A/N: EDIT: Trolls didn't waste any time with their flames, I see. *siiiiiiigh*
Added some more content, too, not that anyone noticed. T_T
...sorry for not updating the last few days. Dealing with a sinus infection...and finally had to put my dog down. My last living dog. He was so old. His sister died last year, as I'm sure many of you recall. ...bawled my eyes out and couldn't write for awhile. Seems like everyone I love is passing away lately.
So I thought I'd drown my sorrows in some good 'ol Elden Ring, but noooo! Everyone's dying in that, now too!
And those who didn't? They all -bar two!- suffered a fate worse than death! I burned the tree and holy hell do I regret it, because my favorite character went up in smoke. No one told me THAT would happen...SPOILER! AND SPOILER! Not to mention poor SPOILER basically killed herself, and so did SPOILER. SPOILER became an awful mass of faces. Poor SPOILER lost his mind. Now my buddy the Beast Clergyman turned on me and SURPRISE SURPRISE, he be a boss! Not to mention what happened to poor Blaidd and Iiji...
Sorry about that, rant over. Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story.
If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular? POOF! Gone. Completely. I'm working two jobs with ever increasing hours so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy. So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that.
Two jobs keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
Now for your questions, comments, and concerns.
Q: Update! Schedule!
A: Everything's still being updated, Demon Slayer, Fate, Rwby, this, The Boys...etc. But...I'm not in the best place right now.
Q: What's that Ring on Naruto's finger? Is it what I think it is? No way that's a normal ring. Is it a Rune? Did he get himself cursed somehow when he wasn't looking?
A: *zips lips*
Q: So...are you still playing Elden Ring or...?
A: RADAGON AND ELDEN BEAST WERE HELL.
I managed to beat them, but I'm hesitating just short of the ending. I can see Ranni's blue summon sign. I SWEAR if she dies-and-or-betrays my Tarnished, I'm quitting Elden Ring. Getting ready for my second journey once I finally work up the nerve to choose my ending...don't wanna spoiler. That said, I missed a lot of Volcano Manor quests because I offed Rykard early. Didn't even know about them, I was too gung ho trying to have as much fun as I could. Blaidd has a quest I missed too, apparently. So does Renala? Supposedly its secret or somesuch. And Rogier, who I didn't find until...well...
AND WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT PATCHES?! He's in this?!
Q: Hey, yo! Why didn't we see Margit/Morgott last chapter?
A: THIS is why.
Q: Methinks the Lands Between are not ready for Naruto.
A: Rest assured, the whole world of Elden Ring is gonna be baffled by this blond boy...and there are gonna be quite a few surprise.
Q: About Godrick...can I say one thing? Make it slow. Apparently he abused people too, and its...bad.
A: Has he now...? GOOD TO KNOW.
Alright then, this old man has kept you long enough! I'll let you enjoy this sappy little story.
As ever, I own no quotes references, themes or memes. Not a wit or a one!
Now then, I'll not keep you. Get ready to smile~!
Minor verbatim for ingame dialogue.
"A Lord's kinda like a Hokage, when you think about it. He stands up for his people. Speaks for them, ya know?
He gives 'em a shoulder to lean on when they're tired, and another to cry on when they weep. He bears their burdens with them, laughs with them, shares in both their joy and their sorrow, their pain...all of it. He doesn't hurt them. He does not take advantage of them. He certainly doesn't take and take and TAKE until they have nothing left to give.
If your precious "lord" would do such things, then your Lord is evil! That's right! You heard me! You are no lord, Godrick!"
~?
Bear Witness
"So we're all in agreement? Godrick needs to pay."
"With his life. That is my only demand."
...on that much we agree."
"...!"
"Great!" Naruto clapped his hands and leaned back against the ruined corridor wall, regarding the trio before with a merry smile. "I'm so glad we're finally on the same page!" His peace said, he turned and fixed Nepheli with a glare. "But not death. Ah! Wait a sec!" a hand came up when she scowled and made to speak. "Lemme finish. When I say no death, I meant not yet."
The barbarian warrior opened her mouth. Closed it. Considered. "Are you going to torture him...?"
No, nay, and never. Not this style.
"Nope." he shook his head, denying her. "Death is quick. Final. A release, even." his fingers snapped, cutting her short. "Just like that. Your life's snuffed out and you're gone. I've seen death. You kill Gordick, and he'll be away, off to the afterlife, or whatever passes for that in this world. No justice for all those he's wronged. Is that what you want?"
