A/N:...sorry for the delay. I'm still alive, though the last two days have not been good for me. Hopefully this MASSIVE chapter makes up for that.
Can anyone see this? Its impossible to tell anymore. I couldn't work properly for fear all these bloody 503 site glitches! They'ruined my motivation and inspiration last week, to say nothing of this month. I had tentatively planned a bunch of double update days...but that didn't pan out the way I wanted.
I had intended to update Take the Girl and THIS on Thursday, while Long May He Reign would've been with Foxfire, possibly with Welcome to Heaven and By Any Other Name being updated Monday -days off got switched about- instead of Tuesday. There were even plans for Popular Monster and Love Bites. It was going to be a slew of updates. I was content, if not quite happy with the state of things and had a busy week planned.
Now? 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. Still, here I am. Looking forward to your feedback!
Sadly my health is running amok, affecting my...well, everything. In other news, Advent is working on Dance of the Dread, Dylan Millwood is working on another crossover with me -can't mention it yet-while Slifer is helping me with a dozen other projects. In conclusion! We're all very busy!
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 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.
Piccolo reference in this chapter as well for the old chaps who remember the Namek saga.
Seemed fitting, given things, the chapter title alone is a massive spoiler.
Death battle references/tributes as well, but those are obvious.
Verbatim from the Codex here! Away we goooooooooo~!
May the quote below make you laugh.
"Hear me, brothers and sisters! Heed my words! Light begets Light! Creation begets Creation! Gods acknowledge their kin; if not in blood, then spirit! Such is their way!
"So it was, that our Deity met another, and ushered in a new era! But then, when our Lord laid down to rest his weary bones from conquering Nuceria...
...he met another in his dreams! A stranger contained in a cage by a demon most foul! One not of Us, yet still of the Blood, of Creation itself!
And what was the first righteous deed our Golden Savior did in her defense, you might ask? Why, he did as he has done for all of us!
As he has done for many worlds! As continues to do, in the name of our Emperor, for those who cannot defend themselves!
HE THREW HANDS!"
~The Founding Of A Cult, As Written By Lorgar.
Kill the Poison
Very few mortal eyes have beheld the Garden of Nurgle, even in their dreams.
Its swamplands constantly wheeze a fog of supernatural diseases, and living beings cannot endure so much as a single breath of its repugnant air. Only Nurgle himself can spare visitors from his garden's toxic affections; when he is expecting company, the great grandfather will open a path through the gurgling fungus-fronds with but a single magnanimous gesture...
.
..
...or so it is said.
Alas, there was one such soul who was "fortunate" enough to see it ever day.
Isha, Mother Goddess of the Aeldari, stirred from her slumber and found her surroundings much unchanged, as always.
She'd just experienced the strangest dream; a rare moment of freedom, an escape from looking upon the poisoned swamp that was her new home and the rotten, desiccated trees that were once her followers. Her poor, poor little kin, and all that remained of them after their ill-fated rescue attempt.
Even the sweetest of dreams couldn't save her from the horrors that held her people. Even now she heard their voices call out to her, begging for sweet succor. Even now, she failed them.
Nurgle had left her cage outside his manse today so that she might see them; leaving her hanging from a gnarled, blackened tree in his so-called "garden".
At the time, he'd said she would make fine bait.
Bait for what?
.
..
...she supposed it didn't matter.
In truth, couldn't even bear to look at herself anymore, such was her shame. Her once lustrous blue-silk gown had long since been reduced to rags, barely preserving the merest dregs of her modesty. Her long lustrous red hair still spilled down past the back of her knees, but now it was a tangled mess, dirty and caked in mud. Her sparkling green eyes were dull and tired, and even her long ears, which often wiggled in glee during ages past when one of her little kin did something particularly brave or daring, now drooped to their very tips.
She was utterly exhausted.
So terribly weary.
Tired.
No one would come for her. No one would save her. And she deserved it.
She deserved...all of this.
When she had been captured by Khaine, her brother Vaul moved heaven and earth to see her free. Yet when he was taken by him, what did she do? Hide away like a coward. She had not saved him then, and no one would save her now. What did the mortals call the concept?
Karma?
Yes, that was the word.
Such was her fate, her destiny.
She had been mighty, once. Goddess of the harvest and fertility; nature, life, healing and growth and more, divine mother of the Aeldari species as a whole. In the early days, she and her pantheon had brought light and hope to her little kin in great droves, helping them to spread across the stars. But that had been before.
Before the War in Heaven and Edict that followed.
Before the foul forces of the Four.
Before the birth of Slaanesh.
Now her family was shattered and scattered; many devoured by Slaanesh, others having fled, others driven mad long before. She alone persisted, and as punishment, she was reduced to this. Forced to hang in a rusted cage several sizes too small for her towering stature, forced to suffer Nurgle's so-called affections, forced to imbibe poisons days in and day out, only to heal and be inflicted with ever worsening diseases come the dawn. It was all she could do to whisper quiet cures to the galaxy at large as she was tormented.
And he called it love.
Ha! What did Nurgle know of love? The joy of holding a babe to one's breast, of watching life grow and flourish at her bosom? Of holding a child's hand and teaching them to be strong, kind, and wise? He knew nothing-no, less than nothing, if such were possible. Isha did not hate such a creature -could not hate him as she did Slaanesh- but she did pity him.
Some might call this torture better than death, better than being consumed. It was worse. So much worse.
Because now, as before, she had no choice but to warch her children falter snd fail.
The youngest of the Four wasn't solely responsible for fall of her little kin but merely the culmination of their dark, ruinous path. Unlike like the Krork whose madness and subsequent descent into Orcs could not solely be blamed upon themselves, many had chosen this, willingly descended into devastating debauchery. Now her little kin wwere lost without her and directionless the craft worlds, no, their very souls at peril, and there was naught she could do to help them. It made her want to weep.
