Chapter ten- Rage unleashed.
The week that followed in preparation for Alaric's clan rites was one of intense training. Not that Alaric complained; he was always one to go for a challenge. As Ja'anya said, her mother was more then happy to train him with Kra'vyx as his sparring partner.
Although there was little to teach Alaric in the ways of the hunter, since he'd basically lived like that for most of his life, Alaric was able to teach them a few things in turn. His pain suppression was the most popular thing he could teach.
One day showed that Alaric had caught more interest then anyone would have thought.
Alaric was busy doing pull ups on an over hanging bar with heavy weights strapped on his legs to provide resistance. The weights did their purpose in making the ascents difficult but his endurance was starting to make them obsolete as he quickly picked up momentum a few minutes after the next weight block is added.
Ja'anya, Zel'tyr, and a few other Unblooded females were watching from the side as Alaric asked Kra'vyx to put more weights on.
"Kra'vyx, put another weight on." Alaric said, hanging by his arms a foot off the ground.
Kra'vyx shrugged his shoulders.
"Alaric, you've already got all the weights that we're allowed to use." He explained.
Alaric looked at his legs. The heavy lead weights made his legs as blocky as a robot's.
"You serious?" He asked.
"Yes. How you can pull yourself up with that much weight, I don't know."
Alaric thought for second about what to use next when a creak was heard. It came from the bar he was hanging on. Looking up he saw that the fittings were coming apart. It looked like the bar couldn't take the weight anymore. Then the apparatus slipped out of its place and Alaric went landing on his butt on the floor with the bars clattering down around him. Kra'vyx looked at Alaric on the floor and then looked up at where the bars used to be.
"That's another damned thing I've broken now." Alaric cursed, standing up and detaching the weights from his legs.
The weights went impacting the dirt ground in small clouds. He stretched his legs before picking them up and bundling them in his arms. Kra'vyx picked up the pull bar and they both walked off to put them out of the way.
That wasn't the first thing Alaric had unintentionally broken during one of his training sessions. He'd snapped combi-sticks in half from swinging them, smashing through thin wooden walls in a misjudged leap and he had accidentally ripped the zip line on the obstacle course off its line when he went down too fast before skidding on his back for a few feet.
Kra'vyx and Alaric laughed at that.
"They're each as bad as the other when it comes to breaking things." Zel'tyr said, getting up from her seat and walking over to them.
Alaric greeted her and then suggested they try his evasive parkour techniques again. Kra'vyx agreed enthusiastically. Since the fight in the hall, he had wanted to increase his speed so he wouldn't get pummeled like that again. Alaric led him to the ring and, after giving the traditional bow to each other, they dueled.
Ja'anya watched as Alaric and her brother wrestled, blocked, and evaded each others attacks with Zel'tyr watching from the side, judging the match. Ja'anya could tell that Alaric was holding back to give Kra'vyx a chance. If Alaric went at it full force, Kra'vyx would be on the ground before he even felt it. Every time that Kra'vyx managed to land a blow or dodge of Alaric's attacks, he would get encouraging praise.
"That ooman really is something." She heard a huntress say.
"He is, isn't he?" Kra'vyx's striped female friend said.
Ja'anya noticed that these huntresses had starting taking much more interest in Alaric then they had previously when he first arrived. Their inhibitions about him being a human were eroding away the more they watched him train.
The news of him taking down four hunters with his fists spread quickly throughout Lai'Kairis. There had been Yautja of various castes who came to see The Slayer train. But these huntresses seemed to be the most constant spectators.
"From the way you spoke Ly'enta, I would think you are starting to fancy him." A huntress sitting on the railing said.
"I am not!" The huntress protested.
"Then why are you blushing."
Ja'anya listened as they started acting like, what Alaric called 'high school cheerleaders'. And, like he said, they were competing for the star quarterback. Alaric admitted that he had received that treatment before during his teen years in the corps. But he didn't fancy any of the potential girlfriends. In fact, during his childhood, he was often a loner and only had a small circle of friends. He never really became personal with too many people.
'Too bad for them!' Ja'anya thought gleefully. 'Alaric's already taken.'
The dense thud of a foot impacting the ground was heard as the spectators saw Kra'vyx bending backwards with Alaric pushing. Kra'vyx then as instructed fell backwards with Alaric before rolling on top of him, pinning the Slayer of the floor. The purpose being to turn the opponent's weight against him and assume control of the struggle.
Bending like a reed in the wind.
Kra'vyx got off of Alaric and Alaric gave him a thumbs up.
"Good attempt." Alaric commended, getting up. "A bit hesitant but not bad."
Zel'tyr gave her opinion.
"A simple and effective way of surprising your foes." She added.
"I wouldn't recommend it on xenos. I tried once and it wasn't pleasant." Alaric added. "Suffice to say, it was like wrestling a constrictor."
A low rumbling was heard coming from Kra'vyx's gut.
