Darkness and Hellfire

Chapter 13 What In The Hells Is That?!

The faint torchlight attempted to give color to the scales and fangs peering around the corner of the passageway. It failed as the light seemed to be absorbed as it approached. Claus moved to cover Aria and Isaac moved off to the side so he’d be out of their way.

“What in the hells is that?!” Isaac exclaimed as he got a good look at it. A massive reptilian face with a dozen fangs on each jaw barely contained by its mouth. Orange orbs with a black slit straight down the center for eyes. It lacked eyelids and the eyes’ gazes seemed to dart around the room individually as if they belonged to two different creatures. A pair of horns swept back from the creature’s brow and then angled outward at their end. The head was about a foot and a half long and the horns another half a foot.

“It looks like a dragon but something is wrong with it.” Aria explained and prepared to cast a spell on all of them. “Gracious blessings of the heavens.” She spoke and a soft golden light reached out from her and touched each of them. Isaac felt his senses sharpen and the world slow slightly. He could tell that only his perception had sped up but he wasn’t about to complain.

As the golden light receded the monster moved the rest of the way into sight. A black furry paw covered in shadows stepped out and then another as its torso appeared. It looked like a giant shadow-wolf with a dragon’s head. The real crazy part wasn’t even this amalgamation. It was the six stony tendrils whipping about. They sprouted out of its back, three along each side of its spine about eight inches apart, and searched for prey in a wild frenzy. “Chimera.” Aria whispered.

Drool dripped from the beast’s maw and its eyes focused on Isaac, no doubt feeling the same connection he did, it lowered its body and prepared to lunge.

Claus didn’t hesitate, he charged forward brandishing his halberd, the beast’s eyes snapped towards the movement. Isaac shook out of his shock from observing the monstrosity and ran around towards the side of the beast, planning on hacking at it with his longsword, hoping that Claus could keep its attention.

Isaac pulled on his still only half refilled mana reserve and poured shadows out of himself. He didn’t need to go invisible, that would require even more mana, he just needed to be easier to overlook and silent. Claus reached the monster and swung towards its head with his halberd's ax blade.

Three tendrils reached up to catch the blade. One was cleaved through entirely, the second had the blade wedged half way through, and the third coiled around it trying to yank it from the warrior’s grasp. Claus Yanked back so hard his boots scraped a few inches across the ground. The second tendril was cleaved through and the third lost its battle of strength.

Aria’s golden bolt hit the monster on the brow and the creature didn’t even flinch. It turned towards her and opened its maw all the way. Its mouth was so wide it looked to Isaac like it could have fit his entire torso between its jaws.

Lighting arced across its fangs and a blue-white light began to pour out of its throat. Aria’s eyes went wide and she dove to the side. Isaac reached the creature and swung at its front leg. A pair of tendrils wrapped around his blade. Claus swung at its head again, surprised that the two tendrils he had cut were already regrown, this time his weapon was caught by the four free tendrils.

A loud crack sounded as a bolt of magical lightning cleared the distance from the beast to the wall in an instant. Luckily it couldn’t see where it was aiming once it opened its mouth and the bolt caught only air until it reached stone.

After the impact there was a sound of breaking stone. Claus tried to free his weapon while Isaac thought about just dropping his longsword and drawing something else. Then came an unmistakable sound. Stone hitting wood and wood giving out. Aria risked a glance behind her as she got back to her feet. There was a stone about the size of her head embedded in the bundle that was her young teammate.

“Chris!” Aria yelled then turned back towards the monster and fired off another spell. This spell was different than any other Isaac had seen her cast. “I, through my goddess, revoke your ability to perceive!” She yelled and Isaac felt a presence descend on the Chimera.

As soon as Isaac and Claus had heard Aria’s cry they both dropped their weapons, reached down with their right hands, and drew their daggers in perfect unison. The monster threw their weapons behind it and turned its head to face Claus. At that moment three things happened.

The first was the presence descended on the beast. Its eyes and ear holes, hidden under its horns, were covered in a golden light. The second was Isaac’s dagger scraping off the chimera’s horn while Claus’ embedded itself about half an inch in the creature’s brow right between its eyes. The third was the creature deciding who it was going to kill first.

All six tendrils reached for Claus. The monster didn’t need to be able to see nor hear anymore. Claus was too close to dodge them. They coiled around his arms and head holding him in place. Isaac stabbed at its neck since its eyes were now facing completely away from him. The scales took most of the impact and his dagger got stuck an inch deep and in three separate scales at once.

