Watch as they cower and tremble, for they are in the presence of true greatness! Honor and pride means nothing when faced with the raw power of her majesty; the deathly wake left by her footsteps for she is malice incarnate, the spearhead that is the ever-present aspect of destruction, the all-consuming darkness, the glorious essence of ruination! Your lives are forfeit for she is Morrigan, the dreaded apostle of Apollyon!
“Would you stop!” Morrigan ground her teeth as shouted at the deity in her head only for Apollyon to giggle manically.
What, can you blame me? I know you can sense their fear just as well as I can. They should be kissing the floor you walk on and begging for their meager lives! Apollyon countered in abstract amusement, reveling in its own dramatics.
“I’m not condemning an entire clan because of poor leadership, Apollyon. Azuhcu’ach is the one to pay for his own actions, not the Marmuro’k,” Morrigan responded sharply as she watched a nervous path form around her and her Marmuro’k retinue as Xol boldly escorted her deeper into the massive Marmuro’k ship.
It was curious to her that Xol seemed to know exactly where to go as members of both clan Tau and Dji’fahd respectfully moved out of his way with bows of the head and side cast glances. Listen, I''ve spent weeks dealing with sappy feelings and an appalling lack of violence, if I don''t get my back pay of bloodshed I''m going to go crazy in here!
Morrigan snorted as she looked at the movement to her right to find Yekku defensively prostrating beside her with his very own Fang of Morrigan wrapped tightly in his hand, holding the oddly lengthened scythe closely eyeing every single Marmuro’k they passed and letting out a low warning hiss who managed to be too close for his comfort. It was odd for her to see his combative nature, the usual silly and quirky spastic behavior completely overwritten with a sense of duty and impending violence.
Morrigan was more surprised that of everyone she knew, Yekku was the most adamant about coming with, refusing her order to remain aboard the Archangel and insistently going with armed to the teeth. Something else Yekku carried in his other hand was an elongated pistol that appeared to be designed solely for the hand of a S’randin and looked akin to a miniature rail gun. Given Yekku’s nature, Morrigan wouldn''t have been surprised if it really were a mini rail gun, but it wasn''t like she had an option to ask him.
All in all though, Morrigan found his desire to protect her from an entire ship of potential Marmuro’k enemies adorable despite knowing she was quite capable of defeating anything they could throw at her.
To her left was Hi’tet, the blue-green Kêzi’kan that rarely spoke a word to anyone, even her. Hi’tet trudged alongside her with a determined look on his reptilian face that spoke of his own frayed nerves as he ignored every living being they passed with his hands firmly gripping the plasma rifle he had acquired from Tik’Taq’To. Hi’tet was as loyal as Xol, but gave her the reprieve of veneration his superior often displayed. After the years of knowing Hi’tet of Clan Clarke, Morrigan still couldn’t decide whether or not she preferred the silence between the two of them. Hi’tet was as much a mystery as he was the day she had first seen the Marmuro’k within the cavernous depths of Castile V. In the end though, it didn’t matter to her that he was silent; he proved his loyalty through his actions, always to follow her orders without question and autonomously acting in a way that always benefited her or their small clan.
Skoll however, padded away behind her without a care in the world as he sniffed every scent he could find behind her. To Morrigan, her faithful canine seemed to be the only one capable of sensing that no one they came across wished her any harm, giving him free reign to be as happy as can be while a contrastingly nervous Mo’Emori rode on his back. Aside from feeling the beautiful Eskarii’s nervousness and conditioned distrust of the Marmuro’k, her discomfort was quite obvious by the way her long pointed ears pulled as close to her head as possible, similar to how a dog or cat would flatten their ears when threatened except the look was equally adorable on her as it was on an animal.
That made Morrigan smile as they continued through the labyrinthine beige and white corridors of the Marmuro’k ship. If Morrigan had to guess, the color scheme was meant to confuse invaders seeing as she could no longer guess where they were within the ship.
Skoll bumped his nose into her side causing her focus to snap back to reality. “What''s up sweetie?” she asked kindly as her hands brushed along his snout only for him to put his cold wet nose against her cheek making her laugh.
