human
The new "Lord Marshall" could hear the whispers of his fellow comrades; if only because he could smell the unease dripping off the cold of their paled flesh. Was it fate that had decided to bring them beneath the rule of an outsider? Was it fate that brought them at the mercy of one whose race had been wiped out by their own hands? The Furyan tasted their fears with a smugly curved lip, his penchant for chaos feeling right at home in the midst of all this unsettled tension. Truly the odds of him finding comfort in a throne like his was beyond anyone's expectations, including his own. Or so the Elemental had perceived.
"Do you...mind if I tag along, Furyan?"
"Haven't you heard, Aereon? I'm the king of Necromongers now, the Furyan is no more." He saw that shine of a brow rising up in musing speculation. She didn't have to say it, he knew the beast was still there, ever frothing at the mouth and ready to chew out its next victim. "Sure you can. Just don't go regretting your decision to involve me in all this. You put the bounty on my head, you're responsible for anything I do to disrupt that so called 'balance' of yours."
"Indeed. Perhaps I wish to remain at your side for that reason." He couldn't smell her like other humans since all she was was a great density of cloud, but his senses still told him she had found a curiosity in him greater than her natural disposition towards neutral objectivity. He seemed to have that effect on people--made them fight against their own instincts. No wonder everybody around him dies. "Perhaps I wish to see how the balance tips in yourself as well."
Riddick had left Aereon to her own devices since then. He'd felt her breeze glide through the hallways and hover near his presence, but the two had not conversed once they'd left Helion Prime. It might be that she knew he didn't want her near him, it might be that he was avoiding her. Either way, she was worse than the holy man. A man that lived in faith was at least amusing. A woman that believed only in logic was...frustrating, to say the least.
"Lord Marshall, we have arrived." His body lay limp in the throne until Vaako expressed that tightening impatience of his with a small gruff. Riddick then pulled his goggles back down over his eyes, pushing away the helmet that one of his waiting maids offered over his shoulder. "Will you not wear--"
"I know you think that this Quasi-Dead of yours is really important, but I'm not the Quasi-Dead and I am not wearing their faces. If we have that clear, I suggest we move on." He ignored Vaako's semi-apology and picked himself up off the throne to start making way for the doors that were beginning to crank open. He stopped just as the commander turned to follow. "You guys don't seem like the type to carry around wheels, but do you at least have something fast that rides low?"
"There are the scouting ships, we have a few. But they only carry a small crew of men and then some."
"Do I need any more?"
"My Lord," Riddick could hear that slight grinding between the man's harsh breath and tight jaws. The convict (now ex?) always did delight in upsetting the people around him, but he had to admit that the warrior's extreme level of self-control made it all the more fun. "We do not know how much Furya has changed since we last passed through over three decades ago. There may be new people residing here, some even rebellious. If you will not take a fleet, you must at least take with you a guard."
He tilted his head back and gave the other lord's shoulder a heavy pat. "Aw... How sweet. If you're so worried, why don't you be my guard?"
"If the Lord Marshall commands it..."
He also had to admit, the awkward position of actually being the authority for once sort of dampened the fun. "Sure. The more the merrier, right? Get that ship prepped for me. I'm going to get some fresh air."
gpt
Sidra was hungry and wondered if these destroyer of worlds ever actually ate anything. Ever. She'd seen the new leader, the Riddick, but even he never seemed to eat anything. Then again, she wasn't always able to keep tabs on him either. The pale-fleshed Necromongers were always surrounding him in some way making it difficult for her to follow him. So she really wasn't able to discern whether or not the large male ate or not. One good thing, she did manage to find a small area in which scraps were tossed away for jettison. She figured, at the very least, the food was to be given to those these half-dead Necros planned to convert before sealing their fates in the conversion chambers.
Just then Sidra felt a chill run along her spine and she shivered. She felt oddly cold all of a sudden even though the temperature aboard the Necromonger ship hadn't changed since she'd secretly boarded and stowed away since Helion Prime. But she couldn't help it. The conversion chambers terrified her. Seeing all those people inside those things with those spikes jammed into their necks. It was enough to make anyone cringe. At that she felt her heart begin to pound, her breaths quickening as her skin broke out into a cold sweat.
"Not me," Sidra mumbled to herself. "No way in hell."
Suddenly, Sidra heard the sound of footsteps, heard the muffled sounds of voices. She knew the ship had landed somewhere. Where though? She had no idea and she hardly cared. What mattered most was finding something quick to eat and getting the hell off the ship so she could start a new life for herself seeing as her own, Helion Prime, had been destroyed thanks to these Necros. And the longer she stayed with them, the longer she feared being caught and forced into conversion... and that just was not an option. Death first. The only thing making her feel even remotely safe was that the previous Lord Marshall was dead and the Riddick was now in power. She still was uncertain about Riddick, but he seemed better than the other guy, far as she was concerned. Hell, the other guy rendered her world to ash. At least this guy left well enough alone.
As the footsteps and voices got closer, louder, Sidra panicked a little. Biting down on her lip, her fingers playing a little with her dark hair, which hung about her shoulders, she decided to sneak to the cargo bay and hide out there in hopes that the doors would open and she could make a run for it. It was worth the risk, worth it all. Quickly, she made her way there and waited near the scouting ships, hoping that the doors would open sooner than later.
Meanwhile, Dame Vaako watched her husband, her lips turned upward into a smile as she watched the man interact with the Furyan. She found Riddick's actions curious indeed. Of all the places to go, why Furya? It was a dead world. His home world. She watched him turn down the helmet, her husband looking confused, perhaps angered? She stalked along the balcony as she watched the two men, though the Furyan was clearly the alpha. 'But even alphas have weaknesses,' she thought to herself. 'They just need to be found.' Still smiling, she said quietly and to herself, "What is your weakness, "Furyan?"
human
As Riddick left the Necropolis, stretching his legs on slowly extending steps, the Lord Vaako immediately left to fill out his orders. Orders? From an outsider who had taken the place that he had risked his discipline and reputation for, it was humiliating. Even without the fair wife's naggings in his ear he could feel that tiny spark of heat burning inside his chest. It threatened to melt the ice that held the rest of his body in captivity. "Riddick..." He had swallowed every ounce of will it had taken him to resist a coup, and the consequence was failure. Even worse, it was not failure that led to a death he could at least find relief in, it was a failure that he was now required to endure in life.
As soon as he reached the cargo bay his fist met with a nearby object. Whatever it was, it made quite the noise as it broke to pieces. Riddick could just as well have done the same to his crown, the faces of the Quasi-Dead. What pains Vaako had to endure as he aimed to take those faces for himself, and yet there stood the Furyan with his ghastly eyes, never even laying them on the head he was to wear as Lord Marshall.
Vaako's Lord Marshall.
But the deed had been done. If anything, Vaako had aided Riddick in the previous Marshall's demise. He wasn't sure what shamed him more: the fact that he had attempted to usurp the throne, or that his actions had led to another usurper. Both accounts left him at a loss for what his role was in all this. He was Commander Vaako; Lord Vaako; he was supposed to help bring the Necromongers to the Underverse; he was supposed to see the Underverse and transcend into something even greater; he was supposed to transcend into a being of equal power to his faith.
What was his faith now? Even if he reached the Underverse under Riddick, what sort of being would he become then?
Nothing.
Vaako pulled himself away from his deteriorating mind. A Necromonger did not need to think. Thinking was for the weak of heart and the weak of body. He needed to act. Even if it meant enduring this seemingly seething hatred of his Lord, acting was much better than thinking. Wasn't it true, anyway, that one pain's life allows another to die? He would live with that for now... For now...
"Hm?" Something caught his attention. Those heavy soles in his boots contemplated against the metal surface of the floor, singing almost like screams of a bat pinpointing the disturbance of death in the bay. Something here...--He rushed some steps forward to lash his armored arm out at the back of a scout ship as he emerged from beside it.--...was alive.
"Prep this ship!" The Lord Vaako's voice bellowed throughout the echoing chambers, gathering the attention of any nearby men on standby. If there was a stowaway here, the men would eventually find it.
In the meantime, Aereon quite suddenly appeared beside the Riddick who sat on the very last step, his boots looking to have a certain unmovable weight about them. "Has it been so long that you find your home gravity too heavy?" She mused at the returned Furyan whose eyes were unreadable beneath the cover of his shades. "Or is it, perhaps, that you are only now uncovering the rest of your past?"
She felt a burst of air move through her leg and then a pull of fabric in the opposite direction, her vision finding Riddick's hand wrapped around a corner of her cloak. He released her soon afterwards, however, and stood only to retreat back into the Necropolis and head to the cargo bay. Aereon did not follow him there, but as she reentered the ship herself and watched the Furyan walk away, she looked up to catch a glimpse of the Dame Vaako. Ah, that hot-blooded vixen whose contempt could not be held even by the death bars of Necro conversion. Indeed, not contempt nor fascination could be held back, for she was a passionate breed. It was perhaps, the Elemental mused, not surprising to see an attraction to a Furyan.
gpt
Sidra stayed hidden behind the scout ship hoping that she'd be able to make a break for it sooner than later. She wondered what planet they were on, when the doors would open. Just then, she heard a voice. Loud, clear. Full of purpose. She recognized it immediately and suddenly felt her hands begin to shake. It belonged to that one Necogromoner, the one that scared her more than the others. There was something about him that seemed almost off. Maybe it was his eyes.
No. His eyes were nothing like Riddick'sshined and silver-like, as if they could see deep into your heart. But they weren't like the lensers either, those freaks of nature, half cybernetic, half organic creatures that were abominations to say the least. Again Sidra shivered, for the second time since boarding the ship.
Wringing her hands, Sidra wanted to run. She distinctly heard the Necro, the one who called himself Vaako, claim he wanted the ship she was hiding behind. But for what purpose? Just what sort of planet had they landed upon? Slowly she felt her heart sinking, her hopes for finding a new life wherever they might be disappearing like a dream and fading into the wind. Still, perhaps there was still hope yet. She wouldn't let them be fully lost until she knew exactly where they were and what was going on. After all, she might still have a chance, even if things were looking fairly bleak.
Curling up in a corner in the shadows, Sidra waited. She could hear more footsteps. More Necros gathering, congregating. Her teeth began to chatter as she began to fear the worst. Just what was to become of her if she was found? Would the Riddick be cruel? Would he be merciful? Would this Vaako even bring her before the Riddick? She just didn't know and she hoped she wouldn't have to find out.
Back in the Necropolis, Dame Vaako continued to pace. She watched the Furyan stomp through the sacred throne room without a seeming care in the world. What a way for the Lord Marshall, leader of the Necromongers, to desecrate a holy space, she thought. Then again, it showed his dominance, he means to lead in his own way. There was an appeal there. She wondered what it must be like to not care what others thought. It meant not having anything to losean interesting notion to be sure. Quirking a brow, she watched Riddick disappear along one of the corridors heading toward the cargo bay. Once out of sight, her eyes drifted toward the Elemental and she smirked. "True neutrality," she mumbled and then sniffed. She didn't believe the neutrality of the Elementals at all. Not any more than she believed her own ambitions were for the good of all Necromongers.
human
Though the scout ship, compared to the others, was relatively small, by itself it was still a sight to see. Then again, all Necropolis structures were rather grand, though as Riddick said at one point before, he might have gone a different direction. He also remembered the Purifier had agreed on that point. Speaking of which, he'd probably have to find a replacement for the converted Furyan now scattered ashes in the solar winds of Crematoria. The commanders pushed for it every chance they got, and even Vaako seemed to feel it pressing--though perhaps for different reasons. Either way, Riddick would eventually need to find a man or a loophole. He didn't like either one, but when did he ever like anything that related to people?
"Do I at least get to sit at the steering wheel?"
Riddick could sense a snarl lurking at the corners of Vaako's mouth, but saw them keep straight if not tighter than usual. "We have a captain for that, my Lord."
"Well, if you insist." Riddick stepped past the commander and ignored the bustle of men preparing the ship for travel. The ship was large enough to carry supplies for days, but most the supplies pertained to war tools, not sustenance. They did, however, bring some sustenance on board. Apparently since the Necromongers were not fully dead--they were, after all, still making their pilgrimage to the Underverse--they required some nutrition to keep their bodies functioning. Yet they, much like the Furyan himself, did not require provision much nor often.
Riddick stepped further into the ship, just barely entering the front compartment where the controls were when he took a whiff of undeniable life in the air. A smirk glided over his lips as he pulled his goggles up to his brow. Gently his steel balled eyes scanned the darkness, an almost soothing intensity reflecting in them as they found their mark through the corners.
"...I'm hungry." His deep voice reverberated against the metal contours of the ship, a working maid distracting herself from the ship's preparations to offer her Lord a selection of fruit. He grabbed one at random then made to bite it. He stopped as if to change his mind, then tossed it to the corner where the girl was. "You shouldn't have, Vaako."
Riddick picked up another piece of fruit and bit into it this time. "My own little pet to feed and raise.. You shouldn't have! Does she have a name?" He leaned against the wall, one elbow raised above his head to support his weight.
Vaako immediately ordered the men to grab the stowaway. Riddick slammed a foot across the open door. "Don't. interrupt me. Let her come out on her own. Come on, don't be afraid, let's see that face."
gpt
Sidra sat there huddled up into almost a ball as her eyes went wide. How the Riddick had managed to see her there she wasn't quite sure. She was concealed in perfect darkness, not even the Necromongers had noticed her... how was it that he...? She tilted her head a bit as she looked at him, her skin growing a bit warm as her heart began to pound with fear of what was going to become of her. Swallowing hard, she slowly stood up only she found she couldn't bring her eyes to meethis. She wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it was the way the light played strangely upon them, they way it glinted. Maybe it was that primitive and primal beast she caught glimpses of every time she'd watched him from afar while hiding about this massive ship. Whatever the reason, she couldn't look at him. He scared her.
Shaking, trembling, Sidra clasped her hands together in front of her slim body. And slowly, so slowly, she dared to look up into Riddick's eyes, her dark hair hiding a good portion of her face. The mass of wavy locks hung in loose ringlets about her shoulders and down along her back, her cool blue eyes peering from behind them until she finally brought a shaking hand up to push the thick hair out of the way.
Biting down on her lip, Sidra looked at Riddick. The fear coursing through her she was certain had to be evidentfear of him, Vaako, the unknown. Blinking, her eyes became damp with tears and she wished like hell she could hold them back. But it was too late for that. Too late for a lot of things.
"I'm Sidra Bader," Sidra finally said, her voice soft and low though it had an almost musical lilt to its tone. "Wh-what's to become of me?" she asked looking directly at Riddick, her eyes connecting with his for a moment before she had to look away. Yes, he scared her. And somehow she figured he knew that. She just hoped he wouldn't use that against her. Then again, now that she was found, she was hoping for a lot of things.
human
"Sidra...Bader." The tasting of her name was almost like a low beastly growl, his head tilting just so that his eyes looked as if they would pounce her. If anything, however, he wanted to stay away. A momentary flash overlapped the sight of Kyra from the prison with Sidra the stowaway. "Hm..." He didn't frown, but he did lower his foot from the doorway to relax his composure. The Necromongers stood by, almost curious as to the Lord Marshall's treatment of the woman.
"Richard B. Riddick; apparent king of the Necromongers. For a sneak, you sure suck at choosing hiding spots." He grabbed a whole bowl of fruit and tossed it to the ground between her feet. "And you reek of hunger. Eat up so I can stop sniffing."
The iron-eyed man turned away to find his seat, allowing himself the leisure of relaxing. When he heard the synchronized boot-steps of his crew again attempting to enter the crew compartment, he slapped his bracer against the side of his seat. The subsequent ringing stayed the movement of the men. "Did I tell you to touch her?"
Riddick didn't need to look behind his shoulder to know that it was the Lord Vaako's eyes digging into the back of his gleaming bald head. "My Lord... An outsider has been found on our ship, in Necropolis. We must send her to be--"
"You haven't converted me. Why her?" Vaako could not answer that, and whether it was due to silent shame or uncontrollable anger, he lowered his gaze. "We're burning daylight. Finish prepping the ship and get it outside. Sidra can come with us." Riddick leaned his head back to give her a bemused grin. "Unless, of course, you'd rather stay behind and get acquainted with the locals."
"My Lord." Without another word, the commander made sure the ship was properly supplied and manned. There was no reason not to convert the girl, but something about Riddick's uncaring demeanor made it difficult for his subjects to deny his authority. Vaako wasn't sure if it was habit of fear for those above them, or if it was a quality of Riddick's own carrying. There was little doubt, at least, of his command. Even the late Lord Marshall had raised doubts every now and then due to his craving for artistic perspective. Riddick, on the other hand, was so disturbingly lax that no one knew whether to doubt his abilities or trust his ease. It was true though that he--no one else--had overcome the abilities of the Holy Half-Dead. That alone was worth fearing and came with no comfort to the Necromongers who worshiped death above all things.
When the preparations were complete, the crew was in place and the guard troops remained in the back compartment of the ship. Vaako himself remained standing at the Riddick's side, only once peering towards the stowaway girl.Life.It had a stench he had grown to dislike with a generous hatred. This girl was no exception.
