A/N: ... here we go! Two updates within two days! Do you let me know if you would like another one soon!
Any and all feedback is appreciated, what with the site acting up, new updates not always being shown, and whatnot...it really helps...
Between all this crap with the site, the drama with my job and a host of other issues, now I just want to curl up in a corner and cry. I am so ready for this year to be over...
As ever, I own no obscure references, silly quotes, themes or memes. They are tributes one and all. I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild wacky world, one word at a time.
Many thanks to the reviewer "cmacenka" for offering a massive font of ideas on Warhammer. I'm still relatively new to it, but I'm learning more and more.
Now then, time for the obligatory plugs/tributes which fan the flames of my inspiration.
First and foremost, the grand tale of Everqueen by SkySage24 was originally what clued me into Isha and really got me writing . Be sure and give it a look! It's a massive story! 100 chapters now!
In other news, someone threw a video at me, "Warhammer 40k: Ork Maid GF Flick comic dub by Bread-N-Butter" over on Youtube.
Don't get me started on the whole GingerSid and the whole "Chaos Girls". Apparently that's a thing that could happen.
What foul sorcery is this?! Must resist such heresy...! Away, foul Xenos! Away! Ye shall not have me!
The Emperor Protects! I shan't succumb to such things!
No matter how...amusing...writing 'em might be!
*struggling Neon noises*
So many Warhammer references/tributes here...and another one for an old sonic comic I stumbled upon...
"Hear me, my faithful! The Ramen Lord, our Baron of Broth, does not lie! Likewise, He loathes those who lie to themselves!
Remember His holy tenets, brothers and sisters, and you shall never know fear!
First! Spread the divine glory that is Ramen wherever thou go!
Second! Ever conduct thineselves with courage and honor!
Third! Protect the little ones! Protect them, He says!
And above all! Share thy food!"
"...My lord Primarch, may I ask a question?
"By all means, Argel Tal, speak freely."
"Its just...have you seen how tall we are? Nearly everyone in this galaxy is "little" compared to ones such as us, even the Sister of Silence and the Sisters of Battle and our Eldar allies...wait. Does that mean our God wishes us to...?"
"Precisely so. Protect the little ones, my son. Be they big or small, large or tall.
Protect them all."
~Lorgar, Leader of the Word Bearers, also known as the Cult of Ramen.
Kill the Negotiations
"What have you done?"
The confrontation proved remarkably swift; Isha almost found herself pleasantly surprised; if only because she hadn't expected the Emperor of Mankind to react quite so swiftly in regards to her message.
In hindsight, she supposed she really shouldn't be surprised at all. Of course he'd notice her Declaration. She'd hardly been subtle about it now, had she?
Thus, when He came storming into their tent, she wasn't overly alarmed.
He was practically a god as she was; it was well within His ability to create an avatar and split His attention between her and his son; thus while the Emperor enjoyed the day with Angron, he was also simultaneously here, scowling at her, scolding her, on the verge of shouting.
"Please lower your voice." she ran a hand through Naruto's hair as the blond slumbered, head in her lap. "He's trying to sleep."
"I will wake him."
"You shall not!" She set her Champion down and stood quickly, moving to block him with her body. "He's exhausted!"
The Empoer paused, considering her with his keen, golden gaze. "He does not know what you have done."
"He shall when he awakens from a rested sleep." she emphasized the word." Not before."
The Emperor rumbled at that, low and deep in his throat. "You acted without his sanction, then?
"I am sure he would understand-
"No," he intoned, voice brimming with quiet fury. "If you wish to be alive at the end of this conversation, you will not tell me half-truths. You will speak the truth, or you will never speak again."
Oh? A threat? From this man? So that was how this conversation would go, then. How unfortunate that he allowed his fear to control him.
Nuceria had never been the warmest of worlds, but here in this moment, Isha felt the temperature in the tent plummet. Her heart skipped a beat and she found herself glancing back to Naruto, but no, he did not rise, and would not for some time. He needed to rest after such a taxing battle, else his very soul might crumble, and then where would they be?
Thus it fell to her to defend him until he awoke.
"Nuceria does not belong to you any more or less than it does me." she spoke slowly, choosing her words with great care. "I command no one, least of all my Champion."
