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About one year ago I started on a story, that moved along several chapters, before getting out of my focus. My usual workcycle of autumn and summerstories kicked in and made me stop writing it for a time. Now I continued the story and thus decided to put it up here. Some of you will now guess my other penname. I thought of abandoning that name, cause of some people who would not leave me alone. I decided otherwise, and who is bothered by my changes, me writing slash, etc. go elsewhere.
So here's the story:
Titel: To reign among the pale
Chapter 1 - The sentence
Chapter 2 - Walking the ashes
Fandom: Chronicles of Riddick
Pairing: Riddick/ Vaako
Rating: NC-17
Type: Slash
Warnings: Angst, violence
Status: WIP
Beta: Many, many thanks to Lady Vaako, for taking this much work all on herself.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Riddick and Vaako, nor do I make profit with this story.
Summary: As Riddick starts his rule of the Necromonger army, he also deals out revenge to Vaako, intending to crush him. Or does he?
When the Necormonger army approaches the distant Minerva system, things start to get complicated.
To reign among the Pale
Chapter 1 - The Sentence
Vaako stood at the side entrance of the great Necropolis, waiting. The air around him seemed even more chilly than else, if this was possible. A icy breath, softly whispering through the basilicia’s wide halls, leaving freezing traces on Vaako’s skin. Like a touch of true death, a shade, foreboding of something still in store. He tried not to show any sign of stress or nervousness outside, even as he had no idea at all what beast might lie in store for him today. Or what weapons he would be allowed to use.
Six month ago, when the former Lord Marshal fell by the hand of the Furyan, Vaako, first among commanders then, had led the Necromonger to kneel before their new Lord Master. In a split of a second he had it seen then, that whether the Furyan died or led was decided here and now, and the choice was not the Furyan's but his. All Necromongers had looked to Vaako for a decision, whatever it would be. Honestly, Vaako had not expected to see the end of that day.
Now, about six month later, he was still here and the swift death he had been silently hoping for, denied to him. The new Lord Marshal had decided against killing Vaako right away. Instead he had vented a lifetime’s worth of revenge down on him. Not only had Vaako lost his rank of ‘First among Commanders’ that very day, he had lost his rank of a normal commander as well. The troop he led today, was a wild hotchpotch of the worst elements found in Necromonger society. Vaako had always known that even among Necromongers there was scum, but he had never imagined how much scum there was, and what it would be to lead such a troop into battle. And there were many battles these days.
As the Necromonger army moved on, there were new worlds, battles and dangers ahead. The new Lord Marshall had issued a new course for them to take, leading them into other parts of the galaxy, but war remained war all the same. Vaako did not complain about the fact that he and his bunch of misfits were given the worst assignments, the most dangerous tasks. The risks were numerous, death was certain and survival rare. In a way the Lord Marshal was right, these tasks needed an experienced commander and the misfits did as well. Vaako gave his very best, not only to accomplish every new task handed down to them but also to train and drill his troop, to make them fitter for battle, more dangerous, more reliable. The last six months had taken a high toll on his strength, nerves and manners, for he could not afford a single moment of weakness. The grudging respect of his troop was won on knife-edge and even if they were not likely to jump at him right now. There was another duty he was assigned to regularly. The duty he was right now waiting for.
As the Necromonger army commenced its crusade through the universe, fighting battles on many planets, they encountered any number of wild and dangerous creatures. Under the Lord Marshal’s orders, at least one specimen of them was caught alive on every new planet and brought to Necropolis. Every celebration of a new victory was crowned by one event, which the Lord Marshal enjoyed immensely: the former First among commanders fighting the beast.
Vaako leaned against the doorway; he could hear laughter and voices from the Hall. The court was enjoying the festivities. Well, even Vaako had to admit that conquering Minerva’s System had been a major victory, supplying them with recruits and resources for many months to come. Which meant that the feast was to continue for some time before…. No, here they came.
Two Guardsmen were advancing towards him. “It’s time, off you go,“ one said in a cool tone. The troop, taking their tone from their masters, regarded him icy cool at best and disdainfully at worst, but still a little better than did his former peers at the court. Vaako’s wife had divorced him on the very day of his fall and was now wife of the new first Purifier. She led the court in most of the sneering, snickering and mocking. Vaako braced himself when he entered the great Hall; it was dark in there, darker than it had been in former times, but most Necromongers had by now adjusted to the Furyan lighting. A dozen gestures, mock – greetings and sneers greeted him, when he entered and crossed the Hall. The fighting ground was in the centre, right before the throne, where the Furyan had fought the former Lord Marshall. Vaako strode towards the centre of the fighting circle, ignoring the sly comments and mocking laughter surrounding him. His eyes went to the man on the throne. Riddick sat there, his moonlight eyes shining in the semi–darkness of the hall.
‘You look tired, my Lord.’ Vaako thought, seeing the subtle signs of exhaustion in the Lord Marshall’s face. The piercing eyes met his, and Vaako hastily averted his gaze and knelt. “As you summoned me, my Lord, I come.”
***
Riddick’s fist clenched as he regarded the man kneeling in the battle circle’s centre. The mere sight of Vaako was likely to anger him most of the time. “I have another fight for you,“ he rumbled. “See that you make it worth my while.” Vaako looked up, again their eyes met for the split of a second. “As you order it my Lord, so shall it be.”
