A/N: SITE NOTIFICATIONS ARE STILL BROKEN. T_T
Follow me through the app, if you can. I don't think this is getting fixed anytime soon.
Its a crying shame, but at least now I know why, given the site slowly breaking/dying. Everything is still bugged to heck with notifications/email alerts and its driving me mad.
More than a month of this, with no fix from the admins, and the web/desktop version is getting progressively worse. But hey, the app works right? Only problem is, some of us can't us the app, or don't wish to. That's a lot of people not getting alerts AND KILLING MY MOTIVATION TO WRITE. Because folks can't see chapters, which means less feedback, which hurts even more.
Its driving me batty, and as a result, I'm also posting on other sites. I can't take much more of this Fanfiction mess, but I'm trying to endure because I love this site...
Alas, in other news depression's starting to hit real hard these days. Seriously. Like a sledgehammer paired with concrete. Sometimes I wonder why I do anything at all. can't claim to understand what's going wrong with my head anymore. I don't even know why I'm feeling this way! 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. On and on, round the bend, forever and without end! 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. Meanwhile, my doctor insists that I'm fine. Take a health walk he says. Go fishing. You'll be fine.
*siiiigh* Right. Suuuure. Don't bloody feel fine, doc.
Worse, I can't seem to find a better doctor willing to see me. Trying to push through...
As ever, I own no quotes, references, quotes, themes or memes! They're simply tributes to legends far greater than I.
I'm just an old man who writes as a pastime. I don't make any money doing this, not a single cent. This is ALL done for free.
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~!
Chapters are going with the "Name" theme for now. Get ready, here we go!
"We each have our pride. The trick is knowing when to use it, and when to resist it.
After all, which is stronger? An unstoppable force? Or an immovable object?
Let's find out."
~Naruto/Godfrey.
Name thy Moon
Liurnia would be their first target.
Ironically it was chosen not through mean of wisdom or any such stratagem, but merely selected on a lark.
Naruto chose it at random. Storms were something he'd dealt with before, dragons didn't sound terribly exciting, and he wanted to save those so-called fire giants for last. But sorcerers? Those were interesting. Although, he wondered just how "giant" these "fire giants" really were. Large as a biju? Bigger?
"Unlikely," Kurama chortled in his head.
Maybe so, but it was fun to imagine something on or near Kurama's level.
Fighting the would be a good challenge if nothing else. And speaking of levels...
"You mean to face the sorcerers alone, do you?" Marika touched one hand to her cheek as she considered the map of the Lands Between sprawled beneath the three of them. "Interesting."
Three, because much to his chagrin, Radagon was included in this strategy session. He made himself known now with an angry snort. Honestly, was the man ever not angry? Did it have something to do with him?
"You will perish under a hail of spellfire, barbarian."
...yeah, probably him.
He granted him a crooked grin. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
Marika tapped a finger against the map. "Any attempt to approach the castle will leave you terribly exposed. Its a veritable killing ground. There will be casualties."
He understood the logic, of course. In terms of sheer physical strength, sorcerers were weaker than their warrior counterparts; it was getting close that was the problem. In technical terms a caster was weak to physical attacks; but in the time it took to close the distance, they'd rain hell down on you. And he'd be facing a great many of them here. Any army he brought would have to wade through a wave of blue death assuming they wanted to reach the main gate.
Of course, he had a plan for that as well...
"This is the very height of stupidity." Radadon shook his head. "Put these foolish ambitions to rest."
"Not a bad line." his grin grew another inch. "I'll be sure to teach it to my kids someday."
"Oooh!" Marika made a pleased noise from her perch. "I want at least nine~!"
He knew she was just playing along of course; but Radagon didn't.
That was half the fun!
"That was not what I meant, Godfrey!" Finally comprehending the jape, Radagon's pale face turned an amusing shade of puce as he slammed a fist down on the table. "Cease this foolishness now! Marika and I have sent armies Liuria many a time and suffered for it. What can you hope to accomplish alone?"