"And it looks like the winner deserves a meal." Zel'tyr said.
Kra'vyx muttered to himself as they walked to the side lines, towards Ja'anya and the huntresses. Ja'anya walked up with towels in her hands and Alaric and Kra'vyx wiped themselves down to remove the sweat and dirt from their bodies. Alaric noticed that the huntresses were all looking at him inquisitively.
"If you lot are done staring at me, can we go get some sustenance?" Alaric asked with casual smugness.
The huntresses started walking off, a few moving with a distinctive posture.
"I think you got yourself a following of potentials." Kra'vyx said, winking
He saw Ja'anya glaring at him and he coughed nervously. It was evident that she didn't approve of what he'd hinted. And even less on account that Alaric was all hers.
'Oh great!'Alaric thought ruefully. 'Now I've got a whole pack of females eyeing me.'
The night before the clan rites was productive for Alaric as he got the last few hours of training in before, at Ja'anya's and Kra'vyx's suggestion, they all went for a night out. Alaric was shown many of things that would be part of clan life. He had taken particular interest in the artistic crafts. He had attempted to try making a circlet but it ended up looking like a headband made of razor wire. He didn't mind because he was learning as he went.
What he did excel in was sculpting. He was able to do small sculptures that any Yautja craftsman would be straining to do. He then further intrigued them when he asked for paints. After he had sculpted and cleaned what turned out to be another hoplite sculpture, he then started to paint it. When he had finished, everyone was impressed by the amount of details and the fine blending of paints.
When asked where he had learned the craft, Alaric simply told them that it was a hobby that some humans do. They would often amass whole armies of figurines and then play games with them.
After dinner, which no didn't have arrogant Yautja interrupting, they had all gone back to Ja'anya's home. Kra'vyx wanted to show Alaric the weapons he had chosen to use for his first hunt.
They were all sat by the fire when Kra'vyx pulled two bladed weapons from their holsters behind his back. Alaric immediately recognized the weapons in question.
He had seen xeno extremists with them before.
"Those are Kataras, Kra'vyx." Alaric explained. "Punching daggers that originated in India."
The Kataras in question were thick dagger-like blades positioned in front of the H-shaped horizontal hand grip with which the fighter holds in their fist. The design which Kra'vyx chose had protective armor over the hands to protect from injury, making them a cross between a weapon and a gauntlet. The blades are reinforced at the point to provide maximum penetration against armor.
"Call them what you want, these are awesome." Kra'vyx said, gripping them in his hands and feeling the weight.
Ja'anya looked at her glaive which she had mounted on her wall.
"I prefer putting distance between myself and the prey." She said. "Especially if they have spines."
"Spines." Alaric said with disgust. "Did you happen to run into a Quillbeast too on Floria VII?"
"Yes and it wasn't pleasant."
Kra'vyx lowered his kataras and looked over at the two. "Quillbeast?" He asked curiously.
"One of the most annoying pests you ever find." Alaric explained. "They look like over sized urchins and they shoot dart-like quills at anything that moves. They'll turn you into a pin cushion with zero warning."
"You sound like you've fought one." Ja'anya pointed out.
"Yeah, three of the bloody things ambushed me during the night once. By the time I killed them, I had so many quills sticking out of me I would've been mistaken for a Quillbeast walking upright. I spent the entire night trying to get them out."
He pointed to different parts of his body.
"I had them in my legs, my arms, my back, and even in my hair. But, there was one in my wrist that I couldn't get out so I decided 'Ah, sod it.' I thought it would come out by itself."
He then gave a slight chuckle.
"Anyway, months went by. And while I was cleaning out a kill, I suddenly felt an itch here." He recounted, pointing to his left shoulder. "So I scratched and, what do you know, I actually pulled the quill out of my shoulder."
Kra'vyx was wide eyed.
"You're joking." He said in disbelief.
Alaric pulled something from a pouch on his belt. It was the quill he was talking about and it was six inches long.
"I actually kept it after all this time." He said. "It was a freaky feeling to end up pulling this thing from my shoulder."
He pointed at all the tiny spiraling barbs.
"These barbs you can see, when they enter anything soft, continuously work their way into the target and the longer you leave them in, the harder they are to remove."
He handed it to Kra'vyx who looked at it with wonder. Ja'anya looked at her holographic clock. It was late and they needed to get up early for tomorrow.
"It's getting late." She pointed. "Kra'vyx, you'd better get going. You and Alaric have a busy day tomorrow."
Kra'vyx looked at the clock and started picking his things up. Alaric helped him sheath his kataras into their scabbards.
"We'll have to see you use them, soon." Alaric said. "I'm sure you'll be a great fighter."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Kra'vyx said as he opened the door. "See you tomorrow sister and Alaric, good luck."
Kra'vyx walked out the door and Alaric shut it. He tuned to Ja'anya.
"I suppose I'd better get a few winks." He said.