"Your Champion?" The Emperor looked to Naruto, considering. "Have you marked him?"
"Not yet, no." she lifted her chin, refusing to be cowed. "I have only sent a message of hope to my little kin. I made no attempt to hide it."
Here at last, his golden gaze dimmed, if only for a moment. "I am aware of this. Your forthrightness does you credit, but-
She flicked a hand at him in annoyance. "Do not use that word."
The Emperor paused. "However...
Isha scoffed.
"However is not but." It sounded a feeble defense and they both knew He was anything but; because he looked to Naruto and sought a new avenue of attack instead. "You are fond of him."
"I am." once more she moved to place herself firmly between the two of them. "His is my world. Where it not for him, I would not be here."
"You are a Xenos."
You do so enjoy throwing that word around, don't you?" she clicked her tongue at him. "We are on the same side!
"And what side is that?"
"That which sides against Chaos!" she flung up her arms with an exasperated shout. "Nurgle is already crippled by our combined efforts. Think of what might befall the others if we but cooperate. The peace we could bring to this fractured age-
"I am not contemplating cooperation at present." his voice cut through her argument like a blade. "I am considering other avenues."
Her eyes widened. Surely he did not mean...no. He wouldn't.
Who was she kidding?! The Emperor absolutely would.
"We would tear this world asunder, you and I."
His face closed down. "I know."
"All would be destroyed!"
"I know."
Everything, and everyone your son has saved, would die!"
Here at last, something akin to a grimace passed across his face. "...I know."
"I seek only to give my people a place of respite," she said. "Shelter from the storm."
"And a foothold into the Imperium," he accused.
"That is untrue!"
"Is it?"
Isha let one hand fall to her side, brushing her hip even as the other curled into a claw, ready to summon a tangle of vines at the slightest provocation. For his part, the Emperor watched her like a hawk, yet did not move, nor did he deign to draw his blade. For that, at least, she was grateful. She had no desire to face that baneful blazing blade.
He took a step forward and when he did, She backed up a step despite herself. "I wish only to save my little kin. I have no designs on you and your empire. Not that it would matter if we did." A grimace overtook her face at the reminder of how low they had fallen. "We are in no position to harm you."
"At present." he corrected.
"Why must you treat everyone and everything like a threat?!"
"Because I care the weight of humanity on my shoulders!" His voice drowned hers out. "I cannot buckle!"
It was all falling apart; everything Naruto and Angron were working towards, all they hoped for, all they could ever be. She must do something, now.
"I am not asking you to!" Frantic, she placed one hand to her bosom, hoping to impart the sincerity of her plea. "Only that you show patience. Nuceria has little value to you. Its government, if you could even call those so-called "High Riders" such, has been toppled. What can it possibly offer you?"
"The planet shall serve as a foothold."
"Against what?" Something dark and furious bloomed within her heart and her tongue betrayed her. "Are you that afraid of me?"
It was the wrong thing to say and she realized it a heartbeat later; because the Emperor's blade whipped up to kiss her pale neck, just shy of beheading her. Isha didn't flinch, barely even blinked as He looked down to find her wraithbone spear planted beneath the vulnerable seam of his armpit, where the armor was weakest.
"Is this how you wish him to wake?" she hissed out a furious breath, little more than a whisper. "To see us both at one another's throats, all because we're too afraid of what might be? That boy has brought something this universe sorely needs, and you would throw it all away!"
His brow furrowed, but he didn't break their stalemate. "And what has he brought to us?"
"Hope." she lowered her spear a fraction of an inch. "Did you not see it yourself when you first laid eye on him?"
"..."
"And what would your son have become without him, hmmm?" tilting her head, she struck another verbal blow before he could muster a resistance. "Not the noble red angel this planet so adores, no. He would've become a monster, a beast, broken beyond repair. Now he will become a paladin of peace, a warrior of truth.
"My son aside," The Emperor scowled in stoic silence, but not for long. "You know well what your people have done to mine. The bad blood between us cannot be so easily quelled."
Her ears drooped in despair, if only because he spoke the truth. "My little kin have wronged yours. That much, I do not deny. They were wrong. Misguided. Would that I could have steered them from such a path. But I am here, now, and Asuryan's edict no longer binds me, for it died with his death. I can make the Aeldari so much better; if you would but let me...