"I don't care where we go. Just fly around for awhile. I'll tell you when to land." Furya... Land of his people that he never knew.
gpt
Sidra stood there, motionless, wondering what was going to become of her. She'd been on the massive ship for what seemed like several days now. But honestly, she could hardly be sure. Time seemed to blur together out in the black of space, no beginning or ending. It just went on, endless. All she knew was that she was hungry and that she'd barely eaten since leaving her home planet, destroyed and seemingly dead and converted, behind. She wondered if there were any other survivors left behind like herself. But to dwell on such things was pointless. They were all a distant memory anyway even if they did. She was on a Necromonger ship, surrounded by half-deads. Somehow memories were the last thing she needed to let consume her mind.
Looking up at Riddick, Sidra hesitantly took a bite of the fruit Riddick had offered her. It tasted delicious and sweet, its juices dripping down her throat as she swallowed it down. It was exactly what she needed. "Thank you," she said softly, her voice a bit muffled as she chewed. "And no, I don't wish to stay behind," she added, shaking her head and causing her curls to swing across her face a bit. Again she shivered.
Was it getting colder? Sidra suddenly wondered if it was just her fear or if it was the fact that they were getting farther away from the Helion system. She was used to warmth, to light. And now, things were starting to feel cold. Or perhaps it was the strange sense of 'death' exuding from the Necros that walked the ship? Just then, her eyes drifted to Vaako. She feared that man more than she feared Riddick. At least Riddick wanted to keep her as she was. Alive.
Without even realizing it, Sidra moved a bit closer to Riddick. Instinct, perhapsa will to preserve herself, to survive. So far she'd managed and she planned to continue if she could. Looking up at the large man, she took another bite of fruit. She wondered where exactly they'd be going. She could tell Vaako seemed bothered and that made her uneasy and now that everyone knew she was there... "I promise not to be a bother," she then said, trying to break the silence. "And I'll get off at the next stop wherever that is. I just wanted a ride to somewhere I could start again."
human
As the hangar opened and the ship set out into the world of Furya, Riddick returned the goggles over his eyes. While no one could see them, those metallic orbs slid in the direction of the girl. She was starving and probably still confused after the chaos of Helion Prime. Not to mention she'd just been caught and put out in the open by men of great power within the world of the living 'dead'. All factors considered, Sidra had good instincts to be choosing Riddick as her shield. If one had to decide between murderers, even the Furyan felt he was the best choice if not the only one.
That didn't mean he liked it.
"Hngh... You would choose to strangle yourself with the harsh conditions of Furya than to pledge your allegiance to the superior way of the dead?" Vaako, had he not lost the habit of frequent expression, would have churned his lips in disgust. "No matter. Necromongers do not care for the living. Either you promise yourself to the Underverse or you perish. There is no 'getting off at the next stop'. Thereis. no. stop."
"There is only inertia." Riddick spoke to save the girl the trouble of retort. "That is the Necromonger way, isn't it Vaako?" The Necromongers believed in death, and in death they found stability and consistency. In death they found a neverending motion of stillness and a stillness of neverending motion. It was a one-way canyon and you could either move with the stampede or be trampled beneath it. It was almost like him. Almost.
"It is the Necromonger way, my Lord." Vaako's attention moved to the king, his senses constantly occupied by either the Furyan or the Helion girl. At least the girl, were she converted, had some hope of being saved. Her only crimes were life and ignorance. The Furyan, on the other hand, understood much more than his words conveyed. It was as if he mocked the very faith he commanded.Blasphemous.
"Well, you heard the man. You get dead either way, so I'd advise," he quietly lulled into a pause as he reached to slip fingertips through the girl's hair then lifted a few curls to his inquisitive nostrils. A deep sniff and the curls fell through his falling hand, resting once more upon an armrest. "...that you stick around." He had her scent marked now. He wasn't responsible for whatever her actions would be, but there was no harm in making sure she only did things that benefited him. Running away and ending up dead was not one of them. She was stuck.
Then again, so was he. Fuck.
gpt
Sidra had no idea what planet they were on. Wherever it was, it was dead. Worse than Helion Prime it seemedfar more desolate and seemingly abandoned for far longer. She wondered why they'd bothered landing on such a harsh planet on purpose. Surely it wasn't to convert anyone or anything. As far as she could tell there wasn't anything to convert. And if there was, it wasn't enough to matter much so why land such a massive ship and waste time when they could be traipsing across the universe toward their precious Underverse? It was perplexing to say the least. Then again, the Riddick hadn't been converted. It was all rather peculiar to say the least.
Looking up at Riddick, his strange, steely eyes hidden behind shaded goggles, Sidra cleared her throat and swallowed. "What is this place?" she asked him. "Furya? It looks... dead." Biting down on her lip, her eyes then drifted toward Vaako. The frightening, pale man making her skin crawl as she took in the sight of him. He looked like a walking corpse, something out of her nightmares. Trying to shake off the thought, she turned toward Riddick again.
As Sidra kept her focus on the larger male, she could feel the Necromonger nearby. She wished he'd just go away. He made her feel uneasy, made her instincts flare and her hackles rise. Though she was a quiet creature by nature, she wasn't the sort to give up without a fight. Such things were strong within her. Like the light on her home planet, there was a fire within that burned brightly and would never cease to exist. Or so she hoped. The one thing she feared that would extinguish it was conversion. Conversion or death. And between the two, she'd pick the latter. Always.
"So, why are we here?" Sidra then asked Riddick, her cool blue eyes peering up at Riddick from behind her dark curls as they hung in her face. She moved a delicate hand up to push at her hair and tuck some of it behind an ear. She needed to wash up, clean up. But being a stowaway, one whose things had been rendered to ashes, had prevented her from doing anything of the sort. "If I'm going to be stuck here for a while, I figured I'd ask." At that, her cheeks suddenly turned red.
human
Riddick could feel the temperature difference coming off the girl. Cute. "That's a good question. I'm sure the commander would like to know as well." For a few moments it seemed as if he had no intentions of continuing that line of thought, but he rose from his seat with a squeaking grip on the armrests and leaned, instead, on the shoulder of his main pilot. "Land, we're getting off here."
The crew worked quickly, almost panicking as if they didn't want to risk their Lord Marshall's patience. That was fine by Riddick, it gave him the opportunity to take in the landing procedure at a single glance. From what he'd seen of the flight so far, he could easily pilot one of these things by himself. The Necromonger technology meant the ship was space-suitable as well. "Good boys."
He headed to the door, Vaako already making his way ahead to organize the squad and open up the ship. Along the way, Riddick threw an arm across Sidra's shoulders, his weight forcing her to move with him as he deliberately walked slow enough that there was barely a few moments of privacy between the two of them. "Don't do anything stupid. Either you die or you don't."
When those moments passed he released her from his arm and gave his troop a once over. There was Vaako, there were footmen, a lenser and its handler, a single maid in waiting and then there were the flight crew. "Pilot, navigator, whoever mans the ship stays with the ship. You and you," Riddick pointed at the men with the lightest footing. "You're our messenger boys. One stays here and the other comes with me. Lady," now gesturing to the maid in waiting, "you get to watch over Sidra here. Both of you come with me. As for the rest, do what Vaako tells you until I say otherwise."
Riddick honestly didn't care what the Necromongers did, but he had quickly learned early on that they required a certain sense of servitude or they quickly became unstable or confused. The higher ranks didn't require such petty purpose, of course, but without it they posed a bigger problem: a wavering of loyalty. In any case, he had to act a little like he cared until they came to a point where he could confirm...
Kyra's death, he supposed. Or the returning of her from it, if it was even possible. For the first time in a long time he hoped--against all odds--that he could save her; save someone. If there was anything that kept him from destroying worlds like the Necromongers wanted, it was that.
How ironic that the one person who might unconditionally embrace destruction was the same person preventing it.
Riddick strode out into the open, Vaako right behind and the other men behind him. The lenser stood out to the side, absent-mindedly scanning the terrain at its leisure as security or scouting was not an immediate issue. "Damn..." That was all the Furyan could say out loud when he stopped over a hill, the land on the other side a cemetery that spanned so far one could swear it reached the horizon.
The light of Furya was dimmer than most habitable planets, though not dark. Riddick barely recognized this from his past. What he saw more clearly was visions of warm green earth that sustained vast plains and dark jungles. Now it was gray, stoney and rotting cold like stale food with no mold. At least the sun and the related orbits had stayed intact, though Riddick couldn't say how much that could help a planet whose surface had been exterminated. If humans could not survive the plague that had been the Necromonger invasion, it was unlikely that animals would have either. Without an ecosystem, a planet was not likely to breathe or live.
Furya was just a massive planet-sized ruin; a temple to Riddick's forgotten memories. That laid the question: who was the priest? It had been some time since Riddick had seen or heard that woman...Shirah. Was she here? Was she a figment of his imagination? Was she real?
Furya, what are you?
gpt
When Riddick had placed his arm about her shoulders, Sidra felt her mouth suddenly go dry. As she looked up at him through her thick mass of dark curls, she nodded slowly. "All right, Riddick," she said, her voice soft as she spoke.
Sidra still had no idea why they'd stopped at Furya. The planet was a desolate wasteland. None of anything made sense. What could be gained? The Necromongers had no one to convert or destroy and Riddick had no one to recruit for whatever schemes he might be brewing under everyone's noses. So she was truly at a loss, confused. Given that Riddick had chosen the barren planet, she was certain the Necros were just as confused as she was and from the look on Vaako's face, her thoughts on that were all but confirmed.
Once Riddick picked out who was to go and who was to stay, Sidra could feel her hands beginning to shake once again. She looked over at the lenser. The thing frightened her immensely and she began to back away from it instinctually. Looking over at Vaako, she wished the Necro was staying behind with the ship. But she understood why Riddick had chosen for the half-dead to come along. She might not be one for politics, but she was one for survival and that alone made it a clear enough choice. At that, she turned toward the woman, the one who'd be watching over her directly. She bit down on her lip and tilted her head as her pale eyes met those of the lifeless. It was funny, but there was no reflection to be seen in the Necromonger woman's eyes. No sparkle. Nothing.
Furya was unlike anything Sidra had seen before and it saddened her. It made her think of home, of Helion Prime. Would her planet come to look like this one day? She suddenly wondered what made Furya look the way it did. What terrible event occurred that caused it to die... Just then her eyes widened a little and she looked over at Riddick, then to Vaako. No. Surely that couldn't be the case. Her thoughts there were wrong... Had the Necromongers been to Furya before?
Shaking the disturbing thought away, Sidra decided she didn't want to knowat least, not right then. "What are you looking for?" she asked Riddick, moving closer to him so that she could stay away from both Vaako and the lenser. She looked over at the maid for a moment and again she thought about those lifeless eyes and shivered violently. Biting down on her lip, she mumbled, "Sorry, I'm cold. This isn't like Helion."
human
Riddick was almost thankful that the girl had provided him with a brief distraction. He stripped the cloak from his armored torso and wrapped it around her shoulders. "It won't help much, considering the present company." Perhaps it was a hint that he could read her body language even if she tried to hide it, but he was feeling sincere as well if only due to his preoccupied mind.
"This isn't like Furya, either. But it is." He crunched down to lift dust from around his feet, the soil like ashes of bone on the surface and petrified wood below. "What a waste." When he stood again he stood with his back to the light and showed his steely eyes to the girl, this time staring her so hard it would be difficult to break eye contact even if she wanted to. "There was a man who came to this world and slaughtered all the boys, newborns choked by their own umbilical cords until their faces turned purple from popped veins. He came here amongst the living looking for peace of mind through death."
He resumed that gaze for some time before he relaxed and placed the goggles over his eyes once more, turning to descend into the expansive grid of graves. "What am I looking for..? I'm looking amongst the dead for a peace of my own mind. Hm..." A contemplative demeanor took over his gait as he brushed fingertips across headstones wrapped in dried out vines. "I could be looking for life." Or a reason to keep it. After all, the single thing that kept him living was the Furyan necessity for survival. If he was going to head to the Underverse where death was supposedly superior and constant, he might need more of that necessity. What better way than to make a pilgrimage to his homeland?
Pilgrimage... Right.
Riddick continued to sweep through the graveyard, his destination seeming to be the horizon. As the group moved on, however, Lord Vaako could spot some kind of civilized structure--ruined, obviously--in the distance at the end of the burial grounds. Not much further than that there were low mountains. If Vaako remembered correctly, Furyans were warriors raised both in the plains and in the tunnels beneath. Most likely there were caves connected to the structures that probably composed a village.
"Lord Marshall, we should approach with caution. We have yet to confirm if this planet is completely isolated or not." Riddick's silence was taken for approval and Vaako gave orders; some silent and some spoken. Scouts were sent up ahead along with the lenser. Vaako himself remained with a now smaller number of men. The commander did not want to leave Riddick's side. Anything...anything that Vaako could use against the disgraceful king...he would find it.
Maybe the girl.
gpt
Sidra appreciated the gesture when Riddick placed the cloak about her body. She knew the garment didn't outright belong to him, but she could still feel his warmth emanating from the fabric. It was an odd sensation, almost comforting in a strange sort of way. As she peered out into the vast wasteland of what she was sure had once been a lush world, she felt her heart suddenly lurch. Life could no longer thrive here. Not like it once did anyway. Not ever again. Just then she felt her tummy tighten, her insides roiling as the bile within began to rise. She wanted to vomit at the thought of it, that thought when coupled with the story Riddick began to tell about the Furyan boys.
Looking up at Riddick with her piercing eyes, her hair still shielding her face quite a bit, Sidra found them starting to dampen. A sadness was filling her and it made her loathe the company of men like Vaako and those like him all the more. She bet his eyes were as lifeless as the maid's who was trying to stand close by. Too close.
"Life?" Sidra asked, her brow arching quizzically. She was about to ask more, but her train of thought was interrupted. Vaako in all his tight-lipped demeanor approached, coming too close for her comfort, making her tremble and quake in fear. Her knees began to go weak and she wished he'd go away.
Sidra caught a glimpse of Vaako's eyes and felt a chill run along her spine. His eyes. They were indeed just as lifeless as the maid's. No reflection. Nothing. Dead.
Staying close to Riddick, Sidra turned toward him. "Do you think you'll find your 'life' over there?" she asked. Just then, a wind blew causing her mass of curls to get pushed away from her face. She looked up at Riddick, searching for an answer, guidance. Protection? "Or..." her voice trailed and she tilted her head a bit. "Is it something else?" She bit down on her lip, her cheeks going a bit pink. At that she pulled on the cloak a bit so as to pull it tighter about her body.
human
Although Riddick couldn't properly see most colors, he did note how bright Sidra's eyes were. Thinking about it made him stop for a moment to glance over his shoulder, trying to catch another glimpse of that gaze that was as clear as it was frantic.
He quirked a brow up as he did, indeed, catch the girl's eyes as well as her questions. "The other man never really found his peace of mind, I doubt I'll find my answers." He continued onwards, now picking up the pace a little as he ignored the gravestones around him. The girl was like a stray attaching itself to a new owner. That reminded him of Jack.
Well, Kyra.
"You ask a lot of questions, don't you kid?" Now that the initial melancholy had passed, Riddick's wall came right back up. "I'm not looking for anything specific. I just came here to see what I could find."
"This is the Lord Marshall's home planet, is it not?" Vaako came up behind Sidra to stand on the opposite side of her from Riddick. The commander matched pace with the other two as he watched for the scouts ahead. Riddick's silence told him that he was free to speak further, if only because Vaako was beginning to grow tiresome of the meaningless babble between the two living people.
"Lord Marshall is a Furyan, the last of his kind. The story of the slain babes of Furya is that of the Lord Marshall as well. He alone survived the massacre as well as the purge; a purge that was meant to eliminate the threat that was played by Riddick."
"No doubt you did your homework on all that while trying to take the throne."
Vaako squeezed out air from within the curls of his fingers. "The previous Marshall was weak."
"I wonder what that makes you."
With a gruff beat of breath the Lord Vaako trudged forward to join his scouts, some of them returning to report. That Riddick knew more than he let on... It was infuriating.
gpt
Sidra's cheeks grew warmer and she looked down at her feet for a moment. Since when was twenty-two a kid? She scowled a little and then bit down, hard, on he lip. Letting out a sigh, she looked back up at Riddick and had to almost run to keep pace with him. She glanced over her shoulder at Vaako, not liking how close he was to her. The strange coldness that seemed to emanate from him was coming off him in waves and it clung to her body like a second skin. More than anything she had the urge to rub at her arms, her legs. Anything to make the feeling he gave her to go away.
As Sidra listened to the tale of the Furyan and Necromongers, she found herself suddenly nodding. So Riddick had a tie with these half-deads after all. She found that interested and... ironic. Ironic that someone meant to be killed by the world destroyers now led them. It definitely answered the nagging feeling she had as to why Riddick seemed the more logical choice to stay close to. That and he was the only one who truly breathed. The only one who had a true pulse, who was warm and who had blood coursing through his veins.
Suddenly, Sidra turned her head. "What was that?" she asked, her eyes darting about the harsh landscape. She'd heard a sound, something inhuman and beastly. Something hungry.
Sidra's breathing quickened, her blood flowing faster through her veins as she swallowed hard. She was certain Riddick had heard it, probably had already known the thing was out there. But being jumpy, paranoid, terrified... she couldn't help but be on high alert. After all, being surrounded by Necromongers for several days was enough to make anyone a bit jittery.