Ja'anya tilted her head towards the bedroom door. Alaric followed her in as he shut the lights in the living area off. He promptly removed his fatigues and tunic and slid under the covers. He laid on his side as Ja'anya stripped, keeping his gaze away from her. He returned his gaze when he noticed Ja'anya wasn't getting into bed. She just stood there, bare and watching Alaric with a waiting look in her eyes.
"Oh, come on." He said, raising his arm.
Ja'anya slid into his embrace, her back to him as Alaric wrapped his arms around her midsection. Ja'anya started purring, wrapping her arms around his while Alaric sighed.
"I wonder how you'll sleep when I'm out on the first hunt?" He asked.
Ja'anya tilted her head so she could see him.
"I'll find a way to cope, somehow." She purred as she laid her head down and shut her eyes.
Alaric shrugged his shoulders as the light went out and he laid back down.
The commotion from the spectators in the grand arena was a mixture of interest and speculation. They were all wondering how the first human would go through the clan rites of Lai'Kairis. Most of the vote was canted towards a definite victory, seeing how Alaric was a formidable fighter. Others said that he would not to be able to stand up to his opponent, who had yet to be revealed.
Alaric was in one of the prep rooms used for competitors with Ja'anya in her flowing robes. He was wrapping his bandages around his hands and forearms. Ja'anya was strapping protective padding to his shins over his fatigues. Alaric had tied his hair back as Ja'anya stood up.
"Sounds like the mob is itching for a fight." Alaric pointed out.
"They never thought they would see the day when an ooman would join the clan." Ja'anya said.
Alaric noticed something in her voice, she sounded anxious.
"You sound anxious."
"It's just that the Elders decided to have a more experienced hunter for your trial. And from what I've heard, he's very good."
Alaric held her shoulders.
"Don't worry, I handled worse before." He assured her confidently. "I think when we first met was evidence enough."
He then picked up his harness and opened a pouch. He pulled out a small glass jar, filled with slightly bright blue paint.
"Here." He said, giving her the jar and dropping his harness to the floor.
Ja'anya looked at the jar.
"What is this for?" She asked in confusion.
Alaric grinned as he glanced at his tome, lying on a stool with its pages open at a specific page. It had a layout of a human and on the human's skin, front, sides, and back were patterns for war paint.
"Draw away." He said. "I can't draw all of them on by myself."
Ja'anya looked at the picture, she looked at Alaric standing there, and she started to purr as she got the picture. She unscrewed the jar, dipped her talons in, and proceeded to draw the markings of a slayer on Alaric's chest.
She first drew her talons on his shoulders, drawing three thick, tapering lines on each of them. Then she drew her attention to his chest as she painted the next pattern.
She painted his family rune in a large size so that it covered most of his chest, the top point touching edges of his collarbones and the central line following his sternum. Each chevron was then painted on.
Pulling his hair out of the way, she then drew the next glyph on the top of his back. An archaic glyph of a bird drawn in flowing angular lines. Its head was tilted to Alaric's right and its eyes were ferocious looking.
"What does this bird mean?" She asked as she drew the wings.
"That is Grimnir's trusted falcon." Alaric explained. "Legend tells that his falcon, the Shield-hawk Aegis, acted as his eyes and ears to all that was around him, alerting him of any dangers. In a way, he acted as a guardian to Grimnir. One day, while in battle with the Mongols, a lone archer drew his bow at Grimnir's back and fired. Aegis intercepted the arrow and like the shield, at the cost of his own life, protected Grimnir. Saddened by the loss of his oldest friend, Grimnir tattooed Aegis onto his back, so that the Shield-hawk would always be watching over him."
Alaric went to dip his fingers in for some paint but Ja'anya stayed his hand, moving his hand down to his side. She then got more paint on her fingers and then tenderly started the swirling stripes on his face.
Like swirling flames leaking from his eyes
She finished painting his face and he reached around his neck. He pulled his tags off of his neck, the first time he had in over a year. He held them out to Ja'anya.
"Here, keep this safe for me." He said, handing them to her.
A rapping came from the door. It was time.
Ja'anya screwed the jar shut and put it away. Alaric handed her a rag to wipe her fingers on and she took his tags.
"This is it." Alaric said, checking his bandaged arms.
Ja'anya put her arms on his shoulders.
"Fight strong, Alaric." She said firmly. "For all our sakes."
She walked over to the door and it slid open. The veteran guard outside gestured her to leave and she did, giving Alaric one last look of support. She ran off to her designated seat. The guard walked in, gesturing Alaric to follow him. Alaric cracked his knuckles and followed the guard outside.
Alaric was led down a torch lit corridor as the guard coughed.
"I heard you are a right nice brawler, taking down those four bastards like that." The Guard said.
"Slayer, not brawler." Alaric corrected.
"Whatever you call yourself, you'll need all your skills and wits for this match."
Alaric raised an eyebrow.
