielded to it. And yet...
Lady Rennala? To what do I owe the pleasure?"
A crossbreed?" he regarded the quivering figure sprawled before him. "Now that's not something you see everyday. And who are you? How did you get here?"
So this is where you were hiding...Malekith."
A hooded head rose. "Why have you come here, nephew?"
"To snap you out of your funk. You have something of mine, and I've come to collect."
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~!