My exoskeleton cracked as I stretched in the early morning sun, watching panicked guards rushing about in front of a wooden palisade wall, a couple of hundred yards ahead of me.

While I tried to give the impression that I was extremely laid back, on the inside, I was still contemplating if I made the right decision.

-”We can always make a run for it?” repeated Eve, for what felt like the hundredth time. -"Or stroll, it doesn't look like they would be keen on stopping us. I mean, we could probably roll away while singing a song. They are so terrified they keep fighting for who will be at the back of their group."

-"Nonsense, I have reduced my body size to around their average height and pulled in my spikes." I tried to deny what she was saying, but by the looks of things, I had kicked the ant's nest pretty hard with my appearance.

While the last few days hunting the lizard men scouts had been somewhat delightful, the internal debate about what I would do with the information gained from the Rakorn known as Kelek had sullied most of it for me.

The result of my ongoing, internal debate was that I was now sitting atop of a large, smooth boulder, surrounded by corpses arranged into letters.

I sighed. -”Nothing is ever easy.”

-"Look, let's just leave the bodies and go. Our presence, along with all these bodies should be enough to scare them into action. They will likely send out their scouts or double up on patrols or something and stumble across the lizards."

-"Come on Eve, stop tempting me when you already know that's what I want to do." Who needed a Devil sitting on your shoulder when you had Eve? It seemed I had, for once, given a name that was spot on. I wonder if this is how Adam felt when Eve was trying to get him to eat the forbidden fruit.

-"Hehe, that sounds dirty~."

No, I doubt he had to put up with someone that had gone from a fact-based, straightforward personality into a child-like personality with far too much knowledge for her own good. Then again, I suspected that Eve had modified her personality to be more appealing to me. I mean, it's not like I didn't think the same thing when I thought about the forbidden fruit.

Time to distract her, even though she knows what I am thinking, yet again.

I sighed.

-"You know that if what that lizard told us is anywhere close to being true, we will need to prepare for the worst. We can't even assume we can slip past their armies in case they have someone with an ability that can detect us."

I felt my shoulders slump. It appeared that, just like a new transfer student entering a private academy, humanity was going to get a 'special' welcome. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be as pleasant as bars of soap in socks on bare skin, and I was pretty much included no matter how much I wanted to deny my heritage.

-"And anyway, this gives us the perfect opportunity to see what my former kin have done to themselves and if they have any value. If it looks like they are a lost cause, we will head to the mountains and wait for the barrier to fall before making our escape."

-"Shame we can't just walk through the barrier like the lizards," responded Eve. -"Do you think that if we wear their sk-"

-"No, it doesn't work like that from what we have been told. It also seems we can't go over or under it. It's like a sphere. Come on Eve; you know all this already."

I hesitated.

-"And~ I don't really feel trying to wear other sentient beings. There are lines that shouldn't be crossed you know?"

-"Oh, because eating them is A-OK?." The annoying parasite called Eve chuckled. -"Anyway, I was just making conversation~."

Kelek had informed me, much to my surprise, that the barrier wasn't down and the fact that his kind could cross it was because whatever had been injected into their ancestors had diluted over the course of generations, making the invisible barrier tingle instead of feeling like walking into a brick wall.

In fact, many older species used this as a way to gain an advantage over the new arrivals by launching preemptive strikes while they were still reeling from the shock of being dropped from orbit.

To get this information took some minor persuasion, as well as the removal of a few limbs but all in all, it was worth it.

After that, Kelek was singing like a canary in a jailhouse to whatever tune I wanted. -"And they said physical encouragement didn't work... Ha."

However, it wasn't all good news. It seemed that once the barrier fell, every established species nearby would attempt to enslave, destroy or eventually ally with humanity, unfortunately in that order.

If they couldn’t enslave, they would attempt to destroy. If the new species was too resilient, then only at that point would they try to create an alliance and pick of one of their weaker neighbours.

I believe Hitler called it 'Living space' but Kelek seemed to think it was natural. It seemed that due to the near constant stream of new species, this world was in a constant state of war or recovery.

The Rakorn were just the first and probably the weakest of humanities opponents.

Which when you thought about it, was very concerning but, if human history were anything to go by, an event like this would likely galvanise humanity and prepare them for the trials that they would face.

I say they would face because, quite frankly, I planned to get out of this little fish tank as soon as I could.

