# From Death to Eternity



## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Greeting reader, this is Part 2 of a three part short story serial. If you have not yet read Part 1, you can find it here: The First Wraith




Re`kyt swung the sword in a wide arc, slicing cleanly through the air as he bisected a holographic foe. He ducked a translucent blade from one of the enemy projections before countering swiftly and beheading the image. Two down, three to go. They all came at him at once, holograms fashioned to represent the lesser anthromorphic warriors of the Old Ones. Far from the elite naga forms that seemed to act as leaders on the battlefields, these were simple servants often dispatched en masse to make up for their inferior worth as soldiers. Many had been captured and studied in the past, leading to their integration as a program for warriors to test their skills against. It had been a simple matter to record their mental and behavioural patterns, and it had likewise been easy for Re`kyt to adapt his fighting style to match them. 

Three more swings from his blade saw one decapitated and another split into quarters. They vanished instantly, leaving the last to dive at his legs. He twisted aside just too slowly, the training suit he wore sending a small shockwave into his leg as it made contact with the hologram. He spun on the spot, swinging the sword down and hitting the creature directly through its back. A light flashed, and the simulation ended. The blank dark background lifted, to be replaced by the familiar metal walls of the training cube. 

‘Not bad, Re`kyt.’ He heard the voice of the instructor calling through the chamber entrance. 

‘Thanks.’ Re`kyt replied with a bow. ‘I don`t want to disappoint Sekra when I meet him. He was always a fan of our sparring matches. Thank you again for all your help.’

‘Of course My Lord.’ The instructor bowed back. ‘I am always at the service of any from the palace. 

Re`kyt smiled and nodded before returning to the disarming chamber. He changed back into his clothes quickly and returned the simulation weapons to their ports to recharge. After this he went back to the main foyer of the Exercise and Training Complex and waited. This was always the worst part of his day. Once it was underway it was not so bad, but all the same something deep in his gut was making him dread this moment of every day. Reporting for his duty... 

He had once been a medtek, the chief physician for the Royarch Mithrahc. But about a week ago, that had all changed. Mithrahc had become immortal, through means of the most advanced of necrontyr technologies. His flesh had been discarded and his mind embedded in the crystalline circuitry of a necrodermic shell. The ruler of the kingdom had become a god in all but name and now saw to the development of further technologies alongside the similarly immortalised Seprin and Nayten, two of the first to test the technology. With the fleshly needs of his master no longer relevant, Re`kyt had been reassigned as an ambassador. Within a few days, he would be travelling to the neighbouring kingdom to present the immortalisation to the Royarch there. 

Re`kyt had fond memories of that kingdom. It was further from the war front, and less industrialised than the systems in this area. His last visit had been a little over a decade ago, when the Royarch Sekra-Teph had been a young child. He had begun training as a warrior at a young age, and during Mithrahc`s earlier visit Re`kyt had spent several sparring sessions with the boy. It would be good for nostalgia to revisit the young man and relive some of their old sparring matches. Of course the former prince had come a long way since then, and Re`kyt would have to pick up his own game if the match was to be worthwhile. 

Seeing his chariot landing just outside the transparent front wall of the foyer, Re`kyt sighed and moved to meet the pilot. Stepping through the doorway he felt the change in air temperature from the cool interior to the warmer outdoors. He gave a wave to the servant who had arrived to transport him. 

‘At your service My Lord.’ The youngster bowed. 

‘There`s no need for that.’ Re`kyt shook his head. ‘I`m no Royarch.’

‘But Sir, you are an ambassador.’ The youth answered. ‘You carry our King Mithrahc`s word to the other kingdoms of our Empire. It is only fitting that you be given such a title.’ 

‘Perhaps.’ Re`kyt conceded. ‘But until the Royarch assigns me that title himself, I`d rather not make any assumptions.’ He refrained from informing the boy that the task he was to undergo was far more than mere diplomacy with a neighbouring kingdom. No, he had been tasked alongside the crypteks Neka and Lirac with convincing Sekra-Teph to embrace the immortalisation technology. But how was he supposed to do that when he didn`t believe in it himself? 

