The Salt Pine Forest stood around the edges of the Salt Flat Desert. In the shade of the pines animals survived, sheltered from the sun and heat of the salt flats. In fact, it was today that a nest of leopard gecko eggs was hatching. Covered in pine needles, the shells jumped and wiggled as their occupants attempted to join the world. One egg finally cracked, and a small reptilian face poked out, tongue flicking as it tested the air, smelling the salt and pine.

Right up until an armored boot fell from above, crushing the lizard dead. A few more stomps and the rest of the nest followed. The boot belonged to a man in half-plate.

"You sure seem to hate those geckos Gregory."

"Hates got nothin' to do with it Eric, if you don't break the eggs there's no point in clearing them out at all." replied the armored man.

Eric was the armored man's patrol partner. The two were a mismatched pair. Dressed in leathers far more appropriate to the climate, Eric was tall, young, and dark skinned, whereas Gregory was old, light skinned, and quite a bit overweight. How Gregory survived the heat in armor Eric would never know. The two had come out into the forest along with their elf guide Airwin to clear out pests near the camp.

"Besides Eric, you killed all the big ones with your cheater stick. Let me have my fun." As Gregory said; several adult lizards, large as alligators, laid dead to the side, bullet holes through their skulls courtesy of Eric's pistol.

"It's a gun Gregory."

"Cheater stick, got it." replied Gregory.

Eric just sighed as Airwin walked over and said: "I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Gregory this time Eric, that weapon is quite impressive."

"You're no slouch with that bow yourself, I don't think you missed once."

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"Thank you, but I have over a hundred years of practice with the bow. I'm afraid it would be rather embarrassing if I was still a poor shot."

"Wow, a hundred years? I'm still getting used to things like that."

"Have you never met an elf before?"

"Never met an elf, or seen magic, or monsters, until I got sucked through a Rift."

"Ah, my condolences then." replied Airwin. Rifts were unpleasant things that happened ever since the Crash, tearing open a tunnel between two worlds and dumping whatever happened to be near through it. As they were unpredictable both in when they opened and where they opened to, a living being sucked through couldn't hope to see home again.

"Eh, it's ok. I didn't have much in the way of friends or family anyways, and Gregory's been looking out for me."

"That's quite-

{Crunch} {Crack} {Crunch}

The sound of doomed geckos reached them as Gregory found another nest and crushed several hatchlings as they tried to flee, muttering obscenities under his breath all the while.

...charitable of him."

"Ha, he's a bit gruff, but he's a good guy."

They made small talk for a while. In the same way that Airwin was the first elf Eric had ever met, Eric was also the first offworlder Airwin had met.

"So you've never met someone from another world before now? I was led to believe this 'Crash' made it pretty common." said Eric.

"More common than it once was, but still quite rare. I've met a man who claimed to have been reincarnated and originally from another world. He couldn't truly prove he was in the same way you can of course, but incidents like his have become all too normal."

"Wow, reincarnation, my world had stories but-"

"DIE EGG BREAKERS!"

With a loud cry a strange lizard-like biped burst from the underbrush, a simple spear trained on Eric. Airwin threw Eric to the side, narrowly missing the spear and grappled the diminutive monster. It looked like surprise and Airwin's poor position might give the creature an opening; until Gregory's sword took it in the throat.

"Jesus, what was that thing?" asked Eric in the aftermath.

"Geckobold. Higher form of leopard geckos." replied Gregory.

"Wait, leopard geckos grow into this thing?"

"Yes, though they don't usually talk." answered Airwin.

Eric considered Airwin's words, their previous conversation still fresh in his thoughts.

"There's no way that was a reincarnation right?"

The three stared at the corpse of the oddly intelligent 'pest' creature.

"Well if it was." said Gregory. "Maybe third time's the charm."