Posted by As Aker was pondering over why he didn’t level up Vance was headed out of The Pit and back to his home. He was currently living in the slums just outside of The Pit as he bought a place there yesterday.
All housing and business around The Pit are basically the slums. Even for an empire with a King known as the King of The Underground the area around the slums were shady. To voluntarily move into the area might lead people to believe that either Vance was also a very shader character or had a serious flaw. Either way no person in their right mind would actively choose to live there.
For Vance it was an obvious choice. The area was known as The Pit in Hell and anything could be gotten here. All of the illegal, immoral and shady stuff that galaxy was sold in this area so it was always bustling with people. Most of the people kept themselves hidden by mask and coverings as anyone respectable wouldn’t want to be known as a person who visited The Pit in Hell. The most amusing part however was due to the fact that just about anything could be found here almost everyone of prominence had been here or had representatives who had visited for some hard to find item.
However, all of that was not why Vance moved here. The only reason Vance moved into The Pit in Hell area was to be close to Aker. At this point Aker was his purpose for living and he represented the only hope and chance Vance had at revenge.
Little did anyone in The Pit know but over a decade ago Vance was the previous King of The Underground. The only people who knew about it were Dr. Life & Death and Sampson from The Pit which is why they were both willing to take on Aker as teachers. They also had their reasons for being in The Pit and after talking with them they both realized that Aker could also help them reach their goal of revenge as well.
Ten years ago Vance had a group of friends that he called brothers. Even though he was the King of The Underworld he treated his brothers as if though they were real brothers. He loved them and cared for them, he would even throw away profit and concern for himself to protect and help them.
He had started out with his brothers from the time they were kids growing up in the slums. When they were younger they had to fight together just to struggle to eat all coming form the same orphanage. For him there were no people anywhere who were more important. They were his family.
Just over ten years ago he got an invitation from all of his brothers to get together for drinking and celebrating. His best brother Blane was celebrating his birthday. As none of them actually new their birthdays they had all gotten together one day and each taken a month and a day. They called it their 12 and 12. One from each month and one from each day from the first 12 days of the month.
For Blane he was celebrating his 50th birthday so it represented a significant milestone. For most in the outer universe the 50th birthday represented the move on from the younger generation. Of course Vance was going to be there for his brothers big transition.
Blane was Vance’s most trusted captain and a leader of his military. Vance was the first King of The Underground who handed over control of the military, that was how much Vance trusted Blane.
When Vance showed up to the birthday celebration he had brought a gift that could have been at the level of presenting to royalty. He had gifted Blane the Moons of Tarnar in the Feltar System. The Moons of Tarnar were two moons that rotated around an uninhabited planet called Sazoon. The Moons of Tarner were rich in minerals like Mithril, Orichalcum, and Red Iron. The value of these mines were not calculable and represented a gift beyond reason.
Vance was excited about his gift for his best brother Blane. He had been planning for the last couple of years working out the details to obtain the rights over the Moons. He had also secured the rights over the planet Sazoon which was even richer in minerals it was just that it was still to difficult to mine it.
Upon showing up to the party Vance had met with all of his brothers. He had laughed and smiled with them and their families. They all cheered when Vance presented Blane with the Two Moons of Tarner.
Due to Vance’s efforts to become The King of The Underground he never had time for a family. He had only recently achieved his goal finally inheriting the crown from the previous King who Vance cared for and loved like a father. The previous king took Vance under his wing teaching him how to perform all of the roles within the empire.
Vance committed himself to the roles taking on missions smuggling, stealing, robing and scheming. He used every trick taught to him and amassed a massive fortune in the process. As the previous king had trained him and he viewed him as a father he presented half of all of it to him.
Not only were the King and Vance like father and son the only daughter of the former king Sandra was madly in love with Vance. Now that he was the king he hadn’t told her but he was secretly in love with her as well. He never expressed his feeling for fear it would distract him and more importantly he was afraid that after he became king everyone would believe he got it because of her.