Moving closer to Riddick, Sidra looked up at him again. And once more she heard that sound and she felt her blood run cold. Turning away and looking over toward one of the nearby caves they were passing by, she saw the faint silhouette of something starting to emerge. "Oh god..." she mumbled, backing away slowly.
The shadow was moving into view and Sidra could hardly make it out. But it seemed to be almost snake-likeor was it a worm?in appearance. It was enormous, whatever it was and it was moving toward them with great speed.
"Riddick!" Sidra shouted as the thing lunged toward her and she began to run.
human
That girl just kept those temperature differentials coming. It made it much too easy to stay aware of her presence, a strong contrast from the Necromongers whose constant lack of body temperature made it easy to discern. When both of them, Sidra and Vaako, were standing near him it was amusing how their body heat--or lack thereof--interacted. He supposed it was to be expected. Humans feared things too easily. Beasts tended to pay attention to only what was important.
Like that echoing gurgle.
Riddick saw what was coming long before Sidra did. He could smell it too. It carried a stench of stale earth and looked like some kind of earthworm magnified by a few hundred times. Unlike some demons he'd seen before, this thing wasn't pretty to look at.
His arms shot out to stop Sidra mid-step, using her own momentum to toss the both of them into the ground. After a crunching thud that took away the body--and most likely life--of the maid in waiting assigned to Sidra, a shriek that nearly pierced the ear drum rang overhead for as long as it took the creature to fly past. That shriek ended with a crash of architecture that managed to hide the entire length of the giant worm. Riddick could hear the friction between its flesh and rocky soil, the sound descending as if the creature had found a tunnel within the building it had just renovated.
While Riddick stood back on his feet and reached down to help Sidra do the same a scream echoed from across what he now noticed was a broken town. "Stay close." Riddick started making way to the screaming lenser and out of the corner of his eye saw Vaako and his men taking the same action. Suddenly the scream stopped, but that didn't stop them.
When they reached the scene, half the lenser's body was stuck on a broken wall and the other half...well, it was missing. Its handler was on the ground. He looked a bit shaken up. "Th-th-that... What was that!?" Vaako grabbed the soldier by his arm and dragged him up, demanding to know what had happened. "The lenser, it saw something. It got eaten. There's more of them. There's more than one." Vaako left the handler to the other men, not having the patience for delirium himself.
"Lord Marshall, we should leave. Immediately."
"Really? But the party just got started."
gpt
The lenser was torn in two. Two! Sidra thought she was going to be sick. Its twisted body, half synthetic and half organic, an abomination fabricated by a being of half-deads for a twisted purpose. What those poor pitiful beings had been prior, she had no idea. But she knew they'd had to have lived and breathed once, walked free, had a voice.
Sidra looked up at Riddick amidst her mass of dark curls, her cool blue eyes showing her fear and uncertainty. She feared that they were as good as dead... much like the rest of the planet... "More? There's more?" Her panic was evident, her want to get out of there, to leave. But what was worse? Facing the Necromongers and their constant want for conversion or a few more of those ghastly worms. It was like a form of hell and she wanted out!
Suddenly, Vaako made his thoughts plain and Riddick mocked him making Sidra quirk a brow as she tilted her head. She knew she had to stay close to the Furyan, it was her best chance at survival. That was already proven given how he'd saved her from the one worm's initial plunge at trying to snuff out her life.
Trembling, Sidra heard another scuffle and she knew what the sound meant. Another one of those things was coming. Turning, she saw it and this time the shadows no longer concealed its form. She let out another shrill scream, the sounds reverberating off the crumbling walls of the ruined buildings surrounding them all. As her instincts told her to run, one single thought kept swimming through her mind'I don't want to die... I'm not ready to die... survive this... live.' She just hoped she would and that somehow the Furyan would see her back to safety. That was, if it was even possible.
human
Riddick carefully assessed the different signals he was getting, even as the giant worm came wriggling swiftly over. When he struck down the meaning of the mixed tremblings beneath his feet, he pushed Sidra to give her a running start in the right direction and moved as well. Even Vaako was getting out of the way. Not a moment too soon, a second worm came bursting out of the ground they were just standing on, smashing blindly into the head of the one above. Dust went flying everywhere, piercing shrieks soared into the air and bounced off the mountain walls, and the earth shook like beating drums played by the two worms now strangling and biting each other.
"Back to the ship. Now!"
No one questioned the bellowing command. The Necromongers did not have much fear, but their ultimate goal was to reach the Underverse or help their fellow men do so. Dying here served neither of those purposes. Returning safely to the Necropolis was the best choice of action.
"We're going to die!" Of course, there were the exceptions. Unless they were taken care of, which Vaako did by pulling out a gun and shocking the delirious handler's heart into stopping. It didn't take long for another couple worms to rise to the surface and tear the body apart--a lesson, for anyone who dared to look back, not to fear death.
The burial grounds were difficult to traverse due to all the headstones, but once crossed only the hill was left to keep them from reaching the ship. Unfortunately, halfway through there was an explosion of rocks, dirt, and bones. One man flailed in the sky above the ashes then fell back down to stain the cloud in blood with a sickening grind. Other men were laid unconscious or wounded by pieces of gravestones. One particularly unlucky fellow had his head crushed by a gravestone left whole.
When the dust cleared, the surviving number found themselves staring up at a worm much larger than the ones they'd left behind--who seemed too distracted amongst themselves for the moment to be bothered with the runaways. This one also had an extra set or two of jaws and scrags of clothing from its recent meal hanging off some of the teeth.
"Nasty." Vaako agreed with a grunt. "Messenger boy, get the ship ready!" The only one that had managed to end up ahead of the worm was the footman he'd chosen to be their emergency messenger. The soldier scrambled to his feet and did as he was told. When he started moving, however, the worm jerked around and faced his direction. With a massive roar--the incredible sound now causing Riddick to suspect that the worms behind them were merely babies--it aimed a lunge of its head at the runner.
Riddick ran forward, used a slanted headstone for leverage and leaped as far and high onto the worm as he could go. Mid-air he reached back and pulled out his twin curved blades to jam them into the worm's flesh, hooking him to its back(not that there was any distinction with the supposed front). The worm lurched away from its attempt to make the escapee its food and thrashed about. It didn't seem very happen to be in pain. "RUN!" Riddick's yell was directed mostly at Sidra as he tried to get a hang for riding the worm. Judging from the soldiers flying left and right, falling at this distance might kill him from impact with the worm's mass. Or bruise him badly, plus a few broken ribs.
While whatever Necromongers were left heeded orders and ran for the hill, Vaako remained. He watched his Lord Marshall tackle the giant monster before him. Half of him wanted to stay put and watch the Riddick die. The other half wanted to help the Riddick slay the worm for a better chance of survival. When the worm finally flipped itself over and mashed itself into the ground, the following shockwave unbalanced Vaako into relying on his instincts. That meant taking out his axe and hacking into the tail end in front of him.
Riddick had pulled his daggers out and dropped to the side just as the worm flipped over. His body rolled over the ground and his back went and hit a statue. He picked himself back up with a groan and just in time to see Vaako getting flung from side to side as he held onto his axe stuck in the worm's wagging tail. A final slam into the ground dropped the axe and the attached Necromonger from the tail that then threw itself back down. Vaako barely rolled out of the way and onto his feet to deftly swing around and slice roughly through a good chunk of the tail's thickness. The worm's own strength as it screamed and flailed caused the piece to rip itself off.
While the giant worm writhed in pain, the tail end slowly wriggled. While both Vaako and Riddick pondered how to finish the deal, the worm started to scab itself over and the tail started growing a new segment; a new head from the looks of it. The king and the commander both looked at each other.
They ran.
gpt
Sidra's entire body was shaking and she felt as though her heart was going to beat out of her chest it was pounding so hard. Gasping for air, she felt almost frozen to the spot in which she stood, but she knew full well her feet would run should Riddick tell her too. Looking over at him, her curls blowing across face in dark, rippling waves, she felt her chest heaving with every breath she took.
"Riddick," Sidra whispered, almost whimpering as she watched the blood bath begin to unfold before her very eyes. She wanted to scream out again, but her voice was suddenly lost. Terror had taken it away and replaced it with something else. Looking over at the Furyan, she heard him tell everyone to head back to the ship and it wasn't a moment too soon.
Immediately, Sidra turned on her heels, her sights set on the ship in the distance. Funny, how it seemed so much farther away now that they were in imminent danger. But she had no time to dwell on such things. She could hear the worms behind her, scuffling along the ashen ground as they slithered toward their prey. The urge to look back was strong, but she knew she had to resist it. To give in would mean certain death and she wasn't about to die in this way. Not there on a dead planet by some carnivorous worm with only half-deads to watch her body get shredded to bits as she got eaten alive. No!
As Sidra, Riddick and Vaako reached the ship's messenger, a worm suddenly blocked the way. This one was larger, much more massive than the other two from before. She felt the blood rush from her face as her breath suddenly caught in her throat. "No no no no no..." she mumbled to herself, panic turning into horror. At that, she saw the Furyan leap on top of the ginormous beast as if attempting to tame it somehow and the messenger began making his way toward the ship. It was then she heard that single word.
RUN!
At that, Sidra just ran. Her legs moving as fast as they could even though her lungs felt like they were on fire, her muscles aching with each step. She stumbled several times, but not once did she dare look back. She heard the shouts, the thuds and scuffles. But not once did she turn around. Her eyes remained fixed on the ship.
"Riddick," Sidra mumbled. "Riddick..." Her eyes began to tear as she got closer to the ship. The Furyan had to make it. He had to. She couldn't make it without him. Somehow she knew this even though she couldn't explain it.
When Sidra finally boarded the ship, she thought she was going to collapse, her body tired and aching, trembling from fear. It was only then that she turned around and dared to hope that her protector wasn't far behind.
human
Both Vaako and Riddick started scrambling up the hillside. The herd, the new babe, and the momma worm were all rushing towards their desired meals. The ship had begun to hover with the door left open for the Lord Marshall and commander. The earth was quaking. Riddick reached the top. Vaako lost his footing.
Riddick grabbed his arm. "I'm surprised you didn't leave me there to die."
Vaako grabbed Riddick's arm with his free one. "You are my Lord Marshall."
Riddick managed to pull Vaako up on top of the hill just as the king worm crashed its ferocious jaws where the Necromonger had been hanging just a moment before. The impact caused some of the earth to slide, dropping the two men on top of the worm's head. By a stroke of luck, the worm flung them forward when it freed itself and they landed right behind the ship. Probably with some injuries though.
"Go!" Vaako shouted the order this time as the two of them boarded the ship. It hovered, lifted, then started moving forward when all of a sudden it shook. A stray worm had flung itself against one of the wings and the ship did a somersault sideways. It was quickly stabilized, but when everyone came back to their senses, Riddick was hanging by one hand on the still open door. Vaako was the closest person to him.
Riddick looked up at him, goggles lost to the worm below. He smirked with a mischievous glow that matched his eyes. "Planning on returning the favor?"
Vaako stared down at him with those death glazed pits. Just as Riddick's fingers started slipping the commander grabbed hold and pulled him up. "Youaremy Lord Marshall."
The door closed and the ship soon left the worms behind, heading for Necropolis. Riddick turned to Sidra, giving her a careful look over. She seemed fine. For a second time he confirmed her capability to survive. Good girl.
"Hm..." Riddick moved his muscles and softly grunted. His injuries were minor, and bearable. More importantly, "I need new shades."
Vaako scoffed.
gpt
Sidra shrieked as she watched both Riddick and Vaako make their way back toward the ship. As terror wracked her body, her hands moved to cover her mouth, muffling the screams that escaped her lips as she looked out into the distance. Those worms were right on their tails. So close. So close. When she saw them both fall atop the largest of the worms, she cried out. "No!!!"
Getting up and racing toward the ship's door, Sidra felt her heart lurch, her tummy doing flip-flops. Oh, she was going to be sick. No. She wouldn't give in to that. She wouldn't. Suddenly, the ship jolted and she found herself falling onto the floor with a hard thud. The next thing she knew she was rolling toward the wall, hitting it hard. The wind was immediately knocked out of her and she gasped for air, trying desperately to breathe. But try as she might, that precious breath wouldn't come. It seemed like an eternity and the panic began to set in and just when she thought she'd never be able to breathe again, just when she started to see blackness...
GASP!
Sidra was finally able to take in air. Gasping, panting, she looked about herself and saw Riddick hanging outside the ship's door. He was slipping. Vaako was looking on. Scrambling to her feet, she looked on for a moment wondering if the Neco was going to let the Furyan die. He had the upper hand. Would he do such an abhorrent thing? Murder someone in cold blood? Just as she was about to lunge onto Vaako's back and start striking him, she saw him pull Riddick up. At that, she tilted her head, a bit confused. A chill ran down her spine. Something was off. And it bothered her. The one good thing, however, at least her protector would still be with her. For now.
Swallowing, Sidra gave Vaako a strange look, her mass of curls falling in front of her face. She then looked at Riddick. She was still gasping and panting a bit. Both from being scared and having the wind knocked out of her. She then smiled at him, her head cocked as she looked up into his strange, silvery eyes.
"So," Sidra then said, still smiling, hands still shaking. "Now that I can see 'em. You gonna tell me how you got eyes like that?"
human
"So, now that I can see 'em. You gonna tell me how you got eyes like that?"
The question made Riddick almost shudder in self contempt. Thankfully, the adrenaline from their scuffle with the worms kept his emotions at bay. "These eyes?" He leaned in on the girl, pressing her back towards the wall of the ship by sheer power of will until he was almost nose to nose with her. Unblinking, he stared her down with eyes that shared the same mystic viciousness of a predatory beast whose pupils reflected light in the dead dark. "Eyes like this don't come at a price you want to pay, kid."
Vaako watched the Riddick slink away to sit down and relax. When the Furyan's eyes closed, the Necro's moved to his hands; the ones that saved the Lord Marshall. Vaako could have easily left Riddick to die--twice. The first time wasn't a conscious choice and ended up saving Vaako's life afterwards. The second time was confusing and unnecessary. But it also would have pegged him as a traitor, and it wouldn't have counted as Vaako's kill. Nor was there any reason to believe that Riddick couldn't survive even a herd of giant worms. Vaako gave the Furyan that much credit; for good reason.
As if Riddick knew what the commander was thinking the Furyan raised his chin and looked up into his face, eyes glinting with the same cocky glee of his smirking lips. "Had enough of me yet?" Vaako simply turned away with a slight groan, removing himself to the other compartment so as to distract himself with the trip home. Riddick closed his eyes again and leaned his head against the wall. "So Sidra... What kind of a death wish made you get on a ship full of zombies?"
~-~-~-~-~
Back at Necropolis...
~-~-~-~-~
Aereon stood at the hangar, the doors open for her to view out and wait for the return of Riddick's ship. She could see it in the distance now, making its hasty way home. Noting this, she quietly floated out of the way where she could greet(with or without words)the Furyan once he landed. She wondered if he had found anything to help him make any sense out of his heritage. The probability was small. When the Furyans died on this planet, the planet had died as well. The people had been the life and spirit of their home and without the people that energy had vanished.
That begged the question of whether Riddick was indeed as strong and capable as he was due to a necessity to rebalance the sudden loss of Fury; the source of his people's strength. Had everything his people lost become everything he gained? It was a likely explanation, though the end result was possible only if the subject was capable of expanding his limitations to such extents. Then again, one had to wonder if Riddick had any such limitations to begin with. The man was intelligent, feeling, and battle smart. The only quality he lacked was the freedom to love.
Perhaps his journey to the Underverse would serve to test that quality. He was, after all, marking that as his destination because of the single thing that remained in his life to be an object of what little love he permitted forth. There was no telling what would happen, however, if the journey ended one way or the other. With renewed increased love would the Riddick implode on himself? Or with the death of his love would he cause the death of the universe as well?
Awkwardly enough, the Elemental found the chance of neither happening to be far greater. The question that remained then was what exactly that chance implied. Ah, the curiosities of calculation... So she told herself. But no matter what could happen, one in her position could not help but wonder...considering her role in all this.
Riddick...the turmoil it would cause him if he knew the total truth.
gpt
Sidra winced, her lungs and heart stopping as Riddick leaned in close. So his eyes weren't naturally like that... she hadn't known... she hadn't... At that, she hung her head and her thick curls moved to conceal her face. "Sorry," she whispered so softly even she had trouble hearing the words escape her lips. Her mouth had gone horribly dry and her body suddenly began to achethe run from the worms had taken a slight toll on her.
Glancing over at the Furyan, Sidra was now like a pet who'd upset its master. She sat down and brought her knees to her chest, hugging them close. She then watched him and Vaako banter causing the Necro to finally take his leave and for that she was grateful. She could almost feel the air warm up a degree with his presence gone.
Sidra's cool eyes followed the half-dead until he was fully out of sight. She then looked over at the Furyan. "I didn't have a death wish," she said, her hair moving just enough so that her eyes could peer through the loose curls hanging about her face and over her shoulders. "It was either die on Helion Prime or take a chance on finding a new life. I opted for the latter. Seemed the better choice." She paused a moment, her eyes piercing as she looked at Riddick. "Things were hard on Helion after the destruction," she continued. "Lost my parents, my brother and everyone else I knew is now either dead or one 'them'. I managed to survive that and the few others that did as well..." her voice trailed. She didn't want to think on how upside down her planet had become in so short a time and how quickly her life went from normal to hell. "It's chaos there." She shook her head as her eyes began to tear up. "It wasn't a life I wanted to live. In a matter of days, all hell had broken looselooting, scavenging. It wasn't part of my plan. Then again... neither was any of this."