His blade pushed into her throat and though it drew a hiss of pain from her, she didn't yield.
She could have lashed out; hurt him as he was even now hurting her.
Instead, she took a leap of faith and did the unthinkable.
She cast her spear aside.
It landed at his feet with a dull clatter, leaving her unarmed.
...or you can kill me here and now and damn the universe." she spread her arms wide, opening herself to him. "The choice is yours."
There it was, the die cast, her gamble made.
If she died...well, she didn't want to think of that, but she knew Naruto would understand. He would be aggrieved by her death, but she knew he could move past it in the fullness of time. She hoped it would not come to that. Truly, she did not wish to die. She wanted to live. She wanted to see little redheaded children with blue eyes and whiskered cheeks running amok underfoot...
The Emperor drew a deep, shuddering breath...and lowered his weapon.
Isha released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, nearly sagging to the floor. It was only her pride as a Goddess that kept her upright.
"Your children may not tolerate your proclamation." the Emperor said. "Some will almost certainly rebel."
She sniffed. "I am their mother. If they lash out, I shall discipline them. Kill them, if need be, though the thought grieves my heart."
Sometimes, children needed to be disciplined, lest they become unruly. And her little kin had been unruly for so long now.
The Master of Mankind stared at her for a long moment, seemingly grappling with something before he spoke.
"I would...like to request your aid in terraforming a certain world.
Her ears wiggled happily. "You had but to ask."
Cooperation achieved~!
(.0.0.0.)
Tzeentch was a schemer.
Schemes within schemes within schemes.
He had plans for his plans, of his plans, by his plans.
Such was his way; after all, he did not wish to see the Great Game end so soon. To clear the board was to start anew after all, and he had so very many pieces to play with now. The Goddess Isha was one of them, though she realized it not; but now she'd gone and done something interesting.
A merry titter escaped him as he watched the alliance take tentative shape. He could feel the very fabric of the Warp shift with this new pact, frail though it was.
Khorne and Slaanesh would hate this, but he found it delightful.
Change was chaos. Chaos was good. Good was great.
The Blond One understood. He was a trickster. A prankster. He too was a changer of ways in a sense, though he did not yet realize it. Everywhere he went he sowed the seeds of change, and what sweet seeds they were, mere sprouts ready to bloom given the right...nudge, all thanks to him. In his human need, his human greed, he would change a great many things in the years to come.
What fun, what fun!
He didn't regret "saving" him for a moment. Truly, it would've been a waste to give him to Khorne and while Slaanesh might be amusing -little purple children! Crazed nieces and nephews bouncing upon his knees!- they would've kept him for themselves, for battles or cuddles or warp-knew-what-else never once letting him out of their sight.
Boring, boring, boring! He couldn't have that! But neither could he let things become too stable, either.
Now how to make things even more interesting-oh! Now there was an idea. It was a mad scheme, but many of his often were.
A flick here, a twist there, a whisper in the right ear, a bit of shapeshifting, and it all caused such glorious chaos.
The Changer of Ways went to work and the grand game spun on.
(.0.0.0.)
"Khorne cares not from where the blood flows, only that it does."
Such was the way of Khorne.
The whiskered one was of blood and battle.
Sooner or later he would come to Khorne.
In the end, Khorne would triumph.
Blood for the blood god.
Skulls for the skull throne.
(.0.0.0.)
Slaanesh watched.
Waited.
Watched again, now.
She found herself curious; intrigued by the spectacle unfolding before her. Ever eager to devour Mother, yes, but curious nonetheless.
Mother liked this glowing one, which made her want him, too. She wondered how he would taste.
But for now, she would watch. And wait. Her time would come.
Yet waiting was so terribly boring!
Perhaps a peek?
Just a little...?
(.0.0.0.)
Talia Tarvain was not a good Aeldari.
She was Eldar, she was a soldier, and good soldiers followed orders.
...or so she had, once upon a time, three years ago, before everything went wrong.
When their Farseers first spoke of a great threat to all Aeldari-kind, she had believed it. She had been an integral part of the kill team sent to eradicate the Boy and prevent the untold destruction he would wreak in years to come. The theory was simple, the concept sound.
