The Sun Fiend was known as the mother of monsters. But she did not birth all of her monstrous ‘children’ the natural way. Rarely anything was ever natural where she was concerned.

Some legends say her eldest children, the Great Dragons, were carved from dark mountains with hearts of magma and flame flowing through their veins, or that they came with her from distant skies we could never imagine. Her other children, she created from Crown Naruune’s pre-existing animals, twisting and corrupting them. Seeding a bird’s spirit with flame to craft a phoenix, twisting a serpent’s heart to create a grasswurm or sandwurm basilisk, or allowing the fishes of the sea to feast on unspeakable flesh to birth leviathans and other unknown beasts. But some of her children were more monstrous than monsters, haphazard combinations of mundane creatures given grotesque form.

We call those volatile, cunning beasts ‘chimeras’.

One chimera had pursued Crim, a few golden feathers still stuck between its teeth. Now it was stalking towards us. It wore the body of a big cat of some sort, larger than a panther and with golden fur. Dark, leathery wings lay flat on its back, and a strange, insectile tail complete with a singer flicked toward us. Nania froze upon seeing the beast, but a huffing, groaning noise drew my attention away from it. And there I saw the second chimera.

This one had a heavy, muscular, equine body sat upon comically thin legs. I could have called it a normal horse, if not for the head sat upon its shoulders. Set on a very thick, short neck was a grey and furless face, with beady black eyes, flaring nostrils, and two massive ivory horns jutting out the center of its head. The chimeric beast stomped the ground, huffing and grunting at us. The instant it caught my eye, it charged. I grabbed Nania and pulled her out of the way, away from the two chimeras. Fortunately, it took time to build up speed, and seemed poor at aiming, but I took that as our cue to turn and flee. Crim seemed to agree, spreading its wings to fly off again.

Shamefully, Nania was the one to realize there was a third chimera here. I looked back over my shoulder as we ran, keeping an eye on the two we knew about. Chimeras were dangerous because they were unpredictable; their instincts could be anything, depending on the animals used in their creation. Some could be harmless so long as they were kept clear of, while others would gore a trespasser alive at the drop of a pebble. The horned chimera startled the stinger-tail as it trampled too close, and caused the stinger-tale to hiss. It gave me hope. Perhaps if we could get away swiftly enough, they would be too distracted to fight us in their battle for territory, or whatever it was they desired.

Actually, why are they here? I allowed myself a moment to wonder. Chimeras typically lived far deeper in the Deep Woods or the Wasteland, avoiding humanity. Did the Sun Fiend bring them here? Or perhaps some lingering essence of hers attracted them? I couldn’t say for sure.

“Talon!” Nania cried out, and pushed me down to the ground. A fine purple mist filled the air where we had just been, as a third chimera leapt from the shadows. This one was the strangest of the lot by far. Three heads, all mounted upon a singular body, with a long, lashing tail. A goat, a serpent, and another big cat of some sort. By the malevolent glint in its eyes, it also seemed the most intelligent of the three.

At that point, all havoc broke loose. The horned chimera and the stinger-tailed had been batting at each other, but the stinger-tailed had leapt out of the way as the other charged again—leaving us and the three-headed in its path. Nania and I swerved to the side, as I grabbed an arrow to nock my bow with as the stinger-tailed stared us down.

Running wasn’t going to be so simple anymore. With Crim gone, now the stinger-tailed would be pursuing us. And even as the other two were distracted by each other, the collateral of their battle could still prove deadly if we were careless.

I sprang into a kneeling position, bow nocked and drawn as I stared down the stinger-tailed. As I did so, I asked Nania if she remembered what had happened when we first met, so many years ago. Though she had been the one to detect the third chimera first, the sheer chaos seemed to have stunned her until she heard my voice.

“Um! I’m not sure—” she started, but I cut her off.

“You managed it once! Just do what you did again!” I said, peevishly. “I’ll deal with this one. But we need to deal with the horned-chimera quickly. So you set up the trap, and lure it if you can. If not, I’ll manage it.” Somehow.