After Blanes party he was going to head to the old Kings estate and ask her to marry him. Since her father had past away quietly in his sleep she had been grieving. That was almost three months ago and as such he couldn’t propose to her until the three month morning period was over following the traditions of Alshtar.
The last thing Vance remembers was drinking to his all of his brothers health.
When he woke up he was on the cold hard floor of a prison cell in The Pit.
He looked around not understanding what was happening and why he was behind bars. When he shouted for someone to come and explain he was lost in confusion as there was no answer.
Vance waited for days within that cell with no visitors and no explanation of what was happening. He suffered in silence while he awaited some indication of what was happening to him.
Finally after three days a team of 50 guards to include 10 guard captains showed up at his cell.
Without answering any of his questions they led him to the now all to familiar double doors that lead to the arena of The Pit.
Once Vance entered The Pit he heard the announcement over the loud speaker.
“Everyone is here today to watch the most abominable and villainous prisoner in the history of our Underground Kingdom face justice. It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing that the investigation into his Majesties death has been completed. Previously we had thought that his Majesty had simply died in his sleep. While for most of us it seemed unlikely since he was only 186 years old…..”
At this point the crowd was eerily quite. The previous King of The Underground was wildly popular as he had truly treated the members, soldiers and citizens of his empire as brothers and sisters. That was part of the reason that he had taken Vance under his wing. He appreciated the way that Vance cared for and loved his brothers. For most of the citizens of the underground society, while they honored the laws and rules they couldn’t be said to care for others and as such Vance’s attitude was certainly not the normal.
As Vance listened, his heart almost stopped functioning. The man he viewed as a father. The man who trained him. The man who was the father of the woman he loved. That man was murdered? How come he hadn’t heard anything about it before now? How come he didn’t know there was an investigation happening to ascertain his cause of death?
“It has since been discovered that he was poisoned with the Nectar of Death an almost perfect poison. Had we not purposly been testing for all known poisons there was no possible way it would have been discovered. After discovering his majesty was poisoned we began the long and detailed investigation into the culprit. After painstaking investigations and countless hours by countless people we have finally apprehendid the culprit. It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the culprit behind his majesties death is the Fenlon Empire….”
As the announcer finally revealed the true culprit the crowd was went mad with anger.
“WAR!!!!!!!!” someone called out.
“To WAR!!!!!” More of the crowd called out supporting the first persons shout.
Soon the cry for war rang out through the entire arena. All throughout the Underground Empire cries for war rang out. The reason Vance had to wait for three days before he was brought out to the arena was so that they could set up broadcasting of the announcement and Vance’s fight. Because it was the first ever Pit fight broadcasted for viewing almost everyone in the Underground Empire was watching.
As Vance listened to the announcer a tear was running down one side of his face. He had held it together when the previous king died unexpectedly. He was told by every doctor that it was natural and so while he was previously heartbroken he was able to maintain himself. But now, he was finding out that the man he viewed as his father was murdered! He was struggling to maintain himself.
The announcer waited as the crowd continued to scream to the sky for blood. For minutes the crowd vented their anger into the air for the gods to hear. Finally sensing the crowd calming themselves the announcer who was very experienced new it was time. It was time to push the crowd….No, the entire empire into a mad frenzy. With simply a few words he would control the emotions of countless people.
“……The man you see standing below is a representative of the Fenlon Empire and he is the very man who is responsible for killing his majesty! That spy sneaked into our empire and killed our beloved king. Knowing this let me ask you……”
The announcer paused for dramatic effect. As he spoke earlier the crowds blood filled eyes had already targeted Vance. He was now waiting and allowing the crowds emotions to run wild. Every second he paused was a second that the anger and killing intent of the crowd and the entire empire began to fall onto Vance’s shoulders.
“What should we do with a man who has betrayed us all?” immediately following the finishing of the question from the announcer the crowd went mad with rage. A chant of “Kill” “Kill” “Kill” began ringing out into the air. From cities and towns across the empire from planet to planet chants of “Kill” “Kill” “Kill” consumed all of existence.
