Chapter 3

  “Fucking idiot, you’d be lost without me. Luckily, I was the one who wrote the summary on this planet, and it was the higher-ups who told me to accompany you. As much as I prefer my fancy lab over some barren wasteland of a planet. And the planet’s name is Savra. Try not to forget it again.”

  Her tone was laced with annoyance and arrogance before she took a few steps ahead. Virex and Exil quickly caught up, Virex grinning before whispering telepathically to Exil. “She’s just grumpy because I got a hilarious picture of her sleeping with her tentacles moving.” He chuckled with a cheeky grin, but no actual sound escaped his lips; his shoulders shook with his telepathic laugh.

  Exil joined in with a laugh of his own, his shoulders moving just as much. Sulari groaned in frustration, turning around to face the two male Glarsians. “You damn idiots, you know we’re all linked for this mission, right? Or are your tentacles disfigured?” She mumbled something that sounded like “Idiots,” but before she could realize what was happening, her foot didn’t touch the ground, and she slipped, losing her balance.

  She had walked backward on the edge of a cliff. Exil sprang into action, diving to grab her wrist, struggling and beginning to slip as he tried to pull her up. “Hey! It’s alright, I’ve got you. You’re gonna be alright!” He groaned, losing his grip, before Virex grabbed Exil’s free arm with both hands, trying to pull them both back.

  But it was no use, and the combined weight sent all three of them slipping and falling down the cliff until they hit the hard, unforgiving ground with a sickening thud, individual bones breaking. Virex had broken both of his legs and grunted, pushing himself up slightly with his arms, the pain excruciating.

  In front of him, Exil and Sulari writhed in pain, rolling back and forth on the ground, likely with the same injuries or worse. Virex quickly flipped over, facing his legs before extending his hands. A green glow hovered at his fingertips as his broken bones and bruises began to mend.

  He howled from the pain, tears welling in his eyes, and once he was fully healed, he took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling before struggling to his feet. He rushed over to Sulari first, his palms extending toward her. Glowing once more, he spoke to her telepathically.

  “Shh, listen to me. You’re gonna be alright, okay? Everything’s gonna be alright.” He tried to maintain composure even in his panicked state. Sulari winced and howled as her wounds fixed themselves. Once done, his arms hung by his sides, his chest rising and falling as he panted heavily to catch his breath.

  But there was no time. He rushed over to Exil and did the same thing he had done for Sulari and himself. Exil cried and groaned, but nonetheless, he was healed. Virex collapsed backward, his chest rising and falling. After a minute to catch his breath, he stood. He then helped Exil to his feet before turning to help Sulari, but she was already standing. He spoke through their telepathic connection.

  “Is everyone alright? Everybody okay?” Exil nodded before speaking. “Yeah, I’m alright. That hurt like hell though.” He chuckled weakly. Virex felt a sharp pain in his head, but just as quickly as it came, it vanished. Sulari pulled him into a tight hug, her eyes teary.

  “You damn idiot,” she said. “You could’ve died healing me and Exil. Don’t pull shit like that again.”

  Virex winced at first in the hug, stiffening before his body softened, melting into it. He wrapped his arms around her back, squeezing her tightly. “Hey, all of us are alright. Besides, can’t have my two step-kids getting injured on an expedition, now can I?”

  Sulari blushed, realizing she had been hugging him for too long before pulling back. One of her tentacles wiped her teary eyes before she spoke through the telepathic connection.

  “Idiot,” she grumbled, but there was no trace of venom in her words.

  The trio continued their walk, adventuring and discovering more about the planet. Exil, young and naive as always, broke the awkward silence. “So what’s up with this planet? All I’ve been seeing is rocks, dead plants, and the usual stuff we passed like an hour ago. What’s so special about us being here?”

  Virex smirked but didn’t speak through the telepathic connection as Sulari was already speaking. “Well, if you actually paid attention to your education, you’d know that planet Savra was scanned 500 years ago by our scientists. Being neighbors and all, we found that it was inhabited by thousands—near millions—of life forms. Then, nearly 800 years later, it was scanned again, only to be found completely uninhabitable.”

  Virex nodded. “Which is strange because we ran a full biography on the biology and anatomy of the planet’s inhabitants. It was full of powerful, belligerent aliens, but they were stuck in an evolutionary loop, never really growing as a species because they were too focused on killing each other.”

  Exil’s eyes widened, and he chuckled nervously, his shoulders shaking, but no sound came from him. “You don’t mean…”

  Virex cut him off with his continued smirk. “Yup. We’re on the that same planet, Savra, that was once overpopulated with Ragnarr.”