“Are you okay, Mori?” Mo’Emori asked, her tone both sweet and concerned as she traded her focus on Morrigan with quick glances at the dozens of Marmuro’k they passed. She could see how uncomfortable Mo’Emori was and despite knowing the cultural and historical bias between both races, Morrigan couldn''t help but feel mildly disappointed that even with knowing and adoring Yekku and the others, Mo’Emori struggled to let go of past prejudices.
Pursing her lips, Morrigan fell back just enough to walk along side Skoll which caused Mo’Emori''s anxiety spike as she frantically checked their surroundings with a hand on one of her swords. She placed a hand on Mo’Emori’s leg with an exasperated huff only for her hand to become trapped within Mo’Emori’s own instinctive grasp.
“Everything is fine, Mo’Emori. You need to try and relax,” Morrigan stated as she looked up to the wide, bright yellow eyes of the young Eskarii woman.
“But…” she started with a worried tone only for Morrigan to cut her off.
She gestured to those around her with a shake of her head before saying, “No one here is going to hurt us. There is no hostile intent among either clan here, if anything, they’re just as worried as you are… they don’t want to be here any more than we do.”
“How do you know? They could be plotting to lure you in and hunting you down like a lone houalo…” Mo’Emori whined in a desperate plea for Morrigan to see that her worries were reasonable.
Morrigan shook her head though, “Marmuro’k respect honor and status. It’s why half of Clan Tau ended up here and all of Clan Dji’fahd; Their chieftains made the decision to run and they followed out of both respect and honor of their chieftains… Clan Tau is apparently a very rare occurrence when a decision between respecting honor and respecting one’s chieftain comes into question, which is why half of Clan Tau stayed on Tik’Taq’To. What Azuhcu’ach did is considered extremely dishonorable as well as the rest of the Fire clans.”
“But… what if the chieftains order an attack on you? Won''t they obey?” the young Eskarii asked with worry.
Oh, I wish they would… Apollyon interjected.
Morrigan squeezed her hand reassuringly as she rubbed her thumb over the finger she could reach, “No. According to Xol, an honor battle over chiefdom is a sacred thing and no Marmuro’k would dare intervene. Which also means nor you or Skoll may intervene as well… Skoll, you understand that you can''t come to my aid, right?” she inquired as she looked towards the subtly twisting ear of her beloved canine.
Suddenly, Morrigan felt a long, soft tendril wrap itself around her shoulders before Skoll belched and licked the roof of his mouth in blatant disinterest. She could feel the accepting calm radiating strongly from the massive canine as he turned his head to eye her while he sniffed the air.
“We are here,” Xol rumbled as he stopped the group and planting his giant warhammer onto the stone floor. Morrigan quickly looked around at the sudden stop to find any indication of their destination realizing her periphery had been a blur of beige-tan stone walls, ceiling and floor with white marble-like accents. What she did notice was a contingent of armed guards standing on the other side of a recessed section of the wall opposite of Xol’s threatening form before she wriggled out of Mo’Emori’s grasp and shuffled forward.
To their left was a massive blackened metal door that had been built into the wall as one of the guards stepped forward. “Chieftain Clarke of Clan Clarke,” the leading Kêzi’kan guard stated with a respectful view of his head before holding his weapon to the side, his spear pointing towards the massive set of doors. “Your challenger stands waiting. Fight with honor and lead Clan Tau out of the light of disgrace.”
Morrigan bowed respectfully with a warm smile, “I shall, and you shall not suffer the burden of a dishonorable chieftain any longer,” she stated clearly for all nearby to hear. Before she could saying or do anything else, all of the surrounding Marmuro’k beat their weapons against energy shields or those who carried longer weapons beat the ends upon the ground causing a rhythmic cadence fitting for her announcement.
Morrigan couldn''t help but feel proud of the level of respect she has earned amongst the Marmuro’k. With a satisfied smile, she turned and stepped towards the massive doors. As they appeared, the massive metal doors were heavy however, Morrigan fueled her energy into her muscles and the grinding groan the doors made resonated throughout the corridors and echoed into the large space before her drowning out the rhythmic war call behind her.
