PART 1: MY LIFE AS A LIZARD
Chapter 1: The Brave New World
Eventually, his body stopped changing but was still spinning out of control and was too dizzy to see what changed in him. At some point, he found himself rolling at high speed on the ground until he went into what felt like a bush and hit a wall-like surface. Coincidentally, he was placed to look back at the portal but only that as the leafage concealed the rest of his view. Though he had a decent view of the portal, he was seeing double and those images kept spinning around and blurring in his eyes. The first thing he saw emerging from the portal was not a human being as he expected. It was a tall and slender reptilian humanoid with white scales that had a slight tone of green. It looked like either a crocodile or an alligator. Deep green spiral patterns could be seen on its shoulders and arms and even extended to the legs and this thing had short dirty-looking hairs of the same color on the back of its head. It had a long mouth somewhat looking like a beak and it looked around quickly. It clenched its fangs out of anger as this thing could not find what it was searching. It went out of Bobby's sight but footsteps could be heard and those became louder. Bobby leaned back as much as he could. He got scared when he saw the eyes of the reptilian humanoid right in front of him. It had the exact same eyes as Jasmine. The thing moved away and looked back at the portal. Another reptilian humanoid, a bulky one, came out. This one had blue scales and looked like an iguana. It had red eyes which Bobby concluded this reptile was Rafael. This thing also had the same spiral patterns as the first one but those were of a lighter blue than its body. This reptilian also seemed to have hairs on the front of its mouth that extended to the chin.
"Well, you took you sweet time to get here! Where are the others!?" The first one yelled.
The second one did not have time to say anything as another reptilian humanoid, a big and large one, emerged from the portal. With its head, Bobby could not picture what kind of reptile this one was but could tell it was Thomas. It seemed more like a boar than a lizard but that could have been due to the creature's sheer size. Plus, the purple truffle-like nose reinforced such idea. Other than its orange scales, it also had the same spiral patterns but in red that extended to the legs like the first one.
"Uh… I never thought I'd be back here." The blue lizard said with no passion.
Finally, one last lizard came out the portal. This one had the head of a European dragon and purple scales with its muscular build. It also had the spiral patterns shared by the other humanoids but those were white. This last one also boasted hairs on its mouth like the blue one. Bobby also noticed those reptilian humanoids had the same horns on their head that matched the color of the spiral patterns. As the three first lizards began searching…
"We have no time to waste!" The purple one said with an authoritarian tone.
The others immediately got back to him like a pet bringing back a toy that was thrown by its master. They stood there awaiting their order.
"There's no point to chase the child. We have him where we wanted him to be. For now, let's return to the stronghold and discuss of your orders. I am sure that, after six years of being away, you three must have forgotten your purpose." The purple lizard ordered.
It then whistled. The sound echoed far away until a roar could be heard. The portal closed but a giant monster showed up in place. It looked like a giant butterfly with a dragon head, some feet and a thick tail. It came in many colors but the most notable ones were the sky blue on its body and the chrome blue on the head, tail and feet. The lizards climbed on the monster and it flew away. Bobby waited a little longer where he was. Even though what was chasing him was gone, his sight was still seeing double. After a few minutes, the double vision faded away and the child could finally his hiding spot and analyze the situation. He was baffled to have noticed the lack of surprise in any of those lizards. Those appeared as human in the world Bobby was leaving but this here hinted something big could be going in both worlds. Now that he was out of the bush, he could finally see the new scenery. It was nothing like he ever saw back in the human world. He was at the border of an island that gave an impressive view to more ground and its green sky. Giant mushrooms grew on mossy cliffs and strange animals flew in the sky. The scenery made the child realized that he too would appear different. After all, he did feel like his body acted differently and he was also feeling something new. He looked around and found a pond. He went to it and just once glace at the reflection in the pond made him gasp in surprise. He got turned into a blue chameleon with strange golden thorns on his head that mimicked hairs. He had a blue reptilian body with deeper blue patterns on it and all of his clothes were gone. He looked at his back and noticed more golden thorns that grew there. Those were even on his elbows. The last thing he noticed was the long blue and yellow tail he now had.