Her piercing gaze met his, and Naruto lifted his chin to meet it. Adorable. If she meant to intimidate him, she had a long way to go.
"Cute. We've grappled grappled with a goddess already. She'll need a bit more divinity to make us cower."
...you intend to take his Great Rune, then?" Something dawned in her eyes. "To leave him powerless?"
"Meh." he waffled a hand before her. "I intend to ask him what the hell he's doing and then kick his sorry hide if I don't like the answer, but sure, that works. No idea what a Rune is, though."
At length, she backed down. "...as you say, warrior."
Warrior. Not shinobi. Nor a Tarnished. either. Heat flared in his face. He wasn't sure why.
...stop callin' me that." he grumbled, looking away. "He's not getting away from his massacres that easily."
Trish made a disbelieving noise and folded both arms before her armored bosom. Naruto rounded on her, feeling somewhat bemused. She'd donned her helmet anew -the silly girl!- doubtless to try and hide her face from him once more. Clever-but next to useless where he was involved. Even now he could sense her emotions roiling like a frothing cauldron.
"What? You don't think I can do it?"
The mute Tree Sentinel granted him a grave nod.
Once, such a lack of confidence would have stung; rankled him in the worst of ways. Now? He simply smiled. Everyone always underestimated him. Some of his greatest foes had thought him little more than a harmless breeze...until this "breeze" kicked up an almighty hurricane and thrashed them within an inch of their lives. She'd been no different, and there would likely be many more in this wild warped world who though the same. Fine. Let them. He'd been doubted before, ages ago, considered the underdog, the worthless, the wretched. If everyone in the Lands Between would doubt him every step of the way, well...
...seeing the looks on their faces when he pulled this off? It would be all the sweeter.
"I ain't gonna die." cursing his lack of height -why did she have to be so damn tall?- he stepped to her and patted her hip. "Don't worry. I've got this."
Trish pivoted away. This time, the sound she made sounded nothing short of petulant.
A polite cough echoed behind him. "Ahem."
Now he came to the third and final member of his merry little band.
"So?" He planted both hands in his pockets and squared up. "Got something to say?"
Melina reared back a little, alarmed and not liking the look on his face. "Tarnished...are you angry?"
"Nope!" Maybe his reply was a bit too quick; because her good eye narrowed upon him. "I'm not. Whatever gave you that idea."
She was watching him like a hawk. Not her fault, he supposed. If his face looked anything like what he felt right now...well. It might be more than a little terrifying.
There was no need to be afraid, really. He was hardly looking to lash out and hurt someone. No, just Godrick. He'd never met the man, never lay eye on him, but something told him he wouldn't like what he found here today. Really, anyone holding the surname of "Grafted" wasn't going to be a good person. No matter what he said, what he did, it wouldn't bring back the hundreds of lives lost here. Nor could he. For all his strength an' skill and speed, Naruto knew he couldn't raise the dead.
And that. Made him. Angry.
In all fairness, Naruto wasn't trying to be scary, truly. He just couldn't recall the last time he'd been this furious. This was a different sort of anger than he was used to; righteous and pure, burning white hot in his chest like the sun itself. He held it close to his heart, that molten core, and kept it warm. He'd seen the horrors of Stormveil Castle. The carnage hanging from the ceiling, the ghastly grafting of the spider...a beast he'd had no choice but to put down. All those people. All those lives, molded together, fused in a ghastly amalgamation that made his guts growl just thinking about.
All the while, the band on his ring finger burned, as though it too, were affronted by the horrors here.
Naruto spared it a black look. Blasted thing still wouldn't come off. He was beginning to think it was more than some mere wedding ring. But he had more pressing concerns. The chrysalids memento was a heavy weight in the sealed pouch set against his thigh, an ugly reminder of Roderika's words.
"Everyone's been grafted."
She might want to see...what was left of her men. He would give her that much. His patted it, just to make sure it was there.
Initially his optimism had nagged at his thoughts, arguing against him, wanting to believe there was a reason for such horror...but now? None could argue against this. He'd seen too much. The death. The festering piles of flesh, feasted upon by rabid dogs. No matter what some might say, there was no good reason to rip apart people and hang them from your ceiling.
Those he hadn't beaten down or driven off had been slain by Trish and Nepheli. Like that creepy castellan. They might come back to life in time, made wiser for the experience. They might not. In truth? He no longer cared for this place. He just wanted to fix it and put the horror of Stormveil behind him. Anyone who delighted in this...was wrong.
If your lord would do such, your lord is evil.
