Waking From a Dream
Written by Barry Reese
What Has Gone Before (recap of X-O Manowar # 68): Aric Dacia, sick with grief over the loss of his friends and loved ones, encountered the strange being known as Mallik. Mallik claimed to be an alchemist from the 5th Century, a man who was imprisoned on the same Spider-Alien vessel as Aric himself. According to Mallik, the past several years of Aric's life have been nothing more than a fever dream, a prophecy designed to show Aric what could happen. Aric is now reliving his life, intent on avoiding the mistakes of the past. Or is he...?
The pale-skinned woman watched as Aric Dacia floated before her, his nude form suspended in a water-filled tank. A breathing apparatus kept him alive, his nostrils flaring on a regular basis. In some ways, this victory of hers was a bittersweet one -- her hate for the Visigoths had kept her alive for centuries...and now the last of the barbarians floated before her, helpless as a baby. "Aric of Dacia. How I have longed for this day. I should have killed you the first time I captured you, but the temptation to play with you was too strong. I wanted to take everything from you -- your woman, your kingdom, everything. Just as you took everything from me. Now, you're mine once more... and again, I find my desire to kill you balanced by my thirst for revenge. Simple death isn't enough. Not for what you and your kind did to me. It will never be enough...."
Aric Dacia, the man who controlled the mighty X-O battlesuit, slept on. He did not hear Crescendo's words, nor would he have bothered responding even if he had. His mind was elsewhere, in a world of his own creation....
"Mmm, Aric... I missed you." Randy Cartier's beautiful face wore a mask of pleasure as she rested her head on Aric's chest. She kissed his skin softly, sliding her naked leg along his. The two of them were alone in Aric's house, having skipped away from an Orb Industries meeting like two naughty schoolchildren evading their studies.
Aric Dacia, nephew of the Visigoth warlord Alaric, stared at the ceiling in satisfaction. In the years since Mallik had shown him the light and the way, he'd made good on his promise to redeem himself. He'd retaken Orb Industries and made his friends whole once more. Now, he was at peace -- with the woman he loved like no other, save for his lost Diedre.
"Aric...?" Randy raised her eyes, staring into his. "I've thought about what you asked me and... I think I'm ready. Nobody, not Ian or Paul, has ever made me feel like you do. I'd love to marry you."
Aric felt a smile spread across his face. Marriage. With Randy. An animalistic roar of satisfaction emanated from his throat as he rolled over on top of her. "Then we shall be married in a ceremony like the world has never seen!"
Life, such as it was, was good.
The woman known only as Gamin felt her heart skip a beat. She was crouched inside a ventilation shaft, breathing stale air beneath one of the oldest apartment buildings in Manhattan. It was cramped and it was dirty, neither of which were states that Gamin particularly enjoyed. In her line of work, however, it was a necessary evil. Gamin was the best thief in not only New York, but in all the world. This last bit was something that she'd never really checked on, but she felt certain it was true.
Down below, she could see Aric Dacia floating in his tank. Every now and then he would groan out something unintelligible -- words, she knew. What was he dreaming of? Did he know that Crescendo had captured him, that he was helpless before her? Probably not, she mused. Poor guy looked zonked out of his mind....
A sudden doubt washed over her, making her wonder what in the world she was doing. She liked Aric but the two of them weren't exactly best pals -- hell, they'd first met when she'd tried stealing his precious control ring. Since then, it'd been one wacky adventure after another -- culminating in Aric's Darque-infested armor trying to kill her*.
(*Gamin apparently died in X-O Manowar # 66. Barry.)
"God bless holographic technology." Gamin whispered to herself, a bad habit she'd picked up growing up on the streets. She'd never had many friends and never had a dime to her name until she discovered her penchant for getting into and out of people's homes. The holotech had come along later, a bit of alien technology she'd plucked out of the hands of a dying Spider-Alien. She'd never bothered telling Aric about that -- his hatred for the Spider-Aliens bordered on the psychotic. Still, those little buggy aliens had saved her life -- if not for their tech, she would have been killed, sucked dry by Aric's out-of-control armor. She'd felt bad not telling him she was still alive -- but he was obviously in a bad way and Gamin had a suspicion as to who was responsible. It had taken her some time to trail him here after he disappeared, but the search had been interesting to say the least.
"You've done excellent work, Crescendo. My congratulations."
The voice sent shivers down Gamin's spine. She leaned forward, watching as Crescendo entered the room again, this time flanked by a tall, thin Albino. Master Darque's body was covered from head-to-toe by vile tatoos which drew themselves upon his flesh. Darque moved forward to the tank and ran a gaunt hand over its surface, as if he could caress Aric's flesh beneath.
Crescendo smiled. "You started his downfall, Darque. You were the one who tainted the armor*, driving both him and it to madness. It made him all the more susceptible to my manipulations. It was child's play to create the persona of Malik and trap him in this mental playground."
(*It happened in the classic X-O Manowar # 63-64. Barry.)
"Hmm. You have a limited imagination, Crescendo. Did you not try this punishment once before*?"