“But I don’t know--”

“Nania! Now!” I yelled from over my shoulder. Her frightened expression was the only warning I had that the stinger-tailed chimera chose now to pounce. Without looking I fired my flaming arrow, and the fool chimera’s face sailed right into it. A pained, twisted yowl filled the air as Nania darted away to do as I instructed, and I turned back to the stinger-tailed chimera. Its surprisingly human-like shriek startled me, but I quickly steadied myself and assessed the situation. The beast’s face was scrunched up in pain, gnashing teeth and raw-meat-pink maw on full display. Still, it would be unwise to draw too near, the way its sharp tail and claws were lashing about. As I nocked and sparked another arrow, the beast shook off the pain of its first blow. It fixed its vile yellow eyes on me and growled, as it began to pounce. I darted backwards, careful not to trip on the uneven terrain. Clearly, I hadn’t damaged the chimera as much as I hoped I had, because now I was left on the defensive, too concerned with avoiding its focused and pointed blows to find an opening and attack. Hate to credit the Fiend for anything, but the lack of puddles did make this easier than it could have been.

Then came an unlikely savior. A squawking, screaming blur of red came shrieking through the gloom and latched onto the chimera’s face, cawing and clawing with impressive ferocity. Apparently Crim had returned with a vengeance.

I took the opportunity to switch my bow for a dagger, and swiftly moved in closer. With Crim distracting the stinger-tailed chimera, I needed to get rid of the greatest weapon of this chimera: its stinger. I did not know what nasty things the venom within might do, but I did not wish to find out.

First, however, I needed to deal with the beast’s thrashing, flapping wings. Getting closer, I could see dozens of tiny scales lining the leathery skin, but it still looked easier to wound than the thick, golden pelt of fur covering the chimera’s muscles, or the hard plated exoskeleton on its tail. With my dagger, I quickly got to work, slicing a clean line through the beast’s wing. Green liquid wet the edge of my blade. Immediately, the thing screamed. I knew I had little time left to finish my work. With a flick of my wrist I carved through its other wing, gooey green splattering my face, then threw myself out of the way as its tail came for me.

At first, I was unsure if I managed to avoid being pricked by its stinger. For an awful moment I thought I had failed to dodge it. Then I realized it hadn’t even nicked me. Merely pinning me to the ground through my clothes. I could barely spare a second to exhale in relief before I had to dodge, else its claws would shred me completely.

I wasn’t so lucky dodging it that time. Three thin red arms decorated my arm now, along with a throbbing pain. Neither were important; I could ignore them for now. Crim was fluttering off again, with a few less feathers than it had previously, but the stinger-tailed chimera was still fixated on it, and its wings were dropping and tattered. Now was my chance.

I pounced. Surging with a sudden strength I sat on the beast’s back and grabbed the stinger tail, wrestling it to the ground. Every experience with those massive beetles, with Elian, and more recently the porcelain-warrior, all rushed back into my mind. No matter how hard the armor, there was always a weak spot in the joints. I jammed my knife into the tail’s joints, nearer to the stinger, and leveraged it. Sweat trickled down my neck, cold against my hot flesh. But with some effort, the stinger snapped clean off.

The awkward position I had been in had made it hard for the until-recently-stinger-tailed chimera to attack me. Now it simply flopped over, trying to crush me under its bulk. I managed to avoid being crushed by it, but my leg was still pinned, squished between the ground and its tattered wings. But the stinger was still in my hand. I wiggled around until I was closer to one of its paws, and stabbed the toxic stinger into the soft meat of the paw pad.

Again the beast yowled and thrashed, and I took the chance to squirm out from under it. I stabbed the stinger into its eye now, again, and again. Its nose, its mouth, its ear. Every weak spot, any weak spot. Soon green liquid coated my hands, and the stinger slipped from my grasp.

The first chimera was dying. As good as dead.

I took a quick moment to assess myself. Heart racing, palms sweating, blood roaring my ears…

Dammit. I had needed a good fight. This was the great thing about problems you could solve by just killing.

The crashing of charred undergrowth and foliage took my attention, then a moment later Nania had grabbed my arm and was dragging me along. “Is the trap set up yet?” I asked.

She shook her head, strands of red hair getting in her face. “No time! Couldn’t figure it out!” she shouted back.

“What to you mean no ti—”

She shoved me and leaped back as the horned chimera charged past us, trampling where we’d been standing. She cried out as she fell on rear, and the wounds I’d sustained from the stinger-tailed chimera stung. Still, I yelled out, “What do you mean, no time!”

“I’ve been trying to recreate what I did since I met you, I still can’t figure it out!” she cried out. “For some reason, I just can’t redo it!”