Sidra let out a tiny sigh as she held back the tears. Still hugging her knees to her chest, she had to resist the urge to lay her head against them. The temptation was great. Her home was gone. Everything was gone, ripped away forever. She had never known life could be so cruel and unforgiving, but she learned quickly. She'd had no choice. Back on Helion Prime, people stole and by force. People used fear to get what they wanted. It was awful and it wasn't the place or beacon of light she once knew. Just then, she shivered again, but this time not from the cold.
human
The sad story that Sidra put forth reminded Riddick of the holy man, Imam, and his wife and daughter. He could care less about the wife now that the husband was dead--a memory he would more or less wipe from his past if he could help it--but the daughter had that same air of inquisitive curiosity mixed with a conviction to believe in strength. The daughter was like her father; they had the same eyes. Even if the mother didn't survive the Helion Prime's chaos, Riddick had a feeling the daughter would. That was all he needed to know.
"When the worst starts happening, the other planets of Helion will probably start sending salvaging parties to either evacuate or restore their prime planet. When the dust settles and the clouds blow away, the only ones left will either be the strongest or the smartest, and bring back a new world from the ashes." Riddick paused a moment as he contemplated his own string of words. They were more than he'd usually drawl out. He wasn't sure if it was his new position as 'Lord Marshall' or if it was the girl that made him talk more. "Helion Prime is like a phoenix. It'll come back."
He gave her credit for discerning the probability of survival on a planet that was dying, though. From the looks of it she wasn't a fighter or a strategist. Her instincts were good, but the chances of her surviving in Helion Prime's current state of affairs were risky if not unlikely. She was already an adult too, so learning to adapt was also a factor. A child would probably fare better.
"Docking the ship!"
Riddick stood and grabbed Sidra by the shoulder to make her do the same. "About that new life of yours... If you want it that bad, try to stay close. You had a better chance of surviving on Furya with those worms than with the Necromongers." He tilted his head and glanced at her from the corners of his eyes. "Unless you listen to me, that is."
Landing the ship and unpacking everyone and everything didn't take long. Aereon, too, took no time to find herself at Riddick's side opposite from the girl. "That didn't take you very long, Riddick. And I see you have a new pet. You haven't already forgotten Kyra, have you?"
Riddick was already moving, making his way to the throne room where he knew the nobles would be lingering, talking and whispering amongst themselves. "Aereon... You're not already trying to piss me offagainare you?" And he thought Elementals were supposed to refrain from actively participating in events. "Maybe you should try poking fun at the other lords on this ship."
The Air Elemental only smiled and quietly floated apart from him when he reached his destination. "Listen up! I don't care how you do it, I want you to do a sweep of this planet and killanythingthat moves, be it man, beast, or monster! If you can't kill it, destroy it!"
"What is the purpose of this, my Lord?"
Riddick turned to the commander that spoke up. "Purpose?" He walked up to the man, both his curved daggers out and glinting with a dangerously reflected light. The Necromonger seemed to tense, and some of the crowd closest to him backed away. Riddick lifted both blades close to the man's neck. "The purpose, commander, is tofinish," he paused only to wipe blood from the earlier worm fight on the man's cloak. "--the job that your previous Lord failed to do right." Riddick then spun around to stand in the center of the room. Both clearly shining blades thrust themselves into the air. "Am I not your king?" The cry was answered with a vague echo of acknowledgment. Riddick bellowed once more with thrice the volume. "Am I not your king!?" The provocation worked this time as the returning shout now admitted their semi-defeat to his authority.
Riddick almost smiled. "Dismissed!"
Vaako had entered the scene just soon enough to witness Riddick's self declaration of power. As if daunted by the performance--for Vaako did not believe Riddick to take his position that seriously--a soldier came up to him instead of the departing Lord Marshall with an inquiry as to what they were to do with the girl, Sidra. Surely that was a question on everyone's minds: why was there a living female roaming free with the king? Vaako answered with a snarl and looked around, instead, for his wife as the woman would certainly not have missed a presentation like this.
Aereon, too, thought the vixen was probably watching as even the Elemental had been somewhat impressed by Riddick's display. But she knew better than to be swayed. The man's retreat from the crowd meant he was beginning to tire of the attention. Yet the Furyan also recognized the need for showmanship if he were to survive in this society of the dead long enough to reach the Underverse and back, with or without Kyra's life.
Smart; Lethal; Angry--this would be a story for ages to tell.
Not that Riddick cared. All he wanted to do was find his room and lie down. That, and find someone to get him a new pair of shades.
gpt
Riddick's words rang in Sidra's ears as he told her that her best chance of survival was to stay close to him and listen to his commands. A part of her wanted to protest, but another part, a larger part, just nodded wanting to obey. Somehow deep down she knew the Furyan was right. There was an air about him that beckoned she follow. And she noticed it wasn't felt just by the likes of her. Vaako felt it. It was why the half-dead couldn't let him plummet to an uncertain fate with those worms back on Furya. And it didn't stop there. The other Necromongers. They sensed it as well, it was why none had dared challenge Riddick.
Yes, Sidra would stay close to the silver-eyed man. No matter how much he frightened her at times, she would stay by his side. After all, she supposed he couldn't help what he was or how he came off. Could he? She didn't know. She knew nothing of his past or his plans, other than that he came from that dead world they now left below, that his eyes weren't originally shined and that he had no intentions of converting to the Necromonger way. She wondered what other things she'd learn about the man the longer she stayed in his presence.
Suddenly Sidra felt a rush of wind brush against her face, her curls blowing against a tiny breeze. Turning to see the source of the wind, she caught sight of a female figure, one Riddick addressed as Aereon. She mentioned another. Kyra? Immediately, she quirked a brow as she noticed Riddick become tense, almost angry, at the mention of the name. Just who was she? And why was she being compared to this girl?
Meanwhile on top of the balcony look down, Dame Vaako arched a brow as she watched both Riddick and her husband return from their expedition and walk into the Necropolis. She couldn't help but notice the girl attached to Riddick's hip, a lithe young thing who seemed like a stray cat who only answered to one. Interesting that the one would be the Furyan. "Of course it would be," she whispered to herself as she watched from above, slowly walking toward the staircase so she could descend them and meet her husband down below.
Just as Dame Vaako was about to take her first step, she stopped mid-step. Riddick bellowed orders that made her pause and tilt her head. Oh this was something she needed to observe in full. Her lips twisted as she smiled maliciously, watching the Furyan prove once more just who the alpha was amongst them allinteresting that it was not a Necromonger. Licking her lips, her desire for power growing, she felt a pull drawing her toward the steely-eyed man below. She glanced briefly at her husband and nodded curtly, but her eyes shifted back to Riddick and the lust in her non-reflective eyes returned.
But that girl... she was clinging to Riddick like a pet. Like that Kyra had before her untimely death. Dame Vaako scoffed silently. That Kyra. Her conversion was a fine moment for the Necromongers even if it had been a stroke of luck on their part. And her death, that had been the sweetest part of all. Yes, the Furyan still became Lord Marshall instead of Vaako, but her death caused a weakness to be exploited. And now. Now she was replaced. It was a conspiracy to say the least! Something would have to be done about it. It would just be a matter of what... and when.
Sidra bit down on her lip when the Necromongers nodded at Riddick's orders to fully destroy the little that was left of Furya. She glanced over at him and then about the place at everyone milling about. Descending a staircase, she caught sight of an exotic-looking woman and immediately felt her blood turn icy cold. Her instincts told her that something was off about her and she moved closer to Riddick, almost touching him.
"Just like a Furyan to make a grand entrance," Dame Vaako spoke, her tone regal and haughty, her eyes fixed on Sidra as she approached. She walked over to her husband, her hand reaching out to touch him, caress his face with affection though her actions were almost mechanical despite how erotic she made them appear. "And this," she then said, her attention fully on Sidra now. "A new pet? Living and non-converted?" She stalked around both Riddick and Sidra, making a tight circle as she walked around them both. "How long do you expect that to last?" she asked. "A day, a week?" She smiled a little and moved toward her husband again, her hands moving about his neck as she pressed herself against him, her eyes not once even looking in his direction however. "Your thoughts betray you, Riddick," she said with a wicked smile, her eyes cold as they reflected nothing.
Sidra just stood there, her eyebrows furrowed, her body beginning to tremble. She looked up at Riddick. "Riddick?" she asked, though her question was really her way of letting him know she wanted to leave, to get away from this woman who terrified her to her very core.
human
Riddick's nose followed the Necromonger woman as she made her round of him and Sidra. "Mm..." His head tilted at her, eyes swirling light like mercury turning in glass balls. They had that look of one predator acknowledging another in a silent growl of warning. "I already called you beautiful once. Don't make me take that back."
Riddick pressed a heavy arm around Sidra's neck, weighing it on her shoulders while his eyes stayed glued to the Dame Vaako. He drew the girl as close to him as he could without suffocating her. "A king will have his pleasures, won't he? Or are you jealous because I prefer hot blood over cold?" His eyes moved to the spouse then. "Maybe you should give your wife some pleasure of her own before she gets sidetracked."
Lord Vaako quietly slipped a hand to his woman's hip and--with intention to bruise if possible--squeezed her to him as he watched the Riddick turn away and finally retreat to the corridors that would take him to his chambers. "Your conniving thoughts betray you as well,Dame. What in the Underverse's name are you doing putting his eyes on you? Do you want him to stalk us?" Only after his message was relayed did he release her from his grip. "Must you press a knife to an ugly mood?" With that he left to retreat to his own chambers.
Riddick passed by a lenser or two along the way to his room, one of them almost screaming when it saw the king and his new friend. Riddick had the sense to knock it unconscious and send it and its handler off to help the militia purge the planet. Not, however, before he plucked a pair of goggles off the man. They weren't as nice looking as his old ones, but they were kind of sleeker. In any case he donned them on his forehead but left them above his brow. The Necropolis never had enough light to hurt his eyes or leave him in discomfort, so he was fine without actually wearing the shades.
His own room was actually darker than the rest of the ship, preferring to keep the lights snuffed as it made him feel more at home. A maid in waiting stood outside the door and looked alarmed at the presence of a second living person but only nodded when the Lord Marshall told her to teach Sidra how to use the lights. "Use them or don't, up to you. You can stay here. Use the bed if you want." He also told the maid to inform the others of Sidra and that they were to do whatever she asked; she was the king's guest. "This room might actually get some appreciation with a woman here..." With that, he started removing his armor and tossed it carelessly wherever it pleased him. "This shit is too heavy. No wonder everybody moves so slow."
gpt
Dame Vaako just smiled at Riddick as he spoke to her, her body rubbing against her husband as she felt him squeeze at her flesh, marking her beneath the thin filmy fabric of her dress. When Riddick was gone, she immediately turned to look at her lord and husband, her eyes flashing with menacing lust, her eyes reflecting nothing as she looked at him. When he pulled away and began to walk off, she immediately set off after him, her thoughts burning about the girl in Riddick's grip.
"My thoughts, dear husband?" Dame Vaako whispered after she caught up with her lord. "Dont be so nave or narrow-sighted. Do you not see the Furyan's weakness? While Kyra's slowly decomposing body rests in the chambers 'til we reach Underverse, he has a new plaything. A new pet to preoccupy his time and mind." She smiled wickedly. "Sheis the key, my lord.Sheis his undoing. I know you see this. Do not deny it." She nodded slightly, looking over at Vaako with a knowing gaze, her smile growing. "You saw how closely he was watching her and holding her. No doubt he has her scent memorized and can track her for miles..." her voice trailed. "I wonder how far he'd go to retrieve her... hrmm?"
The woman stopped abruptly wondering if her husband would as well. If he did, if he turned around... he'd see her lips smiling at him, her eyes filled with desire as her body waited for him to come to her, to claim her as only her lord could do as they conspired together. Yes, he needed to finish what he'd started when he'd marked her hip. There were many more bruises beckoning to be made.
Sidra bit down on her lip as Riddick wrapped his arm about her and all but dragged her off and out of the presence of Lord and Dame Vaako. She looked up at the Furyan for a moment, her feet moving almost with a mind of their own as they walked briskly down the dimly lit corridors of the massive ship. She found herself shrinking back when they passed by the lenser and its handler as it began to shriek in alarm when it came across the only two signs of true life aboard the vessel filled with half-deads. She was about to let out a tiny shout, but was cut off when Riddick silenced the pitiful abomination along with the Necro holding its leash. A smile played on her lips when she saw him take the goggles, but she kept silent nonetheless. Her mind was still spinning and she hadn't liked the way either Necromonger bearing the name Vaako had looked at her.
Finally, after being introduced to another maid in waitingshe wondered how many of such women were about the placeSidra found herself in a room off one of the many corridors of the ship. It was definitely a stately rooma room fit for a king, the King of the Necromongers. She swallowed hard as she glanced about it, taking in her new surroundings. It was a far cry from dark corners and by far much more comfortable looking. There was a bed and it actually looked soft.
Sidra walked further inside and then sat down on the edge of the bed as she watched Riddick strip off the heavy Necromonger armor. She smiled at him as he grumbled about it being heavy. She pushed at her hair, peering at him through some of the curls. "Thank you," she said. "This is much nicer than huddling in a corner." She tilted her head a bit. "So," she continued, her voice a bit hesitant. "What now?" She bit down on her lip and then looked down at her feet before looking back up and over at Riddick again.
human
By the time the Dame Vaako stopped her tracks, they were just outside their room. "He isn't a dog." He turned around and saw that smile for only a moment before he laid his hand around her neck and nearly dragged her inside. The door closed behind him and he pushed her into a wall, her throat still caught within his grasp and threatening to cut off her air. "Are you not satisfied, Dame, with the humiliation you've wrought upon me already? Throw that girl too far and the Riddick will not fetch for her. Strike her down too close and either you or I will die 'neath his blades."
His free hand cupped one side of her jaw and lifted her chin, straining the muscles in her neck as he pressed his face into it with a low growl, his breath equally deep as a beast that would tear her pulse out with its jaws. "The others look upon me as a conspirator as it is. Will you have me further condemned with Riddick as well?" Ending that thought with an angry tone and a slap to her face from the back of his hand, Vaako turned to put his armor away. The man had no intentions of stepping back out on that planet to struggle with any more worms.
Of course, Riddick didn't either. His body now relieved of the extra weight he slid up to Sidra and pressed both hands to the bed on either side of her, face pushing forth as if to make her fall back onto the mattress. "Now? We let as many bastards die here as we can then move on to their so-called Underverse. As for you?" He took a straight knife from his thigh and leaned further forward to get another whiff of scent from her hair. The knife came up to her chin and lightly tapped it. "You're going to take this and help me out while you help yourself."
gpt
Dame Vaako hit the wall with a thud, but she refused to wince, to cough, anything. Instead, she met her husband's gaze equally, though she smiled at his show of brutality and physical strength. Oh, he could break her, if he wanted and she adored that. So much potential if only he'd truly let go... Yes, he could surpass the Furyan. It was a pity he was his own worst enemy. His problem was that he thought too much. He needed to leave such things to her. But alas, that was not something he'd do and she knew it and it was why she had to be twice as conniving.
When Vaako finally released her, Dame Vaako took in a quiet gasp of air. She watched him for a moment as he began to remove his armor and she immediately walked toward him, her hands moving to touch him, caress him. "I will not have you condemned, my lord. Rather, I'd see you rise to your rightly place. I wish to see you where the Furyan stands. I wish to see you on the throne." She moved in front of him, her hands still upon his body, touching his chest. She licked his lips, her eyes reflecting nothing. Her gaze hard upon him and filled with desire, she smiled. Slowly, she got down on her knees before him. "I wish to kneel before my king, my lord. The rightful king of the Necromongers."
As Dame Vaako knelt before her husband she looked up at him, her expression softening just enough. She let her hands remain upon his body, sliding down as she moved to kneel before him like a lowly subject.
"Let me pay my respects to the rightful king, my lord," Dame Vaako then said with a wicked smile.
Sidra waited for Riddick to let her know what they'd be doing next now that they were safefor lack of a better wordon the Necromonger ship once again. But suddenly without warning she found herself falling back on the bed and Riddick face-to-face with her. Her heart began to pound and her breaths quicken as she looked into those silvery eyes.
Sidra just nodded when Riddick mentioned killing as many Necrosinadvertently, of courseas possible when they nuked the worms or anything else in the vicinity. Just then, she felt something cold and hard touch her chin. Swallowing, she knew it was a bladed weapon. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Help you?" she asked, her voice almost squeaking. "How can I help?" She truly wondered that. She'd been of so little help down on Furya's surface where the worms had been concerned. Sure, she had good instinct, but it seemed to end there. What good was she outside of that? Very little, it seemed. "Just what are we going to do?" she asked, her blue eyes going wide as her mass of curls sprawled on the bed beneath her.
human
Vaako looked down at his wife with eyes that bled with equal amounts of distrust and hunger. Her words were hissed lullabies from a snake's tongue. He knew that every movement and every sound she made was a seduction that brought her victims closer to her. Yet the husband could not bring himself to dislodge her from his body--or his soul. Then again, was that not why he had wedded her in the first place?
