Planet of Tygeria: Falox Saga - Chapter 6 of 21
By Scrooge
Everyone was done eating as they slid their trays under the cells for pickup. One of the guards leaned down to pick his Riddick's & Valor's tray and when he stood he saw Riddick extremely close to the bars with his goggles off staring at him deeply with his cold blue eyes. Strongly intimidating the guard. The guard made a fearful jump at the shock and yelled, "Get back prisoner!"
Riddick only smirked, raising his hands in petty defense as he slowly backed away from the bars, never taking his eyes off of him, steadily taunting him. Valor snickered as she watched him back himself to seat himself on the cot and placed his goggles back on his face.
"Congratulations, Riddick. You scared a guard." said Johns as he gave a little laugh himself.
"Pay more attention to what just happened, Johns." Riddick replied. "All of these guards are nothing but punks." He paused. "Easy kills for all of us."
Then Officer Tienbooks came in with a chair in hand. Johns spoke first. "It's about damn time. Now what's going on."
Tienbooks sat in chair between both cells and leaned forward with his elbows to his knees. "Lord Falox learned something about you two." referring to Riddick and Valor. "What it is? I don't know. When the warlords touched her head, it copied her entire brain. Memory, thoughts, knowledge. Everything." He paused. "Then he gave that memory to Lord Falox."
"So what makes you think you he knows something about me?" asked Riddick.
"His smile. The same smile before he killed our king. The same smile before he brought down villages. And the same smile he uses to run this planet."
"Wait, wait. Copy a memory? How is that possible?" Johns asked.
"They're warlords, Johns." He looked at Valor. "Did you see his hands?" She nodded. "Those guys aren't even considered human. Damn it, even I don't know what those guys are capable of."
Johns made a hard swallow. "And the games?"
Tienbooks took a long sigh. "Lord Falox has a prisoner. His name is Garrax. He was like you, Riddick. Said to be the deadliest con of all the galaxies until he landed on this planet. He created a war between the villages and the palace, when the villages was overruled, Garrax, was captured and those same warlords used their magic to turn him into a monster, forcing him to do Lord Falox's bidding at request."
"What are we talking? 10, 20 feet?" Riddick asked.
He looked at Riddick. "Just a little over seven."
Johns looked at Riddick with a smile as they both said simultaneously. "Cake." Followed by a short laugh.
"Do you actually think it'll be that easy?" He got their attention again. "This thing has now become, bigger, stronger, and especially faster." All was quiet between the prisoners. "I have seen this man fight. His right arm was turned into steel causing his punches to be deadly on contact."
"You've never seen me fight." Valor said in the background.
"You're right, I haven't. And I really hope you guys are as strong and fast you proclaim to be because tomorrow night, all three of you will face Garrax."
"Whoa, whoa. Three?" Johns quickly asked.
He looked at Johns. "I'm sorry, Johns. But Lord Falox doesn't spare anyone. You three came here together , you three can die here together."
"You're not afraid, are you?" Riddick asked.
Johns looked at Riddick. "Not at all. Just wasn't expecting to get my hands dirty, that's all."
Tienbooks interrupted. "The fact is this. Garrax should not be taken lightly. If you guys, feel you can make a quick kill, make it. You will be supplied one weapon of your choice. I suggest the swords. The guns can't penetrate his arm."
Riddick spoke. "You sure have been giving us a lot of advice lately. Is there something about you that you want to tell us?"
Tienbooks stared at Riddick for a short moment. Wanting to speak, but daring himself not too. If Riddick only knew, is what he thought in his head. But instead he said, "I think you guys need to get as much rest as possible." Tienbooks stood and picked up his chair with him and began to leave.
"Tienbooks, wait." Johns called out.
But Tienbooks ignored as he continued to exit. A frustrated Johns slammed a fist against the bars with a loud "Damn it" to fill the prison room area as he began pacing around his cell.
"Calm down, Johns." Riddick said teasingly. "It won't be that bad." Valor's snicker was heard lightly in the back.
"Don't fuckin, start with me Riddick." He calmed his pacing. "I'm starting to think that Falox wasn't even planning on being good his side of the deal."
"You're just realizing that?" Riddick said with a smile. "Hell, I could've told you that. But be honest. If this man was so kind to give you what you needed. Would you have really come back here with his money, knowing you could get killed and he takes the full 100?"
"I was hoping he was as stupid as you are."
Riddick laugh at Johns comment, not letting it get the best of him. Then a voice was heard. "So you guys gonna fight Garrax?"
The three came close to their bars. Johns called out. "Who said that?"
The voice spoke again. "Me. I'm over here."
They looked to the direction of the voice. It was another prisoner in a cell who just now made his presence known. "Who are you, kid?" asked Johns.
"The name's Jeffery. God, it must've been three weeks since I last seen another face behind these bars."
Valor asked. "How long have you been here?"
"Oh, wow. Honestly, I lost count after 582 days, but I'm going to guess at three years." The prisoner was a high-strung character. Maybe it was because the excitement of seeing someone new in the dungeon.
"How did you get here?" Johns asked.
The prisoner gave a laugh. "You wouldn't believe it. I just stopped to ask for directions. Next thing you know, they locked me up, calling me a trespasser." He gave another laugh. "And what's your story?"
Valor spoke. "Almost the same. Except we just wanted fuel."
Then Johns spoke in his sarcastic voice. "And one of us killed a training officer."
"There you go starting shit again." Valor yelled. "Maybe I should called the guards over and ask him to lock us up together and see if you'll be running your mouth then."
Johns teasingly said. "Maybe not, but I do hope my smile will be as big as Riddick's."
"Oh don't worry Johns, I do plan on fucking you." She said in an evil tone, obviously not using the word "fucking" in the manner as most men would hope.
Johns knew this, but continued to tease. "Oh my, really? Hmmm, where is a guard when you need one."
"Shut the fuck up, now, Johns!" Riddick yelled out with his arm outside of the bars with his finger pointing a Johns.
"Shh, shh, shh. Listen, listen." Jeffery said in somewhat of a deranged state. But his reaction did quiet the fight. "You hear that?"
The three listened closely but couldn't hear what the man was speaking of. Jeffery then whispered. "They're watching us."
"Who?" Valor asked.
"Shhh," The man said quickly. " whisper. Lord Falox is watching us now."
The three looked at each other confused, unsure to believe if Jeffery was telling the truth or was behind the dungeon walls too long. He continued to whisper. "Listen, if you want to beat Garrax, I have a little advice for you."
Johns gave a slight whisper. "What?"
"Put it out of your head. You can't beat him. Every time a new prisoner comes in to prepare for Garrax, they never come back to their cells."
"So how do we survive?"
"Run." He replied. "Find a way out of that arena, run, and don't look back."
Valor rolled her eyes. "This guy's gone nuts." As she went to lay on the cot.
Riddick continued to watch Jeffery as he began the disappear into the darkness of his cell, still mumbling to himself. "Yes, he's obviously gone crazy." He thought to himself. "But did he really hear something? Is Falox really watching us? How strong is Garrax really?"