A/N: Stop updating RWBY someone says.
Nobody likes it, yet another says. Well, that's cruel T_T
Fine. Back to Elden Ring we go for the time being. Let it not be said that I don't listen to my readers.
With my fifteen year anniversary on this site finally here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
No questions this time. Someone complained. Ah, well. I think I've kept you waiting long enough already, dear reader.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes, or memes. Not a wit or a one!
They're tributes to legends far greater than little old me.
This chapter doesn't pull any punches~!
Also, a very familiar reference here.
Most of you should know it~!
You're reaching the end of your Journey, Naruto...many paths lay before you. Which ending shall you choose...
...oh? A most curious answer indeed. Will you create your own?
What will you sacrifice to achieve that ending?
~An Angry Dragon.
The Path Awaits
Something had changed.
Ranni noticed it come morning, or what passed for it down here in the depths of Nokron.
Indeed, how could she not? She was not a witch for nothing and soon noticed that something was amiss.
Melina had been sullen and silent from the moment they'd set foot in this place. Downright cranky even. Aggressive? Most certainly. Yet now, that foul mood was nowhere to be seen as they broke camp. Even in this tiny, limited doll form, Ranni wasn't blind. She could see it; the Kindling Maiden's face was radiant, her good eye half-lidded with quiet satisfaction, her stride slow and languid...with a noticeable limp. Likewise, she couldn't help but notice Naruto; who, though also moving just a little slower than before, kept her close to his side.
In an instant Ranni realized the truth.
She sorely wished she hadn't.
Because once she did...
The fiend! Was there no end to his beastly depredations?! Was he really that good? Was a night spent with him truly so satisfying that it wiped one's cares away? Such thoughts almost made her long for the pleasure of the flesh once more, if only for curiosity's sake.
Almost.
But for now, she held her tongue.
Their party made good time through what remained of the Eternal City. Their foes they cut down with brisk dispatch.
Those who fled rather than face them, they allowed to retreat, melting back into the shadows.
And why shouldn't they? They were not here to conquer...this time.
A brief but vicious fight followed when they encountered a handful of furtive Nox swordstresses; thankfully those elected to flee; opting to live and fight another day rather than be slain by Naruto and Melina, or worse, the Bloody Lady and Astrid herself. Ranni rather pproved of their mercy. She had always found the silent sisters of Nokron fascinating.
They, who first defied the Greater Will and had their city buried beneath the earth.
They, who struck back at the Two Fingers and made a god bleed.
They, who waited for their Lord of Night.
Secure in her pouch, she was left to ponder the matter as her companions
Would these "servants of the stars" worship Naruto someday? Who could say?
More Mimic Tears tried to bar their bath; thankfully, these soon proved to be senseless beings-unlike the stray they'd encountered outside the city-and were summarily slain. The last took on the impressive form of a towering Troll, for all the good it did. The Bloody Lady ran it through with her spear. It fell winded to earth, where the rest of the party met it with shadow clones and daggers and axes. Ranni took some grim satisfaction in that. The outcome was a foregone conclusion. At least Mimic tears did not bleed, so there was hardly a mess to contend with.
And then, quite suddenly, there it was. The chest.
Such a small thing.
Naruto didn't even bother to pick the lock; a firm kick shattered it and then he was crouching down, flipping the lid open from within. A faint shimmering light greeted him as he stabbed a hand into it.
"Sooo...this is it?" Naruto pulled his hand from the weathered trunk and held up the item in question, a wickedly warped blade that almost seemed to pulse in his hands. "Seems kinda old...
Melina wrinkled her nose. "Ghastly thing."
Astrid leaned forward to regard it. "Is it... alive...?"
It was indeed, which made it all the more authentic. No fake, this. This was genuine article. A pleased thrill shot through Ranni at the sight of it. She felt a heady thrill of triumph race through her body and had she a heart, she was sure it would be pounding right about now. Yes! At last! Victory was hers! Well, theirs, technically, but still!
The Bloody Lady coughed into a fist.
Ranni tensed. Blast. She'd forgotten all about her. Now came the moment of truth. The instant of betrayal. The revelation that determined if this so-called "Bloody Lady" was friend or foe. She waited, bracing herself for the worst...
"...well done." Their guide only smiled and sketched a genteel curtsy. "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come."
.
..
...surely that couldn't be it!
She turned a withering glare about this stranger who claimed to know her. "What do you stand to gain from this?"
"Powerful allies, I hope." the ghost of a smile caressed her pale visage as she straightened up with a flourish. "I too, wish to see the influence of the Fingers curtailed. It might please you to know that another pair lurks in the Roundtable Hold.