Godrick had to go. No two ways about it. Others had tried to stop him before if Melina was to be believed. They'd failed. Still a little voice in him argued against what he was about to do. Everyone deserved a chance-no. Not this time. That was the anger talking. But he knew he couldn't just let him be. Not even Madara would have sunk this low...but Kaguya had. This reminded him eerily of her deeds with the White Zetsu, only a far, far more horrific scale. Few would've sunk this low, grafting other people together to make these abominations. There was no saving them. Any of them. He'd had to put them down. And the knights defending them.
"You will triumph, Tarnished." Melina's voice tugged him out of the fog. "That is my belief."
Naruto quirked a brow, half-expecting a lie in her words. He found none.
...huh." a crooked smile touched his lips. "You actually do."
She stood a little bit taller; not preening before his gaze, yet proud nevertheless. Her open eye regarded him intently and not for the first time he found himself wondering just who she was. For all her claims at playing the "part" of a Maiden, he couldn't help but feel she was more than that. There was a purpose in her, a power held back, leashed by her will alone. For all he knew, Melina might just be the most powerful person here.
"'Tis a Lord you're about to face." Her next words proved his suspicions. "Do you require my aid in the coming battle?"
Kurama offered a low whistle. "Well, aren't you easy to read?"
"Not this time." he held up a hand to forestall another argument. "Stand back and let us handle this."
Her brow grew stormy. "I am quite capable of defending myself."
"I don't doubt that, "his voice cut in, a bit sharper than intended as he took her by the shoulders. "But I don't want to see you stuck to that...thing."
The color drained to her face, her good eye seeking the fog door. "...I understand. I shall abstain, just this once."
Naruto let her go, watching only absently as she retreated to her ethereal form.
Only then did he exhale. Crisis averted. Tarnished could die over and over, that had been made quite clear to him, but he wasn't keen to throw his companions into the fire. Nepheli was probably safe in that regard, but Trish and Melina might well be mortal for all he knew. Trish was probably going to fight whether he wanted her to or not, but she was tall, armored, armed, and had her spectral steed. Against someone know for fusing people to himself...well, he wanted to spare Melina that, if only for a time.
Alright, then. That was settled...now for the matter of their unseen watcher.
He'd felt it for the last hour, an unseen presence gazing upon them from afar, stalking them, observing their efforts. It loomed close now, closer than ever before. Why hadn't it attacked? Was it waiting for them to face Godrick, the better to stab them in the back? The thought soured his mood even further.
Kurama's warning did little to help it. "He's over there. I can sense him."
Restraining a grimace, he craned his neck past one of the ramparts, over the fallen corpse of a troll, down the deserted corridor. Blue eyes narrowed. There. The mounting sense of peril loomed large only yards away. He took a stance, preparing himself for the attack he was sure would come. Any moment now. They were exposed here. A proper ambush would do lasting damage.
It never came.
Instead he saw -glimpsed!- a faint shimmer of dying golden light shuffling around the corner in the opposite direction. As if something or someone were disappearing, returning from whence they came. A trick of the light perhaps? An overactive imagination? Unbidden, he found himself stepping forward, out of the corridor and into the night.
"Hey!" he raised his voice. "Stop stalking us and attack already!"
"Nay." A low, throaty voice called out; an omen incarnate. "I am not so craven as to strike when your back is turned."
The air quivered before his words. For a moment, just a sliver of a second, he beheld someone else fading into the ether. Someone large indeed, larger than Trish, even. A horned head turned to regard him now, exposing weathered grey skin, a looming body bound in a ruined cloak. And yet for all that, he moved with deceptive grace. Leaning upon a worn gnarled staff, they pivoted, facing him fully.
"Come." the invader beckoned. "I would speak with you."
"Bugger." Nepheli swore under her breath. "Is that who I think it is...?"
Naruto heard Trish absolutely hiss behind him. She tried to drag him back, toward the door. Naruto didn't budge. He stood his ground in turn, refusing to move. His senses took the horned man in an instant, struggling to untangle the complicated knot of emotions that bound up his being. Duty. Resolve. Resignation. Tired, so very tired, and full of bitterness. He...wasn't sure if this was an enemy. Instinct said yes, but his heart said no. He dared a step forward.
Still, the Stranger made no move to approach nor retreat.
"What is thy business with Godrick?" that ominous staff tapped once against the ground, an eerie bell tolling for them. "Choose thine words carefully."
"You already know, don't you?" Naruto stalked up to him, forcing a swearing Nepheli to follow or be left behind, and Trish in her wake. "You've been hounding us since we set foot in this castle." he stopped a stone's throw away, well within reach of that cane, then crossed both arms before his chest. "A name would be nice."
