In the stillness of the evening, he watched from atop the cliff. His mind clear, taking in all the information provided by enhanced vision. Ebbs and flows of magic, blossoms of heat, minor creatures with the power of invisibility, all of these were noted, classified as non-threatening, and dismissed. The cool of the night air caressed his scales, and was ignored. The saurian had a tremendous amount of practice tuning out the distracting. Cold, heat, sound, light, silence, darkness . . . all could be ignored, in the intention of discovering a threat before it could act.
His former "masters", the Kreeghor, had changed him for this purpose. Changed his sight, his body. In others, fantastic abilities manifested. Transformations from flesh to inorganic substances, different types of energy projections, flight . . . Creatures from all races joined the rank and file of the Invincible Guard, as named by the Kreeghor. Even some humans, though these were reserved for infiltration purposes. A momentary flicker of memory, a meeting of another of his kind, with the ability to fly and change his skin to a substance like battleship armor, caused a smile.
The Kreeghor had taken a different path in him. Instead of bestowing things that seemed fantastical in nature, they had enhanced instead. His ability to see through objects and to see, for lack of a better term, magic . . . those were the only "gifts" they outright bestowed upon him. His durability, his speed, his strength, all enhancements.
An experiment. And as time would show them, a costly one. During an altercation in the place known as "Center", his handler made a mistake. A lapse of attention. A lesson the saurian took to heart, as if he had made the mistake himself.
Many travels ago. Many worlds. Certain memories could be ill-afforded. Simple distractions. The pupils of those glowing orbs shrank a moment, as the most recent lesson replayed itself. He had failed in his duty once. The circumstances behind it, those were unimportant. Excuses.
He would not fail again. Still, as if carved of stone, he would watch. And Guard. His duty, his purpose, these were clear.
The saurian would always stand guard.
His former "masters", the Kreeghor, had changed him for this purpose. Changed his sight, his body. In others, fantastic abilities manifested. Transformations from flesh to inorganic substances, different types of energy projections, flight . . . Creatures from all races joined the rank and file of the Invincible Guard, as named by the Kreeghor. Even some humans, though these were reserved for infiltration purposes. A momentary flicker of memory, a meeting of another of his kind, with the ability to fly and change his skin to a substance like battleship armor, caused a smile.
The Kreeghor had taken a different path in him. Instead of bestowing things that seemed fantastical in nature, they had enhanced instead. His ability to see through objects and to see, for lack of a better term, magic . . . those were the only "gifts" they outright bestowed upon him. His durability, his speed, his strength, all enhancements.
An experiment. And as time would show them, a costly one. During an altercation in the place known as "Center", his handler made a mistake. A lapse of attention. A lesson the saurian took to heart, as if he had made the mistake himself.
Many travels ago. Many worlds. Certain memories could be ill-afforded. Simple distractions. The pupils of those glowing orbs shrank a moment, as the most recent lesson replayed itself. He had failed in his duty once. The circumstances behind it, those were unimportant. Excuses.
He would not fail again. Still, as if carved of stone, he would watch. And Guard. His duty, his purpose, these were clear.
The saurian would always stand guard.