Nothing unites us, I mean them, as quickly as a common enemy. Add the fact that they are lizard men that will eat or enslave the men and plan to use the women as mobile incubators and pleasure toys and boom; you are going to get a ‘fight to the last man, woman and child’ scenario.

I frowned.

It had been a while since the lookouts had noticed me and my message but before they raised the alarm I had been watching a few children running around near the, now closed, gate as they played. It didn't seem strange to me at the time but now I was thinking about it, I couldn't help but shake my head.

-”Looks like they even abducted children…”

Something deep down stirred as a cold, murderous chill started to rise from my depths. If I ever reached the top, no when I did, I would make sure that those who orchestrated this… whatever it was, would pay. And the bank of Al only accepted flesh. Preferably measured in pounds.

Why did I feel this way? Because I felt the paternal pull any father would, even if I couldn't remember any details about my loved ones. I had been or maybe was even still, a father.

Then again, I couldn't remember so although it felt weird, I couldn't say I was deeply upset. That didn't mean I was going to let them off the hook. They had taken something from me after all.

I mentally added them to the list.

-” Crawler (Dead), Frank (Dead), Eve (Forgiven), Unknown alien overlords (Pending).”

-”Knew you couldn’t stay mad at me.”

-”Eve (Punishment temporarily postponed).”

-”Sure~. I know you couldn't live without me, both metaphorically and in reality. Then again, I couldn't live without you either, so I guess its fair.”

I let out a quiet growl, irritated that I couldn’t hide anything from the damned parasite.

-”Hey, use my name!”

A centre of calm in the chaotic storm that was made of guards running around drew my attention. Five people had gathered, had a quick discussion before they started to march towards me.

My stomach lurched a bit, and I sincerely contemplated retreating. I knew there would be significant rewards if I pulled this off but I wasn't a hundred percent sure it was worth the risk.

I also felt that my decision had been influenced by the fact that desired some social intera-.

-”Whats wrong with me? I’m a not just a figment of your imagination. We talk all the time. We don't need others.”

-ction. To say I wasn’t lonely would be a lie, especially since the death of the Alpha and though I would never admit it to her, Eve had been a godsend, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit... empty. It was steadily growing, and I somehow had to admit that what they said was right.

No man was an island, no matter how much he wished to be.

Of course, I would likely have had my fill of company in a day or two and leave, not that I was planning to stay here longer than a single conversation, so maybe this brief bit of communicating with my former species would scratch that proverbial itch and I could return to killing things.

That or I could always swap sides and join the lizards. Their society seemed to be strength based, so all I had to do was kill a few of them, fulfil my social quota and wander away.

I shook my head, I had made my decision, and now I needed to focus on making it work.

For me of course. I didn't really care about what happened to humanity in this world. Or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

-”Tsk, you’re no fun unless there is something to kill or torment.”

Seemed Eve was getting as restless with the current situation as I was. I could sense her unease.

-”You are here to torment, so that means I am always fun.”

I couldn't help but smile at Eve's response. The image of a pouting snake made out of water appearing in my mind. It didn't really work, but it looked cute none the less.

Taking a deep breath, remembering why I hated meeting new people so much, I refocused on the group of people that had just come to a stop, probably around two dozen feet from me.

Secretly I was impressed.

Though I had tried to deny it, I was pretty sure my body looked pretty scary yet they held themselves with a certain amount of dignity, even if their eyes still held a healthy level of fear and caution.

I made a quick mental note to find a body of water or something shiny and find out what my new form looked liked when I got the chance.

-"Ha, if they think that will save them from us, they are already doomed. At this distance, we could crush their skulls, make a picture out of their entrails and have a nap before they had time to even piss themselves."

Grinning at Eve's words, knowing that they weren't just a boast, I watched as the group of five examined the bodies in front of them, something that had taken me almost half the night to set up.

Luckily for me, the night was cloudy, and it appeared that either none of the guards had night vision or that they were too lazy to do their job, so I managed to complete the task without causing a scene.

On the left stood a white-haired man in what appeared to be grey robes and a wooden staff in his hand. The air crackled around him in a similar sort of way to Clare, and I could sense the same kind of energy emanating from him.

He seemed to sense my gaze and looked at me, nodding politely, which slightly surprised me.

-"Wizard type."

Next to him, riding on top of what looked like the love child of a Silverback and Rocky Balboa, was a skinny, unhealthy so, twenty-something looking girl with white fox ears and three tails. Her red irises made her look incredibly dangerous and, much to my amusement, rather cute.