"Okay, this just got too weird." He said.
He could not believe he was able to make the tail move. It did not feel like another arm or leg. He stopped looking at himself and focused on what really mattered right now: going back home. With the portal gone, Bobby would have to venture in this new world and find some way to return to his house. He began his journey walking toward a pass he noticed. He walked by what seemed to be giant green eggs. Those were a bit smaller than him but the sheer size was a bit intimidating for him. It did not take too long for him to realize there was no more he could explore on the small piece of island he was until he stumbled across a blue leaf with a long vine after it going to who knew where. Bobby climbed on the leaf to be able to reach the vine but the leaf propelled him into it. The next thing he knew, he was now grinding on the vine at a higher speed than a skateboard could ever reach. He was screaming all the way on the vine as it took him around islands. He felt something energizing but had no idea from where it could come. His first reflex was to look at his feet. Blue sparkles emitted from under his feet as he slid down the vine. He looked back ahead and saw a spiked ball on the vine. He crouched to give himself a boost and jumped over the ball. It was must easier than doing so with a skateboard as the only thing he had to worry about was himself. More spiked balls were on the vine and he jumped again to avoid hitting them. The ride abruptly came to an end when the vine led him onto another piece of island. Bobby hit the ground since he was not used to the speed at which he was grinding. He stood back up and made his ways into this new island and passed by big purple berries. Ahead, he saw a few piranhas to which he did not pay attention since he expected those to be unable to move. Contrary to his believe, when the piranhas saw him, they bounced toward him. Bobby got scared and ran back to the vine but bumped into one of the berries. The berry began whistling and glowed red. He immediately went out the way and looked back at the berry. When the piranhas got close to it, the berry exploded in a fireball, frying all the piranhas. He went checking on the burnt mark the berry left behind and continued his way onward.
"Alright, let's be more careful with those explosive fruits." He whispered to himself.
"Hey! Nice show with the bomba!" A voice screamed.
The child looked around but did not see who was talking to him at first. The person did not seem to be on the same ground as him.
"Up here, kid!" The voice screamed again.
The boy looked up and saw another reptilian humanoid standing on higher ground. It did share similar traits with Bobby like the chameleon-like body and the patterns but this one was light brown with its patterns and hair-like thorns being a darker brown. It also had face that looked similar to an actual human being but lacked any form of nose.
"So, you're here to hunt?" The humanoid asked.
"Actually, it's a long story." Bobby replied.
"Well then, why don't you come up here and tell me about it?"
"How?"
This last question made the humanoid raised an eyebrow as if Bobby should know such thing.
"What do you mean how!? You're a chamelightning!" The humanoid pointed out.
"As I said, it's a long story." The child repeated.
"In that case, just stick your hands on the wall and climb it up. It's easy."
Bobby was unsure if it would work. Despite having climbed a building this way before, he was not sure if it was something he could actually do himself or just a big coincidence. Nonetheless, it would not hurt to try. He approached the wall and put his hands on it. He felt like his hands were sticking on it. He began climbing it. It was not a long climb and, after a few steps on it, the humanoid reached up for him to help him up. The child was put right next to the other humanoid who leaned on a rocky wall.
"Alright, now tell me about yourself." The humanoid asked.
"Well, you may call me crazy but I come from another world, one with people that are called humans." Bobby began.
"Humans?"
The child nodded. He thought he was already looking crazy when he mentioned humans but the humanoid reacted in an unusual way to the word.
"My… It's been a long time I haven't heard of that word. Six years have gone so fast!" The humanoid declared.
"Wait! There were other humans before me?" The boy asked.
"Welcome to the club, kid. I've been stuck here for six years. And don't bother trying to find a way out. Trust me. I tried."
"Are you telling me I'm never going back home!?"
"Hey! Don't take it as completely bad. It's best you get used to this place than search in vain. Besides, I only searched in Chimerum."
