Shadows of Vin Tahng: Part 3

When he came too Kronos found himself strapped to a table.  Siel-Kha and another Kiliaak were standing over him.
"Ah, you are finally awake. Good.  We can begin" Siel-Kha gestured towards the Kiliaak standing next to him, "This is Tohr-Sheik, my chief scientist. He is the only reason you're still alive right now, so you should be feeling grateful towards him." He smiled that sick smile again, "Then again, maybe not for long."
Tohr-Shiek grinned and said, "Your species fascinates me, worm.  You're strong, fierce, and almost intelligent, but I think I can make it all better." The scientist looked back at Siel-Kha and clapped him on the back, "Don't worry sir, you won't regret this!"
Siel-Kha looked disdainfully at the hand on his back until Tohr-Shiek slowly removed it. "I had better not. My bid for high commander is riding on this planet." and with that, he turned and left.
Looking back at Kronos, Tohr-Shiek was grinning ear to ear. "So!" he said, "Siel-Kha tells me you want to see your species elevated to the stars eh?"
This caught Kronos' attention. He nodded weakly and Tohr-Shiek continued, "Well, when I saw your species I knew I could do exactly that." He pulled a nearby lever, and Kronos felt himself being lifted into the air. "Tell me," he called out as he got further and further away, "How would you like to become a god?"  Kronos looked down and realized the room had receded, leaving him hanging in a massive empty chamber. Tohr-Shiek stepped onto a small hovering machine and flew to Kronos' eye level. "You'll have to excuse the drop, but when I'm finished it won't seem so big." Other Kiliaak in similar robes to Tohr-Shiek began flying around as well, injecting him with large tubes that snaked back to the edge of the room.
Kronos gasped in pain from the injections and struggled against the restraints, "What, what are you doing to me?"
Tohr-Shiek plunged the last tube into Kronos' body, and zipped back to his control panel. "As I said, I'm going to make you a god." and he pulled the switch.
Immediately Kronos felt as if his body was on fire. His bones twisted and expanded, but skin and muscles tore around them as they had not yet begun to grow. Tohr-Shiek clapped his hands together gleefully as the bones began ripping out of Kronos' body, "Yes yes! It's working! Don't worry, your muscles should begin growing...now!" As if on cue Kronos' muscles and skin stretched and elongated. As his body expanded, the agony overtook Kronos and he lost conciousness. Tohr-Shiek checked his vital signs, shrugged, and continued the procedure.
Kronos spent two months in a comatose state.  When he came to, the first thing Kronos noticed was how much smaller the room seemed.  Hmm, he thought, The drop has remained a constant 95 meters, why does it feel as if the room has shrunk? he looked down at the tiny tubes still sticking out of his now enormous arms.  Suddenly he realized the room hadn't shrunk, he had just grown. Must have been growth hormones of some kind, though they must have been extremely potent to alter my biology to this extent. Making these types of deductions he assumed his intellect had been improved as well. The straps holding him before had been replaced by enormous metal bindings that had come from the ceiling.
At his feet, he noticed that Tohr-Shiek was hopping around cheering with glee.  The scientist grabbed a small device that amplified his voice. "You there, beast, how do you feel?" Kronos eyed him coldly, but Tohr-Shiek seemed oblivious to his wrath. He turned to his assistant and said, "Stupid creature, his body may have grown, but I doubt his brain can handle regulating the new body and maintaining any semblance of intelligence."
Kronos growled, and Tohr-Shiek looked up in surprise. "You would be wrong about that, ant." He flexed, almost casually, and tore free in an instant. His hand shot out and grabbed Tohr-Shiek. He held him up in front of his face and squeezed, shattering the Kiliaak's legs and torso. "My neural capacities have increased over 467%. I've never felt more alive." He grinned wickedly at Tohr-Shiek, "More than you'll be able to claim in a few moments."
Just as he was about to kill him Tohr-Shiek began wheezing maniacally, and Kronos realized he was laughing. He looked up to Kronos and croaked, "Then I have succeeded! You are truly a God!"  He began kissing Kronos' hand, "Give me any order, any request my lord, and I will carry it out. I will serve you to the end of my days!" As the other lab technicians began following suit, Kronos realized he was surrounded by lunatics.  Kronos smiled and he knew he could use them to his advantage.  His thoughts immediately returned to his brother. Just as his body and mind had grown, so had his hatred. I will return, and destroy every last one of them. He thought of how no one had said a word when he was exiled, not even his closest friends had tried to calm the chieftain. Weaklings, He thought, They will never reach their true potential. They will die for their insolence, but that does not mean that all Tangh must die... Thoughts of an army of Tangh filled his head. Altered as he was, even just four or five would be enough.  With the Kiliaak's space faring technology he could spread his people to the stars, no, beyond the galaxy!
He looked down at Tohr-Shiek and boomed, "Bring me more of my people, do the same to them. Take them from other villages..."