Leaning back in his seat, Riddick observed Vaako readying himself for a fight. The former First among Commanders had changed much; from the way he looked six months back. Back then he had been wearing an ornamented Necromonger armour mostly, his black hair being attended to, and held in place. Now he wore no armour at all, his clothing for the fight consisted of some dark pants, fitting skin tight, and an equally dark sleeveless shirt, made from simple material. The rough living conditions he had experienced had not ruined his condition in any way; on the contrary, he was more muscular and hardened than ever before. The sides of his head were still shaven, but the middle hair had grown longer, forming a wild mane brushing his broad shoulders. The wilder sides of him had become more apparent; to Riddick, he looked more vibrant then ever.
Finding his thoughts reaching this point, Riddick sat up, straightening himself. ‘No.’ he thought. ‘I hate you. You took Kyra from me. Why is it, that always when I look at you, I think you are… gorgeous? Why this hurt look in your eyes, just before you avert your gaze?’ Looking sideways, he caught sight of Menion, the new Purifier and waved him to come over. “What do you have in store for him this time?“ Riddick asked.
“A most fearsome beast, my Lord.” Menion replied. “The natives on the planet call it ‘the Judge of Fates’, a dangerous nocturnal predator. Honestly, I am not sure if one man can take it down.” And no one could be sure. The natives of the planet below were a hardened race of superior fighting skills. The recruits taken were much prove of this.
The purifier’s wife, ex Dame Vaako, smiled. “The name is Grazo’Rahn. Vaako met them before he became a Necromonger. He’ll face his nightmare, today,“ she added, her voice betraying her appreciation of the event.
Riddick frowned at her. ‘You enjoy this, don’t you? he wondered. You lead the court in any new cruelty you can devise for him. He’d deserve some loyalty, at least from you.’ Impatiently he waved the woman to back off. “Then let the fight begin.”
The Grazo’Rahn was all the Purifier had promised and even more. It was a nightmare. Having sprung from a line of predatory lizards, it was about ten feet tall, swift like the wind, with a whip like tail that was as dangerous as the huge mouth. Vaako, only armed with a long, curved knife had a difficult stand against the fearsome beast. When the creature had been led into the circle, Riddick had seen a flicker in Vaako’s green eyes; there had been something, not fear, but a painful, feared memory that had seared towards the surface to be replaced by… hope. Riddick could not guess what Vaako was hoping for but he was sure he had seen it. Settling back again, he enjoyed observing Vaako fighting. He seemed to move nearly as fast as the lizard itself and with a murderous grace that could easily rival the predatory lizard. A fast somersault backwards, bringing him out of the spiked tail’s way, giving him an opportunity to strike, even as his knife only scratched the lizard’s scales, Vaako paused for mere seconds, before leaping into a new attack.
It was somehow like a dance of two very different partners. The lizard, fast and deadly; Vaako, agile and focused. More than ten times he dodged the murderous tail's attacks, escaping the gaping mouth even more often. Riddick was sure that most other Necromongers would not have lasted that long. He found himself admiring the fast moves of the man. ‘They said you met such beasts before. Is this were you acquired that catlike graces of yours? Is this where you learned to move like a Tiger?’ He thought while Vaako jumped from another tail attack, landing right on the back of the Grazo’Rahn.
***
The Grazo’Rahn’s back jolted beneath Vaako’s feet, as he attempted to keep his balance up there. With the knife in his left hand, he made his way up to the lizard's head. Another jolt nearly threw him down, but he managed to go on. An old saying from his long forgotten homeworld wandered his mind: Whoever fights the Grazo’Rahn, loses his soul at the moment of the kill, for no Grazo’Rahn will wander the vale of darkness without his killer at his side.’ They were the Judges of Fate, and today he would kill one. Deftly balancing another jolt, he reached the lizard's head. Taking up the dagger with both hands, he plunged it down to sever the spine of the creature. But the blade never struck home, with a painful shriek the Grazo’Rahn rose, tossing Vaako down, before the blow could reach its target. Vaako fell, was smashed on the floor, the blade falling from his hand, cluttering on the marbled grounds.
From the corner of his eye he saw one of the commanders, kicking the blade outside the circle, irretrievable now. A cold pain rose in Vaako’s chest as he realised that he had just lost the chance to win this fight. This had happened before, and the Lord Marshall had always ended the battle before Vaako could have been killed. But his contempt had been worse than any wound Vaako had suffered in the ring so far. He could live through all the cruelties the court held in store for him, he could take the sneers and snickers, the disdainful glances and cruel words from them, but he knew that he could not take any more from Riddick himself.
Vaako jumped to his feet, advancing towards the lizard, before anyone could end the battle. “Here I stand, Grazo’Rahn!” he shouted. “Here I stand to be judged! I was born into the fires of Kal’tar, and I lived even though there was no one to speak for me! I walked the ashes of Kal’tar and I walked them proudly! I walked on the path of death without fear! I rose with the fire and I fell with the wave! And now I am standing here to be judged! To receive the sentence you alone can pass!”
His voice rose with every word, became steady and more confident.
Vaako’s eyes met the eyes of the lizard. The cold, golden eyes seemed to scan him. He was shaking, remembering the last time he had seen them. ‘End it.’ He thought. ‘I can’t take much more. At least not from him. I don’t care for the rest, but him…’
The lizard's eye blinked, and then it turned slowly, marching off the circle peacefully. Exhausted and shaking Vaako fell to his knees. The sentence had been passed. And the sentence was: life.