-"Umm, cute weeb?"

-"What is it with you and cute things today? Are we entering puberty? Do I need to start worrying about acne?"

Ignoring Eve, I moved onto the next man in the lineup. He dressed in black leather, which was a startling contrast to his incredibly pale skin, and had a crude metal sword strapped to his back with two smaller versions at his waist.

-"Well, there's a death knight if I have ever seen one."

Feeling a heated gaze on me, I moved to the next person.

A red-headed woman, in what appeared to be a metal bra and mini skirt was glaring at me. Small flames sporadically burst into life around her, making me wonder if her clothing was due to her ability instead of a fashion statement.

-"Sorceress? Fire mage?"

-"Elementalist?"

-"Could be. Or maybe she's just a pyrotechnic."

-"Or pyromaniac. I'd stay away from her... you might get burned...Pfft."

OK, I take it back, Eve was worse than me.

Noticing the odd silence, I quickly moved to the last person in the group. A black haired, or should I say fluffed, girl with large fluffy hands and a short, stubby tail. It looked like she could push claws out of her fingers if she wanted to and the white strip running down the centre of her hair and tail reminded me of a skunk, though I was sure it was something else.

-"Beastkin. Ha, beat you to it."

I rolled my eyes which luckily, the people in front of me couldn't see due to my mask-like face.

The black-haired woman looked to be in her late twenties and seemed incredibly bored as she scanned the bodies in front of her.

“So~” coughed the man in black, gesturing to the fifty or so corpses in front of him. “You wanted to talk?”

OK, so maybe using the corpses I had gathered from the advanced scouting parties to write, in huge letters, ‘Hey, Let’s talk.”, using half of a lizard man as the apostrophe and the other half as the comma, wasn't the greatest of ways to start a conversation but honestly, I couldn't think of anything else and what do you know? It seems to have worked.

I had thought about many approaches to this problem, most of them ended up with me, or the humans dead. The majority of the rest resulted in bitter hatred for each other which in turn lead to, yep you guessed it, death.

There were a few, like kidnapping one of their patrols and winning them over but, I didn't have the time nor patience for that. Plus it probably wouldn't work.

By using the bodies of their soon to be foes, I indicated that I wanted to talk, presented myself in the open to show I meant no harm while having enough distance to escape if needed. It also meant I could approach the conversation from a position where I would avoid most of the awkward questions or require any more evidence other than the bodies on the floor. Well, to at least get them moving in the right direction.

Having said all that, the deciding factor for me was that I didn't want to reveal my human body. The less the humans knew, the more they would imagen and, if I provided the right stimulus, it should be in my favour.

-"Or get us killed~."

“Please, Geoff. Look at the thing. I doubt it can understand us,” spat the redhead, scanning the unnaturally flattened hills around us, quite a good idea I might add, looking for any sign of a trap.

“Oh, it can spell but can’t speak? Sure~,” muttered Geoff as he shook his head, apparently pissed that the redhead had called him out in front of me. Or maybe it was the others. I was struggling to make sense of the hierarchy in this group. They all walked in a line and no one stood out above the others.

-"Game time," happily stated Eve. -"Don't fuck up~."

“Oh, but I can talk, my pretty little-redheaded friend.”

I almost couldn’t resist the urge to laugh, the group's eyes had gone so wide as I spoke directly into their minds.

Talking was another thing I did not want to reveal, mainly because the Mind Breakers I had encountered could understand others through their projected thoughts and not their language, I didn't want to appear to be any different.

“A psychic,” muttered the fox girl.

“Astute observation, white fox.”

I grimaced in shame at my naming sense, but I needed to give the illusion that I wasn’t human or understood any of their cultural connotations.

That way I might be able to bend some of the rules in my favour, at least until they corrected me.

“Kitsune,” grumbled the woman before attempting to sink into the silver-fur of her mount. However, he eyes shone with curiosity as they bore into me. I knew she wanted to ask me a question but, at least compared to her companions, she seemed incredibly shy.

The robed man opened his mouth, but I stopped what he was about to say by raising my clawed hand in a silencing gesture.

I needed to get the ball rolling in the direction I wanted and could skip the introductions, they weren't important to me.

“I seek to come to an agreement with your species. I will be hunting these lands and would like to avoid… unnecessary unpleasantries as well as have the option to trade for items that I will find it difficult to acquire naturally.”