He contemplated the thought by pulling away the knot that kept the Dame's hair up. As if to find grip on the reasons he married this sly woman his fingers clasped themselves through her mane and jerked her face upwards, her chin resting over his crotch which now beat blood into a steadily rising member. It was hard for Vaako to say if it was rising from ambition for kingship or from desire to show his wife that she was only given the power to speak to him in such ways throughhispermission.
"Pay your respects, Dame. Pay them well, my queen."
Meanwhile, the Riddick played with a grin on his lips. "What are we going to do indeed..?" He tickled that chin with the point of the knife before sliding away from her, the blade falling flat on her belly. He rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck a couple times. "Hm... You know how to move around without being seen or heard. You know how to use the dark. For someone who lived in the light, that's not a bad start."
Riddick stripped himself of the curved Ulak blades and another knife he had around, setting them on a table. He opened himself up for attack. "Come at me. Anything's game."
gpt
Dame Vaako looked up at her lord, her master, her king with dark, non-reflective pools filled with the lust for power. She would see someone to the throne, yes. And she would certainly see herself by the side of that someone. Necromonger or Furyan? Who was to say, but in the end, it would be Dame Vaako who would be queen.
The woman smiled up at her husband, her tongue darting out like that of a snake as she licked her lips. Come taste the apple, she beckoned as her hands moved up from her sides to slowly, sensually work at the fastenings of his pants.
"I shall pay them, my king," Dame Vaako said in whisper, her eyes locked to her lord's. "I shall pay them a thousand times over you won't be able to speak nor see. Only feel, my lord. Only sense..." Her hands touched him once he was free from the confines of the fabric of his clothes. Leaning forward, she let a breath leave her mouth. "Are you as hungry for this as I, my king?" she asked huskily, her mouth closing over him, drawing him in slowly.
Sidra bit down on her lip, tasting blood as she looked into Riddick's eyes. When he finally got up, she let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding and swallowed hard, her mouth so very dry. Closing her eyes for a moment, she reached down and laid a hand on the knife resting upon her, her chest heaving, and then took a firm hold of it. She brought it up so that she could look at it for a moment and then finally she sat up. Her hair fell about her body once more, concealing most of her face. Just then, Riddick told her to come at him. Was he serious? She was no match for him. He'd easily shove her aside.
Tilting her head, Sidra just looked at Riddick for a moment. She could tell that the Furyan had meant it. He wanted her to try. He was going to teach her something and he was going to do it now. At that moment, right there. "I..." she stammered.
Swallowing again, Sidra looked at the knife she held in her tiny hands. She then looked over at Riddick once again. Blinking several times, she finally lunged at him, uncertain of what would happen when she made it to him... that was,ifshe made it to him.
human
As rigid as he was, the Lord Vaako's only sign of pleasure was the rise and fall of his chest until the Dame's mouth finally found the burning erection that no longer could grow. A deep groan emanated from his chest and his gaze towards his wife turned into a demanding glare. It could have been the encounter with the worms from earlier; it could have been the rotten mood the Riddick festered in him; it could have been the knees of his wife connected with the floor as she called him 'king'. Whatever it was, Vaako did not want to play it this slow or sensual.
The moment that his entirety was swallowed up by her lips he pressed his hand against the back of her head and forced her to listen in that position. "You do not get to be hungry, dear Dame. Right now, you only live to satemyhunger."
With that the Lord Vaako began using her mouth like a toy to be fed his thrusts. "Is this what you wanted to do on the throne?" The question cued his release of her mouth but not her hair and he pulled her head back once he came down on one knee. His free hand went to the bruise he'd made in her hip earlier and caressed it at first before squeezing at it. "Is this how you would kneel to your king?"
Riddick was probably having just as much fun as Vaako if not more. He could see the uncertainty in Sidra's eyes as well as her clumsy lunge forward. In a single moment the Furyan could assess that she would need a severe beating of her psyche in order to effectively learn what she needed within the short period of time she would have. There was no telling when she'd need these skills, but the sooner she used them the better. That meant that Riddick had to prepare her as quickly as possible.
"Lesson number one!" An easy sidestep and a quick grab of her wrist with a twist that would force her to drop the knife gave him immediate control of her body. A further twist brought her arm behind her and a tactical foot placement would trip her into landing face first into the table that he'd laid his blades out on before. He leaned close to her ear to mumble a tease. "Don't attack first." He let go of her to recompose herself however she would but didn't back off without administering a decent smack to her rear. "And if you do, remember to aim. You won't hit anything if you're not trying to hit anything."
Riddick sat down on the bed and crossed his arms behind his back. He tilted his head at her and gently cocked an eyebrow. "Now try again."
gpt
Dark eyes reflecting nothing looked back at Lord Vaako, but the eyes of Dame Vaako glinted with a maliciousness as her lord, master and king suddenly grabbed at her head and forced her to take all of him deeply into her mouth. She gagged and slurped as he shoved her hard against him, back and forth, like some doll to be used to serve his own pleasures. If he cared to look closely, he'd notice the slight smile on her lips as she choked him down, his length filling her throat as she sucked and licked.
Dame Vaako liked this side of her husband, the passionate side that took what it wanted and whenthe side that knew what it deserved. Her eyes began to water as she gagged, her saliva dripping down her chin as she made love to him with her mouth, if one could even call what they had together love. It was more like mutual desire, but whether it was for the love of each other or the love of something else, neither seemed to ever want to admit that out loud.
Sidra let out a groan when she slammed into the table. She could feel Riddick's weight upon her as he leaned over her body, his lips almost touching her ear as he whispered to her. She turned her head slightly as if trying to glance over her shoulder and then felt him slowly slide away. Just then, she felt a firm slap against her backside causing her to let out a tiny yelp.
Glancing back, though still hovering over the table, Sidra's eyes peered through her curls at Riddick. She locked eyes with the Furyan for a moment before finally pushing herself upright and turning back around. The room was dim, but despite that, she could still see easily enough. Being light of eyes, helped a little in that regard. Pushing at her hair, she blinked and then set her jaw. He wanted her to try again. To aim. How he'd noticed that she hadn't earlier out of fear of accidentally inflicting some sort of injury was startling, but then again, given his experience she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Given his actions down on Furya, she knew he was a survivor, a fighter and so very much more.
Letting out a tiny breath, Sidra's fist curled into balls and she ran toward Riddick once again, her focus to somehow hit him in the ribs or chest. In the back of her mind she worried about actually doing something to hurt himas if this Furyan could be hurt, she had to admit the thought seemed silly that she could ever hurt such a man. Regardless, she ran toward him, once more, still unsure of what would happen when she reached him.
human
Vaako's eyes found a single living glint of passion as they stared at the defiled face of the Dame. The lord vaguely pondered the attraction of having this woman at the disposal of his sexual needs while he pulled her forward to lie belly down to the ground. He didn't care if she could support her weight or not as he used her hair to pull her face into his crotch. He used her own spit to coat her cheek with his shaft, the full bags below it slowly frosting over with the slimy fluid.
It was when he started thrusting himself inside her again that it dawned on him: he was reducing a powerful clever woman to nothing but a rag doll that he could beat and fuck to his neverending pleasure. The realization further enraged his desire to paint the Dame's throat in white. "Beg for your king's seed, Dame." He leaned forward both to beat faster against her face and to reach between her legs with his free hand. The dress came up and his fingers found her moist lips. They circled her like water going down a drain, spreading her to his satisfaction before plunging in. He gripped at her walls with curled fingers and used that hold to pull her deeper into his thrusts. "Beg!"
He could care less that her mouth was too stuffed to speak.
~-~-~-~-~
Riddick clicked his tongue as he watched the girl charge at him once more. She had a motive behind her action now, but the girl still lacked purpose. She didn't care what happened or why she did what she did. This was made apparent when Riddick countered her by dropping his weight from the bed and onto bent knees, body lowered so that her attack to his upper torso was dodge. A 'gentle' push forward would find his head pressed into her groin and her balance undone with the center of her body weight falling onto his back. He then sprung up to standing position so that she was flung off the ground and flipped over onto the bed.
All this with his arms still crossed behind his back.
"I saidaim!" Riddick remained in the same position, arms still crossed behind him and his back facing the bed where Sidra was. He didn't even look over his shoulder, he just waited for her next move. "I can dig a knife into your spine and paralyze you. I can twist your neck and shut your brain off. A cut to your ankle and you'll limp forever. I am a threat to your life. Now hit me!"
gpt
Sucking hard and harder still, Dame Vaako continued to go down on her husband with fury as he continued his hold on her head, forcing her to take him all into her throat. Her muscles spasm'd and clenched, her tongue working furiously to keep him hard and twitching and yearning to fall over the edge. She gagged a bit more, her face and cheeks coated with her saliva, his precum, as she continued the forced ministrations.
Looking up into Lord Vaako's eyes, Dame Vaako all but smiled.Thiswas a king.Thiswas someone worthy of defeating a Furyan.Thiswas someone to kneel before and submit to in body, mind and soul. If only he could hold onto this passion, this fire!
"Fill my mouth..." Dame Vaako then pleaded, her voice muffled as her lord and husband continued his vicious thrusts against her mouth. "Spill your seed down my throat..." She gagged again, choking on his length, his girth. Her eyes watered and the tears spilled down her paled cheeks as she looked up at him, eyes locked fiercely, intensely. "Show me, my king... show me... let me worship you..." She continued her begging, the smile not once faltering. Not once fading.
Sidra laid there on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She blinked several times as she tried to make sense of what had happened. Everything was a blur, it had all happened so quickly. Finally, she rolled over on to her tummy and looked at the Furyan and scowled.
Riddick didn't even look back at her, which made Sidra burn. Instead, he just sat there as he had mere moments ago, mocking her. Telling her how easily he could kill her, stun her, anything he wished should he choose to bother. At that, she just lunged at him, going for his neck with her teeth. She had no idea why, but for some reason she felt angry, frustrated, and it was the first thing that came into her mind when he shouted at her... now hit me.
human
Somehow the Lord Vaako did not need to hear the words pronounced beyond the stifled moans the Dame was able to produce. The smile that remained consistent at the corners of her pried open lips and the look of admiration in those dead and deadlier eyes told her husband that he wasking; king of her body and soul if not soon to be king of all Necromongers. Suddenly the desire to own her and the desire to own Necropolis merged into one and he saw a brief flash of his own imaginings, the room clouded out to reveal him upon his rightful throne and his wicked queen defiling herself upon him in front of all the Necromongers that knelt before them.
"Ah...ahh... Ah!" The grunts finally turned into gasps which then swiftly burned into his throat a mighty roar that could be matched only by the volume of that which he unloaded in his pretty Dame's mouth. "Nngh..." His head rolled back as he felt the last drops flow free but he did not relax for long. He pulled out, giving no heed to the state of his wife's ability to breathe, and flipped her over onto her back. He pulled her to him, his member still hard and twitching against the small cove just above her rear.
"Now, my queen, you give yourself to me." The fingers he'd had inside her earlier went inside her mouth and pushed against her tongue while his other fingers went around her neck. He briefly played at the two scars that marked her as part of the dead before choking off most of her air supply. His face pushed into her hair and he rested it against the back of her head, lips close enough to her ear so she could hear him speak under his breath. "Show me your devotion. Please yourself for mine eyes to watch you obey me."
~-~-~-~-~
"Ah!" Riddick hadn't expected that. The moment he felt teeth on his neck he jumped forward, staggering and carrying Sidra's weight with him. He had to tense the muscles in his arms to make sure they stayed locked so they didn't impulsively rip the girl off and injure her. Not that it would have been any worse than what he was doing now: Riddick turned his back to the nearby wall and slammed his weight against it, likely knocking the wind out of the girl sandwiched between.
Then he just got mean. He uncrossed his arms and put an elbow to her side for good measure before stepping away from a most likely very angry blue-eyed girl. Riddick faced her this time, a grin spreading over his amused lips. He rubbed at the slight burn on his neck. This was good. She made quick progress. "Aw, love bite." He bent his knees and spread his footing a bit. "Quit the romance, kid. It's life or death. Again!"
gpt
Dame Vaako swallowed down everything her lord and king gave her. Not once did she blink as he filled her mouth with his thick, steamy fluids and, without hesitation, she made sure not to miss a single drop. To not waste a thing. Oh yes, she wanted him to see just how precious everything the Necromonger king offered truly was. T'was a pity they could no longer breed. Oh the sons they could bear if he took the throne!
Finally, when Vaako was done, he removed his fingers from her slicked sex. Dame Vaako's eyes widened just a bit at the sight of it. She knew she was ready for him, her entrance already seething and burning to be stretched further. When he shoved his fingers coated in her juiced into her mouth, she wasted no time. Her tongue lapped at them, licking them clean. And the moment she felt him press teasingly against her aching entrance, she let out a moan just for him, knowing it would be his undoing.
"Yes, my king..." Dame Vaako groaned. "I obey thee..." And without any further delay, she slid along his still stiff member, her sex wet and ready, tight and twitiching, and all just for him.
Sidra felt the wind leave her lungs as Riddick slammed her into the wall, her still clinging to his back. Trying desperately to get air, she then felt a sharp pain in her side and suddenly felt herself crumple onto the floor. Gasping and panting, she got up on all fours and looked up at Riddick through the mass of curls hanging in front of her face. Her expression show anger, frustration and something... else.
"Kid?" Sidra mumbled quietly, her cool blue eyes piercing amidst the darkness and hair that covered her face. "Life or death, huh?" her voice even quieter.
At that, Sidra finally caught her breath and ran toward Riddick once more. This time her aim was lower. She had no idea how to fight or defend or even how to attack. But there was only one thing she knew, as a woman, when it came to trying to take someone down of the opposite gender. No matter how big or small. No matter what planet they came from. All men had the same weakness, if you managed to reach your target. Of course, she had no idea what would happen if she did. But, he'd say to 'come at him'. So 'come at him' she would... getting close, making it seem she would punch, but instead making a swift knee to the groin.
human
Vaako growled in his Dame's ear. "The good queen will get her rewards for her obedience..." She had, after all, swallowed every last drop of him and endured his aggression. The least he could do was give her more pain with pleasure. He released her throat and without giving her time to adjust he slammed himself inside her. He beat against her warm wet walls, the muscles straining to endure the forced stretching.
"Tell me who is king." To beat her harder he grabbed hold of one of her breasts, oblivious to his own strength and knowing only that he could push her deeper onto him. The other hand held her bruised hip, using that hold to the benefit of the sex he was pounding as well as her pain receptors. "Tell me who is king!"
~-~-~-~-~
That was a good look that Sidra wore on her face. She had more potential than Riddick had first guessed. Things were actually starting to look up.
That was until he tried to counter Sidra's next attack. To Riddick's misfortune he had somewhat underestimated her capacity for strategic rage and ended up falling for her feint. He had realized his mistake just quick enough to soften the blow, but it didn't change the fact that her knee would meet its mark.
To Sidra's misfortune, Riddick's threshold for pain was extremely high. His hands not only padded the impact but they took hold of her leg as well. His muscles tensed with the low groan that emanated from his chest and one of his knees gave out. He kept his grip on her during the few moments it took him to recover, after which he sprung himself back up on his feet and lifted her leg up with him. In fact, he lifted it higher. He held her hanging upside down just long enough that her own momentum from losing balance would keep her body swinging even after he let her go. Which he did. And he watched her fall face flat on the floor.
Before she could gather her senses the Riddick grabbed the back of her shirt and lifted her off the ground to toss her backwards into a chair, her chest falling against its back. She was so petite that he could actually sit behind her, the poor girl squished between chair and Furyan whose arms wrapped themselves around both her and the chair. He gave a soft growl, his chest passing on his gradually calming heartbeat to her shoulder.
"Lesson number two: don't stop until your opponent is as good as dead. If you can aim one step ahead, you can aim ten steps ahead. Remember that you're small and you're weak, but you're lighter and you're faster. If you can't win with strength, you can win with speed." He paused to shake away some of her curls that were tickling his nose. Her scent was distracting--pleasant, even. "Keep flowing. Inertia, pain, anger--these are all your weapons and your allies. Just remember not to let them take control." He took one more draw of her essence and then removed himself from her. "Everything else is practice and instinct."
Riddick gave a groan as he plopped down to the floor, back resting against the bed. He picked up a nearby piece of armor and put it between his legs, the cold metal making for a semi-decent replacement for an ice pack. "Your feint sucks by the way."
gpt
Dame Vaako let out a loud panting moan as her lord, master and king began pounding hard against her sex, her body, her everything. She could feel herself bouncing roughly against him as he claimed what was hishis wife, his queen. She smiled maliciously at his display of dominance, his will to be alpha. Good. He needed to show this if he was to stand up against the Furyan, to better his chances at usurping the throne for himself. For them.
The lewd sounds of their union echoed throughout their quarters, the wet squelching sounds reverberating off the walls until they struck her ears ten fold. Dam Vaako could only gasp at the glorious sounds. It showed power and lust and something deeply primal and instinctual.
"You are my king, my lord. You..." Dame Vaako panted, her voice husky as she spoke. "And I long for you to claim me while you sit on that throne before all Necromongers..."
