Bonus Story 1: A Day with the Black Lizard

Bonus Story 1:
A Day with the Black Lizard

 

PART 1

 

THE DAY AFTER I met the black lizard, we decided to take a stroll through the woods around my cave. As the two of us made our way through the forest, it rubbed up against me. I patted it gently with my tail.

Having a friend with me was a truly different experience; I’d been alone for so long that I’d forgotten just how different it was. Around lunchtime, I found the perfect stump to take a rest on. I sat down, and the black lizard climbed into my lap.

I was just thinking how hungry I was when a pack of graywolves crept up and attacked.

The head graywolf struck first. I used my wings to deflect its tackle and pushed it back, throwing it off balance. I used the opening to slash its throat open. Witnessing their leader’s defeat, the other graywolves turned and fled. Normally I would go after them, but today I decided to let them be.

I used my claws to clean and gut the graywolf’s carcass, discarding the entrails and skinning off the fur. I grilled up the meat with Baby’s Breath and shared it with the black lizard.

Since I didn’t carry piperis around with me, the meal was very plain. And of course, I didn’t have any poison for the lizard’s portion, either. I briefly considered jogging back to the cave to get some, but decided having simple meat for a change was fine.

After lunch, I dozed off for a bit. The sun filtering through the trees was just warm enough; I was very comfortable.

The black lizard climbed up on me again and licked my face.

Hm? Neutralize Poison? But I’m not poisoned right now. Hey, that tickles!

Suddenly, I sensed a presence behind us. I turned and found myself looking at a monstrous bear with four arms peeking through the trees. It was a quadursa, a D Rank monster.

I’d never fought one before, but I’d seen one a really long time ago and had checked its status. It was pretty strong and a worthy opponent. The Divine Voice told me it had a large body and used its four arms as well as you’d expect, pulling off multiple attacks in succession.

Its eyes were focused right on me and the black lizard like it was waiting for the perfect chance to strike. It had probably been watching us for a while now. We had to decide whether to run or to fight.

The black lizard still hadn’t noticed the quadursa. I wanted to let it know right away, but if I made one wrong move I had a feeling the bear would attack immediately. Somehow, I needed to alert the lizard to the presence of this dangerous creature without provoking it.

I gently tapped the black lizard on the shoulder.

“Gsh!”

It didn’t understand my warning, instead licking my cheek again. Okay, well, that didn’t work. Looked like I had to be a bit more direct, and risk provoking this thing.

We were far enough away from it that we could escape without too much trouble. I just had to make sure the black lizard knew what I was doing. I glanced over at the bear. Our eyes met and it moved one of its four arms.

Wait, did it have a long-range attack?

I picked the black lizard up and spread my wings around us, forming a protective cocoon between us and the bear. I waited about five seconds, but nothing happened.

“Gssh?”

The lizard gave me a puzzled look. I peeked out from between my wings at the quadursa. It was giving us a thumbs up with all four hands. Then it gave a wry chuckle as if to say, “Sorry to interrupt you.” It lowered its hands and left.

What the heck was up with that bear? What did it think the lizard and I were doing, exactly?

PART 2

 

DURING OUR AFTERNOON exploration, we found a hidden cache of piperis. I’d pretty much exhausted the supply in the other spot and was happy to come across another patch. I picked a seed, smelled it, and popped it in my mouth. There was no taste, but a spicy sensation spread across my gums. Argh, I just ate lunch but now I’m super hungry for meat all of a sudden.

I was glad I wouldn’t run out of piperis for a while, and I was even happier when I heard the black lizard let out a cry of joy.

I know it’s trite, but happiness really is best when shared. I liked finding new plants and trying them, but that was where it ended. The thrill of finding an amazing new species was empty when I was alone. But knowing that I had someone to celebrate with made me feel much more positive about new discoveries.

The black lizard liked to eat its meat covered in poison; I wondered if it could even still taste the piperis seasoning. I had a feeling the poison was strong enough to erase any other flavors, and I couldn’t try it myself without risking poisoning myself to death. If someone asked me to put my life on the line to prove it, I’d have to say no.

There was plenty of piperis, and I decided to swing back and pick it on the way home. For now, the black lizard and I continued through the forest. Suddenly, the lizard sniffed the air and raced ahead of me crying “Gssh!”