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It had been a year, and Tohr-Shiek and Kronos had nothing to show for it. Kronos was baffled, not one of the seven Tangh had made it through the process. The lucky ones simply died, while the rest had emerged mishapen monsters that Kronos was forced to execute. Looking down at his latest failure, Kronos almost didn't notice Tohr-Shiek skittering onto his shoulder. Ever since his body was destroyed the Kiliaak inhabited a small spiderlike robot that allowed him to retain his mind and use his hands. He enjoyed sitting on Kronos' shoulder during the experiments, and Kronos didn't mind.
"SHHHHHK My lord, I bring news." Tohr-Shiek's artificial lungs wheezed painfully, "The battle with the Tangh below has cost the Kiliaak many lives, SHHHHHK and some say Siel-Kha's career will share the same fate. He has heard of our experiments, and wishes to speak with you."
No sooner had he said that, the doors to the lab swung open, and Siel-Kha hovered in on his own craft. "Ah, it is good to see you again my friend," He was all smiles, a sharp contrast to the last time Kronos had seen him. "I heard you had taken over the research team, and I had to come see it for myself."
"The Tangh must be putting up a nasty fight for you to come to me for help."
Siel-Kha winced at Kronos' words, and for a second the warm demeanor flickered, revealing the hatred hidden beneath it. "Oh it is, but that's inconsequential. I've come to speak with you about the value of the Tangh as a species." Siel-Kha looked disdainfully at the body below. "I understand that no other Tangh has managed to survive the ordeal you went through. And judging by your reports I am willing to wager that you are encountering a similar issue with trying to keep Tangh in captivity."
Kronos nodded. The Tangh were fiercely stubborn, and many had killed themselves to avoid capture or cooperation.
Siel-Kha continued, "This string of events has led me to wonder if the Tangh are worth the effort. They simply refuse to be uplifted, both by your efforts and mine. Yet, I believe they may have one use to us."
Kronos's mandibles clicked curiously, "So there is an us now? Do tell."
"I propose an alliance, {...},"
With a roar, Kronos struck the wall, leaving a massive hole.  The impact was mere feet from Siel Kha, who seemed unfazed.  "Do not call me that name," Kronos snapped, "never again!"
Siel-Kha paused, his brow raised in interest. "Very well.  What if I were to propose a new title?  Warlord of the Skrit-Ni'Vahk. You take control of my military forces and eradicate the Tangh below as a warning to the galaxy. This will be the sole use of the Tangh, Warlord, a symbol of our might!"
Until recently, Kronos would have been repulsed at the idea of killing another Tangh, but now all he could think of was the weak minded experiments he had created, or how the village had been perfectly fine with sending one of their own to his death. He looked back at Siel-Kha and asked gruffly, "And what do you get out of this?"
"My campaign for high commander would be assured.  I would control the Skrit-N'vahk, but you Warlord would control the military, placing me at second. All I would do is drive the ship."
Kronos nodded, this was acceptable if it meant revenge. Besides, he could work on eliminating Siel-Kha after he had a proper handle on Kiliaak Politics.  Speaking again, Kronos turned to the window, facing the planet Vin Tahng.  "They cannot hold me back anymore."
Kronos returned to his home planet, and burned it to the ground.
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The Tangh had fallen like leaves before him.  Emotionlessly, efficiently, Kronos and his forces eradicated the Tangh down to the last man, woman, and child. The last battle had ended the day before, and now that the extermination was over Kronos was ready to receive his reward.  Kronos waited in a massive room before kneeling before an obelisk that matched his size. Siel-Kha had proven himself more than useful in the past few weeks.  Kronos and he had developed a mutual understanding for each other, though their relationship was anything but friendly.  Looking to the top of the obelisk Kronos could see Siel-Kha dressed in the extravagant robes of a Kiliaak High Commander.
"You have conquered the entirety of Vin-Tangh, and eradicated it's population of mongrels."  Siel Kha said.  The crowd roared its approval, but Kronos didn't move. "I name you, Warlord of the Skrit-Ni'Vahk! Commander of our military forces, master tactician, we will be your spear of relentless conquest, and with us you will dominate all lesser beings beneath your unstoppable wrath!"
As Siel-Kha droned on Kronos found his mind drifting to the slaughter he had committed. His village had been the first to be destroyed, and they hadn't even recognized him. He thought of the innocent lives he had taken, and for a moment the horror of what he had done hit him like a blow to the chest. Then he felt the weight of the ceremonial fan lower onto his shoulders, and those feelings vanished. His heart hardened, he turned to face the crowd. His new armor gleamed like the stars he had dreamed of reaching, and with a roar he spread the fan triumphantly. The crowd went wild, and as Kronos looked out at his new army he realized Tohr-Shiek had been right after all.

He was a god.
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  And here's the last part to this miniseries!  Hope you enjoy it.  There's probably going to be an afterword regarding Kraken coming soon, but it's already midnight right now so it's going to have to wait.  This picture was largely meant to reference "in Memoria Monstri" from a while back.  This is when Kronos became the brutal warlord we knew him as.  Actually, I have some references to Leviathan's origin story here.  The two are meant to play off of one another, as two sides of the same coin.  

Golly, Kronos is so much fun to draw and write for.  It's a shame he got killed

Up Next: Part IV blabyloo229.deviantart.com/art…