Grim and Grand Master stood before Lord Grania, the Granian Emperor, in the grand chamber of the Granian Castle. The room was filled with the weight of anticipation as the Council of Elders, an assembly of wise and ancient Granians, watched them closely.
"Lord Grania," Grand Master began, his voice steady, "It is with great pleasure that myself and Grim the Conqueror, leader of the Granian Galactic explorers, present ourselves before you. We return with gifts and trophies, and most notably, we have returned with not two but four Blood Mutants from Planet Earth."
The room buzzed with murmurs and whispers at the mention of the Blood Mutants. The Council of Elders, some of whom were as old as the planet itself, regarded the mutants with a mixture of awe and curiosity.
"Four?" Lord Grania raised an eyebrow. "Your mission was to retrieve only two, was it not?"
"Yes, my Lord, but..."
"My instructions were simple and clear, weren’t they?" The Granian Emperor stood from his throne, showcasing his magnificent body. Unlike Grim’s black-scaled body and Grand Master’s twilight fog and green-scaled body, Lord Grania was two times their size with a slightly pale, purple-gray color. His soft scales, unlike the traditional green almost every Granian had, were pink-purple with the slits in his tail and scales being green in color.
"Do you understand what will happen now?" Lord Grania questioned the two Granians with his hands stretched towards them. In anger, Grania began to lift Grand Master and Grim without touching them as he glared at them angrily. "Have you no idea what the consequences will be for us?"
"We do, Lord Grania," Grim answered. "The first two were who we specifically came for. The other two were hybrids of the first. In other words, they were stowaways. We did not plan to bring them along, but they were unfortunate stowaways."
"Hybrids?" Lord Grim and the rest of The Council murmured amongst themselves, clearly amazed by what Grim had just mentioned. In a moment, Lord Grania gently released the two and sat back on his throne.
"They’re already at the Blood Bishop Rank?" One of the Elder Granians asked with a hopeful spark in their eyes. "Are either of them in that Rank?" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍
"Sadly, they are not," Grim defeatedly replied while lowering his head in defeat. "With your permission, we wish to present the Blood Mutants to you."
Lord Grania nodded thoughtfully. "Very well, Grim. I trust your judgment. Let us see these mutants."
Having been given the command, Grim notified his Granian warriors to perform their duties. The four cylindrical containers, each holding the four humans, were brought forward by Grim’s warriors. The humans floated within the green liquid, their faces peaceful in repose. The Council of Elders gathered around, their ancient eyes studying the humans intently.
"These beings are somewhat different than the first two we captured before," one of the Elders remarked, stroking his long horn underneath his chin. "They are younger in age and look less physically capable than the others."
"Indeed, but they may be the ones to lead us to victory over the Ethisians," another Elder added, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "You have noted their youthfulness so they have much strength and vigor to grow in terms of strength and skill."
With his anger quickly vanishing as if it weren’t there in the first place, Lord Grania turned to Grim and Grand Master with a pleased expression on his face. "You have done well. Your mission was a success, and you have brought us the potential for further greatness. I bestow on you the burden of training them. Use whatever sources you need."
Standing from his throne, Lord Grania took off one of his rings and handed them to Grim. "From this day forth, you have the power to do as you please concerning the blood mutants. All that we Granians have is at your disposal. Utilize and use them wisely. Do I make myself clear, Grim the Conqueror?"
"Yes, my Lord." Grim answered while taking a knee. Lord Grania floated the ring over to Grim with a smile on his face and bestowed upon him the power to do as he wished, that is if it concerned the blood mutants.
"Welcome back and well done."
Grim and Grand Master bowed once more in gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Grania," Grand Master said. "We are honored to have served our planet."
Lord Grania’s gaze shifted to Grim. "And now, Grim, I understand that it is time for your mating ritual with Helda, correct? I’ll allow you to leave and commence with that. Once you have completed, present the Blood Mutants before me. I would like to see how far they have moved in terms of their capabilities."
Grim nodded solemnly. "I will be sure to do so, my Lord."
As the Council of Elders began to disperse, making preparations to study the mutants, Grim and Grand Master were left to contemplate the of their lives. The fate of Planet Grania rested on their shoulders, and the potential of the Blood Mutants would soon be unveiled.
As soon as Grim and Grand Master left the Granian Palace, they dispersed to their specific residences, with Grim preparing for his mating ritual with Helda. These were one of the reasons Grim was anxious to return for soon, he was about to enter the next stage of his life. According to Granian culture, a Granian warrior would have to successfully pass on their seed to a son who would continue their legacy. Once that was completed, the warrior would dedicate the rest of their life to training their son, or sons, in the ways of Granian battle, combat, history, and politics. In other words, it was a way for Grim to pass on his legacy and write his name in Planet Grania’s history.
"Earth Space Station 89 to ArkVille. Announcement: The Mutagenic Serums have been completed and are ready for disposal."
"Copy that, Station 89."
The Granians and Ethisians were not the only ones going through preparations for great conquests ahead. Back on Earth, and in the last six years, the human race has suffered a great blow to their population numbers and their pride. With the painful defeat of war constantly echoing through everyone’s mind, they used it to push themselves to increase their numbers, technological advancements, and weaponry numbers.
"Six months until we take off."