"Chimerum?"
"That's the region we're currently in. There are around a dozen more regions."
"Phew! You worried me here for one second."
"Anyway, what's your name?"
Bobby was hesitant to tell his true name. He suspected this person to be working for the lizards that pursued him through the portal. Though, he had an idea in mind.
"How about you call me… Scaler!" The boy declared.
It was a nickname the town he lived in gave him following the two heroic deeds and the many people that praised him for his superpowers. Oddly enough, he already heard it as if it was a long time ago.
"Scaler…" The humanoid asked with a tone that asked Bobby if he was serious.
"Listen! I can't tell you my real name now. Some bad guys are after me and they know my real name. Luckily, they don't know what I look like as a lizard so…" Bobby brought up.
"Alright, I've heard enough. In that case, I'm pleased to meet you, "Scaler". My name's Leon."
The name rang a bell in Bobby's mind. He heard this name many times before but was not expecting to hear it there. The surprise on his face was easily noticeable that Leon raised an eyebrow once again.
"Are you alright, kid? You look like you just saw a ghost." He asked.
"Yeah, it's just that it doesn't sound like a lizard name to me." Bobby lied.
"As I said, I was once a human. And it's reptilian by the way."
"Reptilian?"
"That's what we call the inhabitants of this world, Reptilia. Now come. Let's get to someplace safe. The wildlife isn't your typical soft pets you meet in the woods of your backyard."
Bobby followed Leon to the border of the island where another leaf with a vine was. They both approached it.
"You know how to ride one of these?" Leon asked.
"Sorta. I rode one to get to you but I messed my landing." The child replied.
"You go first. I'll be behind you if something goes wrong."
Bobby jumped on the leaf and got bounced onto the vine. Since he already rode one before, he was not screaming the whole way on the vine. He sometimes looked behind to make sure Leon was following him.
"Keep looking forward, kid! There are obstacles on the vine!" The humanoid warned.
Bobby looked back forward and saw the obstacles Leon was talking about. Though the first ones were spiked balls on the vines that the boy jumped over, the next obstacle was the end of the vine. He began panicking to notice that the vine led to nowhere.
"Grab the one above you!" Leon said.
The child was surprised there was another vine above him. He jumped to reach the vine and grabbed after it. It felt like zip lining but without any gear. Like his feet, his hands emitted static particles as they scrubbed along the vine. They eventually reached another island and the ride stopped. Bobby managed to land on the ground without falling but the momentum had him running for a little bit before being able to stop. He immediately moved aside in case Leon would also be running. Much to his surprise, the humanoid did not.
"We're here, kid. Welcome to Gewitter, the town of chamelightnings!" Leon presented.
Bobby looked forward and saw another impressive view. The village was in a forest of curved trees in many ways where a few moonbeams could go through the fall-colored leafage. Glowing mushrooms grew on the moss-covered brown rocks and hung above a river where nenuphars floated. A few delightful nightshades were on the rocks and trees. Such scenery would never exist in the human world. Despite the beautiful sight, it was ruined by the presence of shadow-like figures walking around like zombies.
"I don't want to tell you that you sound too optimistic, Leon, but what are these? They certainly don't look like us two." Bobby brought up.
"These guys? Don't mind them. They're like, you know, police officers and, if you're wondering where the other chamelightnings are, they're in their houses. Now come with me. I'll show you around." Leon advised.
The two chamelightnings made their way down the streets of the town. It did not take long for the figures to notice their presence. Some of them slowly approached them. Others even leaned their head toward Bobby's. The child had to lean back his and felt annoyed by them.
"Don't mind them? They're right up in my face!" He muttered through his teeth.
"Don't fret it, kid. They do this to everyone new in town." Leon said.
"No wonder this town has no tourist."
Eventually, the figures left the reptilians alone and carried on with their purposeless stroll. The chamelightnings approached some of the trees. It was then that Bobby realised those trees were the houses. He was surprised and stared at the houses with admiration. They entered a tree as big as an oak. The inside was much more beautiful: no presence of those figures and it was well-decorated.