Chapter 2 – Walking the ashes
The wind tasted of death; a definite odour of molten ore, ash and blood hung in the air, swept across the ravine and settled everywhere around. Far off in the eastern skies hung a small yellow ball that passed for sun here. The entire landscape consisted of dark rocks that were only visible as shades of black, violet and grey. The only thing glorious down here was the night sky where thousands of stars were glittering above like jewels on a velvet blanket. And it was nearly always night down here.
Vaako shivered as he slowly made his way down the ravine. Pausing behind a huge rock with sharp angles, he gestured his troop to follow up before again concentrating on the task ahead. It was only three days after fighting the Grazo’Rahn and Vaako still felt the injuries he had received back then. Nevertheless the crusade continued if only on Minerva’s minor planets, which had been left out when the main worlds fell. Like this small planet on the outskirts of the system, twelfth planet to Minerva. Again he peered ahead, down the ravine. It was silent, nothing was moving ahead, and that was what made Vaako so nervous. It was too silent.
Seeing his troop in position Vaako moved out again, gliding along the ravine like a ghost. Somehow he also felt like one. A wraith of the past, coming back to haunt the living. A new gust of wind swept across the ravine, whirling up ashes and dust. The wind sang in Vaako’s ears, stirring old painful memories, pictures of a day when the sky had rained fire… Roughly he silenced the voice in his head. He was a Necromonger who knew no pain, no past and no purgatory. “Are you alright?“ a deep voice shook him from his thoughts.
Vaako came very near to jump at this voice. Ravyn stood right behind him. The tall Necromonger warrior had a rather murderous streak at times and a gross disregard for authorities but he was one of the few among Vaako’s bunch of misfits whom Vaako trusted a little and who seemed to care for his commander sometimes. “I am alright. It’s just too silent.“ Vaako replied. “Be extremely cautious. The natives of this world are a hardy race.”
Ravyn nodded silently. He did not ask how Vaako came to know something the Lord Marshall himself did not know, the high commanders thought of the natives as an easy prey. For Ravyn it was enough that Vaako’s opinion did not concur with those of the higher up in the command chain for he always liked insubordination. Moving on, he covered Vaako’s back, while they made it down towards the ruins that were situated at the end of the dark ravine.
“Damn it, what’s this for one hell of a place?“ the curse echoed hollow along the rocky ledges high above them.
Vaako understood what the troop felt. The scorched ruins, remnant of a settlement destroyed decades ago harbouring now some underground shelters, were likely to give anyone the creeps.
“Search every shelter, but be cautious there might be traps.“ he ordered, pointing the teams out that were to take on this task.
***
One team after the other reported the shelters empty. The people obviously had left in a hurry, but everything was still well organised.
“They saw the comet.“ Vaako explained half to himself, half to his troop. “And knowing a comet for a sign of doom, they acted on it.”
“Yep, they did.“ Braldrien, the troops ‘communications expert’, interrupted them. “Lord Marshal’s special troops, led by Scales ran into some kind of trap, in that great ruin south. No word of the Lord Marshal himself, but ol’ bastard Scales bit the ashes.” Chuckling and grinning all around, Ravyn clapped Vaako’s shoulder. “Perhaps that’s the end of the Furyan too,“ he said. “Greener pastures for you in sight.”
He had meant it as a friendly gesture and Vaako knew this. Nevertheless he shook the hand off and cast a stern glance at the warrior. “A Lord Marshal does not fall easily. The communication is garbled, if anything.“ His voice sounded more convinced than Vaako actually was. Deep down in his heart, Vaako feared that Riddick had fallen into a trap. He knew that ruined city to the south; he had even vague memories of a time when it had been a bright place of light, before the fire fell from the skies, albeit the memories of the ruined, scarred and broken place it had become were far stronger..
Ravyn was not too taken aback by the harsher words. He gestured the men to return to their tasks, but he himself remained standing before Vaako. “The communications did not sound good, and somehow you know it can’t be good.“ he observed. “There is no need to play the faithful little Necro in front of the men. It’s a waste of time.”
Vaako suppressed a sigh. “What exactly do we know?“ he inquired. Ravyn handed him the com-device. Frowning, Vaako read the scarce lines that had made it out. They spoke of shadows moving in the darkness, of winged creatures and fiery traps. The last two mentioned a voice that had called out from one of the ruins. ‘A true son of Kal’tar can kill one hundred of you.’
“It’s a trap.“ Vaako observed. “They’ll try to take the leader alive, to lure him down into the caverns, and hunt him down there…“ He saw Ravyn’s expression and interrupted his words. He saw the man's wide grin. “Don’t you tell me I should be glad.”
Ravyn shook his head. “Why do you care?”
Vaako did not answer directly. “You take over here,“ he said. “Secure this place, have the men climb the ravine and placing heavy artillery up there. Then call in the ships. We’ll need this as a spearhead in case the other landing points don’t hold out. Then get in touch with the other troops and find out their status without giving ours away. Got it?”
Ravyn now arched an eyebrow. “It’s a sound plan, more sound than I might even know. But what about you?”
Vaako started sliding off some parts of the armour, which were more of a hindrance here. “I’ll take a look at the situation at Morningdale, the city to the south that is.” He said it as casually as possible.