"Is my opponent that good?" He asked interestedly.
"Well, I don't know who the Elders have pitted you against." The Guard explained. "But I guarantee whoever they chose will give you a run for your money." He turned his head to Alaric. "That's a relevant ooman saying isn't it?"
"That or my opponent is a real doozy."
"Doozy?"
"Very difficult."
The guard turned his head back forwards. They both arrived at a massive set of stone doors. There were carvings of hunters going through their clan rites, the center of the door depicting the first hunt against the xenomorphs. The Guard pointed to where Alaric must stand. Alaric stood in the center of the doors
"Ooman." The guard ordered. "Stay here until the Elders summon you."
Alaric nodded and crossed his arms as he waited. The Guard then walked behind Alaric and stood there at the ready.
Alaric could hear the murmuring of the crowd behind the stone doors. He did a few stretches as he waited for his cue.
'Sam.'He thought fervently. 'It won't be long now until both of you have been avenged.'
Zel'tyr sat with her son on the front row, waiting for the clan rite to begin. Kra'vyx had passed his rite with flying colors, thanks to Alaric's tips on pain suppression and using parkour evasive techniques. Zel'tyr was pleased that her son had now earned his right to hunt, but she was still going to reprimand him for the mistake of misjudging his opponent's reach.
Kra'vyx was still nursing a throbbing jaw.
Kal'deris sat with the other Elders on the north edge of the arena. There were twelve ruling Elders on Lai'Kairis, each one overseeing a specific sector of the ship. Each Elder would oversee their sectors as they wished but for major events they would convene.
This particular set of clan rites involving a human was one such event.
Kal'deris and a few of the Elders had already known that Alaric was going to pass with no complications but the other Elders had their doubts. They were the ones who hadn't seen or had refused to see the holo-footage.
Ja'anya moved to her family and sat down in the seat that was reserved for her. Kra'vyx noticed that her fingertips had a pale blue tinge.
"Sister, why are your fingers blue?" He asked curiously.
Ja'anya looked down and she saw that her fingers were stained by the paint. She didn't pay any mind to it. Kra'vyx noticed that she had Alaric's tags with him and he saw the SAS motto.
"Who Dares Wins?" He said. "Why have you got Alaric's tags?"
Ja'anya showed him the tags.
"Alaric asked me to hang on to them." She said. "The ooman phrase means those who take the big risks comes out on top."
Kra'vyx perked up.
"You mean like taking down a Kainde Amedha with just your fists?" He said.
"I think that's one way of explaining it." Ja'anya confirmed.
That was when the Elders stood up and the arena fell silent. The High Elder, a graying Yautja resplendent in his ornamented robes and staff, then spoke to the masses.
"Hunters of Lai'Kairis. We are here today to witness an… intriguing… rite of passage." He called out so that everyone could hear him. "We are here to see the passage of an ooman warrior as he moves from his old life, and in to ours."
He then pulled out something that was presented to him earlier. The preserved head of Sil'cais.
"He has already proven himself worthy of the trial by disposing of Sil'cais the scourged and proving his skill in combat against four of our fellow hunters. Now, he will fight for the right of joining our clan."
He turned to the western gate as he lowered the head.
"Let the warrior called Alaric, step forth!" He commanded in a powerful voice that reverberated throughout the hall.
The stone door grinded open as the crowd watched for the Slayer to emerge. There was silence and then Alaric came walking into view. Yautja started murmuring when they saw Alaric in his war paint. A few of Alaric's previous opponents started moving uncomfortably. Alaric paid no notice as he walked into the center of the arena, in a white sand circle. He raised his head to the Elders, who were perplexed as to why Alaric had been painted up for this.
The High Elder didn't react to this. He had seen warriors in war paint before but why Alaric had chosen this time do so was anyone's guess.
"Ooman, your time of passage has arrived." He said. "Is there anything you wish to say to the council before your opponent is brought forth?"
Alaric only had one thing to say to them. A small warning.
"Elders, you have seen me in action and seen the results, so I ask one thing of you." He said, especially at Kal'deris "If you notice any signs of change in character, more specifically my eyes changing color, stop the match."
Kal'deris was the only one to understand what he meant, having been told about Alaric's threshold. However, he thought it was just Alaric's temper in general and not Alaric's berserker Rage. The other Elders muttered to each other, trying to make out what he meant.
The High Elder then turned to the eastern gate.
"Let his opponent step forth!" He ordered in a thundering tone.
Alaric caught sight of his opponent and his eyes went wide. It was the biggest Yautja he had ever seen. It was a nine foot tall, grey, and black mottled, green eyed male with bulging muscles. He was dressed the same as Alaric with the only difference being that he was wearing a segmented kilt instead of trousers.
In a sense, this hunter was more like a mountain compared to the other Yautja in the arena. They looked like twigs in comparison
The Yautja walked up next to Alaric and looked up at the Elders.
