Previously on Protector's of Worlds:

Calem Drewick found himself on the dead planet, Arusatora: little vegetation, cities in ruin, and animals that have become mindless savages. When he was close to being eaten alive, he was saved by the Arusatorian….Arui'Kotamu! She took him back to the bunker, where she cleaned his wounds. What will happen next? What will Calem discover about what happened to Arusatora? Let's find out…

X

In the far-off distance, Calem was running for his life as the background was a blazing inferno. As he continued running, the flames started forming, turning into a dark giant with a devilish grin and piercing white eyes. The giant then looked down at Calem which caused him to run as fast as he could as the giant reached its hand out to him. Despite this, he looked back and saw the giant's hand close to him, causing him to scream in terror.

"No…..!" Calem screamed out as he found himself in the medical room. He calmed himself by breathing in and out before wiping his forehead which was covered in sweat. Just then, the door opened which revealed Arui'Kotamu as she walked in.

"Are you alright?" She said as she checked on Calem, placing her palm on his forehead.

"I'm fine, just had a…..really bad dream," Calem replied before getting up and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I see. How's your leg feeling?" Arui'Kotamu asked.

Calem then gets up from the bed and stands but doesn't feel any pain in his left leg, which shocks him. He rolls up his jean legging and notices that the fresh bite marks from yesterday have already healed up.

"My wound….is healed up already? Now that's what I call medicine." Calem said, which made Arui'Kotamu chuckle.

"Anyway, I just wanted to check if you wanted some breakfast," Arui'Kotamu said.

"Oh, certainly. I'm starving." Calem replied with a smile.

X

Calem enters a large cafeteria-like area before sitting near one of the tables, waiting for his food and looking around the place. While waiting, he was thinking about the word Arui'Kotamu said to him: Arusatora. She said that was the name of the planet. Calem was not only surprised that he found himself on another world, but he made contact with alien life! His mind was racing, filled with numerous thoughts like him being the first human to meet extraterrestrial beings, but that was stopped when Arui'Kotamu came out with trays in both of her hands.

"Sorry about the wait. Hope you're hungry." Arui'Kotamu said as she lays one tray near Calem and near her as she sits down.

Right before Calem was about to eat, he noticed some of the food seemed a bit….weird. He looked at the various items on the tray: one looked like a round piece of bread the size of a tennis ball, a purplish viscous fluid, tiny multicolored spheres, and a cup with a bluish fluid. Hesitant at first, he saw Arui'Kotamu eat the stuff like it was nothing so he grabbed the round bread. He slowly inched it towards his mouth before taking a bite out of it. He starts chewing and chewing till his eyes open and nods, thinking it was okay. He then tried the purple fluid and when it hit his tongue, he let out a yummy sound. He then starts gorging himself, eating everything on the tray as Arui'Kotamu watches with a speechless stare.

"You…...must've been hungry, huh?" Arui'Kotamu asked Calem who stopped eating.

"Oh, I was but I've never had food like this, not from where I come from," Calem said as his mouth was full of food, which made Arui'Kotamu chuckle.

"That's interesting. Eat as much as you want. We got a whole supply full of food, enough for years to come." Arui'Kotamu said. "I'm just…...glad to be able to talk to another Arusatorian."

Calem then stops eating and looks at her, confused. "Arusatorian? Is that the name of your species?" Calem asked her, which caused Arui'Kotamu to stop and look at him with confusion and a little bit of fear on her face.

"Y-You're joking, right?" Arui'Kotamu said, which caused Calem to nod a no. " It can't be........We almost look like, except our skins are different colors, but I just assume you were from a foreign country." Arui'Kotamu said.

"I'm sorry to say this….but I'm not an Arusatorian," Calem said, which worried Arui'Kotamu.

"If you're not Arusatorian, then…..What are you?" Arui'Kotamu asked.

Calem was hesitant at first to say because Arui'Kotamu would believe he was crazy, but he gathered his courage and told her everything.

"You may find this hard to believe but I'm from another planet which is called "Earth". On Earth, I belong to a species called "Humans''. We're a bit like your race, except we're not as technologically advanced as you guys are." Calem said, which caused Arui'Kotamu to drop her fork.