(*She did a similar thing back in X-O Manowar # 44-45. Barry.)
Crescendo's smile faltered. "Stay your words, necromancer. I have no patience for you today. Our plan is simple enough -- I shall give you the control ring and the armor will be yours. In exchange, you will weave a spell that will make Aric of Dacia my slave forever."
Darque shook his head. Like so many others with power, Crescendo was interested only in fulfilling her baser needs. She lacked the ability to understand and utilize true power. "It shall be done, Crescendo. He shall be yours for eternity... and I shall have the most powerful weapon in all creation at my disposal. I owe the barbarian much for the indignities he put upon me."
Gamin bit her lip. Great. Here she was, a thief with a little bit of stolen technology at her disposal, against a necromancer and a telepath. Ass, kiss yourself goodbye....
X-O Manowar flew through the air, a sense of fulfillment in his soul. He and Bekhara were one, bonded in body and soul. Down below, the corporate headquarters of Orb Industries was a small speck. "Isn't it wonderful, Good Skin? To know that Randy and Ken are down below, safe and sound? This time, nothing will happen to them. Nothing...."
The words sounded oddly hollow to his own ears. Sometimes, in the deep of night especially, he wondered to himself if this could possibly be real. Mallik had convinced him that his past experiences had been false but who was to say that these were not also?
He and Randy had been married for two years now and she had recently given birth to their first son. He was a fierce little warrior all ready and Aric had visions of teaching him how to hunt in the old ways. As he landed on the rooftop of Orb Industries, he willed the armor away from him. It retreated into a spherical shape and floated at his side as he stepped in. He reached over and touched his armor affectionately. It was a good friend.
"Hi, handsome. Miss me?"
Aric looked up in surprise to see Gamin leaning against a wall. She had a teasing smile on her face and her arms were folded over her breasts. "Gamin?! But... how?"
She held up a small device that fit between her forefinger and thumb. "The wonders of technology. It's a neurocortical transmitter. Pretty useful. Beams my holograms directly into my target's brain. Still kind of iffy, though. Goes on the fritz pretty often."
Aric sighed, his long hair blowing in the breeze let in from the open door behind him. "What I meant is, how do you know about me? I've never met you in this reality."
Gamin stepped forward and put her hands on his chest. "Aric, this isn't real. Orb was destroyed by Crescendo and your friends are dead."
Aric angrily brushed her hands away. "This is insane. Those things happened in the dream that Mallik showed me. They weren't real -- and I made sure they didn't happen in this world."
"This world isn't real! You're in a tank right now, while Crescendo and Master Darque plot how to take your armor from you! Crescendo wants you for some kind of boy-toy...."
A sudden feeling of doubt crept into Aric's heart. He turned away from her and shook his head. "No. Randy is alive and so is Ken."
Gamin put her arms around Aric's waist and placed her cheek against his back. "Aric, I'm sorry, but we don't have time for this. They'll be back any minute and I can't stop them myself -- please! This isn't real."
Aric glanced around himself, at the blue skies and the green grass. He saw, in his mind's eye, his child at play. He felt Randy's warm kiss on his lips and he saw Ken's sarcastic smile of greeting. And he saw, very clearly, that Gamin was right. This world was too perfect. Time seemed to flow oddly, in ways that didn't always make sense. In his heart of hearts, he knew that he was living a lie. "You're asking me to give them up. Randy and... my child."
Gamin closed her eyes tight. "I know it's hard. Believe me, I've lost people, too. But if you stay here, you'll always know it's not real. It's nothing more than a game of Crescendo's. Do you think she'll let you stay here, happy as can be? It's only this way so she can tear it down and hurt you again."
Aric felt tears sting his eyes and his warrior heart ached. "I will not be a plaything for her. This will be the second time she's taken my world from me... and it shall be the last."
In the real world, Aric Dacia's eyes flared open and he saw the world through the water that surrounded him. He glanced at the ring that he still wore on his finger. Evidently Crescendo had either not been able to pry it from him or else she merely thought him so helpless that she had ignored it. Regardless, it was a mistake she'd live to regret.
Good Skin... to me.
Upstairs, Crescendo watched as Darque stripped to his loincloth. The myriad tatoos on his torso were a testimony to his evil and they seemed to move of their own accord as she watched. "How much longer, Darque? I grow weary of waiting."
Darque crouched in front of the corpse which lay in the center of the pentagram. Where Crescendo had found the man was unimportant to him, all that mattered was the necromantic energy held within. "The ritual begins now. I have marked this one in the old ways and will use his spirit to help bind Dacia to your will. He will see all and experience all, but he shall be helpless to oppose you."
Crescendo was silent as the necromancer went to work, slicing open her servant's belly. Darque was a threat to her own plans to establish a new kingdom, she knew, and so she watched with interest. Any sign of weakness on Darque's part could be exploited at a later date.
The sound of crashing glass brought her round quickly, however. "No. It can't be...."
Darque rose from the floor, blood dripping from his hand. "You assured me that he would not awaken."
"He shouldn't have. But I no longer feel his mind as I did... his accursed armor is protecting him. He is free."