"...Margit, will suffice." the man loomed large over him now, casting him in his shadow. Another tap of the staff. "I need not yours, Tarnished."
He gave it anyway. "Naruto. Ain't much, I know...
Trish whined and dragged at Naruto's arm again. The Horned Man's gaze snapped to her, taking in her armor at once.
...you tamed a Tree Sentinel?" his bushy brow rose, considering her as one might a cracked gem. "Curious. Is she perhaps...no." he made up his mind a moment later. "Disgraced, then. Fallen from Grace. Your betrayal sullies your Order."
Trish wilted.
"Oi! She's not a failure, you...!"
"And here I see the daughter of Loux." his all-seeing gaze swept over Nepheli next, causing the dusky-skinned woman to bridle in turn. "Pitiable." that grey face twisted in a sneer. "A motley band, if ever I have seen one." his gaze swept over Melina's spectral form, lingered there to let her know he sawher, then moved on. "Your answer, Tarnished. I would hear it said from your own mouth. Do you not seek his Great Rune?"
Anger sparked. Naruto felt himself convulse in a full body shudder.
"This again?" It was too much; the whiskered warrior flung up his arms with a cry bordering on explosive. "Runes, runes, runes! What is it with you people and runes, eh?! I don't even know what a Rune is, yet they're all everyone and anyone wants to talk about here! Listen!" stepping forth, he stabbed a finger against Margit's chest. "I'm here to stop him from hurting anyone else! That's all!"
...truly?"
"And what about you?!" Another jab, heedless of the absolute behemoth before him. "Are you working with him, too?!" A third stab upwards now, seeking the heart beneath his bony ribs. "Well?! Answer me! What do you have to say for yourself?! Huh?!"
"..."
Margit did not gape. His jaw did not click open, and he certainly didn't balk like some flustered fool. He was too refined for that. But he did blink.
.
..
...
Three seconds passed.
Three full seconds in which no one moved, or even dared to breathe.
Bitter laughter filled the air. Naruto jerked back, startled by it. Margit wasn't laughing at him. It sounded like he was laughing...at himself. Not even a full blown cackle, merely more than a chortle, those broad shoulders nevertheless shivered with caustic mirth. Leaning upon his cane, he bent his head low, rumbling deeply.
"Thou art a curious sort." one hand shifted behind his back. "More's the pity, I suppose...
That same hand blurred, slamming a massive spectral hammer down at Naruto's head with impossible speed. A single backstep defeated what would have been a death blow. It crashed down at his feet, sending Trish and Nepheli flying, even as he stood firm. A sandal-clad foot stomped down on the golden edifice and shattered it in a shower of light, leaving the Omen grasping naught but empty air. Tan fingers snaked out, snatching at his wrist, reeling him in with ease.
Foreheads collided with an awful crunch. Blood spattered. Horns flew through the air.
"Well!" Margit clutched at his face and stumbled away, sounding mildly impressed for the first time since he'd met the man. "Thou art of passing skill. Warrior blood must truly run in thy veins, tarnished."
"Are ya done?" Golden sage eyes blazed up at him, heedless of the blood sluicing down his own visage. "Because you will be if you try something like that again."
Margit flicked his cane forward.
Less than inch from Naruto's face the cane came, close enough to catch the cursed scent coming from within. He slapped it aside in a parry and lashed out in a critical hit. Clenched knuckles found a new home within Margit's gut, folding the larger man over him with a dull wheeze. He was still there, gasping for air, when those furled fingers opened to reveal a rasengan. Margit tried to draw back. Too little. Too late. Wild Blue light keened in the air, rising in a roar of defiance both born by jutsu and man alike.
And then he was away.
Naruto didn't see the moment the jutsu launched him, but he heard it all the same. It left the towering demigod sprawled on his back, one hand reaching out in vain. Pity stirred in his heart. He'd warned him. He really had. Why did no one listen to him in this blasted world?! How many times did he have to prove himself?! Even now he'd beaten a man just because he wouldn't back down. Even if he sensed that said man had held back the lion's share of his strength.
"Your heart ain't in this, huh?"
Margit struggled to rise once more, and failed.
...blast you." his duty done, the man slumped; his body began to dissolve into motes of golden light, though his voice yet remained. "I shall remember thee, Tarnished...smoldering with they meager flame. Cower in fear of the night. The hands of the Fell Omen shall brook thee no quarter...
And then they were gone, vanished once more.
