Thread: Daggers of the Mind [Darkangel76 & Slairlayh]

Riddick carefully assessed the different signals he was getting, even as the giant worm came wriggling swiftly over. When he struck down the meaning of the mixed tremblings beneath his feet, he pushed Sidra to give her a running start in the right direction and moved as well. Even Vaako was getting out of the way. Not a moment too soon, a second worm came bursting out of the ground they were just standing on, smashing blindly into the head of the one above. Dust went flying everywhere, piercing shrieks soared into the air and bounced off the mountain walls, and the earth shook like beating drums played by the two worms now strangling and biting each other. Back to the ship. Now! No one questioned the bellowing command. The Necromongers did not have much fear, but their ultimate goal was to reach the Underverse or help their fellow men do so. Dying here served neither of those purposes. Returning safely to the Necropolis was the best choice of action. We're going to die! Of course, there were the exceptions. Unless they were taken care of, which Vaako did by pulling out a gun and shocking the delirious handler's heart into stopping. It didn't take long for another couple worms to rise to the surface and tear the body apart--a lesson, for anyone who dared to look back, not to fear death. The burial grounds were difficult to traverse due to all the headstones, but once crossed only the hill was left to keep them from reaching the ship. Unfortunately, halfway through there was an explosion of rocks, dirt, and bones. One man flailed in the sky above the ashes then fell back down to stain the cloud in blood with a sickening grind. Other men were laid unconscious or wounded by pieces of gravestones. One particularly unlucky fellow had his head crushed by a gravestone left whole. When the dust cleared, the surviving number found themselves staring up at a worm much larger than the ones they'd left behind--who seemed too distracted amongst themselves for the moment to be bothered with the runaways. This one also had an extra set or two of jaws and scrags of clothing from its recent meal hanging off some of the teeth. Nasty. Vaako agreed with a grunt. Messenger boy, get the ship ready! The only one that had managed to end up ahead of the worm was the footman he'd chosen to be their emergency messenger. The soldier scrambled to his feet and did as he was told. When he started moving, however, the worm jerked around and faced his direction. With a massive roar--the incredible sound now causing Riddick to suspect that the worms behind them were merely babies--it aimed a lunge of its head at the runner. Riddick ran forward, used a slanted headstone for leverage and leaped as far and high onto the worm as he could go. Mid-air he reached back and pulled out his twin curved blades to jam them into the worm's flesh, hooking him to its backnot that there was any distinction with the supposed front. The worm lurched away from its attempt to make the escapee its food and thrashed about. It didn't seem very happen to be in pain. RUN! Riddick's yell was directed mostly at Sidra as he tried to get a hang for riding the worm. Judging from the soldiers flying left and right, falling at this distance might kill him from impact with the worm's mass. Or bruise him badly, plus a few broken ribs. While whatever Necromongers were left heeded orders and ran for the hill, Vaako remained. He watched his Lord Marshall tackle the giant monster before him. Half of him wanted to stay put and watch the Riddick die. The other half wanted to help the Riddick slay the worm for a better chance of survival. When the worm finally flipped itself over and mashed itself into the ground, the following shockwave unbalanced Vaako into relying on his instincts. That meant taking out his axe and hacking into the tail end in front of him. Riddick had pulled his daggers out and dropped to the side just as the worm flipped over. His body rolled over the ground and his back went and hit a statue. He picked himself back up with a groan and just in time to see Vaako getting flung from side to side as he held onto his axe stuck in the worm's wagging tail. A final slam into the ground dropped the axe and the attached Necromonger from the tail that then threw itself back down. Vaako barely rolled out of the way and onto his feet to deftly swing around and slice roughly through a good chunk of the tail's thickness. The worm's own strength as it screamed and flailed caused the piece to rip itself off. While the giant worm writhed in pain, the tail end slowly wriggled. While both Vaako and Riddick pondered how to finish the deal, the worm started to scab itself over and the tail started growing a new segment a new head from the looks of it. The king and the commander both looked at each other. They ran.