“So what do you offer in return,” scowled the Redhead, only just recovering from the shock of me speaking into her mind.

Waving my arm in front of me, I indicated the corpses before them.

“I have already provided you with a most generous gift."

I paused, enjoying the confusion on their faces.

"I bring you, dead scouts of an advancing army, here to enslave your females and those able to do menial work, while eating the rest.”

“Advancing army?” Geoff stepped forward, imposing, black lines snaking across his body. “The barrier has not fallen. We would know if it had.”

“And yet they are here, and you are missing two of your… packs? Prides? Whatever you creatures move in, in the direction that they come from.”

I nodded my head behind me.

“Whats to say you didn’t kill them?” asked the man in robes, clearly thinking about as many possibilities as he could in the limited amount of time I had given him.

I was somewhat impressed; technically I had killed one of the groups, well the Alpha did, I just cleaned up, so his first guess, at least the one he voiced, was pretty close.

“Nothing but the corpses of an unknown, predatory race laying at your feet and the fact that it would take me far longer than a single night to bring all of them here. Your patrols check the surroundings daily yet you have not seen me nor them before."

He looked unconvinced. -"Clever boy~"

"Also, even this tiny fraction of the group that approaches is still too large survive for long with the limited resources in these grasslands. Why else would they be here and is such numbers? Please don't tell me you are as stupid as you look? I would hate to have wasted my time."

The man was far from stupid, apparently the only one who was thinking things through, but it didn't hurt to provoke his pride and try and lead his thoughts in a particular direction.

My gut continued to churn. Though I considered myself above average, which wasn't hard considering the stupidity of the human race, I felt like I was trying to be too smart and, more than likely, about to put my foot in it.

“Why help us?” mumbled the fox girl, her ears twitching cutely and thankfully stopping the next question of the wizard-like man.

I was about to quote the enemy of my enemy is my friend before realising that would probably give me away.

I let out a deep breath, which evidently must have seemed intimidating as the group backed away a couple of feet.

“I happened to come across one of your packs as they were attacked. Only one survived the fight, though she was wounded beyond saving, my curiosity lead me to remain with her while she passed.”

Frowns appeared on all but the black-haired woman's face; she was now picking her fingernails absentmindedly. A fool would think that she was an easy target or not paying attention, but by the way she stood, and her gaze wandered, I could tell she was an experienced fighter and would be the first to react to any danger.

“I believe her name was... Clore.”

The black-haired woman's eyes snapped to me. “You mean Clare? So the rest are dead then?”

“Clare?”

I made it seem as if I was testing the word.

“It could have been, the female only mentioned it once, and unique names are an unfamiliar concept to me. Yes, the others were dead."

I resisted the urge to shrug, feeling the movement was too human as she turned her head and glared at Geoff. "I told you I needed to head back with the others."

Deciding that they could have their fight later, I continued.

"Clare told me that if I warned this place of the impending attack, I would be given free reign to hunt these lands without needing to remove you first. From what she said, your species is very tenacious and bothersome to deal with.”

-”Don’t you think you are going too far?”

-”I think the dead lizards prove already that I am a threat. Let them believe that I am simply too lazy to start something with them and that I can be reasoned with."

“If you are as powerful and determined as she states, you would also act as a good buffer from annoyances. I have grown tired of the constant fighting. I simply wish to hunt in peace.”

-”And that bit? You are even confusing me here?”

-”Dunno, it just felt right. Actually, I don't really feel well. I feel quite sick actually. Better get a move on.”

“Also,”

I decided to add a bit that, at least to them, would seem to sweeten the deal.

“I will aid you when the Rakorn arrives at your den, which should be in light cycles. However, any kills I make are mine. They don’t taste that great, but defiantly help the claws grow.”

“We will consi-”

“We accept,” Geoff interrupted the robed man. “Though you will not be given access to the garrison until we are sure you can be trusted."

He paused for a moment. "Don't take it the wrong way; I am sure you understand that we can't be too cautious when it comes to the protection of our own. Until your words are verified, although we won't treat you with hostility, any act of aggression, real or suspect, will be dealt with severely."

I chuckled, watching them flinch and deciding it was a welcome bonus.

“Good... good.”

I had always wanted to say that, though I instantly regretted it as the redhead lifted a single eyebrow.

-"Hahaha, careful oh great and mighty mastermind. She's onto you."

I decided to move on quickly.