'Bloody hell!' Alaric thought in surprise. 'They've sent out the big guns!'
"Vyl'kar the vast, you had been chosen to test this ooman." The high Elder briefed the large hunter. "I'm sure you have seen the holo-vid of his actions."
"Yes, Elder." Vyl'kar acknowledged. "I relish the thought of fighting a skilled ooman warrior."
The Elder then addressed both of them.
"Move to your lines and wait for my signal." He ordered
The Elder then turned his attention to the spectators as Alaric and Vyl'kar moved to the ends of the ring.
"The clan rite will proceed." He said. "The victor will be decided when the other has been incapacitated or surrenders through submission."
Alaric watched as his opponent took up the Yautja fighting stance, a vague sumo wrestler stance with the arms out to the side and fingers outstretched. Alaric got into his stance, crouching slightly with his right fist close to his chest and his left hand out. He slowed his breathing as he waited for the signal.
This fight was going to take all of his skill and determination.
Ja'anya watched as Alaric waited, his posture showed that he was ready and willing.
The High Elder then drew from his cloak a ceremonial dagger and then a xenomorph skull was placed in front of him on the stone podium by a guard. The High Elder raised the dagger and, after a short pause that seemed to stretch for eternity, drove the dagger into the skull hard with a bone splintering crack.
Vyl'kar gave off a loud roar and charged Alaric. Alaric sprinted towards his adversary and the fight began.
Alaric slid under while Vyl'kar went stomping over him. Alaric swung his leg round to knock the Yautja off his feet but he was too large. Vyl'kar piled a fist down to Alaric while Alaric rolled out of the way as the fist impacted the ground and flipped to his feet.
The two then exchanged blows with each other. They blocked, punched, and kicked at each other while the Elders watched in silence and the audience around them cheered them on.
Zel'tyr and Ja'anya watched in silence while Kra'vyx joined the others in their cheers.
"Go Alaric!" He cheered.
Alaric delivered one of his roundhouse kicks to the Yautja's chest but it didn't have much effect barring knocking him back a foot or two. This hunter was built like a mountain, and just as solid. And fast too when Alaric felt a jarring kick to his head. He went rolling into the dirt but recovered quickly. He charged back with a flying kick and flipping back from the Yautja's chest from impact.
Vyl'kar was impressed by Alaric's spirit and determination. It seems the Elders weren't joking about this human being a strong fighter. However, he was determined to follow the Elders' orders and win the match.
It was five minutes into the match and both combatants had showed that they were equal. It was here that one of the Elders decided to up the ante.
"Vyl'kar, stop toying with him and fight!" An Elder commanded angrily.
"I'd thought you'd never ask!" Vyl'kar answered with a smile.
Alaric then felt a jarring punch to the face before being grabbed and then thrown onto the ground. He rolled out of the way and countered with a sweeping kick. Vyl'kar dodged it and kicked Alaric in the chest, sending him sliding across the arena.
'He's so strong!' Alaric thought picking himself up and wiping blood from his mouth, 'He's been holding back all this time.'
He didn't have much time to react as Vyl'kar charged at him with alarming speed. Alaric rolled out of the way and renewed his attack. Seeing how Vyl'kar was stronger and faster then he was; Alaric had to try and out maneuver him.
Throw him off balance.
Alaric got grappled by Vyl'kar and Alaric slipped out, giving Vyl'kar a jab in the gut. Alaric got on top of Vyl'kar and wrapped his left arm around the hunter's neck. It was having some effect as Vyl'kar's chokes told. But then, Vyl'kar laughed and grabbed Alaric's arm and pulled him down, landing on his back
'Oh shit!'Alaric thought, having realized that he'd played right into Vyl'kar's hands and he was going to pay for his mistake.
Alaric felt his left arm get caught in a hold and Vyl'kar promptly pulled Alaric's forearm the wrong way. Alaric strained as he felt the pain rush into his head as he felt his forearm pop out of line and he was grabbed roughly at the neck and given a headbutt. They both reeled from that, Vyl'kar having just learned the hard way about the plate in Alaric's head.
A little revenge for that trick.
Alaric got free and put some space between him and his opponent. He saw his arm dangle, twisted and lifeless by his side. He could hear jeering coming from the crowd and even heard a few insults. Blotting out the pain in his mind, Alaric resolved himself to continue the fight, regardless of his injuries.
Ja'anya and her brother saw that he wasn't going to stop the match for anything. He was going to go down fighting.
A Slayer never surrenders.
Alaric was smashed hard into the stone wall, air bursting form his lungs with Vyl'kar talons around his throat and was lifted several feet in the air. He had taken a heavy beating at the hands of this Yautja and Ja'anya and her family could only watch. He had cuts from grabs by taloned hands on his arms and chest with bruises all over his body. Somehow, his bones were holding up through all the punishment.
"To be honest, I'm disappointed." One Elder said. "We've heard so much praise about this human and he can't even fight Vyl'kar at full strength."
