A portal spontaneously opened near the Jasper Waterfront on Saturday night, causing a brief panic. Citizens scattered after a lizard-like humanoid creature fell through the portal into Acme. Nearby fisherman, Paul Soares Sr., 67, believed the creature to be a Invader, and reported it to authorities. The Lancer Association swiftly deployed a Lancer squad onto the scene.
“I shot him in the head. I found out later it was just his decoy. A wasted bullet,” Hollowpoint huffed as she recounted the event. “And I pay a premium price for my bullets! Oh, I mean, I’m very happy we didn’t kill him.”
“When I dashed at’em, one of his little doodads hit me! Stopped me in my tracks,” Corona told us. He crossed his arms. “Not bad for a lizard.”
“Those scales really are radiant. Especially up close. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t get a good hit on him,” Spider said with a shrug.
After defending against the Lancers, the creature explained that he was not an aggressor. “I am a monk with peaceful ambitions. I did not intend to end up in your Shard,” he told Lancer Hollowpoint. Hollowpoint called off the skirmish and escorted the creature back to Lancer HQ. After further investigation, the Lancer Association's AI spokesman, Jocasta, stated that the creature from the portal is known as Dex. Dex has no relation to invaders. Rather, the portal had opened randomly while he was relaxing in a swamp of his homeland. He simply fell through into our world.
After sorting out the misunderstanding with the Lancer Association, Dex made an agreement join the Lancers. “While I am here, I will help to resolve the Smash-Up,” Dex said in Monday’s Lancer Broadcast. “If I restore balance to the world, perhaps I can one day return home to the rest of my kind,” he noted, as his small lizard companion nestled into his shoulder.
Shard-ologist, Nella Hope Lynn, 32, of the Academy for Shard Research, stated that Dex comes from a Shard of sentient animals. Specifically, he belongs to a species of Lizard-people from prehistoric times: the Gektara. “The Gektara are warriors who value strength and mental fortitude. Dex encapsulates both.” Dr. Lynn told reporters.
Dex noted that he was not always revered by the Gektara. “I was born weak. The monks taught me to be strong. I climbed the mountain of rebirth. Now I am here,” Dex said plainly. When asked further questions, Dex answered, “There is nothing more to say.”
“Dex is a formidable addition to the Lancers,” said Jocasta in a final statement. “With the increased frequency of portal openings, the Lancer Association needs all the help they can get!”