Vance standing their facing the full brunt force of the killing intent found himself stunned sensless. A moment ago he had heard his father and mentor was murdered and just now…just now….just now he found out he was the one being blamed for it. Could there be a more cruel fate than this? Just as Vance was thinking that, fate responded in kind and let him know that things could always be more cruel.
“My father loved that man down there. I loved that man down there. He betrayed me and my father. To think if my husband the new King of The Underground didn’t expose it he would have succeeded. Please to all of the people listening to my words…..revenge for my father….revenge for the king…..revenge for the empire….kill that man….then destroy the Fenlon Empire.”
Tears ran down the side of Sandra’s beautiful face. Sandra who grew up as the only child of the King of The Underground from the moment of her birth was a princess and as such had access to every resource. She bathed in the finest water which purified and perfected her skin. She used and consumed priceless oils that gave her skin an extra small glow but also emphasized her other features making her lips more beautiful and red. Her hair was brushed and maintained by her personal maids from the moment of her birth. Sandra took vitamins and supplements from birth to increase her height that also focused on creating the perfect athletic body. Sandra was a woman who was born and destined to be a goddess.
This goddess, the dream of every man, cried in front of the entire empire. Do you know what happens when a goddess cries in front of an empire? Do you understand the impact it has on the mentality of the people who see it. It is not relocated to man alone. All people of the empire felt the pain in their hearts at her tears. At this moment could there be anything besides a call for blood? Could there be a chance that war wouldn’t happen?
As Vance watched the woman he loved beg for his death he felt the last tinge of his reality crumble. When he looked up and saw her eyes he felt the hate she held for him as if though he was the devil himself. The compassion, love, caring that he had come to know was no longer there. Only vile and putrid hate for Vance existed.
“My husband and our new king would like to say a few words.” Sandra said through her tear filled voice.
As Vance watched with bated breadth his heart almost stopped. Fate….screw you!!!! From behind Sandra Blane walked out wearing the visage of a king. His demenour and attitude supressed the atmosphere as if though declaring to the crowd “I AM THE KING” without having to say a word.
Sandra and Blane had gotten married in the three days that Vance had been locked up and was made king. Sandra decided to marry him and make him king since he was the one who exposed Vances murderous and horrid actions. Even a dog would not betray its own master but just so he could assume the crown a little bit sooner Vance had betrayed the love and care that both her and her father had bestowed on him.
As Vance watched Blane take his stance and begin his speech his mind became blank. He tuned out all sounds and to be honest even to this day he has no idea what Blane said. How much does it take to break a man? Its a trick question for every man is different. For Vance even when the woman he loved betrayed him he still held himself together. Finding out he was accused of murdering in essence his own father he held himself together, however the moment Blane appeared before him as the man who exposed Vance he broke.
Vance then began the long process of fighting his way out of The Pit spending more than 10 years fighting before earning his freedom. By the time he had earned his freedom almost nobody remembered why he was there. The war with the Fenlon Empire had been waging since the day after he entered the arena.
It had only been a month since Vance had finally earned his freedom from The Pit. The reason that Vance was so worried about Aker being a trap was because Blane and more importantly Sandra still wanted him dead. Sandra would recieved reports every day waiting to hear of Vance’s death.
Unlike Aker it took Vance much longer to cope with the betrayal he experienced that stole his kingdom, woman and freedom. He survived in The Pit through sheer reflex as his body moved without him due to his years of training.
Much like Aker, Vance awoke one day to his purpose and from that moment on began his struggle and fight within The Pit. Revenge…such a simple word “Revenge”. Its a word that is used for small cases and issues such as when someone says something to you that upsets you. Its used to describe how small kids interact and fight with one another as they shout out “I will have revenge” for their childish back and forth.
Thats not the “Revenge” that Vance is looking for. The “Revenge” that Vance will have will fill rivers and oceans with blood. The “Revenge” that Vance is looking for will be merciless and deadly. Vance has found his partner in “Revenge”, a child who’s talent exceeds common sense, at least the common sense of this outer part of the universe.
As Vance sat in his new small hut of a home in the slums he quitly laughed to himself a wicked smile on his face as he pictured the moment “Revenge” he quitly mumbled and began laughing to himself again.