Chapter Twenty-One.
* Lord Marshall's POV *
I have never been fond of a soppy reunion having never experienced one myself but something blossomed inside me when the young, newly converted silver-haired Necromonger rushed forward to the female Furyan without a care for who might be watching them and embraces her as a loved one. The Furyan's happiness is short lived as I order Larissa to take and care for the child whose name was Hans – silly but he did not seem interested in changing it – whilst the female is under conversion.
I do not accompany the Furyan to the conversion chambers located in the hidden corners of the second floor, I have faith my guards will be on edge and ready for anything the girls might try and instead I travel unaccompanied by guards to the chamber in which we are keeping an Elemental named Aereon. The stone doors slide open allowing light to pour into the dark room that looked abandoned due to the discarded gold statues and pieces of old ruined buildings. The thinly clothed Aereon sat on a piece of rubble staring away from me but her body stiffens upwards.
I do not greet her, it seems childish and of no use considering I am the only person aside from meal staff that visits the elderly women. "Tell me the Furyan Riddick is dead, so I may close this campaign without so much as hearing his footsteps." I order the women, underneath my right arm resting against my ribs is my heavy metal helmet. Each one is different to the Lord Marshall beforehand, each trinket is unique.
"If he is dead, I sense I am not far from the same fate, being as I am now of no further use." the Elemental replies. She pauses mid-breath before turning to meet me gaze, she is brave as not many will look into my eyes, hers however burn in the mist of her ice blue iris is passion and determination, but for what? "Shouldn't I tell you that Riddick is still alive?" she asks.
"Don't test me Aereon." I snap firmly, "I could plough you under with the rest of Helion Prime."
She raises her pale right hand in mock surrender, "No one really knows the future." Aereon says calmly.
"Then tell me the odds, that Vaako met with success," I insist. "That I am the only who can successfully lead these people across the threshold and into the Underverse where life truly starts. Tell me what I want to hear Elemental."
She turns back to stare into the darkness, "The odds are very good –" she starts.
I interrupt. "That?"
"You will reach the Underverse," she says, I turn away as her information is worthless but as I go to exit the chamber, she mumbles something almost silent that makes my feet halt in their spot. "Very soon." she smiles like a cat.
The stone doors crumble shut swiftly as I exit into the brightness of the balcony corridor. Necromonger's peck around my feet like plain birds, glancing over the barrier to the ground floor not far below, I watch the incredibly tiny child run circles around Larissa who looks extremely uncomfortable at the child's energy. If we start his training early, he can pass Commander Vaako by the age if eighteen if we plan his future right.
As I walk confidently along the corridor, Aereon's voice rattles through my skull, you will reach the Underverse, very soon, her words trouble me more than I care to admit to even myself. I must leave this planet before he gets a chance to come aboard.
Across the clearing in front of my throne, I pass several Necromonger guards stood on their usual routine checks that everything is in order. Not many stare but of course some do and I expect nothing less, many of these guards or soldiers as they enjoy being called are newly converted, usually we do not allow much fresh faith converters to join the guard ranks so quickly but many show incredibly strength of mind and body it seems foolish to keep them waiting with no real training ahead. Being a guard is simple, follow the rules and orders because that was you have no reason to be punished.
Located on the top floor, just below the hangers is a room called the Control Room, here I and many other Necromonger leaders help decide the most logical of attack and movement plans, but today I have no reason to call upon other leaders. I have one order.
"Get my armada off the ground!" I bellow as soon as I enter.
XxX
*Riddick's POV*
I advert my eyes for a moment from the energetic child speeding along through the clearing like the reckless child he truly is making up for the years he has missed out being a child due to his illness. I keep my head low and my eyes lower as I attempt to mingle with the group of Necromonger guards in the space between the two balcony's as the Lord Marshall passes mostly unnoticed but some lift their heads to examine him.
Once he has passed, I dodge into a corridor near where Hans is playing with a metal orb and studied him like an animal. Unlike the others of his kind, the boys silver hair was ruffled with wispy curls covering his forehead, he wears instead of his tattered slam clothes, a smart long sleeved blazer that falls down to his knees. The silver pattered buttons are done up to his throat and beneath the robe he wears simple black trousers and polished shoes. His once blue eyes are now grey with the Necromonger faith.
I watched as he threw the orb up in the air dropping it almost every time it came in contact with his clumsy palms and it fell to the floor with a thump before rolling off in unknown directions. Hans rolls the orb in the palms of his small hands before throwing it up allowing the object to be airborne before falling back to meet his hand, the orb bounced unintentionally on impact before rolling off the tips of his fingers and rolling across the floor, passed me where I stood around the corner of the corridor. The child's small footsteps was followed by the calling made by a women.