* * *

Mithrahc issued a thought command and the Immortal instantly responded with an affirmative. No words were exchanged yet the response was exactly as the Royarch intended. His former bodyguard Alkvar had undergone the transference several days prior, and now served eternally at his master`s side. At his master`s command, he retrieved the staff that Nayten had constructed through the night. When he had become an Immortal his old weapons had been rendered woefully inadequate and so Nayten had decreed that a new weapon would be needed. Mithrahc watched as Alkvar swung the new weapon in a wide arc, cleaving the air and leaving a trail of green energy. The staff itself incorporated the newest weapon technology of its kind, an electromagnetic weapon designed to destabilise the subatomic bonds that kept particles intact. The energy coursed along the length of the staff, wreathing the fractal edged blade as well as the focus tube at the opposite end. 

‘Marvellous.’ Alkvar spoke, holding the staff before him in one hand. ‘This weapon will bring a swift and painful demise to the souls it reaps. Thank you Nayten.’ 

‘It was my pleasure.’ Nayten replied. Mithrahc was silent, but still concerned over this event. Nayten had never been a cryptek, yet his connection to Seprin seemed to have imbued him with knowledge far beyond what he could have learned as a warrior. It was worrying in the extreme that one individual`s mind could affect another`s so. More worrying still that his own mind may yet be vulnerable... 

* * *

Re`kyt stepped out of the chariot and gave a wave of thanks to the driver. He suppressed a frown as the young lad once again addressed him as Lord before leaving. With a sense of anxious anticipation he entered the palace, the guards recognising him immediately. There was a notably lower number of guards now, with some of them being reassigned to the laboratory and some of those then being immortalised. Only a ghost crew still attended the palace and these were mostly administrative staff. Neka and Lirac had taken to continuing their work here to avoid being in the presence of the metal giants who now occupied the lab, a practice which had suited Seprin just fine as he no longer had to deal with any distractions. Several other crypteks had also been immortalised, and as a result there was now far less need for Neka and Lirac to actually be there.

‘How are you this morning ladies?’ He greeted them, approaching softly. ‘Has his Majesty or Nayten reported anything?’ 

‘No.’ Neka replied. She looked up briefly to acknowledge him before returning to the pad she held. Lirac gave a smiling nod to the former medtek before the three of them walked to the back of the entrance chamber and waited. Though the crew of the palace was diminished, the security protocols were not. None of them would be able to proceed further until their escort arrived, an Administrator named Aynora.


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## Ambush Beast (Oct 31, 2010)

*OOOOOh Yea!*

I'm happy about the 2nd part comming out. This is going to be great! Curling up in my "Snuggie" with a cold beer and a cool story. Yea, that's the life for me. lol


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

A great teaser for what will surely be as epic as The First Wraith. I've always been jealous of how effortlessly (seeming, at least) you tie your dialogue in, I struggle with it and yours is damn near flawless. Great work, now write more!


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Boc said:


> A great teaser for what will surely be as epic as The First Wraith. I've always been jealous of how effortlessly (seeming, at least) you tie your dialogue in, I struggle with it and yours is damn near flawless. Great work, now write more!


It took some pretty harsh critique to push me to be this good.  

Dialogue has never been a problem for me, what I really struggle with is keeping adequate description going. In a sequel it`s easier since the character description is mostly covered in the first part, and it being a story about necrons as such, most people can already envision what I`m writing about. 

Regardless of this, I am always trying to refine my technique.So any critique is always welcome.  


Adrian, I`ll try not to disappoint. :biggrin:


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

They were not waiting long. Aynora was downstairs within ten minutes and entered the foyer, greeting them with a wave and polite address. They responded in kind and followed her back the way she had come, pausing only briefly to allow her to unlock the door. She then led them back towards the core of the palace, where Mithrahc`s office lay as well as the databanks and crypts of past kings. Re`kyt had once taken a walk through those catacombs when he was far younger, but the constant feeling of being surrounded by death had been unsettling in the extreme, and the uncountable tombs lining the walls spoke of nothing but millennia of death and hopelessness. 

‘Here we are.’ Aynora said, as she always did despite all of them being well aware of the palace layout. She was chasing old age now, entering her mid forties. A life free of military service had ensured she was in better shape than Nayten and Mithrahc had been at their similar ages, but ultimately it would do nothing to increase her life expectancy. 

‘Thank you.’ Neka replied with a bow. ‘We will be fine from here Lady Aynora.’ 

‘Very good.’ The old woman replied. ‘I shall see you in six hours.’ She offered a small tilt of her head before leaving them. As she left, Lirac opened the door and led the trio inside. Mithrahc`s giant desk stood in the room`s centre, surrounded as it was by ornate statues of the gods standing behind smaller statues of notable kings. 