“Why are you doing this?” Ravyn’s voice betrayed astonishment. “Why do you care what happens to the Furyan? You could let him die, yet you hope that he is not dead right now.”
‘I can’t let him die.’ Vaako thought. ‘As I could not kill him on Crematoria. My failure as a Necromonger was far greater than just failing to kill Riddick. I knew he was alive, when I ordered the retreat from that place.’ Aloud he said: “A Lord Marshal never gets caught by the enemy, Ravyn. And sometimes his troops have to make this miracle come to pass. Will you take care of everything here, for me?”
Ravyn’s eyes seemed to pierce Vaako. “I think I understand.”, he eventually said. “I’ll take care of the troops. Good luck to you.”
Vaako was not cautious when he made his way south. He had given up sneaking along the shadows. Instead he raced across the desolate land, feet pounding the ground while he sped on. The ground was rough, sharp angled rocks and boulders often blocking his path, small rifts dividing the ground. Vaako took the shortest way, jumping across rifts and gracefully slipping through narrow openings between boulders. The ruined city had first been just a shadow among other shadows on the horizon. Right now the shades of the ruins were as tall as the rocks beside him. He had nearly reached his destination.
***
Riddick was having his fun. He had never anticipated Scales to be such a bumbling oaf, running into a trap like that, but right now and on his own the Lord Marshal came to enjoy the chase through the underground caverns of the city. The beasts down here were just magnificent. He had already gotten to like them. And the fighters, well those were trouble. The warriors of this place knew their trade and were intelligent. ‘Those we can take alive, will make fine replacements for Scales troops.’, Riddick was thinking as he dodged another razor sharp blade thrown at him. Hiding behind a fallen pillar, Riddick began to appreciate this place. It was an enormous underground city fallen to decay, now filled with deadly traps.
A chain hanging down to some lower level provided a way out of the tight situation he was in. Without much hesitation, Riddick made his way down. The darkness around him suited him perfectly. ‘Just like the ol’ days.’ He thought as he raced along a fallen hall and towards a staircase leading somewhere up again. The guards up there were looking into the wrong direction. Before they ever realised what happened they were dead. Riddick grinned. These two had fucked it up. Looking up, he saw another chain hanging in the darkness. ‘So that’s how you bastards move from level to level, that’s why most of the stairs are trapped.’, he thought, jumping for the rusty chain, starting to climb it up again.
The reception on a half crumbling ledge farther up was less then friendly. Half a dozen of those strange warriors were there. Riddick did not mind another rough fight, but their fast moves forced him to give everything he had. ‘You move like a dozen Vaakos, perhaps I should take one of your kind for his next fight.’ He mused, as he threw the last of them down into the abyss where he had just emerged. Sheathing his knives again, he peered up into the darkness. ‘Where is this fuckin’ chain?”
Somewhere up there was a lot of noise, too much noise for Riddick’s tastes. But he understood what this noise meant: there was another fight going on. A smirk lit his eyes, as he discovered the chain, this time hanging somewhere at jumping distance. “Having an army that’s loyal until death has its benefits now and then.”
Jumping towards the chain, he nearly missed it, catching the lowest link last moment. With a grunt he started climbing again, towards the noise and the flickering light up there. When he was near another crumbling ledge, one of the shadow warriors came towards him. No, he was flying by, falling into the deep screaming. Before the firelight of a single torch a rough fight went on along the ledge. Riddick hesitated for a moment. A single fighter kept a dozen or so of the cities defenders at bay. He fought like them, catlike, fast and agile. Cart wheeling backwards, he suddenly turned around, delivering a series of explosive kicks, that took two of them unawares. Riddick recognised him that moment. Those graceful movements belonged to Vaako who beautifully threw another enemy down the ledge. Riddick jumped in, gripping two others by the scuffs of their necks, throwing them down to join their comrades, racing on at once to take the next ones. Vaako moved sideways at once, to cover Riddick’s back.
“What the hell are YOU doing here?”, Riddick growled as the last enemy went down into the darkness. “New style, huh? Disobeying orders?”
Vaako had to catch his breath. “No. Just sliming my way to your good graces,” he replied ironically.
Riddick’s eyes narrowed to study the warrior more intently. Standing in a nearly complete darkness, he could make out Vaako’s features even as he tried to avoid looking at Riddick. The green eyes betrayed a strange mix of feelings. He had come down here alone to get Riddick out of trouble, before the other Necromongers could even realise there had been serious trouble, Riddick mused. Some well known old feelings welled up inside him; part of him was glad Vaako had come, had somehow even known he would, while the other part was angry.
“Nice try.”, Riddick replied. “Let’s get out of here, the fast way. Where’s the chain this time?”
They climbed silently up three more chains, fighting guards and warriors wherever they ran into them. Eventually they reached the last flight of stairs, through which Riddick and the troop had entered the caverns in the first place. “Nearly there.” Vaako’s voice betrayed a certain level of exhaustion.
“Yessss, you are there.” a voice replied.
Riddick’s eyes, penetrating the darkness, revealed to him, that they had been running into a trap. Hundreds of warriors were standing in the shadows. Vaako realised this was a trap as well, for he fell back into his fighting stance. Inwardly, Riddick shook his head. Vaako was brave, very brave he had to admit, but not cunning. Fighting to the death was hardly a good survival strategy, better to get caught and to escape afterwards. “What the hell took you so long to gather your troops?”, he bellowed into the darkness. “I have seen sluts working faster!”