Sidra felt her knee make contact and then suddenly her world was turned upside down. Literally. Terrified she'd angered Riddick, she found herself beginning to panic, fearing what would come next if anything. Her mind spinning, heart racing, breaths coming fast, she was then thrown against a chair. Once more she felt Riddick's weight upon her body, his lips just barely touching her ear as he spoke to her. Trying to catch her breath, she could feel his warmth, could sense his strength. She shook her head ever so slightly to clear her mind.
As Riddick backed off, Sidra shifted herself and looked over at him curiously. Did nothing take this man down? She was beginning to wonder... Then again, she had indeed hesitated upon striking. But even still, it wasn't just her attacks she was thinking about. There were the worms back on Furya and she was certain a myriad of other things too from his past.
Just then, Sidra watched Riddick place a piece of Necro armor over his groin and she smiled a little. She might've failed overall, but at least she'd done some damage it had seemed. "Does it?" she then asked in regards to his comment. She pushed some of her hair out of her face only for it to fall back in its usual place. "Guess you still have more to teach me then." She paused a moment, just looking at him. "Is it possible for anything to hurt you, Riddick?" As she spoke, she quietly walked over to him and sat down beside him on the floor.
human
The noises of their sexes mashing together meshed with the verbal submissions of his wife. Vaako lost all sense of reality and thought which left him only with the desire to release. It wasn't long until he gave out another roar of victory, his seed bursting inside his Dame with every intent to invade her insides. It didn't matter that they could not breed, the sperm would try anyway, even if by sheer number.
The lord, on the other hand, was exhausted. He used his wife as a bed for just a little while, long enough to recover full consciousness of the world and enough to knead her walls with his still throbbing member. Once he regained hold of his composure, however, he pulled out from her with a satisfying squish of popping fluids and placed himself on a chair. An escaping groan told him he needed rest or nourishment and he looked to see how much of a mess had been left upon him.
"Dame...my wife, my queen-to-be... Come clean your filth from me." Those eyes were faded into utter death once more, his desire either completely sated or simply pushed back into the shadows of his mind. His focus was now returning to the Riddick and how to get rid of him. "I wonder what he plans to do with that girl..."
Indeed, whatever was Riddick planning? Whatever it was, it seemed to be going smoothly in his favor so far from the looks of the smirk on his face and the shine in his eyes.
He was about to respond to Sidra's comment on her combat education when she dropped an implication that she might think he was a god. That's what it sounded like, anyway, and it made Riddick tilt his head at her. "Lots of things can hurt me. The trick is to not let anything close enough to hurt." With that matter-of-factly statement he tossed away the makeshift icepack and rubbed away whatever sore spot was left.
"By the way." Riddick reached across the girl's lap to pick up the knife she dropped earlier. He handed it to her. "Keep this. Use it. Learn to trust it. There's nothing in the world more loyal than a shiv." He caught hold of a strand of curls and lightly tugged. "Not even a dog."
gpt
Dame Vaako could feel the marks forming on her flesh as her lord, master and king gripped at her body, thrusting without mercy as he claimed her the way any leader of a people would...should. She hoped they were so dark that he could be reminded of this moment later on. Reminded of how powerful he could truly be when he let go and gave into his truest desires. Ah, how she loved this side of him!
The woman bit down hard upon her lip, gritting her teeth to stifle the moan she wanted to howl out as she felt him release once more deeply inside her core. She knew she had to stay silent, let him remain in total control. It was as she wanted and needed it to be. Despite her silence, her sex throbbed and pulsed, contractions milking him as he erupted, desperately trying to draw him deeper still. But still she did not move, did not scream out her pleasures. Only her heavy, panting breaths could be heard. But those were enough.
When Lord Vaako got up, Dame Vaako slowly turned to glance at him, her eyes still reflecting nothing yet showing all the lust for power they always seemed to hold. She stalked toward him and got down on her knees once more, licking him clean like a pet would its master. "The girl, my king?" she then began, her question rhetorical. "Your thoughts turn so quickly to another." There was hidden venom laced in her words, though she was curious to hear if her husband was starting to truly see her initial point that the girl was indeed the key to the Furyan's undoing. His weakness.
Sidra looked at Riddick for a moment through her curls. As he spoke to her, she nodded and smiled. When he handed her the shiv she quirked a brow and held the knife awkwardly in her tiny hand. She looked at the bladed weapon for several long moments before looking back at Riddick who'd tugged a bit on her hair.
"How am I to use one of these?" Sidra then asked the Furyan. "I... I can barely fight with my hands and I'm to trust this weapon?"
Sidra's cheeks went bright red and she wondered how she'd ever master using such a thing. The knife itself was small which meant she'd have to get in close to render the thing useful. Throwing it would mean she'd need deadly perfect aim, not to mention a means to retrieve. So the former was the best option, but... was it possible for someone like her to learn?
Looking at Riddick with piercing eyes through a mass of curls, Sidra pushed her hair away absently revealing her face in full for a brief moment. As they fell back down, she let out a tiny breath. "Will you teach me, Riddick?" She paused a moment. "Please?"
human
"The girl, my king? Your thoughts turn so quickly to another."
Vaako administered a careless strike at his wife's cheek. His eyes then looked to her and redirected thoughts that did not show themselves on his face. He leaned forward and grabbed her chin, returning her lips to his shrinking scepter. The thoughtless comment that the Dame had spoken aloud had brought before his mind a fractional second of curious indulgence: the living girl beneath his commanding eyes as she took the Dame's current role.
He snuffed the image. Looking at the girl was enough to make him want to hurl, it made no sense to indulge in thoughts of defiling something that was already filth. "My thoughts will turn wherever they will, Dame." He laid back and stretched his neck, gaze glittering the ceiling now. "There were countless people still in the midst of being converted when the Riddick took over. He did nothing to break them free of their enlightenment. Yet he protects the stowaway. Why?"
As he pondered the question he gave thought to how the answer would be found. He laid his gaze upon his wife again. "You found out why the Lord Marshall feared Riddick..." He dragged his fingers through her hair and leaned towards her as he pulled her forth to him. His tongue crept past her lips and pulled at her own, tasting both of them in her mouth before he parted to finish his sentence. "Find out why Riddick wants to keep the girl...alive." That last word was a grunt of distaste.
~-~-~-~-~
Riddick gave a fairly satisfied grin, the dependency of the girl on his capabilities so apparent that he found it adorable. Almost as adorable as her face when the curls were moved. "You don't have to fight with your hands, but when you don't have a weapon you have to improvise." He bent out his neck and tapped two fingers against the love bite the girl had given him earlier. The mark was still there, though it was slowly fading. "Having a weapon means you have a plan. Having a weapon that you understand means you're prepared."
The Furyan dragged her by the waist onto his lap and leaned back so she could lie on top of him, her back to his chest. He wrapped his hand around hers, molding her grasp on the knife so that the weight was balanced in her fingers. "If it feels like you're not holding a knife, you're holding it right." He pressed the blade against his knee so that she could feel the pressure without hurting him. "If the weight in your hand changes or it feels like you're trying to cut through a rock, you're digging too deep and you're trying too hard. You don't have the muscle for it." Keeping her grip in check, he circled his fingers around her wrist now and swayed her arm back and forth in the air, directing the twist of her muscles and the bend of her joints. "Keep it moving. When you have a knife, don't try to hit your target. Aim, move in, cut and retreat. The less you feel the slice, the easier it is to stay in flow."
Riddick turned her around then and before she could register what he was doing he ran a slit across the side of his neck so as to demonstrate how light a blade could run through flesh. "Just like that." The cut was shallow and was slow to bleed, quick to patch. It wasn't anywhere near dangerous points of infliction either. "And another thing." He brushed the tip of the knife along the arteries of his neck. "Sweet spots." He gently dragged the blade down his front to rest the tip again on his crotch where his balls would be. "Soft spots." He then pushed the blade away and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up his lap so she was straddling his hips. His head tilted and his eyes whispered gleams of inquisitive expectations. "Learn them. Hurt them. Kill." Riddick carefully angled his head the other way, eyes looking through the curls to peer at hers. "Feeling taught yet?"
gpt
As Dame Vaako finished licking up Lord Vaako, seeing to it that he was properly cleaned as any king should be, she unblinkingly held onto his gaze. The only sound to pass over her lips was a tiny grunt as he struck her cheek, her flesh burning where his hand had made contact with her paled skin.
"It shall indeed be done, my lord. For all Necromongers. For you, my king." The corners of Dame Vaako's lips quirked up viciously. Yes, she would indeed find out why Riddick wanted the girl 'alive'. And yes, the girl would indeed be taken care of. She would see to that, even if it meant staining the hands of her husband in the end.
Riddick's hold on Sidra was firm, his movements quick and holding purpose. She glanced over her shoulder at him as he held her to him, showing her how to use the shiv she held in her hand. He made it seem so easy, so natural. And... he was warm.
Suddenly, Sidra found her body being manipulated and she was facing the Furyan, her eyes staring straight into his. Blue on silver. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment as her body straddled his. He then interrupted her thoughts by showing how easily she could cut him, if she'd chosen to seize the opportunity. How little effort it would actually take if she trusted the weapon she held, if she understood how to use it, to flow with it. She swallowed hard as he continued instructing, pulling her even closer. She could feel her cheeks getting hot as the room suddenly started to feel very warm.
"I..." Sidra stammered, her eyes still looking into Riddick's despite the curls that partially hung in her face. She bit down on her lip just then and swallowed, her mouth going dry as her mind sought for words that wouldn't come.
Finally, Sidra broke the gaze between herself and Riddick. She'd had no choice but to look both down and away from himan act of both concession and submission to the teacher. Already, she could feel the speed of her heart increasing as it pounded within her chest, her breaths quickening along with it as her skin broke out into goose bumps despite how warm she felt.
"I..." Sidra continued to search for words, but found herself distracted even after looking away from the Furyan.
Sidra felt both helpless and hopeless and it was becoming more apparent than ever just how much guidance she truly needed, guidance only this Furyan could provide. Looking back into his silvery eyes once more, she blinked several times. Her mind was muddledworms, shivs, sweet spots... his warmth. He was holding her very close and it was hard for her not to notice how he felt against her. And the warmth...
Again, Sidra looked away feeling embarrassed, wishing she could hide in the dark shadowy corners of the ship. But even there, she could be seen. This man could see even better in the dark than in the light. Hiding would make no difference; serve no purpose. So, with reddened cheeks, she looked at him with a defeated expression. "Y-yes?" she whispered softly, not knowing how else to respond.
human
Vaako heard the confirmation of his command and then pushed his wife aside. He closed up his pants and pulled his clothes flat on his way to the door. "Get busy then." He left the room, his priorities now returned to the workings of the ship. He had to check in on the militia as well and get a report of the state of war against the Furyan worms. Work... He'd rather make someone else work for him.
Riddick, on the other hand, was pleased to work for himself; especially if it meant fooling around with a girl that had no choice but to take it. Although the Furyan had to admit that for a damsel that was getting manipulated, she sure seemed comfy in her place of it all. For a brief moment, Riddick felt a soft glow of apology. "Sidra..."
He could hear the rising pulse of her blood rushing away from her heart and back; the slightest wheeze of the lungs that no one but Riddick would be able to catch; the tightening of her skin in an effort to hold back the illusion of escaping warmth. He could smell her appreciated unease. Clearly she was embarrassed. Clearly she didn't hate it. But it still made her feel awkward, as much so as she looked awkward in this position where her face and her hair hung over him.
Absentmindedly falling into the depths of his own confusions, the Furyan reached to touch her cheek. His fingers cupped her jaw and his thumb tested the warmth of her skin. She was blushing. Carried away now by the sensitivities of his own awareness he ran that thumb across her lips, curled fingers catching her pacing breath between them like a filter made to catch the secret yearnings of her unspoken cravings. Then those fingers spread, their tips falling down her chin, her throat, then stopping over her heart. Tentative, they counted the beats within each second. They measured the pressure to her chest at each beat.
A split second of intense passion snapped him out of his trance. "Good. Because I'm done for now." He stuffed what felt like a steaming pile of neglected emotions back into the closet he'd condemned them in before and at the same time picked the girl up off his lap. He sort of dropped her ass on the floor then proceeded to rise, his feet automatically taking him to one of the doors that didn't lead back to the Necropolis. When he pressed his hand against it, he stopped and stared, expression blank.
This was Kyra's room.
Riddick shook his head and turned around, hand on his temples. He groaned. His back touched the wall. His eyes closed. "I'm tired..."
gpt
Dame Vaako's eyes narrowed into slits as she watched her husband leave their stately quarters fully sated, walking taller than he had when he'd entered. It was clear he felt powerful now, strong, capable of leading more than just an army, but an entire people. But that was her planbuild up the man, gain the throne. Flawless in its simplicity.
The woman straightened out her dress, adjusting the fabric and her adornments. She then walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall and stared at her reflection. Reaching for a brush, she worked her hair until it ran smoothly through the bristles and then proceeded to twist and turn the strands until they were woven into the regal knot she wore atop her head. Looking haughty and herself once more, she smiled.
The Furyan's pet... Dame Vaako wondered just how much of a weakness that hot-blooded creature would turn out to be. It was already clear to her that she was the current key to his exploitations. But just how far would the Riddick allow himself to be pushed before he reached his limit? The Furyan had a threshold unlike anyone she'd ever seen. Just how much suffering and torment would he endure, how much would he allow the girl to take? She supposed there was only one way to find out. And it would take very careful and calculated steps. She'd have to be... flawless.
Sidra looked into Riddick's eyes, unable to look away this time no matter how hard she tried. It was like she was caught in some sort of primal trance, a ritual of sorts that couldn't be broken until it was finished. She felt his fingers trace her skin, taking in the softness and textures of her flesh along with other signs of life that made her stand out among a ship filled with half-deads. She wondered what he was thinking, sensing. She could tell it was something given how he looked at her, touched her and then...
It was broken and Sidra found herself falling onto the floor with a soft thud. Her eyes, peering through curls, watched Riddick rise from the floor as she sat there confused and unsure. Lost. She watched him walk over to a door that seemed to lead nowhere, his eyes lingering on it for a moment that made her wonder. Tilting her head, she found herself curious as to what resided behind it, if anything.
Looking down at her lap, Sidra then nodded in acknowledgment of Riddick's words. "I'll leave you to rest then," she said as she slowly stood up. "Perhaps I can learn the ship better by walking the corridors as opposed to skulking in the corners."
Sidra kept her head down as she spoke and walked toward the door. As she placed her hand on the handle, the other one still holding the shiv Riddick had given her, she glanced over her shoulder. The mass of curls fell in her face as she turned and she shook her head ever so slightly so she could see through them at the man standing on the other side of the room. Blinking a few times, she turned back toward the door and pushed at it.
human
"I'll leave you to rest then." He didn't want to rest. That was the whole point to staying busy; he was trying to keep his mind off the things that made him...less. "Perhaps I can learn the ship better by walking the corridors as opposed to skulking in the corners." And make him even more nervous? Riddick didn't plan on making any stops before the Underverse. If he ended up losing Sidra he'd lose a shitload of potential to better throw the Necromongers into chaos. He could lose Kyra.
Shit. He'd lose Sidra.
In the short span of time it would take for Sidra to open the door enough to let her toes through, Riddick crossed to the other side of the room and came up behind her, one hand holding the door in place and the other grabbing Sidra by the waist. He leaned forward so as to peek out the door at one of those converted females standing right outside. He flashed her a quick smile. "Think you can whip us up a snack? Yes? Take your time." He shut the door.
The smile was gone as soon as the darkness had fully returned and Riddick rested his head against the door he'd just closed, chin hovering above the girl's shoulder as he left her standing between them for a few moments. Then pulling in a deep breath, he took her off to the side and spun her around so she was facing him. Strong hands picked her up by the hips and lifted her off the ground to station her against the wall, the weight of his body pressed against her to keep her own out of reach of the floor. Riddick dragged his nose up along messy curls, growling softly at the scent of her as he pulled his head back just enough to stare her straight in those cool bright eyes.
They reminded him of what stars used to look like before his eyes changed.
He pushed his hips further under hers to keep her up so he could use his hands, one of them reaching up to push away the hair hanging over her face. His fingers brushing back through the strands, his palm rested on top of her head while he stared at her unscreened face with his swirls of mercury, all contemplation and passionate chaos.
He didn't want this, but he found himself seething with a need to have her. It might have been the strain of endurance on this ship or the lack of effort he'd put into guarding himself since he became king due to the fact that the Necromongers posed little to no threat to his emotions; whatever the reason, Riddick struggled with that one small piece of him that begged him to rekindle his humanity. Even the beast in him wasn't opposed to the idea.
Before his eyes could betray him any more than they might already have, he turned them away and instead pressed his face under the line of her jaw, hovering close to her throat with puffs of hot air beating on her skin. "Smells nice..." Riddick murmured under his breath and gave a subtle moan that sounded almost like a lion's purr. There were even vibrations coming off his chest. But his heart was calm, relaxed even. As he further fell into the grasps of long forgotten instincts of intimacy, he almost felt...comfortable.
