A/N: Double update day is a go!
Aaaand here we are. Post-Thanksgiving update, late though it is. Hopefully folks see this.
I'll say it plain, if this email opt-in business with the doesn't get resolved soon, I'm probably going to retire.
It HURTS to say that, but with this new system, reviews and readers have dropped to an all time low, authors are leaving the site in droves.
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 again. Gotta keep it interesting
Alright, I've kept you waiting long enough. Here we go. Hold onto your hats!
As ever, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one. They're merely tributes to those far greater than I.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
"Forget about tomorrow. Tomorrow is today.
You were born a dragon, and a dragon you shall stay.
~?
Lofty Ambitions
"So this is a great rune...
Naruto turned it over in his hand, considering it with a weather eye. Smaller than he thought. It didn't seem all that great. He wasn't even tempted to use it on himself. Godrick had, and where had that gotten him? Dead and rotting in the ground. No, he had no use for any of these so-called Great Runes. Moreover, he wasn't satisfied. His blood was still up; even now as he retraced his steps in search of Tomoe, he found himself gnashing his teeth. He'd been promised a fight, not a slaughter. Where was a worthy opponent when you needed them?
Not here, clearly.
Dark laughter echoed through the halls of his mind. "With an attitude like that, you'll find one soon enough."
His smile soured, taking his good mood with it "...you're being awfully chummy today, furball."
"...Kurama."
Naruto paused, one foot on a nearby stairwell. "Ha?"
"My name." came the answering growl. "I'm tired of the insults. Call me by my name."
Interesting. Usually they traded bitter barbs with one another. "We havin' a truce here?"
"Hardly." for all the silence of their surroundings, he heard the harsh sound of grinding fangs rend through his ears. "Killing a weakling doesn't make you strong. But you've proven yourself willing to kill all the same. For that, I'll grant you my name. Who knows? If you prove yourself capable of fighting someone WORTHY in the future, I might be willing to lend you some meager portion of my power."
He couldn't help himself. "So this is a truce!"
"Fool! It isn't! If you die, I die!"
"Whatever you say." Shaking his head, he stowed his Rune prize in a belt pouch. "Now where in blazes is-
"WE DID IT~!"
A bloody Tomoe leaped out of a side passage and tackled him. Laughed now, as he caught her by the waist and spun her around.
"We did it~!" she gripped his shoulders for balance and grinned at him as he swung her down to the ground. "We did it! The very moment he did she leaped at him again, looping her arms behind his neck and holding on for dear life. "We did it, we did it, we did it!" she pushed him into what remained of the wall Godrick had torn down, nuzzling his neck in her haste to get at him. "I knew we could!"
Her enthusiasm as contagious in every sense of the word; so much sot hat he couldn't contain himself either; he grinned like an absolute loon and swept her back into his arms, laughing as he did.
It had been all too easy for her, of course. Effortless even.
Maybe that was his arrogance talking. His ego. Everyone knew Godrick and Godefroy were runts of the litter. They did not have the strength of dragons. Still, they'd taken down two demigods and come away stronger for it; with not one but two Great Runes to show for their work. It didn't feel quite real somehow. But it was. He'd remember this moment for the rest of his life.
"You have Godrick's great rune, yes?"
He grunted and patted his pack. "Sure do."
"I have Godefroy's!" Tomore held up a curved crescent of a rune, interlocked with crescent parallel lines bathed in a strange amber light. "See?" her scarlet eyes all but sparkled with glee. "The old oaf spat this out when I lopped his head off.
"Well, that would explain the blood...
"Hmm!" she laughed anew and let him brush bits of viscera from her green hair. "I didn't think they'd be this weak. Its disappointing, really."
"On that, we agree." he tugged a bit of bone from her ponytail. "What now?"
She stepped back. "Ordinarily I'd say we need to clear the castle for Fortissax and his troops, buuuuut...
Naruto squinted at her. "...thought that was an awful lot of blood. Did you go on a rampage while I was chasing Godrick?"