‘This place always gives me the creeps.’ Re`kyt muttered. Neither of the women had paid him any heed. He said the exact same thing every day. Neka booted up the terminal built into the Royarch`s desk and entered the access code he had given her. Lirac and Re`kyt stood on either side of her as she brought up the records of their work over the past week .So far they had compiled the test and research data for the seven test subjects who had been immortalised, detailing the progress that had been made since the experimenting began. 

‘Do you think that`s enough?’ Lirac asked. ‘It looks pretty conclusive to me. The immortalisation is a success.’

‘Wait a minute.’ Re`kyt interjected. ‘You do realize that the link between their minds has not yet been studied for long enough right? I mean look at Nayten! You don`t just become a cryptek overnight!’ He could not keep the stress out of his voice and Neka`s reaction made it clear that she felt the same. 

‘I know.’ Neka replied. ‘But we weren`t asked to do anything about that. For now, Lord Mithrahc is in control. We can only leave it to him. He`ll make sure Seprin fixes the problem. He said himself that he will tear Seprin`s mind apart if he has to.’

‘I don`t know Neka.’ Lirac shook her head and sighed. ‘I kind of agree with Re`kyt. And even if His Majesty does dominate and subjugate the Master`s will, wouldn`t that be a contradiction? We`re trying to preserve free will and thought as we do this aren`t we?’ There was a long silence that followed her words. All three of them shuddered at the thought of a possible future, envisioning armies of cumbersome immortal slaves acting only on the will of their Royalty. The idea was horrifying.

‘...No.’ Neka replied at last. ‘We have to have faith in our King. He`s the best ruler this kingdom has ever seen and we have no reason to doubt him now. You`ll both see, everything will be fine.’ 

‘Hmph.’ Re`kyt grumbled, noting the somewhat less than convincing tone in which Neka spoke. ‘Shall we begin making arrangements then? If the two of you don`t mind, we have a hell of a speech to make to Sekra-Teph and his council. We`d better make sure it`s damn convincing if we`re going to do this.’ 

And so the three of them spent the next four hours sifting through and arranging the data they had compiled. Re`kyt glanced over the summary as they had finally completed the task, wondering just how Sekra would react to the news. Sekra-Teph had always been one who loved life, just like Re`kyt, and the concept of becoming something akin to undead was disturbing to say the least. He nodded approvingly, though he still had his doubts.

‘The blueprints for the device are contained as well?’ He asked. 

‘Yes.’ Neka nodded. ‘The most recent updates as well as all relevant data-logs as well. Everything we need to show Lord Sekra-Teph`s crypteks and assist them in the machine`s construction.’

‘Then...’ Re`kyt realized with a sense of finality. ‘We are all but ready to leave.’ He seemed almost disappointed, but managed to force a smile. 

* * *

Re`kyt inhaled deeply as the door to his home slid open. He stepped inside with relish, savouring the scent of the foreign flora his wife favoured collecting and studying. Many of these plants had been gifts from Mithrahc himself as a mark of friendship. At times, the family had been invited to spend time with the aging Royarch, even living in the palace for several weeks on occasion. When Re`kyt asked why, Mithrahc had replied that he missed the companionship of family. 
Mithrahc`s own son had died in battle a few years prior, and his queen had been taken by the cruelty of time. As it stood, the Royarch`s younger brother had been marked as successor to the throne but his immortalisation mishap had left such plans impossible. For a time, it had been as though the kingdom would die with Mithrahc`s passing, but these concerns no longer held any weight. He would rule now through eternity.

‘Dad?’ A child`s voice echoed through the house and Re`kyt slid the door closed before sneaking into the side hallway with a mischievous grin. ‘Dad, is that you?’ 

Footsteps could be heard getting louder as Re’kyt`s son ran to the door. At nine years of age, young Ayet-ohm was easily excitable and loved to play games. Find his father in the maze like house was one of his favourite. 

‘I`ll find you Dad!’ He called out, his youthful face turned into a playful smile as he looked around, deciding whether to look down the main hallway or the side. 

‘Are you sure?’ Re`kyt replied softly, throwing his voice down the hall backwards to make it sound as though he had gone down the kitchen. Ayet was not fooled, but still could not decide which hall to take. In the end, he decided on the side hall but by this stage his father had already sneaked through to the kitchen and was hiding behind the benchtop. Ayet emerged just outside, and moments later had run around and jumped from of Re`kyt holding a toy sword. 

