Previously on Protector’s of Worlds:

The arrogant and rebellious Iguacko, Envi, who was imprisoned and awaiting his punishment, escaped!! As he was hiding, he was found by the deadly doctor, Uell Moroo, who offered him a chance to get back at his tribe and make them pay. Agreeing to this, the two started their unholy alliance…..

What do these two have in mind?! Let’s see for ourselves…..

X The Village: 30 minutes ago X

The entire tribe was going about the day, minding their own business. At Velu’s hut, he and a few other elders were deciding the punishment Envi would have to face. Outside, his granddaughter, Floso, sitting on the ground, along with her human friend, Julie, leaning against the hut, were waiting while two guards stood by the entrance. The curtain doors open as the chieftain walks out, prompting the guards to bow to him as Julie and Floso quickly get to their feet and stand straight.

“I’ve made my decision…..” Velu said as the others started to hear him out. “Envi is to be imprisoned for the rest of his life in a hole, never to leave, and must be kept a watchful eye on at all times. Relay the message immediately,” Velu said to one of the guards who nodded and proceeded to venture to where Envi is currently held.

With that out of the way, Velu returns to his shelter as the other elders leave while Julie and Floso decide to take a stroll. While walking, Julie noticed a gloomy look on her friend's face.

“Something bothering you?” Julie asked.

“I would say so, yes,” Floso replied. “Do you believe this is the best outcome for him?”

“You afraid he might break out?” Julie asked again.

“That, and the possibility he might back for us for revenge,” Floso said. “I just don’t know. What do you think?”

‘Well, I can’t say for sure, it’s your grandfather’s decision, not mine.” Julie said, “But like he said, with enough guards and constant surveillance, Envi has no chance of escape…….But, by some miracle, he might come to regret his actions and try to make amends with the rest of us.”

“Why would you think that, after everything he’s done?” Floso asked, curious about Julie’s sentence.

“It’s something my mother believed in. She thinks that everybody, no matter how foul or cruel they are, has good inside of them,” Julie said. “While I don’t firmly believe in this myself, I honestly would prefer this than having someone die,”

This sentence caused Floso to think about what her friend said. There is a possibility that Envi can think back to his actions and try to reform but if that doesn’t work, he might just be a prisoner for the rest of his life.

About 10 minutes later………

“HELP!!! SOMEBODY, HELP!!!!”

A few of the tribe members heard this cry for help as they see the guard sent by Velu rushing to the village, assisting an injured male Iguacko, carrying him with his hand around his waist and the injured’s arm around his neck. A few males and females helped out, taking care of the wounded while a few looked on, horrified by this sight. Julie and Floso, who were just done with their stroll, joined in, seeing the injured male and the guard, who was quite anxious.

“What is this? What happened?” Floso asked the guard, disturbed by this sight.

“I-I did what the chieftain told me, I told Envi’s jailors that Velu made his decision and left but after getting a few feet away, I heard a noise come from the cave, probably a fight,” The guard said, frantic and scared. “When I turned back, one of the guards was knocked out and the other……killed, stabbed in the throat with a spear.”

“And Envi?” Floso asked.

“Gone, probably ran off.” The guard said.

Fearing the worst, Floso quickly ran off, heading for her grandfather to inform him of what happened while Julie stayed behind, remembering what she said to Floso earlier about Envi making amends. Now that he killed someone, it looks like redeeming himself is out of the question…..

X Now X

A couple of search parties, one of which was led by Roin, scour the entire jungle side to find and capture the runaway Envi. Using his footprints to track him down, Roin’s group was able to discover the location where he was last seen, but there was no sign of him. The only things that were able to find were a few broken trees, almost like they were pushed down, and another set of footprints.

Roin ordered the others to search the entire area, which they did, going separate ways while he stayed behind, examining the other tracks. They didn’t look reptilian or anything he’d ever seen before, but they had a humanoid look and were huge at that. The mere sight of these gave Roin an uneasy feeling as he tried to understand what is going on…..

X The Village X

Having searched the jungle for hours and no luck of finding Envi, the parties have decided to call it a day and head back to the tribe, hoping to continue the search tomorrow.

At the chieftain's hut, Roin was talking with Velu and Floso along with Marcel, Julie, and Calem about what they have found so far.

“We searched every place we know of but like a phantom, he just vanished,” Roin explained everything. “All we were able to find were another set of footprints, big ones……resembling those of our human friends.”

Once they heard that line, Calem and Marcel knew exactly what this meant. The threat that has haunted them for so long has finally made its way to this planet and now, the entire tribe is at risk.

“Does this mean anything to you two?” Velu said, noticing the change in their expressions.

“Afraid so, chief,” Marcel said. “We believe that something terrible has arrived.”

“Terrible?.......You……You don’t mean……him?” Julie asked, getting a nodding reply from Calem and Marcel. “Are you sure about this?”