"Ha~!" His second clasped both hands behind her back and skipped away. "I regret nothing! Really, its their own fault for being so weak in the first place."
He found himself following her with a roll of the eyes, gaze idly raking over the parapet and the walls beneath. Strange. Had those black vines always been there? He hadn't paid attention to them before; but he noticed them now. Ugly gnarled-looking things that dug their way into the very stonework themselves...
.
..
...where had all the dead bodies gone?
The gatefront had been filled with corpses earlier; brimming with them, really, his and Tomoe's handiwork alike. Now they were nowhere to be seen. All that remained were puddles of blood and desiccated bits of old armor alongside broken weapons alike. He didn't even see Godefroy's body amongst them. A shiver shot down his spine.
Kurama hissed in his head. "I don't like this."
"Eh?" Tomoe followed his gaze. "That's odd...where did they go?" Her eyes fell upon one of the black vines, closer than the rest. "These weren't here before." She nudged one with her foot. It twitched. She tilted her head at it. "Strange things. What are they?
He'd not seen these before, but hadn't someone told him about them? Black vines. He remembered hearing a story.
Tomoe reached out for the black fine. It reached back.
His sixth sense shrieked. "Don't touch it!"
The grasping tendril lunged!
Naruto hauled Tomoe back and caught it in his fist. Angry black thorns bit into his palm to draw blood. A sudden surge of weakness hit, driving him down to one knee.
With it came a harsh rasp of voice. A dark presence touched his mind. Something once Golden, now befouled. "I see you, little dragon...
"Enough."
Kurama snarled and crimson chakra rushed out of him-burning both his arm and the grasping tendrils. They died with a withering shriek, curling inward on themselves. The fox didn't stop there; that tainted energy raced across the length of the vine and spread to the others, racing away into the darkness with frightful speed. A low, sonorous groan emanated somewhere below the castle. The very earth rattled underfoot, shaking the fort to its very foundations.
Naruto knew why. There was something down there. He'd sensed it.
Tomoe clamored to her feet. "Young master?! Are you alright?! What was that about?!"
He waved her aside, massaging his bloody palm. It was healing, but slowly. The mark it left would remain.
And he remembered the story he'd been told. "That...was deathroot.
Tomoe drew herself upright. "Where does it come from...?"
He glared at the receding roots.
"Godwyn."
(.0.0.0.)
"You are certain of what you saw?"
Fortissax loomed large over them in his true form with wings flared, his great black bulk casting the very castle gate into shadow. Dragon knights flowed around his claws like a river; a torrent of marching men and women sent to reclaim the castle. Such would be their first foothold in the Lands Between. It should've been a cause for celebration.
All of that was made hollow by what they'd experienced.
"Definitely." Naruto remained where he was, sat upon the steps. "It tried to grab Tomoe before I burned it away."
His uncle rumbled a sigh. "...and where is she now?"
"Licking her wounds. I think she's rattled."
"Hmm. Understandable." as a dragon, his uncle remained ever inscrutable-unreadable to the last. "I have dealt with such before. Nearly fallen to it once before, in fact. We shall keep an eye out for it." he paused, no doubt guessing what he wanted, needed to hear. "If its praise you're after, you've more than earned it. You both did well. You've more than earned your rest."
Naruto balked at that. "Rest? But we're ready for another fight. They weren't even a challenge."
"And the other demigods WILL be." In an instant Fortissax assumed human form once more to stare him down. "Make no mistake; every foe you face from here on out will be the stuff of legends. Some may be too much even for you. You will need every bit of your strength for the war to come. Take this brief moment of respite for what it is. You shan't have another for quite some time."
Naruto opened his mouth. Closed it, when he saw his uncle's smoldering glare. There could be no arguing with that look.
A clawed hand settled on his head, mussing his hair. "Bide your time, boy. You do us proud."
Heat flooded his face. "If you say so...
"I do say so. Now rest."
(.0.0.0.)
