# Victernus - Chapter 30

Author: Baumarius
Tags: Cybernetics, Science, Transformation, War, Werewolf, Wolf, apocalypse, corruption, dystopia, implants, mind, tf, uploading

            The alien birds of the strange new
planet welcomed the trio in the morning, singing their hollow songs happily.
Evergreen trees covered in a light snow that had just begun to fall surrounded
them. Small and red luminescent plants sprouted out of the ground under the
trees, giving off a little bit of light. 
Ahead of the group, a few reddish elk-like creatures roamed the forest,
unafraid of them.
            Namara saw the creatures and then
glanced back at Athius and Gala. They were holding hands tightly, seemingly
trying to give each other some warmth. Seeing this, Namara repositioned himself
behind them and then took both of their shoulders, bringing them close to his
fur. He said, "Here, this'll help you guys a little..."
            Gala smiled and got close to him,
"Thanks."
            He continued, "Now, are you guys
hungry at all? I could probably kill one of those animals over there."
            Athius raised an eyebrow, "I am, but
is that safe? I've never eaten an animal before..."
            Namara smiled and nodded, "People
did that all the time before New Selania. I don't particularly like killing
animals, but we might have to if we're going to survive - especially if this is
winter."
            "Oh, I see..."
            Letting go of them, he directed,
"Why don't you guys try starting a small fire? I'll go get one of the animals,
and then we can roast it."
            Athius sighed and thought about how
he would carry out his request. He replied, "Alright, we'll think of something.
You go do your thing."
            "Okay, I will," Namara said as he
headed away from them, trekking deeper into the forest. He searched for the way
that the animals had gone while still paying close attention to his
surroundings - in the case that there was something bigger that was waiting for
him. Fortunately, he didn't feel so afraid of this. The birds continued in
their songs, the snow continued to fall, and the sun rose slowly behind the
clouds above. The only thing that bothered him was the pain of losing his
family, which he tried to shroud with making a better one for Athius and Gala.
            The broken branches and leaves that
were on the ground crunched under Namara's feet. Ahead, he saw three of the
elk-like creatures eating the glowing plants under the trees. He crept closer,
hanging onto the bottom of a tree to give him cover. One of them raised its
head from eating and then stared straight at him, only to bend back down and
keep eating. Namara widened his eyes as he remembered that they hadn't ever
been hunted by him before. He felt bad about the possibility of him taking a life
of a creature that didn't realize he was dangerous.
            Before he could advance any further,
he heard a lightly-toned whirring sound coming from where Athius and Gala were.
Concerned, he ran back through the forest, dodging trees left and right. When
he reached the edge of the forest, he saw a small black space ship hovering
over the field. A man was beside it, speaking with the couple. He had short,
white hair and intense blue eyes, and was clothed in some kind of blue body
armor that was fitted to his seven-foot-tall body. He was strangely familiar to
Namara, but he couldn't tell from where.
            Namara left the edge of the forest
and came out into the field, approaching them innocently. He wanted to know who
he was, but before he managed to say anything, the man pointed a gun at him and
fired. And once again, he fell unconscious.
---
            Athius shouted, "What was that for?"
            The man, who had introduced himself
as King Drac, answered, "It was necessary. I understand that you are in need of
shelter, and I can supply that for you on my planet, Valikon. Namara, as you
call him, will be taken to the Council to be tried."
            Gala glanced back at Namara and
asked, "Tried? What has he done?"
            Drac sighed, "That is not my
business to understand. Please, both I and the Volnar would like to help you. I
will take you to Valikon if you wish."
            Athius watched Gala to see how she
reacted, and then said, "I don't think we have much of a choice at this point.
If you're taking Namara, we won't really know how to survive out here."
            Drac nodded, "I know. Please, feel
free to climb aboard my ship. I will carry Namara." He proceeded to walk past
them and haul Namara over his shoulder like he was weightless.
            Athius took Gala's hand and said,
"Come on... Maybe this will be good for us." He led her into the open hatch in
the side of the ship and then waited for the alien king to come along with
them.
            With Namara over his shoulder, Drac
stepped up into the ship and then laid him down beside the two. He reached back
and pressed a button that was near the opening. The mechanical hatch made a
faint buzzing noise as it closed. Before heading to the cockpit, he assured
them, "Do not be afraid. The Volnar will take care of you as best they can."
            Athius nodded and sat in the small
cargo section of the ship with Gala. He replied, "Thanks."
            Drac smiled and then left them
there. There was a small window on the floor where they could see the planet
still. A few seconds after they got settled, they saw that the planet appeared
to be getting smaller and smaller beneath them. Some part of Athius felt like
he was leaving something behind, but the majority was unified in one notion:
that he had finally found a place to belong. He sat beside Gala and put his arm
around her, assuring her that everything would be alright.
            Gala sighed and placed her arm
behind his back, feeling the deep scars that his dad had left him. She felt a
little bit of pity for him as she traced them with her hand softly. Overcome by
a sense of fullness, she rested close to him and nodded off to sleep in his
arms.
---
            Several hours later, King Drac stood
on a balcony that overlooked the city he ruled. Greenish-blue buildings rose
out of a mountainside, and at the very bottom were sandy beaches that welcomed
the ocean in. It was sunset, and the green-colored sun cast its beautiful rays
on his face. Namara was propped over his shoulder, resting quietly.
            He turned to Athius and Gala, who
were standing behind him together, and said, "This is what I will give you. I
know it cannot compensate for what you have lost, but it is all I can do now. I
will assign an assistant to you who will help you learn of our ways, and then
after that, whatever you want to do is up to you."
            Athius smiled, "I guess we'll see
what happens then. It will be enough for now... I can't speak for the future, but
I am grateful. Gala?"
            She agreed and looked over the vast
city before her, "I think so too. But..." She focused on Drac, "Please make sure
that Namara is tried rightly. He is our friend."
            Drac fumbled with a ring on his
finger and said, "I cannot make any promises, but I will do what I can. Take
care, the both of you." When he finished speaking, he pressed down on the top
of the ring. His surroundings dissolved around him and were replaced with a
different scene. He stood alone with Namara in a city made of thin sandstone
that was built into a land full of waterfalls. Exotic trees were scattered
along the untouched ground below. He himself was under a canopy on a platform
raised high above the ground, but still lower than the closest waterfall.
A small beige cot rested below the canopy, held up
by wooden sticks. He laid Namara in it and then watched the sleeping werewolf
briefly. He knew what had happened, but he was not in a position to save him -
despite being the king of the Volnar. It was a tough place to be in.
            He scanned for the closest tower and
then walked along the edge of his platform, heading for the Council as he had
done so many times before. But, never before had he felt sympathy for what the
Council considered to be a murderer. Shaking his head at these thoughts, he
stepped up on to a bridge that led him across the river and straight into the
tower. The tower rose up for hundreds of feet, and contained within was the
group who decided the fate of countless billions.
            A great wooden door carved with the
orbits, planets, and sun of the system that Valikon resided in marked the entrance
to the tower. Drac pulled both doors open and stepped into the colossal room.
Three Volnar dressed in white robes with golden trim stood in a half-circle,
facing Drac as he walked in. Above them were hundreds of others, looking down
at them from the edges of the tower. The only light was in the immediate area
of the three, leaving the others in darkness.
            Drac spoke solemnly, "Council of the
Seers, Namara has arrived."
            The hooded woman in the center asked,
"Where is he?" Her voice resounded throughout the tower, and the Volnar along
the walls - known as the Echoes - repeated her question so that Drac would be
overwhelmed with sound.
            He waited for the sound to cease
before continuing in annoyance, "Arch Seer, he is unconscious right now, and is
recovering. He has accomplished what you have set him out to do. What is your
plan for him now?"
            The lady replied, "I sense
compassion in your bones. You wouldn't give that to a murderer, would you?"
            Drac tightened his lips and then
spoke, "He has done nothing wrong. His actions do not stain his conscience like
the others. He will not understand his punishment, if that is what you wish to
give him."
            She shook her head, "We make no
exceptions to what has already been set into law."
            The Echoes funneled their voices
down again, "No exceptions."
            He growled in frustration, "When
will you stop destroying entire societies like this?! It is senseless! We have
only one enemy. If you get rid of everyone else, the Volnar will be alone."
            The Arch Seer nodded, "This is what
we plan to accomplish. The Imperial army has been a thorn in our side for as
long as we can remember, and we must stop others from rising up. Every Volnar
knows that we are the only race of beings capable of achieving true consciousness. The others must be
put out so that we may all fulfill our destiny. Besides, we enjoy seeing the
torment of the individuals who carry out these acts."
            A rage sparked within Drac, but he
could not voice it without being shredded by the Echoes. He asked another
question, "What choices does Namara have?"
            She smiled, "We have decided that he
must either live out the rest of his days confined to the Realm of Smoke or as
a slave to our people. His thoughts will be reduced to that of the creature he
tried to become. Of course, to soothe your obvious affinity for this person, we
will let him decide."
            Unable to think of a way to protest
this without getting himself killed, he bowed and dismissed himself, "Then I
will bring him here, and I will return when we are both ready. Farewell."

Source: https://sofurry.com/view/915168

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