Preview - Munera Chapter 2 (Patreon)

 The two armoured soldiers marched down the corridor, roughly tugging Lars along by his shoulders. Aurelian strode ahead, hands tucked officiously behind his back. Everything smelt vaguely metallic, though Lars figured his nose might have been bleeding.

Before too long, they’d stepped through a pair of iron sliding doors and into a new room - this one was quite ornate, carpeted in royal red and with paneling that almost resembled oak. At the other end of the room were three enormous portraits - on the left was Aurelian, clad in a fine black uniform, an asteroid belt framing his upright, almost disdainful posture. On the right was a woman of his species, dressed in armour similar to the soldiers but sans a helmet, painted red, and with a flowing black cape behind her; she looked stately, regal, and yet utterly fierce, a pensive finger on her chin as she surveyed a bloody, ruined battlefield. In the middle was an old man in a bronze-gold uniform, sitting on a golden throne with both arms resting on the armrests, gazing down at the room below with practiced authority.

Aurelian bowed at the middle portrait, and Lars was quite forcefully made to do the same by his escorts. This, he supposed, was their emperor.

“Presenting His Imperial Majesty Octavian III Valerian, Divine Ruler of the Cosmos and of the Planet Koros in Particular.”

“It’s just a painting, dude,” muttered Lars.