Abomination. That was the only word Rhea could find that could accurately describe the creature which was limping towards her. The chimera was an amalgamation of human limbs and flesh. Although they varied in appearance, they all looked as if a madman was instructed to draw what a person looked like from memory. The monstrosities had dozens of limbs, sticking out from all the wrong places. Conjoined heads with tongues that lolled openly and eyes which were rendered useless thanks to their clouded lenses. And they had legs which grew out of each other, some even having several hundreds. Every single one of the chimeras constantly wailed and moaned as if in pain, streams of blood constantly dripped from any open orifice they may have: mouth, nostrils, and…
“Rhea! Snap out of it, we have company.” Remuria yelled, shaking Rhea with both of her hands.
The princess's attention snapped back into sharp focus. Rhea found herself standing in the heart of the capital, amidst the once-grand central square that now lay in ruins. The buildings that encircled the square stood as ghostly specters of their former glory. Each structure wore the scars of relentless turmoil, as if the gods themselves bore contempt for them, One particular building, now reduced to a mere skeletal framework, had been ravaged to such an extent that only a jagged pile of debris remained.
The princess then noticed that she was flanked by Remuria, Sedris, Zia. The other Red Reavers were scattered. They were all only exploring at first, but something forced them to separate. It was something dangerous, something…
“It’s coming, ready your weapons!” Sedris yelled out, already raising his wraithbone glaive.
Remuria had Oros prepared, while Zia stood eagerly with her twin white-axes. Rhea was still confused, but she raised her own wraithbone sword to follow suit. The princess’s mind was still foggy, struggling to process what exactly she and her companions were supposed to fight. Her questions, however, would be answered soon enough.
In the distance, the haunting cry of a wolf-like creature pierced the night, echoing through the air. Under the watchful gaze of the crimson moon, a monstrous entity emerged, a black furred behemoth that defied imagination. Towering at least nine storeys tall, the beast’s colossal form stretched across the horizon, its sheer length hinting at an unparalleled ferocity.
The creature's visage was a grotesque amalgamation of nightmare and nightmare. Countless swirling eyes adorned its massive head, each a swirling vortex of malevolence that seemed to draw in the very essence of darkness itself. Rows of gargantuan, razor-sharp teeth jutted from its gaping maw, glinting ominously as they hungered for flesh.
As Rhea and her companions came into its view, the creature's attention fixated upon them with a predatory intensity. Its baleful eyes locked onto their presence, gleaming with a mix of hunger and malice. Thick droplets of saliva oozed from its panting jaws, dripping onto the scorched earth below.
“Do we have a plan?” Rhea asked, her eyes still fixed on the wolf-like monster.
“Try not to die I suppose,” Zia replied with a shrug.
“You should listen to her, Rhea, try not to die.” Remuria said sarcastically.
“If you’ve got an actual plan, I’m all ears.” Zia said.
“You and your brother are going to take that thing on from the front while Rhea and I try to kill it from behind,” Remuria replied calmly.
“Any particular reason you think Zia and I should take the brunt of the beast’s attacks?” Sedris asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“Both of you can take more hits than either me or Rhea.” Remuria said bluntly.
“Heh, you’re not wrong about that.” Zia said, “and also, time to shut your mouths everyone, it's coming!” she emphasized, hunkering down into a more combat appropriate stance.
The wolf-like beast charged towards Rhea and her companions. It’s maw open and hungry for flesh. While Sedris, Remuria, and Rhea scattered in an attempt to avoid the beast’s incoming charge. Zia, instead, let out a blood-curdling scream and proceeded to run towards the beast, twin-axes in each of her hands.
It did not take long for Zia and the beast to clash. The wolf monster opened its maw and tried to bite Zia down. But the Red Reaver was able to make a powerful leap, avoiding the attack and instead landing on the beast’s head. Noticing that a pest was now on it, the beast thrashed and threw its head around, smashing it into the nearby rubble, in an attempt to shake the puny creature that had the audacity to perch herself on its head. Zia, on her end, clung desperately to the beast’s black fur, her arms and legs straining to keep her in place. Strong as she was, the beast’s wanton throws were becoming too much for her to bear. The palm of her hands were becoming ever more slippery thanks to her own sweat, she could not hold out for too long.
High up in the air, Remuria was now in her true form, channeling a spell. She closed her eyes and tried to focus as hard as she could, attuning her mind to the souls of damned mages she had relied on for her magic for so long. However, it was much harder to do this time, the underworld sounded more…erratic than ever before. There were too many souls screeching at once, to the point where it was drowning out the voices Remuria did actually want to hear. Worse still, for a reason she could not yet comprehend, Remuria could now also listen to the screams of all the chimeras in Ishgria. Their pained moans and wails served to only further hinder Remuria’s concentration and it even began to affect her sanity as well. She could hear them all: voices that sounded like they came from children and the elderly, all of them screamed. All of them were far too loud.