Plenty of things~!
He could have named them all, but really, where was the fun in that.?
He only grinned. "Come and see."
Radagon recoiled. "I will do no such thing.
Doubtlessly he thought it a trap. Such a sad, strange little man. He pitied him and his paranoia.
"Suit yourself. Orin can stay and keep an eye on you." He rolled his massive shoulders rolled in a shrug, silently reveling in the latter's giggle. "I'm sure Marika has a remote-viewing spell in any case. Maybe a crystal ball or something. Do you?" At the soon-to-be-queen's nod, he rumbled a laugh. "Its settled then. Be sure to watch closely," he loomed large over Radagon with a toothy grin; no doubt Marika's brother thought it had far, far too many teeth for his liking. "...and try not to blink.
Marika hid a hum behind her hand. "Do try not to massacre them all, dear consort. We can't have any vassals if they're dead."
He barked a laugh and walked out of the chamber. Killing? Who said anything about killing?
Death was boring. No, no, he had greater plans for Liurnia...
(.0.0.0.)
"They never learn, do they...?"
Rennala gazed out from her balcony at her kingdom below, regarding the slowly approaching army with a thinly veiled sneer. Once again the dogs of the Golden Order had come to try and take what was hers. Their fierce, foolish pride would avail them naught. They were but a wave that would break itself upon the rocky shore of Raya Lucaria as they ever had before. Truly, she couldn't fathom their sheer stupidity. No matter. She would beat sense into their skulls until they learned.
Her scouts had spoken of an approaching force some days ago; she had accepted such of course, knowing the Order would not easily surrender, much less learn its lesson.
If they wanted to send more men to the slaughter, she certainly wouldn't stop them.
Rising from her perch, she muttered a series of sorceries under her breath.
"Come then, my dears. Let us give them a show they shan't forget!"
Her fingers danced nimby across her staff, drawing mana from the air. Behind her of sorcerers and spellslingers mirrored the motion, each acting in unison, following her command. She marshaled their might, channeled it with her will, and directed it downward in a torrent of cold, screaming death.
To its credit, the army of the golden order did not flinch.
The men kept right on marching in lockstep, even as the spells scoured them from the face of the earth. Smoke and dust sprayed outward to obscure their vision; but their torment had only just begun. Shallow water froze and cracked underfoot to birth icy spikes, skewering soldiers in the dozens, hundreds, thousands until she could no longer see them for the sheer haze conjured by so much mana in such a short time.
Finally, she held up a hand to end the assault. "Hold!"
At her command, the spells ceased.
The smoke cleared.
Much to her horror, the army marched right on through, their numbers replenished.
A confused murmur went up from her spellcasters.
Rennala shared it. "How...?'
Her brow furrowed. To have such resolve...had Marika and Radagon come to face her themselves? Had they simply summoned more troops from the ether while her vision was obscured? Had she finally found a proper battle worthy of direct intervention. She braced herself as the invading army drew closer, drawing well within her sight, ready to unleash hell at a moment's notice.
Without warning, the army stopped below the castle.
Rennala's thoughts fizzed.
'Who is that?'
Because there standing at its head...that was not Marika. Nor was it was for that matter, which was a bit of a shame; because she would've dearly liked to fight him. This...she did not know who this was. He marched at the head of a great host, all of whom wore the same face as he...
.
..
...what.
Her spies had spoke of some barbarian brute being brought to Leyndell, but this did not look like a barbarian at all. He looked...young. Fair of face yet strong, proud yet not arrogant. He wore good armor, all black and blue and silver, the latter just like his hair, but none was so bright as his smile nor the gleaming axe he clutched in his hand.
"Greetings." The surprisingly low tenor of his voice sent a frisson of pleasant surprise racing down her spine as he called for her attention. "You must be Lady Rennala."
"Indeed," she sniffed. "I am she. And you are?"
His smile grew. "I've gone by many names. Naruto, Hoarah Loux...Godfrey will do, for now."
