Write to Rank 2023

Someone Like Me

The cave was dark, damp and bitterly cold, but I still trudged through it. I had the determination of a beetle, and the patience of a tiger. But I guess it was Beetle that had ended up being my namesake. With my black, shiny armour I almost looked like a beetle. The sacks I carried showed the beetle's strength.
  I shouldn't have been here. I should've been back in the fort where I worked with the other knights. The more impressive, widely affluent ones. Maybe I could only use an axe and make medicine, but I was the most resourceful of all of us, and certainly the least vain. I had no desire to complain or brag. But I did want to help - and my skills were enough, I think, to make me trustworthy.
  And I had friends outside of the fort, anyway. I didn't need them.
  Komodo was an anthropomorphic komodo dragon. He had beige scales, and was reduced to only wearing rags. His stomach had a gash in it, covered by a bandage that was dirty from the soil in the cave. The cave was where Komodo lived, at least for now.
  One of the knights from the fort had done it. But Komodo was innocent... I couldn't just leave him. I cared too much. And my medicine I'd made using forest fungus had saved his life. The food I'd been bringing him ever since kept him going. Today was the eighth day of doing so, and it appeared that Komodo still wasn't in a good condition, but that was fine. I could wait.
  Komodo wore his naturally snide expression as he sat there tiredly. I laid some bread beside him, as well as a bag of apples fresh from the forest. Komodo smelled the sweet scent, and picked out a juicy red one and chomped into it.
  "Is that good?" I asked Komodo. I didn't expect a reply. He hadn't spoken to me since he'd told me his name when we'd first met.
  "Mmf..." Komodo grunted, to my suprise, before adding, "Why... why do you come here every day for me? I thought you tried to kill me."
  "That wasn't me." I snapped.
  I looked deeply into the lizard's stony face. It appeared that he was demanding an answer from me.
  I thought for a moment before responding, "I just wish that I'd had someone like me to watch my back in the past. That's all."
  The lizard stuck his slim tongue out briefly - a reflex - before looking to the ground.
  "And I was alone once too. It's not fun." I finished, looking gravely at the floor as I put down another bag of apples.
  "I'm not alone." Komodo interrupted, squinting at me.
  "Yeah, because you've got me." I sighed at his remark, rolling my eyes as I stood up tall.
  "You're not all I have."
  He looked at me as if I was insane, or a narcissist, or as if I was an idiot. But he was lying to himself; I was all he had. He needed to stay here or the other knights would kill him, and I was stopping Death from taking him.
  I just wondered who was supposed to be coming for him.
  I put on my helmet with its beetle-esque horns and started to leave, reminding him, "I'll come back tomorrow. Stay here until then."
  Komodo didn't say anything as I crawled back through the opening to the little home in the cave. I didn't say anything either, for I had nothing else to say to him.
  And then I stopped thinking and just crawled through the cave.
  That was what probably caused me to bump into Augment, the knight who had injured Komodo originally.
  His blonde hair fell in waves down his face, covering one of his eyes. His chin was sharp as if it had been physically chiselled. He was the colour of orange only found when you wore too much fake tan.
  And he was very, very annoying. But of course I was the outlier in thinking so.
  "Why are you here?" Augment sneered in that fake British accent he used so much.
  I couldn't let him through. He'd kill Komodo, and it would be all my fault... no, I couldn't let him through.
  "That depends on why you're here." I responded smoothly.
  Augment scrunched up his arrogant little face, "I saw you enter this cave! I know you're up to something."
  Quick, Beetle. Improvise.
  "I didn't see anything. Now, let's go."
  Oh, well done. He definitely didn't suspect anything now.
  Augment scoffed rudely, "Ugh, Beetle! You're always rushing and never relaxing! Let's go in and see what's there."
  And then Beetle started to shove me back into the cave with his superior strength. I tried to get a steady grip on the ground, but there were no grooves to dig my feet into. I gritted my teeth and kept on searching.
  "Why are you wearing your helmet, Beetle?" Augment laughed maniacally, "Is there a monster you're hiding? I bet you think you can take credit for killing it, but I want it!"
  "No, please! I promise there's nothing there!" I grunted and laughed uncomfortably.
  He was too strong for me.
  I was losing...
  Just like always...
  Augment, to my suprise, made things even worse when he pulled out a knife and held it up to my neck, "You know that hiding a monster could technically be considered treason?! I could kill you right here, right now!"
  Augment laughed maniacally again.
  I choked as he started to stab through my armour. Last man standing it was, then.
  And it was strange what came next. One second, Augment's eyes had that slightly insane look I was used to, but then they widened. Pain erupted from his lips and he jumped back, clutching his arm.
  There were teeth marks in his arm, and blood dripped all over the cold floor.
  "I quite enjoyed hypnotising this one," Komodo hissed maleficently, "He's under my control now. He's lost. And, just saying, I know more magic than just that... but I could just hypnotise you if you want."
  Augment cowered, the spark in his eyes dead.
  "Now, if you tell ANYONE that you saw me here, then I'll find not just you but your family and your friends and eat them all, and make you watch!" Komodo wheezed monstrously, "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"
  Augment choked on his own words. And then he ran out of the cave, screaming and crying.
  Yep. It appeared that not just Augment was insane, but also Komodo. Except Komodo was insane in a good way. That was if there was a good way...
  "Why did you do that? He could've killed you." I panted weakly.
  Komodo thought for a moment, glancing at the opening through which Augment had just left.
  "'I just wish that I'd had someone like me to watch my back in the past.' Is that how you put it?" Komodo chuckled.
  "I..."
  Wow. I guess that kindness really was repaid by the world.
  "...Thanks." I smiled.
  Komodo chuckled again, before pausing and adding, "By the way, your friend's blood tastes of sh-"