Sera pressed herself against the cold cave wall as she went deeper into the labyrinth. She had been wandering the darkness for at least half an hour now. Her breaths were slow and shallow as she strained to make as little sound as possible. From somewhere behind her, she could hear noises echoing up from the depths where she had climbed from as the Nest Mother pursued her.
The sound of her heart pounded in her ears, a sound that Sera feared was loud enough to draw the monstrous Chimera closer to her. Her hands trembled as she felt her way through the twisting, treacherous tunnels that she hoped would lead her to safety.
Fear gripped her every unsure step of the way. She felt so foolish. She was supposed to be the reincarnation of Celeste, a legendary hero. Yet here she was, fearfully groping in the dark, not much more than a scared little girl far from home.
Sera tensed as her foot caught a loose stone which clattered across the floor. She held her breath and listened intently, praying that the disturbance hadn’t been detected by the terrifying creature which searched after her. All was silent for a moment and she let her breath go but as she did so, the ear shattering cry of the Nest Mother rang out, sending a jolt through Sera’s body.
As the sound of a thousand hands pounded the cave floor after her, She ran. Cutting her hands on the sharp rock as she tripped in the darkness, Sera winced as she scrambled back to her feet while the Nest Mother closed in behind her. She didn’t know how, but she knew the terrifying creature could see her now. It didn’t matter now how quiet she kept, it would find her, her only choice now was to run.
Her breath was panicked. Her heart beat faster and harder than it ever had. Up ahead, Sera saw a faint pale glow of light. A crack in the ceiling opened up to the outside where night had fallen and the moon’s light poured in. Sera’s heart leapt at the realization that she was so close to escape. The gash was just big enough for her to squeeze through and the Chimera that pursued her would be trapped within the cave as she left.
Daring to glance over her shoulder, Sera’s hopes were crushed as she saw the Nest Mother weaving in and out between the stalagmites behind her. It was moving too fast, there was no hope of making it to the exit in time. Her only chance of survival was a gash in the stone wall to her left.
Sera cried out in pain as sharp rocks dug into her thighs while she squeezed herself into the thin line of space that had separated the rock. Edging deeper and deeper, she felt the breath of the Nest Mother fill the limited space around her. Outside of her suffocating cover, the nightmarish creature peered in, frantically shifting its head so that each of the faces which serves as its eyes could view its prey. A small glint of hope sparked in her when the Chimera screeched and the silhouette of its awful face left her view, but that hope was quickly snuffed out as it pushed up against the crack with its side and one of its large hands reached in after her.
Sera backed up as far as she could, wedging herself as deep into the crack as she could while the arm reached for her. It wasn’t deep enough and she screamed in terror as she felt the Nest Mother’s grasp close around her and she was torn from the crevice that she had hoped would protect her.
An impossible number of hands clawed at her. Fists as large as her head pounded against her from all directions. Her dress was torn away from one leg. Nails raked her thighs and arms and face. She called her blade to her and slashed wildly only for it to be knocked away by dozens of uncaring limbs as the Nest Mother once again took hold of her in one of its many massive hands. The padded leather leotard she wore was torn to shreds as the hand pushed Sera’s back to the stone floor, dragging her across the jagged rock.
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When it released her, Sera scrambled to her feet and bolted for the nearest wall as the Nest Mother’s wide face bore down on her, coming just short of taking her into its maw as she pressed herself into a shallow depression.
Tears streaked her cheeks and she screamed as the colossal Chimera struggled to reach for her, the edges of its toothlike mandibles barely scraping against her face and chest. She felt its hot breath, the smell of rotting flesh and fresh blood washed over her. The leather of her leotard broke and the thin fabric of her dress tore as it was caught in the Nest Mother’s teeth and torn away from one shoulder. The monstrous creature screeched loudly in her face, frustrated at having come so close to pulling the helpless girl into its ravenous maw.
In the dim light, Sera could see into the horrendous mouth that threatened to consume her. She could just make out the second pair of jaws beyond its outer mouth that would chew her up. She cried helplessly as she imagined the feeling of her body being reduced to little more than mangled flesh and bone wadded up in blood-soaked and saliva coated clothing as she was pulled into the monster’s gullet.
In a brief moment of clarity a thought crossed her mind. As she stared beyond the horrifying gnashing of teeth, Sera thought back on her failed attempts to pierce the Nest Mother’s thick shell with her magic. The nail-like hide had been too strong for her attacks from the outside, but what about inside?
As the Nest Mother shrieked in frustration, unwittingly presenting its weakness to her, Sera frantically channeled her concentration, feeling energy swirl around her as she struggled to focus her mind to a point within the Chimera’s eager maw. As the flash of light in the dark gloom of the cave blinded her, the hungry cry of the Nest Mother gave way to pain and then was silenced.
The scent of cooked flesh filled her nostrils, and as Sera regained her sight, she saw the Nest Mother’s lifeless corpse where it lay just inches away. Steam drifted up in the gloom from the motionless Chimera as Sera forced herself through the tiny gap between its face and the cave wall. She frantically limped toward the crack in the stone where the moonlight shone down upon the stone floor. Stumbling on shaking knees, she scrambled for its glow. Sera clawed in panic to pull herself out through the crevice where she found herself among an outcropping of rocks somewhere near the castle.
The full moon shone brightly down from where it hung amongst wispy silver streaks of clouds. A chilly breeze blew over the rock face of the cliffs where she stood. Her bloody and bruised body ached. Her clothing hung in tatters around her. The scraped flesh of her exposed breast stung in the cool night air, the gashes along her arms and thighs pulsed painfully. She could only see the night sky through one eye, the other swelled shut. Tears ran down her face as she collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted and broken. Eyes squeezed shut, she curled up in the dirt amongst tufts of wild grass and drifted off for what seemed like hours before a worried voice shook her.
Cabrin scrambled out from the crevice where she had emerged and rushed over to her. As he gathered her up in his arms, she gave no care to her indecent state as she clung to him and wept. One by one, her friends emerged to join them, the orange glow of their torches lit the scene as they were passed up from below.
She felt their hands lay upon her as she cried. Akane, Chilse, John, and even the captain, who removed his cape and covered her, sat in silence as she openly wept. She had been inches away from the Nest Mother. She felt as if she had been stared in the face by Death itself. There were no words for the horrors that she had been faced with. No one could bring themselves to tell her how fortunate she was to be alive. She knew. She knew it all too well.