"That….can’t be. That means….I'm the last of my kind?" Arui'Kotamu asked with fear in her voice, to which Calem didn't respond in hopes he could make her more upset. After a few moments without saying a single word, Arui'Kotamu grabs her fork and continues eating her food, leaving Calem with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm sorry to ask this but…...what exactly happened here?" Calem said with a bit of concern but was curious to know how her home ended up.

After asking that, Arui'Kotamu looked like she was shaking with fear, almost like she was experiencing a memory that has long since haunted her.

"F-Forget about it. You don't have to tell me." Calem said after seeing the state of her. "Sorry about that," Calem said as he apologized to her right before eating his food.

"There…..was a war," Arui'Kotamu said as Calem stopped for a moment. "A big but short one, but I don't remember why or how it started."

"Is there anything you…..do remember?" Calem asked

"The only thing I remember was the missiles raining down from the sky, creating massive explosions that obliterated our cities in an instant," Arui'Kotamu said.

When Arui'Kotamu said missiles, Calem suddenly figured out what happened. There must've been a nuclear war, which would explain why everything looks like a wasteland and why the animals have gone insane.

"I…..I'm very sorry." Calem said as he apologized to Arui'Kotamu. "What….happened then?"

She took some deep breaths and told him everything. She said that the remaining survivors hid away in underground bunkers and waited for the radiation levels to go down. After waiting for 5 years, some of the survivors, including Arui'Kotamu's father volunteered to go outside, hoping to make contact with other survivors but were met with ferocious irradiated animals and deadly fog.

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The years went on and the number of survivors has reduced with some dying from fighting with each other and radiation sickness. The numbers kept on going down and down until there was just one survivor left: Arui'Kotamu! Arui'Kotamu's the last living member of her family as her father was killed by rabid animals, her two little sisters from the bomb's blast, and her mother from disease.

"Good god….I'm so…..sorry." Calem said after hearing about the dreadful experience she had just gone through. "How…..long have you been alone?" Calem asked.

"...2 years," Arui'Kotamu replied, which made Calem feel worse for her. She's been alone for 2 years on a dead planet with no one to talk to till she met Calem. After that depressing chat, the two continued eating in silence for the entire hour.

X

After finishing his food, Calem went into the bathroom where he took off his clothes and started to take a shower. While he was washing his hair, he couldn't stop thinking about Arui'Kotamu. She witnessed things that have messed her up: war broke out that destroyed her planet, her family members died one by one, spent the last 2 years alone, and might possibly be the last living member of her species!

He couldn't help but think the same for himself. It may be possible that the robots might've killed all the humans in his world, which would make him the only survivor of his planet.

"No…..no, there's no way," Calem said to himself as he shakes his head, trying to keep that thought away. "There must be a few who must've survived the attacks…..but, what is there isn't? If that's true…..then I truly am the only survivor." Calem said to himself which got his self-esteem down.

X

After an hour in the shower, Calem got out of the bathroom as he was drying his hair with a towel. He walked down the hall for a bit before he noticed a door halfway open. He looked into the room and saw Arui'Kotamu sitting at a desk, talking on a radio.

"This is Bunker site 5101, is anyone out there? Come in, over?" Arui'Kotamu said as she was only met with static. "...(sigh)...This is Bunker site 5101, is anyone out there?" Arui'Kotamu tried again but was again met with more static. She then puts her hands on her face before shaking her head. She then hears a knock on the door, startling her until she sees it was Calem.

"Oh, it's you," Arui'Kotamu said.

"So…any luck?" Calem asked.

"Nothing. I've been trying for years….and no luck." Arui'Kotamu said as she got up and started gathering some supplies like a blaster and a few metal spheres.

"What are you doing now?" Calem asked, curious

"Going outside. It's another way for me to check if there's anyone else alive on this planet." Arui'Kotamu said as she put the blaster on the scabbard on her back.

"Well…..Do you mind if I come along?" Calem asked her.

"Really? Are you sure about that? Arui'Kotamu asked him. "Last time you were outside, you were nearly a Luvantek's dinner."