Ah, but she digressed.
Distressed by the reminder of her failure, she turned her thoughts back to the eerie vision she'd received.
Such a strange dream it had been; she'd seen a golden star fall from beyond the very heavens.
It landed before a red angel and uplifted him, together, the duo broke the chains of many.
Then that golden star assumed the shape of a man. He had seen her. Smiled at her.
She'd blinked and it vanished.
Had she imagined it...?
But what did it matter in the end? There was no escape. Not from here.
Even if she could somehow break the bars of her cage -unlikely given her weakened state- and flee this rotten Garden, where would she go? There was nowhere she could hide that Nurgle would not follow. He would seek her out with all of his might, relentlessly, wherever she went. There could be no escape. Not from him. But she would not beg. She would not plead. She would not yield. Caged goddess though she was, she remained a goddess still, even if-
"DAMNITALL!" An outraged shout shattered her thoughts. "Can't a man sleep in peace?! Where did I end up this time?! Blasted bargain...
Isha looked down. Frowned, now. Blinked for good measure.
The scene before her did not change.
Quite the contrary!
Someone stood before her, just below her prison, peering up at her. He hadn't been standing there a moment ago; she'd not even heard his approach. It was as if he had simply stepped out of the Nurgle's garden -an utter impossibility- when she wasn't looking.
What manner of sorcery was this?!
Squinting at the stranger, she had a rather difficult time comprehending him. Almost as if he weren't truly here. His "body" was not a body at all, but rather light forged in the vague shape of a humanoid silhouette, bearing blue eyes and whiskered cheeks, and a surly scowl. An eerie blood-red aura clung to him, shimmering off his shoulders like some mad miasma. The sight of it made her curl her nose.
One of Khorne's, then. A mockery of Khaine. Long may he remain shattered.
The bloody-handed one -Father- irked her to no end, but also saddened her because his aspect hadn't always been such. Once upon a time his aspect was that of Justice, of the Avenger, before his fall from grace. Khorne, by comparison, was far worse, delighting only in blood and skulls for his throne. What was one of his ilk doing here...?
No.
Hold now.
Wait a moment.
Isha peered deeper with her senses, scrutinizing him anew. While this strange soul had been affected by Khorne he was not of Khorne, rather someone that mad murderer merely took an interest in and likewise sought to influence. While quite cross at the moment, this man-made- of-light did not brandish any sort of weapon at her and only swore at the ground. Likewise, there was no hint of Nurgle's corruption about him. So how...?
It dawned on her a moment later and she understood.
His body was not here in the Nurgle's domain. She could not sense his physical form. Yet his essence -alongside a goodly portion of his power- had carried over into this realm. He'd mentioned falling asleep; had his spirit been pulled here while he slumbered? How very strange. He must be a...what was the word? Human. Yes, that was it. It would not do to call him Mon'Keigh. She was not so disrespectful as her little kin. Life was life, to be cherished in all forms...save that of the accursed madness brought on by vile Chaos.
An idea dawned; a mad little thought that she wouldn't have dared entertain under any other circumstances.
But desperate times called for desperate measures and she was nothing if not desperate.
Nurgle hadn't noticed him yet. He was unaffected by this place. Maybe...!
Just maybe...!
"Excuse me!" She called out to the sullen stranger below her. "Hello! You, down there! Yes, you!" frantically, she tried to thrust a hand through the bars to get his attention, but succeeded only in banging her hand against her cage instead. "A moment of your time, please!"
The glowing blond finally deigned to look up, noticing her at long last. Were she a more prideful goddess, Isha would've been offended. As things stood, she found herself both curious and bemused. There was no ire in his gaze, only soft surprise and quiet confusion.
...why are you in a cage?"
"Not by choice, I assure you." She nearly laughed hysterically; it had been so long since she'd spoken to someone other than Nurgle. "What brings you here, stranger?"
He made an annoyed noise and scratched at the back of his head. "I fell asleep again, apparently." his bright eyes rolled in annoyance. "I told Angron not to let me doze off for more than five minutes...guess the big golden guy distracted him...
Big golden guy...? Isha puzzled over his words for a moment before she understood. Oh, he spoke of That Man...
Ah, but now the blond was scowling at her, eyes rife with suspicion. "You didn't drag me here, did you?"
She clicked her tongue. "I most assuredly did not."
The blond crossed both arms before his chest. "You're not here by choice either, then?"
She banged one of the bars of her cage with a huff, producing a hollow clang. "Does that answer your question?"
Here at last, the barest beginnings of a smile bloomed across his glowing visage. "Yup. Don't worry, I'll have you down in a jiffy."
His legs tensed and every semblance of color drained from Isha's already pale face.
"Wait a moment!" Isha balked, eyes wide. "You cannot-meep!"
He wouldn't dare. No, surely not.
He wouuuuuuuld!
The Aelderi goddess absolutely squeaked in surprise a rare, startled sound as the stranger leaped up into the air and landed on her crude prison with all the grace of one of her little kin. Grasping the bars for purchase, he swung himself inward and planted his feet on the outer rim of the pitted steel to lock himself in place;. his sudden presence caused the confines of the cage to sway precariously; the heavily corroded chain holding them aloft squealed in protest. Isha scarcely noticed that last part; her mind was decidedly elsewhere. Because you see, he was...
Close!
Much too close!
Why was he so close?!
Were it not for the thick bars between them, his forehead would've touched hers. As things stood he was far closer to her now than anyone had been in centuries. She might be a goddess, but she still had a heart at the end of the day, and hers was beating most rapidly right now~!
"Alright," she heard him hum distantly. "This shouldn't be too hard. Just lemme try something...