‘Yeah, gotcha!’ He shouted excitedly, before running in to attack. Re`kyt stood and jumped back, before leaning down and wresting the toy from his son`s grip. 

‘It`s too dangerous to be swinging that around inside.’ He told the boy. ‘Now be good, understand? Misbehaving little boys don`t get their treats after dinner.’ He looked back with a stern fatherly face. Ayet looked dejected and saddened, but cheered up a bit once Re`kyt handed the sword back to him. ‘Where`s your mother?’ Re`kyt asked. 

‘Out in the garden.’ Ayet replied. ‘Cutting the plants.’ 

‘’It`s pruning, Ayet.’ Re`kyt laughed. ‘She`s pruning them so they don`t get too big. Now be good so the snake monsters don`t come!’ Ayet bolted into his room at the mention of the Old One`s elite warrior forms, the like of which were used in these parts to scare children into obedience. Re`kyt laughed guiltily. He didn`t like scaring the boy, but he wanted this time alone with his wife, especially since his duties were about to take him from her for an unknown length of time. 
He stepped outside as quietly as he could. She was very dedicated to her study of botany. Many crypteks had turned to researching plants for the possibilities of their rejuvenating qualities, but even after being proved ineffective, Ey-shah had not lost her love of caring for them. He stood and watched the woman as she sang softly to herself, an old hymn of the coming of the gods. 

‘Nice singing.’ He said at last. Ey turned around and smiled embarrassed. 

‘Why didn`t you tell me you were home?’ She said. Her face was petite yet at the same time carried a firmness that spoke of a life hardened to the universe`s cruelties. She had, like him, begun to show the first signs of aging as she approached her late twenties, but her tied back hair had yet to grey. It still bore the same ginger colouring as it had in her youth and her slim form was a little shorter than average for a necrontyr. 

‘I wanted to hear you sing.’ He replied. ‘But listen, I`ll be leaving soon on a diplomatic mission to Sekra`s kingdom. I don`t know how long I`m going to be. Will you be alright?’ 

‘I`m sure we`ll manage.’ Ey replied. ‘Now, shall we sing?’ She looked him in the eyes and smiled. That look told Re`kyt everything, that it was far more than singing she had in mind.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

A few days had passed and the day of Re`kyt`s departure fast approached. He had received word from a messenger a few hours ago in the morning that Mithrahc desired a meeting before he left. His trepidation was growing by the minute as he waited in the foyer of the lab complex main building. Mithrahc and the other immortals had not left the place for days and it would be novel to see one of them in a location other than a semi lit laboratory... 

He sighed and started pacing. The room was deserted but for one necrontyr aide who had been stationed here to keep visitors from going any further. She was clearly not enjoying the task, all too aware of the metal monsters lurking further within the building. He waited for a further ten minutes before an ominous noise began steadily growing louder. Footsteps, hard metal feet against a hard metal floor. Re`kyt turned and inhaled deeply as the door hissed open and the hulking form of an immortal walked through, ducking the now too low doorway as he entered the foyer. 

‘Re`kyt, old friend.’ It called, and the former medtek recognised the metallic tinged voice of his lord Mithrahc. 

‘Your Majesty, I am here as summoned.’ Re`kyt said with a bow. ‘What do you need of me?’ 

‘Rise, my good friend.’ Mithrahc replied. His voice gave the sense of familiarity and friendship a stark contrast to the leering skeletal mask his new gigantic body wore. ‘There is no need for you to feel any supplication before me.’ 

‘It is only proper, Your Majesty.’ Re`kyt said, standing. ‘I am but a loyal servant after all. You summoned me to discuss my upcoming departure?’

‘Yes.’ Mithrahc replied. ‘It will be you that delivers news of our immortalization to the kingdom of Sekra-Teph. You must convince him that this is the way forward.’

‘I`m sure once his crypteks review the data presented to them they will agree.’ Re`kyt nodded. ‘But what am I to tell Sekra himself?’

‘Whatever you need to.’ Mithrahc replied with a low metallic laugh. ‘He is not a fool I`m sure. Any necrontyr will meet the news of immortalization with nothing short of hope. Have you given word to your family?’

‘Of my departure? Yes.’ The ambassador replied. ‘They will be fine for the duration.’ 

‘Have you considered taking them with you?’ Mithrahc asked. ‘Ey is retired from the labs after all, and Ayet would surely benefit from seeing the stars. Do not fret over logistical matters. You have my blessing to proceed with this, and my authority to make it so.’ 