"Hey, old man! I brought you someone!" Leon shouted.
Bobby was a bit worried. He had suspicions he was being kidnapped. He heard something repeatedly hitting the wooden floor and footsteps from elsewhere. He looked toward another room and saw another chamelightning showing up. This one had grey scales and was slightly taller than Bobby. He also had thick white eyebrows and a few thorns on the sides and back of his head but nothing on top. It was holding a wooden cane that he used to help itself move around.
"Ah! Good evening, Leon! It's always a pleasure to see you!" The old chamelightning greeted.
He then noticed the child and went to him. On his way, he held his back. Though the use of a cane was enough to tell Bobby that this old reptilian was having struggles to move around, the hand on the back just confirmed his thought.
"And who are you, young child? I should've seen you before considering we are from the same specie but, alas…" The old chamelightning asked.
"He told me to call him Scaler." Leon teased.
"Scaler, heh? My, what a delightful name! It reminds me of our previous descendant who wished to gift such name to a future child if he ever had one."
"Descendant? You mean like a son?" Bobby asked.
"No, my child, I am talking of our former hero. Unfortunately, he vanished right before Looger awoke once again." The old lizard explained.
"Um, old man, you shouldn't feed him too much info. He just arrived in this world. He's another human apparently." Leon brought up.
"Is that so? I presume you would like to return home."
"I couldn't have said it better." Bobby said.
"So far, we haven't found any way to do so."
Even if the old chameleon told Bobby there was no known and consistent way to travel between worlds, the child did not want to give up like Leon. It would not matter how long it would take him to find a way. He was about to say something but the old lizard continued.
"Ah! Forgive my manners. You presented yourself, well sort of, and yet I have not told of my name. I am Elder Fulgur, the chieftain of this lovely town. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, Looger's minions took over and forced our tribe to stay inside." The old chamelightning greeted.
"So you're looking for someone to get rid of these guys?" Bobby asked.
"Don't bother, kid. Everyone tried before you and all they managed to achieve was weeks of nightmares in their sleep." Leon pointed out.
"Yes but it does not mean Scaler here should not try. Why don't you follow me to my living room? One of those shadows love to rest there." Fulgur said.
Leon could only let an exasperated sigh of Fulgur's insistence of performing the impossible. Bobby just nodded without objecting in case something different would happen. The living room itself had a large couch on one side with a figure lounging while it was facing a fireplace across the room. The elder moved close to the figure that did not mind his presence at all. The old lizard looked back at Bobby and nodded at him. The child moved forward the figure and raised his hand. He had his doubts about it and was slightly shaking. If it did not work as Leon suspected, he would be having nightmares of a while. However, since everyone in the room was curious of the outcome, he gave the benefit of the doubt and swung his claws at the figure. His claws successfully tore through the figure's body. The thing began screeching before vanishing out of thin air. Leon had his jaw dropped while the elder was optimistic about what just happened.
"Incredible, you are the descendant we've been looking for for twelve years." Elder Fulgur declared.
"Six years for me." Leon said with his jaw still dropped.
"What does that mean?" Bobby asked.
"This means you can get rid of the shadows invading our town. Please do, my child."
This sudden push gave the child no choice. With no way back home, he had to accept this new fate of being whatever a descendant meant to be. He left the tree and looked at the many shadows limping around in town. He went to one and attacked it. Like the first one, it vanished while screeching. Afterwards, something seemed odd. With one person being able to fight those shadows, Bobby expected the others to react and fight back but they just ignored him as he kept defeating them. The child, with his task done after a few minutes of running around in town, returned to the elder.
"That's strange. None of them even tried to stop you. Usually, some of them would've run away while others would try to fight you." The elder admitted.
"Tell me about what's coming for me." Bobby asked.
"Ah yes! This will be your new fate, my child. You will first follow me. I think I know why those shadows did not bother fighting back."