Kill the Boy, Save the Universe.
But the boy was no mere boy, no base beast of flesh.
He was something worse. He was powerful. He was a monster.
He'd torn her kin apart. Stepped right out of his pot and ripped good Aeldari apart like they were made of paper. Her commander was torn limb from limb and used as a flail to flatten their fellows. Their armor meant little and their weapons even less; shooting the Boy had only enraged him, driving him into a towering rage.
And her squad paid the price.
Talia would never forget that horrific sight so long as she lived.
The blood. The bones. And the screams. By the Great Mother, the screams!
He hadn't even touched her. Didn't even see her, most likely. There was no need. A stray stone-debris from the battle most likely- brained her in the temple and that was it; her resolve shattered, snapped like a dry twig underfoot. Rather than hold the line and die with her fellows, she had fled, like a coward.
Dazed and sporting a concussion, she'd limped down the mountainside until she passed out.
When the slavers fell upon her she was delirious; no match for the Mon'Keigh and the she once would have scoffed at. They took her and shackled her, forced her to do their bidding. Three years passed. Of slavery. Of being forced to fight in the arena for her very life. Three years of misery. Three years of pain. Three years of fending off grasping hands, fearing she might be violated at any moment.
Until they came.
The boy she'd once sought to slay was the Red Angel now, and he walked with a man who Glowed like a God.
They had broken her chains and set her free.
But it did not stop there, for The Glowing One had freed Isha.
She had seen her from afar, watched from the city as Mother brought life to an arid desert; just as she saw her now, walking among the people, blessing them with small gifts of fruit.
A noble goddess dared to sully her feet and walk amongst mortals, feeding them as though she were some mere matron, not living creation made manifest.
She dare not approach, for she felt unworthy.
And yet the blond Mon'Keigh dared to associate with their goddess! As though he had any right to her!
No more right than she had to the Red Angel.
...perhaps she should not call him that. Were it not for him and his "son" she would still be in chains. Those filthy nobles had been preparing to put nails of some sort in her head and she had SEEN what those foul things did to others. And they HAD freed her goddess..
Gratefulness clashed with pride, and hope warred with innate despair.
Surely...surely the Goddess would not take him as her consort.
It would be foolish to think otherwise. And yet, his skills...
Even now she watched an army of this "Naruto" casually march past her, nearly a thousand strong, carrying building materials. There were more of them just past the arena where the High Riders once dwelt; countless copies all at work, some building, others teaching and still more work, work, working, always moving; like a hive of insects. Each of them wore his face. Spoke with his voice. Acted like him. Such...should not be possible. Yet she could hardly argue with the facts now, could she?
Was it cloning technology? Did the Mon'Keigh -don't call him that!- had access to such advanced relics?
Was that the plan? Was this a trap?
And her Kin were coming here, none the wiser of what awaited.
The Craftworlds must be told. They must know of this.
She must find a way offworld and soon, regardless of ehat she might feel towards her Red Savior.
Her people had received the Proclamation, but they did not know of this- they must be warned, must be TOLD-
A shadow fell over her.
With it came a pale hand to settle upon her shoulder; it clamped down with the strength of eons, all but locking her in place.
"What have we here," a soft, motherly voice crooned. "One of my little kin? Up to no good, are we?"
Talia swore virulently in her head.
"Language, little one."
She looked up and gulped in abject terror. "Hello, my goddess...?"
Isha smiled. It was not a nice smile. "Greetings to you as well, child. Let us converse."
One word came to Talia's mind.
Just the one.
Meep.
(.0.0.0.)
Idranel of Ulthwe recoiled from her vision.
What had she just seen?
Was it hope?
(.0.0.0.)
Someone was singing.
It was a strange song; a dangerous song, it neither soothed nor settled Naruto, but left him feeling energized yet pained, as though someone had poured scalding fire into his very veins. Emotions welled up in him nearly all at once. He tried to fight them, tried to resist, but they were so very loud, pervading every inch of his being. So much noise...!
Naruto opened his eyes and looked up.
A stranger with pale ashen hair gazed back at him with bright violet eyes, her face wickedly beautiful, body draped in a gown of diaphanous purple silk. He could practically see right through it and-gah!