"Rest, he says! Easy for him to say! He's in no hurry at all!"
Naruto gnashed his teeth as he paced back and forth in his temporary quarters. The action did little to assuage his anger. If anything it only exacerbated it. Outside of Fortissax's presence his temper was quick to return; without the elder wyrm to cow him he felt every bit as restless as he'd been before. Perhaps even moreso.
Tomoe stifled a yawn where she lay. "Are you that eager to leap back into the fray?"
He kicked at the floor. "We're here, we're ready, why wait?!"
"Indeed, you make a valid point...
They'd claimed temporary quarters for themselves by right of conquest; once they'd torn all the severed limbs away, Godrick's chambers were rather...gaudy. The man liked his jewelry. So did Tomoe apparently. She'd already claimed a few choice pieces for herself. She was wearing them even now, the gold and silver glinting in the low light of the full moon.
The bed itself was -thankfully!- unused if musty, so they'd managed to salvage that with a few fresh blankets.
What Naruto simply couldn't salvage, however, was his impatience. "Does he really think we aren't ready?!
"No need to be restless, young master." she laid a cooling hand on his forearm. "I feel the same."
"I don't wanna sit by and do nothing." he fixed her with a sharp glare. "I wanna be out there fighting the good fight. Making a difference, you know?"
And he did. They'd done a good thing here by taking down Godrick and Godefroy. The Lands Between would breathe easier with that filth cleansed from Limgrave. Surely anything the dragons did would be considered good and just compared to that madness. Surely! But to just stay here and wait until their next assignment...that rubbed him the wrong way.
"Someone's got a taste for blood."
"Is this going to be a thing, now? Are you just going to jab me whenever you want?"
"Boy, when you've lived as long as I have, you learn to take pleasure in the simple things."
Tomoe tugged at his arm, guiding him back to reality, and their shared bed. "You know, Caelid isn't far from here...
He frowned at her, catching that impish hint in her voice. "They said we couldn't go."
"No, they wanted us to deal with Godrick first. And deal with them we did."
"We wouldn't even know where to start."
She grinned. "Isn't that half the fun?"
"I know what you're doing." even a blind man could see what she was up to. Even so, he let her guide him down to the sheets and laid beside her. "You wanna go to Caelid for some reason.
Tomoe sputtered and faltered a little, humming noncommittally. "Purely to help you, young master."
He planted an open palm under his chin, propping himself up. "Spill it or we don't go.
"Fine!" Her eyes lit up, shining bright. "There are dragons there!"
"Oh?" he hadn't been told that.
"They're not ancient dragons, but they're still our kin." his second rambled on. "I was thinking we could recruit them for our cause.
"And?"
This time there could be no denying her blush. "I've also heard of a fascinating sword there as well, known as Moonveil.
Aha! And now her reason was revealed. "You want that blade, don't you?
"Maaaybe." She touched a hand to the ruined hilt thrust into her sash. "I swung too hard in the last battle and broke my blade. But a blade like that...just think of the things I could do!"
He rolled over. Felt his shoulder brush hers. "I thought you wanted Malenia's blade?"
"I do, I do!" she grinned and snuggled closer to him, as she hadn't since they were very small. "But that's a distant goal." her hand alighted over his, fingers absently threading within his own. "We're nowhere near strong enough to face someone like that. Not yet. Best to focus on the here and now. Speaking of which...
Her eyes rose to meet his. Her lips brushed his ear, whispering something to him.
"Dragons do not ask." she purred in her ear. "You could take me right now, if you want."
Well, someone was still blood drunk, clearly. That said, her words bothered him. "We aren't dragons Tomoe...
Not yet we aren't." she nestled closer, taking one of his hands and fiddling with the clasps of his armor. "We are weapons you and I." she shrugged off her robe, baring her bosom to him. "We are not meant to sit idly by. It is no sin to crave action, not when we can do better."
Kurama scoffed. "Ugh. Mortals and their copulating. Sleeping now...