Aria hit the monster with another golden bolt. Claus struggled to free himself from the tendrils that threatened to crush his armor with him in it. Isaac let go of his dagger and drew his shortsword. The monster opened its maw once again.

The party’s eyes went wide as they all realized what was about to happen. Isaac stepped around to the side of the beast’s head, blocking Aria’s line of sight, and drove his sword towards the monster’s eye. Lightning arced, a crack resounded throughout the tunnel, a golden bolt impacted leather armor, a sword pierced an orange eye.

The next moment Isaac felt pain as if his shoulder was on fire, he heard Aria scream but couldn’t tell what she said as he was impacted in the chest by the side of the monster’s head as it thrashed from his stab. Claus was tossed, his breastplate glowing orange in a four inch circle around the middle.

Isaac held onto his sword as he was tossed a few feet from the monster. He was winded from the impact and couldn’t react in time to the tendril whipping out in his direction. It caught his shoulder and he felt the joint give out. It tossed him another few feet and he landed on his now dislocated shoulder.

Aria ran forwards, the monster bucked then toppled. Isaac cried out in pain as soon as he got air back in his lungs. Aria was at his side in the next instant. “Good if you can scream you’re alive.” She said and sprinted towards Claus who was farther down the tunnel.

When she got to him the monster was still in its death throes and a few of the tendrils almost hit her. She didn’t even flinch. It was as if in that moment the only thing that mattered was Claus. She unstrapped his helmet and tossed it to the side. She leaned down and put her pointy ear by his mouth and nose hoping to hear a breath.

Some of her hair fell and landed on his breastplate. It started smoking. She yanked her head back and started furiously trying to get his breastplate off. “Not yet damn you! Claus you are not allowed to leave me!” She yelled at him but there was no response. She tossed his chest armor behind her and ripped open his still steaming gambeson underneath.

Her fingers burned but she pressed on. “Oh strand of fate I beseech thee. Let not this mortal be set free. His soul the reaper must not steal. Please oh please reconnect and heal!” She yelled and pressed her hands onto his chest. A torrent of golden light poured from her and covered Claus’ entire body. A second went by like this and then another.

Isaac watched on with tears in his eyes from the pain and awe in his mind from what he was witnessing. Claus was dead. Isaac could feel it. He had watched him take a lightning bolt through the chest and it still kept going with enough energy to singe the wall behind him. Yet Aria didn’t grieve. No, she prayed and focused. She was bringing him back to life. She was fighting the reaper to bring him back.

Claus took in a deep breath and Aria chanted her healing spell. She rolled him over, tossed his backplate away and stuffed her staff down his back to keep the back of his gambeson from burning him anymore. Claus groaned but soon slipped into unconsciousness.

Aria sat back on her heels and took a deep breath. She let out a long slow sigh. She turned to face Isaac who was now sitting, cradling his dislocated arm, mouth agape at the spectacle. She smiled at him and then said one word: “Empty.” She promptly passed out. Her face hit the ground. Isaac winced at the impact and in doing so accidentally moved his shoulder causing him to wince harder.

Isaac, the now only conscious person in the tunnel, turned to look at the petrified scout. The rock, about eight inches across, was embedded about where his legs should be under all the torches and rope. He swallowed. “I hope that high level cleric can fix that too.” He said.

He moved back to where he had been previously sitting. His backpack was still there and he could use some water. Slowly, carefully, he unfastened his waterskin and took a sip. “I need to stop almost dying.” He said to one in particular. “The fight was kinda fun though, all things considered, any fight you live through is a good one I think.” He then closed his eyes and waited.

He breathed slowly so as to not move his shoulder as he waited for Aria and Claus to wake up. He didn’t sleep because he needed to keep an ear out. The chimera had walked entirely silently and because its body was that of a shadow-wolf Isaac reasoned that they had that ability too if they wanted to.

Isaac also reasoned that the reason they weren’t always silent was probably the same reason he wasn’t always invisible, they just didn’t have enough mana regeneration to keep those effects active continuously. “This sucks.” Isaac complained aloud in a whisper.

“What am I supposed to do now? I can’t go to sleep and I can’t stop this pain either. We are in the middle of a tunnel with corpses on either end. What if something bigger comes along looking for a meal? We’d be screwed, that’s what.” Isaac continued to himself. He opened his eyes and looked around. It was going to be a long next few hours.

About an hour in, Isaac had his head leaning against the wall and his eyes closed. He rationalized that this way he could focus on his hearing better. Unfortunately it only really led to him falling asleep after a few more minutes.