Sputtering, he looked away, but not before her gentle red lips quirked in a small smile. "Good morning, beloved."
Her voice sent a silent thrill shooting through him, a feeling he'd never felt before.
Be-wha? Belatedly, he realized his head was resting in her lap.
...well. This was mildly alarming, wasn't it?
Not a terrible position, this. He'd been here before with other ladies, usually after a long battle. He'd never quite understood why they'd insisted upon such.
There was just one problem; this wasn't Isha.
Oh, there was a certain resemblance to her, make no mistake, but there was something innately wrong with that smile of hers.
"Did you like my song?" she asked, and again, he had to fight down the urge her words sent through him. "I composed it just for you."
Naruto looked left, right, found only a strange violet void around him, and sighed.
Still better than Nurgle's so-called garden, but-
Nurgle. Shit. This was the Warp.
That settled things, then; he was dreaming yet again, wasn't he?
And here he'd thought himself safe from these bastards...
He scowled at her. "This is a dream."
The stranger smiled and stroked his hair, followed his cheek, causing the flesh there to tingle painfully. "Then it is a good dream. Allow me to make it better."
Quick as can be, laid him down, tumbled over him, planted herself in his lap and ran a hand down his chest.
Stranger danger!
He seized her wrists, crushing it in an ironclad grip. "Stop."
She ground her hips against his ever so subtly. "Is that what you truly wish?"
Anger sparked in him. "I said...stop!"
The bones of her wrists shattered under his grip and he let go leaving her arms dangling uselessly at her sides. To his horror, she cried out, not in pain, but delight now as she leaned back atop him, eyes half-lidded with rapturous joy, practically vibrating in her glee.
"Yes, that's the way. Hurt me more...
Naruto recoiled in sheer disbelief.
Errors were made.
"Aren't you interesting?" She thrust her face against his with a lurid leer, forcing him to lean back in disbelief as she cooed at him. "Most would've given in by now, but still you resist. I want you even more now~!"
Her words were subsequently muffled against his palm as he pushed her back, then down, pinning her to the ground beneath him. From there, he planted a knee between her breasts to keep her there and glared down at this wild, wanton woman.
Was it just his imagination, or did the soil pulse beneath them just then? As though it were alive...
His head was buzzing. Something -or someone- was roaring in his ears.
Ignore it. Drown it out. Block out the noise.
The strange woman leered up at him, practically panting. "Harder~!"
He reared back, disturbed and disgusted, brow furrowed in contempt. "Who are you?"
As though challenged by that very word, the stranger became so much mist beneath him, causing him to stumble forward. What in blazes...?"
"One who craves you."
Her lips brushed his ear from behind, and he whirled, only to find her gone.
"Thirsts for you."
A ghostly hand ran against his back.
"Wishes to show you such pleasure as you've never known...
Stomping, he ducked low and caught her by the throat, only for her to become fog in his grasp.
Laughter echoed within it. "You do not know me yet. But you will, in the fullness of time. I can be patient. I'll be good, no matter how much you hurt me...
For some reason, that made him snort. "I'll do a lot more than that if you don't show yourself...
"As you wish. You were protected for a time, but no longer."
Movement in the mist behind him; he stepped back as the stranger reemerged to loom large over him. All pretense of humanity had been cast aside; where once she'd seemed a harmless girl he now looked upon a ghastly lamia, an eerie cross between snake and a well-endowed woman with not a stick of cloth to be seen upon her body. Worse, her arms were restored, and now, much to his chagrin, she bore an eerie black crown atop her head, the latter of which bore a wicked violet jewel. It seemed to shimmer in the low light, and he forced himself to look away from it.
Her eyes lit up. "You're strong. Good. I like the strong ones. They last the longest...
He scowled at her. "This from a Chaos daemon."
"I am indeed of chaos." she smiled at him, her mouth just a touch too wide. "But you do not know me. I am every touch, every caress, every whisper of delight. There you shall find me. You may have heard the tune of Tzeentch, the cruelty of Khorne, the noxious fumes of Nurgle, but not I. You never heard my song...until now."