‘Truly?’ Re`kyt was a little taken back, but the more he considered it then and there the harder it became to resist the urge to follow the Royarch`s suggestion. ‘Thank you My Lord, I will make to offer as soon as I see them.’ 

‘Good.’ Mithrahc nodded. ‘Then I will update you now with the rest of your task. Following your presentation, I want you to liaise with Sekra and tell me of his intentions. For if he chooses not to subject himself and his kingdom to immortalization, he may incur the ire of the gods. The Messenger and the Weaver of Illusion in particular will not be pleased. It would be wise to make him aware of this.’

‘I will Sire.’ Re`kyt replied. 

‘Furthermore, once confirmation is received of their willingness to comply, I will embark upon travel to the system myself.’ Mithrahc continued. ‘I will bring Alkvar and Nayten and we will demonstrate the military applications of the technology ourselves. Seprin has devised many new artefacts in this time, and Sekra will find a valuable ally in the Kingdom of Mithrahc.’ 

‘By your will.’ Re`kyt answered.

* * *

Ey sung softly as she swept her hand across the plants leaves. They were healthy, this she could tell by touch, and in a matter of months they would be bearing fruit. Ayet was visiting his friends this afternoon so she would have the house to herself until Re`kyt got home. She sighed and held back a single tear as she thought of the time she was about to be without him. Travel between kingdoms was a matter of months and the nature of his task meant he could be away for a year, or even longer. Ey was no stranger to the tediousness of politics, even when time was precious these things could take far too long.

She crouched and inspected the roots of the plant by digging her hand just under the soil. They were firm but wiry as they should be, and likely extended several metres under the ground. Convinced that this tree was as it should be, she moved onto the next. Thus was her routine from day to day, maintaining her sanity by essentially reliving her younger days. What more could she do until Re`kyt was also allowed to retire? In truth she would give up all this fulfilment simply for the chance to spend more time with her husband and child. 

But she would not prevent Ayet from living his own life, after all time was limited and a necrontyr could ill afford to fritter away their lives on pointless and selfish endeavours when the betterment of the civilisation itself took precedence. 

And yet, here she was tending to plants that had been proven useless. Sometimes she wondered why she had been allowed to do this when she was still fit to serve in a cryptek`s lab. She shook her head in exasperation and went back inside. With nothing better to do, she simply lay down on her bed and let sleep take over... 

The sound of footsteps woke her from her nap and she stirred. Rousing herself, she stood and walked slowly out to where Re`kyt had stopped to lean against the kitchen countertop. He looked up and smiled softly when he saw her. 

‘How was your day?’ She asked. ‘Any news on when you`re leaving?’ She was anxious of him being gone but at the same time she wanted some kind of clarity. 

‘Yes actually.’ He said, still smiling. ‘But I received some other news as well. Lord Mithrahc gave me the authority to make certain arrangements.’ He paused, waiting to gauge her reaction. 

‘What are you saying?’ She asked, her curiosity piqued. 

‘Would you like to come with me?’ Re`kyt asked suddenly. ‘Mithrahc said I can take you with me. You`d be given the same clearance as me and I`d finally be able to tell you everything. And Ayet would love to see the other kingdoms I`m sure!’ 

Ey was stunned into silence. In mere moments her mind raced, from thoughts of being alone to thoughts of being left here forever. Thoughts of going with him, thoughts of being killed in battle. It was no secret that Sekra-Teph`s kingdom was close to an active warzone and engagements were frequent. There was a very real danger of seeing combat, but at the same time she knew there would always be somewhere safe for Ayet to stay. Most prominent in her mind throughout all of this was fear. Not the fear of dying, the fear of losing something. Rather it was the simple fear of being alone. 

Taking a deep breath and meeting Re`kyt`s gaze, she nodded. 





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_Thanks for bearing with me. I really wanted to establish Ey`s character before I went too far. So from the next installment onwards, the plot will begin moving again.  _


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## Ambush Beast (Oct 31, 2010)

*Nice!*

The relationship and conversational structures are superb and very well thought out. The hidden threats are thought provoking. 

The time used to build the characters personalities is not wasted as it allows me to really understand what is going on in an emotional level as well as a mental level. good job.


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## Todeswind (Mar 2, 2010)

This is very well done.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks folks! :victory: 

Without revealing too much, the characters intro`d in this section of the story have a very important role to play in the overall continuity.


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## vulkan1793 (Apr 21, 2011)

Very Nice 
very well written


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