  Exil’s eyes widened further, and he stopped in his tracks.

  Virex chuckled as he and Sulari continued walking. “Careful, there might be some Ragnarr still lurking around.” He teased, but Exil jolted and winced at his words, quickly jogging to catch up with the others.

  “If that’s the case, then… why the hell are we even on this cursed planet?”

  Sulari scoffed. “You idiot. Obviously, we wouldn’t be here if the planet was still overrun by Ragnarr. They randomly went extinct, and we’re here to either A. Find out why, or B. Collect any valuable resources they were blocking.”

  Just then, in his cave, the black-scaled Ragnarr’s azure blue eyes snapped open. He heard the distant sound of footsteps—nothing like the heavy, muscle-bound ones he was used to. He kept the stone clenched in his grip as he stood and exited the cave. His steps were heavy but filled with purpose, and a sliver of hope that he wasn’t the last of his kind—that there were still more Ragnarr to fulfill his unsatisfied bloodlust.

  He looked down from the hill, his eyes locking on the trio of Glarsians, his head tilting to the left in curiosity.

  Normally, a Ragnarr would have attacked immediately, attempting to tear into them with his teeth and claws, regardless of the situation. But this Ragnarr’s brain had developed, his lifespan extended, and his natural, fast-paced intellect had been nurtured. While half of him screamed to slaughter the trio, the other half wanted to understand who they were or why they were here.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Pebbles slid down the hill toward the Glarsians, revealing the Ragnarr’s position, but instead of fleeing, he remained still, his gaze locked on them. Exil’s breath hitched, his green skin turning a lighter shade. Virex stopped talking, noticing Exil had stopped following him. He turned around and spoke.

  “You alright there, Exil? You kinda just stopped playing follow the leader.”

  But Exil didn’t speak. His entire body shuddered with uncontrollable fear, both of his two hearts pumping hard and fast. He finally mustered the courage to lift his finger and point at the top of the cliff where the black-scaled Ragnarr stood, hunched over, looking down at them. Exil then yelled, “R-RAGNARR!!!” at the top of his lungs.

  The sound startled the Ragnarr, his violent instincts returning as he leapt from the cliff, landing in a squat before straightening up to stand.

  He glared down at the trio before letting out a loud roar that promised violence. Virex was just as stunned as Exil, frozen in fear, and Sulari did the same. Virex flexed his muscles, then attempted to yell, “RUN—”

  But his call was cut short. The black-scaled Ragnarr dashed forward, gripping Exil’s skull in his right hand, squeezing slightly until it popped with a sickening crack.

  Blood sprayed from the cracks between his fingers in his firm grip, and he tossed Exil’s newly-made corpse aside with more force than he realized. Exil’s body slapped the stone hill behind the Ragnarr with a sickening crunch. Virex gritted his teeth, glaring at the Ragnarr.

  “You… YOU DAMN MONSTER!!” he yelled telepathically, charging forward.

  He pulled out a small metallic handle and pressed a button on it. Beams of light formed into two blades at each edge. Virex swung at the Ragnarr, but the bladed edges did little more than scratch the Ragnarr’s scales. Meanwhile, Sulari rushed to the newly made corpse of her younger brother, clutching him in her arms.

  “It’s okay… it’s going to be okay, baby brother.” She sobbed, but not until another sickening crunch echoed from behind her, she turned her head. The Ragnarr’s jaws were wrapped around Verix’s skull. The Ragnarr then pulled back, tearing muscle tendons out of place and bringing the spine with them, blood spraying from the torn stump. The rest of what remained of the second newly made corpse flopped to the side.

  The Ragnarr spat out the spine, swallowing what blood and flesh it could before walking closer to Sulari, who was still in shock, shaking. She let go of her brother's corpse and, in her haste to escape, tripped over it. Crawling backward, now covered in her sibling’s blood, she fell, cracking her glass dome helmet. For the first time in her life—and in the history of the Glarsians—she spoke in the forbidden language.

  She hurled insults at the Ragnarr, which only confused it as it walked closer before stopping in front of her. Its throat mumbled and bobbed, attempting to mimic her speech.

  “Ku-la-kar-ii,” the Ragnarr said in a deep, terrifying voice. Sulari’s eyes widened, but before she could make sense of what was happening, the Ragnarr lifted both arms overhead and slammed them down onto her. A crater formed beneath her from the impact, her entrails bursting upward in a geyser of blood and guts. The Ragnarr swiped his hand inside her corpse, bringing it to his mouth, humming in appreciation of the taste. He then crouched down and began feeding on his hard-earned meal.