"Wait! I ain't done with you!"
Naruto lunged after them, intending to pursue, but Trish held him back. He looked up to find her shaking her head.
"Leave the coward." Nepheli hefted an ax, eyes burning. "Its time. Godrick awaits."
She was right. Enough stalling. Time to face the music.
Naruto cracked his knuckles.
Showtime.
(.0.0.0.)
Morgott was no fool.
One did not live to be the last of Kings by being foolish after all. Even far from the capital he saw much of what transpired in the Lands Between; just as he'd seen the look in this one; the gleam in his eye, the steel in his soul. And so he'd chosen to investigate. Under the guise of Margit, he'd sent a projection of himself to test this Tarnished...only to learn that...this was no mere Tarnished. He'd felt it during their clash. This was something else. More. Still, he'd had to be sure.
He'd learned much during their encounter. And yet more questions remained.
What was that thing bound to his finger? That ring on his hand was undoubtedly a Rune. He recognized the sense of one, although he knew not whose. One of Hers perhaps? Marika might craft such. Or perhaps another. It might even be Hers. What the devil was She thinking?
Could this one be...? No.
The thorns of the Erdtree would brook no passage. Even for this one.
Nothing had changed. Nothing would change. To believe otherwise, to hope, was foolish.
He sensed him even now; he was aware of him, a coiled spring, ready to leap if he appeared again. T'would be a simple matter to unleash his true strength and strike him down, surely. But why should he exert himself overmuch now? For that fop? The death of Godrick would trouble him not; indeed, the realm would be better off without that madman. Next time. He'd try harder next time.
On a whim, Morgott made his decision.
Just this once. Just this once, he let them by.
There would be no second time. Miracles only occurred once.
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto was going to die.
Trish knew it, no two ways about it.
If she let him fight alone like that again, he would undoubtedly lose his life.
Because this was a bad place. She'd lost her tongue in a castle not unlike this own. Hadn't she? The memory was foggy. She could not slay herself, for honor prevented it. But still she did not wish to see this twig of a boy throw his life away. If it came to that, she would take the blow for him. It was the least she could do. He, who had bested Morgott masquerading as weak "Margit", might just be the one to sit the throne. If only...if only he could get past Godrick. To that end, she would gladly sacrifice all.
Naruto was kind to her, even with her maimed face, her silent voice, and ghastly disfigurements.
He had stood for her, even when the Fell Omen disparaged all her failures.
She had pledged herself to him. But would that oath end in death?
Time would tell.
(.0.0.0.)
Weak, they called him.
Useless. Runt of the litter.
Godrick the coward, Godrick the Grafted.
Ohhh, how those words burned, how they rankled and seethed and stung! His very spirit shrieked! It wasn't fair, none of it, not at all, not one bit of it! This rotten world had conspired against him from the moment of his birth even before the Shattering; born sickly, weaker than all those who shared his blood, forced to hide, grovel, scrape and scrounge just to survive...all while his kindred looked down on him. And for what? His earliest memories were of their laughter, cringing aside.
"You? Strong? Impossible."
He'd wanted to be just like them. Was that so wrong?
Little Godrick, they'd called him. They'd turned up their noses, sneering at him. Only a few had show him even the tiniest scraps of kindness, the merest morsels thrown to him as one might feed a dog scraps from their table. Those few were gone now. Mild Miquella, gentle Godwyn and rebellious Ranni. Dear, dear Godwyn and Ranni. Felled by the Night of Black Knives. Miquella gone, vanished to parts unknown. And still the laughter continued, the mocking, the jeering. Fools and fops, the lot of them, unable to understand his greatness. No one understood.
Malenia had made that clear...among others things, when she'd brought him low that fateful day.
Why, just think of it made him tremble with rage. Well, no more! Things were about to change! All the grafting he had ever done had led him here to this moment; small things at first, enough to give him an edge. Then a troll's body to make himself stronger. More arms, more weapons. More strength. Now, here at last, he had it.
This would be his magnum opus.
Soon they would see. They would all see.
He would have his revenge upon them all. This was but the first step.
"Mighty dragon, thou'rt a trueborn heir." humming to himself, he reached out and touched a six-fingered hand to the manged beast before him, six fingers tracing its mangled snout. He could only imagine what manner of power lay beneath. "Lend me thy strength, o kindred." he crooned, stroking its mantle. "Deliver me unto greater heights...
With this, he would have power yet greater than before!