Steel squealed under his golden grasp as those glowing hands seized the bars and twisted with fresh force. Slowly but surely, they began to part, gradually creating a gap. Isha looked on in disbelief as it grew wider with each passing moment. Those bars had been fashioned by Nurgle himself; they were quite literally created to keep her contained in this realm.
And yet this man, this mortal, was tearing them asunder as though they were naught but mere steel!
Was he truly human? She couldn't be quite so sure anymore. Most mortals weren't this strong.
At such range, she noticed something she hadn't before; the pain that shrouded his soul.
Embarrassment faded as pity stirred deep within her.
And she didn't even know his name!
"You poor, unfortunate soul." Now that the gap was wide enough, she was able to reach out between the bars and touch his right cheek. "Long have you suffered. Let me ease your burden."
He valiantly shook his head against her palm, proving stubborn as most mortals often did. "Really, there's no need. M'fine."
She laid her other hand on the left side of his face, holding him in place. "I must insist."
The blond might've protested; she wasn't sure. She never heard.
Her focus tunneled inward.
And she saw.
Isha almost wished she hadn't; because everything bombarded her, everywhere, all at once. A cacophony of cries, a chorus of caterwauls, cascade of cravings. Chief among them:
Pain.
Agony eternal.
So much suffering! Even now, here, in this very moment!
He had fought countless battles and lost so many friends, his very soul scarred by it all. His strength was forged in blood and battle, his spirit tempered in the fires of loss and misery. She tried to push against it, sought to inject some small manner of peace into the writhing sea of torment, only to find herself sucked downward.
And then things truly changed.
With neither word nor warning, she she found herself standing in a white void, an endless expanse of nothing far as the eye could see.
There was no beginning. There was no end. Only nothingness.
"You've got some guts, forcing your way in here..."
...until there wasn't.
Isha came about with a start and beheld a beast. There was no other word for it. A massive crimson fox loomed before her, large and tall sat on its haunches, regarding her as one might a snack. Nine tails swayed lazily behind its back, but she scarcely noticed them. It was the eyes that held her focus. His eyes. Those eerie, slitted scarlet slits. A mere glance conveyed unparalleled power. This was a shard of a god, a piece of something greater, like a certain Dragon she'd rather not dwell upon.
And yet for all that, there was no malice in his gaze.
"Well, well, well." The beast yawned once, crossed its forearms before itself and laid its chin atop them, sprawling lazily before her. "Isn't this something. I never thought I'd meet a benign goddess, yet here you are. You're nothing like Kaguya at all."
He brow furrowed in mild consternation. "Who or what is a Kaguya?"
The Fox smiled. "That's not my story to tell. I'll leave it to Naruto."
"Naruto?" She perked up, ears twitching. "Is that his name?"
"It is." he made a chagrined noise. "I've said too much. Out you go, now."
He flicked a crimson tail her way and reality rushed back with sursurous sound, leaving her reeling.
Every maternal instinct she possessed clamped down like a steel trap. He might not be one of her little kin, but that was no reason not to comfort him now, was it? She had to. She must. To not do so was to deny her very being; it would be anathema to her. Even now, knowing the pain he was in and being unable to do anything about it made her ache...!
Releasing the baffling blond, Isha balked at him. "The things you've done...the enemies you've fought...
"Oi." he took one hand from the bars and flicked her forehead. "Don't go poking about in my head like that, missy."
"Isha." she drew herself up on her knees, head brushing the ceiling of her cage. "Please, address my by name, Naruto."
"How do you know...?" His brow drew down into a frown, bringing comprehension with it. "Kurama told you didn't he? Meddling furball...!"
What a strange human. If he was indeed one at all. He rather reminded her of another.
Vaul would've liked him; but then again, Brother always liked the stubborn ones.
The thought hurt her heart.
With an annoyed grunt Naruto finished his handiwork and snapped the bars of her cage. Isha barely had time to savor her newfound freedom before the baffling blond surprise her once more.
Ducking his head low, he reached into her cage, took her by the hand, drew her upright through the gap he'd created, aaaaaand-
"Away we go~!"
It was a rather strange sensation, Isha found, being held by someone shorter than her; let alone to be swept up into another's arms and carried like some blushing bride. She couldn't recall the last time someone had done so for her. Once upon a time, the sheer impropriety -the indignity!- of it all would've turned her red like roses. Now?
The tips of her ears burned as Naruto hoisted her high and leaped, leaving her to hold on for dear life.
Admittedly theirs was something of a snort flight; the whiskered warrior proved himself as adroit as he was strong; he landed nimbly in a silent crouch, not faltering once despite the disparity in size. From there, he deftly set her back on her feet keeping one hand close to her back lest she stagger, but unwilling to touch her again without permission. Such spoke well for his nobility as well as his strength, she supposed. Better that then an angry brute. Frankly she would've taken anyone, so long as they freed her. Beggars could not be choosers, after all..
Isha rose to her feet and sketched a clumsy curtsy, insomuch as her tattered dress would allow. "My thanks, noble one."
"No problem." he whistled, craning his neck to look up at her in her entirety. "You're kinda tall, aint'cha?"
The Alderi Goddess tilted her head, mildly bemused. "Is that a problem?"
"No, no, no!" he flailed his hands. "If anything, it was a compliment."
Heat rose in her cheeks and her ears twitched happily.
Flatterer. She rather liked his deft honesty.
But she was still concerned for him.
"Let me help you." She reached down and took his hands in hers, "Your spirit is wounded, and Chaos crowds around you like a beacon. You simply must let me help you."
"You first." he squeezed her battered, bloody palms between his and, before she could think to stop him, pushed a great deal of his energy into her faltering form.
Isha swayed on her feet a little; his essence felt like warm sunshine under her skin. But with it came dismay; because his glowing spirit dimmed.
