Chapter 14: Evil Space Aliens
9000 BC - M51 Galaxy
"It's a son, master" the midwife says to Master Vile. Vile takes the baby from her and looks at him. He hadn't been with anyone since Fienna, but he needed another heir. Rita was becoming a fine one… but in the business they are in you never know what could happen. But he needed to give the boy a name, a name that compliments his half-sister. Vile can think of only one name
"His name is Rito Revolto"
8105 BC - Claydoious
In a workshop, an artist is watching his city burn
"Such beauty!" The artist said to himself "It all turns to black in the end. No matter how wealthy or kind you are, everything is equal to the flame. No more green. No more quiet. Now our little village is truly alive; full of excitement and activity. It's inspiring. So inspiring! Ahh! Look at all those people scurrying about. Such anguish! I've opened their minds to new experiences. This is art. You're welcome" and his wife, Plepra, knocks on the door
"Finster? It's me" Plepra said
"I'm working" Finster said
"You're always working" Plepra said "Things in town are getting worse. There was another fire tonight. People are dying in the streets. I'm afraid I'm growing number to it all. How horrible does that sound? I can't even cry about it anymore. Why is this happening? I'm trying to be strong, but I can't do this alone. I need you. You've been so distant lately. I don't understand what's happened. Did I do something. Finster, we can't keep living with this door between us. I know you don't like to be bothered while you're working, but I'm sorry" and she uses a key to unlock the door "I need my husband right n… oh!" and she stands shocked at the sight of a clay statue of a mighty minotaur.
"Plepra!" Finster shouted "what are you doing?! Get out! You know you're now allowed in here without my permission. You've ruined my concentration!"
"Wha… what is this?!" Plepra asked, shocked
"Now, Pleps, let me explain" Finster began
"This is grotesque" Plepra said "why would you make this?"
"It's not 'grotesque'" Finster said "it's beauty… just a different a kind. I can't spend the rest of my life sculpting water fairies and dancing thellamares. I won't! I deserve better than that. You've seen how lost I've been the past year. But now I've found something fresh… something our town has never seen! Fear. Anger. Suffering!
"It was you" Plepra realized "you did this. The fires. All these months…"
"Inspiration is fleeting Pleps" Finster stated "I needed to keep it alive"
"Finster no art is worth that" Plepra shouted "People are dead! People we knew!"
"The deaths were all accidents, but it'll be okay" Finster said "The town will appreciate it once they see my work! It'll all be worth it!"
"No, this isn't right" Plepra said "This isn't the Finster I know. You're not thinking straight! There's something wrong with you. We've got to tell people the truth. They can get you help"
"No!" Finster shouted and he blocked her access to the door "no one can see until it's ready! They won't understand!"
"Let!" Plepra shouted as she struggled with Finster to get by the door "Me! Go!" and Finster pushed her back and and she hit her head on the table
"Plepra!" Finster shouted, rushing to her side, but she doesn't respond "Pleps? It was an accident. She shouldn't have come in. It's not my fault! I'm not a bad person! The townsfolk they'll come looking. They'll punish me! Hurt me! It's not fair! I just wanted to make something beautiful"
"And so you shall, Finster" a voice said and he turned to see a woman
"Who are you?" Finster asked
"I am Rita Repulsa" the woman said "Sorceress of Dark Magic and First Born of Master Vile. I have been watching you. The evil you bestowed upon you're own people has delighted me, but tonight you have finally proven yourself ready. Why is someone so talented crawling on the floor?"
"I've done terrible things" Finster replied
"'Terrible' would be wasting your abilities on a backwater planet like this" Rita said "I have need of an artist, Finster. Someone who sees the beauty in Darkness. I have recently procured a special type of clay. In the right environment, this clay can be molded and brought to life. Living works of art, Finster. Imagine it"
"I can't" Finster said "The townspeople will be mad enough. They're probably on their way now!"
'No one is coming, Finster" Rita said "What you started tonight, I finished. Your town is in ashes. Your people are dead. It's over"
"B… but… Plepra… she…" Finster babbled
"Focus, Finster" Rita said "I'm talking about creating life. Do you really want to pass that up? Is there no one you want to give life to?" And Finster went with Rita and returned to her palace. Rita gave him a workshop and then went to her private chambers
"Excellent job, Rita" voice said
"Thank you, Nimue" Rita said
"You really did a number on him" Nimue said "casting a spell so he'd you're voice in his head as his own, telling him that he can't spend the rest of my life sculpting water fairies and dancing thellamares. That he deserves better. That there's beauty in darkness. That setting fires would inspire him more, that no one would get seriously hurt or die, just get some minor burns. And then hinting that he could use the clay to bring his wife back to life. You were perfect"
"What can I say?" Rita asked "I have a good teacher. But I wonder, wouldn't it be easier just to create my own monsters with my magic, rather than manipulating someone to make them with magic clay"
"You've forgotten your first lesson, my child" Nimue said "magic always come with a price. It's better to let someone else use the magic and therefore pay the price. Now you will have an army of monsters at your disposal and won't have to worry about the price. Additionally, you needed to learn that manipulation can be an even more powerful tool than magic, and you needed to learn how to use it. I'd say you've done so"
"I aim to please" Rita said "now I need to go get Finster to work on my army"
"Not so fast, child" Nimue said "give him a few weeks. He's just been through a tragic experience"
"Isn't that when he'll be easiest to manipulate?" Rita asked "if we wait too long, he could come to his senses"
"He hasn't quite hit rock bottom yet" Nimue said "while hinting he could bring his wife back was a good move to get him to come with you, if you don't let him at least make an attempt every now and then, he may leave. Come, let's watch" and she pulls out a crystal ball and waves her hand over it and they see Finster inside his workshop babbling to himself
"It's time to resurrect my beloved" Finster said to himself "Oh how grateful she'll be when I've brought her back! She'll run into my arms. Finally, she'll understand and apologize for her actions; her harsh words that she didn't mean. And I'll forgive her. When this succeeds, I'll be more than a sorcerer or a king, I'll be a god" and he finishes shaping the clay into Plepra and activates a machine to energize the clay, bringing it to life and the clay starts moving "Plepra? Plepra is that you?"