Far too engrossed in trying to cast a spell, Remuria did not notice when the beast opened its maw in her general direction. The creature had already managed to throw Zia off of it, who was now flung so far away even Remuria could not see where she landed. The beast knew that Remuria was the next greatest threat, and so it gathered energy at the base of its mighty throat. A bright, purplish light, emanated from the beast’s maw, shining brighter and brighter. When Remuria finally noticed the blinding violet light that pained her eyes, it was already too late. The beast unleashed a blast of purple, coruscating flames, which soared through the air faster than Remuria could react. The flames made contact: charring her flesh and burning away her wings, causing her to fall from the skies.
Rhea and Sedris had originally planned to flank the beast once Zia had managed to distract it for long enough. However, that plan had long gone out the window by now. Rhea had already rushed towards the direction where she believed Remuria might fall, leaving Sedris alone to face the beast. He tried to outrun the beast at first, he knew he did not stand a chance against it alone, he would need Zia back at the very least. However, the beast was far too fast, its strides were rapid and vast, covering large distances with ease everytime it moved one of its massive legs. Within seconds, Sedris found himself in the beast’s maw, and then, inside its stomach.
Rhea, on the other hand, managed to make it in time to catch Remuria falling from the sky. With a supernatural leap, only possible since her rebirth, she caught Remuria with both of her hands, resting her on a miraculously undamaged bench nearby. She breathed a sigh of relief when she could hear Remuria still breathing, albeit weakly.
Loathe as she is to admit it, Rhea knew that she would need the Night Terror’s power if she were to defeat the beast. The princess closed her eyes and tried to reach into the deepest recesses of her mind, she needed to be fast, the beast would be onto her soon. Nothing. The princess did not hear a single word. Rhea became increasingly distressed, she could hear the beast approaching her: fast. Night Terror, answer me, this better not be one of your tricks. Again, there was no answer.
As the princess opened her eyes, her vision sharpened, and the looming presence of the beast came into focus. At the corner of her eye, she glimpsed its terrifying form rapidly expanding, growing larger with each passing moment as it closed in on her. Rhea felt her heart sinking in her chest, the weight of dread pressing upon her with an unrelenting force.
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Paralyzed by fear, Rhea found herself rooted to the spot, unable to move or even draw a breath. The realization of her own insignificance in the face of such a formidable adversary gripped her with an icy hold. She knew deep within her core that she did not stand a chance against the beast, at least, not alone.
The beast was only a few feet in front of her now. Close enough that Rhea could smell its breath: musty and rancid, as if someone had left rotten flesh inside a barrel and let it sit inside a damp cellar somewhere. Rhea closed her eyes in resignation, bracing for what was to come. Yet, just as the beast’s jaws were about to close in on her, it stopped. Rhea was confused, she had expected to feel the pain of hundreds of jagged teeth pierce her flesh. But when she opened her eyes once more, she saw that the beast was completely unmoving, as if it were somehow frozen in time.
A familiar voice echoed behind Rhea, “greetings, Princess of Ishgria.”
Rhea instinctively knew the source of the voice, “Wait, is that you, prophet?” she asked, stepping away from the beast's jaws.
“Why yes I am, and you are in luck, I am here to tell you that you may have a chance at survival.” the prophet said.
“May? What are you talking-,” Rhea turned to meet the prophet face to face. She was stunned. The prophet looked so much more different than what she remembered. For one, they had wings now: shiny and golden just like their mask. In fact, everything about the prophet was golden now. Their mask: gold, their robes: gold, their arms: gold. Speaking of arms, the prophet has six of them now, all etched with words that Rhea did not understand. The prophet had always been an enigmatic figure, but Rhea felt that they were utterly alien this time around.
“I am here to offer you a solution, princess, a ‘way out’ if you will,” the prophet explained.
“What, how are you even here?” Rhea asked, her voice laced with disbelief, “the harbinger told me that you should be dead, or at least, not alive.”
“Vhael may act as if they know everything, but they are not always correct, princess,” the prophet said calmly, their gaze fixed on Rhea, “now, as I said, I am here to offer you a solution.”
“Which is?” Rhea asked.
“A way for you to slay the beast, and fulfill your price.” The prophet said.
“I see where this is going,” Rhea said, “what do I need to do?”
The prophet reached into his cloak and produced a sword clad wholly in crimson, his movements deliberate and controlled, “take this,” he instructed.
Rhea jolted back slightly, shocked, “this sword…how do you have it?”
“Nemaia was always meant for you princess, this sword will allow you to survive the trials to come.” The prophet explained.
Rhea’s brows furrowed, “trials?”