For a moment a terrible weight pushed down on him, until he pushed back. Her gaze cut into him like a scalpel, but he resisted the knife and met her gaze. A strange feeling scratched at him and he strangled it in his chest as his heart hitched.
"You look upon Slaanesh."
The pressure intensified. A thin line of blood ran down his nose, hastily wiped away.
Must resist...!
His stubborness seemed to disappoint Her. "You've never known desire, have you? Only foolish, childish love. How sad. Such things I could teach you...
"You don't know me."
"Oh, but I do!" In an instant she was up in his face, tracing a hand against his jaw until he slapped it away. "You see," she crooned, "I find this rather fun...
He lashed out, only for her to vanish.
...I only crave your assistance and your adulation...
A rasengan smashed into her chest, only for her to shatter and reform.
"That's right," she purred. "Keep resisting. You will honor me in other ways. Not just you, but your children and their children, and their children's children, all those who follow in your footsteps...
Steeling himself, he conjured his staff up into his right hand. "Unless I kill you."
"Ha!" That made her giggle giddily, a low sensual sound that sent a shiver shooting through him. "You just might, in the end! But until then, such fun it will be...
His staff flitted out and struck her upside the head, cracking her crown.
This time, she recoiled with a pained cry.
Gotcha.
"So mean," she slithered back his way. "I do not wish to kill you. I only wish that you become what you were meant to be...
He considered her for a moment, then frowned. "You can't kill me here, can you? Or hurt me...
Slaanesh was silent.
"Can you?"
No response.
A grin split Naruto's face. "Didn't think so."
...impudent." He didn't expect the chaos goddess to banish her snake tail and take human form once more; certainly not cross both legs beneath herself, huff, and hover in the air like some spoiled princess. "Nurgle was stronger than I. Now he is dust. It will take him eons to recover. I, on the other hand, have never been more powerful. You would be wise not to provoke my wrath."
Her strength didn't come from plagues or battle, or insidious change-bearing-secrets, but something far more dangerous.
Temptation. Lust. Desire.
And no sign of Kurama to help him here.
"Your foxy friend is quite busy repairing your body. Even if he weren't, it wouldn't matter." She shook her head pale hair swaying as she grinned eerily, eyes agleam. "You know me now. All hunger. All desire. All succumb. You will be no different."
They'd see about that. "You're awfully chatty for a chaos god."
Her eyes flashed, not with anger, but smug satisfaction. "Because you're only speaking to a very small shard of me." she made a pinching motion between her fingers and licked her lips. "The loss of such would barely bother me in the least. I won't make the same mistake as Nurgle. Like him, I can play the waiting game, but unlike him...
Naruto raised his staff to ward her away, but it didn't stop her from prattling on.
"It irks me to admit it, but you are an...anomaly. Anyone else would've gone mad in my domain by now," she said. "Yet still you smirk at me. How infuriating. We both have the ability to end each other's life, and yet here we are, unable to do so. Something prevents us. Do you know what that is?"
He raised his staff, ready to strike her down. "Determination?"
"Boredom," she wagged a finger at him. "Even if I could kill you here, I won't. You have upheaved the very fabric of the warp in a way that hasn't been done since He betrayed us. But unlike him, you can be taken, you can be tempted, you can be turned. Its merely a matter of waiting...
Her lips brushed his cheek.
"Do not make me wait long, Golden One."
She poked his forehead and he jolted awake.
(.0.0.0.)
"Praise the red angel!"
"Blessed be his name!"
"Hail to the breaker of chains!"
Angron had grown used to the people. To the stares.
He mostly assuredly was not used to being praised as he walked about the market.
Damnit, he just wanted a bite to eat, was that so much to ask?!
"They do not comprehend your greatness, my son."
"Kinda wish they'd let me be...
The Emperor -his father in blood, if not deed- seemed mildly bemused by his plight, if distracted.
Angron spared him a glare as he bit into another apple tore a great big chunk out with his teeth.
Weird old man.
He wasn't his Father. Not really. He knew who was. But his Da had asked him to try and get to know him better, so he would...
.
..
...well, he would try.
"How do you feel about Xenos?"
Well that question was out of the blue.!
"You mean aliens?" He shrugged a broad shoulder, still a boy at heart as he chewed on his prize. "Not sure to be honest. A buncha them attacked me when I first landed here-
The Emperor twitched!