Alaric felt his brain getting starved of oxygen as he struggled against this vice on his throat with only one good arm. He tried to kick with his legs but that wasn't having much effect. It was evident that he was going to be choked until he was unconscious or dead. He clenched and opened his eyes frantically as he struggled to get free.
He could feel his strength sapping away, but something else was stirring within.
"This isn't good." Kra'vyx said, pointing. "He's gonna break Alaric's neck at this rate."
Ja'anya watched as she saw Alaric's kicks getting weaker by the second. He may have had incredible endurance in a fight but now it was giving out.
Then Vyl'kar said something that Alaric and Ja'anya didn't want to hear.
"Look everyone!" The Yautja called out, mocking Alaric. "I'm restricting his blood flow so much, his eyes are going red!"
Ja'anya's heart dropped and horror filled its place. Alaric stopped struggling and looked at his reflection on a reflective wall panel. Sure enough, his eyes were slowly turning a glowing crimson.
'Oh shit!'He thought. 'Not now!'
He clenched his eyes closed as he struggled to speak while the Rage was starting to take hold of his mind, his control slowly eroding. His hair started to twitch and form into spikes.
This was one aspect of the Rage that Alaric told Ja'anya about. It was like a self defense mechanism whenever Alaric was in a life threatening situation. The Rage would allow him to survive wounds that would kill an ordinary human and, regrettably, create the urge to eliminate all potential threats.
Vyl'kar noticed that Alaric was suddenly gaining in strength as he found himself trying to keep his hands locked around Alaric's neck. It didn't scare him but it did alert him to the change that was beginning to happen.
"Run!" Alaric coughed.
Vyl'kar loosened his grip. Big mistake!
"What, ooman?" He asked, leaning his face closer to Alaric's.
Alaric then opened his eyes and Vyl'kar was in for the shock of his life. Alaric's eyes flashed opened and two glowing crimson orbs were revealed.
"Run!" Alaric roared in a flanging voice.
His hair snapped into long spikes and his muscles bulged as they increased in size. Before Vyl'kar knew what hit him, he received a kicking shove to the chest, making him lose his grip and sending him skidding backwards on the arena floor. Yautja around the arena gasped in surprise as Alaric landed deftly on his feet and stood there panting heavily as he struggled to regain control of his Rage. He looked down to his dislocated arm and with a single sharp crack, he forced it back into proper position with no sign of pain whatsoever. He held his head and bent over with strained breaths.
A few Yautja in the stands, the ones who had faced Alaric on Floria VII, started to panic and barge their way out of the stands to their fellows' confusion. They were running because they knew from firsthand experience exactly what was going to happen.
Vyl'kar got up, dusting himself off
"Ha! That's much better! Excellent!" He shouted happily, now that he was going to get a real fight. "Show me what the 'Slayer' can do! Show me your full strength!"
Vyl'kar then made the mistake of charging at Alaric. Alaric lost more control when he saw that monolith of a Yautja charging towards him.
"Damn you!" Alaric roared as the Yautja rampaged towards him. "Run!"
In this state, he had to take his foe out fast or risk hurting everyone he came in contact with. Alaric charged at blurring speed needing to finish this quickly. Alaric struck the first blow, jumping and landing his fist into Vyl'kar's head and, to everyone's shock, sent him hurling from Alaric and smacking into the adjacent stone wall. Yautja everywhere gasped as they saw this human punch one of their own and knock him back like a ragdoll.
The Elders watched as Vyl'kar was slowly recovering from his sudden flight and were surprised at Alaric's newfound strength. A few Elders jaws dropped, Kal'deris' among them.
"That I did not expect!" An Elder exclaimed in disbelief.
"He has gone past his threshold." Kal'deris said suddenly looking out to Ja'anya.
Ja'anya had frightened concern in her eyes. He brother was silent in disbelief and Zel'tyr was more curious then scared.
'So this is how he defeated Sil'cais!' Kal'deris thought. 'Very intriguing.'
Vyl'kar picked himself up and had barely enough time to roll out of the way. Alaric came storming in at high speed, roaring like a wild animal, and punched right into the stone wall, creating a long hairline fracture with a loud crack. Yautja on that side rushed over to see what happened, reacting when they saw the crack that Alaric made. And weirder to them, Alaric looked like he had not suffered any damage from punching a solid stone wall.
Alaric caught his opponent's eyes as Vyl'kar counterattacked with a flurry of fast punches and kicks. Alaric was blocking every single attack with blurring speed and precision. Vyl'kar was disturbed when he found his attacks were suddenly useless. Then Alaric decked Vyl'kar with a punch to the face, grabbed him by the leg, and then swung him into the stone wall. The Yautja nearby flinched when they saw one of their own being easily man handled and slammed into a wall.
