Satisfaction

The rat creature chirped in delight, jumping up and down.

"Squeeeek! Squeeeeek!"

Kai glared at it. The creature was making annoying noise as it always did.

"Listen here," he said as he pointed. "What is the harm in shutting up once in a while?"

The creature resumed its antics, and paid no heed to Kai's request for silence, instead continuing to squeak and chirp excitedly. Kai sighed and shook his head. At least the deadly winged panther was slain thanks in part to the rat's intervention.

Kai surveyed the gore-strewn clearing, grimacing at the sight of the panther's mangled corpse.

He walked over to the rat creature and patted it on the head. "I have no idea what you want with me, but good job. You distracted the monster enough for me to finish it off." The creature squeaked in delight. "Maybe I should give you a name- but what would it be?"

The creature's crystal eyes began glowing in anticipation.

"Hmmmmm, how about Ranger?"

The rat creature seemed to like it. Giving little coos of content. Kai smiled, the creature may be quite annoying, but it was entertaining at times.

"Ranger it is, then."

Ranger started jumping around, even leaping onto a branch of a tree and bouncing on it until it broke. Kai laughed, then looked around. He forgot which way he came and had a smalled panick attack until he saw what looked to be Narcen's footprints. He let out a deep sigh of relief.

He followed the hardly visible trail with Ranger scampering close behind. As he did, the somewhat humongous crystal-eyed creature seemed delighted with its new name, occasionally chirping happily.

Kai kept an eye out for any other potential threats lurking in the foliage. This part of the jungle felt alive, teeming with unseen eyes and hidden dangers. He found himself grateful for Ranger's company, annoying as the creature could be at times.

After what felt like miles of picking their way through tangled vines and over gnarled roots, He finally emerged near the outskirts of the lizardfolk village, Ranger dissappeared out of thin air on the stride back, but he wasn't too worried. He began seeing more of the smaller huts and the familiar metal shelter glinting through the trees.

He paused, wiping sweat from his brow as Ranger chittered excitedly. "Well, I'd say that was quite the adventure," Kai remarked wryly. He looked at his shoulder now caked with dry blood. The black and gold tipped robe he had on was sewed up more from when he was directly hit. "Huh, I guess another attribute of Cosmic Magic maybe."

The magic he possessed has surprised him so much that he felt somewhat numb about anything new. 

"Anyways, time to get back before Karla worries." 

As he got deeper into the village and closer to the marketplace, on his way he spotted Karla playing writing games with the younger lizardfolk. It was an odd sight for him, since he was indoctrined since birth that that all demi-humans and monsters were evil. He still didn't see the lizardman in the brightest light, they tried to execute him and Karla after all, which had him ticked off. He also thought it was weird that the lizardman children were treating her equally, almost like she was one of them. After seeing how the adults acted towards him and Karla, he thought the children would be much more agressive.

As he got closer, he realized that Karla and the others were writing their names down and teaching each other how to pronounce it.

"You spell your name with a K?" He asked her. Karla looked back at him quickly, alarmed. The other lizardman children gave him some looks, but eventually resumed to playing their little writing game after they realized Karla was going to to talk to Kai and not actively participate.

"I guess so, I never really learned how to write, but I do remember my mother showing me how to write my name." 

"It's strange because usually its written with a C. I remember from my small school they said the name came from the ancient hero Carlania, who fought valiantly against Sin'Mal Spirits of the underworld, and also who unified a common language across all races."

Karla tilted her head a bit and smiled. "I've heard about Carlania, from my dad mostly though. I guess my parents just wanted to make my name more unique."

Kai nodded. "I suppose."

She examined him closer. "Wait, what happened to your shoulder!?"