A/N: WARNING: Intense chapter!
Speaking of which, the mature/explicit version of said chapter is now officially available over on A03, for anyone who might be interested and wants proper lemons. Looking forward to reading your feedback and improving~!
...I'm still around somehow and still typing, if only just.
I nearly retired with all that nonsense going on with the site last week, but I'm still writing...for now. We'll see.
If this chapter gets a ton of feedback-hopefully!-then I'll do my best to ensure another early update again. If not...I don't know. I really don't.
In other news depression's starting to hit real hard these days. Sometimes I wonder why I do anything at all. I can't claim to understand what's going wrong with my head. I don't even know why! One moment I'm fine, then my mood craters for a few hours, then I'm back again for a bit, and the cycle repeats. Its rather annoying; as though I've become a prisoner in my own mind sometimes. Sure, what's one more mental problem on the pile. Not like I don't have enough, what with already being this old. Feels like every day is a battle sometimes. My doctor is of no help at all.
Trying to find another one is absolute hell, and its driving me bonkers. *siiiigh* Don't mind the rambling of this geezer...
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.
Oh, and one last thing. Greyroll likes to BITE.
I'll leave you with that lovely thought.
"With a strong foundation, and a little bit of sense and imagination, it just takes the slightest trigger to change a person...
Imagine a future version of yourself who's freely surpassed your limits. One who can catch lightning itself.
Now go forth, brave warrior! Lay that dragon!"
...you mean slay that dragon, right?
"I know what I said!"
~A Wise Man.
Embrace the Dragon
Naruto heaved a sigh.
...you're not gonna put me down are ya?"
Greyroll didn't deign to respond. She gripped him tighter with both arms, utterly uncaring as the wind howled around them.
She flew hard and she flew fast, determinedly silent as the world blurred by below them. Clouds whipped past as the Land Between rushed by in streaks of mottled green and brown and grey, so much so that he could barely see it all. He knew where they were headed of course; she hadn't been shy about that. That she was being silent about OTHER things however...well that concerned him. In his experience, a quiet dragon was a sneaky dragon and Greyroll had proven herself a clever girl before.
Gods knew what she was up to now.
For the most part, their aerial journey was made in sullen silence save for the steady beat of her wings. He hated silence. It was only when he threatened to break free of her grasp entirely that the transformed dragoness dared to speak. "Stop squirming!" she bared her teeth at him. "I said I would take you to Lansseax, and I will!"
"I don't even know who that is!"
You will soon enough." she turned a grin on him. "It is vital you met her regardless."
"Vital, was it? he knew that tone of voice and he squinted at her as the clouds whistled by. "You're up to something."
"Am I." the dragoness's grin was decidedly cheeky. "Perish the thought! I haven't the foggiest idea what you could possibly mean-
"I'll make you drop me."
"Alright, alright!" her voice rose in a plaintive whine when it became clear he could back up his words. "We are soon to come to the end of our journey. Best to meet her now before we reach Farum Azula. If we do not deal with her here, she will become another obstacle in our path."
His brow furrowed. "Farum-what-now?"
Her eyes twinkled. "Forgive me, I'm getting ahead of myself. We're here."
"Already?!"
The dragonness preened. "See for yourself."
Naruto leaned his head over her shoulder and did just that as Greyroll ceased beating her wings and began to glide to the ground. Sure enough, the Altus Plateau sprawled out below them in all its golden glory, spread for miles as far as the eye could see. He could see the pitted plains below where a great battle had been fought, the stragglers of an army long since broken, crouching in their squalid little camps. And there at the center of it all, planted in the center of a great city that could only be Leyndell...
.
..
...wow.
Granted, he had seen the Erdtree from afar before, steadily growing closer in the distance but never quite this close before iIt really was quite large.
He could sense it too, feel its lifeforce...and immediately knew there something was wrong.
It was dying.
Perhaps that wasn't the right word; the Erdtree had been dying for a terribly long time. He could see its brittle bark and falling leaves from here, feel the ebb and flow of its power as it struggled to cling onto the last dregs of drying dew that sustained it. On a whim, he reached out further with his thoughts and pushed his mind at the great golden boughs, trying to make sense of it all:
Pain!
Agony!
Suffering!
A panicked presence latched onto his mind, assailing him with sight and sensation and sound, an endless barrage that he could barely decipher. He tried to sift through them all, but he couldn't. His mind drowned in words and memories that weren't his own, of a life measured not in years or decades, but centuries and millennia. Eons. A slow degradation, a long death that was finally coming to an end. And there, rising over it all a voice that cried out for release, for an end:
IthurtsithurtsithurtithurtsnomorehelpmakeitstopMAKEITSTOPHELPMEEEEEE-
He withdrew his thoughts with a wince, flinching.
The ring on his finger burned white hot.
...I am sorry."
He had an awful, sinking feeling his chest as to who it might be.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Greyroll's whisper snapped him back to reality.