There was no answer to his words, just a swift hissing in the air, before something sharp blanked him out.
So here's the story:
Titel: To reign among the pale
Chapter 1 - The sentence
Chapter 2 - Walking the ashes
Fandom: Chronicles of Riddick
Pairing: Riddick/ Vaako
Rating: NC-17
Type: Slash
Warnings: Angst, violence
Status: WIP
Beta: Many, many thanks to Lady Vaako, for taking this much work all on herself.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Riddick and Vaako, nor do I make profit with this story.
Summary: As Riddick starts his rule of the Necromonger army, he also deals out revenge to Vaako, intending to crush him. Or does he?
When the Necormonger army approaches the distant Minerva system, things start to get complicated.
To reign among the Pale
Chapter 1 - The Sentence
Vaako stood at the side entrance of the great Necropolis, waiting. The air around him seemed even more chilly than else, if this was possible. A icy breath, softly whispering through the basilicia’s wide halls, leaving freezing traces on Vaako’s skin. Like a touch of true death, a shade, foreboding of something still in store. He tried not to show any sign of stress or nervousness outside, even as he had no idea at all what beast might lie in store for him today. Or what weapons he would be allowed to use.
Six month ago, when the former Lord Marshal fell by the hand of the Furyan, Vaako, first among commanders then, had led the Necromonger to kneel before their new Lord Master. In a split of a second he had it seen then, that whether the Furyan died or led was decided here and now, and the choice was not the Furyan's but his. All Necromongers had looked to Vaako for a decision, whatever it would be. Honestly, Vaako had not expected to see the end of that day.
Now, about six month later, he was still here and the swift death he had been silently hoping for, denied to him. The new Lord Marshal had decided against killing Vaako right away. Instead he had vented a lifetime’s worth of revenge down on him. Not only had Vaako lost his rank of ‘First among Commanders’ that very day, he had lost his rank of a normal commander as well. The troop he led today, was a wild hotchpotch of the worst elements found in Necromonger society. Vaako had always known that even among Necromongers there was scum, but he had never imagined how much scum there was, and what it would be to lead such a troop into battle. And there were many battles these days.
As the Necromonger army moved on, there were new worlds, battles and dangers ahead. The new Lord Marshall had issued a new course for them to take, leading them into other parts of the galaxy, but war remained war all the same. Vaako did not complain about the fact that he and his bunch of misfits were given the worst assignments, the most dangerous tasks. The risks were numerous, death was certain and survival rare. In a way the Lord Marshal was right, these tasks needed an experienced commander and the misfits did as well. Vaako gave his very best, not only to accomplish every new task handed down to them but also to train and drill his troop, to make them fitter for battle, more dangerous, more reliable. The last six months had taken a high toll on his strength, nerves and manners, for he could not afford a single moment of weakness. The grudging respect of his troop was won on knife-edge and even if they were not likely to jump at him right now. There was another duty he was assigned to regularly. The duty he was right now waiting for.
As the Necromonger army commenced its crusade through the universe, fighting battles on many planets, they encountered any number of wild and dangerous creatures. Under the Lord Marshal’s orders, at least one specimen of them was caught alive on every new planet and brought to Necropolis. Every celebration of a new victory was crowned by one event, which the Lord Marshal enjoyed immensely: the former First among commanders fighting the beast.
Vaako leaned against the doorway; he could hear laughter and voices from the Hall. The court was enjoying the festivities. Well, even Vaako had to admit that conquering Minerva’s System had been a major victory, supplying them with recruits and resources for many months to come. Which meant that the feast was to continue for some time before…. No, here they came.
Two Guardsmen were advancing towards him. “It’s time, off you go,“ one said in a cool tone. The troop, taking their tone from their masters, regarded him icy cool at best and disdainfully at worst, but still a little better than did his former peers at the court. Vaako’s wife had divorced him on the very day of his fall and was now wife of the new first Purifier. She led the court in most of the sneering, snickering and mocking. Vaako braced himself when he entered the great Hall; it was dark in there, darker than it had been in former times, but most Necromongers had by now adjusted to the Furyan lighting. A dozen gestures, mock – greetings and sneers greeted him, when he entered and crossed the Hall. The fighting ground was in the centre, right before the throne, where the Furyan had fought the former Lord Marshall. Vaako strode towards the centre of the fighting circle, ignoring the sly comments and mocking laughter surrounding him. His eyes went to the man on the throne. Riddick sat there, his moonlight eyes shining in the semi–darkness of the hall.
‘You look tired, my Lord.’ Vaako thought, seeing the subtle signs of exhaustion in the Lord Marshall’s face. The piercing eyes met his, and Vaako hastily averted his gaze and knelt. “As you summoned me, my Lord, I come.”
***
Riddick’s fist clenched as he regarded the man kneeling in the battle circle’s centre. The mere sight of Vaako was likely to anger him most of the time. “I have another fight for you,“ he rumbled. “See that you make it worth my while.” Vaako looked up, again their eyes met for the split of a second. “As you order it my Lord, so shall it be.”
