Long Live the King
Sombra recovered.
He always did. He always would, so long as his Soul Jar remained safe. It was his life, separated and sealed, kept from the hereafter by an old magic which dark things had brought into the world.
The ancient memories were dim. Perhaps the warnings were right, and he forgot something of himself with each resurrection? No matter – he remembered it still, his conquest of those dark things. Men had heaped titles upon him that day: holy, crusader, champion.
Fools! He was always evil, no matter the prayers he lied.
He had been a knight, then king by conquest. He would reclaim it all. Become king – become emperor of kings! – as was the right of the strongest. The right of Sombra.
Sombra recovered. He could feel the warmth of the world. In his blinded eyes, he saw light.
It was all wrong. Sombra felt thin and exhausted beyond measure. His thumb brushed his forefinger, and they both crumbled as though made of dust. He could feel his armor crushing his body in the same way, only held aloft by the grim magic of his pride.
Too soon. His body should take years to regrow, not… days? Hours? Impossible to say, but never in a thousand years of undeath had he felt so weak.
He squinted, trying to see through his blindness. The light… there should be no light. He should rouse in his hidden tomb; not here, wherever this was.
Helpless, Sombra could only wait as his senses rallied. He felt hard stone floor beneath his greaves. Distant chatter could be heard, though not understood. The white in his eyes faded to match the dimness of the room, and he saw the murky green of the walls around him. Bookshelves and plaques checkered them, but they were not of interest. Nor was the massive desk, or the woman seated behind it in a huge and gold-lined chair.
But a small jar sat in the woman’s grip. The clear crystal jar with its red fluid that thrummed with Sombra’s life… that got his attention. He now saw the ropy, twisted purple magic flowing from her hand to the jar, fueling his return.
Perhaps making a point, the woman had brought him back without his crown. No matter – a king was a king, crown or no.
Far from a victorious smirk, the woman’s face was a stern frown beneath too much lipstick. She asked in a matching voice, “Can you hear me?”
Sombra said nothing, for he had nothing to say to her. Yet some twitch must have given him away, for she went on. “I have a deal for you, Sombra.”
Had he the strength, he would have struck her down that very moment. He was a king. A king must be addressed as such, and a king does not ‘deal.’
But a king must also see reason, and her grip on his Soul Jar was very tight. So he tilted his head and let her speak on.
“You and I have much in common. We both stand above the rabble. We both wish for a world where fools know their place, and have the…”
She gave a theatrical yawn, curling her lips back from their oversized fangs. “…Ability to see things through the long term. Not just the ability, but a mindset beyond common bloodsuckers and tomb-tenants. We are superior folk, and I wish to pool our strength.”
The woman scowled as Sombra gave a single, mocking laugh. “To what end?”
“Short term?” The vampire leaned over the desk, causing her eyes to vanish behind her glasses’ glare. “Triumph against a mutual foe. Celestia, of course. The one who has beaten you… four times?”
“Three,” Sombra snarled.
The woman shrugged, idly rolling the Soul Jar in her hand. “We work together. Kill her, and kill all her minions. Beyond that, you’ll just have to wait and see.”
“You seek to make a shield of me,” Sombra sneered. “A ward against your foes, to be hung up at battle’s end.”
The Soul Jar stopped rolling in the woman’s hand. “Perhaps, but there are always other battles.”
Sombra gripped the edge of the desk, feeling his reformed fingers crumble once more. “And only one King of Kings. Who is neither your shield nor your lackey.”
“The world has changed.” She spoke sternly, like a lecturing teacher. “You think of kings like men on horseback, but that is the past. Modern kingdoms are made of stock options, influence, and reputation. There is room for many kings in one city, and you could yet be a great one.”
“Beneath you,” Sombra noted.
The vampire’s soft blue hand twitched around the jar. “As I said… ‘influence.’”
Her chin rose, bringing her flinty pink eyes into sight. “There are two things in this world, Sombra: things I can control, and things to be crushed. Serve me, and you will rise to greatness. I’ll show you how to make it in this pitiful modern world, and you’ll get the power and vengeance that is your due. You will crush Celestia, and become a king beneath me alone.”
“Sombra does not serve,” he growled.
The vampire’s thick lips tightened. “Sombra does not have a choice. You will serve, profit and rule, or face oblivion. Which shall it be?”
He glared. He bared teeth and even snapped, and the cold woman remained still.
Sombra was evil. He always had been, and never pitied the fools who thought otherwise. A thousand years had only sharpened his ambition, his single-minded need to conquer. To cast down the world’s heroes and bring a new age of royal darkness.