"...True," Calem said after Arui'Kotamu brought that up. "But it's better to do something than to do nothing. Besides, I want to pay you back for saving my life." Calem said.

"Well, going out can be pretty dangerous and It would be nice to have someone to talk to," Arui'Kotamu said after giving it some thought. " Alright, you may come along." She said right before tossing him a plasma pistol.

"Yes!" Calem yelled out. "Thank you, uh…... Sorry, what was your name again?" Calem asked.

"Oh, It's Arui'Kotamu." She replied. "And now that you mention it, I don't believe you've ever told me your name."

"Oh, the name's Calem Drewick," Calem said as he revealed his name to her.

"Pleased to meet you, Calem Drewick," Arui'Kotamu said.

"Likewise, Arui'Kotamu" Calem said back to her.

X

The two got to the entrance as Arui'Kotamu pushed a few buttons on a keypad-like device which caused the doors to slowly open up.

"Now, before we go out, listen to me very carefully," Arui'Kotamu said which got Calem's attention. "Stay close to me all the time and do not venture by yourself. The Luvantek were just the beginning. There are creatures more dangerous than them that'll do more than rip you to pieces. Venture on your own and you'll be introduced to a world of nightmares so stay close to me. Do you understand?"

"Uh…..Y-Yeah, I understand," Calem said with a bit of concern, just before the two left the bunker, which caused the doors to close on their own.

X

An hour has passed since they left and they've found themselves near the city. While Calem kept walking, Arui'Kotamu stopped as she gazed upon the city as Calem approached her.

"Was this place…..your home?" Calem asked her.

"It was…...but not anymore. It's now a death trap I fear going into." Arui'Kotamu said

"Why's that?" Calem asked her

"See the fog?" Arui'Kotamu says as she points to the widespread fog that engulfs the entire city. "It's ten times more radioactive than the missiles 10 years ago. Just breathing it in will kill you in just a matter of seconds." Arui'Kotamu said as Calem notices some Luvantek, other Arusatorians, and a variety of lifeforms in the fog as shriveled-up corpses.

"Oh. Well, that’s…" Calem tried to say before being interrupted.

"That's not all. There's another reason I don't go into the city." Arui'Kotamu said

"And what's that?" Calem asked.

"There's some kind of creature….that lives in there," Arui'Kotamu said, which just confused Calem.

"Wait, something…...lives there?" Calem said, which caused Arui'Kotamu to nod. "But you said the fog was deadly."

"True….and that's what frightens me," Arui'Kotamu said with her face full of fright. "That…...thing…...whatever it is…..is somehow able to survive the fog and move around. I've been to the city once….and that was enough to make me never go back to that….hell." Arui'Kotamu said with fear in her voice, which made Calem worry for her.

After taking a few deep breaths in and out, Arui'Kotamu started to calm down and continued walking forward. Before he could join her, he noticed something in the fog: it appeared to be two glowing lights that changed color. After staring at the lights for some time, they start moving at a fast pace before disappearing, freaking Calem out as he runs to Arui'Kotamu.

X

After more and more walking, Calem started to tire out, breathing in and out a lot as Arui'Kotamu was still going on, not tired at all and unfazed from exhaustion.

"You need a break?" Arui'Kotamu as she noticed Calem was exhausted.

"T-That would be n-nice," Calem said as he was panting like crazy. He and Arui'Kotamu then sat on some rocks as he wiped the sweat off his forehead and breathed in some air.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Calem Drewick…." Arui'Kotamu said which caused him to turn to her. "Do you…...have any combat experience?" Arui'Kotamu asked him.

"Combat? Oh, no, I've never been in a fight once in my life." Calem responded to her question.

"Then how do you explain that thing?" Arui'Kotamu said as she pointed to the gauntlet.

"Oh, this? I just got this thing yesterday and haven't the foggiest idea where it belongs." Calem said.