It seemed excited, like it was telling me to follow. Maybe it smelled something interesting? It must’ve been good if the lizard was this happy about it. I didn’t have any particular plans for this walk, so I didn’t mind going a little out of the way. I let the black lizard take the lead.

It was in such high spirits that I couldn’t resist getting pulled along in its wake. Before, I’d figured that the black lizard wouldn’t know how valuable the piperis was, but now I realized that it was happy just because I was happy. We couldn’t communicate with words, so it was just a guess on my part, but I really hoped it was true.

“Gssh! Gssh!”

The black lizard let out another excited cry, and this time I found it alarming. I thought it was just my imagination, but I couldn’t deny my looming sense of dread. And as we walked further, a horrible stench invaded my senses.

The rotting carcass of some animal? Maggot-infested flesh? A corpse? A terrible monster—maybe something undead? Are you sure everything is okay? Maybe we should head back.

I couldn’t tell if the lizard had picked up on it, but ahead lay danger. My dragon instincts were going wild. But the lizard seemed so thrilled it was practically skipping. I didn’t have the heart to stop it. And even if I did, I doubted I could.

Its pace grew faster, but I dragged my feet, letting more and more distance grow between us.

“Gsh…?”

The lizard turned and looked at me sadly, seeing that I was so far behind. I took a deep breath and put one heavy foot in front of the other. Might as well get this over with. No sense in getting scared now. If some kind of fearsome monster had something the lizard wanted, I’d just have to knock the beast out.

No matter what was ahead, I’d ravage it with a blast of Baby’s Breath. I caught up to the lizard and we walked side by side once more. The thick smell of death drawing nearer set off warning bells all throughout my body.

The bravado I’d just mustered moments ago dissipated like smoke. Meanwhile, the black lizard hurried merrily on its way. I was sure of it now. We were definitely heading towards that mysterious stench of death. I was hoping the path would branch off, but no luck. We were headed directly there.

I sensed an overwhelming malignant force down to my bones. It was the presence of death, coming closer and closer. An undead king? Yeah, that was it. There had to be an undead king up ahead.

I was positive the black lizard’s nose worked, so why did it look so happy-go-lucky? Maybe I was the only one who could sense this since I was a Plague Dragon.

I knew I should stop it. My internal warning system was going absolutely haywire.

Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure we should keep going this way?

“R-raar…”

“Gsh!”

I expressed my hesitance, but the black lizard responded confidently. Fine, then I’ll trust you. I’m trusting you, all right?

We walked and walked, and suddenly we were there, standing in front of an enormous, sinister mushroom as tall as I was. It had a large, thick cap with an eerie, mottled pattern that reminded me of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” Most significant, though, was that the thing emitted an overpowering stench of death. It stank so bad my eyes watered—and that was an understatement.

This was it, the presence I’d felt. This mushroom was my undead king. I didn’t even like looking at it, but I had to check. I squinted at the monstrous mushroom.

Candidi Cadaverous: Value B-.

A mushroom called “The Corpse-Eater” due to its unique appearance and odor, which resembles that of a corpse. Regardless, it does not actually survive by eating the dead bodies of animals. It merely emits the odor of rotting corpses.

It is extremely poisonous, so no creature would ever dare to eat it. Even starving animals avoid this mushroom at all costs.

What kind of demonic creation was this? Hey, black lizard–I bet you were attracted to it because it’s so poisonous, huh? Don’t tell me you’re gonna eat it! Please, whatever you do, don’t touch it!

“Kssh!” The black lizard made a gleeful noise.

Sorry, but I can’t share your happiness. Think about how bad your breath is gonna smell if you eat that thing! Besides, there’s no way you could finish it all at once. Please don’t tell me you plan on bringing that home with you! It would stink up the whole cave, and I’d probably die. I bet it would rot all my other meat just by sheer proximity!

“Kssh!”

I stepped in front and let out a gust of Baby’s Breath. The giant mushroom withered from the hot blast, letting off sparks as it slowly shrank. Black smoke wafted up toward the sky with a putrid stench. I doubted anything in the world had ever smelled this bad.

Every blade of grass, leaf, and tree that the smoke touched lost its color and wilted, returning to the earth like I was watching a decades-long time-lapse play out in front of my eyes.

The strange pattern of the human faces on its cap flickered in the flames, swallowed up by the black char.

“Kssh…”

The black lizard let out a disappointed cry.

Sorry. Anything but the candidi cadaverous. I promise I’ll make you an even better poison next time. Don’t be mad at me, okay?