  After an hour or two of pure feasting, he ripped the muscle from the last of his hunt, tossing the bone aside before standing tall. His nostrils flared as he caught a scent—the scent of blood, guts, and bone. He inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling. Another scent, distinct and familiar, reached his nose. Excitement filled the black-scaled Ragnarr’s bones.

  After what seemed like two hours of walking, he stopped, tilting his head curiously at the sight in front of him. Today, two new things had been introduced to him—things that confused yet excited him. What rested before him? The shuttle the Glarsians had used to arrive on this cursed planet.

  The Ragnarr roared as if to intimidate the metal beast, but instead of a roar or panicked screams, the shuttle remained unyielding. This was another new experience for him—a strange one that frustrated him slightly. Nonetheless, he walked closer to inspect it. This wasn’t food or a challenge, but a cave—at least, that’s what he thought.

  He entered the shuttle, scanning the advanced technology inside through his predatory slits. Equipment for space exploration and more filled the space. As he walked, he stopped in front of a room. The door slid open with a quiet hiss. The sound startled the Ragnarr, but what was he to take his frustrations out on when the very door that had once been in front of him had disappeared?

  He stepped inside the room. It was meant to be a research space, with plants from other planets encased in glass jars on the shelves. In the middle was a large table supporting a peculiar purple plant, which looked strange to him. There were few plants on planet Savra, let alone purple-colored ones. He leaned forward to sniff the plant, and it pulsed with vibrant magenta, as if reacting to his action.

  Startled, he pulled back, scanning the room again. The shuttle still reeked of the same scent he had encountered before his feast. His eyes locked on a protruding yellow button. Curious, he pressed it with a long-clawed finger. The wall in front of him slid to the side, revealing a shelf filled with literature—nearly fifty books on Glarsian culture, their communication methods, the forbidden language, and more. For a hulking beast with a quick-adapting mind like his, it was a treasure trove.

  He stood, flipping through the pages of one book after another. He read each one in what seemed to be no time at all—just an hour or two, though to him, it felt like much less. He had already read every book the shuttle had to offer. He had just finished a book on the Glarsian language and understood it all, as if it were second nature. He now realized that the woman he had devoured hours ago had cursed at him out of fear and anger.

  His throat bobbed as he attempted the language in his deep, intimidating voice: “Ruth-class-rak-naka.” He inhaled and exhaled, then tried again: “Ruthclass, raknaka.” His voice remained deep, but the words were much better composed. He grabbed another book that explained how the shuttle worked and how to operate it.

  “I want to learn,” he said aloud. He flipped through the pages quickly, the book small in his hand. After only a few seconds, he sped through it, slapping it closed and tossing it behind him carelessly.

  He approached the steering wheel, which lit up with a blue glow as the shuttle hummed to life. The console pulsed in front of him. He sat in the chair, which was designed for a Glarsian. As he sat down, the chair dented beneath him, but then expanded to fit him nearly perfectly. Startled, he stood, then sat back down. Now more comfortable, his hands never left the steering wheel. He pulled it back, and the shuttle hummed to life, thrusting upward into the air. The loud bang of the ramp flapping against the shuttle echoed.

  A voice in Glarsian spoke, “Initiating ramp closing.” A hiss, then a click, and the voice returned. “Ramp closing complete, ready for takeoff.”

  The Ragnarr pulled harder on the wheel, and the shuttle lifted into the air with great speed. Panicking, he let go of the wheel, and the shuttle dove downward. His panic worsened before he grabbed the wheel again, steadying the shuttle.

  He almost experimentally pulled a lever at his side, making the shuttle hover back and forth in the air. He smiled a toothy grin before speaking in Glarsian, now fluent as if he’d been speaking it his whole life:

  “How intriguing. If the Glarsians found my planet, then I wonder how many other planets exist out there? Plenty to conquer, blood to spill, screams of peril to be heard.”

  He pulled on the wheel, sending the shuttle further into the sky, until it easily left the atmosphere. He turned the shuttle around to glance at his home planet. He sneered as if the very sight disgusted him before speaking:

  “Perish.”

  He pressed a button on the console. An arm extended, the laser humming as it charged up before firing a beam of red energy toward the planet. Upon contact, the planet erupted, exploding chunks of what used to be his home. He smiled and clapped his hands, amused by the sight of pure destruction.

  He grabbed the wheel once more, composing himself before using his left hand to grab the lever. The shuttle sped through the air. May whatever god the alien planet believed in have mercy on them—because he wouldn’t.

  He spoke for the final time: “I’m coming for you, Glarsia.”