He had manners! How quaint. But it changed naught.
"Well met then, Godfrey. What brings you to my kingdom? Surely not to parlay...?"
He smiled silently up at her, the madman. What was he thinking?
"I have an army."
Godfrey peered over his shoulder. "As do I."
Rennala raised her staff, unamused. "Yours cannot reach me.
He thumbed his chin, considering her and the distance between them. "Maybe not...
Godfrey stomped a foot and the army behind him became so much smoke, obscuring her vision once more. Rennala balked and her hesitation sealed her fate, for the badlands brute came hurtling up out of the smoke at speed. A single leap brought him up to the castle parapet, where he alighted nimbly beside her. His battleaxe found her chin, even as her staff touched his chest.
"...but my axe cane." He said it as though that were the great decider of things, the equalizer. "What say you now?"
Well, well! He certainly didn't lack for confidences now, did he...?"
Rennala almost laughed as his bravery. Almost. "I say you are a fool. A bold fool, but a fool nonetheless. Go back to the Erdtree, servant of the Golden Order. You cannot pass." she brandished her staff his way. "You shall not pass."
"I am not here for the golden order." his response brought her up short. I've come here for you."
Her face flushed? Wait, wait, wait. Whatever did he mean by that?! Surely not...?!"
She realized what he intended a heartbeat too late and tried to stop him.
Godfrey beat her to the punch.
He planted his ax in the ground and thrust a calloused finger at her, "I challenge you to single combat. One warrior to another. No one needs to die here."
A ripple passed through her forces. She could feel all eyes upon her, waiting for her response.
The gall of it all. "Do you truly think you can defeat me?"
"Would you rather I massacre your army instead?"
Rennala blinked.
Blinked now in utter disbelief as her army, Liurnia -nay, the very world itself!- dissolved into a slurry of red death. She looked around and nearly shrieked, such was the sight with which she found herself. So many dead bodies. Countless faces staring at her with their dead fish-like eyes. She looked back to Godfrey and found him covered in blood, holding a severed head in his hand, no it was her head, eyes wide, mouth gaping in what must've been her final moments of absolute terror and torment-
Horror curdled within her and then it was gone thrice as quickly, leaving her quivering upon one knee.
"What was that?!" she nearly retched, only narrowly mastering herself. "What did you do?!"
"So you can sense killing intent after all...that makes things easier."
Intent? What was that? A spell? T'was no illusion...a vision, then? She'd sensed his killing intent and seen what he would do to her forces.
"Sorry," he rumbled a low laugh as she climbed to her feet, "I'm no Itachi, but I can terrify the best of 'em these days."
Rennala wiped a hand across her mouth. "Who or what was an Itachi and why did the name fill her with fear?
A sweep of his arm sent her sorcerers sprawling across the castle like so many dominoes.
"Face me," he declared, "And I promise I won't harm your people."
His words held weight.
What kind of queen would she be if she willingly led her men to the slaughter? No queen at all, much less a champion. The way was clear. She must step forward and cast off her fear. She would not be so easily slain, not by him, not by anyone! She was Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, and she feared no one! Certainly not this brute!
"Very well." She lifted her chin in regal defiance to hide the quiver of her slender shoulders. "I accept your terms. Shall we fight to first blood or surrender?"
He shrugged. "The latter."
"Then I shall name my terms." she thrust her staff at him, glintstone tip agleam with azure light in the night. "Once you lose, you and your ilk will never trouble us again." a thought occurred to her and she went with it on a whim. He was attractive enough, certainly. She just had to break his spirit, first. "And you shall serve me."
"Fair." Godfrey granted her a grave nod. "And when I win, you'll enter into an alliance with us."
When, not if. Perhaps she'd been wrong after all. "An alliance?" she quirked a dark brow at him, baffled. "Not subjugation?
A slow shake of his head was her reward. "I have no desire to lord over the defeated like a tyrant. I would rather have an ally than a slave."
"Noble of you. But you still won't win."