But he couldn't let his guard down just yet. Even as he brushed his lips along her jaw--even as they took in the air that her lips let out--he couldn't let himself go. He was there, standing on the edge of sanity; waiting on the brink of emotion. His eyes made contact with hers again, closer than ever. Sterling silver orbs glimmered with nothing of his conflicts but for the single question he had for her: would she let him come?
gpt
Sidra's heart literally stopped and though her brain told her body to move, it just wouldn't comply no matter what she told herself to do. She was frozen in place. As if she'd transformed into some fragile statue that could easily fracture if the wrong handler came along and tried to move her. Just then, there was a whoosh of air and she found herself face to face, alone and in the dark once more, with the Furyan.
Riddick seemed more animal than human somehow in those moments as Sidra's eyes locked with his. Maybe it was the lighting or maybe it was the way he was possessively scrutinizing every detail as he studied her. Whatever it was, she began to tremble slightly, almost shivering. But this time she was hardly cold. Yes, she could feel him drinking in her scent, taking in the sight of her. And as he did, it stirred things deeply inside of her. But it also made her question... Did he actually approve or had it just been a long time? She truly wondered...
Despite Sidra's fears, her skin grew hot even though she was shaking a little. There definitely was something about this man, this Furyan, something in his way and manner. It beckoned she listen and follow no matter the cost. And as she continued to stare hard into his eyes, her pulse quickening and her body tensing ever so slightly, she knew she would. She truly had no choice and as that realization swirled through her mind, her cheeks began to burn.
Sidra was also becoming very aware of how little distance separated herself and Riddick. It was practically nothing and growing smaller. The Furyan was closing the space by the second as he leaned toward her, taking in more of her scent, gripping her closer still. Just then, she felt his lips upon her flesh causing her to let out the tiniest of gasps. Looking at him, her eyes full of raw emotion, her gasps were suddenly silenced when his lips touched her own. She continued looking into his steely eyes for several moments before her own closed out of instinct, her body almost going totally limp as he held her.
"Riddick..." Sidra whispered breathily, her hands reaching for him, seeking him out. After a few moments she opened her eyes so that she could look back into his again. So much emotion spilled from her crystal blue eyes; so much emotion she wasn't even sure if she could make sense of it all. But if he dared to look deeply enough into those eyes of hers he'd know one thing was certain: she washis.
human
The girl was like a radiating lump of flesh, soft and burning. It made him shudder to know that someone so warm was being held in his arms; those arms that lived to defend and kill. For the first time in the longest while that he could remember there was a life he wanted to breathe in. And the breath he took from her shimmering eyes was overwhelming. Riddick closed his eyes then with a resignation to his need for human sustenance--for intimacy.
He put all his weight to Sidra's as his lips took hers with the intent to set her lungs on fire. Her curls slipped through the gaps of his fingers and he pulled his palm down the side of her chest and to her hip then her thigh. He raised her knee to his side and trickled fingertips down to her ankle, guiding her leg behind his back then reaching to cup her cheek after a stroke of his touch along her ear.
Everything was instinct or impulse and resulted in the rising of the fever he was beginning to feel. In the back of his mind it surprised him how much he was enjoying the taste of her; the feel of her; the warmth of her. But the rest of his brain was hazed in a darkness so bright he had to follow the raw input of his senses to stay conscious of what was happening. That left his muscles free to do whatever pleased them, and right now that was grinding his hips into hers with a quickly growing bulge between them. At one point he pressed a very sweet spot that made him gasp around her tongue. His eyes jumped open and he stopped everything he was doing to gaze at her.
What was he doing? He was too dizzy to answer his own question but his eyes repeated the question to the blues across from them. He counted five weighted breaths before he finally gave up his thoughts to let the girl slide her feet to the floor. Soft kisses to her neck and collar tugged at her skin and his hands found ways to remove the clothing that kept them from touching her bare body.
He wanted her.
gpt
Riddick seemed to be sizing her up, gauging her reactions as he moved with fluid purpose and grace. It made Sidra tremble, her body molding to his on instinct as he manipulated her position, angling her leg behind him and pressing himself closer still. His heat was like a flame that beckoned the mothcome to meand who was she to resist him? A girl from Helion seeking the warmth, the light. The softest of whimpers passed over her lips and her body instantly responded to his heat. His movements, they summoned reactions that made her gasp as something primal awakened inside.
Sidra half expected herself to fall as her free leg began wobble, weakening as she fell further into the Furyan's trance. But somehow Riddick held her in place, kept her secure and safe. She knew he would and it made her feel strangely at ease despite tension that hung thick between them both.
Her pulse rose as she felt the Furyan's oddly soft lips claim her own once more only this time with more determination than before. A tiny groan left her as he explored her mouth, taking in her taste and she his in return. Feeling breathless, Sidra knew she was under his spell, but it didn't matter. She knew she was his somehow and this was just the beginning. He was a predator and she was showing him she understood this. Yes, she was his preyhis willing prey.
Rolling her head back a bit, Sidra let out more soft sounds as Riddick trailed searing kisses along her flesh. Neck first followed by her shoulder. When she looked back into his eyes, she hardly noticed that he'd begun removing her clothing, baring her body before him. How had he done that? Licking her lips, her body shivering, becoming aroused with each touch, her cheeks went pink. She could feel his erection pressing against her, making her body react all the more. Finally, she reached up with a hand and gently touched his face and smiled shyly, a gesture of approval. A gesture letting him know that she wanted him just as much in return.
human
Riddick almost purred to the feel of her hand on his cheek, his eyes turning away from her smile so he could savor her touch in darkness. His hand reached over hers and knotted fingers through the gaps, rubbing his cheek against her palm before pulling it away to hold it against the wall above her. Lips met with hers once more as he touched her flesh. His fingertips were like matches striking sparks against her skin and they lit flames wherever he found curves and bundles of nerves that made her squirm or squeal.
When knuckles found her most intimate place, his hips moving away to make space, he lingered there for awhile to caress the small mound with due care. When he was finally ready to go beyond the sensual appetizers, he picked her up and took her from the wall. As soon as he dropped her on the bed, his goggles and shirt came off then his face came down between her legs. Hands still partially gloved he held her thighs apart and gently nuzzled one as he slowly breathed in the smell of her sex. Even there she smelled nice--pretty--and he softly moaned at it.
His lower clothing fell to the floor and he climbed up the bed until he was holding his body up over her, hands pulling her legs around his waist before they went to support his weight; one hand in the mess of curls around her head and the other slipping under her shoulder to knead fingers into her back, thumb playing against her breast as it gave a soft glowing reflection of the fluorescent print on his chest. God, she was soft. And she was warm. And she was his. And his eyes demanded more. They whispered needs both sexual and romantic that he himself would never speak of or admit to. But his body would steal them away; just as his lungs stole her breath and his hips stole her motion.
At first it was a spreading of her warmth over his, the grinding of his hardened texture washing over her clit like tides of pleasure moving in and out. The more moisture he gathered from her lips, the less friction hindered either of their sex nerves. By the time he was slick with her, his breathing became slow heavy panting and he reached down to even out that sweet and sour butter that was hers. Without warning he entered her.
He was slow, but he was steady and he went deep. Each thrust was natural yet deliberate, every fraction of movement backed by a purpose to please and be pleased. Even though he was surely human, his body a mass of man and his pleasurings a mark of soul, the motions were intuitive--instinctive--like an animal wild with a desire to satisfy an uncontrollable hunger. The deeper he went falling down that pit of mind-blinding passion, the less control he kept hold of; he started going faster, harder. At some point, he even lost recognition of Sidra herself, the only thing left in his conscience was that burning pressure in his chest that was gradually spreading to the rest of his body like leaks of molten lava in a dead volcano rising.
"Sidra..." It was barely a growl or a groan, clear only because he was speaking directly in her ear. He could feel a bubble about to burst. Without meaning to he kept it closed. Something was holding him back. He wanted something, anything. "Are you mine..?" His lips conveyed what his ears wanted to hear before he even knew what he was saying. It didn't even matter. He just wanted to hear her say 'yes'.
gpt
Sidra's body was molten heat as Riddick touched and teased her every curvesoft flesh against hardened muscular planes. She sensed his control. That the predatory beast was barely at bay underneath the layer of man that was holding her in those moments as he explored her there against the walllearning that which washis. And it sent waves of erotic chills along her spine and coursing over her skin.
Gasps and pants rolled from Sidra's mouth. Her awareness of Riddick's hands moving over her, finding her 'sweet spots'... her 'soft spots'... exploiting them for all they were, ever apparent. Though clearly she was enjoying every blissful moment. Never had she felt such pleasures, such deep and dark desires. When his lips claimed hers again, she felt the flame inside her burning brighter, much like the beacon of Helion Prime once had, and with it a yearning. She mewled softly as her sex got wet, as her arousal grew along with a heavy need.
Sidra looked into Riddick's swirling eyes just then, her own expressing that need. She could see his own reflected back and he immediately picked her up and brought her over to the bed, gently placing her down upon it like some treasure to be cherished. She swallowed with anticipation as she watched him remove his shirt, leaning forward and dipping his head between her thighs so that he could take in the scent of her sex.His. She blushed a bit. But when she heard his moan, she felt a jolt run along her skin and a deep throb began to pulse within her clit making her whimper in need.
Riddick then slid up Sidra's body, her eyes locking onto his. The tension was so thick, she thought it could be sliced clean with the shiv he'd given her earlier, probably several times over. As she stared into his strange eyes, she could see he wanted more, that he demanded it. And like a moth the flame, she wanted to give it to him at any price. At that, her legs went wide, spreading willingly for him as he pushed them apart and wrapped them about his body. Her sex was seething now as the promise of more began to grow, as she felt him rubbing against her entrance... fully naked now, like her.
Sidra's body arched up to mold to Riddick's as he rubbed against her, her hips bucking ever so slightly. Suddenly, he pushed and thrust and within moments was stretching her with both his length and girth. She let out a tiny yelp, her hands reaching for him and clutching tightly onto his shoulders, nails digging a bit as he began to move. The primitive side... the animal side... they were taking over the Furyan and leaving the man behind for a time so it could claim its mate and sate the beast inside.
"Riddick..." Sidra panted. "Riddick..." Her body writhed beneath him as her juices flowed and dripped down her thighs, her skin on fire as passion burned throughout her entire being. Her crystal blue eyes looked into those pools of mercury as she whimpered and nodded. "Yes, Riddick... I'm yours..." She bit down on her lip to stifle a gasp, her body moving in rhythmic time as he moved faster, harder, causing her to let out tiny cries. "I'm yours... I'm yours...I'll always beyours..."
human
"Yes, Riddick... I'm yours... I'm yours... I'm yours...I'll always beyours..."
The words struck hot pouring gold and its shining white purity left itself in splashes on the walls, blotches that seeped into the pink of her insides. A final burst of thrusting to spread the paint thin came with a cry of his overflow--the walls of his dam had broken. Even when the spill reduced itself to a trickle he was pounding her, though in paced intervals of stop and go. Only when he felt himself completely emptied did he give in to exhaustion and lay his body atop hers like a pile of steaming sweat on lukewarm man.
Suddenly a knock sounded at the door and it opened way for a maid and her entourage of food carriers(though it was hardly an entourage). Riddick felt sluggish and it showed in the way he picked up his head to peek at the ladies who were looking a tad paler than they normally did. Except for the young one at the end who was looking more saturated. "I told you to take your time." The lead maid almost huffed and had the food left on the table then quietly stormed out with her lessers, the last one getting pinker as she stole a last glimpse of the Lord Marshall's butt. "Thank you." The door closed. Riddick's face fall back into the bed next to Sidra's, curls encompassing. He spoke a very muffled "Thatwas tiring."
After some mental recovery time, Riddick rolled off to the side and laid his head in his hands, eyes closed and body relaxing as it let itself cool down. "Go ahead and eat if you're hungry. For dead people they're actually not bad cooks."
gpt
Warmth. Heat. Riddick was Sidra's beacon of light as he suddenly claimed her body as his own, marking her insides with his seed as he spilled himself within her pink depths. Sidra let out a whimpering cry the moment she felt the eruption, her body keenly aware of its possessor and wanting to give all of itself to him. She hoped the Necromongers would somehow notice the difference after this coupling, but given their sterile, lack of anything, she found herself doubting. The only thing they seemed to long for was their precious Underversea sad existence indeed, if death was all one sought.
Sidra moaned, soft rasping breaths moving her lungs as her body spasm'd with pleasures. She could feel Riddick slowing until he finally rested his weight, full, upon her smaller body. Her legs were still entangled about him, wrapping themselves about his waist while her thighs remained slicked from her juices that had flowed so heavily only moments ago as their bodies had danced the dark rhythmic desires one only found behind closed doors and under silken sheets.
All of a sudden, there was a loud knock and a swift opening of the door. Sidra felt the rush of cold air brush her skin and immediately she began to shiver. She turned her head, cool eyes upon Necromonger maids as they stood their in waiting with trays of food. Instantly, her face began to burn red and she wished to hide. The idea of those paled women seeing her bared body, seeing Riddick... Most of them looked shocked, perhaps intrigued? And the newest convert... Oh Sidra really wished the room was darker.
After the Necro maids left and Sidra and Riddick were alone once again, everything fell awkwardly silent for the briefest moments. The Necros made her uneasy and she hadn't liked the way any of them looked at them so disapprovingly. She bit down on her lip and turned to look at Riddick who had rolled off her and then shifted to sit up and hug her knees to her chest for some comfort. The air seemed colder now given the interruption of those Necros, almost harsh. Sliding a bit closer to the Furyan, she then gave a nod about the food and glanced over at it as it sat there upon the table.
Sidra blinked, pushing her mass of curls away from her face only for them to fall back down once more. She slowly swiveled her legs over the side of the bed to let them dangle for a moment, the air cold as it swirled about her naked form. She pushed herself off the bed and quietly padded over to the food and took a small plate for herself. Walking back over to Riddick, she extended her hands and held the plate out for him, her head tilted as she peered at him through her curls, her skin broken out into goose bumps as the cool air caressed her skin, making it react.
"For you," Sidra said softly as she handed Riddick the plate, giving him a shy smile and hoping he'd accept it.
human
Riddick sat up and gave the plate a steady gaze before running his eyes over the girl. It was hard to say how he felt about what had just happened. It was a wonder it had happened at all. There were a million ways he could explain it, but the man was too tired to care. He was always too tired to care. Briefly, he pondered if maybe that was why so many things went wrong; Kyra was in the next room barely surviving in an adjusted state of cryosleep; Imam was dead; the pilot from the planet of darkness had been unintendedly sacrificed--even if it was the reason, there was nothing he could do. Riddick could not turn away thirty, forty years of hardened soul. He didn't want to.
Except for maybe those bright starry eyes.
Riddick took the plate and plopped a bite into his mouth but set the rest of the food aside. He pulled the sheet off the bed and snapped it behind Sidra, wrapping it around her body as he pulled it to his lap. His nose went to her hair, eyes closing to shut out whatever bit of light or color that was available. "You looked cold." He justified his somewhat considerate action and even went so far as to slip his hands over her shoulders and neck, gently but firmly massaging her muscles. Something felt nice about touching her. He felt comfortable being close to her.
Suddenly the doors burst open again. Riddick looked over the girl's shoulder to see a couple of the older commanders standing in the doorway. Their eyes were seething--a rare showcasing of their emotions. This was probably the one time they were any fun to be around.
"Lord Marshall, she may be your pet and she may have her conversion delayed or she may even be used as a breeder, but it issacrilegefor a Necromonger to indulge in the living flesh!"
The other commanders were redundant in their disapprovals until one spoke of purifying the religious dignity of their king. "She is no longer suitable for our faith, she must be purged. You must purge her to rinse yourself of her."
It was slight, but Riddick squeezed one of Sidra's shoulders. Instinct, perhaps, since he needed to protect her. For various reasons. "Purge? If you really believed in that shit you'd have 'purged' me by now." Riddick gently put the girl aside and started dressing, quite unbothered by the unnecessary audience. "You know what? I have a better idea. As your king, I'm going to instate a new law." Now decently covered, Riddick put a hand on Sidra's head and patted it softly. "Anyone who feels up to the challenge can duel out their fate."
"What in Underverse's name are you talking about?"
"I mean, they get tokeep what they kill." He walked up to the others, tilting his head with a small but very smug smirk. "Come on, commanders, you know you can't argue with that."
"And she can kill?"
"She will."
"She's a woman, and a stowaw--"
"Shewill. Now get. out."
Riddick had caught them off guard. That was a good sign. The tiny mob left the room but the Furyan decided it was a good time to leave this small vacation as well. He turned to grab the Necro armor he'd thrown off, but then decided against it and reached for the rest of his clothes and equipment instead. It suited him better. That scrap metal was too heavy to stand anyway.
"Get dressed, kid. You just got promoted to advanced combat."
gpt
Those curls hung in her face as she looked up at him, her expression one of hope and wonder and a myriad of other things. Crystalline eyes locked with swirls of mercury, wondering what was going on in Riddick's mind as he looked down upon her as she extended her hands toward him. Sidra could sense an inner conflict roiling beneath the surface, something growing underneath that he wasn't ready to share. She wished he would as she watched him take a small bit of the food she offered and then covered her naked body with a flimsy sheet, pulling her just close enough.
Sidra was about to speak, to ask Riddick where his thoughts had gone when the door flew open and the air went cold and still. She felt herself beginning to tremble partially from the sudden chill in the air and partially from the fear she felt as she looked upon the strange expressions the Necromonger men were donning. Something off, not quite right and it made her wish she'd never boarded Necropolis except for the fact that it would've meant she and the Furyan would've never been bonded.
