Louise found herself staring at the lizard monster before her in utter bewilderment. Monsters were called as such because they were violent, barbaric, brutish, and uncultured. Creatures like trolls could be controlled, but they were not intelligent as people were and the same was said for other monsters. The only exception she knew were familiars, because their runes were supposed to make them able to understand their masters command perfectly, turning some from monsters into more like pets.
So the fact that it could speak, and she understand it, made things odd. Was it not a monster despite looking like one? What was it then?
"It, talked," Montmorency said in a fearful whisper from behind Louise, pulling her rom her bewilderment.
"You, how are you speaking our language?" Louise asked as she looked at the creature, trying to not fixate on its large teeth and claws.
"I am not. I am speaking my own and you understand it as yours. Though if you did not realize that, it answers a few questions,"
"What?"
"You will understand later, but not now," the lizard said as he shifted its grip on the cloth, revealing it to be an umber of simple cloaks made of an odd, sort of iridescent material. "It is not much, but put these on to cover yourselves with."
Louise very nervously leaned forward and reached out to pluck the two garments form the lizards hands, finding the material to smooth, and not much else. It barely felt like it even had thickness. Looking them over for a second she handed the one behind her to Montmorency, and began pulling the other over her head, making it clear that it was similar to a rain cloak in design. It did not provide much protection at all, merely coverage.
While they did this the lizard creature was still kneeling before them, but its head was lifted up, as if it was listening for something. Then, when both girls were garbed, their forms covered, it looked back at them. "Good. Can you both stand?"
"Why wouldn't we be able to?" Louise asked as she shifted her legs underneath her and stood up, cautiously looking at the lizard the entire time.
"Grey's do not often care for the continued physical capability of those they abduct," The lizard said as it got up and backed out of the cell.
"What is a, grey?" Montmorency asked quietly, though her voice was still apparently heard by the lizard as it pointed toward the blue monsters body.
"That, is a grey. They are a rare race that goes around abducting primitive races, or individuals from primitive cultures, to experiment upon them without a care. They are universally despised by most cultures and peoples. But that doesn't matter, not anymore. If you can stand we can leave this place and get the both of you looked at properly."
"like those things did?" Louise asked darkly as she glared at the lizard thing.
"No," it said with what seemed like a sigh. "I know it doesn't mean much, and I know everything makes no sense now and you are afraid, but I promise no harm will come to either of you two. Will you please trust me? Me and my allies only want to help you both."
"Just us? What about the other two? What about Thomas and Malicorne?" Montmorency spoke up.
"There were two others than you? Not one other?" the lizard asked in what seemed like surprise.
"Yes, two boys, our classmates," Louise said, making the lizards expression twist in what maybe looked like anger?
"One moment, try to stand up and come out of the cell while I check?" The lizard said as he back away from the cell and stood up to his full, absurd height and seemed to begin talking to himself quietly.
"What. . . do we do?" Montmorency asked nervously to Louise.
"it's either stay here, or go with it, so I don't think we have much choice," Louise said simply. " I say we go with, and hope it's being truthful about wanting to help."
Montmorency seemed worried, but nodded a second later before getting up on shaky legs, finding they did feel kind of weak.
Louise walked out of the cell first with Montmorency following right behind her, sort of using her as a shield, and the lizard thing seemed to notice instantly and turned to them with an odd look on its face. "We have, found, your comrades. They are no longer among the living. I am sorry."
"They are, dead?" Montmorency asked in horror.
"Yes."
" . . . . can, I see them?" Montmorency asked slowly and painfully, looking on the verge of crying. Though tears would not come out.
The lizard lifted a hand to its head and touched something as he spoke. "Do we have time for the abductee's to see their comrades remains? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . understood." It sighed and turned to the two girls. "This ship has been cleared of the greys so I can take you to where your comrades remains are but . . . are you sure you want to see it? It will, likely not be what you expect."
"Yes, I . . . I need to see it, so I can tell their families," Montmorency said slowly.
"Very well, follow closely," the lizard said as he turned and led the girls to the end of the actually rather short cell block, and through a doorway into hallways of polished bluish silver. And it was not just the walls, but the ceiling and floor as well that appeared mad of gleaming smooth metal. The halls were large, and the doors they passed that were closed seemed made of the same material as well. The light was provided by strange cirular domes of glass inset in the ceiling at regular intervals that had something other than flames within them, and as they came around a corner they found a four way connection of hallways, along with three of the blueish skinned monsters. All three were dead of course. One looked like its head had exploded, while another seemed to have been split right in twain. The third, and most gruesomely killed, was impaled on a long javelin of metal, its body hanging limply from the wall with blood still dripping from its body to the floor in a brackish puddle.
"Are those monsters, easy to slay?" Louise found herself asking as the three of them approached the bodies.
"Grey's are, easy depending on the situation," the lizard aid as he stepped up to the impaled on and grabbed the javelin out of the wall and shaking the gray off of it. He then put the javelin, still bloody, on a slot of some kind on the back of his armor. " They mostly hunt down primitives and the like, but greys can be dangerous if they get the drop on you. Otherwise, they are not so bad as they are not physically strong compared to most races. I would think even you girls could outdo them in strength if you had the ability."
"They sucked us right out of the courtyard of the academy," Louise grumbled. "Spells did nothing to that weird disc."
"Sounds about normal for what they do." The lizard said as it continue to walk, only to stop at a nearby open doorway, blocking both girls from getting past him as he turned around. "This is the grays laboratory storage room. Your friends remains, are within, on the back wall," he said before stepping backwards, allowing them to enter the room cautiously.
The room was strange. Made of dull grey metal on all the walls and floors, with the ceiling being a black material with dim lit domes in it to provide light. Shelves made of metal bars lined the walls, covered in cases of odd liquids and solids alike. Some tubes had fleshy masses, like tongues or eyes in them, while others went as far as to have unborn children of small unknown creatures entombed within them. And upon the back shelf were a number of similar jars and containers. Including 2 with eyeballs in them.
" I don't get it. Where, where are they?" Montmorency asked as she looked around in confusion..
"I. . .think they are in front of us," Louise said grimly, feeling nauseous to such an extent that she actually looked away.
Montmorency looked or a moment, and then her vison focused on one of the jars of eyes. Eyes the same color and Malicorne's. In that instant realization hit her and she fell to her knees, throwing up what little was in her stomach onto the floor in front of her.
"No, that, why, who could, could-" Montmorency tried to say before almost throwing up again, instead dry heaving and sounding less than healthy.
"The grey's often will render down their prisoners when done with them," the lizard said as he stepped into the room and stepped up beside the girls, crouching down slightly and offering a hand toward Montmorency. "Come. I shall take you to our ship for clothes, food, and to leave this place."
Montmorency could not speak as she gagged and threw up again, leaving Louise to speak instead with a simple request. "Please."