Within the depths of the Ancient Ruins, a place filled with broken metallic wires, shattered glass tubes, and countless strange materials and items held a glowing, green-colored flower, growing above a green-colored liquid floating inside a broken glass tube.
Amidst the gigantic and abandoned hall filled with many alien items to the inhabitants of this world, there was a huge glass screen, shattered in half.
The wires and cables connected to it were slowly glowing with red and blue neon light… at the same time as the flower started glowing brighter, and countless green vines, mixed with wires and cables started moving to the surface.
As if alerted by the night coming to the world, whatever was living in the Ancient Ruins' depths awakened, groaning with a monstrous, metallic, and agonizing shriek.
"G-GRAA… AAA… AAAHHH…"
It started looking for something… Food.
Its countless tendrils no longer directing themselves to the village's food reserves, it found out such food was simply not enough.
It desired those marked by its poison, those that have been weakened enough to become nice, tender meals…
"F-FOOD… FO… OD…"
Slowly, its tendrils eventually reached the chief's house.
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Amehia sighed, walking away from her father, and beginning to wander around the village, which was surrounded by greenery.
She lamented what her father had said, and how he even let the villagers change his judgement, just to please the mob.
"Despite what everyone says, I'm sure Emerald didn't had any fault in what happened…" Amehia sighed. "After all, I was there with him all this time! I've talked with him, healed his wounds… He's not someone untrustworthy. Why shift the blame to him, instead of trying to find out what was this being that stole the food and is spreading this disease? Now mother and… everyone…"
FLASH!
Suddenly, a small sphere of green light materialized in front of her, in the adorable shape of a small, green-colored leaf, which made her open her eyes.
"Spirit of Nature…" She said. "Did you noticed I was sad?"
"Foo!" The little leaf-shaped Spirit of Nature floated around Amehia, trying to cheer her up.
The young Lizardman girl hugged her tiny spirit, sighing once more.
"You're probably the only one that believes me and is in my side…" She started crying. "Now what are we going to do, when not even our magic can heal everyone?"
"Foo…" The little Spirit suddenly glanced into the Ancient Ruins.
Amehia's Spirit Eyes, which were a power she acquired by becoming a Druid through creating a Contract with the Spirits of Nature, felt a dark presence emerging from that place.
"So you can also sense that there's something there, right? I'm not the only one…" She said, gripping her fists. "We can't give up yet! We have to tell mom and dad…! A-And if they don't believe us, then… we'll keep trying until they do, right?"
"Foo! Foo!" The leaf-shaped spirit nodded happily.
"That's right!" Amehia said, rushing back to her house.
As she made her way there, she suddenly heard some strange, rustling sounds. Her Spirit Eyes suddenly activating again, as she noticed… something that caused her great uneasiness.
Countless vines and metallic tendrils were moving above the grass and around the trees, slowly making their way inside her house, and many others.
"H-Huh?" Before she could even make sense of what was this creature, she instantly started running even faster back home. "A-A monster! A MONSTER! EVERYONE!"
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(Drake's POV)
With Emerald's lead, we made our way into the village of the lizardmen. The place was rather tranquil, with a few lights lighted here and there to illuminate the place amidst the night.
The entire village was tremendous too, perhaps in the size of a small city. It was surrounded by so much vegetation that it was hard to see the houses though, which were very well camouflaged.
The entire area was also surrounded by tall wooden walls, reinforced with stone and magic, and with sharp wooden spikes stuck to them.
There was a large gate, sealed with magic runes, and on top of the gates there were two Lizardmen watching over, one seemed to be a Mountain Land Lizardman and the other a Lowland Lizardman.
Emerald was so afraid to show himself up that he hid behind the trees as we approached cautiously. Too many of us would alert them and might make them think of us as a threat.
Therefore, only Larzak, Kraxka, and I stepped out. I assumed that if they were lizardmen, aggressiveness wouldn't be so extreme, right?
Well, I was wrong.
"Who are you?!"
"Where did you came from?!"
"Don't even think about making another step!"
"Stay where you are! We'll call the chief!"
However, we found ourselves surrounded by a dozen warriors, holding strong magically enchanted spears, and wearing bone armor…
"Please, calm down, we've come here with no bad intentions…" Kraxka said.
"There's no need to be in high alert, we do not intend to harm you." Larzak said.
"We've even come with offerings for your tribe." I showed them a large bag filled with fruits, ores, jewels, and meat wrapped on clothing. "We come from a faraway land; we're traveling merchants…"
"Traveling merchants… you say?" They were not buying our story.
Hell, I could knock them all out with a blink of an eye and just barge inside their place like a barbarian and just do as I please but… that doesn't sit well with me, and I would only disappoint my family and friends.
"The chief has been notified; he's coming any time…" Said another lizardman. "Stay where you are and don't move…"
Can't he just get here quickly, please?
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Meanwhile, within the outer area of the Great Jungle, a large group of beings overflowing with Demonic Energies and Auras slowly started making their way into the Jungle's depths.
Their bodies were gigantic, and their shapes of all forms and sizes, varied from Demonic Beasts to more Humanoid-like Demons. However, there was a single one leading them all, which seemed much stronger.
A blue-skinned Oni, with four arms and sharp golden horns, glanced into the distance.
"Our Lord has said that this jungle harbors one of his body parts… We must secure it back at all costs."