Gasping, she all but ripped her hands from his, but it was too late, the deed done. "Why did you do that?!"
He squinted at her, more than a little winded. "I was tryin' to help...
She seized him by the shoulder and shook him. "Your life is more important than mine!"
Naruto made a noise caught somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "Just like Angron, I swear. Always putting others before yourself."
Isha paused and blinked her luminous green eyes, momentarily nonplussed. "Who or what is an Angron?"
"Well, the brat's more or less my kid at this point, but don't tell him-
"Magnificent, isn't she?"
Naruto never had a chance to finish speaking.
The voice came from nowhere, yet everywhere, echoing around them in an echoing, hollow rasp. With it a chill shot down Isha's spine and just like that, she remembered where they were. She'd forgotten; she'd been so consumed by having someone to talk with, of having her precious freedom, that she'd all but forgotten the innate horror of their surrounds.
What had Nurgle said to her earlier? That she'd make fine bait?
Everything clicked into place.
This was a trap.
Isha looked to him, eyes desperate and wide. "You must run. Now! Before its too late!"
"Run?" His brow furrowed. "Whose running?"
She nearly kicked his shin. Curse the arrogance of youth!
"It doesn't matter, anyway." He granted her a small, tired smile. "They're already aware of me."
"They?"
A shadow fell over them as the world rippled.
"Of course we are, dear boy! Who do you think it was that invited you here from your dreams?"
Behind them, the manse inexplicably parted as a grotesque fluid flowed forth from its entrance. As she looked on aghast, it assumed the shape of a ghastly shade with putrid green skin and far, far, FAR too many teeth for her liking. Nurgle was as grotesque as ever, more horrid each time she saw him; there could be no describing his hideous form. He loomed large over her would-be ally, now considering him as a cat might a mouse.
But who was the mouse here and who was the cat?
Naruto tilted his head, unafraid. "You're not that bloody blood."
"You wound me!" Nurgle rasped an ugly laugh and touched a rotting hand to his toothy chest. "As though I would be so uncouth as Khorne. No, I've been watching you for some time now, boy...we all have, as you well know. But I alone understand you. I know what makes you tick; just as I knew she," a ghastly eye roved Isha's way, causing her to shudder momentarily before swinging back to the burning blond, "Would be perfect lure for you. Still, I didn't think you'd be foolish enough to give her so much of your strength."
Naruto blew out an annoyed breathe. "I'll recover.
"Perhaps," Nurgle allowed, "But not in time to make a difference." The last words left him in a sickening gurgle. "You must know that it would be beyond foolish to fight me here, in my domain. Even were you at your peak, present here in body and spirit, you would find it a hard fight. But it need not come to violence between the two of us...
Isha realized what he was up to moments before he made the offer.
"Pledge yourself to me." Nurgle belched a cloud of toxic gas, then rallied. "Swear yourself to my cause, embrace my gifts, become part of my Family, and I shall set Lady Isha free."
Isha bristled, not trusting this pale caricature of Life for a moment. "Don't listen to him. An pact made with Chaos is a fool's bargain."
"Bargain?!" Nurgle boomed a laugh. "No, this is not a bargain at all, but an exchanged. You are a fine prize my dear, but HE is so much greater. You cannot begin to fathom his potential." When Naruto tucked his chin into his chest and said nothing, the Plaguefather pressed his advantage with a disgusting leer. "Refuse me, and I shall inflict such horrors upon my sweet as you have never known. Every day will be an agony, each hour a torment, every minute a monstrosity, each second a savagery. She will pray for death, but it will never come."
Isha physically recoiled at the implication, but didn't let herself waver. "Don't listen to him; you can leave. I don't matter. Wake yourself up! Quickly!"
Naruto chuckled.
Isha froze.
Though his head hung low, his chin was no longer tucked into his chest. He laughed again, a rich, earthy sound that left his shoulders shaking, head bobbing up and down with ill-concealed mirth. As she looked on aghast, he planted a hand to his forehead, swept back his blond bangs and finally raised his gaze to meet Nurgle.
Cegorach would have applauded such laughter.
Khaine himself would've wept tears of fear at the expression he wore.
By contrast, Nurgle merely scowled at him, all hints of kindness gone from his putrid visage. "Have you gone mad from fear?"
"Mad?" Naruto tittered again, moving his hand to thumb away a merry tear from the corner of his eye. "Maybe I have. Maybe I've always been mad. I don't know. But what I do know is this." Straightening up, he conjured an eerie black staff to his right hand. Ever since I came to this place, no, even before that, from the moment I landed on Nuceria, I realized something important. You just reminded me of it. I have one purpose here. I am, have only ever been, and will probably only ever be, one thing."
Nurgle rasped a laugh. "And what is that, dear boy?"
Naruto's fractured spirit burned bright.
"I KILL MONSTERS."
A mighty golden beast burst from his back and barreled into Nurgle, bowling him over into the his precious manse. The Lord of Decay righted himself wit an outraged noise, only for mighty claws to rend his chest and face, sending him sprawling deeper into his precious home. His counter attack met empty air, for the golden fox was already gone.
Naruto reappeared in his place, clutching a massive pair of shining spheres in either hand.
"Hey, teeth for brains! You look hungry! Why don'd you chew on these?!
The lightshow that followed was nothing short of explosive.
Isha flung up an arm against it, even as she planted a hand against one ear in a vain attempt to mute Nurgle's shrieks of pain. Said shrieks became a snarl as he backhanded the blond's spirit away, sending him skidding through the garden. A wave of toxins came crashing down on the garden where he stood, birthing countless maggots and flies to drown him in a swampy soup.
He may was well have tickled him for all the good it did.
Naruto burned right through it, eyes wild.
Isha's heart sang at the sight.