"Well, then I guess I'm gonna have to sta…" Arui'Kotamu stopped when she hears snarling and growling coming from all around the area. They got up in a hurry as a pack of 15 Luvanteks surrounded them, blocking their routes of escape. They were drooling from the mouth and looked famished. Arui'Kotamu grabbed her blaster and pushed the big button on it, which turned into a spear. Calem then aims his gauntlet and pistol toward the luvanteks as they start approaching them

Just before they could leap and devour their prey, they halted and looked at something behind them. The two were confused about why the creatures stopped their attack but then they felt the ground start to shake. Not only that, they heard big footsteps they were getting louder and closer, causing the wolf-like creatures to back off and growl. The footsteps then came to a stop behind Arui'Kotamu and Calem as something fell on his shoulder. He looked at his shoulder before touching the thing, which is some kind of green viscous fluid.

"Oh, gross!" Calem said with disgust as he wiped the fluid off.

The two then heard growling behind them, only that it sounded…..bigger. As they slowly looked behind them, they saw a behemoth towering over them. It was around 19ft tall and 22ft long with a brownish hide with multiple scars, two toes on each foot, a long neck with a long trunk, multiple eyes, and downward tusks. The behemoth then let out a loud roar, almost sounding like a deranged elephant on drugs.

The luvantek started roaring as well before charging at the giant. The giant start's charging as well, causing Calem and Arui'Kotamu to jump out of the way. Calem got up and ran over to Arui'Kotamu.

"You alright?!" Calem said as he reached his arm to her.

"I am," Arui'Kotamu said as she grabs Calem's arm before pulling her up.

"What the hell was that thing?!" Calem asked

"It's a Gareberia, a plant-eater," Arui'Kotamu said before looking upon the massacre happening.

The Gareberia used its massive size to plow through the luvantek, its long trunk to grab, crush and throw aside them, used its massive feet to trample them until they were nothing but a bloody mess and used its jaws to bite down on them. The luvantek swarmed the giant, leaping onto it and biting down, pulling on its flesh and ripping big chunks off, but doesn't seem to affect the giant. As Calem and Arui'Kotamu watched on, one of the luvantek started letting out a loud howl.

"Oh, boy. Looks like they're calling for reinforcements." Calem said

"Let's get out of here before that happens," Arui'Kotamu said before a luvantek missing the lower half of its body and guts hanging out was thrown towards them, making them duck.

"Yeah, let's," Calem said right before he and Arui'Kotamu ran for it as more luvantek appeared to assist the others, attacking the Garberia as it swatted more away.

X

After nearly running the entire way back to the bunker, Calem and Arui'Kotamu stopped to take a rest. After that, Arui'Kotamu pressed a few buttons on the keypad, causing the entrance door to open, allowing them to enter. She then leads Calem to the decontamination rooms, two of them had different weird symbols on them, possibly meaning one's for males and one's for females.

"Even though the radiation outside isn't as lethal as before, It's best to decontaminate ourselves just to be safe," Arui'Kotamu said just before entering the room on the right.

Calem then enters the room on the right. When he got in, a robotic voice then talked to him, telling him to remove his clothes and accessories. Just as he got everything off of his body, a hole opened in the wall, displaying a tray that allowed Calem to put his items on before the tray went back to the whole as it closed.

After that, Calem entered a room as a conveyor belt moved him forward. He was then taken to a room where he was sprayed with soap before mechanical arms started scrubbing him. The belt moved him to a different room where he was sprayed with water, removing the soap from his body. He was taken to one last room where he was blasted by hot air, drying him off.

The belt takes him to the final room where the tray that held his stuff was at. Calem puts his clothes and the gauntlet back on before exiting the room and appearing in another where Arui'Kotamu was waiting for him.

"You all good?" Arui'Kotamu asked, causing Calem to nod. "Good. Starting tomorrow, I want you up early to start your training." Arui'Kotamu said.

"Training?" Calem asked

"Yes. Since you said you've never fought once in your life, I'm gonna be training you till you know how to defend yourself and how to survive in this world. Also, since you don't know what the gauntlet is or how to use it, I'll….do my best to help you understand it more." Arui'Kotamu said.

"Well…..that's nice of you. Thanks, I'll look forward to your training." Calem said as he reached his hand out for a handshake, which Arui'Kotamu grabbed and started shaking.

What will happen next? What kind of training will Arui'Kotamu throw at Calem? Find out next time!