Faraway Home Chapter 2
Disclaimer: Do not own these characters, or most anything resembling comic canon. The plot is mine. Please don't sue over an overactive imagination!
AN: Violence! Blood loss, character death (maybe, and definitely), Hulk rage
And so it came to pass, the Green Scar overthrew the Red King, taking the crown for himself, and the Warbound Shadow* as a warbride. Now proclaimed the Green King, the Hulk settled into ruling Sakaar.
His own Warbound, created in the days when they fought in the Arena, were his trusted lieutenants. He used them as envoys while he created a new ruling council. In between his new, royal duties, he actively wooed his bride, hoping for a full, lifelong partner and co-ruler. This was, after all, his new home.
Caiera Oldstrong, former Shadow guard to the Red King, smiled at her husband's latest gift. It was a jeweled necklace strung with the fangs of a Devil Corker*, and a nod to Hulk's fighting prowess. As if she needed more proof of that than witnessed by her own eyes. It amused her to think he needed to prove himself, and she wondered who he was getting 'dating advice' from.
Her hand idly fingered the fang that hung directly between her collar bones as she listened to the latest rants and rambles of the old council. Hulk was out of the residence, attending to more clean up of the capital in the aftermath of the war that had ended a bare month ago.
"As you can see, Most Excellent," the priest before her wound up his speech, "The outlier tribes need missionaries to hear the Word of the Prophet. I thank you for your time." The elderly man bowed low and retreated 5 steps before turning his back on the dais and moving to the side.
"Respected Elders," Caiera began, and got no further.
A shrill scream of defiance shattered the peace of the throne room as a huge, dark, multi-limbed shadow plummeted from the ceiling.
"DIE OLDSTRONG! kik My people! Avenged!"
The shadow dropped onto Caiera, who tried to fling herself out of the way. Her center of balance was off, and she couldn't figure out why. It would have to wait, she needed to focus, now.
The shadow resolved itself into the form of Miek the Unhived Warbound, an insect like being, with 4 arms, and a large, chitinous shell. He bore 2 swords, one each in a single hand as he dropped, clicking in anger. Caiera managed to leave the throne, and drop off the dais' short rise to get some distance between herself and the bug. Miek spun off the stone seat, and advanced on Caiera's retreating form. To their shame, Hulk and Caiera had not mounted guards in the throne room, and there were no weapons nearby, having been forbidden in their presence.
Miek advanced, swords weaving back and forth as he menaced the gray colored woman. She thought fast, trying to come up with a way to stop him. None of the Elders or priests would be of use, their fighting days long since past.
"Miek? What is going on?" Caiera asked, confused, hoping to stall or distract the insect man.
"Two Hand must suffer, as Miek. Kik Miek alone, no Queen kik So Two Hand must also be alone! He will return to war, as is proper! Kik kik" the insect rasped out, mandibles clacking angrily. His eyes were wild, but focused. Miek dropped the slow stalk and sprang at Caiera, swinging one sword in for a fierce, diagonal slice across her torso.
She raised an arm to call up her Old Power, but it didn't respond. She did not have time to wonder about it, as she slowly collapsed to the floor.
Miek slashed Caiera across the torso, cutting a deep line from right shoulder to left hip. Gray tinted, blue blood gushed as she fell back. Finally the Old Power reacted, and Miek was surrounded by a metal cage that formed from the ground beneath the bug's feet.
The cleric rushed forward and knelt at Caiera's side, attempting to stop the flow of blood with his vestments. "My Queen, you must take the stone!" he cried.
"Holku...must wait for..." she gasped out, sinking back to lay flat on the ground.
"My Lady, there is no time. We will inform His Grace immediately. Please, you must do this!" the cleric insisted.
With a fading sigh, Caiera let the power emerge and her gray skin took on a darker, harder cast. The Old Power cascaded over and within her, turning her to stone. The blood slowed to a trickle as the stone skin hardened, the slash appearing as an ugly ripple separating her clothes. Her last conscious thought before slipping into sleep was 'He will be angry that my necklace didn't survive'.
Miek laughed gleefully, thinking he had succeeded in bringing about the next apocalypse that would light Sakaar up in glorious battle. He would have the Worldbreaker, or he'd die trying. He was happy to have listened to No-Name and Elloe, apparently as blood thirsty and restless as he. He was unconcerned at his predicament, and relaxed, going so far as to drop the swords he still held.
