Through the ajar door, the attentive archer peered inside. The surprisingly large square room was lit by a white crystal set into the ceiling. Its light was not blinding, yet bright enough. The ceiling was supported by four cylindrical grey stone pillars, behind which the entire group of four could hide. On the other side of the room was a raised altar with what might as well have been a chest as a coffin. Dea looked around but saw no imminent danger. The coast was clean.
"It's safe, we can go in."
Jack, who had forgotten his false gentlemanly manners, was the first to rush through the door. He immediately set off in the direction of the supposed treasure. Sidy and Akally approached Dea and looked at the large space in fascination.
"It doesn’t make any sense. We were in a broken house, then we went through a long corridor, and finally, there is a giant room like this," the young man thought aloud.
“That's how ruins work. Space inside space,” Sidy stretched her legs.
"If they had the opportunity to play with the space like this, why would they put ordinary traps here?" he continued to ask the woman.
"I guess they had no other choice. More complex mechanisms could disrupt the balance of this place,” her theory made sense in a way, even though it couldn't be proven.
Theorizing over the ruins was instantly interrupted by Dea's scream as she ran to Jack: "Stop!"
The 40-year-old paid no attention to the warning. The vision of the treasure shone in his eyes like a beacon attracting voracious moths. Tenacious bony fingers gripped the lid of the stone chest tightly and lifted it up. "Finally," he breathed with an eager smile as the green glow emanating from the chest's contents reflected in Jack's outstretched dolls. He pulled an ornate dagger glowing with emerald light from the heart of the ruins. A gilded serpent head with four eyes clutched a twisted blade as black as night in its open mouth, yet it glistened with a hint of green in the light. An ideal weapon for hunters using daggers like Jack was.
“Are you crazy?! What if another trap was triggered? What if the chest itself was a trap?” Dea worried.
"Finally," he didn't spare the girl a single look, "I can't wait to try this beauty on. How easily does it penetrate flesh?” he marvelled at the new find.
"What are you waiting for? We have the reward, it's time to go," she chased the bewitched hunter away.
However, he continued to pay no attention to her and slowly approached her without taking his eyes off the new toy. Sidy joined in on their rift to snap Jack out of his trance: “Don't be silly, Butcher! You heard her, it's time to go.”
“Where's the rush, ladies? Don’t spoil my fun,” he spoke again towards them.
“Do you realize this is our joint find? The missy from MITEM may not need to bother about it, but the redhead and I want a share," the girl was right, just giving someone such a weapon would be completely stupid.
“Am I supposed to give up what's mine?” the older hunter frowned as he tightened his grip on the handle.
"Yours?" Dea took offense, "If I hadn't jumped those traps, you would have been a sieve!"
"Don't worry, little girl, your time is coming.”
Akally was staring at the ground with his head hanging down. Although Dea fought for joint ownership of the dagger, it was clear that the only one who could use it was Jack. Originally, the young man had hoped that the ruins would be generous enough for everyone, but the alter never gives anything for free. He noticed the dust swirling slightly as tiny stones bounced on the ground: “People?” he called but no one paid him any attention. The bouncing was getting faster. "Guys?" his heart raced with fear, he didn't know what was going on. The echo of crashing rocks began to echo through the room. “Guys!” The trio were too engrossed in their debate about the new find. The noise grew louder. The room began to shake. The floor was cracking in foundations. "Hey guys, listen up!" he ran towards them in a panic.
The two huntresses turned to him, “What is it?” At that moment, the three of them noticed what was happening.
"What is it? What have you done, you idiot?!” Jack yelled at him in a hideously deep tone.
"I did nothing, it started on its own," replied Akally, frightened, as he ran up to them.
The door slammed shut reminding cannon fire. The noise and shaking stopped. Silence. The hunters watched each other intently. They had no idea what was going on. Boom. The cracks in the middle were getting longer. Boom. New cracks were forming. Boom. An opening was forming in the middle of the room. Boom. Heavy stone tiles heaved. Boom. Two curved sharp claws penetrated the gap between them. Boom. The paw made its way to the surface. It tried to hold onto something in vain. Boom. The furry beast's paw reappeared followed by another. A deafening roar erupted from a mouth that must have been full of sharp teeth. With another blow, the creature blasted its way up.