"...!"
Just as well too, because Naruto's breath hitched in his throat at the look Tomoe gave him as she pulled away. It was only natural, really. Their blood was still up, their bodies stressed by the battle they'd craved but failed to find in Stormveil. There was only recourse, one way to burn it off, and no one to stop them this time.
Tomoe scooted close once more, closer, then closest still, until she was all but sitting in his lap. His hands absently settled over her hips to which she took full advantage, spooning herself against him. She barely weighed a thing, even less so when she leaned forward to press her head to his.
"You could stand to be bolder, young master. I'm not going to bite; well," she winked, "not unless you want me to...
He wasn't sure what he wanted from her. They'd always been together, but not in the truest sense of the words. They had trained together, laughed together, cried together. Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. This was only a natural escalation of that...wasn't it?
Tomoe leaned in and kissed him; softly at first, then with growing boldness. His hand found the cord binding her hair and tugged it free. Teal tresses tickled his nose, then she dipped down and nipped at his neck, nuzzling her. His hands settled on her hips and arched her head back with a happy hum.
"That's the spot." her hands settled around his trousers. "I thought you'd never notice."
A knock resounded on the door, cutting her short.
"Room's occupied!" Naruto clicked his tongue at it. "Go away. We're busy."
Remarkably, they did just that. No further attempts were made.
"No, wait." Tomoe held up a hand. "Don't you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"A presence." She sat up, tugging her robe around her breasts. A strange, half-lidded look crossed her face. "There's no point in hiding now, intruder. I can smell you."
As though summoned by those very words, an abrupt shower of blue light manifested in their chamber. Motes of it manifested in azure swirl taking on the proper shape and likeness of a hooded young woman. As they looked on she dropped to one knee before them and tugged back her hood, revealing a face framed by short reddish hair.
Her left eye, curiously enough, was sealed by some sort of claw mark.
"Greetings, young dragons." she spoke slowly, almost laconically. "And please, pardon the untimely intrusion. I would seek your aid."
Naruto was half tempted to seek her face with his fist. "You've gone some nerve barging in here. The hell're you?"
"My name is Melina." her good eye met his. "I would offer you an accord."
Tomoe sighed. "By barging into our room while we were mating. You're a blunt one, I'll give you that...unless you intend
Melina stared. She stared hard. Noted their state of undress. The bite marks on their necks. At length, her visible eye widened. Understanding -comprehension!- gleamed in her gaze. Was it his imagination, or did a hint of pink creep into her face just now? Whatever the case, she proved quick to master herself.
...such was not my intent."
"No?" Tomoe granted her a teasing grin. "I am not adverse to a mistress or two. Swear fealty and I may allow it."
"I was unaware!" Melina spoke just a bit too quickly as she bolted to her feet. "Is this a bad time? Would you rather I return on the morrow?"
Naruto flung up his arms. "Yes!"
"No, wait." Tomoe laid a hand on her chest. "I'm curious. Lets hear what she has to say while she's here to say it."
Melina looked like she'd sucked on a lemon.
"You each hold a Great Rune." The fact that she knew that at all had Naruto quirking an eyebrow, but Melina evidently wasn't one to care for societal niceties; because she barreled on despite his reservations. "The first in generations. No one, no Tarnished. has managed such since the Shattering.
Naruto felt himself frowning. "We're not Tarnished...
"Indeed you are not. Yet you are touched by Grace, still. Do you intend to fell the Demigods and restore order to this broken land?"
Tomoe opened her mouth...and closed it just as quickly when Naruto glared at her. He spoke for her sake. "In an sense. Why? Does that matter to you?"
"It does matter. It matters a great deal." Melina fell silent for a long moment, head hanging. At length, she raised her gaze once more. "I know where the demigods dwell. All of them, even those few of which you remain yet unaware." When next she spoke, she dodged their unspoken question as to how she knew such. "In time, you will surely seek the Erdtree itself. Take me with you on your journey and I shall aid you."