Did that mean it wasn’t some sort of Greshan art? I grit my teeth as I leapt back to my feet. “Well, prepare to fight then!” I fired back, tossing her one of my daggers. Her eyes were wide as she caught it, confused, before they suddenly glinted with realization. Though she had the drive to learn, I had never been sure if she had the drive to fight. To enact violence. The resolve necessary to step onto the battlefield and not flee. In all honesty, I didn’t think she did. But I doubted even more that we could outrun the chimeras.

“Keep an eye out for the other one,” I said, nodding at the three-headed chimera as it approached. She bobbed her head anxiously, the paleness of her skin making her freckles stand out all the more. I respected her and her resolve, I truly did. But suddenly I was reminded of the ways she panicked the last time we had fought together.

Stars above and below. Hopefully my lessons would allow her to keep her composure this time.

I wasted no time in attacking, stabbing my dagger towards the serpent’s eyes with one arm, and grabbing the horns of the ram’s head with the other. The feline head roared at me, but even as my arm trembled with effort I kept it away, while the serpent head recoiled in pain. By the time the three-headed chimera had recovered enough to pounce again, claws fully unsheathed, Nania had called out my name in warning, “Talon!”

As I leapt backwards she darted in, slashing her blade lightly across all three of the beasts’ necks. The cuts were quite shallow, and some of their teeth came too close to nicking her slender wrist, but she avoided injury. I pulled her back not a moment too soon as the horned chimera came racing by. The three-headed chimera leapt back as well, making noises of intimidation and threat at us. It had clearly left our exchange far worse than the two of us had. Because I had begun using Flame Arts, the goat head’s horns were slightly singed, while the serpent head sported a crimson gash.

It would take another few minutes for the horned chimera to come back, I figured. Though it was fast and nearly unstoppable when charging, it needed to take some time to slow and turn. It seemed more focused on the three-headed chimera than either of us, however. It made me wonder if it even cared about us two...but that did give me an idea.

As the three-headed chimera prepared to pounce again, I was faster, racing towards the beast. But I had miscalculated. Its triple eyes glittered intelligently, malevolently, as it did not pounce: instead the bloodied serpent head breathed a fine mist of venom at me again.

I dug my heels into the ground as I tried to dodge beneath the spray, but I was too slow. Then the heat of Flame Arts created a flash as the venom ignited. The threat of the venom was lessened, but this was a whole new set of problems. My lungs were beginning to burn from all the exertion.

Then I heard a cry from Nania. Out of the corner of my gaze, I saw her thrust out her hands. Suddenly a roaring wind came, blowing away the flame. The three-headed chimera narrowed its eyes against the onslaught. My mind spun. She had said she couldn’t redo it, so how did she suddenly call wind like that? It was too fast and sudden to be normal channeling, unless…

Briefly I recalled my conversations with Hallow Zaya.

The three-headed chimera pounced upon me, claws unsheathed. My body reacted before my mind, slipping under the beast and pushing it so it landed off-balance. Then I jabbed a dagger into its flank and took off running, towards the horned chimera. No time for that, I had to focus on the battle at hand. Despite how my lungs stung and burned, I needed to outrun the three-headed chimera, just for a few moments. Already it was running again, on my tail.

“Talon, what are you doing!?” Nania called, as I saw the horned chimera turn and begin building up speed again.

Now!

I dove out of the way. The three-headed chimera had less time to react. It could not leap out of the way.

So instead it leaped up, landing squarely on the horned chimera’s back.

My heart sank, as I saw the three-headed chimera narrowly avoid being gored on the horn. Instead, its two carnivorous heads began to maul the back of the horned chimera as the goat head cried and cried. The horned chimera cried too, a sharp squeal I would have thought beyond its range. Red fell on black ground.

While I was stuck watching the bloody spectacle, it was Nania’s turn to drag me away. This was still our meeting place, even burnt and scarred beyond recognition. We knew it like the back of our hands. So with a slight tug, I directed her to help me run down the dried stream bed. Without a predator breathing down my neck, my mind had begun to work again. I only needed to keep breathing long enough to win, and ignore my body’s sharp pains and aches.

“Where’s the closest body of water?” I gasped. Nania only looked at me strangely. Her face was dirtied by mud, ash, bruises, and cuts. She seemed to be thinking, too, and didn’t seem to like the conclusion I had come to.

“One shouldn’t be far if we keep running this way,” she said falteringly.