First one dragon, yes, then more. MORE. Once he was secure in his power he would seek out his kin and even graft their to himself. Malenia...he would save that rotten bitch for last. He was the Lord of all that was golden! And one day, he would return to the capital, cast down that fool Morgott, and take his rightful place as Elden Lord. He just needed more time. More strength...
The fog door stirred behind him.
He heard it first, a faint rippling noise as the barrier he'd erected was breached. Indignant, he turned, cloak rippling from his back.
Who dared disturb his solitude? Who had the gall?!
Soon enough, he saw. A young man clad in tattered orange-and-black rags stalked down the steps, taking them two at a time. His hair shone in the moonlight, blue eyes burned, whiskered cheeks dimpling now in a scowl. Bah! Any anxiety he might have felt withered away in the face of such a lowly wretch. Another fool come to take what was his. There could only be one fate for such.
...well, now. A lowly tarnished." he scoffed and gripped the haft of his ax, blood warming to battle as the host of arms bridled upon his back. "Playing as a lord, are we?"
He paused as the fog rippled anew behind him. Not just one Tarnished. Another. Some fool of a woman wielding t axes. And behind them, looming over the rest...? Goodness! A Tree Sentinel? Here? Excellent. And without one of those bothersome steeds. She, at least, would make for grand grafting material. Today must be his lucky day. He salivated at the thought. With their might added to his own, his grand design would advance further yet, perhaps even enough to seek out that oaf Radahn...
The blond man gagged suddenly and stepped bacl, face gone pale as he beheld his glory. "How many lives did you graft to yourself...
"As many as needed!" Godrick preened, reveling in his fear. "And many more to come! I command thee, kneel!" his ax he slammed down, brandishing the leonine crest upon it for all to see with a merry cackle. "I am the Lord of all that is golden! And you are-
Ground.
Wait. Ground?
Why ground, now?
Dazed, blinking, Godrick's thoughts came back to him. Why was he lying down? Distantly, he registered an awful ache in his jaw and drool training from his chin. Realization dawned and he found his face made level with the dirt in a way no self-respecting lord desired. Had someone dared to strike him, him, Godrick the Golden? The gall of it all. His rage blazed, hotter than a dragon's flame.
"Change of plans." dizzily, he heard the man's voice. "He's mine."
This...this was madness! Yes! This...this was a trick! Some sinister spell!
"Get up." he turned his prone form to see that filthy blond tarnished stalking his way. "I said...UP!" His words were a growl, righteous fury made manifest. "Take your lumps like a man!"
Godrick tried to rise, only for another impossibly fast blow to catch his chin in the interim. Stars -entire galaxies!- flashed before his eyes as he reeled. He was still reeling in fact, when another blow dented his forehead to send him sprawling. Gravity betrayed him like everything else in this world; his body struck the ground and bounced once, skidding a deep furrow into the ground. What sorcery was this?! He hadn't seen either attack and yet here he was, a demigod, bleeding! By a mere tarnished!
Up! He had to get up!
Blood fountained forth from his split lip as he stumbled to a knee. "I...I am the lord of...
"Lord?" Through blurry eyes he beheld the blond, stalking forward, eyes glowing gold. "You?" he shook his head, blond bangs swaying from side to side. "A Lord's kinda like a Hokage, when you think about it. He stands up for his people. Speaks for them, ya know?"
"Cease your prattling!" Godrick whirled down at him, axes blurring, seeking his head. "Begone from my sight!"
"He gives 'em a shoulder to lean on when they're tired," a hand slapped it away, snapping his arm out of position. "And another to cry on when they weep." a second parry knocked him clear onto his back and a foot came hammering down after it, forcing him to tumble away lest his face be crushed. Rather than pursue, the blond waited for him to rise. Only then did he continue. "He bears their burdens with them, laughs with them, shares in both their joy and their sorrow, their pain...all of it. What do you know about any of that?"
His words stirred old memories. Foul memories. "It is the duty of the weak to yield to the strong!"
He closed on him, wind wailing around him, the storm itself answering his call.
His weapons closed on empty air.
"You're wrong."
Aghast, and knowing full well what he would find, Godrick nevertheless couldn't quell his instincts. He whirled up, alarmed to find the blond perched atop his golden uplifted ax like some kind of fell carrion bird, glaring down at him. "He doesn't hurt them." those ice blue orbs burned into him, judged him, found him wanting, and damned him all in the same instant. "He does not take advantage of them. He certainly doesn't take and take and TAKE until they have nothing left to give."
His heel whipped out, cracking him across the jaw. Teeth whistled free. Godrick greeted the ground again, caught himself, and tumbled to his feet.