Bonded? Was that what she was feeling...?
Her hands pushed absently at her hair as she moved closer to Riddick. Sidra was definitely frightened and the banter that had begun only made things worse. She looked up at the Furyan, his face calm, though she could feel the inner rage, the fierce protection he had over her coming to the forefront as his hands began to touch her possessively. She glanced over at the Necros and shivered, pulling at the sheet that clung tightly to her body like a second skin.
Were all these men serious?
Sidra's face paled and she felt like she was going to faint. It was beginning to sink in what was being decided. The Necros didn't think her fit any longer and now the option was kill or be killed? She blinked several times, her body feeling weak as everything began to swirl and swim about her, her vision blurring.
"Riddick?" Sidra whispered as the Necromonger men finished their spouting and finally left. She looked up at the Furyan, pushing at her hair, stumbling slightly where she stood.
Sidra nodded as her bright eyes began to prick with tears, her cheeks going whiter than before. Her tummy felt nauseous, sick.Advanced combat?She wasn't ready. Her dampened eyes darted over to the shiv he'd given her. Trust. She'd have to learn it. Her life depended on it. She just hoped she could do so in a matter of moments without any true hands on practice.
Slowly, Sidra walked over to her clothes. She let the sheet drop to the floor and began to dress herself. Her knees wobbled and shook as she slid her panties and pants back up her legs and over her curves. Once fully dressed, she thought she was going to collapse, but somehow she managed to hold on. Barely. Again, her eyes peered through her curls and found the shiv lying there in wait for her to take it within her grasp. Licking her lips, silent tears rolling down paled cheeks, she walked over to retrieve it.
The weapon felt light in her hands and she tried to recall the way Riddick had shown her how to hold itif you feel it, you're holding it wrong. Sidra looked up and into Riddick's silvery eyes, her body trembling. "What do I have to do, Riddick?" she asked him, her voice soft and so unsure.
The fear Sidra held was apparent, as was her uncertainty of what she needed to do and why. These ruthless people, these death bringers were unlike anyone she'd ever known. And just when things were starting to make sense after her world had been turned upside down... chaos had settled back into her midst once more.
Another tear rolled down Sidra's cheek. Quickly and almost ashamedly she wiped it away. "Who do I have to hope to kill if..." her voice trailed and she shivered, clutching tightly to the shiv in her hand. "Will I ever be warm again?"
human
When Sidra was finished dressing, Riddick had already gathered his weapons and he went over to firm her grasp over her knife. "That's up to you." He grabbed her shoulders then and pinned her against the wall, his face close to hers. He stared into her eyes, his gaze like bubbling mercury. "Take a breath and remember what you did earlier. Replace your fear with that rage. Hold on to it; don't you dare let it go."
The Furyan drew her blade up to his throat. "You cut wherever the flesh shows, but keep your eye on places with juice. The more blood the better." He pointed the tip into his skin, a slight cut appearing near the one he'd made earlier. "Stabbing will lose you your weapon. Stabonlywhen you're going in for the kill, and even then do so if you're sure he's done for."
He stared silently then, watching her reactions until he could confirm that her spirit had hardened. Then he wiped her streaked cheeks on his glove and pressed her knife over her heart. "As long as that keeps beating, you're alive. You don't quit until it stops. Giving up can wait for when you're dead. Now come on. We've got a crowd to please."
The Lord Marshall strode out of his room, the hallways passing by like wind. As if such imaginings could call the devil herself, Aereon came to the Riddick's side. "The ship is already whispering, Riddick..."
"They'll soon be yelling out loud, Elemental." Aereon took that with a curious smile and followed him to the throne room in silence. Once there, he took his place to sit and then ordered someone light of foot to send out the message that an event would take place. "I think you'll enjoy this." Aereon passed him a glance of intrigue then patiently waited.
gpt
Sidra's muscles were tense, her nerves raw, as she followed Riddick down the dimly lit corridor. Eyes. So many half-dead eyes were already staring at her and then there were the hushed whispers. The girl glanced from side to side, peering through thick tendrils, to glimpse at them all. Of course, she knew none could reflect anything back. It was something she'd noticed about Lord Vaako earlier in the cargo bay and once more when on Furya. It was a startling realization of this volatile, fanatic people obsessed with death and all it brought with it.
Shivering, Sidra looked down at the shiv she held in her hand and swallowed. She could see the Necro maids huddling in corners as they whispered, shaking their heads in disgust as they looked at her. But then, how ironic that their eyes lingered on the form of her protector, on the Furyan and their Lord Marshall leading the way. They spoke of heresy and blasphemy, of purging and cleansing. Yet none seemed to look at themselves. Just then, she nearly bumped into one of the Necromonger males, stopping abruptly before doing so. He looked down upon her, blocking her path and cutting her off from Riddick for a moment. Instantly, she felt her adrenaline flow as her heart thudded swift and hard beneath her breast.
The Necromonger reached out and touched one of her curls and smirked at her. Sidra just winced, her shiv coming up toward his groin. She could see a strange fire in the male's eyes, yet her reflection remained to be seen. It was a dead pool of blue staring back at her, lifeless. Nothing. But still something was burning. Was it a pull perhaps? Whatever it was, it made her uneasy. Finally, the male backed off and she quickened her pace to catch up to the one she felt bonded to. To Riddick.
Finally, Sidra realized they'd come upon the area where Riddick had killed the previous Lord Marshall, to the throne room. The area was a vast expanse of space and Necromongers from everywhere were beginning to gather around. Above, in the balcony, she noticed the one woman that made her blood turn to iceDame Vaakoand wondered if the vixen's husband was nearby. She had no doubt that he wouldn't miss this event if he could help it.
Dame Vaako watched from above, her eyes narrowed slits like that of a serpent as she watched with great interest at what was about to unfold. She'd heard word of the coupling, that the non-converted Lord Marshall dared to engage in pleasures so openly with one who wasn't one of them. It truly was monstrous, yet it showed even more just how right she was that this girl held some sort of meaning to himthat she was his weakness, the key to his undoing. As she watched the girl enter the room, she smirked. She looked so out of place it was laughable, even as she held onto that pitiful shiv. It was clear the girl had no idea what she was doing. And now, she'd die and Riddick wouldn't be able to stop it. Or... would he dare to intervene? Either way, it would weaken him. Intervene and lose support of your followers. Stand back, watch your lover die and lose your sense of self. It would be the perfect time for her husband to strike... Potentially. Then again, she'd heard it was the Furyan who'd suggested this plan. Did he have something up his sleeve? Was there more to this Sidra than he let on? As her eyes shifted, she caught sight of Aereon and let out soft sigh. Of course there was. She would just have to wait and see. And then, when the moment was right, exploit it. There was still much time before reaching Underverse.
Sidra felt her knees go weak as she was pushed toward the center of the throne room. So many paled faces, so many non-reflective eyes, all were watching her. She looked to Riddick as she tightly held the shiv, her only weapon. Licking her lips, she scanned the room knowing that she had to choose her opponent. But who? Suddenly, the choice was made for her. A younger man, approximately equal in height and build to herself, stepped forward. She could see the scars playing on his throat, the mark of conversion.
"I stand up to the challenge," the Necromonger male stated. He stripped off his armor and set it aside and picked up a weapon comparable to the shiv Sidra held in her hand. He looked over at her and nodded. "I will purge this... thing... from our Lord Marshall. I will set things right," he spat. Turning toward Riddick, he bowed. "For you, my lord." Turning toward the rest of the Necromongers, he raised his hand holding his weapons. "For Necromongers and the Necromonger way! 'Til Underverse come!"
human
Lord Vaako rushed to his wife's side with a hand on the railing that separated them from the stage below. His face showed small signs of intrigue though it was mostly drowned out by the look of distaste that he felt for not only the girl and Riddick, but the fact that their faith was being abused. Though Vaako had to admit that there had never been any rules against condemning oneself with the living. Such a circumstance had never arose before for such a thing to be addressed in the first place. "I see you're enjoying yourself, Dame." He spoke only to announce his presence, his eyes kept on the girl and now her challenger as well.
"Bad move..." Riddick murmured to himself as he noted the challenger's honorable removal of his armor and the choice of weapon. Indeed, any advantage for Sidra was a good one, but he supposed the Necromonger didn't need to know that. If he wanted to convert her or send her directly to the Underverse, let him try. The girl would survive. Even if she came out half dead, she would survive.
She had to. Too many things depended on it. He depended on it.
Most likely Aereon alone could sense the slight tension in Riddick's muscles as he laid himself back, body leaned towards one side. He seemed to be hoping for a favorable conclusion, though his hidden nerves dictated that he felt the same way she did about the probabilities. The Elemental could see that the girl had been given some tips, but it was hard to say how far that would take her. There was a good possibility that the Necromonger would fall, but would he take the girl with him? That was even likelier. Or did Riddick see something that she could not? Furyans were a curious lot. In fact, they were much like the very opposites of her own kind. If she could calculate things beyond the Furyan's understanding, perhaps the Furyan could predict things beyond an Elemental's reasonings.
With that thought in hand, Riddick flicked his hand in the air. "Whenever you're ready, kids."
gpt
The crowd let out a roar as the Necromonger readied himself for Sidra, his non-reflective eyes pools of nothingness as he waited for her to move. She bit down on her lip as she held onto her shiv, her piercing eyes peering through thick curls as she swallowed hard and thought about how she was going to approach this battle.
Speed.
Sidra had to rely on her speed, not her strength. Riddick had said as much given how tiny she was. Yes, this Necromonger was smaller than many of the other males acting as spectators, their eyes watching her in ways that made her skin crawl, but he could still overpower her quite easily.
Aim.
Licking her lips, Sidra's eyes darted over to Riddick. He seemed so far away, his shadow not even close to reaching where she stood. She looked down at her feet and let out a tiny breath. Yes. She had to have purpose when she struck or sliced. Everything needed to be done with calculated precision though she'd only have an instant to decidea brief moment to choose.
Sweet spots... soft spots...
Sidra's heart was pounding as her blood coursed through her veins, her adrenaline rushing hard. Suddenly, she looked up at the balcony again and gasped. Her eyes locked onto those of Dame Vaako's for a brief moment and she felt herself begin to tremble. She noticed her husband come up behind her and instantly she looked away. As she focused on her breathing, she looked at her shiv and adjusted it her hand, moving it about to get a better feel for it. She closed her eyes and imagined all the spots that would be the easiest to cut, to make bleed and expose.
Dame Vaako smirked as she watched the girl from above at her perch high atop in the balcony. She turned toward her husband who had approached and sighed quietly. "I enjoy watching failure, my lord. Especially when it means a rightful king and leader of a people will soon rise into power." She smiled and nodded at him, curtseying low. Still smiling wickedly, she looked up and tilted her head. "Are you ready to watch, my king?" she asked, her words soft so that only he could hear. Her words were poison laced with promise, the promise of a future where only one true victor stood tall. Slowly the woman rose. She averted her eyes for a moment before staring directly into his, meeting his gaze. "Are you ready to watch the first step toward the Riddick's timely and grandiose ruin? Are you ready to watch his pet die?" Her smile broadening, she wondered what her husband would think about either of those two things...
Sidra suddenly felt a nudge and was pushed into the center of the throne room. Not wanting to glance behind herself to see who'd pushed her, she just crouched low and held her shiv tightly. Across the way, the Necro male eyed her with half-dead windows to a seemingly soulless body. Gasping softly, she narrowed her eyes to get a better look at her opponent. Could she take him? Was it possible? She had to breathe... she had to keep her heart pumping, her mind moving, her muscles working...
Just then, the half-dead lunged toward her and only two words came to Sidra's minddodge, slice.
human
Riddick could almost see her thoughts, every signal from her body telling him that she was reviewing what he had taught her not long ago. He felt a twitch somewhere as he saw her emotions distracted by the Vaako couple above. Don't look, Sidra. This was her stage, her rules. No eyes were watching but her opponent's. There was another twitch when someone pushed her forward. He made a note to make an example of that man as soon as an opportunity arose, if it did. After all, kings were allowed their prejudices. He certainly wouldn't mind if Sidra's challenger ended up gruesomely dead, though it was hard to say how the girl would take that...
Vaako expected she wouldn't fare well with cold death on her hands. The experience of combat might just as well convert her halfway. But the commander could see through Riddick's eyes, even if they were somewhat clouded by his Necromonger perceptions. "Silence, Dame. That throne still belongs to someone else." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, fingers stroking across her neck as if itching to squeeze her windpipe closed. His eyes, though, met hers for only the briefest of moments before turning their undivided attention to the fight below. "This may be the beginning to the king's ruin...but hispet(disgusting thing)might survive." Vaako had been a warrior long enough to see the signs--the same signs that Riddick had caught earlier when they had been far more subtle. Indeed, the Furyan's ability to discern an individual's capabilities was outstanding. Even the Lord Vaako had only noticed now that the girl had been adjusted--likely Riddick's doing as well.
The challenger made his move. Vaako gripped the railing. Riddick gripped the throne arm. For a split second the entire room fell to an anxious silence.Die, Blight,the silence whispered.Live, Sidra,it screamed.
gpt
Sidra crouched even lower, her body hovering mere inches above the cold, metallic floor of Necropolis. Her hand moved upward, the one holding the shiv.Slice... such an easy concept, such a simple thing for a weapon to doto tear against flesh and rip it open to expose whatever might come into contact with the sharpened edge of death's beloved greeter.
Her ears heard the grunt, the shout as paled flesh split apart in a thin line of crimson. Sidra immediately turned her head, curls obstructing her view, but not enough that she couldn't see the aftermath of what she'd done. Yes, she'd marked the man and watched him cradle the wound on his thigh for a moment before his eyes found her form and looked upon her with seething hatred.
"You will pay for that, breeder," the Necro spat through gritted teeth.
Sidra tilted her head and looked at her shiv, the thin draw of blood running along the shiv's bladed edge. She brought the blade up to her lips and darted her tongue out for a moment, letting the tip taste the scarlet drops. It was rancid with death, a putrid essence only the end could bring, and she instantly spit it out onto the floor.
"You taste of death, Death-Bringer," Sidra suddenly found herself saying. She wasn't quite sure where the sudden burst of courage was coming from, her body trembling on the inside despite it all. Perhaps it was her earlier coupling with the Furyan or knowing he was merely there. Of course, she knew she still was out matched in strength and in several other ways, but if she was to greet death, she'd die with the 'fire' the Furyan had instilled within her. For a moment, her piercing eyes found Riddick's, even through her mass of curls, before looking back at her opponent. "You speak of purging? I think it isyouwho needs to be cleansed."
At that, Sidra licked her lips, knowing full well the taunt would spurn the Necro male and so she waited for his attackthe attack that would allow her to defend, to aim, to dodge, to slice. As predicted, the male lunged yet again, running at her with full force, his non-reflective eyes turning red with anger as he made his way toward her, weapon in hand and ready to strike her chest, her throat.
Once the Necro was close enough, Sidra parried still taking note of where the male was aiming, eyeing. Holding her shiv, she fluidly let it slice his other thigh only it was clear he expected this, his adrenaline allowing him to handle the pain this time. He turned, only Sidra anticipated the move, her shiv slicing yet again. The Necro male's eyes widened when she sliced his ribs and jumped upon his back, her shiv finally slicing across his throat.
High above in her perch, Dame Vaako's eyes went as wide as saucers. What was this... display? She had no words for it. She was disgusted at what she saw, what she witnessed. This wretched girl, this life, she was making a fool of one of their fighters. Granted, he was a weaker fighter, but nonetheless he represented the Necromongers. She turned to look at her husband, her distaste evidently clear. As she turned to look back, she saw the girl drop away from the challenger, still at the ready. She tilted her head a bit as she watched. She let out a breath as she watched him stumble. She'd thought the cut fatal, but luckily, it hadn't been, her mark had been a bit too low, too shallow. However, it had still greatly weakened the male and that alone placed him at a disadvantaged. Yes, she was most seriously displeased at the display.
human
The first strike helped Riddick find some solace in the tension. Though the tasting of the blood on her blade briefly threw his feelings in an odd direction. He'd never taught her to do theatrics. Not that he was opposed. As their eyes met for that short moment that she looked, he knew her adrenaline was pumping and both her fear and fury were bringing on the determined confidence she needed to win this fight.
"You speak of purging? I think it isyouwho needs to be cleansed."
Vaako couldn't help but scoff at the statement. Even so, the lord could not dismiss the girl's fervor. For a mere stowaway, she had the natural reflexes of a savage warrior--another influence from the Riddick, perhaps. He even slightly raised his brow when he witnessed the slice to his fellowman's throat. It almost distracted him from his wife's display of displeasure. "Settle, Dame." Whether it was the girl's fighting capabilities or her wild desire to survive, the breeder found a new pocket of feelings in Vaako beside the immense disgust for her breath and blood. He paid them little to no attention, but he did stray from the lady to head downstairs to where the action was going on. He even pushed through the crowd to get a front row seat. There was something about this fight that made him want to watch; want to jump in the moment a victor was crowned. Just as he realized this want, he looked up to see that all the others were watching with as piercing an interest and as contestable a disgust.
Something was changing. Riddick was changing it.