{"sf1_id":911967,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Victernus - Chapter 20","author":"Baumarius","words":1346,"posted_at":"2015-09-18T00:33:00.000Z","tags":["Cybernetics","Science","Transformation","War","Werewolf","Wolf","apocalypse","corruption","dystopia","implants","mind","tf","uploading"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/911967-victernus-chapter-20","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/911967","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=911967\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\n            The lights of New Selania dimmed\nwhen a thick fog descended on the city. The streets no longer reflected the\ngrey buildings or the cavern ceiling. It seemed like they had been washed grey\nwith the fog; as if they had become part of it. The fog could still be seen\nthrough, but it made everything blend together as if it were twilight. Namara\nwas unsure of how this could have happened so quickly, but he kept his eyes\nlevel and his map right in front of him. He only had to travel a few hundred\nmore feet to reach the forum.\n            Namara sighed in relief when he saw\nthe lights in front of the entrance to the forum. Contrary to most of the city,\na stone archway showed him in. Behind it, he found that the fog had dissipated\nand that there were adults convened together at a couple of marble tables. They\nwere turned away Namara, watching a man in a grey and black uniform present\nplans for some kind of neural device.\n            Not wanting to interrupt, Namara sat\ndown at the closest table and listened. The man was going on about some kind of\nimplant that would allow for telepathy. His approach sounded wrong based on\nwhat Namara knew. He couldn't help but chuckle. It's been a hundred and sixty years and they're still trying to achieve\ntelepathy? Perhaps that stone arch was built to imply that they're still going\nto be living in the Stone Age for a while...\n            Namara stood up and walked across\nthe short grass towards the group. He smiled to himself and then sat on the\ntable right behind them. He put his elbows on it, resting his face in his\nhands. The man seemed to notice - he stuttered in his speech. Namara could\nsense the sweat building under his arms. His fear gave Namara a sense of\npleasure for some reason. The adults looked at each other, unsure of why he was\nnervous all of a sudden. And then, he lifted his arm and pointed at Namara,\nexclaiming, \"What is that?!\"\n            They turned to see and then had\nsimilar reactions - some became instantly fearful, and others seemed curious.\nFour of them stood up from their seats and approached him carefully, not\nwanting to provoke the animal among them. One guy came close and held out his\nhand, as if he wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real. In response, Namara\ngrowled and then snapped his mouth at the hand, as if to bite it off. When the\nman jumped back in fear, Namara continued to growl before pausing and breaking\nout in a fit of laughter. He banged his hand against the table and said, \"You\nguys are so funny...\"\n            The scientist in the grey uniform\ncame close and sat down in front of Namara, asking, \"Who are you? And... what are\nyou?\"\n            Namara splayed his arms out on the\ntable, looking down at them. He smiled and answered, \"I am what my people once\ncalled... a 'werewolf.' My name is Namara.\"\n            He gasped and his companions spoke\namongst themselves frantically. One of them whispered, as if he could block\nNamara from hearing, \"The first Great Demonstrator warned New Selania of the\n'Namara.' He spoke of a terrifying creature that existed on the surface long ago.\nHe said that if it were ever to return, it would destroy us all!\"\n            Namara stood up from the table and\ndisplayed himself. He asked gently, \"Do I look terrifying to you?\"\n            The one who sat down in front of him\nresponded, \"Not particularly. Why have you come to us?\"\n            Namara sighed. He spoke plainly,\n\"Years ago, your first 'great demonstrator' and I - if I am correct about who\nit is - were rivals. I don't know all of his motives, but I do know that he was\nan evil man. He hated me and my beliefs, and he wanted to destroy me. The only\nperson I'd ever come close to destroying is him, although I don't think he\nexists anymore - only remnants. However, I would not do so without giving both\nhim and you a chance to turn around.\"\n            \"Turn around from what?\"\n            Before Namara could respond, he\nheard a voice from behind him say, \"From knowledge! From science! He wants you\nto become animals, just like him. He wants you to throw away everything you've\nworked towards in this life. He hates you.\"\n            Whispers shot through the group and\nthen they all bowed down towards him suddenly. He clenched his fist and\ngrowled, \"Why are you still alive?\"\n            \"Oh, I have my own reasons. We all\nwant something, don't we?\"\n            Namara turned to see Lynn, unaged\nand annoying as usual. He was dressed in a red and black uniform and wore the\nsame, evil smile he had worn over a century before. Disgusted, Namara spat, \"I\nheard about what you did to my friends. You don't deserve to live any longer.\"\nHe pointed back at the scientists with his implants and growled, \"Give me one\ngood reason why I should let you mislead them even further!\" \n             Unafraid, Lynn laughed boldly before him, \"I\nam not misleading them - you are the only one who wants to. You see, here we\nadvance science and apply it to the greater good. There are no questions asked,\nand everyone wins. Through me, their lives are made easier - isn't that what\nyou want too?\"\n            His ears twitched in fury as he snarled,\n\"That's disgusting! Life is not about finding new ways to be lazy. Life is about\ngoing out, making mistakes, and learning from them. It's about becoming the\nbest person you can be, and making sure that you don't hurt someone else while doing that. These people are not living. You've taken away their freedom,\nsectioned off their lives, destroyed their past and then lied to them about almost\neverything... They don't know anything of the world before! They don't\nunderstand art. They don't know music. They don't know what it feels like to\nfear for their lives or even what it feels like to breathe in the air during a\nthunderstorm. All they know are tests, statistics, and that they have to wake\nup at five in the morning and go to sleep before eight at night - but then that\nreminds me that you don't even have days here!\" Namara took a step forward and\npromised, \"I will...\" Something caused him to pause briefly - he felt a little\nfoggy all of a sudden. He grunted before continuing, \"...do whatever I have to in\norder to free them from that.\"\n            Lynn sighed and took a couple steps\ncloser, \"No... No, you won't.\"\n            Namara began to growl, but he tilted\nhis head as if he didn't understand. He spoke as if he could not hear his own\nvoice, \"...what?\"\n            Lynn giggled and then came even\ncloser, \"Oh wow, I didn't even think it would work! I am going to have so much\nfun with this...\"\n            Grunting again, Namara tried to\nformulate a response in his mind, but the words could not join together. He\nstood there, unsure of what was happening or who was approaching him.\n            Dr. Lynn took the reins and\ncommanded, \"Kneel, boy!\" He chuckled, \"You're barely even an adult, isn't that\nright?\"\n            Namara slowly fell to his knees, letting\nout a high-pitched whine. In response, Lynn ruffled the fur on his head and\ntugged at his cheeks, speaking in a high voice, \"Is the wolf pup scared?\"\n            He stared down at the ground in\nbewilderment.\n            Lynn resumed his normal voice and spoke\nin a serious tone, \"Tranq' him.\"\n            From\nbehind, Namara heard someone fumbling with some kind of machine. When he turned\nto look, he felt a dart penetrate his neck. Before he could lift his hand to\npull it out, he blacked out.","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/911819-victernus-chapter-19.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/912255-victernus-chapter-21.json"}