Alaric held his spiked head, straining and walking away to the center of the ring from Vyl'kar who was heaving himself up. He then charged at Alaric but Alaric circled in a blur, moving behind Vyl'kar and delivered a pile driving kick to his side. Vyl'kar clutched his side, nursing a bruised organ or two as he saw Alaric shuffling off, holding his head and falling to his knees.
'Stop the match!' Alaric thought desperately. 'Stop the match before I totally lose it!'
Vyl'kar looked up at the Elders with shock on his face. He was losing his cool as he now saw and realized just what Alaric was.
"You didn't say anything about fighting a berserker!" He shouted at them angrily.
"He's an ooman!" One of the Elders shouted back. "Get back in there and fight him!"
"Ooman berserkers are no different to any other ooman." Another shouted. "They only go crazed in a fight."
Kal'deris looked at Alaric who was muttering in an unknown language in the manner of calming himself.
"That's more than crazed." He pointed out angrily as he was slowly beginning to understand how Alaric had defeated Sil'cais. He also saw Ja'anya pleading with him silently to stop the match. "I think we should halt the match."
This was true as Alaric had now stopped bleeding and his wounds looked like they were starting to heal, something that's not normally possible in such short time.
"No, the clan rites cannot be halted once they start." The High Elder stated. "We all know that." He looked down at Vyl'kar. "Finish the match, Vyl'kar."
Kal'deris saw Ja'anya's desperate and pleading look and solemnly shook his head.
Vyl'kar took his chance to take down Alaric while he was on the ground and it was there that everything would backfire against him horribly.
Alaric had desperately hoped that the fight would have been stopped by now but that was not to be and he lost what little control he had left. The best he could hope for was that it would be over quickly before he did too much damage.
Please stay down Yautja, he prayed as the rage took full hold of him.
Alaric dodged each of Vyl'kar's attacks with blurring speed before delivering a punch to the face and then a roundhouse kick to the chest. Vyl'kar grabbed Alaric by the arm and threw him towards the nearest wall. Alaric recovered in an instant, landing his feet on the wall and then jumping right back at Vyl'kar, landing another punch to the head. Vyl'kar hit the dirt again but got up and chased Alaric around the arena.
The Elders watched as Alaric darted around the arena with Vyl'kar trying in vain to keep up. They were all amazed at this show of speed and strength. Some Elders started saying that this match was getting more interesting.
And muchmore brutal.
Alaric ran onto the wall and surprised everyone when he ran up the wall. Reaching the top and freaking the spectators with his glowing eyes, he flipped back into the arena. Vyl'kar was momentarily hypnotized by watching Alaric arc through the air, his spiked hair trailing behind him in arcs, and he paid for his mistake when Alaric drove his foot into his face.
Vyl'kar shuffled back, holding his face as Alaric came pacing up to him, his teeth bared and snarling. Vyl'kar attacked with a flurry of strikes, strikes which had all missed Alaric. But Vyl'kar had a trick up his sleeve.
Vyl'kar managed to grab Alaric by the head and with a loud roar and stampeding speed, rammed him into the far wall. At first it looked like it just might work in subduing Alaric but it only made the Slayer more enraged. Alaric shook him off in a loud roar, grabbed Vyl'kar by the neck, and smacked him into the wall face first. Alaric then threw him into the center of the ring with Vyl'kar rolling onto his back. Alaric had grazes on his forehead from the wall and they were not bleeding in the slightest.
Vyl'kar got up coughing up blood and he saw Alaric roaring and blurring towards him. He lunged out just in time and grabbed Alaric's hands. That stopped Alaric in his tracks and they both grappled at each other. Vyl'kar had gained the upper hand for the moment as he slowly pushed Alaric back. Then Alaric snarled like an animal and pushed back. Vyl'kar found himself being pushed backwards while every one reacted to this incredible feat of strength.
It was here that Vyl'kar had lost his cool completely.
"This is impossible!" He shouted. "What the fuck are you?"
Alaric growled inhumanly and proved Vyl'kar's thoughts otherwise when he gave both of Vyl'kar's arms a quick twist. Bones could be heard fracturing, followed by his roars of agonized pain as some broken bones suddenly jutted from his arms. His arms twisted and useless, Vyl'kar was open to attack and Alaric did so with brutal efficiency. All the spectators exclaimed in surprise and horror as Alaric grabbed Vyl'kar by the neck, head butted him and then dragged him, semi-conscious by the neck at great speed to the adjacent wall. Everyone thought that Alaric was going to smash him into the wall but Alaric had something else in his Rage clouded mind. He ran up the wall and did an incredible back flip. It was like gravity had no hold over him as he trailed through the air with Vyl'kar in his grasp. Then, arcing at the center of the arena, he slammed Vyl'kar into the dirt with a loud thundering crash.
Ja'anya covered her eyes. She couldn't watch this any more. She was praying desperately to the gods and her father to stop this display of savagery. Kra'vyx flinched as he saw Vyl'kar crumpled into the ground while Zel'tyr was wide eyed the entire time.