“Good,” I said. A growl alerted me that the three-headed chimera had come out triumphant, and was picking up the chase again, but we had our head-start. At this speed we could keep running for a few minutes before I had to do anything drastic. And my body wasn’t slowly me down too much, yet, likely thanks to the goddess’ medicine I consumed. As we ran, we left the scorched landscape behind, re-entering the green and wet natural landscape of the Deep Woods. I felt Nania tighten her grip on my head, and my heart squeezed slightly in response. Her hand was cool compared to mine. It was comforting.

Observing her powers a second time had given me a pretty good guess about what their real catalyst was. If I was correct, she’d probably be furious with me. If I was incorrect, even more so. But it would be the quickest way to kill the chimera. Sorry, Nania.

Beneath our feet, the dry stream bed became wet mud and splashing cold water, which slowed us down, and allowed the three-headed chimera time to catch up. Ahead of us was a body of water, green with algae and filth. The trees had changed slightly too, their trucks lifted off the ground somewhat, their roots greedily sopping up the water. My breaths were starting to become short, even with the dagger’s help. Now or never.

I shoved Nania into the mud on the side of the stream, hoping it would cover her scent and allow the chimera to ignore her. Just to be absolutely certain, though, I turned and hurled my dagger into one of the chimera’s necks. Suddenly my limbs were just a little more leaden. It wasn’t so bad a reaction, though, compared to the chimera.the beast roared, vengeance bright in its eyes, as I dove back into the stream. My muscles burned and screamed, my lungs demanded air and rest, but the chimera followed me into the lake. It was working. There we floated suspended, as it opened its jaws wide. Before it could attack me, I yanked out my dagger, adding a splash of red to the underwater world, and did my best to grapple the beast.

It was difficult. If not for this dagger, I was unsure if I could have won this fight. Even with the dagger, my lungs were screaming for air. I had to wonder if taking the beast down would take me with it, if I could accept that even after resolving to make amends with Kite, to live a life after the Fiend died. I had to draw strength not just from the dagger, but from those resolutions, too.

If it had been just me against the single chimera, I was sure I could have won handily without going to these extremes, but the other two, and the heavy thoughts I’d been grappling with before them, had exhausted me. But fortunately, it was no longer down to me to win the fight; now, I only had to wait it out. I needed air. It would have to wait.

Only when I began to see the chimera’s fur crust over with white did I know for certain that my plan was working, and I could start kicking to the surface again. Something vaguely familiar, but which Elian had mentioned to me before. My heart throbbed in relief, and I redoubled my efforts to keep the chimera from struggling, even as it began to petrify and sink.

What had happened, in my mind, I had planned to go like this:

Nania would stand up from the mud. She would see myself, and then the chimera’s long, serpentine tail, vanish into the pond scum. Knowing her, she would grow frightened. I was someone for whom she cared deeply. She would try to hope that I could handle myself, but then she would fear that, even if I could win the fight I would drown first, not knowing the powers of my dagger.

Deep in her heart, she would call out for help. For something, anything, to save me. And that strange power she guided would react. I did not know precisely how it would react, I had my doubts she would know, either. But react it had, as it began to draw out the salt and minerals from the pool, crystallizing the fur of the chimera and petrifying it. As the chimera stopped moving, I began to stab it. Again and again and again. I didn’t even stop when curious fish began to drift by and nibble on the dying chimera’s corpse. It was only when the water was thoroughly stained red and I couldn’t tell my lungs to wait any longer that I resurfaced.

My head broke the surface, and I felt blind as a newborn pup. Guessing at the direction of the shore, I paddled towards it, and was soon grabbed by an unknown being. A voice I quickly recognized as Nania’s sobbed into my ear, as I blinked the water from my eyes. I was gross, a disgusting mess of mud and water and blood. Compared to me, she was as clean as Hallow Zaya’s sparkling glass vials—and Hallow Zaya kept them excessively clean I had learned. But still, she clung to me, demanding I never do that again.

For the moment, at least, I was inclined to agree with her. I was exhausted, hungry, in pain, and wanted a bath. I was in pain, my injuries crying out to be bandaged. Whatever I had resolved to do earlier, it was so tempting to just remain in Nania’s embrace, or limp back to Hallow Zaya’s house and ask for her help again. So tempting.

But it was not something I could do. Whether riding the high of battle or tempted by a collapse into a comfortable bed, it was a foolish thing to let one’s guard down until long, long after the battle was over. This was a lesson I knew well, but being new to the battlefield, Nania had yet to learn it. Exhausted as I was, I didn’t realize the fight still wasn’t over until it was much too late. But still, I was the one to realize something was wrong, far before she did. And once I did, I reacted violently to make up for my lapse in attention.