Naruto looked down and gasped. The Great Runes on his body were glowing. Every single one.
Panic struck him and he found himself tempted to break out of Greyroll's grasp and run over to the Erdtree...
.
..
...no. Not yet. Resist. There were still things to do.
Greyroll swept down and alighted upon a rocky outcropping set before a verdant plain with golden flowers. Brilliant bolts of lightning struck their stems as he looked on, somehow drawn to their unyielding golden light. He could see the towering wall of Leyndell from here, the Erdtree closer still. All was serene, if not necessarily silent.
"This spot will do." his tall companion declared, releasing him at the last. "Now we need only wait for her to notice our arrival."
Rather than retreat he crouched down to inspect one of those strange flowers. "What are these?"
Greyroll's hand graced his shoulder, fingertips lingering as they trailed past. "We call them Fulgurbloom in your tongue."
He looked up at her. "And in yours?"
She smiled softly, sadly. "Lightning's Kiss. Lansseax once brought a bouquet of such flowers to a mortal she cared dearly for."
His frown deepened. "By your tone, I'm guessing it didn't end well for her.
"No," came the immediate rejoinder, barely a whisper. "It did not."
Kurama sighed in his head. "Not ominous at all."
He half-expected Lansseax to arrive, then.
No such luck.
Craning his neck back, Naruto stood and looked about. The world was silent and still, save for the occasionally-crackling flowers. The sun was creeping toward the horizon; night would be upon them soon. He watched that fiery orb for a moment as it painted the sky red as blood. No white dragon. Nothing at all, unless one counted a stray dove flitting by overhead.
"I don't see her."
"Nor do I." Greyroll paced away from him. "It seems she hasn't noticed us yet. We shall have to draw her out."
A decent idea, but the execution needed some work. "And how do you suggest we do that?"
"With great difficulty." she thumbed her chin, considering. "As much a I wish I were, I am not an Ancient Dragon and cannot simply command her to show herself. She will not heed my call." he saw a scarlet spark flicker over her clawed fingers. "I am simply a conduit for Lord Placidusax's power...when he chooses to bestow it."
"Like you did during your battle with Radahn."
She flashed him a pleased smile. "Remember that, do you? It feels like a lifetime ago."
It really did, didn't it? They'd come so far, changed so many lives. But things were coming to an end. He could feel it in his bones. Life was going to change soon in the Lands Between. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
"There has to be a way to get her attention." he said at last." There must be. You wouldn't bring me here otherwise.
Greyroll pointedly looked away from him. "There is."
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes.
She pivoted and made a pleased sound, practically a purr. "I'm so glad you said that."
Her peace said, she strode forward-sashayed his way really-hips swaying beneath her dress. Greyroll did not walk. She stalked, wings tucked against her back, horns glinting in the crackling light of the lightning, her bright eyes half-lidded with dark promise. He had an inkling of what she intended; it was only confirmed when the tall dragonness reached down and laid a hand on his cheek. Her smile was nothing short of seductive, sweet as sin.
"Lay me."
Blue eyes bulged.
"Really?!" the word burst out of him in a cough. "Now?! Here?!"
"Yes, really!" she stomped a foot, looking quite put out. "I have been quite patient, tolerant even as you gallivanted about the Lands Between, claiming other women. Such is your right, of course. The strong are drawn to the strong. But you are my mate and you have paid me precious little attention as of late." She placed a fist against her chin and tilted her head. "Do you not find me attractive? Do you not desire me?" her arms moved just so, crossing beneath her bountiful bosom. "Do you not wish me to bear your heirs, your sons and daughters?"
His throat closed a little at that last one; first Fia, now her. Why was everyone in the Lands Between so baby crazy?!
But the idea didn't really sound half bad. He'd always wanted a large family.
Maybe once this was over...
"Aha!" Greyroll must've seen something in his eyes she liked; because she all but glowed with triumph. "You do!"
...you know that."
Her face glowed a little at that. "But of course. I simply wished to hear it again before you kiss me again. We dragons have our pride."
Stroking her ego, much? He planed a fist on his hip. "You're say that, acting like this is a foregone conclusion or something."
"It is." she practically preened. "You and I are meant to be; we are inevitable. Our children will rule this world."
Stubborn girl. A sigh slipped out of him. "I don't exactly enjoy the idea of doing it out here in the rough...
"Whyever not?" she tilted her head, quite baffled by his words. "The ground is quite soft."
"Hold it. A blond brow rose. "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"
She winced, caught out. "...yes. There is another reason for this, of course."
"Naturally." When she didn't answer, he began to tap a foot. "Say it."
Grey scowled. "...if I tell you this story, you mustn't laugh."
"Cross my heart and hope to die.