"Finster" the clay said "you killed me"
"It was an accident" Finster said "and I brought you back"
"No, Finster, please stop" the clay said and looked at him in horror
"No!" Finster said "Nonononono! Don't look at me like that! It's not right! You're ruining everything again! Be quiet!" And he grabbed and ax and destroyed the putty statue of Plepra "It's okay. It wasn't her. I didn't get it right. Plepra was far more beautiful than that… her fingers were longer, the hair should be wavier, her eyes more kind. The real Plepra would never look at me like that! I'll have to try again, I'll get there. Next time, I'll get her right. Next time, she'll be perfect"
"So that's why you had me leave an ax in the workshop" Rita said
"Right" Nimue said
"So he's not really bringing her back, right?" Rita asked "one of the laws of magic is you can't bring back the dead"
"That is correct" Nimue said "you could use putty to replicate someone, living or dead, but it wouldn't actually be them. And despite what Finster thinks, it doesn't matter how closely the clay resembles the person, but rather the intent behind the sculptor. Now… I may have slipped some of his wife's hair into the clay… which will imbue part of her soul into the putty… it won't be fully her, but she will actually feel every time Finster tries to bring her back and kills her. And as a bonus, as long as he is intent on bringing her back, she'll never be able to move on from the Underworld to Mount Olympus"
"Now that is evil" Rita said
"Thank you" Nimue said "now, one thing you need to know about this putty I gave you. The creatures you make with it have no souls and so can't truly be killed as they were never alive to begin with. If one of these creatures is destroyed, you can of course just recreate it, but that would be a waste of clay. If the creature hasn't been completely vaporized, you can cast a spell on its remains to revive it… with a side effect. Give Finster a few weeks off, then have him create a monster for you. Bring the monster to me and destroy it and then I will teach you how to make your monster grow"
8100 BC - Myrgo
After conquering the planet, Rita Repulsa waits for the planet's rulers to bring their tribute. The rules arrive, carrying their tribute
"Mistress" the male said "my mate and I have little, but what we do, we offer to you freely"
"Conquer and…" Rita began, but then noticed what they offered as tribute "tribute…"
"We offer our child" the male said "flesh of our flesh… in exchange for our lives"
"And what would I want with a baby?" Rita asked
"He's…" the female said "… he's very smart. Strong"
"And he'll grow fast, too" the male said "Our people mature very quickly. He can serve you"
"And look, he can even do tricks" the female said "here, just like we practiced… please" she says to her baby, holding grapes above it's head. The baby grabs a grape and throws it as his mother's head and laughs
"Truly a savant" Rita said
"I lied" the female said "he's simple, like his father"
"But he's all we have" the male said
"Yet you would give him to me, flesh of your flesh" Rita said "to save your lives?"
"Yes, my empress, freely" the female said. Rita looked at them in disgust. To sell your child into slavery to save your own skins… people like that won't hesitate to stab her in the back at first chance…
"Putties" Rita said "seize them" and her Putties grab them and drag them off
"No!" The female screamed "Please! Be merciful! Be merciful!" But Rita ignores them and turns to their baby
"Well, you're a Squatt little thing, aren't you?" Rita said to him "I suppose we're stuck together now"
8080 BC - Pongias
"NO MORE BIG BAD GATE!" A monster says as it smashes the gate to the capital city. Rita could have teleported past it of course… but having a shark monster smash the gates makes such a better impression
"Well done, Finster" Rita said "Rammerhead is almost as strong as it is stupid"
"I strive to serve, my Queen" Finster said
"But Empress" Squatt said "should we be following so close? The Pongie army is rumored to be quite…" and they noticed the whole army was turned to stone "…formidable?"
"Wonderful, my Queen" Finster said "you turned them all to stone"
"Interesting" Rita said "this is not my doing. Though it certainly explains the lack of resistance"
"My Queen" Squatt said "perhaps this creature can explain things" and he shoved a Pongie to the ground before Rita
"Oh mercy" the Pongie said "show me mercy, please. It wasn't my fault. I swear"
"What is your name prisoner?" Rita asked
"Ba… Baboo" the Pongie said
"And who did this to your king and his mighty army?" Rita asked
"I… I did" Baboo said "curse my stupidity, it was my fault. But I swear it was an accident. When King Batuee heard you were approaching, he commanded I create a potion that would make his army indestructible. I told him how dangerous it was, begged him to be careful but… they drank. They all drank, and… with no army my people fled… leaving me behind. I beg you, end my life. I can't bear to live with the shame."
"A potion maker, you say?" Rita asked "and a loyal one at that. I'm sorry, but you will not die today. I may have a much better use for you"