It was a four-and-a-half-meter chimaera, as everyone knows from Greek legends, yet different. The creatures from which it was made were not earthly animals. The golden head resembled a lion with three irregularly placed horns, the body and limbs covered with grey thick fur, and the tail in the form of a living snake with four eyes was like something from the nightmares of a madman.
"Alter doesn't give anything for free," Sidy said to herself.
“Take cover!” Dea commanded.
The four split into two pairs that ran to the pillars on opposite sides. But the creature did not wait. While the large body focused on Dea and Sidy, the snake tail with its own head attacked Jack with Akally. The snake shot out its body like a whip. Butcher narrowly dodged it. He planted a new blade into the snake's eye. A yellowish liquid gushed from the wound. It pulled back with a hiss of pain.
"Don't underestimate Butcher!" shouted Jack angrily at the animal.
The lion toyed with the little scarlet prey like a cat with a ball. It swung its front right leg at Sidy. It didn't expect that a woman could match its strength. The strong woman grabbed its paw. She jerked it towards her. The horned head hit the pillar hard. Meanwhile, Dea took advantage of the situation to move away to another pillar closer to the door. She summoned her green arrow from the pure energy in her hand. She aimed for the knee of the front left leg. She let go of the taut string. The arrow, like a guided missile, hit the target precisely. The lion’s head let out a pained roar. Before it finished, another shot followed, aimed at the same spot.
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The snake shifted its attention from its stinging prey to the archer. Fortunately, the young huntress noticed the danger in time to hide behind a pillar where the snake attached to the chimaera’s body could not reach her.
The grey leg was torn from the fighter’s clutches. Its next attack was more ferocious. Sidy jumped over a clawed paw that sank into the ground. She landed on the creature's leg. She ran towards the head, where she finally delivered a powerful blow. It wasn't as strong as the ones she planted on the golem, but it still served its purpose.
Even with two heads, the Chimera was unable to handle three combat-ready hunters at once. The hairy mouth looked directly at Sidy and growled. It revealed its pointed fangs. The mouth opened and something flashed in the bowels. The light grew stronger as the seasoned huntress realized what was coming: “Fuck,” Sidy cursed as she took off running.
The Chimera spewed a never-ending stream of fire. The agile warrior used the bulky column to hide from the flames. However, the chimaera was slowly going around the pillar. The tips of the flames gradually licked each piece of stone and approached Sidy, who found herself suddenly trapped.
Dea thought of distracting the monster, but when she decided to take aim with the bow, the snake head attacked her. The unexpected attack caught her by surprise. She fired at the agile animal, hoping to at least distract it. However, her arrow only scratched the snake. With her speed, she was able to leap away from the opened reptile’s mouth. Still, the snake's head slammed her into the wall. The real battle has begun.
"What are you waiting for here? Help them!” Akally urged the black-haired hunter into action as Sidy had to run away from the flames.
"What do you think I should do? Why aren't you going there?” asked Jack, frightened.
“Distract the monster. Now you have a chance to land at least one blow.”
Jack grabbed the young man's shoulders, “You saw that too, didn't you? It breathes fire, has two heads, and is three times the size of any of us. We don't stand a chance!”
"You don't have to kill it, just distract it," Akally encouraged.
Jack gave Akally one of his blue daggers, “Here. Go do it yourself. I'm not going to die here," the man cupped his pale, sweaty face in his hands, "it was supposed to be a simple alter, there was supposed to be a sweet reward waiting for me. Not this,” tears welled up in his eyes.
"I have no chance. Of the two of us, only you can approach that chimaera. I'm not fast enough to escape her," the young man lowered his head. If he could, he wouldn't hesitate for a second to run to save his friend. But at this moment, he was no more of a danger to the huge creature than an ordinary human. Jack was the only hope to reverse the outcome.
"Fine, I'll do it, but you'll have my back," Jack agreed, feet tapping.
"What should I do?" the redhead nodded decisively.
“Watch out. If the thing notices me, you have to attract it to you. If it comes to that, I'll end it quickly.'
This plan was dangerous, hasty, and full of holes, but it still seemed like the best option. While the young man charged towards the last pillar that no one was using for cover, the man with the daggers ran to disperse the chimaera. It didn't notice them running around as it was about to fry the biggest current danger in the form of a woman dressed in red. The stunned archer was knocked out of the game, but the snake continued to follow her lifeless body in case she woke up.