"You think poison can hurt me?!" he staggered to his feet with a sneer. "I fought a goddess that could make your body crumble with one touch and bastards who blow up moons! You've got nothing on them!"
He placed his hands together, palm to palm, finger to finger, and there behind him, the giant fox bloomed anew.
"Oh, and by the way, arse-breath, I'm just getting warmed up." A low growl built in the back of his throat, and with it, the garden groaned. "Case in point!"
Mighty golden jaws opened wide, birthing a writhing vortex of eerie black light. Large did it swell, larger now, largest still.
His foe barely had time to comprehend the tailed beast ball before it was upon him.
Let there be Light in the Darkness.
The ensuing explosion devastated vast swathes of the Garden and set fire to much more, but it was Nurgle who truly took the brunt of the blow; the Plaguefather rocketed through the fire and the flames not of his own accord, tumbling head over heels as he was painfully propelled away by the sheer force of the blast. Or perhaps it was the punch that followed. Isha couldn't be sure.
Naruto tore after him like a shooting star regardless.
"COME BACK HERE!"
Catching up to the vile creature, he stamped down as he swung, adding force to the blow and burying his arm to the elbow. Once, twice, thrice. He whaled on the Plaguefather like a demonic punching bag, pummeling him with impossible force, battering him back, back, and back again, to no avail. Nurgle took every blow and fought back with equal fervor, pushing him further and further away.
It would take more than brute force to slay Him here in his domain. He could be weakened, yes, perhaps properly banished for a time, but killed?
No. Fists alone would not win the day, no matter how esoteric Naruto's techniques might be.
Isha knew that firsthand; knew it, and hated it; just as she loathed this Lord of Flies.
Gasping in pain, she dragged herself upright, broken fingernails digging into the broken bark of of a black tree as the battle between the two monsters raged. The outcome of this battle would determine her fate. Should Naruto somehow eke out a win, she might find her freedom at last. But if Nurgle carried the day...
.
..
...she shuddered at the thought.
She should do something. She had to do something. She must do something!
But she was so very weak in this realm...!
Still, weak didn't mean powerless...
Turning her focus outward, she began to hum softly under her breathe, conjuring a spear to her hand. Wraithbone formed slowly at her song, painfully, but form it did. She powered as much of her power as she dared into it, sustained only by the energy Naruto had granted her, yet even then it was just so slow...!
She hissed furiously and tried to hasten the process. 'Hurry, hurry, hurry!'
Ahead of her, the conflict took a turn.
"Enough of this!"
Nurgle lost his jovial joy at last, conjured a massive rotten blade to his hand and brought the baleful blade it crashing down with a roar, forcing Naruto to dodge aside lest he be crushed by its sheer bulk. The ground festered and split where steel met soil, conjuring countless misshapen creatures from the muddy mire that followed. By the dozens they rose, no, in the hundreds now, ghastly shambling creatures of twisted pus and flesh bearing twisted limbs and gaping mouths.
The Fly Lord granted him a snaggle-toothed grin over the heads of his new army. "Let us see how you fare when you are no longer welcome in my garden...!"
Naruto tried to speak, only to swayed on his feet and come crashing down to a knee as the spirit-fire of his form flickered. He blew out an angry breath, righted himself, stomped a foot down, blazing with fresh intent. Yet despite the sight, Isha felt her heart sink. He'd spent his second wind just now, while Nurgle was clearly still on his first.
Just what did he intend to do, all by himself?
"You know, it smells awful in here, trashbag." coughing once, Naruto planted his staff in the mire to free up his hands. "Why don't we spice things up a bit?" So sneering, he slapped his hands together, barking a phrase she didn't understand. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
And an army answered their master's call.
Nurgle balked at the sight, smile fading. "Oh, dear."
By the dozens they came, then hundreds, followed now by thousands, mighty plumes of fiery smoke blooming around him, each depositing a specter of Naruto's likeness beside him.
Each copy of himself brandished a fearsome black staff.
Each moved in unison with their liege.
Each raised an arm.
And each, as Isha looked on in quiet awe, brandished their weapons with intent to rain down golden fire.
Nearly half of Nurgle's creations died screaming as their bodies burst into flame. The lucky ones threw themselves into the swamp in a frantic attempt to douse the fires; while on their hands and knees, they were summarily beaten to death by the shadow clones. The unlucky died screaming as their incorporeal forms were rendered so much charred ash.
Still, enough of them survived to mount a charge; and as Nurgle's minions crashed against the wall of doppelgangers, the war was joined anew.
Isha hissed a thankful prayer and continued crafting her spear.
Naruto, for his part, never let up, not even for a moment. He went straight for Nurgle again, staff in hand. He swayed aside, jabbed, juked, backhanded the Plaguefather's rotten blade before staving his head in a staff-strike, tanked a toxic attack that should've melted his bones and attacked again, again and again, refusing to relent. Ghastly vines and terrible creatures clawed at him, more emerging with each moment, but even then he didn't cease, didn't relent. No matter what magic Nurgle brought to bear upon him, he never gave in.
They traded blows for what felt like an eternity, and all the while, she was helpless to do anything but forge her spear.
Such couldn't continue forever; it simply wasn't feasible. Something had to give.
Surprisingly, it was Nurgle.
"Foolish boy!" the Plaguefather wheeled away suddenly, wheezing out a breath as he clutched his wounded belly. "You cannot kill me! I am immortal! Eternal! Disease and decay will never die!"
Naruto stamped his staff down and smiled. "You're right."
Nurgle paused. "I am...?"
"You are!" he brought his hands together, conjuring a fresh spark of saffron. You're right. I cant kill you. I'm not strong enough...yet. Not here. Not like this." he gestured down at his astral form. "But you...
Without warning, that smug smile vanished.