Rolling the toy in my palms, the child runs around the corner to face me almost bumping into me as I underestimated the speed in which he was travelling around the corner into the corridor. The grey eyed child squints at my un-goggled eyes.
"Do you remember me?" I ask, my voice no matter how hard I try cannot be sensed of friendly, more smug but Hans doesn't seem to mind. The boy gives me a half nod and half a head shake. "Do you remember the girl that came here with you?" I ask him after a moment of silence.
He nods frantically as his eyes sparkle slightly, "You have eyes like her." he says but then pauses as his face drops, "She is giving them up for me." he mumbles.
"What do you mean?" I ask dropping to my knees to he level headed with him. I cannot hide the desperation in my voice for the young child's answer.
The blonde haired Necromonger that was babysitting Hands followed the little man's voice around the corner and stopped dead at the sight of me, I give her a glance allowing her to see my eyes knowing that she is the Necromonger responsible for dressing up Elisha like one of there own. "You are suppose to be dead Riddick." she mumbles to herself completely certain of who I am, the boy looks confused for a moment in response to the woman speaking so informally.
I grin whilst removing a curved blade from the waistband of the Necromonger suit I've borrowed considering the man wearing it before has no use for it after I was finished with him. The blonde grips Hans' shoulders gently edging him back from me.
"You dressed her like one of your own. Do you know where she is?" I ask sounding out each word. The blonde remains silent with either terror or fear of speaking out against her faith, maybe getting the blade out wasn't such a good idea but the body is not frightened, probably because of his lack of knowledge of what a blade really is used for being he has eaten out of a can for the passed eight or nine years, his age is unknown to me.
"She is becoming like her." he says quietly leaning in closer to me whilst jabbing his thin index finger to the blonde women standing behind him. Her cheeks flush pink violently, it looks incredibly strange, colour on a Necromonger.
Ah holy fucking shit, I think, "Have they started?" I ask. The women doesn't reply, I step forward pursing my lips with anger, she flinches backwards taking Hans with her but she darent scream.
The woman looks at me straight in the eyes and shrugs, "I am not sure, it depends on the Converter as they must be willing and preprepared. It all depends on the person."
"Well that means I still have time." I mumble throwing the orb back to Hans who catches it with easy and looks up at the Necromonger women with a grin of triumphant.
The women bites her lip, "There turning her privately, with her being what she is there is a bigger threat of assassination." the women says before stepping close to me, "Go passed the throne, to the far wall there is a hidden door behind a column, only a handful of people know of this door so there shouldn't be any heavy security, maybe one guard, a Purifier and a Lenser." she tells me, my eyes dart down to the boy, can I trust her? He means a lot to Hans, he must do for her to trade his life in space for hers, "I will look after him until she returns, she trusts me." the woman says whilst running her hand through his hair.
I nod, "Maybe you could watch out for me whilst I go in, just in case anyone is looking."
"You mean is Vaako realises you are still alive." she smiles, I nod. "We'd better hurry."
I cannot help but feel relatively nervous, the last time I trusted a Necromonger women it blew up dangerously in my face and ended up with me getting Elisha dragged down into my own personal shit but is it selfish of me not to regret it? If it wasn't for the Quasi-dead picking through my most recent thoughts, I probably would not have gone back for her but I am glad I did and the woman, whose name I learnt was Larissa, seems friendlier than most Necromonger's.
We stand beside the Lord Marshall's throne so we do not draw any unwanted attention. Hans plays in front of us throwing the toy happily in the air as Larissa discreetly points out the hidden entrance, once she had it was only then I truly noticed the outline of the door hidden amongst the golden carved patterns that decorated the wall.
"Apply pressure to the outer edge and the door will slide open just enough for you to get in." Larissa instructs.
I nod showing her I understand, "Any advice what I should say to the guards waiting or should I go what I do best?" I chuckle.
"Tell them that you are there to relieve one of them," she suggests, "I am certain one of them would be happy enough to leave, it is a boring spot to watch."
I nod thankfully with a silent wonder of how she knows it is a boring spot to be on guard. With confidence being knocked over by nerves, I approach the hidden doorway and push the door gently and true to Larissa's word, the hidden entrance slides open allowing me to slip in unnoticed.
The hidden door slid shut closely behind me. Ahead of me was a thin corridor which was dimly lit with a total of five lamp lights bolted to the walls, thankfully my eyes clung to the darkness like a life support. The lights kept me central of the corridor as I balance the metal suit on my shoulders. The echoes of men speaking travels down the corridor towards me as I enter into a small four-foot gap which was twice as wide as the corridor, the wall at the end of the corridor was plated with silver with a bronze door cut out of the centre. I knocked using the door knockers and waited patiently until a guard answered.
