4 Chapter 4 - Lizard man (2/2)

Clamping his mouth shut to keep from shouting in pain, he looked around wildly for something to grab.The tree behind him was just close enough to latch onto, and his fingers dug deep into the soft bark as it tried to drag him into the murky water.

Grunting in pain, he grabbed the rock he still had from earlier, and bashed it in the eyes, when it paused from trying to drag him away.It locked it's two front feet into the mud and gave a tremendous jerk.Only holding on with one hand, was a bad idea, because once he landed his first blow, it jerked him again, and managed to get him into the water.Pounding with all his strength, Dustin wailed at the thing's eyes, until it finally let go of his leg.

He saw it swim off, using a tail twice as long as its body, to propel it deeper into the murky water.Blood tinged the water, and he knew he had to get out of there fast.

Scrambling back onto shore, he cursed his misfortune.There were deep punctures on either side of his leg, and as he tore more of his clothing for bandages, he found a tooth, still deeply entrenched.Holding it up, he hesitated before putting it into the port.How many evolutions could this thing handle before it ran out of juice?He couldn't remember the specs on it, because honestly, he had never looked.

(GENETIC MATERIAL ACQUIRED.BEGINNING ANALYSIS)

(AVAILABLE EVOLUTIONS: SHARP TEETH, SCALED HIDE, COLD BLOODED, AMPHIBIOUS, BREATH-HOLDING, HERMAPHROMORPH, NICTITATING MEMBRANE)

”I don't want the herma-whatever, but the rest are fine. Initiate evolution.”

There was a chance, whenever he evolved, that any damage he had, would be partially healed.That was his hope, as his leg was completely mangled.

(EVOLUTION INITIATED)

Backing further away from the water's edge, he watched as the fur that had been soaked, began to be replaced with tight scales.There was a slight pressure in his mouth, and as he ran his tongue over his teeth, he could feel them growing sharper.The chill from the rain was gone, but he also felt a bit more sluggish.That might be a problem.

Standing up on the mostly repaired leg, he admired his newly clawed hands and feet.Glancing at himself in the water, he chuckled.He looked like one of those lizard men from some sci-fi movie.If being cold- blooded didn't cause any issues, he might keep this transformation.

Now he had to find a safe place to rest and sleep.