It would come to pass. It must, for that dream was his everything. Surely, it was worth the bargain? Visions of lies and treachery danced in his mind. Of accepting this vampire’s foul offer with the full intent of betrayal. Perhaps a minion might snatch his soul from her, or he might strike suddenly one day as she turns her back.
The grand, dark dream… it was still within his grasp.
All he had to do was prostrate himself before this woman.
Sombra drew a breath. It was a willful gesture, for he no longer needed to breath. But he wished to, and so did. He held it a moment, thinking. Reminiscing. Battles and kingdoms, won and lost. The old and sharp ambition, ever close enough to brush his fingers, yet too far to seize.
Sombra was evil. But he was an old, proud kind of evil, and so made his choice.
His mailed fist slammed to the desk, and his last deep breath left in a roar. “SOMBRA DOES NOT SERVE! SOMBRA IS KING!”
The woman gave a slight, cruel smirk as she squeezed the jar. The ancient crystal shattered in her grasp, and Sombra knew no more.
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Oh snap, dat foreshadow!
Your funeral.
Toldja.
"I will give you all this if you will bow down and worship me. " . Matthew 4:9
Say what you want about Sombra, but I respect him having the undead balls to stand up against the one holding his soul jar, where the average lich would beg and grovel. I wonder about his forgotten past, and what turned him into a monster.
At least he has his dignity.
This makes me think of King Settra from warhammer, whos was put in a very similar position and gave the exact same answer.
At least he has his pride and dignity.
You really had fun writing this sentence, didn't ya?
(certainly got a chuckle out of me, even if pretty much all of my knowledge of The A-Team comes from pop references, mainly Family Guy).
Sombra sounded like Him Grimlock in this chapter, just a bit more cruel and intelligent.
Sombra's personality reminds me of a certain King from an anime involving a lot of legendary heroes. I have to give Sombra credit for refusing though. The typical evil thing would be to pretend to submit then betray her later, but Sombra is too proud to even pretend to serve someone else. Not sure if Sombra was once someone better, but all the resurrections ruined him. At least this saved Celestia some trouble.
Time for some wild-ass guessing on who this is.
Female
Blue
Vampire
Trixie! It's Trixie! Her incompetence this entire time was just an act!
Say what you will about him, but that was a badass way to go.
Damn. He is evil, and knows it, but he has pride. For that I respect him. Even if he is, you know, evil.
A good Heavy Metal Track would be great for that ending.
T
7500592
Flinty pink eyes though. Trixie has purple ones... I did consider the same until her eye color was mentioned.
7500592 Trixie is like a cat in a box. Is she really a vampire? We don't care; we don't know.
I bet that was Cinch.
Sombra is channeling a bit of Settra from Warhammer Fantasy... Great chapter however
So one thing sombra your bucked up but I admire your guts now pay your tab for your hellfire and get out of my bar * says a fire demon behind a counter looking pissed (randomness but just came to me as I said you bucked up)
Much respect for Sombra here. Refusing to bend knowing that the cost is death take major stubbornness.
CRYSTAAAAAALLLLLLSSSSSS...
Man, everyone's saying he's a badass and I agree. I actually kind of wish he was revived.
If Sombra was not evil I could like him but even with that I respect him. I don't often feel that way about villains so well done.
Love a villain that has principles.
7575935
Description matches, she has reason to hate Celestia, and has the kind of short-sighted idiocy (which masquerades as a belief that she is far-sighted and brilliant) that would demand a lich-king kow-tow to her, rather than offer to put him in charge.
8429683
Right thoughs are the ones to respect and fear
someone's a fan of warhammer, my condolences for Age of Sigmar
...Oh
RIP
Sombra went out like a boss.
Actually kind of glad someone finally subverted that subservient evil schtick.
(Well, I have to give Sombra his due. A villain who won't bend his principles no matter what is a dangerous kind, even if I disagree with, y'know, the whole being evil thing.)
You got to give Sombra some respect here
I suppose that's one less nuisance to deal with sumbra has always been a pain in the ass. now it seems like there's another pain in the ass to deal with.
10493826
Damn right. He went out how he chose to. Never yield, never kneel. If it is his end it will come without begging or whimpering.
10698441
Go down swinging... or at least plan to.
How admirable.
Well. Gotta give the old horror his due, he went out with dignity.
Well... looks like in any universe, Sombra is too damn prideful to ever submit to anyone else, even if it's in his best interest. At least this one did it knowing full well the costs and accepting them, rather then just being sure that he could fuck around all be wanted to and never get to the 'find out' stage.
Then we have our big villain... who is pretty obvious. No one would be shocked to find out she was a vampire, and she is just the sort of willfully small minded and petty to want over the top revenge just for someone daring to not do as she wants them to!
Settra does not serve!