Leaning back in his seat, Riddick observed Vaako readying himself for a fight. The former First among Commanders had changed much; from the way he looked six months back. Back then he had been wearing an ornamented Necromonger armour mostly, his black hair being attended to, and held in place. Now he wore no armour at all, his clothing for the fight consisted of some dark pants, fitting skin tight, and an equally dark sleeveless shirt, made from simple material. The rough living conditions he had experienced had not ruined his condition in any way; on the contrary, he was more muscular and hardened than ever before. The sides of his head were still shaven, but the middle hair had grown longer, forming a wild mane brushing his broad shoulders. The wilder sides of him had become more apparent; to Riddick, he looked more vibrant then ever.
Finding his thoughts reaching this point, Riddick sat up, straightening himself. ‘No.’ he thought. ‘I hate you. You took Kyra from me. Why is it, that always when I look at you, I think you are… gorgeous? Why this hurt look in your eyes, just before you avert your gaze?’ Looking sideways, he caught sight of Menion, the new Purifier and waved him to come over. “What do you have in store for him this time?“ Riddick asked.
“A most fearsome beast, my Lord.” Menion replied. “The natives on the planet call it ‘the Judge of Fates’, a dangerous nocturnal predator. Honestly, I am not sure if one man can take it down.” And no one could be sure. The natives of the planet below were a hardened race of superior fighting skills. The recruits taken were much prove of this.
The purifier’s wife, ex Dame Vaako, smiled. “The name is Grazo’Rahn. Vaako met them before he became a Necromonger. He’ll face his nightmare, today,“ she added, her voice betraying her appreciation of the event.
Riddick frowned at her. ‘You enjoy this, don’t you? he wondered. You lead the court in any new cruelty you can devise for him. He’d deserve some loyalty, at least from you.’ Impatiently he waved the woman to back off. “Then let the fight begin.”
The Grazo’Rahn was all the Purifier had promised and even more. It was a nightmare. Having sprung from a line of predatory lizards, it was about ten feet tall, swift like the wind, with a whip like tail that was as dangerous as the huge mouth. Vaako, only armed with a long, curved knife had a difficult stand against the fearsome beast. When the creature had been led into the circle, Riddick had seen a flicker in Vaako’s green eyes; there had been something, not fear, but a painful, feared memory that had seared towards the surface to be replaced by… hope. Riddick could not guess what Vaako was hoping for but he was sure he had seen it. Settling back again, he enjoyed observing Vaako fighting. He seemed to move nearly as fast as the lizard itself and with a murderous grace that could easily rival the predatory lizard. A fast somersault backwards, bringing him out of the spiked tail’s way, giving him an opportunity to strike, even as his knife only scratched the lizard’s scales, Vaako paused for mere seconds, before leaping into a new attack.
It was somehow like a dance of two very different partners. The lizard, fast and deadly; Vaako, agile and focused. More than ten times he dodged the murderous tail's attacks, escaping the gaping mouth even more often. Riddick was sure that most other Necromongers would not have lasted that long. He found himself admiring the fast moves of the man. ‘They said you met such beasts before. Is this were you acquired that catlike graces of yours? Is this where you learned to move like a Tiger?’ He thought while Vaako jumped from another tail attack, landing right on the back of the Grazo’Rahn.
***
The Grazo’Rahn’s back jolted beneath Vaako’s feet, as he attempted to keep his balance up there. With the knife in his left hand, he made his way up to the lizard's head. Another jolt nearly threw him down, but he managed to go on. An old saying from his long forgotten homeworld wandered his mind: Whoever fights the Grazo’Rahn, loses his soul at the moment of the kill, for no Grazo’Rahn will wander the vale of darkness without his killer at his side.’ They were the Judges of Fate, and today he would kill one. Deftly balancing another jolt, he reached the lizard's head. Taking up the dagger with both hands, he plunged it down to sever the spine of the creature. But the blade never struck home, with a painful shriek the Grazo’Rahn rose, tossing Vaako down, before the blow could reach its target. Vaako fell, was smashed on the floor, the blade falling from his hand, cluttering on the marbled grounds.
From the corner of his eye he saw one of the commanders, kicking the blade outside the circle, irretrievable now. A cold pain rose in Vaako’s chest as he realised that he had just lost the chance to win this fight. This had happened before, and the Lord Marshall had always ended the battle before Vaako could have been killed. But his contempt had been worse than any wound Vaako had suffered in the ring so far. He could live through all the cruelties the court held in store for him, he could take the sneers and snickers, the disdainful glances and cruel words from them, but he knew that he could not take any more from Riddick himself.
Vaako jumped to his feet, advancing towards the lizard, before anyone could end the battle. “Here I stand, Grazo’Rahn!” he shouted. “Here I stand to be judged! I was born into the fires of Kal’tar, and I lived even though there was no one to speak for me! I walked the ashes of Kal’tar and I walked them proudly! I walked on the path of death without fear! I rose with the fire and I fell with the wave! And now I am standing here to be judged! To receive the sentence you alone can pass!”
His voice rose with every word, became steady and more confident.
Vaako’s eyes met the eyes of the lizard. The cold, golden eyes seemed to scan him. He was shaking, remembering the last time he had seen them. ‘End it.’ He thought. ‘I can’t take much more. At least not from him. I don’t care for the rest, but him…’
The lizard's eye blinked, and then it turned slowly, marching off the circle peacefully. Exhausted and shaking Vaako fell to his knees. The sentence had been passed. And the sentence was: life.