"I am aware of them." And she was. They were impotent. Powerless. Unable to leave the Hold for fear of being set upon by those who would have their heads. She turned her gaze back to Naruto. "Please bring the blade to me hence. And speaking of blades...should you stumble upon Blaidd in your journey, tell him," she paused, considered, wrestled with the guilt of the sin she was about to commit, and said her peace. "Tell him that I am sorry."
His brow furrowed somewhat. "Sorry for what?"
"For what I am about to do."
She could not hesitate now, no matter how much it might pain her. She would do what must be done. She could not hesitate-nor could she afford show mercy. Blaidd might well lose his mind once she set out on her grand journey, but once she left this weak body of wood and string behind and ascended to power, once she became a goddess true, she would be able to cure that which plagued him...hopefully.
And if not, then she would grant her loyal hound his rest.
Furthermore there was still the matter of the Baleful Shadows to which she must attend. She did not dare see out her Two Fingers while those creatures yet prowled the land. It had become abundantly clear that Naruto wasn't about to leave her alone. She may as well make use of him. He was a useful tool, a blunt instrument to better carry out her will. Nothing more. So she told herself. Surely he couldn't be anything more. She would not allow him to worm his way into her heart as he had so many others.
Again, so she told herself. And yet...
"You shall help me." she decreed. "I shall brook no disobedience in this matter."
Melina quirked a brow in mild annoyance, but mercifully held her tongue.
Naruto most assuredly did not. "Is that your way of asking nicely?
Ranni growled at him. "Perhaps it is."
He smirked. "Say please.
She growled. "Please!"
He patted her little head wit one hand. "I'll think about it."
Ranni made angry Ranni noises. Oaf! Fool! Cretin! Did he not understand the importance of this?!
"So be it." The Bloody Lady piped up again before she could think to rail at him. "Then it would seem my part in this is done. But before I go...a gift. "She reached up to her forehead and-
Naruto balked. "Hey, hey! What're you doing?!
-ripped her Great Rune free.
"Here." She stepped to him and offered Mogh's Great Rune up, that eerie, ghastly thing. He didn't resist and let her press it atop his left hand, carving the bloody sigil across his knuckles. "Now only three remain."
Ranni bridled, both in anger and confusion. Three? She'd certainly said three just now, hadn't she? Morgott and Malenia remained surely, but then whose Great Rune yet remained? Naruto was perilously close to finishing his journey. Few there were, to challenge him. So then who...?
Wait.
Did this "Bloody Lady" speak of her Great Rune?
No! Nay! Never! She had thrown that wretched thing away for a reason!
"You should seek out the venerable Goldmask in the Altus Plateau." she came back to herself in time to hear the Bloody Lady speaking once more. "He may be of some aid to you."
"Where will you go?"
"To Caelid." She declared. "There is something I must retrieve there. And then, the cold North." her smile seemed almost sad now, somehow. "There is someone I must meet. Perhaps we shall meet again...future Elden Lord."
Their wayward whiskered warrior flung up his arms in an aggravated shout. "Again with that title?!"
She vanished before their very eyes with a laugh, disappearing in a swirl of bloody mist.
Naruto scratched at a whiskered cheek.
"Well, that's not ominous at all...
(.0.0.0.)
It was easier getting out than going in.
The world shimmered around Naruto and he shook himself as reality reasserted itself, struggling to keep his lunch down. Traveling by magic was always something of a lurch; which was precisely why he preferred walking; but even he couldn't deny how useful this was. Besides, this saved them the trouble of having to climb all the way back up.
"Bleurgh." Kurama groaned in his head. "Gonna be sick...
Where they'd been teleported to, however...well, that was anyone's guess.
Ranni's spell had taken them out of Nokron sure enough, he just didn't know where they were.
...at least the view was nice.
Indeed, the weather was beautiful at this hour; a strong breeze blew across the plain, kissing long blades of grass caressed by the waning light of day; a blazing sphere slowly sinking over a nearby hill. He could see the faint silhouette of the stars beginning to form in the sky above, a series of pale pinpricks as the sun yielded to the moon. It was a scene straight from a painting; it made him want to stand and watch it forever; to linger here until the last fading rays of day slipped way.
Life wasn't so kind. "A word, Elden Lord."
Astrid was looking to him, pale face grim and intent.
Shoulda known this was coming. He waved Ranni and Melina off. "Are you coming with us?
"For a time." she hedged warily. "First, I would give you a warning." He paused at that, looking over his shoulder at Astrid, and let her speak. "We shall rise when the time comes. With or without you. And should you fall to Frenzy before then...
She laid a hand to the ax in her belt of furs.
...you will die."
That was even more ominous than the Bloody Lady. "I don't even know what Frenzy is."
"And well that you do not!" She snapped at him. "You have not stumbled upon HIM yet. You have not been tempted. But you will be, soon. Two paths loom before you. Continue on your current one and all will be well in the end. Falter and the world will burn. Do you understand? You mustn't waver. No matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice." A hand reached out and grasped his forearm. "You are the hope for this world, but you mustn't allow yourself to fall into despair."