Greeting her was a small-scale arena similar to the coliseum on Tik’Taq’To, three rows of stands surrounding the ovular pit packed with silent Marmuro’k spectators. However, the moment she cleared the entrance, the arena erupted in cheers of her arrival.
Across the arena stood two Marmuro’k, a massive purple hued Timse’h that took up a large portion of the entryway. Excel-Gaui-Dji’Fahd stood as straight as his slightly hunched anatomy allowed before dipping his head respectfully and planting a massive axe into the thin layer of dirt that made up the floor, standing as a warden of the door.
A loud thump behind her drew her attention to find Xol guarding the open door behind her as those who stood outside the arena continued beating their weapons against the ground.
“Silence!” Roared the familiar voice of Azuhcu’ach as he angrily commanded the crowd of Marmuro’k, ushering silence before turning his hateful gaze towards her.
Despite the crowd’s obvious stance on who they desired to win, there was still honorable obedience that brought silence to the arena as the blue and white Kêzi’kan across from her pointed his weapon towards her. The thick, heavy spear he held appeared to be made of the common white stone and intricately inlaid with brass or gold as his reptilian lips peeled back to reveal a row of long, sharp teeth common amongst the Kêzi’kan.
“So, you have chosen death,” he announced as if certain he would be victorious.
Morrigan couldn’t help but bare her fangs in a grin. In any other instance she would hate the position she was in; she never had a desire to fight against the Marmuro’k. Even after being forced to fight in the Trial of Fire, she abhorred what she had to do and end the lives of four Marmuro’k who lost their lives in a plot designed by the one before her. It was Azuhcu’ach that caused needless deaths, more lives than what she could ever desire against a species she used to once dream of in wonderment, and grew to love through the company of the Marmuro’k that had followed her through hell and beyond.
Azuhcu’ach though, he was one death she would thoroughly enjoy. As she unloaded the shotgun shells from her gunblade and placed them into a pouch on her belt recalled something Lakai had said to her, “The fires of hate will burn no longer, Azuhcu’ach. I am Red Death, the Veil of Darkness, and Darkness always lives.” Morrigan drew her blade down to her side readying herself to parry the spear as she walked a respectable distance closer to the seething Kêzi’kan.
As soon as she stood just out of the spears reach, the golden gauntlet on Azuhcu’ach’s right arm clicked and shifted open revealing that it was not a gauntlet, but a fully functional prosthetic before it emitted a large pulsing energy shield similar to the one Xol wore.
Morrigan swore to herself as Azuhcu’ach lunged only to feint and caused her to attempt to parry the stab that never came. Instead, he spun and his thick tail slammed into her chest and sent her tumbling across the arena.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
A chorus of rancor came from the crowd as Morrigan cough against the thin layer of dirt on the ground. “Damn, I guess there''s a reason he''s a chieftain,” she thought to herself as she slowly stood, realizing that she had been far too cocky and let her guard down against someone who had been Xol’s superior.
That was pathetic, Apollyon mocked as she eyed Azuhcu’ach’s defensive stance.
“Well shit,” she commented noticing she no longer had her gunblade as she spied it laying just behind Azuhcu’ach who had been grinning victoriously towards her, lifting the head of his spear slightly.
Just rip him in half and be done with it, girl! Apollyon complained knowing full well that Morrigan could simply overpower the Kêzi’kan and easily defeat him.
However, Morrigan shook her head to herself, “You know this is an honor battle. By now you know how the Marmuro’k operate. I just have to…” Interrupting herself, Morrigan sprinted at a speed that managed to catch Azuhcu’ach by surprise, forcing him to awkwardly thrust the spear towards her chest except where she would have been was nothing but empty air as Morrigan slid underneath the attack.
She slid past his defenses far enough to make a grab for her weapon, twisting her body to rise to her knees and make an upward swing towards his back only for Azuhcu’ach to reach and block the strike with his shield.
Azuhcu’ach rounded on her as she backed away onto her feet holding her blade out. Activating a button on the spear, two thin blades sprung out from the shaft to form a cross guard at the base of the spear head that shrouded the spear head in cascading energy. He watched her raise an eyebrow before he lunged to take a downward stab from behind his shield.
