Deep into The Forest, hundreds of kilometers away from Lucius and his endeavors, the clacks of metal clashing against stone echoed throughout the trees. Sparks flew through the air from the impact of two blades striking each other, with each clash illuminating the areas where the moonlight did not reach. Between sparks of light, two beings moved with utmost speed, appearing only as flashes of green and purple for the brief moments of luminosity. As the cold evening wind blew gently across the branches, the crisp moonlight pierced through to the forest floor, briefly illuminating the child-sized monster kneeling on the ground.
Its obscenely large head, that seemed too big for its own body, was littered with cuts and bruises. A viscous green liquid dripped from each cut like condensation sliding down a window in the early hours of the morning, as each bruise on its face swelled like a balloon. The scrawny green limbs and torso of the being were just as tattered as its face, the same could be said for the shabby leather garb it wore. Despite its injuries, the being growled at its adversary, even in defeat it held onto its tenacious spirit. Yet as the breeze came to a halt and the moonlight was blocked by the overhead branches, a gentle squishing sound echoed through the trees, like a handful of mud being squeezed in the palm of one's hand.
Soon the forest grew quiet, with only the chirps of crickets in the night air and the subtle sound of footsteps through the undergrowth. Between glimpses of the silver moonlight, the shadowy purple skin, pale white eyes and small pointy ears of the victor emerged, followed by the cold dull gleam of her breastplate in the light. The crisp black saber she held still dripped with the blood of the enemy she killed, yet despite the fight, she bore not a single wound on her armor nor skin. With a flick of her saber the green blood splattered the ground, leaving no traces of its existence in the grass. And not but a moment later, her shadowy purple skin became one with the bleak evening forest.
***
It was dark, so much so that I could barely see my hand in front of my face, and the evening breeze felt like ice sliding across my face. It had been several hours since the Shock Lizard fell asleep in my lap, although I enjoyed the several hours of beautiful scenery, there was only so much sitting I could do before boredom and tiredness enveloped me. Had it not been for the second book I brought with me, I would have fallen asleep at some point, but instead I scribbled away in this empty book; about the details of the Shock Lizard resting on my lap, about the scenery surrounding me, about anything I could think of to pass the time.
But to no avail, I still found myself allured by my need for sleep, the gentle breeze coasting through the forest floor and the peaceful chirps of crickets between the snores of the Shock Lizard on my lap acted like a lullaby only I could hear. I could feel my eyelids start to droop with each passing minute, like an hourglass counting down the seconds until I fell asleep. But I can't let myself sleep yet, so I shook my head and let out a groan to keep myself awake. If I slept now, nothing would be protecting the Lizard on my lap, and more importantly, nothing would be protecting me.
Yet a simple yawn was all it took for my problems to be solved. As the air escaped my lungs I heard a crackle in the air. The smell of charred wood wafted into my lungs as three sparks of lightning shot past my face, lighting up the surrounding bushes and grass with a sparky yellow hue. The weight that pressed my legs into the dirt for several hours suddenly became lighter, as the sparks of lightning became more frequent around the Shock Lizard's tail. Its tail acted like a torch, but without the same intensity of light that flames would give, yet the danger of it stayed the same, or even became more dangerous.
Despite the flashy lights flickering around me like fireflies in a field, I could feel my drowsiness starting to take over; with the extra weight of the Shock Lizard's head off my lap, falling asleep was inevitable. By pure instinct, I tucked my legs to my chest and laid down on my side, resting my head on my bag despite its uneven shape and mixture of soft and sturdy areas. With the last bit of energy I could muster, I managed to speak a few words, even though the only thing that could hear me wouldn't be able to understand their meaning.
"Protect… Us…"
When I awoke, I was warm. It was unlike the warmth of any covers or blankets I'd ever used, this warmth felt more personal, like the warmth of a hug from a loved one. It's been years since I've felt this warmth, and while it felt good, a sense of loneliness was still there; knowing away in the back of my mind. If only this warmth wasn't overshadowed by the extra weight on my body, it would have been the perfect way to wake up. From the prickly texture rubbing against my hand to the crackling air around me, I could instantly tell what was on top of me.
The Shock Lizard.
It was strange, not because there was a two meter long lizard standing over me, but because I could hear the feral growling of several monsters a few meters away from me. I managed to flip myself over despite the limited space beneath the Shock Lizard, but what I saw amazed me, not one, but ten bipedal monsters stood around us. The brown splotches of mud on their leaf green skin stood out like a knight in a slum and their blood red eyes gleamed like a ruby in broad daylight. Their heads were big in comparison to their scrawny stature, and their height made them even less threatening.
It didn't seem like they would be attacking soon, despite the stone knives they wielded being at the ready. But their position and numbers gave them the advantage, this wasn't something I could just flee from. I took a deep breath and reached to my side, blindly searching for my bag, yet to my dismay, it was anything but reachable. The monsters seemingly noticed my arm sticking out from under the Shock Lizard, as one of them stepped forward with a toothy grin.
With one outstretched arm no bigger than the size of a handful of twigs, it held out my leather bag, as if taunting me with it; I could imagine what it was saying as I stared at it. "You want this right? Come get it, I won't bite." As if anything could trust such a suspicious monster, thankfully I had a backup. Had I not dug the blade of the stone knife into the ground before I went to sleep, they might've taken that too. With my left hand I reached out to my side, where I had left the dagger buried in the ground.
Yet I couldn't feel the shoddy leather grip of the knife, even as I swung my arm across the grass, I couldn't find the knife. I could only watch in dismay as the monster pulled out the very knife I was looking for from behind its back. Its toothy grin only grew wider as it shook the knife and my bag at me, as if it was trying to lure in a stray cat. I couldn't help but scoff at my situation. I trusted an overgrown lizard to protect me in my sleep, and let all of my possessions be stolen by ten green child sized monsters. And worst of all, I was pinned underneath that same lizard, this couldn't have been more embarrassing.
As I wallowed in self loathing, a series of crackles began to travel through the air alongside a low, ferocious growl. The light shining through the overhead branches began to fade into a dull grey as the Shock Lizard on top of me reared back onto its hind legs. Despite my wallowing, an overwhelming sense of danger raced through my mind as I watched the Shock Lizard rear back in the air. Before I could process what was happening, my body moved on its own, rolling out from under the lizard as it began its descent.
A thunderous roar echoed throughout the sky as the Shock Lizard came crashing down, shaking the trees and ground as it landed. And but a moment later, a chain of lighting bolts lashed the ground behind the monster holding my possessions, leaving sparky trails of light where the monster's comarades once stood.