Alaric landed and grabbed Vyl'kar by the head before, in an act that made every Yautja flinch, he delivered one final pile-driving knee to the face with a loud blood curdling roar. Vyl'kar was sent reeling back with blood, broken teeth, and tusks as he went arcing through the air. Vyl'kar rolled a few yards before stopping in a crumpled heap.
Vyl'kar didn't move an inch after that. He had been knocked cleanly out and the only movement that he did was unconscious twitching.
Alaric then stomped over, grabbed Vyl'kar roughly and heaved him up and over his head.
Alaric stood there, panting heavily and holding the limp, battered, and bloody body of Vyl'kar above him. Green blood trickled from Vyl'kar's torn flesh and down Alaric's arms before dripping into his hair. Alaric was ready to deliver the final finishing blow.
But, thankfully, that was not to be.
Alaric saw something in the stands that he did not expect and that was the terrified eyes of a child looking at him in mortal fear. It was Vyl'kar's own son and the child's mother who had come to watch his father fight. Alaric stopped snarling as he saw what were tears forming in the child's eyes. It was there that something awoke in Alaric's mind.
A memory that he never wanted to relive again. And it was not about his family. Not about his wife and son.
Alaric as a child and hiding under a tree, hearing his foster family being slaughtered.
"Sister, look." Kra'vyx said.
Ja'anya uncovered her eyes and saw that Alaric had not yet killed Vyl'kar and was just standing there, holding Vyl'kar high above him.
Alaric looked up at his unconscious opponent. He saw how Vyl'kar wasn't moving and was therefore no longer any kind of threat. Alaric very carefully placed him on the ground before slowly stepping back a few paces.
Even in his unbridled rage, he couldn't bring himself to kill a child's father. He might be a Slayer, but he was not a murderer.
He was not a murderer, and he refused to become one.
He held his head in his hands, reared back and gave out a long echoing pain filled roar before collapsing forwards into a curled heap. His hair went back to normal as it spread around him in a spiked mane and his muscles shrank to normal size.
Ja'anya hopped out of her seat and darted into the arena in the moment Alaric hit the floor. Kra'vyx half followed, half tumbled after her. Kal'deris jumped into the arena to head Ja'anya off. He was more concerned over her safety then her intentions for Alaric
"Ja'anya stay away from him!" He warned desperately.
"Let me pass!" She screamed while pushing Kal'deris out of the way.
"Oh, fuck me!" Kra'vyx blurted as he saw the damage up close.
Several Yautja medics came rushing into the arena to give emergency aid to Vyl'kar. The now leveled Yautja was starting to regain consciousness and was grunting, and groaning in pain.
Alaric on the other hand sounded like he was having some kind of panic attack. His breathing was rapid and ragged and he had his eyes and teeth clenched shut. The nightmare in his mind was taking its effect. He flipped over to his other side.
"Big bro'!" He strained, "Razeal! Leave them alone, you Yautja bastards!"
'What is he going on about?' Ja'anya thought. 'He has a brother? And who is this Razeal?'
Ja'anya knelt down and put her hands on his shoulders. Alaric opened one eye hesitantly. He saw Ja'anya and Kra'vyx over him. In his now normal but dilated eye, Ja'anya could see that he was desperate to know about Vyl'kar.
"Alaric?" She said, holding a hand on his head.
His temperature was high and he was sweating rapidly. The paint on his body was starting to trickle.
"Is he dead?" He asked. "Is he dead?"
Ja'anya looked up to the medics as they treated the badly wounded hunter with pain medication and splints. The lead medic nodded his head to her as they retracted their stretcher.
"He's alive." Ja'anya confirmed in relief.
The new took a lot of weight off of Alaric's shoulder. The medics then carefully moved Vyl'kar onto the stretcher. Alaric gingerly uncurled as Kra'vyx helped him and sat him up. Ja'anya held him close to her and this worked in calming Alaric from his sudden panic attack. Alaric's breathing was returning to normal and his eyes stopped dilating.
"By the Ancestors, you weren't kidding about having a threshold." Kra'vyx said; looking at the amount of damage inflicted on Vyl'kar.
Alaric looked at Vyl'kar as he was taken out of the arena. He looked up and he saw that Vyl'kar's son and his mother were heading out of the arena.
"I need to get out of here." He said, heaving himself up. "I need to go somewhere calm."
"We should get you home and lay you down." Ja'anya said, reassuringly.
Alaric walked out of the arena, holding his head with Ja'anya and Kra'vyx at his shoulders. Some of the medics who were in the way backed off from Alaric, fearing that he would go berserk again. Kal'deris could only watch as this now calm berserker was taken out of the arena. He looked up to Zel'tyr, who was now going to find her children.
He looked up to the other stunned and speechless Elders.
"I think we have just roused a raging storm from the calm." He said to them.