Chapter 2 – Walking the ashes
The wind tasted of death; a definite odour of molten ore, ash and blood hung in the air, swept across the ravine and settled everywhere around. Far off in the eastern skies hung a small yellow ball that passed for sun here. The entire landscape consisted of dark rocks that were only visible as shades of black, violet and grey. The only thing glorious down here was the night sky where thousands of stars were glittering above like jewels on a velvet blanket. And it was nearly always night down here.
Vaako shivered as he slowly made his way down the ravine. Pausing behind a huge rock with sharp angles, he gestured his troop to follow up before again concentrating on the task ahead. It was only three days after fighting the Grazo’Rahn and Vaako still felt the injuries he had received back then. Nevertheless the crusade continued if only on Minerva’s minor planets, which had been left out when the main worlds fell. Like this small planet on the outskirts of the system, twelfth planet to Minerva. Again he peered ahead, down the ravine. It was silent, nothing was moving ahead, and that was what made Vaako so nervous. It was too silent.
Seeing his troop in position Vaako moved out again, gliding along the ravine like a ghost. Somehow he also felt like one. A wraith of the past, coming back to haunt the living. A new gust of wind swept across the ravine, whirling up ashes and dust. The wind sang in Vaako’s ears, stirring old painful memories, pictures of a day when the sky had rained fire… Roughly he silenced the voice in his head. He was a Necromonger who knew no pain, no past and no purgatory. “Are you alright?“ a deep voice shook him from his thoughts.
Vaako came very near to jump at this voice. Ravyn stood right behind him. The tall Necromonger warrior had a rather murderous streak at times and a gross disregard for authorities but he was one of the few among Vaako’s bunch of misfits whom Vaako trusted a little and who seemed to care for his commander sometimes. “I am alright. It’s just too silent.“ Vaako replied. “Be extremely cautious. The natives of this world are a hardy race.”
Ravyn nodded silently. He did not ask how Vaako came to know something the Lord Marshall himself did not know, the high commanders thought of the natives as an easy prey. For Ravyn it was enough that Vaako’s opinion did not concur with those of the higher up in the command chain for he always liked insubordination. Moving on, he covered Vaako’s back, while they made it down towards the ruins that were situated at the end of the dark ravine.
“Damn it, what’s this for one hell of a place?“ the curse echoed hollow along the rocky ledges high above them.
Vaako understood what the troop felt. The scorched ruins, remnant of a settlement destroyed decades ago harbouring now some underground shelters, were likely to give anyone the creeps.
“Search every shelter, but be cautious there might be traps.“ he ordered, pointing the teams out that were to take on this task.
***
One team after the other reported the shelters empty. The people obviously had left in a hurry, but everything was still well organised.
“They saw the comet.“ Vaako explained half to himself, half to his troop. “And knowing a comet for a sign of doom, they acted on it.”
“Yep, they did.“ Braldrien, the troops ‘communications expert’, interrupted them. “Lord Marshal’s special troops, led by Scales ran into some kind of trap, in that great ruin south. No word of the Lord Marshal himself, but ol’ bastard Scales bit the ashes.” Chuckling and grinning all around, Ravyn clapped Vaako’s shoulder. “Perhaps that’s the end of the Furyan too,“ he said. “Greener pastures for you in sight.”
He had meant it as a friendly gesture and Vaako knew this. Nevertheless he shook the hand off and cast a stern glance at the warrior. “A Lord Marshal does not fall easily. The communication is garbled, if anything.“ His voice sounded more convinced than Vaako actually was. Deep down in his heart, Vaako feared that Riddick had fallen into a trap. He knew that ruined city to the south; he had even vague memories of a time when it had been a bright place of light, before the fire fell from the skies, albeit the memories of the ruined, scarred and broken place it had become were far stronger..
Ravyn was not too taken aback by the harsher words. He gestured the men to return to their tasks, but he himself remained standing before Vaako. “The communications did not sound good, and somehow you know it can’t be good.“ he observed. “There is no need to play the faithful little Necro in front of the men. It’s a waste of time.”
Vaako suppressed a sigh. “What exactly do we know?“ he inquired. Ravyn handed him the com-device. Frowning, Vaako read the scarce lines that had made it out. They spoke of shadows moving in the darkness, of winged creatures and fiery traps. The last two mentioned a voice that had called out from one of the ruins. ‘A true son of Kal’tar can kill one hundred of you.’
“It’s a trap.“ Vaako observed. “They’ll try to take the leader alive, to lure him down into the caverns, and hunt him down there…“ He saw Ravyn’s expression and interrupted his words. He saw the man's wide grin. “Don’t you tell me I should be glad.”
Ravyn shook his head. “Why do you care?”
Vaako did not answer directly. “You take over here,“ he said. “Secure this place, have the men climb the ravine and placing heavy artillery up there. Then call in the ships. We’ll need this as a spearhead in case the other landing points don’t hold out. Then get in touch with the other troops and find out their status without giving ours away. Got it?”
Ravyn now arched an eyebrow. “It’s a sound plan, more sound than I might even know. But what about you?”
Vaako started sliding off some parts of the armour, which were more of a hindrance here. “I’ll take a look at the situation at Morningdale, the city to the south that is.” He said it as casually as possible.
“Why are you doing this?” Ravyn’s voice betrayed astonishment. “Why do you care what happens to the Furyan? You could let him die, yet you hope that he is not dead right now.”