"Won't I?" He laughed a little, shoulders shaking from mirth. Lets make this interesting. I won't use everything." Those broad arms spread wide, as though to encompass the very world itself. "No tricks, no chakra, no magic from me. Only brute force."
...was this some sort of joke? "You would handicap yourself?"
"But of course." his kingly mien didn't waver, not once; that stern face remained utterly implacable. "A crown is warranted with strength." Up came his axe as he hefted it once more, brandishing the might weapon with both hands. "I'll prove mine to you, right here, right now, over and over, until you have no choice but to accept defeat."
This barbarian was rather well spoken wasn't he? He would still kiss her boots. "I accept these terms. To whomever yields or dies first, then."
He grinned. "I've been looking forward to this. I hope you live up to your reputation."
Rennala raised her staff and pursed her lips in a grim smile. "As do I, yours. As a gesture of good faith, I shall allow you the first move."
"Kind of you."
Godfrey took a step forward and...
.
..
...my but the moon was lovely tonight.
"...?!
Realization reasserted itself with a vengeance as the wind lashed at her face and gravity dragged her mercilessly downward. She was airborne. How?! She'd only seen him take a single step!
A shadow passed over the moon high above her, laughter howling in its wake.
Rennala's eyes widened to almost comical proportions.
He couldn't be that fast.
No. Surely not.
But he was.
Godfrey crashed down from on high with a mighty roar, bringing that magnificent battleaxe sweeping in at her head in a vicious slam. She had no choice but to block with her staff; the moment she did she found herself slammed into the courtyard. Stone burst and dust sprayed, the noise of which muffled her pained gasp. Dark hair ticked the nape of her neck as Rennala righted herself; belatedly she realized he'd knocked her curved crown clear off her head.
"Keep that ridiculous thing off." Godfrey's voice echoed above her. "You look better without it."
She glared up at him. "What the devil are you?!"
"Just a man."
He dove down and delivered a vicious crosscut before she could even think to cast a spell. She parried him with her staff, but only just, and instantly regretted her mistake; her wrist creaked treacherously and she felt a fracture shoot up her wrist.
Wincing, she danced backward, slinging spellfire.
He surged up after her with frightful speed, a wide grin splitting his handsome face as he struck at her once more. Time and again she darted back, throwing whatever spell she could at him; for all the good it did. He took each bolt without complaint; nay, if anything her attacks only seemed to embolden him further.
"What's wrong?!" He laughed not at her but at the world itself, at the blood burning through his veins. "Are you not entertained?!"
She was most assuredly not!
Slapping a hand against the ground, she channeled her mana with a snarl. "Come oath sworn dragon!"
Godfrey didn't hesitate for a moment as the beast's spectral shadow fell over him.
Rather than retreat, he simply planted his feet, pivoted now, and-
"ORAH!"
A single cleave of his weapon split the wyrm in half, leaving its severed sides so shimmer away.
Rennala leaped through its remains to blast the bold barbarian in the face.
His head snapped back, visage singed, but little more. A hand caught her by the wrist and reeled her into a bruising headbutt.
"Yes! More!" he laughed. "Isn't this fun?!"
His speech was becoming rougher the longer they fought, more primal. She'd begun to notice that. But now wasn't the time for such things. She swirled free of his grasp and slashed at him, long dark hair whirling around her like fell wings. He countered her and cut through her spell as though it weren't even there. All the while her mind bleated in confusion.
'What is this?'
A cut opened across her cheek, narrowly evaded.
'Why won't he go down?!'
She doubled over as he drove a fist into her stomach.
'He keeps getting faster! Stronger!'
She wasn't sure how long they fought for; how long their deadly game of cat and mouse continued. She brought every spell she could think to bear, and it was never enough. Yet he couldn't quite catch her long enough to land a finishing blow. The moon fell, the sun rose, only to fall again hours later as the lunar orb reclaimed its heavenly place once more. So the cycle continued. On and on they fought, raging against one another, might against magic, mana against muscles, madness against malevolence. It didn't matter how many wounds he took. Godfrey simply kept coming.