"You're also an even bigger idiot than I thought." the acidic bite in his voice actually made Isha flinch, despite none of it being directed her way. "There's a reason I don't sleep anymore. Or have you forgotten?" he tapped one finger to his forehead, heedless of the small war waging in the background. "Whenever I take a decent nap, that bloody bastard tries to drag me to his slaughter palace and I have to fight my way out. But you, in your infinite wisdom...
Chuckling, he shook his head.
...you invited me." he pivoted, spreading his arms wide, drinking in the burning gardens with a grin. "Here. To your domain! I never would've come here otherwise! Never woulda known about her!" Now it was her turn to squirm for an entirely different reason as a golden finger stabbed her way, "You gave me the one thing you shouldn't have! Something to fight for! I've been through a lot. I've seen things. Lived on. And if there's one thing I've learned in all that time about you so-called gods, no, you PARASITES...
A clawed finger thrust forth.
...is that there's power in perception."
Striding over a fetid corpse, he waved an arm around Nurgle's so-called realm.
"Behold the mighty Lord Nurgle!" his voice rang with that of another, and belatedly, Isha realized what was happening, rather, who was speaking with him, or rather, through him. "Ruler of a dying garden. Where is your army? Where are your followers? So powerful, and yet you never realized the trap we set for you. What a fool."
Nurgle was left practically foaming at the mouth. "I will rebuild...!
"But not in time." There he went again, throwing the Fly Lord's words back at him.
Nurgle gnashed his misshapen teeth. "Wretched pup...!
It was that terrifying fox of his, wasn't it? The beast was bolstering his faltering spirit, giving him the strength for one final push. Or was it? He could have landed a heavy blow by now, heavily wounded him, yet he hadn't. Almost as though he were waiting for something. No, someone...
Isha looked down at the newly-forged weapon in her hands.
Slowly, carefully, she began to circle around the duo.
"Tell me," Naruto continued, apropos of nothing. "What happens when you make a god bleed?"
Nurgle leaned heavily upon his blade. "A preposterous question. Gods do not bleed."
"But if they do?" Naruto pressed the question, then answered it in the same beat. "Then it ain't a god."
He had a point; Isha could concede that much. There was a certain power to be had in belief, and if one possessed enough of it, in a large enough quantity, one could do terrible things. Hence why the forces of Chaos were always something of a problem, even before the "birth" of Slaanesh. Naruto didn't necessarily need that belief; he wasn't a god in the truest sense of the word, despite having a planet worshipping him. He had no need of the faithful or their prayers.
Ah, but Nurgle and his kin very much needed those now, didn't they? Their kind thrived of belief. And if that belief was taken away...!
"You're right Nurgle! I can't kill you right now!" A crack etched itself across Naruto's flaming face, followed by another, then another, yet another still, revealing the glorious glowing gold within. "But that's the best part! I don't have to!" By contrast, his smile became decidedly unhinged. "All I have to do is...MAKE YOU BLEED."
Isha realized what he intended, then.
So did Nurgle.
"Cease!" The Plaguefather flung up a flaccid palm. "Stay your hand! If you do this, you will make all of Chaos your enemy! There will be nowhere left for you to run!
"Run?"
Naruto stared at him, red eyes burning like the molten core of a sun; he'd said those very words to her before, but this time, they held a menacing edge.
"Who's running?"
Those eyes bled into a darker shade of red, snapping into furious scarlet slits of pure wrath.
"Where?"
Golden radiance flashed around him as the air superheated, a star going nova.
"AND WHY?!"
Nurgle lunged forward to stop him.
So did Isha.
She cast forth vines of her own, binding the Plaguelord in place and used yet more to spur herself forward, hastening her pace. It was a frantic, desperate move on her part; she didn't know if the blond was going to blow himself to bits or not, but she couldn't bear the sight of him snuffing his light out. Not like this. Not after all he'd done for her and so many others. Yet even as she moved, she knew she was too far away to reach him in time.
So.
She threw it.
Hurled her precious wraithbone spear.
Launched it at Nurgle with all of her might.
Vaul would've been oh-so-very-proud of her efforts.
Weakened though she was, she was still a goddess true, and desperation lent her a strength all its own. That beautiful weapon flew straight and true, soaring through the air to find a new home in Nurgle's back; sheathing itself in his flesh as only one of her creations could. Unprepared for the sudden assault, the Plaguefather rasped a startled gasp, eyes bulging in his skull as he clutched at his chest. His legs carried him drunkenly forward, leaving him tottered on his feet, stumbling forward,
Isha didn't give him a chance to recover.
Clearing the distance between them in a single bound, she leaped onto the tainted oaf's back, and though her eyes watered from the acrid fumes and her throat threatened to close beneath such bile, she slammed all her weight against the spear. Her efforts were not in vain. Its deadly edge burst out the bastard's chest in a shower of flies, maggots, and blood.
"Isha...?" The Plague Lord rasped in surprise, somehow shocked by her attack, by the very concept of her turning on him. "My sweet...? Why..?"
All those years of torment, of suffering in silence, of quietly whispering cures, unable to help her little kin, or anyone else in need.
Every moment of agony as her body was torn apart time and again.
No more! Today, everything changed!
She gave her weapon a savage twist and hissed in his ear. "Die a fool's death!"
Nurgle sputtered, coughed, gripped the spear impaling what passed for his heart and tried to rise.
Right up until Naruto swept in, planting both palms on what remained of the Plague Lord's torso, fingers splayed. A series of strange black spheres came with him, barreling into the Plague Lord's belly, tearing great chunks from his bulbous frame, causing the chaos god to scream. The air crackled with power yet unspent, energies he now channeled directly into Nurgle's desiccated form at point blank range.
"Move!"