I shoved Nania away from me. Hard. Her eyes went slightly dazed, as she tried to discern whether that was an involuntary reaction, or a deliberate choice. Before she could ask, I snapped at her.

“Greshan harlot! This was all you! You led those creatures right to me, didn’t you! All to see me dead!” The confusion in her face became true alarm, as her mouth moved to form words, but I shut her up as I glared a message into her. Be silent. Play along.

She wasn’t skilled enough to see a hiding enemy soldier yet. To hear the soft creaking of taut bowstrings or glimpse the faint glow of light on a spearhead. For a moment, the forest held its breath. Then with a rustling, almost sighing sound, they made their presence known. Greshan troops. That damn king strode out. Nania’s face became as pale as the clouds as she stood and scampered over to him, clearly about to begin making excuses for us.

Typical Greshans. Waiting until the very last moment to win through ambush and cheap tricks. It was at least good that Nania had caught onto what I was really trying to say. The exhaustion was weighing at my mind and body like leaden chains. That damned king was saying something. Through a head of cotton and clouds, I made it out.

“...suppose this is the ‘Angran lover’ I’ve heard of? Why don’t you introduce us?”

“I, no, he—” Nania sputtered. “I mean, he was—”

“That bitch,” I spat, “tricked me. I’m not her ‘lover’ anymore—I see now I never was. The vixen.”

For the first time, the king regarded me. I couldn’t tell if he remembered me, but I made certain to memorize every detail of his appearance through the bleary pain and exhaustion. From the fine and unbloodied clothes he wore, to his sickly air of superiority. As if he had just noticed a fly buzzing about his food. On legs that refused to obey me, I slowly staggered towards him, still clutching at my dagger. My dagger.

How dare he look at me with those eyes. He’ll never look anywhere else again.

“Told me to come out here—tricked me,” I broke out coughing. Something wet and warm, creeping up my throat. Out of my mouth. “Fucking—temptress.”

The bows were still trained on me. An unspoken threat if I dared harm their precious, unworthy king. One which I ignored, but they delivered upon. Some arrow were mere warning shots or off-target, only striking the ground. But my body jerked and shuddered as some of the arrows struck me. I fell to my knee. Fine. Then I’d just crawl. Nania looked frightened and distraught, but she didn’t say a word, for once. The bastard, on the other hand, still looked so smug. Didn’t even bother to defend himself, right up until I was within striking range. Even gestured for his guards to stand down.

That bastard. My rage smoldered, and it granted me one last strike. One...last…

From the ground, my reach was shorter, and my arm seized with pain. I couldn’t grasp the dagger any longer. He was barely outside my blade’s range. Less than half a pace beyond. My blade fell to the ground, and it was all I could to catch myself, on shaking insubordinate arms. The king grabbed me by the shirt.

“My King—” Nania gasped.

“What is it,” the king asked. It was not a question, it was a challenge. Whatever Nania had been about to say, I saw her swallow it down.

“Why—why waste your energy dirtying your hands on a savage like him? He’s not worth it,” she said.

A pause. The king seemed to actually consider it, then nodded once. “You’re right.” The world spun again as he dropped me on the ground. “Have the priestesses deal with the Angran. Make sure he doesn’t die. Now that we have him, may as well not waste him. Keep him prepared for the Rite of Sunset.”

The next few hours I spent fading in and out of consciousness. Carried by the guards, within the walls of Gresha for the second time, feeling my wounds tightly bandaged and treated. Languishing in a dark chamber.

I was suddenly left with the opportunity to do very little other than think. A bitter taste filled my mouth. Well, though that had technically been a victory, it had gone very poorly.

I doubted Nania would be able to get me out of this. But I did not begrudge her for it. My fate was my fate, and I would seek to take as many Greshans as I could before it claimed me—and then I would go down fighting their precious Sun Fiend. It was everything I could have ever dreamt of. One glorious final clash.

The bitter taste did not leave my mind.

…Damn it. They got my hopes up.

Elian’s musings about a world they wanted to create with the strength they would attain. The future Nania had made me think of. I hoped they would both get those things. I wanted to calmly wave them off when I left this life, to accept my fate with pride so as not to give those Greshans any satisfaction. To wish my two friends well, and hope to see what they had promised me in some next life.

But I had wanted to see their promises bear fruit in this life. Damn it…