Jack began slashing and stabbing at one of the hind legs with unprecedented fury. The lion's recurring pain forced it to stop spewing fire. Three snake eyes turned on the black-haired hunter. The reptile hissed angrily. Its gaze rested on the green dagger. The already angry beast was possessed by a much greater rage at the sight of the weapon. The snake immediately attacked. The older hunter did not have time to escape the sharp teeth that bit into his body. Time almost stood still in Akally's eyes. All the colours faded, and the only sound was the clank of the dagger blade falling to the floor. In the next moment, he saw the scaly mouth drop Jack to the ground like a dead rat that this haughty beast had no interest in.
Meanwhile, Sidy took advantage of the distraction. She circled the pillar and, in a leap, delivered a hard blow to the chimaera’s ribs. The animal staggered. But the scarlet fighter was already running to the stunned Dea: “Redhead, follow me!”
Her voice shocked the young man. At her command, he also ran after the archer. The chimaera was still absorbing the unexpectedly strong blow. As soon as the remaining trio of hunters gathered, the brunette checked the girl's breathing, “She's alive, but she's lost consciousness. She probably won't remember it this time.”
"What won't she remember-" Akally didn't have time to finish the sentence as the beauty kissed the stunned girl, pink energy starting to flow through her body.
Dea regained consciousness. She wanted to resist the kiss, but she had no chance against the strength of a woman.
"You've improved since last time," Sidy joked as she pulled away and licked her lips deliciously, "now it's your turn cutie."
"Wait! What is this about? What did you do to her?'
"That's why I hate it when they're conscious," sighed the beauty, "don't fight it, it's just a kiss."
"How is this going to help us?" he backed away from her with small steps.
"We're locked in an alien dimension with a four-meter lion with horns and a snake attached to its ass, and this is what bothers you?"
"Well, if you put it like that-" his musings were interrupted as the woman wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Trust me," she looked into his blue eyes.
"B-But it's my first," the young man mumbled.
"Don't worry," she smiled, "I'll do my best," she whispered as their lips almost touched. The beautiful brunette kissed the red-haired young man gently at first. She then followed up with a more passionate kiss in a tighter hug. Akally wanted to fight back at first but eventually succumbed to her rhythm. Sidy's tongue came into play, brushing lightly against Akally's. By the time the young man got the hang of it, it was too late. Their tongues battled for dominance in a seemingly endless kiss. Sidy easily won this fight.
The redhead blushed all over as she pulled away. He was incapable of a single word. “That wasn't bad, we'll do it again sometime,” she winked at him before turning to face the approaching monster. [Ménage à trois] The tired body was suddenly bursting with strength. "I'll take over here," she ran much faster than ever before towards the chimaera.
The creature thought it could deal with the red insect again. The chimaera attacked Sidy with its right foreleg. But this time the huntress did not flinch. She fired her fist in a counterstrike, deflecting the monster's attack away. Before the beast could realize what had happened, the huntress jumped up and landed a kick on the lion's head. Its power was far stronger than anything she had demonstrated so far. The animal jerked its entire body and smashed through a massive stone pillar. It lay on the ground in pain, but the huntress was merciless. She ran the distance between them with lightning speed, landing one blow after another. After a while of repeated blows, the chimaera stopped moving. Yellowish blood gushed all around, splattering the otherwise gorgeous woman's entire figure. The animal was brutally beaten to death. The match is over.
Dea and Akally forgot about the stolen kiss for a moment and rejoiced in their victory. Sidy turned to them and raised her arm above her head in triumph. The champion defended her title as a hunter. But the enthusiasm did not last long. The snake head was still alive. Before the youth or girl could warn the huntress, it was too late.
Without turning around, Sidy stopped the overgrown reptile's attack behind her with a single hand. She slowly turned her head towards it with undisguised anger. Her calm perfect smile twisted into a scowl of exasperation: "I haven't forgotten you," she slammed the snake to the ground, "because for what you've done," she gripped his upper and lower jaw with each hand, "I'll make sure you suffer!" she tore open the snake's mouth. The creature was finally dead.