Isha vaulted away to safety and well that she did; because the blast that followed devastated the Plaguefather in a rush of black light; unlike the last it scoured the land clean and spared one in its path. Shadow clone and beastly abomination alike, all were swallowed up by the ensuing blast. On and on it went, a pillar of light searing into the sky to scorch the very warp itself.
And then.
As suddenly as it began...
...so too did the lightshow end.
Isha waved a hand through the haze, banishing it with but a breath.
All that remained was a blasted, burning crater.
Peering down into it brought her little joy, despite their victory. What remained of Nurgle's ruined body collapsed in on itself and turned to dust. A strong breeze kicked up and blew that away, leaving naught but scattered ashes behind. He was not dead, not yet, not by any means, but banished for now. Weakened. He would likely return given enough time, but even then, his territory would be divided amongst the other three, his wretched influence weakened for hundreds, if not thousands of years to come.
And with his absence, she was free. She could -and would!- use this chance to make her escape, and quickly, before the forces of the Four -or Three, she supposed for the time being- came knocking.
Naruto's dream-spirit dropped to his knees beside her, utterly exhausted. "Please tell me he's dead."
"Close enough." she patted his head, finger stroking his fiery hair.
He collapsed into her arms, forcing her to catch him.
His spirit endured, which meant his flesh did as well. He might be sick for a few days in the waking world -one did not simply fight Nurgle and emerge unscathed- but she had no doubt he would recover. By her hand, she would make it so. She sang softly to him, mending the cracks in his spirit, singing him back to health, weaving wards about him as best she could.
She sang his spirit back to sleep, back to his body.
This "Angron" must miss him most dearly.
After all, was not a parent to him?
Concerned, she cast a glance Naruto's way. "This world you dwell upon. It is called Nuceria, no?"
He groaned in her grasp, battered and spent. "Yeah...m'tired now...gonna rest...
Isha kissed his forehead, content to grant him succor. "You do that."
Well, that settled it. She must seek him out in person. If not for her people, then for herself.
Alas, her newfound peace didn't last long.
Not nearly enough.
Already she could see the tides of Red and Violet stirring in the distance, overtaking the dying Green of Nurgle's realm. Khorne and She-Who-Thirsts had taken notice; they must've been watching on the sidelines, waiting for their chance. Now, like vultures on a carcass, they descended. It was a miracle Tzeentch himself hadn't taken notice already.
"Ah, but I have! Its all part of my plan, you see~!"
Was he already here? Had he been lurking nearby this entire time...?
She couldn't see him in the swampy haze, but he sounded close. Terribly, close.
Isha shivered. She wasn't strong enough to face them. Neither was Naruto, not in this state. He was already fading back to the waking world; in a matter of moments she would be alone, her great escape squandered. She had no desire to be taken by Slaanesh or Khorne, nor anyone else. She would sooner take her own life than submit to capture again.
"No, no, no!" Fresh laughter echoed in her ear. "That won't do! It wouldn't be any fun for the great game to end so...early. Why not make it...interesting?"
Even as he spoke, a wall of baleful blue fire sprang to life, briefly impeding the forces of Khorne and Slaanesh. A distant how of fury went up.
It was but a moment's delay. Nothing more.
A single instance of assistance.
More than enough.
Naruto's exhausted spirit surged back to life in her arms, and with the last of his energy, hooked two fingers into a claw to rip open a hole in the very fabric of the Warp just ahead of them. A portal leading to gods-knew-where, but frankly anywhere was better than here right now, wasn't it? She'd trust in his judgement over that of a Chaos god any day.
"Oho~! He still has some life left in him after all!" Isha heard it again, then, that merry mocking laughter as something -or someone- whispered darkly in her ear. "Now you owe ME a debt, little goddess. Perhaps I shall come to collect someday."
Unwilling to hear anymore of that, the Aeldari lurched to her feet, limping forwards the portal.
Even with her senses, she couldn't tell where it went. Did she dare...?
Tzeentch cackled hoarsely behind her. "Run along, now!
Hesitation is defeat. She simply couldn't afford it.
Isha gathered Naruto's spirit up in her arms.
Steeling herself, she leaped forward.
Into the portal and the unknown.
And reality blurred.
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto had awoken.
The Emperor sensed it long before it happened; even if he hadn't, Angron's shouting would've alerted him. Such a racket he had made! His son's capacity for caring might be a concern in the far flung future, but for now, he was willing to tolerate it, given what transpired.
He'd made a wager, after all.
Should Naruto prove that he wasn't tainted by Chaos, he would stay for a time to help them rebuild Nuceria.
He hadn't expected the blond to mutter something about bloody bustards and fall into a deep sleep.
Such had been hours ago.
Now, striding into the Liberator of Nuceria's tent, he found him within; sat upon a cot and vomiting violently into a bucket. A stray shard of sympathy stirred in his soul. He had long since ceased to feel the pangs of illness, but this was admittedly a mild one, despite his complaints. He'd likely recover within a day.
More than that, he felt it. A shift in the paradigm. The Warp had been altered somehow, in the hours since.
And with it, the taint of Chaos clinging to him had...lessened.
How odd.
The Emperor considered him for a long moment. "The forces of Chaos have grown weaker. What have you done?"
Naruto's response was to heave into a bucket. "Not now. Feel like craaaap."
Angron patted his back, stroking small circles there. "There, there, it'll be alright...
The blond only grunted. "Never let me fall asleep again! I don't care what Isha says! Never again!"
Strange that he would invoke the name of such a being.
"Curious." The Emperor's brow climbed into his hair, then drew down, considering him anew. "How do you know that name...?"
"Because," a soft voice intoned from a darkened corner, "That would be my name."
He pivoted, suddenly aware of a third party lingering in the room.
To her credit, she'd hidden herself well-but no longer.
