The Rise to Godhood
Chapter 54: Join or Die.

Thorax Zelinkom sweated profusely, so much that his scaly and shiny lizard skin turned purple as he reached the Temple of Life at the Xenora equator. The temple was a meeting place for all the tribes, as they had to permanently move to avoid getting caught in the searing midday sun on the slow-rotating planet. Thorax hated this place. When he became the Supreme Leader, he would have settlements in the polar regions with tunnel networks connecting the two. That was the only way to have permanent settlements, which was necessary to build a force capable of conquering the six other prime planets in the galaxy.

Thorax sought shade behind a stone pillar, but it didn’t help him much. While the shade protected him against the searing UV radiation, the temperature was over 50°C and rising. In less than 24 hours, it would reach 70°C as the planet progressed further in its three months long day-night-cycle. 70°C was more than his body could handle, and Thorax damned that his superior Zetan genome didn’t allow him to withstand Xenora’s searing midday heat. Yet, his intolerance for high temperatures was irrelevant. Once his subjects had completed their settlements in the polar regions and their adjoining tunnel networks, he would no longer need to tolerate heat.

Thorax picked up the corrupted dark Zeto Crystal from his pocket. It had turned from blue and tranquil to dark and fiery. He held in a shout of pain as he touched it. The dark crystal was as icy as the darkness of space and as hot as a glowing star. It was painful to handle, and it was his destiny to let the pain guide him.

“Thorax Zelinkom, stop hiding in the shadows. Come out and face the council.” A voice mocked.

Thorax clenched his jaws. He had expected them to be more respectful after the way he had repelled their attacks on his North Pole base. Yet, they didn’t fear him enough, and they thought they were safe as the Xeno culture did not allow violence in this holy place.

Thorax squeezed the Zeto Crystal and entered the circle in the temple, bathing under the searing blue sun. “I wasn’t hiding, and it would behove you to be more respectful to your future king,” Thorax warned.

The councillors looked at Thorax in disdain. They hated the ugly freak, as he was shorter than an average Xeno man, and his skin was lizard-like and scaly, unlike theirs, which looked more thorny and furry, and they were twice his humanoid size. Yet, their defeat at the North Pole had forced them to offer him parlay and safe passage.

“We don’t have kings on Xenora, we have leaders, and you are not leading anyone. You can rot while hiding in your fort on the North Pole for all I care.” Maicon, one of the Xeno chieftains, exclaimed.

“Yet you tried to expel me and lost many of your men doing so.” Thorax taunted.

“It doesn’t matter, tiny creature. You are too cowardly to face us in the field. Your followers will get sick of eating mushrooms and hiding in the icy twilight when they can roam the plains of Xenora under a true leader.”

Thorax bit his lip. He hated that his physique didn’t allow him to lead his tribe as the other Xeno leaders did. He could not run at a sustained pace to outrun the planet’s rotation while also leading hunts of the fantastic beasts that roamed the planet. Instead, he had to ride on the back of his men to get to the meeting, and while his men feared him and his corrupted dark Zeto Crystal, he was also dependent on them to survive. If he killed them, the midday sun would catch up with him and burn him alive.

“You are wrong,” Thorax stated and smirked.

“And why is that, you filthy rat?” Maicon sneered.

“Because my men know that their children are safe at the North Pole, and they are outside your reach. Meanwhile, we grow enough mushrooms in our caves to sustain ourselves until the end of time.”

“What does it matter? Our children are not part of the conflict.” Maicon replied.

“They are now. Submit to my kingship or watch your children die. I will come for them; I will clear one nursery at a time until none of you remains.” Thorax threatened.

Hearing this, Maicon jumped Thorax. They crashed to the ground, and Maicon held his claws to Thorax’s throat. Thorax squeezed the dark Zeto Crystal, smirked to hide his pain, and spoke, “So, Maicon of the Mun Tribe. Is this how you treat the holy sacraments and the ban against violence at the Temple of Life?”

“You stay away from our children. Infanticide is not the Xeno way.” Maicon roared.

“I have changed the Xeno way, as foretold in the prophecies. Yield to me or die.” Thorax said and prepared to have his throat ripped while hoping that the crystal’s power would keep him alive.

This didn’t come to pass, as another Xeno leader, Kandung, pulled Maicon away and spoke, “Don’t shed any blood in this temple, Maicon. We cannot breach against our ancient laws.”

“We need to kill him now; it’s the only way.” Maicon protested.

“He will be dead soon enough, but not like this.” Kandung replied, turned to Thorax, and proclaimed, “Thorax Zelinkom, for the threats towards our children, I proclaim you a heretic. You’ll receive a two-day head start. After that, it’s the obligation of every Xeno following our traditions to kill you. Begone.”

Thorax grasped his dark Zeto Crystal. He could kill them here and now; he could feel it. Yet, he did not want to be the one breaking the sanctity of this temple. It would have been better if they drew first blood. “I guess I’ll see you soon,” Thorax stated and left the temple.

***

“Master Thorax, what happens now?”

Thorax looked at his loyal servant Drang, who had carried him 1200 kilometres to the Northwest. Moving away from the equator to an earlier time in the day, the temperature had fallen, and Thorax’s skin tone had reversed from purple to scaly green. He sighed relief and replied, “Well, I expect that they’ll come to our North Pole settlement with their finest warriors where we slaughter them all.”

“What if they don’t take the bait?” Drang asked.

“Then we’ll seek out their nurseries and murder their children. That will gain their attention. Either way, I won’t allow any division on this planet. The others must join me or die. The Milky Way Galaxy shall be mine.” Thorax screeched as he squeezed the Zeto Crystal so hard that blood sipped from his lips.

Drang didn’t reply. He didn’t know what the Milky Way Galaxy was or what Thorax planned to do. Yet, he knew one thing; terrible things happened to those who questioned his master when he had that look in his eyes. So, driven by fear, Drang forgot about his fatigue and ran towards the northwest, away from the scorching day and his master’s fearsome temper.