“Yes, trials, ones that you will face alone.”
“And what of my companions?”
“They will be safe, if you succeed in all of your trials that is”
“And you are giving me the key to surviving these so-called trials, why?”
“Because the underworld wills it, and it is my duty to do as it wills.”
Rhea crossed her arms, “this all seems awfully convenient.”
“If you want to leave your companions to die, you are free to choose that. Of course, you will die too, that beast does not look very friendly,” the prophet said sarcastically, pointing at the beast with one of its hands, “but if you wish to live, take Nemaia with you, then after you have beaten the beast, head north towards Castle Arstella.”
Rhea sighed, “Fine, I’ll take the damn sword, but one thing: what happened to the harbinger? I’m not sure if he would approve-”
Before Rhea could finish her sentence, the prophet was no more: leaving Nemaia behind. The princess could feel the crimson blade calling out to her, it was a magnetic attraction, when Rhea finally grasped the hilt of the crimson sword: it felt as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Yet, the second Rhea held Nemaia in her hands, the beast was no longer frozen. With wanton fury, it charged towards the princess: its maw wide open. This time, however, Rhea did not feel even the slightest hint of fear. Instead, she charged to face the beast, Nemaia at the ready.
The beast tried to close its jaws around the princess, but Rhea dodged it with ease, dashing out of harm’s way. Next, the beast tried to slash the princess with its massive claws, and again, Rhea managed to dodge without much trouble. By the third time the beast tried to attack, Rhea felt that the creature was becoming much slower somehow. Where before, she could barely follow the beast’s frantic movements and attacks, now, the princess saw the beast the same way one would perceive a snail.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Rhea went to work, slashing at the beast’s hind limbs using Nemaia. The crimson blade cut through the beast’s flesh as if it were butter, its blood spraying out everywhere like a fountain. The princess continued to hack away at the beast’s other limbs, slashing through them with all of her might. Yet, the beast did not fall. The blood which one spewed from its gushing wounds has all but evaporated, turning into blackened flames. The burning beast was much faster than ever before now, whether spurred on by its wounds or some other force, the princess did not know why: and frankly it did not matter. What mattered was that the beast moved fast again, and it was still angry.
As the beast lunged forward with renewed speed and fury, Rhea knew she had to adapt her strategy. With lightning reflexes, Rhea sidestepped the beast's initial charge, narrowly avoiding its claws. She spun on her heel, using the momentum to deliver a powerful upward slash aimed at the beast's chest. But the creature was agile, and it managed to twist its body, avoiding a fatal blow. However, Rhea's strike wasn't in vain; the blade left a deep gash across the beast's hide, causing it to let out a guttural roar of pain.
With a bellowing howl, the beast’s maw glowed with the light of its purplish flames. It was desperate, it wanted Rhea dead. The princess continued to hack and slash the beast’s limbs, but the creature still stood firm. The burning beast then turned its head to directly face Rhea, unleashing a torrent of purplish flames directly at her. The princess closed her eyes instinctively, bracing for the worst to come.
Yet, despite the searing flames which enveloped her, Rhea did not feel even the slightest hint of pain. The first thing she felt was confusion, she thought that perhaps she was already dead and was hallucinating somehow. But when she opened her eyes, Rhea saw how the flames which were supposed to char her flesh were instead being absorbed into Nemaia’s blade. The crimson blade made it look effortless, and by the time the burning beast’s flames had turned to fumes, Nemaia was blazing with bright red flames.
Rhea seized her chance, while the beast was still recovering from its attack. With all of her remaining strength, the princess leapt into the ear and thrust Nemaia right through the beast’s skull. The beast reeled in pain, part of its flesh turning to blackened ash with every second Nemaia was lodged in its skull. It desperately tried to dislodge Rhea and her crimson blade, thrashing about and throwing its head around in all directions. But the princess’s grip on Nemaia remained firm, and the crimson blade responded in kind, piercing deeper into the beast’s skull, its flames eating away at the foul creature's insides.
After a few minutes of struggle, the beast’s limbs eventually became limp. Its movements became staggered and disoriented, causing it to trip and fall with a resounding thud. Rhea was panting, her breath’s pace still heightened. It took her a few seconds to relax her muscles enough to relax her grip on Nemaia.
Rhea was unsure of how he felled such a ferocious creature so quickly. Though that was only one of the many questions in her mind. There were so many questions she wished she knew the answer to: Ishgria, the Prophet, Nemaia, and those barely scratched the surface. At the very least, she still had Remuria. Once the princess managed to regain some of her strength, she stood up and walked towards the bench where she had left Remuria.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Remuria was still in one piece. Rhea had already been separated from Remuria far too many times than she is comfortable with. At least with Remuria back, part of her mind could be at ease.