"You missed your chance to take my head, fool! A miracle can only occur once!" frothing, he slashed out at him. " You shan't catch me by surprise again!"
"Then what do you call the second time?"
An open palm touched Godrick's back. Something slammed into his spine. Wind keened. He pitched forward, bearing an awful hole in his torso. But his body remained strong. It would not fall to a wound such as this. He clamored upright, eyes stinging, teeth aching. Ears ringing, he crawled forward. The dragon's corpse. An awful idea dawned in his heart. If he could just get to it...!
"If you, a so-called "lord" would do such things, then that makes you evil!" A hand closed around the back of his head, grabbing a fistful of scraggly grey hair...to hiss in his ear. "I'll give you one chance. Tell me you had a good reason for this." he was begging with him, pleading almost. "Tell me you didn't kill all these people to satisfy your own lust for power."
A groan. "Everything I have done...
"Yes?" The blond leaned in. "I'm listening."
...is for my own sake!" Godrick grit his teeth and bucked, tearing a portion of his scalp to get away. The oaf let him go, more fool he. "I will stand above them all! I will strive! I will triumph!"
"Alright." Those eyes. Those damn eyes, they scoured his very soul. Just like Malenia had. "Then you are no lord."
Red fell over his vision.
"You dare...?!"
"That's right!" the invader spread his arms out at either side, and the storm itself seemed to hearken to him. "You heard me! You're no lord, ya big bastard!" his voice boomed out with a thunderous cry, crackling alongside a bolt of lightning from on high. "Look what you've done! All these people! All those lives! It ends here! Now! Today!"
"Never!"
A faint click of the tongue was his only warning. The blond slid through his legs and slashed upward with a knife, rending his thigh...and something else. Pain! Howling his rage, Godrick brought an ax down, but his target was already away, skipping away in the face of his fury. One leap. No more. Then he was upon him. Gordrick learned another ugly truth, then.
He couldn't hit him.
Left and right his prey swayed, rooted to the same spot, evading his axes with ease...until the counterattack finally came. One punch weakened him. Another brought him to a knee. A third sprawled him out, forcing him to flail in a frenzy just to buy breathing room. This could not be! It must not be! A moment. He only needed a moment!
Now!
When the blond braggart hopped away to avoid a slam. Godrick was ready. In a fit, hacked down on his arm, severing it with a scream. The moment of horror it caused his adversary gave him all the time he needed and yet more. Cackling, he rounded on the dragon's corpse. Here! At last! His moment of crowning glory!
"Ahh, truest of dragons." he slammed his mangled arm into the beast's throat, thrusting it deep. "Lend me thy strength!"
The blond squawked at him. "The hell are you doing?!"
Godrick only laughed all the louder. Fool! He could have finished him then, while he was vulnerable. Instead he recoiled as he ripped the beast free and bound its severed head to his will. Such strength! Within moments it was his puppet to do with as he pleased. Now the boy would burn! All of them! Burn! Them, then the world!
"Forefathers, one and all!" he thrust his new toy high, forcing it to belch napalm into the air. "BEAR WITNESS!"
Movement flickered in his lower peripherals. A sneer twisted across his face.
One of those wretched women no doubt. Fearing for their friend, they struck at his flank while he was occupied. He barely felt the bite of an ax as it sank deep into his thigh. Her end was nigh. Godrick rounded on her and brought his impromptu flamethrower to bear. For a singular, wonderful moment, he watched fear dawn in the eyes of Nepheli Loux. Unfit to graft, this one. She would burn.
But it was not to be.
The blond one barged in from the right and shouldered her aside at the last instant. He saved her, at the cost of himself, vanishing into the roaring inferno, swallowed without a sound. Godrick crowed in triumph. At last! Victory! His emotions led to his death! A throaty cackle fled from his lips in a rush of dark glee as he heard the fool's companions cry out. Burn! All of them would burn! First him, then those fool maidens, then everyone! This would be the birthplace of his dynasty! His reign began now!
"Enough."
Naruto emerged through the fire and flames unharmed, burning brighter than the Erdtree itself.
Clad in a cloak of black and gold did he stride forth, uncaring as the heat kissed his skin. Blue eyes gazed up at him, red as blood. Steam boiled from his shoulders before his unhurried advance; a stately, leisurely walk while the inferno roiled over him, a pace that brought him well abreast of his new weapon. Godrick could have retreated. Could've pulled back. Tried a new tactic. Something. Anything. And yet the look in those eyes rooted him where he stood. He saw something in them. Something terribly, horribly familiar. An expression he'd never seen himself, yet heard tell of many a time in tales spoke hence.