Morrigan jumped back in time for the tip of the spear to hit the dirt and release a small concussive blast that sprayed miniscule pieces of dirt and dust into the air.
“Oh great, of course he has a power weapon…” she managed to think to herself before Azuhcu’ach pressured her with repeated jabs from his weapon. The fanged grin on his face was smug as he forced Morrigan to remain on the defensive knowing full well that she knew the devastating effects of his weapon if it were to strike her.
Grunting as she dodged, Morrigan did everything she could so that she wasn’t pushed back into the outer wall of the arena yet Azuhcu’ach refused to relent, constantly thrusting his weapon and forcing her to dodge and back away from him. She knew his idea was to pin her and leave her with very few options to escape a fatal wound. It began to infuriate her that what should have been a simple duel had become a one-sided game, and she had been made the toy. Of course she could have used her claws to swiftly end the fight, but the Marmuro’k were without magic that she knew of, and refused to break their honorable traditions by using her own. In an effort to gain any sort of footing, Morrigan tried to parry the energized spear head.
In a sense, her idea had worked as Azuhcu’ach staggered from the force of the concussive force of both weapons connecting. To Morrigan’s dismay though, the blade of her weapon shattered like glass spraying the area with fragments of metal as well as her own armor and clothing.
“Damn it!” She screamed in her head in frustration as she dropped the stump of the weapon and made a grab for the spear. Azuhcu’ach had recovered sooner than she had hoped and attempted to bring shield down upon her face only for her to stop the assault with a set of crimson claws that shrieked as they touched the solid form of energy.
The noise created by both forms of energy was piercing and grating however, Morrigan refused to let it get to her as she pushed against Azuhcu’ach, holding his spear close to her in order to keep him from using it.
Slowly, the tips of her claws began to penetrate the layer of energy far enough to the point where she could reach the gauntlet beneath. The crowd roared for her and just underneath the cacophony of noise, she could hear Skoll’s low howl; a cheer from her beloved pet as his emotional wave of pride and anticipation reached her and coalesced with her peaking frustration.
Baring her fangs in a savage grin, she closed her hand around Azuhcu’ach’s arm and shattered the metallic prosthetic. The brooding Kêzi’kan with a superiority complex staggered under the force of her grip as she tore what remained of his prosthetic off before she pulled back, a new set of claws snapping his spear in half.
In a swift motion that had been nearly too fast to follow, Morrigan grabbed the fore-half of the spear and thrust the blade deep into his meaty throat. The arena erupted into cheers of bloodlust but to Morrigan''s surprise, Azuhcu’ach didn''t go down but instead, grabbed ahold of the shaft buried into his neck while trying to swipe at her with his short yet thick claws. Luckily, his reach wasn’t long enough to reach however, Morrigan knew he wasn''t going to go down so simply.
Yesssss, that is a fitting death for this pathetic whelp! Apollyon hissed in delight at the flash of thought in her mind.
Fueling her body with the aggravation Azuhcu’ach had caused her on Tik’Taq’To and the disrespect he had towards her and her clan, Morrigan planted her heels into the ground before using the spear as diabolical leverage to force him to side step, twisting the spear in his throat before pulling him towards the ground.
Despite the profusely bleeding wound, Azuhcu’ach refused to give up as he crashed to the ground, the pain of the moving spearhead causing his muscles to fail before grabbing ahold of the shaft of his weapon to keep her from moving it. However, his leverage was nonexistent as his massive crest kept his neck and shoulders off the ground giving Morrigan all the leverage she needed as she planned her boot on his chest.
With one single empowered thrust, Morrigan forced the broken weapon through the back of his neck letting the ejected cross blades slice through his strained neck, beheading the prejudicial Kêzi’kan and ending his reigning chiefhood.
Morrigan, breathing heavily at the exertion it required to bring Azuhcu’ach down, leaned against the spear with a sigh of relief just in time for the arena to bust into hysterical cheers. To add to the chaos, both ends of the arena opened up to swarms of cheering Marmuro’k that flooded into the combat grounds.