Following the shuffling of heavily booted feet, the door is opened by another Necromonger guard dressed in the same armour as I, the small section of the skin above and below his eyes revealed he is tanned with grey eyes. He studies me for a moment before opening the door wider to reveal a second Necromonger who doesn't appear bothered by my presence at the door and I do not try to look passed the Necromonger stationed in front of me.
"Rotations, you're free to go." I tell him.
The guard doesn't argues, he opens the door allowing me to enter, I slip into the room making no effort to glance around the room, instead of watching the male Necromonger leave discreetly, I listen intently to his heavy footsteps echoing further and further away, the hidden stone door slides open revealing the Necromonger completely from duty.
The room connecting to the doorway was small, the walls were craved and decorated with gold and silver patters, hanging from the middle of the ceiling above a hexagonal podium was a triangle like sort of like a coat-hanger. Elisha's wrists are bound to the edge of the structure connected by handcuffs, two thick needles were ready to impale her neck but her body was limp and her unique eyes glued to the floor.
Next to me, the Necromonger on duty did not seem at all fazed by my presence, in fact he didn't even turn his head to study me. I retook the previous guards station to the right of the door with my hand behind my back gently grazing the blade of my shiv with my thumb.
To the right of the podium, the sound of a unlocking door caught the attention of both myself and the sleeping guard as a neatly dressed Purifier steps in. He removes a strange statue looking key from a metal ring hanging from around his waist. He steps forward to knee down on one leg before slipping the key into a slot located to on the side of the podium.
Air hissed violently from a compartment beside the podium and a control panel rises up from the gap created. As the panel rises up yo waist level of the Purifier, a twice as strange creature I recognised from the streets of Helion Prime wandered into the room making strangle groaning noises. The lens on the front of his face shown a florescent blue, it turned its head to stare directly at me then it suddenly became to squawk and click like a retarded chicken.
The Purifier's eyes darted from the Lenser, to me and back to the button which would activate the convention. Before the Purifier had a chance to press the button, I swiftly removed my blade from my waistband and threw it over the Lenser so it embedded itself into the hand of Purifier who yelp with pain as the blade pinned his hand to the control board.
XxX
*Elisha's POV*
From my sleeping state, pain filled scream shocked me back to reality. The Lenser's body lay bleeding furiously on the edge of the podium beneath my feet. Looking to my right I noticed the Purifier struggling to free his hand from the blade in which had impaled his hand rendering it useless. His grey eyes filled with fiery hate as he glanced up at me, he slips his hand over the button I awkwardly swing my body right, implanted my boot quickly and heavily into the side of his face, his unconscious body is snagged on the blade holding up the top of his body from the floor.
Still hazy and heavy headed, I allowed my body to hang helplessly as I watch the two Necromonger guards in a deadly hand-to-hand combat fight, unaware of which one is trying to help me, my lips remain sealed. The tanned Necromonger grabs the other my the right arm putting the other in a strange arm lock but the Necromonger uses his free arm to punch the man hovering over him knocking him away enough for the newly freed guard to strike the opponent in the throat crushing his airways, the guard stumbles backwards into the corner allowing the smaller guard to have an advantage point, the guard grips the others chin and the back of his neck before in one swift motion he snaps the man's neck. The males body crumples to the floor resting against the wall in the corner.
Now it is just me and the unknown man.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" a familiar, deep voice asked, "I leave you for seven hours max, and you're already giving in to them. The same race that killed our entire world."
"I thought you were dead, Riddick." I mumble.
He turns sharply throwing off his helmet violently allowing his eyes to dawn upon me, "So?!" he bellows, "Look at yourself, you ready to sacrifice everything to convert to some bullshit religion. A part of some stupid community."
Fury rushes over me, "I have no interest in being a part of come fucking religion, nor a community of these idiots. I was ready to sacrifice it all to save the one thing I thought I had left."
"Hans." Riddick says.
I nod, "I killed Dame Vaako after she stabbed Hans, I then made a deal that if he could save him then I would also convert."
Riddick steps forward threateningly, his muscular body overpowered mine as he stood on the section of the podium in front of me, his eyes staring into mine as his face remained serious, "You killed Dame Vaako?" he asks, I nod slowly. Riddick raises an arm and I flinch bracing myself for a hit of some sort, but instead he grips my face with both hands and kisses me lightly, "Good girl." he coos quietly before fiddling with my handcuffs, "Lets get you out of here."
"Please, this place is creepy." I say mustering a thin chuckle, oddly Riddick joins in.
He manages to pick the locks on the metal cuffs releasing me, "Maybe we could stick around for a little while longer, I have somethings that need to be dealed with."
Oh no, want the fuck is he thinking off now, I wonder but despite my doubt, I follow him to the end of the corridor before awaiting my instructions.