The cleric kneeling beside Caiera began to pray. Another elder shook himself out of his shock and ran for the door to summon aid. A runner took off for the capital, attempting to find the Hulk.
An hour later, Miek was jolted awake by the sound of raised voices.
"Hulk, he must be questioned! There must be some reason..." that voice was Hiroim, the Shamed. He was Hulk's right hand.
"There will be bug guts all over that room, Hiroim!" Hulk growled.
Miek grinned. He'd succeeded! Hulk would take the warpath again! He stood up, eagerly awaiting the sight he craved.
Hulk stormed the throne room, the doors bouncing off the walls and one half dropping to the floor with a resounding crash. Hiroim, Korg, and Elloe followed behind, trying to reason with him.
"Go carefully, Green One, this mess doesn't ring true," Korg rumbled soothingly.
"Miek happy for chemming. Sadness and anger. Kik Much anger in the chemming. Is excellent," Miek called to them, mandibles and beak held open in a facsimile of a smile.
"Bug! What did you do?" Hulk demanded, setting a hand on the cage holding the insect.
Miek thought he'd be freed and proudly proclaimed, "Miek did. kik kik Hulk return to the warpath. Not peace. Never peace. Not made for peace. Kik kik My Queen dead, your Queen dead. Now, war."
"No bug. You made a mistake. Now." Hulk's hand fisted, and pushed the cage into itself. The stone and metal creaked ominously. "Who else is involved?" His rage was not yet all encompassing. It waited, impatiently, for the right spark to fan into a blaze that could well destroy everything he'd built so far.
An air of anticipation settled on the group of warriors and remaining Elders as they waited to see if Miek had acted alone. No-Name had finally slithered in, and was listening intently to Miek, waiting to see what the bug would do.
"Miek's alliance kik kik with Elloe and No..." he didn't finish. No-Name flew the length of the room to impale Miek twice – throat and chest – killing him instantly. Hulk roared and made a grab for the Brood beast*, snagging it by the tail. He whipped No-Name like a rag doll, bouncing the chelatinous flying snake off the tiled floor. He then spun it in a tight circle to slam it into a nearby pillar. The Brood was already dead when it impacted the pillar. The serpentine body slid to the floor with a sick crunch.
While he dealt with that, Hiroim took hold of Elloe by the shoulders and told her quietly, "Confess, and I will end it before he does." She nodded, and told him everything. Hiroim listened, blessed her in the way of his people, and snapped her neck. When he released her head, she gave a slight sigh and crumpled to the ground.
Hulk went to the stone shape of Caiera and knelt beside her.
The Elder moved away, murmuring, "Be at peace, the Prophet is here."
Hulk looked to Hiroim, sadness dimming the rage, but unable to douse the flames completely. Hiroim stepped over the cooling body of Elloe and approached his King warily.
"Hulk? She's not dead. The stone form of the Shadow Oldstrong protects us. Lets us heal in safety. She'll be fine," he tried to reassure the green giant.
Hulk turned back to Caiera, reaching out with his hand to caress the granite plane of her cheek with 2 extended fingers.
"Move her to our chambers. She does not need to remain here for everyone to stare," he grumbled, clenching his hand into a fist as he stood up. "Warbound, we're going on a bug hunt," he snarled, striding from the throne room without a backward glance.
Hiroim quickly bent down to Caiera, and touched her. Using his minor Old Power, he scanned the Queen and immediately sat back on his heels, shocked.
He lost precious minutes before he could gather his wits. Ultimately, he had to rush to catch up to his King and fellow warriors.
AN: Warbound Shadow – according to the comics in the Planet Hulk line, Caiera was bound, as in promised, and I think, something involving her powers, to the Red King. She was his personal guard, and apparently dealt with many tasks relating to his security. By the time we meet her in the comic, she's sent after the Hulk and his own Warbound.
Devil Corker – resembling something of a cross between a lava beast, and a squid. Very nasty creature. Hulk defeated one (or more) in his time fighting against the Red King.
Brood/No-Name – a species that has crossed the Marvel-verse in comic form at some earlier point in time. No-Name had no sex, no name, and thus, is referred to as 'it'.