The floor suddenly exploded upwards, sending bits of the floor flying. X-O Manowar floated into the room, Gamin in his arms. The devil-may-care thief actually stuck her tongue out at Crescendo. "I'm going to enjoy seeing you get your butt handed to you, sister."
Crescendo sneered. "This is far more satisfying, actually. Welcome back to the real world, Aric of Dacia. It shall be a pleasure to humiliate you by force and then bind you to me. Far superior to taking you unawares, I think. Tell me -- did you enjoy your little fantasy world?"
X-O Manowar dropped Gamin to her feet and growled. Energy cascaded around his armored form. "Your evil ends here. You took my woman and my child from me...." X-O fired an ion blast at Crescendo, which the mind-witch managed to block with a psi-shield at the last instant. X-O continued his barrage, however. He paused only to unleash his armor's blade. It felt good, sometimes, to use the old ways. Holding it in his hand, he slashed at the shield again and again. All humanity seemed to vanish from the Visigoth warrior. He was once again in Rome, slaying Roman dogs on every side. He was once again Aric of Dacia, fiercest Barbarian warrior in Alaric's horde. He fought for revenge and for honor. He fought for his woman's memory.
Master Darque backed away slowly. The barbarian's attentions were diverted for now, but they would seem come his way. Today is not our day to clash, Visigoth. Enjoy your revenge against the witch -- it will only remove one more obstacle from my path. Darque glanced over at Gamin, who flipped him off brusquely. Darque seethed at her insolence but said nothing. Instead, he moved away, content for today to escape without harm.
"You seem to think that you've lost everything, Dacia! But you're wrong -- my kingdom and my people were wiped out by the Visigoths, by your kind! Today is a day of retribution!" Crescendo concentrated her mental energy into an attack on the barbarian, but felt herself rebuffed by the combination of Aric's single-mindedness and the armor's protection.
"Retribution! That I agree with -- in the names of Randy and Ken, I condemn you to a thousand Hells!" X-O's armor-created sword glowed with energy and he slashed forward with all his might. The furious attack slashed through Crescendo's shield and pierced her chest. Blood gushed forth as X-O twisted the blade. A howl of pain and fury escaped his lips as she slid forward on the blade.
"You...cannot destroy... me. I am...forever."
"So is my hatred, witch. We are well matched."
XO pulled the blade from her and watched as she fell to the floor. The smell of blood and death hung heavy in the air, filling his nostrils. He knew that Gamin was watching him but he no longer cared as he dropped to his knees. His hands came up to cradle his head as his loss threatened to overwhelm him.
Gamin stepped forward tentatively and knelt beside him. "It's okay, Aric... it really is."
The Visigoth rose to his feet, his fist clenched. His eyes, though furious, were wet with tears. "No more. No more will I wait while my enemies gauge my weakness."
Gamin narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh. And what does that mean?"
X-O Manowar looked at her with a cold fury. "It means that today we begin our war on those who would destroy us."
Gamin's eyes popped open. "Ours? Um, I don't know about a war...."
Aric reached out and took her hand tenderly. "You are among the last of my friends. You are brave and courageous. I would be honored to have you at my side."
Gamin sighed and looked away. This was certainly starting to intefere with her career as a thief... but something in Aric's eyes appealed to her. His sense of honor and dignity... and his incredible good looks, to boot. "Okay, okay. But let's make it a little war, okay?"
NEXT ISSUE : X-O Manowar begins to rebuild his life, even as he learns how much time may have passed during his imprisonment. Classic Valiant action!
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Welcome to my new series of adventures starring X-O Manowar. Why not just continue the series I did for V1F? A few reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the V1F has disbanded. Also, I wanted to correct some mistakes I made with the first series, namely the retconning away of the "Birthquake" elements. This book picks up where # 68 left us, period. For those of you confused about which parts of issues 65-68 happened and which didn't, the following guide might help :
Issues 63-64 : Aric fights Darque, who taints the armor. Darque apparently dies (having failed to steal the armor -- which leads to his role in Crescendo's plan), but survives thanks to his necromantic powers. Issue 65-66 : The Darque-infested armor begins behaving strangely, forcing Aric to seemingly bond with the armor. It can be theorized that the bonding did not actually take place, since events in this issue seem to suggest that Aric still needs the control ring to access the armor. Aric visits the Mirages, who tell him that the armor is infected with the Darque Power. When Gamin visits Aric, the armor seemingly kills her -- but Gamin, being no fool, was actually a safe distance away. It was a hologram that "died" -- obviously, Gamin knew that the armor (and Aric) were both behaving strangely and was taking no chances. In issue 67 & 68, Malik appears. He claims to be an alchemist from the 5th Century, but he is actually a mental creation of Crescendo's. As part of their scheme to drive him mad, Crescendo and Darque torment X-O with a series of mad images, including the notion that he is reliving his life. This leads into our issue, here.
Since I have a whole universe to play with, look for appearances by Solar, the Eternal Warrior, Turok and more. Let me know how you like it!
Barry Reese