"I shall hold you to that. You see, Lansseax had a human she fancied." Greyroll reached down and took his face in her hands, thumbs caressing his whiskered cheeks. "A knight, a brave and true soul not unlike you. His name was Vyke. She adored him and pursued him in human form. It was she who taught him the art of lightning, indeed, she gave him everything she had." her fingers bit into his visage, trying to make him flinch, and when he didn't, she smiled and continued her tale of woe. "Alas, he spurned her affections in favor of his Maiden. He then fell to Frenzied Flame trying to save her. This was all some time ago, you understand...
There it was. That word again. What on earth was this Frenzied Flame? Moreover, why was everyone so terrified of it...?
Astrid had warned him of it, and now Greyroll. Thoughts for later, he supposed.
Ah, but Greyroll was still speaking and he must attend:
"Even I do not know what became of him when he sought an audience with the Three Fingers. Whatever it was, it burnt his armor and drove him mad. Was he killed? Was he lost? Was he sealed away in an evergaol, left to rot in his insanity?" her broad shoulders rolled in a shrug. "I cannot tell you these things for I truly do not know what became of him afterward. What I can tell you is this." she kissed him suddenly, biting his lip as she drew away. "She is a proud dragon. If there is one thing in this world what will draw her attention, it will be this."
She reached up tugged at the straps of her gown, and rolled her shoulders. Her pale dress pooled at her feet, baring her body to him in her entirety.
Naruto's throat went dry. He'd always known she was tall but...damn.
Bigger really was better. Who knew?
"A human and one of her kind, making love beneath the Erdtree." Greyroll leaned in, took hold of one of his hands and pressed it to her bare breast, while simultaneously pressing her lips to his again. Her kisses were fire, warming his blood as he returned them, heating his body to a feverish degree. "This shall do more than merely catch her eye; it shall remind her of the past and all she could've had. That will enrage her like no other."
Her free hands rose, helping him remove his gauntlets, followed by much of his armor, until he bared his upper torso to her.
Still she continued to poke and prod him with lingering touches and lasting kisses.
It was driving him mad. He wanted out of this armor. He wanted...!
"She will come for us; and when she does, you must defeat her completely and utterly." with one last lingering kiss Greyroll took him by both of his hand and drew him into her embrace, but didn't guide him down to the ground as he expected. Instead she held him at arms length. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to ravage him, yet somehow she restrained herself at the last. "Let her strike first, but leave no room for doubt afterward. Her defeat must be absolute."
A distant rumble echoed in the distance.
"One last thing. I meant what I said," she leaned in, soulful eyes meeting his. "Just as I am your mate, so are you mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Always and forever. Nothing she says will change that."
He dove in to kiss her again, hands lingering on her hips as she nibbled at his neck, biting hard enough to leave a mark. "Is she really that much stronger than you...?"
"Oh, yes." her grin became decidedly cheeky. "That's why you'll be the one fighting her. The threesome comes afterward; once you've dominated her, of course."
Naruto absolutely twitched, eyes widening. That sneaky, clever girl! "Now wait just a second...!"
There was no waiting. Lansseax struck the ground behind them in a crimson comet.
Her roar was his only warning. "YOU DARE?!"
And the world burst into crimson light.
A/N: Lansseax and Morgott battles next chapter.
And they are going to be an aboslute dooooooooooozy.
Naruto thinks he's almost done. He really has no idea what awaits...
Well? Did you like this story? Yes? No? Maybe? Speak up! Make yourselves heard! Your voice matters~! Silence hurts worse than any flame. Looking forward to reading your feedback when I get home from work~
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 a ways 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 seethed.
The fiend. The absolute fiend.
She would tear the flesh from his bones and...that was a very big fox!
"What are you going to do?"
He looked to the Erdtree.
...something reckless."
Morgott heard him.
"And so we meet again Tarnished." he stomped down the steps. "You shall not triumph this time.
And now you consort with Dragons? How you have fallen.
Oh yes, we do much consorting, very loudly.
Graceless tarnished. What is thy business with these thrones? Godrick the Golden, the twin prodigies Miquella and Malenia. General Radahn. Praetor Rykard. Will full traitors, all! Thy kind are all of a piece, pillagers emboldened by the flame of ambition. Have it writ upon thy meager grave. Felled by King Morgott. Last of all Kings-
And then he saw Mohg's rune.
Morgott took one look at him, saw his brother's rune, and brandished his blade with a hiss.
"My own brother! Thy greed knows no end, usurper! You're no different from the rest! Smoldering with thy meager flame of ambition!
Morgott rushed him.
If he had been fast before now he was a blur now
"One way or another, I'm getting that Great Rune! What's it gonna be, Morgott?!"
He laughed at him as they clashed. "Tarnished, thou'rt but a fool. The Erdtree wards off all who deign approach. We are all of us forsaken. None may claim the title of Elden Lord. Thy deeds shall be met with failure, just as I! We are lost! DEFEAT ME AND SEE FOR YOURSELF!"
Rya sat beside him. "May we talk?"
Sure, why not," he chuckled into his palms. "Just got the Irina bombshell dropped on me...
...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~!