Chapter 04: Unnatural Selection

  A couple of days should have passed since I survived that gruesome combat. The damage I received was so profound that only now do I manage to make a complete recovery, even with my supposed enhanced regenerative abilities. And I can count myself lucky for there are presently only a few of us left after the continuous battles. The living amounts to only six and all of them evolved Lizardlings.

  But if my body is now better my mind still suffers from the weight of the actions and choices I took to get here. Things I thought inconceivable in my previous life such as stealing, murdering and even resorting to cannibalism happened all together in just a couple of days. I wonder if there would be any moral integrity left if I lived through a whole year in this world.

  The cave now has an unbearable stink of gore and rot making me look forward to the day when we will be allowed to leave this damned place. It can’t be too long now because none of us Lizardlings have any will to keep going with the deadly battles. If the intuit was natural selection, having only six individuals alive, out of more than fifty, is clearly enough already.

  There is good news though because in my latest sleep I received that popup dream message again saying that I gained a new trait and upgraded my language ability.

  [Your eyes adapt to the constant low light, and you obtain a new trait.]

  [Trait Acquired: Low-light Vision.]

  My eyes are now much more sensitive to the few light sources, giving me a much better overall vision of the cave. At first, I assumed traits were only gained through evolution, but it seems that by constantly training my sight by observing things, it provided me with this nice enhancement.

  [Ability Upgraded!]

  [Lizardman Language]

  [Understanding: Intermediate]

  You can now speak and understand most words and structures in this language.

  The reason for the upgrade on Lizardman’s Language ability is probably because I unexpectedly started communicating with another Lizardling. It definitely helped me to cheer up my downed spirit, even if we did not have a great range of vocabulary to use. I’m now going to see the guy to try out some new words.

  “Hello there my friend!” I wave and sit beside him. He looks at me with a questioning face. Maybe I was the only one who achieved the intermediate level. Let me dumb it down a little and use my former line of salutation. “Hello pal.”

  “Hello.” The other guy responds to me smiling. It’s curious how he can recognize the word “pal” but not “friend” that is fairly similar. It should have something to do with the basic understanding.

  Maybe I should try some new words. “Are you hungry now?”

  “No, smells bad.” Nice it worked! So, he also lost appetite because of this disgusting stench.

  Let’s try to create some compromise. “I not kill you for food.” I say this and nod to my strange companion.

  “I not kill you food.” Surprisingly he nods as well and smiles. It’s not perfect but I think he got the meaning. I am not for an instant letting my guard down believing he will abide by our agreement, but I guess this is way better than nothing. And as if testing our deal, the big lizard walks inside our cave.

  “Follow me!” Ohh finally this cursed gigantic reptile screams the words I’m longing to hear. My new friend gets up first and extends his hands to help me. What a strange humane gesture. I grab it and we hurry to catch up with the big guy that’s already leaving.

  We have to run to keep up with the lizard’s pace and soon all six of us cross that imaginary boundary that caged us in this cave. I’m becoming excited as we are walking on an upward path for some time now. We pass by some smaller tunnels here and there, but it seems we are currently traversing the main one, which hopefully will lead us to the surface.

  I can see the familiar warm yellow light not too far from our current position. As we get closer all the other Lizardlings cover their eyes in pain, but I receive this long-lost heat as a lover’s embrace. My happiness is cut short when the big lizard hardly shoves me, making me almost fall. You’re also marked for revenge, bastard!

  Finally, I’m out of the cave! I do not know how many days I stayed there but it felt way too long. A bright sun rises in a clear blue sky and the air smells fresh and pure giving back some of the hope I seem to have lost in the way.

  And I’m also surprised since the sight directly in front of us appears to be some kind of big village built over long wood stakes and with flooded lands underneath that stretches far after the edge of my vision. So, there is some sort of technological advancement in this world, and we are not complete cavemen. After a few moments of mesmerizing contemplation, we are once more led by the big lizard that takes us in the direction of this village.

  My not so exciting first encounter with another species happens as we face the entrance to the village. Standing guard on both sides are two big green creatures that can only be called frog people. They are as tall as our lizard guide but are covered in some sort of armor and carry huge lances, like medieval sentries. Any hope for friendlessness between species is shattered by the disgusted gaze they sent us as they let us pass through the gate.

  As we enter the village, the first thing I notice is that this is definitely frog people territory. They are simply everywhere and there are apparently no lizards in sight besides us. I also become surprised because they appear way more civilized, all wearing clothes or armor and even indulging in commercial activities, while we stand a bunch of naked lizards with filth all over us. Such as the guards, all these other frogs launch angry and repugnant glares at our group as we are led further into the village.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Delving onwards, an irresistible fragrance of delicious meals reaches us, making everyone drool. It’s been some time now since we last ate, and besides my not very ethical meal, the only other food we had was that suspicious raw meat.

  A few minutes later we stop in front of what appears to be the tallest building in the village. It is a circular tower made of exposed stone bricks over wood and there are four of those frog sentries blocking the entry. As we are led inside, I can see that besides being big, this place could be also described as beautiful with meticulous carvings decorating the walls and a clean lustrous glow in all the woodwork. What a wonder to discover such an advanced civilization of frog people.

  “Gllbbb Glllbbb” Surprisingly some words in what appear to be another sort of foreign language are traded between our caretaker and one of the guards and they let us inside.

  That same sixth sense of danger that saved my life before, now warns me, as two of the sentries accompany us from behind when we are climbing the stairs, barring what seems to be the only way out.

