Previously on Protector’s of Worlds:

Now that our heroes have finished building their raft, they began their journey across the sea, hoping to find new land.

After avoiding dangers from the air and sea, they miraculously were able to come ashore onto a new island, but only for them to go through another jungle….

What will our two heroes encounter? Let’s hope right in….

X

“Damn Pests!!”

Marcel shouted, smacking his arms and killing any bug that tried to suck his blood. In front of him was Calem who was experiencing the same problem. They just started going through this new jungle area and are already hit with swarms of insects, dense plants, and massive undergrowth…again!

“Getting sick and tired of this shit!” Marcel angrily said as he scratched both of his arms, which were covered in tiny red bits. “Why did that portal even take us here in the first place?!”

“I don’t know, okay?!” Calem said with frustration while avoiding anything to trip on.

“Wish it would’ve taken us somewhere else…..” Marcel stopped before smacking his cheek, killing a bug. “Not this planet with insect-infested jungles and giant murderous reptiles!”

“Maybe, it put us here for a reason,” Calem said as the two stopped for a moment.

“Reason? What kind of reason?!” Marcel demanded.

“I think it…..” Calem was about to say something but was stopped when Marcel interrupted him.

“It better be a good one, because I’ve had it up to here with this planet!” Marcel yelled out which seemed to tick Calem off.

“Look, I know how frustrating this is, but I’m just as pissed as you are, okay?!” Calem yelled, causing his friend to back off. “So shut up and let me think.”

With that out of his system, Calem paces around, trying to think of a reason while Marcel lets him be. Calming down and feeling bad for lashing at his friend, he attempted to say sorry but suddenly his eyes widened, pupils shrunk, and an expression of fear formed on his face when he noticed something attached to Calem’s back.

“C-C-C-Ca….C-C-Cal-Cal-Cal…Ca….” Marcel stuttered, trying to warn his friend about the thing on his back, but was too full of fear to finish.

“Marcel, please, not now,” Calem said, not wanting to get into a fight.

“Y-Y-Your…..b-b-b-bac-ba……back….” Marcel again stuttered, pointing to Calem’s back.

Calem, confused by his friend's behavior, looked at his back to see what the fuss was all about. His eyes widened and his entire face turned into an expression of fear like Marcel’s when he saw the thing crawling on his back.

It looked to be an insect that was about 10 inches tall and 12 inches long, about the size of a human hand, had the appearance of a beetle with a magenta-colored exoskeleton covered in vermilion spots, a violet underbelly, a beaklike rostrum, and long eyestalks with green eyes.

Both didn’t move an inch as the insect idles on, scratching its rostrum with one of its legs. It then started moving up toward Calem’s head, which…………..

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Calem screamed with such volume that it caused any winged creature to fly away in fear. He starts running around in circles, flailing his arms up and down while yelling…

“GET IT OFF!! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!”

Marcel tried to think of what to do until he saw a thick branch lying on the ground. Picking it up, he followed Calem around, and when he got close, used the branch like a club, beating Calem in hopes of squashing the bug, which evaded at great speeds.

“What the hell are you doing, Marcel?!” Calem asked as he shielded himself from the barrage.

“What does it look like?” Just stand still and let me kill it!” Marcel instructed, not letting up.

“How does this even…..”

Calem suddenly tripped on some undergrowth, falling on his stomach. Despite his friend being down, Marcel didn’t hesitate for a second, pummeling his friend with the branch and adding in a few kicks.

“For christ’s sake, stop! You’re doing more harm to me than good!”

After a minute or so, Marcel halted to catch his breath. This allowed Calem to recover, groaning with pain as his body aches just trying to stand up.

“I think I got it……….I think I got it.” Marcel said, confident that the insect is dead.

“You got it?.....” Calem silent asked before grabbing Marcel’s collar in a fit of anger. “What about me?! What about the damage done to me?!”

‘Sorry, but if I didn’t, that thing could’ve sucked your blood and given you a deadly disease!” Marcel said, explaining his actions. “What else could I have done?!

“Gee, I don’t know, maybe just smack it off with your hand!” Calem yelled

“I……….” Marcel stopped, thinking about what his friend said. “I could’ve done that……yeah,” He said, embarrassed by what he’s now done.

The anger from Calem seemed cool down as his grip on Marcel’s shirt loosened and lets him go. “Well, in any case, I think you managed to kill it or scare it away.”

“Yeah, looks like……..” Marcel looked on top of Calem’s head before….“AAAAAAAHHH!”

“Huh?” Calem, confused by his friend's fearful response, rolls his eyes up, only to see the beetle-like insect, still alive, on top of his head.

Before he could even react, Marcel brought the branch down, which the insect evaded, but not Calem, who took the full force right on the head, which caused the branch to break in half.

“Ooh!”

Calem fell on his back while Marcel searched for the insect, which was flying away. Now that it's gone, Marcel dropped the broken branch before helping his friend up, who was dazed after taking such a hit, rolling his eyes and seeing stars.

“It’s a good thing I noticed it in time, otherwise, who knows what it might’ve done,” Marcel said

“Fire department’s that way, ma’am.” A confused Calem said, pointing to the left before falling to the ground as Marcel just watched.

X

Some time has passed in the jungle as dawn is coming in. Our two heroes continued their voyages with Calem leading away, still a little dazed and rubbing his hand on his head, which still aches. After the encounter with the insect, the two didn’t speak to each other for the whole trip. While he did what he had to do, Marcel felt bad for injuring his friend in the process.