Sacrifice?
Melina sprang to the forefront of his mind.
He gripped her arm in return, fingers biting down hard enough to draw beads of blood. "How much have you seen with these visions of yours?
"Enough." the seer's reply was guarded, clipped even, her smile a tense one. "Speaking of which, you may wish to brace yourself."
More riddles. "What're you talking about-
"Mine."
...what was that? Naruto heard the word from afar and tilted his head to the right. That lone word, carried to him on the wind, growing steadily louder. He looked left, he looked right, not a soul in sight. Yet he could still hear the voice. Odd. Where was it coming from? It sounded so close, and yet so far. So where...?
"Mine, Mine...
Alright, he definitely wasn't imagining that.
"Mine, mine, mine...
A strange pang of anxiety crept up on him. Suddenly feeling nervous, he looked around, to no avail. No sign of them.
...mine, mine, mine, mine..."
"Do you hear that?"
...mine, mine, mine, mine, mine..."
"Yes." Astrid's smile didn't fade. "I do."
...mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine..."
Great, he definitely wasn't imagining, then.
...mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine..."
Huh, it sounded an awful lot like...
...mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine...!"
Blue eyes bulged in realization. Oh. Oh, dear. This was going to hurt.
...mine mine mine MINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMIIIIINE~!"
Naruto looked up at the last second; as such he saw what struck him. Greyroll crashed into him like a falling star; swooped down -swooping was bad!- from on high, ripped him off his feet and all but swept him into her arms. He had time enough to yelp then her wings beat again and they were gone. So too was the world, reality rushing up into the clouds as they left the others behind.
Unfortunately, he had more pressing mat
"You coupled with someone else again BEFORE ME!" her forehead smashed against his, golden eyes ablaze as they ascended. "I can smell her on you! Have you no shame?!"
He grinned at her ruefully, mildly bemused by her temper tantrum. "Not really, no. Good to see you again...?"
It was the right thing to say. The dragoness kissed him fiercely, biting his lip as she withdrew.
"That does it!" she growled at him. "No more delays! Its my turn! You're coming with me! NOW!"
He laughed despite himself. "To where, exactly?"
She huffed. "To the Altus plateau, of course!"
"Sure, but why?"
Greyroll was all too happy to gave him both a reason and a name.
That name thrummed in his blood. He'd heard it before:
"Lansseax."
A/N: I'm sure you all got that reference. Aaaand scene!
Gotta finish up those sidequests and get all that sweet, sweet loot before we finish the main quest.
Well? Did you like this story? Yes? No? Maybe? Speak up! Make yourselves heard! Your voice matters~! Silence hurts worse than any flame.
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? It will remain, but it won't be continued! Gone. Completely. I'm working two jobs to keep the lights on, as such 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, Wouldst Thou Kindly?
And have some previews. Some are quite off, but still...
Mind you, most of these previews are the same.
Wouldn't do to spoil what's coming up.
Vote for what you want to see!
And as ever:
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
SPOILERS LAY AHEAD!
YE BE WARNED!
(Previews)
Lansseax wasn't happy to see them.
"There she is! Now attack her! Bring her low!"
Naruto quirked a brow at Greyroll. "And why would I want to do that?"
Rya sat beside him. "May we talk?"
Sure, why not," he chuckled into his palms. "Just got the Irina bombshell dropped on me...
"And so we meet again Tarnished." he stomped down the steps. "You shall not triumph this time.
Morgott took one look at him, saw Mohg's rune, and drew his blade with a hiss.
"My own brother! YOUR GREED KNOWS NO END!"
...what is that thing?"
Hewg offered him the Weapon.
"Its what she asked for. The power to kill a god."
"I'm so sorry!"
"GIVE HER BACK!"
He grabbed the needle.
There was a blade in his chest. He looked down with a sigh.
"And you thought this would work because...?"
"Please don't go...please...I can't do this without you...
"What was this? A projection? He didn't think so. And yet...
"I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella. And I-
CLONK!
-am not in the mood." Naruto finished as he stalked over her prone form. "Buzz off."
...wait."
Aw, hell.
Death roared at Death.
"Whoa, now!" He waved up at the fire giant. "Friendly! Friend! No stomping, please!"
The behemoth squinted down at him in utter confusion. Progress.
Naruto beamed up at it. "Wanna be friends?"
"I AM HOARAH LOUX!"
"I AM NARUTO UZUMAKI!"
Milicent flung up her arms in exasperation. "You are such boys!"
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself isn't popular? Well, it won't be continued. I'm working two jobs -might need a third soon!- so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy.
So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
Silence...silence only hurts.
Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back from work~!
R&R~!