  Now that I’m out of the cave I have a better grasp on the size of things and how short I actually am, which is maybe a little taller than half a normal human. In comparison, the big lizard must be about the same height as an average man and so are most of all the other frogs, with some slight variation of course. But I only say this to put in perspective the monstrousness of what I see in front of me.

  Sitting on a grand throne is an immensely muscular and what should be more than two meters tall frog, with deep red skin and thorn-like protuberances covering all his head and body in a very symmetric fashion. If it’s not enough to secure his imposing figure, he is also clad in a very thick piece of black armor with a large two-handed sword lying beside him.

  I stood dumbfounded for a moment and when I became aware of my surroundings again, all the lizards and the sentry frogs behind me were kneeling. I hurry to imitate them, but the deep dark eyes of the red frog are already upon me, making my strangely warm blood instantly freeze.

  Because I do not dare to lift my head up again, I can only hear when the scary frog stands up and slowly walks towards us. “Hello little Lizardlings.” He says with a strong and clear voice that borders on being threatening but also a subtle hint of an accent.

  Reaching for one at a time, he grabs our faces to make us look directly at him. My turn is the last one and with a strong grip forcefully pulls my chin upwards making me stare at his deep dark eyes once more.

  I’m feeling very scared now! He shows me a dangerous smile as if to say that he could snap my neck anytime and no one would even bother to question why. We stay with our eyes locked a while longer until he releases me and walks to the front again.

  “How many Lizardlings I asked you to bring me Shokar?” The red frog looks directly at the not so big now lizard, that led us here, and asks him.

  “Six, master?” Shokar, as the lizard is apparently named, answers with a shaky conviction that certainly troubles me.

  “No, I believe it was five.” He pauses and grins at us again with that devilish smile. “Or am I wrong, Shokar?”

  “Shokar is wrong! Master said five.” When Shokar agrees with the red frog’s statement I know that something really bad is going on. A terrifying logic affirms that if we are six but supposed to be five, one of us must go. And I really do not believe that being the odd one here will have any positive repercussions.

  Suddenly two more guards appear and help the others to encircle us. “Please join me for lunch”.

  Absolutely trapped, we are led to another room by the boss frog’s invitation. Walking in we are presented with an enormous table, filled with a multitude of different dishes, even one that appears to be an almost impossible large bird.

  “Please eat.” The red frog is already waiting at the table’s edge and strangely incites us to take the food.

  It feels very suspicious, but my fellow Lizardlings rush to eat without a hint of second thoughts. At least none of them have fallen dead from poison by now, so I think I’ll join the party. And it is good that I did because this food is simply delicious. Nothing like that suspicious raw meat we've eaten so far.

  But surely, I should know better. After a few minutes one of the lizards falls to the floor and starts convulsing with pain. Another one follows and suddenly all of them are down. I can feel some kind of painful burning sensation inside me but nothing like what those guys are displaying.

  “Gglllbbbb glllbbbb gllbb” The red frog says something in frog people’s language to one of the guards, who nods and turns to me. Oh shit! I do not like where this is going. Somehow, I’ve been singled out from the group and that previous conversation of five out of six sounds more dangerous than ever.

  “How rare, one of those shhhshh lizards that are shhhshh to poison. You also can regenerate shhhshhs fast, can’t you?” Red frog directly asks me and for a second, I wonder if I should lie but considering what would happen if they wanted to test me more, I ultimately decide to tell the truth. “Yes, I am… sir.” After a brief pause, I respond, trying to be respectful.

  He gives a delighted laugh at my answer and continues with the interrogation. “And you also shhhshhhh most lizardman's tongue. Impressive!” At least he is praising me so far, I wonder where is the catch.

  “You see, in shhhshhhh lizardman society you shhhhsh would be very special” There is another pause, and he observes my reaction to the statement. “But as you shssh have shhhhh by now, you shhhshhhh lizards are only slaves to us Frogman.”

  I indeed have deduced something like that from seeing the reactions from the frogs in the village and the complete subservience of Shokar towards this gigantic frog. But the speech was not done yet.

  “We control and direct your shhhshh so that it suits some shhhshhh needs from my people. Usually shshssh in war” Some words do not translate but I get the general picture. Lizardmen are used as disposable assets for these frog bastards. We were forced to kill or be killed in that damned cave so that only soldier types survive to serve them.

  “Shhhhhshh you are not what we are looking for in our shhhshh, since your battle potential is low.” There are butterflies running wild on my stomach now. This conversation is going in some very worrisome direction. Maybe I should try another form of reasoning.

  “I may not fight well, but you can also use me for other tasks.”

  “Shhhhshhhh, if you were some kind of very stupid lizard, like Shokar there, I could use you for some shhshhh tasks like I use him.” The frog bastard stages a very puzzled expression, but I understand very well his intentions. “However, I just shhhhshh that you are way smarter than your shhhshhh species, aren't you?” He is definitely toying with me, this asshole.

  “So, you will just get rid of me?” I ask as composed as I can, and the cursed frog just keeps grinning.

  “I thought that maybe your shhhshh could provide shhhhshh for the city folk and some training for your siblings. At least this way you can say that your sshhhshh was not completely meaningless.”

  Fuck it! Does this mean that after surviving who knows how long inside that gruesome cave and being the smartest of the newborns will actually lead to my demise? Natural selection my ass!

  I try to speak some more, but the big red frog speaks some words to the guards and before I know it, I get hit in the back of the head and pass out.