It was as if reliving the Trial by Fire for Morrigan as she couldn''t help but let out a small laugh as she leaned further into the spear. As much as she hated being a spectacle for the entertainment of the Marmuro’k clans at the time, now she could let herself feel proud over her current accomplishment. With a strained pull, she pried the head of the spear that had buried itself into the deck floor and held the broken weapon over her head. All of the Marmuro’k lost themselves to the revelry of victory.
Lost in her own moment of victory, Morrigan hadn’t noticed her own little clan had surrounded her until Skoll howled directly behind her nearly causing her to fall off the corpse of Azuhcu’ach. Skoll let out a high pitched cackle of amusement as she spun and gave him a bright smile before wrapping her arms around his muzzle leaving faint stains of blood over his face, mild payback for intentionally scaring her.
A blindsiding tackle interrupted her playful moment with Skoll as Mo’Emori collided with her, “Oh my Goddess, that was amazing, Mori! I was so worried!”
Morrigan couldn''t help but laugh at the redundancy of the comment as she wrapped herself around the elated Eskarii. The crowd of Marmuro’k chanted her name before Xol decided the time for revelry had passed. Slamming the head of his hammer into the ground, the energized field created a thunderous wave that echoed throughout the arena and beyond as he roared, “Silence and kneel!”
The room went silent as all eyes turned to Xol in confusion as to why their merriment was cut short. “Kneel before your Chieftain, Red Death of Clan Clarke!” He roared once again before slamming the head of his hammer into the ground once more.
Excel-Gaui was the only one to lumber forward and stand before Xol, his hulking height putting him two heads taller than her ever-stoic guardian, before he cautiously and slowly knelt.
“Marmuro’k do not kneel, but I am no Marmuro’k…” Excel-Gaui-Dji’Fahd stated lowly as he bowed his head to Xol, and Morrigan by proxy. Xol however let out a fanged warning hiss as his grip tightened on the shaft of his warhammer.
With an exasperated sigh, Morrigan nudge Xol and stepped up beside him, “That’s enough Xol…” she stated before looking down respectively at the kneeling Timse’h. She took careful consideration of the chieftain’s words as every single creature watched the unprecedented interaction.
Morrigan shook her head slightly, unsure what to do about her current situation. Excel-Gaui has left himself to her mercy, as well as the fate of his clan as promised, yet, she knew he wasn’t a bad chieftain despite everything. She also had a warship full of Marmuro’k to deal with as well.
Before she could come to a conclusion though, her comm line opened to an endearing, jovial voice. “Hey sexy, put that Ass-Cock in his place yet?”
Morrigan snorted at that, always finding the ridiculous names Nora came up with amusing. “Yes babe, he’s dead. Just gotta figure out what to do from here,” Morrigan replied hoping Nora would secretly give her an idea.
“I can''t wait to hear all about it,” Nora responded with an audible shudder, the idea of Morrigan executing someone striking her fancy as usual. “Whatever you have to do next I’m sure it''ll be the right decision. With that said, I guess I should get back to what I was doing, I love you and remember, you got this love.”
Before Morrigan could stop her, Nora disconnected. As much as she didn''t want her to go, she knew Nora was being impatient by the excited undertone in her voice though Morrigan couldn''t help but smile at Nora’s uplifting words. Somehow as squirrel brained as she could be, Nora always managed to know when to say the right words.
As if on cue, Mo’Emori stepped next to her and laced her fingers with Morrigan’s, frowning as she looked around at all the waiting Marmuro’k that surrounded them. Yet, the moment the Eskarii’s gaze landed on her, her face softened into a kind, knowing smile, “You know what to do, Mori.”
Taking a deep breath, Morrigan nodded knowing she had a heavy decision to make but knew what the answer truly was. Letting go of Mo’Emori, Morrigan approached the kneeling Timse’h who refused to meet her gaze. Morrigan looked to meet each of the Marmuro’k that surrounded them and absorbed their pleading, hopeful emotions before look at Excel-Gaui’s downward gaze.