Here at last, the Lord's heart quailed in the face of that fearsome glare. They looked nothing alike. And yet. He saw him all the same. "Great Godfrey...?"
Without so much as a word, golden hands closed around the dragon's jaw, tearing it -and the head!- clean off at the base.
Still grasping the dragon's severed visage, Naruto reared back with a snarl.
So too did his impromptu flail, arcing over and up with savage intent.
Godrick had time enough to blink as it shadow fell over him.
"Oh." he managed.
And then? Pain.
Naruto's arms blurred, and the dragon's head, heavy as it was, could not defy his momentum. It crashed down, slamming him into the floor. Dazed, Godrick couldn't even think to rise. By the time he did, another slam hit, stunning him. Bones cracked. Followed by a fourth. The strength bled from his body. A fifth now. Miraculously, his mind kept track of them all, even as he was beaten to a pulp. Six. Now he could feel himself slipping, and still, the beating continued as his mind slipped further and further away. All the while, his foe howled at him.
"This!"
BAM!
"IS NOT!"
WHAM!
"ACCEPTABLE!"
THRUCK!
The ninth blow did Godrick in; his world spiraled down into darkness.
A/N: Did he just beat that guy with another guy?
Yup. Beaten down with his own weapon. Ironic...and painful.
Time will tell if Godrick lives or dies-though I suppose that depends on you, the readers.
But hey, A New Lord Rises. All hail the coming Age of Orange~! Or is the Age of the Stars? Something else entirely? Hmm. Decisions, decisions...
Had to cut the Greyroll bit until next chapter, would've felt forced here.
Well? Did you like this story? Yes? No? Maybe? Speak out! Make yourselves heard! Your voice matters~!
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story.
If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular? POOF! Gone. Completely. I'm working two jobs during the holidays so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy. So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that.
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And have some previews.
Granted, some are quite off, but still...
(Previews)
"Have you come for rebirth...what are you doing?"
"You seem so...sad." Renala blinked as the baffling blond sat down before her and patted the space beside him. "Wanna talk about it?"
Roderika wept softly. "Thank you...
"The girl will burn. It is her fate."
...no."
"I beg your pardon?"
"No. It means NO. As it not happening. Not allowed! Denied, denied, denied!"
"You cannot simply-
"No! I DENY YOUR DENIAL!
Patches gulped. "Nice fox. Niiiiice fox. Lets not do anything hasty...
The man stood.
"WARRIOR! Stand and face me!"
Naruto's head whipped around. "Oh, c'mon!"
"You...you KNAVE!"
"Huh." he snickered. "So dragon girls are a thing here. Neat-ack?!
Clenched knuckles crashed into his chin. He was still laughing when he hit a tree.
"My body writhes with scarlet rot. You would be wise to leave."
He did just that...for all of an instant. Then he spun around, swept both arms under her and...
Milicent squeaked. "Cease! Why are you carrying me like some princess?! You'll be infected with the Rot!"
"Ohhhhh, is that what it is?" His smile shone down at her, brighter than the Erdtree itself. The Rot in her tried to touch him...and was summarily repelled. "Heh. Tickles."
"Call me a Tarnished again! See what happens!
"You will stay away from my mother."
Naruto's eyes snapped toward her and Ranni knew at once she'd been had. He'd played her, the clever fool.
"Ah," he crooned, the low sound of a man who'd finally put all the pieces together at long last. "I was wondering about that. She thinks you're dead, ya now."
Of course she did. Her face twisted with shame at the reminder. "It is...necessary."
His brow grew stormy. "Is it, though? Is it really? She was crying."
...you will hold thy tongue."
Blue eyes blazed red.
"No. I will not."
"Why is it always ghosts?! NOPE NOPE NOPE!
"Take off that ridiculous mask, will ya? When I talk to someone, I wanna see their face."
Behind her crown, Sellen's brow shot into her hair."
...if you insist, my apprentice."
"Apprentice? Me?" Much to her chagrin, he crossed both arms behind his head and grinned, the baffling boy. "Strange thing to call me...
"Lord of blood, was it? Y'know, I've heard about ya. Can't say its been good things. Now, then...
Mohg faltered for an instant. Just a moment. Nary a second. Oh. Oh, dear.
Weapons rose into the air.
...get 'em."
"Oi! Miquella! Wake the hell up! Your sister's waiting for you!"
"Such a stalwart champion."
"Please...kill me."
R&R~!