‘I can’t let him die.’ Vaako thought. ‘As I could not kill him on Crematoria. My failure as a Necromonger was far greater than just failing to kill Riddick. I knew he was alive, when I ordered the retreat from that place.’ Aloud he said: “A Lord Marshal never gets caught by the enemy, Ravyn. And sometimes his troops have to make this miracle come to pass. Will you take care of everything here, for me?”
Ravyn’s eyes seemed to pierce Vaako. “I think I understand.”, he eventually said. “I’ll take care of the troops. Good luck to you.”
Vaako was not cautious when he made his way south. He had given up sneaking along the shadows. Instead he raced across the desolate land, feet pounding the ground while he sped on. The ground was rough, sharp angled rocks and boulders often blocking his path, small rifts dividing the ground. Vaako took the shortest way, jumping across rifts and gracefully slipping through narrow openings between boulders. The ruined city had first been just a shadow among other shadows on the horizon. Right now the shades of the ruins were as tall as the rocks beside him. He had nearly reached his destination.
***
Riddick was having his fun. He had never anticipated Scales to be such a bumbling oaf, running into a trap like that, but right now and on his own the Lord Marshal came to enjoy the chase through the underground caverns of the city. The beasts down here were just magnificent. He had already gotten to like them. And the fighters, well those were trouble. The warriors of this place knew their trade and were intelligent. ‘Those we can take alive, will make fine replacements for Scales troops.’, Riddick was thinking as he dodged another razor sharp blade thrown at him. Hiding behind a fallen pillar, Riddick began to appreciate this place. It was an enormous underground city fallen to decay, now filled with deadly traps.
A chain hanging down to some lower level provided a way out of the tight situation he was in. Without much hesitation, Riddick made his way down. The darkness around him suited him perfectly. ‘Just like the ol’ days.’ He thought as he raced along a fallen hall and towards a staircase leading somewhere up again. The guards up there were looking into the wrong direction. Before they ever realised what happened they were dead. Riddick grinned. These two had fucked it up. Looking up, he saw another chain hanging in the darkness. ‘So that’s how you bastards move from level to level, that’s why most of the stairs are trapped.’, he thought, jumping for the rusty chain, starting to climb it up again.
The reception on a half crumbling ledge farther up was less then friendly. Half a dozen of those strange warriors were there. Riddick did not mind another rough fight, but their fast moves forced him to give everything he had. ‘You move like a dozen Vaakos, perhaps I should take one of your kind for his next fight.’ He mused, as he threw the last of them down into the abyss where he had just emerged. Sheathing his knives again, he peered up into the darkness. ‘Where is this fuckin’ chain?”
Somewhere up there was a lot of noise, too much noise for Riddick’s tastes. But he understood what this noise meant: there was another fight going on. A smirk lit his eyes, as he discovered the chain, this time hanging somewhere at jumping distance. “Having an army that’s loyal until death has its benefits now and then.”
Jumping towards the chain, he nearly missed it, catching the lowest link last moment. With a grunt he started climbing again, towards the noise and the flickering light up there. When he was near another crumbling ledge, one of the shadow warriors came towards him. No, he was flying by, falling into the deep screaming. Before the firelight of a single torch a rough fight went on along the ledge. Riddick hesitated for a moment. A single fighter kept a dozen or so of the cities defenders at bay. He fought like them, catlike, fast and agile. Cart wheeling backwards, he suddenly turned around, delivering a series of explosive kicks, that took two of them unawares. Riddick recognised him that moment. Those graceful movements belonged to Vaako who beautifully threw another enemy down the ledge. Riddick jumped in, gripping two others by the scuffs of their necks, throwing them down to join their comrades, racing on at once to take the next ones. Vaako moved sideways at once, to cover Riddick’s back.
“What the hell are YOU doing here?”, Riddick growled as the last enemy went down into the darkness. “New style, huh? Disobeying orders?”
Vaako had to catch his breath. “No. Just sliming my way to your good graces,” he replied ironically.
Riddick’s eyes narrowed to study the warrior more intently. Standing in a nearly complete darkness, he could make out Vaako’s features even as he tried to avoid looking at Riddick. The green eyes betrayed a strange mix of feelings. He had come down here alone to get Riddick out of trouble, before the other Necromongers could even realise there had been serious trouble, Riddick mused. Some well known old feelings welled up inside him; part of him was glad Vaako had come, had somehow even known he would, while the other part was angry.
“Nice try.”, Riddick replied. “Let’s get out of here, the fast way. Where’s the chain this time?”
They climbed silently up three more chains, fighting guards and warriors wherever they ran into them. Eventually they reached the last flight of stairs, through which Riddick and the troop had entered the caverns in the first place. “Nearly there.” Vaako’s voice betrayed a certain level of exhaustion.
“Yessss, you are there.” a voice replied.
Riddick’s eyes, penetrating the darkness, revealed to him, that they had been running into a trap. Hundreds of warriors were standing in the shadows. Vaako realised this was a trap as well, for he fell back into his fighting stance. Inwardly, Riddick shook his head. Vaako was brave, very brave he had to admit, but not cunning. Fighting to the death was hardly a good survival strategy, better to get caught and to escape afterwards. “What the hell took you so long to gather your troops?”, he bellowed into the darkness. “I have seen sluts working faster!”
There was no answer to his words, just a swift hissing in the air, before something sharp blanked him out.