The child followed Fulgur outside of town into a new area he did not go before. After all, he just arrived here. Before leaving however, inhabitants of town left their houses and went to him. All the inhabitants Bobby met were shocked of his presence. Most of them even bowed or kneeled down to him as if he was some sort of royalty. These reptilians came in all sizes, shapes and colors. Some of them also seemed to be of different species. One of the inhabitants was wearing an apron and gloves which caught Fulgur's attention.
"Scaler, why don't we gear you up with some arms? That will certainly help you on your quest." The elder proposed.
The child nodded and followed the elder and the other chamelightning to what looked like a workshop. The blacksmith prepared his bench and put some materials like stones and sticks on it.
"Well, thanks for the help. I wish I could repay you some way." Bobby said.
"If you insist, you could always help him craft your weapons." The elder proposed.
"You mean I really can do that?"
The elder nodded and the boy just let out a quiet sigh of joy. He went to help the blacksmith with his job. IT took around an hour to make a bow with a few dozens of arrows, a quiver to carry the arrows and a knife. Now geared up, the child left the workshop with the elder.
"You sure looked happy to help him." The elder pointed out.
"Well, I always wanted to help my mother back in my world any way I could but no one let me because they all told me I was too young to help." Bobby explained.
"And why may I ask?"
"She's all on her own since my father vanished six years ago. She has to work two jobs so I rarely see her."
"I see. I hope you find you father and reunite your family. This world works differently to yours, my child. There are many other things you will appreciate."
Bobby kept following the elder through vines and islands. On their way, they met all sorts of wildlife they had to fight to get to their destination. Elder Fulgur taught Bobby some basics in combat to help him out. After all the fighting, they stopped at one with an incredible big egg. It was a green one with strange serpentine patterns on it of a lighter green.
"Approach it with cautiousness, my child. You may never know what will happen." The elder warned.
Bobby walked toward the egg without much of a though in his head. He was not expecting anything crazy as it was just an egg so he just touched it. Maybe that was what the elder wanted him to do: to test his confidence in his actions. After that, he looked back at the old chamelightning with a confused look on his face.
"Well, it's just an egg. I don't see what's wrong about…" He began.
He could not even finish his sentence when he heard something breaking and a terrifying roar. He looked back at the egg and was frightened when he saw a big arm emerging from it. He immediately backed off and returned to Elder Fulgur. What he was witnessing was a perversion that nature itself would never be able to do. Another arm emerged from the egg and then an explosion of light occurred. Once the light gone, the egg was now an immense monster with the size of a two-story house. Bobby's first reflex was to pull out his bow and aim at the monster but where? It was obvious that an arrow against a monster of such size would not do much. He did not have time to think as the monster tried to slam him with one of its imposing hands. The child barely managed to avoid being squashed and went far behind the monster. It did not have any sign of an obvious weak spot Bobby could shoot an arrow at. The monster turned around and slammed the ground harder creating shockwave of rocks going at Bobby. This time, the boy did not have time to react and got carried away into the shockwave. He was nearly thrown out of the island but managed to grab after the ledge and climb back up. Since the monster did not expect the child to be back on track, it went after the elder who hid behind a nearby rock. Bobby whistled to get the monster's attention to get off Fulgur's back and readied his bow. An idea came in his mind: the eyes. Since he never used a bow before, he was shaking. The monster charging at him did not help either. He released the string but the arrow flew right next to the monster's head. The monster then grabbed Bobby by the legs and pulled him high up in the air. The boy was hanging upside down and all his arrows in his quiver fell down. The monster opened its mouth and approached its prey toward it but another idea came in Bobby's mind. He pulled out the knife and slashed a finger from the hand that was holding him. The wound made the monster roar in pain and caused it to let the child go. Bobby fell on the monster's head and stuck the knife into the forehead. It was a fatal blow as the monster's cry died down and the monster itself fell on the ground. The elder went to see the child who just defeated the monster. Bobby was sweating a lot. His heart beat so fast it hurt him on the inside. He looked back at the elder with a shocked look.