-but the one that we freed was crying. She hugged me and...
Warm lips ghosting across his cheek.
"We were wrong about you."
Geh.
Probably shouldn't mention that last bit...
He paused, saw a small child in their path, and handed his half-eaten apple to her. She needed it more than he. He could always purchase another.
She accepted it with watery ryes and a trembling smile. Thank you, mister angel!"
She need not say such.
Her smile was reward enough.
Angron patted her head in passing.
...you care for them."
"I do," he answered his father. "Someone must."
His father's face grew contemplative at that. "...I see. And then, suddenly apropos of nothing, "Would you like to meet your legion?"
Angron perked up. "I have a legion?"
"You do." His genesire nodded. "A great many noble warrior sons much like you, sired from your geneseed."
His brian fizzled. "Geneseed?" The hell is that?"
His father chuckled. It almost sounded genuine. Was it?
He knew the Emperor wasn't entirely altruistic. This benefited him somehow. He just couldn't figure out what his angle was.
"I could bring them here, if you wish?"
He frowned. "Will they be loyal to me?"
"Unflinchingly so."
Dad could use the reinforcements. Or maybe better yet...
Maybe...maybe he could use the Emperor instead...?
Dad would stop him if things got out of hand.
Wouldn't he?
(.0.0.0.)
Apparently, he had slept for an entire day.
Naruto was somewhat appalled to realize he had, if only because an attendant had to inform him of such.
It was almost the best sleep he'd ever had.
Isha had proven a woman of her word, bar that btief encounter with Slaanesh he'd awoken feeling restrd and helathy, hale and whole in body, if not entirely spirit.
"You're welcome."
"And you should have stayed with me, he countered. " I didn't exactly enjoy having to fend off another daemon by myself."
"They're getting that bold?"
"You have no idea...
A few quick questions confirmed that Isha was off on an errand, Angron was busy with the emperor-really needed to have a word with that one-and for once, he found himself alone.
Naruto didn't like being alone. It brought back at bad memories. Among others.
He had the most curious memory about her from one of his shadow clones, but he couldnt be certain if wasn't a trick of Slaanesh.
At leasr Khorne made sense. Maim, murder, mangle. None of this subtle shit.
He needed to work on a shield of some sort at this rate, he was going to suffer a visit every time he drifted off, and he wasn't about to deal with that again. The thought did not please him.
Something brushed his leg as he sat up.
"Hmmm? What's this?"
A piece of parchment evidently, and etched into it, words written in a rough hand.
He picked it up and read:
"My Dearest Champion,
I am rather unskilled at penmanship, but I hope this letter finds you well.
I've discovered one of my little kin on this planet and gone to interrogate her in the hopes of learning what has transpired in my absence.
I shall return soon. I pray that you have a deep and peaceful, slumber free from the Warp... and that you enjoy the memory I've left with your doppelgänger."
I look forward to speaking with you about a great many things.
Ever yours,
~Isha.
He set the letter down and blinked. Ever yours...?
His face went red.
Isha in the rain, her dress soaked through. Her leaning forward to smile at him, bosom swaying as she laughed. A finger flicked his forehead as she smiled...
Several things added up at once.
Wait.
Waitwaitwait.
Waitadamnminute!
Naruto blinked, dumbfounded.
He blinked hard, twice. "...am I dating a goddess...?"
His brain fizzled out as Kurama laughed.
Whar was he supposed to do about that?! He'd never been with anyone before!
Unconsciously, he clutched the letter closer to his chest ever so slightly.
Kurama noticed and pounced. "if you're so opposed to the idea, then why are you holding onto that?"
Before Naruro could contemplate that, a shimmer of light appeared before him, revealing a beaming spectral figure.
"Hello, there~!"
He was certainly very...red. He took the boy, for he wasn't quite a young man, in at a glance. Long red hair, flowing crimson robes, scarlet skin. Clad in a flowing robe, his eyes gleaming merry and bright.
The standoff lasted a moment more, neither party speaking.
And then the lad spoke, voice a confused chirrup. "You're not Father."
Naruto squinted. "You're right. Im not..."
