//Warning. You are about to embark on one of the longest stories you will probably ever read, a novel that spans thousands of chapters and contains dozens of arcs. A tale of strength and courage, of magic and adventure, of camaraderie and perseverance.
Reader emotions may vary but the novel will push on, building worlds, characters, lore, weaving story after story, expanding on anything and everything.
Hope you have what it takes to sit it through to the end.
Good Luck Soldier 🪖. Arcane Guide You Well.
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It was being hunted down, that was all it was aware of.
It was all extremely brief, an instantaneous moment that the creature would've normally missed. A slight rustling of tree leaves, a subtle yet all too familiar scent, a taste of danger brewing in the surrounding air. Sitting in a wide open clearing, sun shining down over it's amethyst colored head, the Earth Gecko carefully surveyed it's surroundings, forked tongue repeatedly flicking out of it's mouth.
Up until a few moments before, it had been relaxing, soaking in the toasty rays in a nearby meadow. Surrounded by a pod of its own kind, it had been ever so close to dozing off, it's belly full from it's recently devoured lunch. There hadn't been any immediate signs of predators or potential intruders, nothing that could cause a disruption to the Gecko's evening. It was a beautiful day and the small group of monsters were more than happy to spend it lounging around, digesting the four course meal they had just finished snacking on.
That was until the crimson demon appeared, striking from the shadows, almost completely obscured by the overly tall pampas grass encompassing the boulders the pod rested upon.
The attack was sudden and swift, barely allowing any time for the Earth Gecko's to take any sort of countermeasure. A flash of metal, a blur of crimson, muted cries of agony. In the blink of an eye, three of the five lizards had fallen to the demon, skewered through the back of the head before they could even register the new threat. The remaining two Gecko's instantly took evasive action, fleeing in opposite directions. One took to the fields, burying itself in the protection of the lengthy vegetation, the other shooting towards the nearby woodlands, bobbing and weaving through the thick foliage.
That was how the Earth Gecko had ended up where it had, in the middle of an open space somewhere within the forest, trying to allocate where the danger was. It has traversed the innards of Goemul Forest for what felt like eons, twisting and turning it's way through it's depths in hopes of completely throwing the predator off its tail.
Swish!!
A large bush at the edge of the clearing shuddered, some of it's leaves shaking loose, drawing the Gecko's immediate attention.
Swish!
A soft sound could be heard from behind the poised monster, an almost imperceptible noise that the Gecko would have missed entirely if it hadn't had it's senses on the highest setting. A wave of danger washed over it immediately following the noise, the proverbial hairs on its neck standing on end. Quickly spinning around, the lizard made an attempt to save its own skin, lashing at it's would be murderer. It's jaws met naught but air though as the crimson demon leapt into the air, completely avoiding the Gecko's final desperate act. There was a brief stab of pain in the back of the monsters head, a heavy weight on its back and everything went dark.
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Shick!
The dagger made a wet sound as Jak Yanda pried it from the back of the Earth Gecko's skull, the small blade now coated in a viscous red liquid. The small red haired youth didn't pay it too much mind though as he quickly swiped the weapon against some thick strands of grass, cleaning it off.
Putting the dagger into it's sheath located on his hip, Jak began a quick inspection of his newest kill, surveying the dead monster as one would a slab of meat. Lifting it's lip to check it's teeth, poking and stretching it's skin to ascertain firmness, wiggling it's girthy tail to pinpoint it's possible age and gender. He left no stone unturned, even going so far as to roll the creature over to get a look at it's underside, exposing it's soft, pale green belly and the sticky padding on its feet. Jak took his time, going through the carcass with utmost caution, crimson hues committing every small detail to memory.
"Earth Gecko. Male Juvenile, around 3 years old. Healthy condition." The young adolescent grabbed the lizards side and used it to push the dead monster back onto it's stomach. "3 meters from head to base of tail, 5 meters with tail. Weighs around 500 kilos. Goemul Forest variant."
After reaffirming his own findings, the small child hoisted the limp monster from the ground and onto his head.
"Not to rush you or anything, but could you do me a favor and slice open the belly?"
Jak stumbled, tripping over his own two feet before he had taken more than ten steps. Falling on his face, the corpse landed on top of him, burying his face further into the soft ground and making it that much harder to breath.
It wasn't every day that the stomach of a monster spoke to him.
Worming his way out from beneath the deceased Gecko, Jak brushed the dirt off of his clothing, his black shirt and pants having been almost fully coated with brown debris. The last thing he had been expecting was to be spoken to from beyond the grave by a mere I-class, Combatant rank monster. Even now as he recollected himself, he still couldn't believe what he had heard as he probed the beasts belly with the tip of his bare foot.
"You still there?" The belly asked, a muffle male voice emanating from it. "If you are, say the word banana."
"How the heck are you talking?" Jak questioned, getting closer to the gut. "You don't even have a working mouth. Are you some sort of god or freak of nature?"
"I'm not the belly moron!!" The voice within protested, now with a much more irritated tone. "I'm IN the belly. Now cut me out."