“No doubt about it,” Calem said. “Think back to the tracks. What other creature on this planet would leave something like that?”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“You have a point….” Julie replied.

“And what of Envi?” Floso asked. “Do you think…..he’s dead?”

“That would be impossible,” Roin said. “If he was, we would’ve found his body or a single trace of blood.”

“So that only means……” Velu stopped midway as the rest of the room remained silent, thinking about the fate of Envi and what other terrors lie beyond……

X

At some unknown location, Envi was sitting on a chair in a high-tech room. He looked around the place, seeing numerous computer screens on the walls, a ton of chemistry equipment, and a hologram table. The sight of all of these fascinated the Iguacko, it was almost like he was living in the future……

But all that was interrupted by the sounds of a huge creature shrieking in pure agony, startling Envi a bit. Not only that, but he also heard the sounds of machinery slicing through flesh and metal penetrating skin.

After minutes upon minutes of hearing these terrible sounds, they all came to a stop, relieving Envi. Suddenly, a door opened up as Uell walked, causing the Iguacko to turn to him.

“Sorry about that, my dear fellow,” Uell said, politely. “Hope you didn’t wait long.”

“O-Oh, no…..Not at all.” Envi said, nervously but quickly regaining his composure.

“Good,” Uell said. “Now, shall we get started?”

“Start? Start what?!” Envi asked, becoming impatient.

“To get back at the ones who wronged you, that’s what,” Uell said

“But, you haven’t exactly told me how we’re going to do it,” Envi said

“And I’m going to,” Uell said. “But first, I’d like to show you something.”

Suddenly, a door opened up and two figures walked out before stopping in front of Uell and Envi, both letting out a mechanical-sounding growl. Envi backed away from the creatures but was stopped when the robot's hand blocked his way.

“Don’t be afraid,” Uell said, reassuring Envi. “They’re on our side.”

“Wha-What are they?” Envi said as the creatures continued growling and hissing.

“Just a few companions I borrowed from a friend of mine,” Uell said.

“So these things are gonna help us?” Envi said. “Don’t you think we need more?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Uell said. “They may not look like much, but they are quite formidable. With their abilities, your people would be wiped out in a matter of hours if I wanted.”

“And what of the humans? You think they’ll just stand by and watch?” Envi asked.

“Not if we have a hostage in our midst,” Uell said, catching Envi’s interest.

“Keep going….” Envi said, wanting to hear more.

“Now, here's what we do,” Uell said as he and Envi started devising a strategy……

X

With the fear of Envi alive and whatever he made contact with still out there, the Iguacko tribe is now starting to take precautions. About 10 males have been placed on each side of the massive field, instructed by Velu to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity. When about an hour or so passed, another male would take their place as the other would rest before it was his turn again. This continued on until nightfall as everyone started to sleep. The huts of Velu and Floso are now protected by 2 guards, one in the front and one in the back.

Out in the fields, a current guard was just about to change his swift with another one. While this was happening, a strange distortion in the air quickly sneaked past the guards, not even attracting their attention. Out of danger, the thing was able to avoid making noise and set its sight on………Floso’s hut!!

The guard at the front door was standing on his post but was tired as he let out a massive yawn. Looking forward, he believes he sees the silhouette of a camouflaged creature standing still, right in front of him. He starts rubbing his eyes and decides to look in front of him again, only to see nothing. He quickly dismissed this, thinking it was just his drowsiness causing him to see things……..until something hit him right on the temple, knocking him unconscious and quickly grabbing him as it set his back on the hut, leaning against it.

As Floso peacefully slept, a blanket covering her, a sudden sound coming from outside awakened her. She became fearful when someone entered her residence, but couldn’t make out what it was. Before she could even react, something hits her on the head, rendering her out cold. The thing then picks up Floso as it exits the hut. Approaching the tree line, it was stopped when the back guard, who was just doing some patrol, noticed Floso being carried, but being carried but what, he didn’t know. Just when he could scream to alert everyone, he was tackled into the bushes as a terrible cracking sound was heard.

X

“FLOSO’S GONE!!!!! FLOSO’S GONE!!!!!”

An Iguacko guard roared as he ran through the entire village, waking everyone up as the sun comes up. Many of them exited their homes, wondering what all the commotion was about but for Velu, he frantically hurried outside, upon hearing that his granddaughter is missing.

Everyone huddles to Floso’s hut including Julie, Marcel, and Calem. In the distance, Roin was with a few other males, looking for any trace of what could’ve happened to his lover or the other guard. The injured guard was being tended by a male and female, still a bit dizzy as his wound was being cleaned. Velu moved through the crowd as he approached the humans.

“Well?! Was he able to tell you much?” Velu asked with distraught.

“He said he was doing what he was told until something attacked him,” Julie said.

“Anything else, like what struck him?!” Velu asked again.