Was this another one of the Emperor's kids...?
The newcomer seemed juat a bit sheepish at that. "Well, your presence was just so bright that I assumed you were him...sorry, I'm being terribly rude, aren't I?"
As he looked on aghast, the red-skinned youth bowed, low and deep at the waist.
"Hello!" The boy beamed, all innocence and hope and light. "I'm Magnus. A pleasure to make your acquaintance! Might you know where Father is...?"
A/N: A wild Magnus appears!
True story, he's more than capable of projection. Look it up.
We'll meet the War Hounds soon, though they well become known as the Liberators. No World Eaters here! No! Nay! Never!
Once more, we can jump ahead if you prefer... ...or we can stay in the moment awhile longer. Perhaps the best of both worlds? Your choice. Do let me know.
Feedback is important! Reviews are the fuel that keeps me writing. That's no joke. I really am sorry that the chapters are shorter these days, and the updates slower, but I'm trying my best. Silence hurts more than any flame...without feedback, I can't write a single world. Seriously! So speak up! Every word -and every review!- really does matter!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ...Review, Would You Kindly?
Here, have some previews. Lemme know what you think!
And as ever: Possible spoilers! Seriously!
Mostly the same previews here.
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
SPOILERS AWAIT AHEAD!
YOU WERE WARNED~!
(Previews)
Tzeentch rubbed his hands together with a merry cackle.
After all, was fantasy limited to the confines of imagination? Would you call it a powerless creation? No!
He was the Lord of change. Reality bent to his whim.
Nothing wrong with a little chaos, he found.
It was all part of the plan.
-
"...I have come to serve you, my master."
Naruto tilted his head.
"Ha?"
-
Note: Writing Ork speak is propa' fun~!
"Gave us a right propa krumpin' he did. Tor' da boss's head right off. Wit one hand!"
"'E did? Who's this blond humie then, oi?"
"Well, 'e said his name was...
-
"I cannot see your death. Why?"
Been there. Done that. Guess what? IT TICKLED."
-
"Very well!" Rocking back on his heels, he turned his head and spat out a bloody tooth. "I acknowledge your strength."
With a grunt, he reached up and donned his helmet. Red eyes blazed from within.
...you're about to wish I hadn't."
-
"...Stop it. Just stop it, Fulgrim. Get some help. You're better than this."
"But I wanted it to be perfect-
"No buts!" the wooden club thumped him over the head again. "Perfection is a lie! Now fix your legion or so help me I will FIX you!"
-
EDIT: Obligatory Tea Common Shark reference here. If you know, you know.
A shadow fell over him.
The Primarch looked up, squinting into the son
That proved a mistake. Too late, he spied a spot of darkness.
Was that a bird? Or a vehicular craft of some sort? No, wait...it was...
His brow furrowed in absolute disbelief. "What in the Emperor's name...?!"
A singular shout was all the warning he received as they broke the atmosphere. "DYNAMI RE-ENTRYYYYYYYYYYY!"
He had time enough to brace himself; then a roaring Naruto Uzumaki drop-kicked him into the ground and everything exploded...
-
"You're fine just the way you are." Much to his mounting annoyance, the blond didn't look away from what he was constructing. "Ain't nothing wrong with wanting to build stuff, ya know?" as he looked on, he settled the wooden beam over his head, affixed it in place, and hammered another nail in. "Be your best self."
Perturabo physically flinched. How long had he waited to hear those words?
"Say that again."
"I'll say it as many times as you need!"
He offered him his hand. "Friends, then?"
Horus clasped it. "So may it be."
Kor Phaeron never saw the blow that struck him.
One moment the blond man was staring at him, scowling.
And in the next, the dark cardinal found himself flat on the ground, a hand wrapped around his throat.
A shadow fell over him. "Oi, Lorgar."
"What is it now-"
CLONK!
"You don't want to do this. I can give you everything you want."
A moment of silence followed. He took a deep breath...
THEN DIE!"
...and stabbed down.
Erebus ran for his life.
"GET BACK HERE! I ain't done with you!"
Something barreled into him from behind, smashing him down into the dirt.
Clawed fingers bit into the back of his bald head. "You and Kor Phaeron, there's only one thing to be done with people like you!"
R ~!