“You’re wrong, Excel-Gaui-Dji’Fahd. You are certainly Marmuro’k. Your thoughts were poisoned and judgement spurred by hatred by the tongue of a disgraceful chieftain. You, however, always knew what happened was dishonorable, and when it counted most you stood up against that dishonor and lay your guilt at your feet… you''re a good chieftain, and a good Marmuro’k…” she stated loud enough for all to hear which brought low murmurs of confusion and looks of hope. Against her desire, she knew she couldn''t leave his digressions unpunished though.
“You wait for judgement by the one you slighted in with dishonor, and yet, it is not just me you have dishonored,” her words caused a rising fear throughout the crowd, even Excel-Gaui raising his head to look at her, “Such dishonor is dishonor against all clans; not just mine and more so your own. So judgement is not mine to give…”
“But I have…” Excel-Gaui started with his thunderous voice only for Morrigan to hold her hand up to cut him off.
“You will return to Tik’Taq’To, along with the remains of Clan Tau. There, the chieftains will decide your punishment,” she finished feeling the weight of authority leave her shoulders as all of those involved felt content with her arguement
“But Mori, aren''t you a chieftain?” Mo’Emori asked curiously, opening a whole new problem for Morrigan as she groaned audibly. Morrigan couldn''t return to Tik’Taq’To to play clan politics when she needed to find the Cradle of Eden, but something like the judgement of a chieftain would require her say.
Then a thought came to her, remembering her time during the chieftain delegation. She would be allowed one warrior to accompany her during a delegation however, perhaps sending her warrior as a proxy would work to relay her thoughts on the matter. What she needed was someone who would follow her instructions without fault.
Her first thought was to send Xol however, she knew better than to expect him to be willing to leave. Yekku would likely follow her instructions however, he was a integral part of the Archangel and would also be unwilling to leave. Then there was Hi’tet…
“Hi’tet,” she commanded, gaining his attention before stepping towards the stalwart Kêzi’kan.
Hi’tet gave her his sole focus as he towered over her, intently listening for expected instructions. “Would you be willing to go back to Tik’Taq’To and act as my proxy in my absence?” She knew his loyalty was sound, and would be willing to do anything she commanded yet she couldn’t help but ask to see if he was willing.
She watched him cock his head as if confused by what she asked, realizing that it was possible the Marmuro’k didn''t know what a proxy was. Before she could define her request though, Hi’tet nodded firmly.
“Good, you will go before the delegation and say that I am for allowing Excel-Gaui to keep his chiefdom over Clan Dji’fahd as well as take command over this ship during the voyage back to Tik’Taq’To,” she stated crisply in relief, feeling significantly better about her decision before turning to the crowd of Marmuro’k.
“Hi’tet-Clarke of Clan Clarke will take command of ??r Ag?r, and deliver Excel-Gaui-Dji’Fahd of Clan Dji’fahd to the chieftains for judgement,” she announced before turning to the large Timse’h with a soft smile, “I have instructed Hi’tet to speak of my thoughts on the matter, that you may remain chieftain of Clan Dji’fahd.”
Excel-Gaui’s alligator like maw opened slightly in disbelief as the crowd of Marmuro’k cheered her name, knowing full well her judgment was not final, but none the less revered her decision all the same as their chieftain’s life was already one step closer to survival.
“Your mercy is… I am grateful,” Excel-Gaui stated in bewilderment loud enough to be heard as Morrigan stepped closer before stopping to lift the large crested head of Azuhcu’ach.
Stepping closer, “Give the chieftains my regards, and tell them I am securing an army. War is coming and we will destroy the Federation once and for all,” she said holding out the severed head.
Excel-Gaui hummed in amusement before holding out his tree trunk-like arms accepting the head of the fallen chieftain, “It shall be so, I only hope I shall be given the chance to fight alongside a warrior such as yourself, Red Death.”
Morrigan nodded stoically only for Hi’tet to garner the attention of the entire arena by firing his plasma rifle into the ceiling far enough away to keep molten stone from falling on anyone. “Chieftain Clarke has spoken, set course to Tik’Taq’To!”
It took everything for Morrigan to keep from laughing as, finally, she heard Hi’tet speak. The high, raspy and near guttural voice that came from the stalwart clan mate simply didn’t fit him and she now understood why he resigned himself to his usual silence.