Finally the impasse shattered at last.
Godfrey mistimed a block, took her spellbolt int he shoulder and barreled through, crashing into her like a falling star. He drove her down by dint of weight and experience but by some miracle of the moon she managed to smack the ax from his hand as they fell and disarmed him.
"?!"
Errors were made.
He didn't even try to retrieve it.
The very moment that heaven weapon fell from his grasp, he grabbed her by the waist and drove her back into the ground. It was a classic suplex. Basic wrestling move. Of course, Rennala didn't know that. Her head was still spinning from that last attack, her world all askew. She tried to conjure a spell but everything was and she just...couldn't...think straight!
A hand found her throat and caged it, gentle but firm.
"Yield."
Rennala glared up at him, eyes narrow, bosom heaving for breath that never seemed to come.
She was sure she must look quite the sight, and he'd given her such a fright...
...but she had her pride. "And if I refuse?"
For some reason that made him laugh. "You have spirit." His thumb stroked her chin. "I respect that."
She glared at him. "You can't win."
"I already have." He could have done so many things, then. Killed her, kissed, kicked her aside. Instead he simply...let her go. "I'm not here to kill you. That was never my intention." stepping back, he offered her a large hand, smiling softly. "Yo want to protect your people? Make things better for them. Work with us. Just think of what we might accomplish together, what we might create."
And then his smile shattered.
"Or we could keep fighting." he scowled at her. "Destroy everything, over and over and over, until one of us is dead. Is that really what you want?"
.
..
...it was not.
"How can I trust thee?"
"I keep my promises. I'll work with you to the best of my ability. You have my word.
Her mind fizzled out again for all the wrong reasons. Work with her? Alongside her? Over her? Atop her? Beneath her? Rennala's heart thumped beneath her breast. She'd never had anyone speak to her like this before, nor had she ever lost a duel so spectacularly as this. She did not yet know it, but that was the moment her world changed.
Her fingers curled around his.
Just like that, her fate irrevocably changed.
The Lands Between would never be the same.
(.0.0.0.)
"Ha~!"
Leagues away in Leyndell, Marika giggled.
"Do you see now, brother?" she gestured to her crystal ball, and the scene playing out within. "Is he not everything I told you he would be?"
Radagon stomped off a with a snarl. Bah! Let him stop and simmer and sulk. She cared naught for his petty tantrums.
Instead, she looked back to her crystal ball. Rennala was standing now, holding Godfrey's hand.
A wicked little idea tickled the queen's mind just then.
"Oooh, she's rather pretty, isn't she...?
A/N: And scene. Hope you enjoyed.
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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, as such, 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?
(Previews)
The Tribe arrived the very next day.
The young Fire Giant regarded him with wide, glassy eyes, her lower lip quivering.
"Oh, dear. Easy there, lets just calm down-
She started bawling.
"Can you kill something that big?"
"I'd prefer to talk with it, first...
Gransax loomed before the capital. Before him.
Naruto -Godfrey!- raised a hand and waved. "Mind putting that Bolt of yours down?
She'd been drinking.
"Marika, you're drunk.
"M'not."
He picked her up.
Her eyes lit up. "Princess carry!"
He sighed and carried her back to bed.
Naruto blew out an angry breath. Enough of this. "Orin!"
His disciple perked up like an eager puppy. "Yes?"
He pointed at their enemies. "KILL!"
She dove on them with a cackle.
"As my lord commands~!"
"Father, look!"
Godwyn really was a golden child.
Naruto heaved a small, bemused sigh as he watched his son conjure up a fresh gale. "Thatta boy...
"No. They won't be sending our sons to the sewers. Morgott and Mohg will stay. Right here. With us. If the Greater Will has a problem with that I WILL BREAK ITS BACK."
EDIT: Hope this made you smile, and have a great day!
Warm regards,
~Nz.
R&R~!