“Then as a token of good will, the large brutes are their standard warriors. They are strong and fast.”

I pointed to a body that I had just described, then moved onto the one next to it.

“The slimmer version, I believe they are females though I have had little desire to go digging around and they do not share the typical traits of mammals.”

-"Ahh shit, I shouldn't have called them mammals."

Thankfully, they didn't seem to notice as curiosity overcame the the blacked haired girl, robed man and Geoff as they took a step forward to see what I was pointing at.

“The thin ones, covered in bones are called Mind Breakers. They can talk telepathically, like me, as well as confused the mind in ways that can be deadly.”

I didn’t feel right about revealing this, as it seemed remarkably similar to my ability but at the same time, I needed to earn a bit of trust and when they verified this, my words should hold more weight.

I was extremely impressed that they were suspicious of me, yet unwilling to let this opportunity pass. Their hands were never far from their weapons, and two were always overseeing me as the others examined the bodies.

I had half expected to be attacked, coerced or even threatened, but instead, I was being treated with cautious respect. It seemed not everyone was impulsive retards.

It felt like our talks were going to easy and that often meant that something was going to go wrong. -"Time to wrap this up and leave."

“The fat ones have….”

I paused, the only word I knew to describe this would potentially reveal my origins.

“The ability to control things seen and unseen. Fire is the most common, but I killed one that could use earth, so I am unsure of the extent of their abilities.”

“Mages,” grumbled black haired girl. “Fucking cowards.”

The robed man chuckled, his voice trying to impersonate one I had heard so long ago. “Honey badger don’t give a fuck about nothing... except magic.”

-"Oh yeah, she looks like a honey badger... though with her attitude I think she should have gone with a cat or something."

“You starting something old man?” The woman's face twisted into a snarl as her claws extended and she puffed out her chest.

-"Or~ not. I can see the honey badger now."

“Not at all Lucy, just a casual statement with no malicious intent behind it,” chuckled the man as he held his hands up in mock surrender.

Yawning, causing everyone to flinch, I stretched my body again. I had been stationary for far too long, and I disliked stressful situations.

Slipping off the rock, my feet impacted the ground loudly and caused the group to jump back, their reaction times almost on par with my own as they drew their weapons.

Realising that I could have done that better, I turned away from the group.

“I will return in three days.”

“Where are you going?” shouted the redhead. She had not moved closer when the others did, so I assumed she wasn’t yelling in anger but because she didn't realise my senses were so acute that I could hear her heart beating half a mile away.

I turned my head slightly, not that I needed to, I could tell where all of them were without looking.

“Why, the hills are swarming with tasty lizards that can’t be allowed to return to their kind and inform them that not only are you aware and preparing for their arrival, that a certain majestic creature gifted you this knowledge and their now dead comrades.”

The fox girl opened and closed her mouth a few times before lowering her gaze, piquing my interest. -"Yep, she definitely wants to ask something."

Without waiting for them to respond, I clenched the muscles around the seven objects in my body, squeezing the energy they contained out and into my muscles before leaving behind a small crater where my feet had once been.

I felt the wind howling past me.

Within moments I reached the intact hills and disappeared into the winding mini valleys between them, but not before taking a quick peek at the shocked expressions on the group's faces. I guess it was pretty surprising to see a creature clear two hundred meters in less than a second.

-”You just wanted to show off, didn’t you? Trying to impress the Redhead? Or do you have a thing for skinny beast girls.”

-”Nope, just making sure to put enough doubt into their minds that me being an enemy would be a terrible idea.”

With glee, having resigned myself to the fate of my decision and the potential consequences, I encountered my first Rakorn scout and ended his life quickly.

Strangely, against everything I felt I knew about myself, I was somewhat happy that I decided to help out the humans, or at least, give them a chance.

Though I found it hard to admit and ended up making the excuse that, I had given them enough rope that, if they chose incorrectly, they would hang themselves and give me all the justification I needed to eliminate them on sight.

-"Umm, I think its dead."

Looking at the scattered remains of the poor Rakorn, I chuckled. -"Whoops~. Got a little carried away there."

It was good to kill things and attempt to forget about all the obvious blunders I had made in my conversation with the humans.

Deep down, I wanted things to work out, but at the same time, I kind of hoped they didn't. Every single person I saw looked like they had fascinating abilities. Abilities I might be able to absorb.

Suddenly I stopped as an obvious question hit me. -"Did they even have the authority to agree to my proposal?"