He saw her now, was aware of her now, and she could not hide from his sight.
Lively green eyes shone from a lovely face framed by alien markings, pointed ears, and luscious long red hair cascading down to her knees. She was weary, she was battered, she was staring at him, despite her relative state of undress, that torn-and-tattered dress barely holding together after what must've been a long captivity. And she was hovering most protectively over Naruto. Almost as if she were...oh. Oh, dear. As he looked on in mild consternation, she subtly placed herself between him and the blond, arms spread though she were protecting him.
So. This, then, was Isha. His brow furrowed and he made to denounce the Xenos filth-
"Nurgle has been defeated by our hands." She met his gaze stoically, refusing to falter. "Even now, his precious "garden" burns, his influence diminishes, and his followers are left in disarray. This, we did. Together. Just the two of us."
Her declaration brought Him up short.
Defeated, she said. Not slain, but defeated. Weakened. Although a Warp entity's physical form could be destroyed both within and without the Immaterium, but the only true way to permanently slay a "god" of the Warp once it attained true and proper intelligence -that is to say sentience- was to starve them out, deny them all worship, erase their very existence.
But the destruction of their physical form, and the burning of their domain weakened them nonetheless.
And the Forces of Chaos did feel weaker. Less united. In more disarray than ever before.
The Emperor turned, considering Naruto anew.
He understood what this brash blond boy had done, now. Somehow, someway, somewhere, he'd made it into Nurgle's realm using his dreams as a medium. Perhaps he had barged his way using his spirit; more likely, he'd been invited by the wretched creature. And he'd used that invitation to burn everything to the ground, free this so-called "goddess" and escape.
Small wonder he was currently heaving his guts out.
One did not simply walk into Nurgle's realm. Not without consequences.
Without his "abilities" Naruto's body would probably be a rotten, melted mess on the floor, or a ghastly human tree filled with flies. Instead he was merely ill as his regeneration-the latter having already been demonstrated to him-worked overtime to repair the damage inflicted upon him by Nurgle's so-called gifts. And then there was Isha to considered; she would've no doubt seen him as a means of escape and likely healed him as well. Small wonder he'd survived.
A mild case of the "flu" seemed a small price to pay for laying low one of the Four.
Could he perhaps use the same means to weaken the other Three...?
The Emperor considered the possibility, then rejected it.
In all likelihood Chaos would tighten its guard, the better to prevent such intrusion and "betrayal" amongst their ranks. But could one truly call what happened to Nurgle treachery if Naruto went there with the intention of setting fire to that world? He'd received aid from the Xenos goddess, that much he would not deny...but to know that such a means might be possible...
He might be able to take the war to them!
Isha coughed politely, reminding him of her presence.
Right. He'd let his thoughts get ahead of him. He could not return her to the Aeldari just yet-
"Let her be, big guy." Naruto gripped the bucket and forced his head upright. "She's alright. Gonna be bunking with us for a bit,"
Angron made a curious noise. "She is?"
"I am." Isha unbent enough to look away from him at last and ran a hand over Naruto's face, idly stroking a whiskered cheek. "If that's quite alright with you...?"
"S'fine." a bit of color returned to the blond's face as she worked her healing gifts on him yet again, speeding his recovery. "More the merrier, I say."
Angron seemed to consider that for a moment, then nodded his own compliance. "Its no trouble at all. We could use the help, here."
The Emperor bridled. "Such will not be necessary-
Angron tugged at his arm, taking his argument out at the knees. "Please, Father?"
Urk.
He'd thought himself well past feeling such base emotions. Yet when his son turned such a pleading gaze upon him, he felt himself falter.
Surely there would be no harm so long as Isha was watched? She didn't seem malevolent. She might even prove a benefit to his Imperium...
He was making excuses, he knew, but here, and now, in this moment, he couldn't bear to say no to his boy.
...very well. " he turned his head aside so he wouldn't have to see the relieved look Angron wore. "She may remain. For now." he amended when his progeny made a pleased noise. "Should she prove treacherous, I shall imprison her myself."
He expected a violent denunciation at that.
Yet, neither Naruto nor Isha protested.
He soon saw why.
The Emperor looked back to them once more and blinked. Hard. Once, twice, thrice, squinting now in a vain attempt to dispel any psychic trickery.
And yet for all that, the scene before him, nor the emotions within, did not change. Isha had sat beside the baffling blond at some point when he wasn't looking and laid her chin atop his head. He could hear her humming a soft lullaby to him.
Even in such a sickly state, Naruto could've easily shoved her away, but instead he'd inexplicably closed his eyes and leaned back against her, drifting off to sleep. For all his earlier protests, he slept like a babe.
Malcador would not like this.
Such concerned the Emperor greatly. It was said that the best bonds were forged in battle, but there was a hint of something there between those two...
Whether it was good or ill, the Emperor knew not; only that it would change things.
As to the nature of those changes...well.
Time would tell.
A/N: Did Naruto just woo a goddess?
Also, Tzeentch, no! Bad Tzeentch! What did you just allow to happen?!
This seems like something the Lord of Change would do, crazy bastard that he is. Heck, in Warhammer Fantasy the bugger was actively self-sabotaging by the end because he DIDN'T want the forces of Chaos to win. Same with Slaanesh, if memory serves. Granted, that's different from the 30k/40k aspect.
After all, its no fun if the game ends, and sex cannot be had if the universe is destroyed.
Isha really stole the show here, snatched it right out of me hands, said "MINE" and ran away with it.
Then came the Glorious Emperor of Mankind who "Yoinked" it right back from her, resulting in this scene at the end.
We'll get back to business next chapter and we get back to the thick of things...with the eye of a goddess upon him. Surely this can only end well.
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)
"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. "LET'S FUCKING GOOOO!"
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."
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 ~!