“I’m….afraid not,” Julie said.

An enraged Velu, angry with what is going on, pushed the humans aside and headed toward the guard, kneeling to him as the male and female moved aside.

“You!” Velu angrily said, shaking the guard. “What attacked you? Was it Envi….or something else?!”

“I-I….I don’t know…” The guard said in a dizzy voice.

“(Grunts)...Did you at least get a good look at it?!” Velu shouted out.

“I….couldn’t.” The guard said. “It was there, but…….its body was like one with the environment.”

“What?! What does that mean?!!” Velu, whose anger was increasing, shouted at the guard to make sense but was stopped when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned his head and saw it was Calem.

“Sir, we know you're worried about Floso’s safety, but you need to calm down!” Calem urged the chieftain who lets go of the guard and he breathes in and out, regaining his composure.

Just then, Roin came rushing towards the group with the other males, holding something in his hand.

“No sign of Floso, but we managed to find the other guard. Sadly, he’s dead.” Roin said, which caused many in the crowd to gasp in horror while others chatted with one another. “We were able to find this near him.”

Roin extends his hand forward, showing a baseball-sized metal sphere, which causes Calem and Marcel to stare at it with concern, meaning their suspicions were true after all.

While this was happening, a male was looking after the dead body, noticing that his neck was crushed. He suddenly heard the bushes making a rustling noise. As he moved slowly to see what was causing it, a purple liquid shot from out of nowhere, hitting the male directly in the face.

As the crowd observed the round steel object, their focus became broken when they heard a scream of unbearable agony. The male from earlier stumbled toward them, both hands covering his face. While they were thinking about what was wrong with him, it wasn’t until he came closer that they were horrified to witness that the Iguackos face was melting, skin and muscle dissolving, one of his eyes popped out, and made a gurgling sound before he collapsing, with melted flesh and blood pouring out.

The group was too frightened to do anything, they couldn’t stop looking at the Iguacko’s corpse and his disfigured face as some vomited at this sight. Snapping out of it, the crowd runs away, leaving Roin, Velu, Calem, Marcel, Julie, and a few other males behind, observing this ghastly sight. All of a sudden, one male, outraged by the death of a comrade, pulled out his knife and stormed into the jungle.

“Stop, don’t go in there!” Roin shouted but was met with deaf ears with the others failing to do the same.

Just before he could enter the jungle, a tentacle-like protrusion, tipped with a green three-fingered hand wrapped around his neck and dragged him in as a bloody and brutal noise was heard. After a while, something was thrown from the jungle to tour heroes, rolling towards them as it turned out to be the Iguackos severed head, which seemed to be torn off.

Now with two dead bodies, the group looked directly into the jungle, fearing what kind of horrors are lurking in there……

X

Witnessing such a gruesome sight, our heroes along with Roin decided to stay at Velu’s hut for the time being, looking over the metal sphere as they tried to see how to activate it. Calem figured it out as he unscrewed the top, revealing a tiny bulb inside that started to brighten up. He then places it on the ground as it proceeds to project a holographic image of Envi, angering Velu upon gazing at him.

“You little bastard! What have you done with my granddaughter!?!” Velu furiously asked but there was no response as Envi just stood still before leaning his head to the left offscreen, puzzling everyone.

“So I just talk and this thing will….how do you say…“record”?” Envi silently said, but they were able to hear him. This gave the humans the realization that this was merely a recording.

“Yes, yes, now please proceed.” An unknown voice said silently as well, as the others wondered who it was

“Ahem……Greetings, scumbags. If you are getting this, then you are aware of what is happening. Floso is in our custody and is safe, but how long she stays that way is in your hands. For the longest time, I believed myself to be the next future chieftain of our tribe, but all of that was taken away from me by my rival, Roin. Not only did he beat me in the tournament, but he also humiliated me in front of everyone, showing off just how better he was. If it wasn’t for those things called “humans” and Floso getting in my way, I would have gotten everything I wanted! These crimes against me will not go unpunished.”

Envi then stops for a second as he raises one finger. “I have one demand and that is for the whole tribe to surrender to me, the humans included. You must all lay down your weapons and prostrate yourselves to me, acknowledging your defeat. If any other Iguacko has the idea of leaving the village, they will meet a gruesome end. Oh, and for the humans, should you decide to go into the jungle and fight our minions, know this, you’ll be responsible for the death of Floso and the entire tribe will be burned to the ground because of your actions!”

“I will give you until tomorrow morning to make up your minds. Think carefully, your future is at stake…..”

With that, the recording ends as the room turns silent. Everyone dreaded what they saw and had to make a difficult choice: Surrender themselves to Envi and his mysterious friend or risk the total obliteration of the tribe…….

What decision will our heroes make?! Will that meet Envi’s demands or do they possibly have a plan to stop him?! Find out in the next chapter!!