"Eager little thing, aren't you?" Tomoe crossed one leg over another. "And why should we agree to this?"
"The accord I offer benefits the two of you as well." Undaunted, Melina held out a hand to them. "All those runes you collected over these last few years. All those lives you snuffed out. I can turn them to strength."
Tomoe perked up. "Really? And how do you figure?"
Melina smiled softly. "A taste, then. Let my hand rest upon you for but a moment, and you shall see.
Naruto quirked a brow. "You could be an assassin."
She scowled at him. "I am not. Stop trying to provoke me."
"Hush, you!" Tomoe nudged his arm. "I'll try it. Lets see if she's bluffing."
Before he could evern think to stop her, his Second reached out and snatched Melina's hand. Something pulsed between them and she jerked back with a gasp. "Oh!
"Tomoe?!"
She turned shining eyes on him. "She's not lying!"
...this better not be a trick."
With a long suffering sigh he reached out and hooked his hand in Melina's.
His word burst into light and he felt something ignite in him. The proccess was quick. Instantaneous even. Every rune he'd ever touched since first meeting the Dragons ignited, seeking out the strengths and talents that he'd grown used to over a great many years. In a matter of moments he felt twice, no thrice as strong.
"What in blazes are you? A finger maiden?"
...not quite. Do you accept the gift I offer? If so, you need only take me with you." she bowed her head further when faced with their shared scrutiny. "Be assured, I am not your enemy."
Naruto sighed. "...you say that, but why on earth would be possibly trust a stranger like you?" he tapped a finger on his knee. "What's your angle...?"
"My goals coincide with yours." Melina did not flinch. "What if I said I could get you into Caelid undetected?"
Tomoe perked up, eyes glowing in the low light. "Oho~?"
Naruto looked to her. "We're listening...
A/N: Enter Melina.
It makes sense, in a twisted sort of way; she doesn't care what age follows, she just wants to burn the Erdtree and return Destined Death to the world.
Presently, she sees Naruto and Tomoe as her best chance.
Even if that means goading them into a battle they really, really, REALLY aren't ready for.
Well? Should this remain a story? Yay or nay? Your feedback matters! That's no joke. Reviews keep me writing.
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...well, I'll not be able to continue it. I'm working two jobs -taking on 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.
Warning! SPOILERS AHOY!
Sorrrrrrryyyy~!
(Previews)
"They went were?!"
"Peace, sister. Let us see how this plays out.
And if they are harmed?!
"Then all of Caelid will burn.
He spread his arms wide. "I've come to negotiate~!"
"With what?!"
Friendship and lightning...if necessary."
"Oi, now!" A guard raised their halberd. "I don't see any-
THOOM.
His smoldering body struck the soil, twitching. He lived.
Naruto beamed, the very picture of innocence. "Any questions?
"Oi! Just because I've got a few scales on my face...I'm still human!" He ducked again. "Can we just talk this out?! I don't wanna hurt ya!"
Radahn reared back. "Speak, then, dragon."
Naruto beamed. "Gladly~!
"I have little time." he spread My half sister, Malenia, advances upon Caelid with an army. Rot writhes in her wake. Will you help me?"
Naruto grimaced. He'd been warned to stay away from Malenia. But to actively fight her...? Could he?
"Aid me, and I will gladly yield my Great Rune to you. Caelid is all I care about now."
Naruto and Tomoe exchanged a long, lingering look. "A tempting offer."
"I will even cede Malenia's Great Rune to you upon her defeat."
"Well, well!" Had Tomoe a tail, it would've been wagging. As things stood, she all but swayed in place. "Aren't you a smooth talker?"
"Am I?" The general scratched the back of his head. "I like to think I am honest, little more...
"I'd like to talk with her, first."
Radahn was silent for a long moment. At length, he nodded.
"If you think you can convince her to lay down her arms, by all means."
EDIT: Hey, you made it!
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 -taking on 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.
Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back from work!
Hope you all have a great day~!
R&R~!