"What was that?" He stuttered.
"What you witnessed was a crime against nature. Normally, I perform a ritual to purify the eggs but I had to let one like what you saw to show you why we must stop Looger." Fulgur explained.
"I would've rather to never know the result."
"I understand but you had to face it to know what you could find yourself going against. Otherwise, I'd fear you'll never be ready for the fate that was brought upon you."
"Alright, now that we beat this newborn monstrosity, what's next?"
"We have much to discuss but, for tonight, I'll let you rest. I'll bring you back to my house."
Bobby retrieved his arrows and the two returned to Gewitter then the elder's house. The thought of a monster just hatched from an egg still terrified Bobby. Once back in the house, the elder brought the child to the living room and permitted him to sleep on the couch. The boy made himself at home and removed his gear before going to sleep. He thought of why the adults that used to be his friends would go after him. Perhaps this descendant thing had something to do with it but, for tonight, Bobby brushed the thought away and went to sleep.
The next day, he was woken up by the elder who just shook him with a hand. Though he slept well this night, he felt like he could have used some more sleep before heading out to wherever Elder Fulgur would take him. He rose up and stayed sat on the couch while the elder stood in front of him. A bowl full of leaves of different colors was placed near the child who took some of the leaves. Bobby looked back at the elder who just nodded so the boy began eating the leaves.
"Ask me your questions, child. That is how I will know your wisdom is up to the task." The elder said.
"Tell me about your world." Bobby asked.
"You are in Reptilia, home of the reptilians. It was created by none other than this beast, Looger, whose sole purpose is to toy with his creations. However, certain things may hint of another creator who took part in this world's creation." Fulgur explained.
"Like a descendant?"
"Indeed, but one's origin began from the gems that are used to nominate one and to seal Looger."
"Gems?"
"Ah yes! Yours is not here right now. Those are the catalysts of the descendants. They help their respective descendant in their journey to confront Looger. Without those, the beast would reign forever."
"You mention descendants as if there is more than one."
"There is a descendant for each tribe: the chamelightnings of Chimerum, the tidoises of Bakuldo, the frostomas of Klonium, the airodacyls of Altus, the iguerras of Desollem, and the salamembers of Koradus. They are hiding from public view however to not get caught by the shadows or the servants of Looger who are already aware of their presence years ago."
"Servants of Looger?"
"Yes, when Looger awakens, he bestows his marks on the one or ones who awoke him. You can distinguish them from the other reptilians by the horns they boast on their head and the spiral patterns on their shoulders and arms similar to Looger himself."
"What do you want me to do?"
"First, find your corresponding gem. Yours was rumored to be in the hand of an unidentified creature who took over Bakuldo. Here, you will also find the water descendant somewhere. Once you found both your gem and the water descendant as well as beat the servant of Looger here, seek the descendants in other regions and unite them into confronting Looger. I will guide you through your journey for it is a perilous one."
Bobby nodded and followed the elder outside the house. Neither was expecting Leon to be waiting outside with a somewhat arrogant grin.
"Is there something else I can do for you, young man?" Elder Fulgur asked.
"Now that you mention it, I overheard you two talking about travelling around the world and I'd like to tag along. Who knows if I'll finally find my way back home." Leon proposed.
"I do not see any reason to turn you away. We were about to head to Bakuldo."
They were now three on this journey. Bobby felt something familiar with Leon. It was as if he already met him before that encounter outside of town. It could have been a big coincidence too but the feeling was pretty strong. The three headed to a giant root with a spider resting on it. The root led to a giant tree in the middle of the sea.
"We'll ride on that?!" Leon asked, nearly on the verge to object.
"Are you afraid of spiders?" Bobby teased.
"This thing's bigger than a tidoise! Of course I'll be scared of it!"
"Worry not, folks. This one will not bite you." The elder chuckled.
The small dispute stopped and the three climbed on the giant spider which made its way on the root to the tree.