“So………How’s the head?” Marcel asked, wanting to break the silence.

“Still hurts…” Calem responded. “ I think I might have a concussion.”

“Sorry to hear that….” Marcel said, feeling even worse than before. “Did you……think of a reason yet?

“No…..nothing,” Calem said, continuing to rub his head.

A few whiffs of the air and Calem stopped in his tracks, causing Marcel to halt from his friend’s sudden stop.

“What’s wrong?” Marcel asked.

“Do you….smell that?” Calem said, sniffing the air around him. “Smells…….sweetish.”

Not smelling anything, Marcel concludes…”Yeah, you definitely have a concussion. Let’s try to find you a place to rest.” He said as he went over to his friend, but stopped when a scent assaulted his nostrils. “Know that you think of it……(Sniff)...(Sniff)... I smell it too.”

“But, where’s it coming from?” Calem said

Like a couple of bloodhounds, they trailed the scent, looking to see the source of it. After going through dense plants they finally saw what was creating the scent.

It was a bizarre-looking plant with an elongated bluegrass vine body that was wrapped around a tree. It had a weird organ that looked like a “mouth” with a lemon yellow coloring and orange spots. The vine-like creature was motionless, usually closing and opening its mouth.

“Is that…..what’s releasing the scent?” Marcel said, unsure that such a sweet smell could come from a strange organism.

“I think……so?” Calem said, just as confused as Marcel was.

Curious about this thing, the two slowly and quietly approached the plant. Just as Calem was about to poke it, the plant's mouth turned towards them, startling them both. A tongue organ comes out, armed with a barb before shooting it. Calem was able to move in time, but Marcel wasn’t as the barb hits him on the neck. Calem summons his sword before striking the plant, slicing it in the middle as a white liquid squirts out of the open wound, causing it to unwrap around the tree and flee away. With the danger gone, Calem checks on his friend, who just pulled the barb out of his neck.

“You alright?” Calem asked

“Yeah, yeah,” Marcel said, scratching part of his neck where the barb was. “Jubt fweking ah litmmle nummm….”

Suddenly, his entire body starts becoming numb as he goes into a state of paralysis, falling onto his back like a statue.

“Oh, shit!” Calem said concerned for his friend.

While he was checking to see if his friend was alright, he heard something move through bushes. Something……..big.

“Nope. Don’t have time to find out.” Calem said

He quickly grabs his paralyzed friend by his legs and starts dragging him before the thing could even show itself.

X

Just when night came and the moon appeared, Calem was able to find an opening in a cave for them to rest for the night. Marcel, who was still paralyzed, was resting while using Calem’s jacket as a blanket. Having just started a fire, Calem was staying on guard, sitting near the entrance with his sword in one hand while throwing wood on the fire, making it bigger.

Though he tried his best to stay awake, his eyes started to tire as he was close to falling asleep, but would jump back, hearing all the roars from the jungle. As time went on, he would start to get sleepy, and sleepy, and sleepy…..

Until all of a sudden, his eyes opened and witnessed that the sky was blue and the sun was out!

“H-Huh?” A still sleepy Calem said, wiping some drool off his mouth when he came to realize…..

IT WAS MORNING!!

“Damn it!” A fully awakened Calem shouted out.

Since he slept through the night, he gets up and checks on his friend, to see if he’s okay. When he got to where Marcel was resting, he started to get more troubled than before.

Marcel wasn’t there. All that was there was Calem’s jacket!

“Crap, crap, crap!” Calem nervously shouted as he puts his jacket back on and then runs out of the cave.

“Marcel! Marcel!!”

He shouted to his friend as loud as possible, but with no reply. He tried everything: shouting, looking for any tracks left behind, or maybe any tattered clothing…………but no luck. With no sign of Marcel anywhere, Calem fell to his knees as tears start streaming down his face.

“Idiot……You idiot!!” Calem angrily insults himself as he punches the ground. “Dumbass! Why did you have to fall asleep?! Why couldn’t you stay awake!?! Because of your stupidity……your friend is dead!!”

While he was grieving, something walked in from behind before grabbing Calem by his left shoulder. This freaked him out as he jumps away and summons his sword, ready to fight, but when he got a good look, it was none other than……..Marcel!!

“M-Marcel?!” Calem said, shocked his friend was alive and well.

“Just calm down. It’s me.” Marcel said, trying to relax his friend.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Calem furiously said. “Where the hell have you been?!”

“I was taking a piss!” Marcel explained.

“Wha…..Why didn’t you tell me?!” Calem asked

“You were sleeping like an angel! I just couldn’t disturb you.” Marcel said

Not knowing what to say, Calem gave up as he facepalmed himself, not having enough energy to argue.

“Whatever, let’s just find something to eat. I’m starving.” Calem said.

“Same,” Marcel said as he rubs his stomach.

With that, the two proceeded to search for food. They noticed a tree bearing fruit after walking a mile or so. Now that a meal is within sight, both ran to the tree to pick the fruit, but out of nowhere…..

Two unknown projectiles, thrown from out of nowhere, hits the two right on the head, knocking them to the ground. Calem was out cold, but not Marcel, for he was still conscious enough to see a glimpse of their attackers.

Coming out from the bushes were 10 silhouettes of strange creatures. The weirdest thing Marcel noticed about them was that they looked like reptiles……..but were standing and walking like humans!

One of them approached Marcel, realizing he was still conscious. It uses a club to hit him on the head, causing everything to go black…………