Chapter 23: The mandrake and the chimera

Chimera. They are a myth back on Earth. They exist in Greek mythology and were fierce beasts that took heroes to kill them. I’m no hero, only a mandrake, so this is going to get rough.

I go over everything that I know about them. A lion’s head, a snake tail, and a bit of goat added into the mix. There isn’t much more that comes to mind. And even this might be faulty. Who knows if it is just a standard chimera or if it has other monster parts?

Purple, she refused to give her name for some reason, said that it fled to a rocky clearing a bit farther north. When I asked about how she knew it, she said that she could feel where her poison was. But even with that information, the monster was difficult to find. Well, until I stumbled upon the bloody footprints it left behind as it retreated from the dryad.

For good measure, and since most people do this in fictional tales and series, I press my hand into one of the paw prints. I don’t know if this is a good way to find out how large the monster is, but if I had to guess? The monster should be as large as a horse.. Or it might just have large feet. You never know.

I almost want to turn around and go back home. I’m not ready to face a monster stronger and far bigger than me, with the only advantage that it’s wounded and poisoned. For all I know, it might have already fully healed. But crossing a dryad is not on my list, especially when they can talk through the trees with each other. Purple, even with her in a daze thanks to the chimera’s poison, would make my life a living hell if I don’t take down that monster or die trying.

Sairal needs help too. He might be dying somewhere in the forest poison or venom slowly melting his insides all while he continues to hide or run from some kind of monster.

I can help him this time. This isn’t like the beavers or the Courts he needed to go to alone. I can actually help him for once. I’m not about to give that up. We had a bit of a rocky start but now I consider him to be my friend.

So, I must. He saved my life when the dam collapsed. Now it is my turn to help him.

On the way north, I shape my recently regrown hand into a claw just like the other.

I still hold some kind of hope that the chimera died to its injuries and that I don’t have to fight at all. However, that hope is dashed when I stumble upon the clearing.

From behind a tree, I peek at the monster. The damned beast is bigger than a horse and has far more bulk to it. The monster, wounded as it is, still seems to be lively. With rippling muscles under its golden fur, it looks ready to tear any monster that gets too close to it into pieces.

I keep staring at it, searching for the other parts. Strangely, it looks like someone tried to create Frankenstein of the animal kingdom. Delicate stitching holds the three parts together. The front looks like an ordinary lion’s head although it has two rams horns on its head. The middle and largest part of the creature is the goat part, but, the front legs of the creature are lion legs while the hind legs of the monster clearly belong to the goat. The tail, as I expected, is a snake, though the size of it makes my mouth feel dry.

When I thought of the snake tail, I imagined a viper or something around that size as a tail. Not a full-blown oversized anaconda that’s easily five metres long. The tail is wrapped around the stomach of the creature like a scarf. The four eyes of the snake are closed, showing that it’s deep asleep.

Okay, this is bad. I look over the wounds that litter its body. Purple said that she and the other dryad had almost killed it. Did she lie? This monster looks to be far from death. Then again, the purple veins and the pus that leaks out of the wounds shows another story.

Am I really going to do this?

[Chimera] lvl 3/20 (G)

At least she got that right.

I don’t like my chances. The only advantage I have is that it’s sleeping. I can’t finish it off in a single blow. For all the strength my claws have, I don’t think for a second that I can cut through the neck of the lion. The snake part would prove to be more annoying in a fight. I can already imagine myself facing that beast while the snake stays in the back, spitting poison and doing whatever else a snake does.

So with trepidation, I move around the clearing, heading for the snake part of the chimera. While it is fast asleep I need to strike.

No branches break under my feet. There is only the rustling of leaves in the background. If there are any birds in the surrounding trees, they are quiet, knowing what will happen next.

I go over my menu one last time. Resources are topped off, skills are armed and loaded. When it wakes up I need to be out of the clearing. With its bulk, it’ll have difficulty chasing me through the forest. I need every advantage I can get my hands on.

I stand behind the closest tree Hide activated. I disable any notifications, not wanting them to distract me.

Am I really gonna do this?

An image of Sairal hiding in a cave, black veins spreading under his skin as he coughs up black bile flashes through my mind. I need to do this, not just for him but for me too.

Now that the humans know I am here, they will begin to comb through the forest sooner than later. I need strength and risk comes with rewards.

I let Stamina flow into my claws, slowly building up the pressure to new heights. I let it build further past the uncomfortable tingling sensation. I continue as my arms feel like they are asleep, pain a constant droning in the back of my mind.

This snake needs to be cut off in a single blow, right at the base of the tail.

With my eyes locked onto the creature, my heart not pounding in my chest but steeled with determination, I step into the clearing.

It is weird, feeling this calm in the face of danger. I can die, I might die, but that’s worse than not doing anything.

I close in from the side. The forest is more silent than before. The only sound the deep wheezing of the chimera.

I hold my breath, checking for rogue branches, with each step I get closer.

The red splotches on the fur that are wounds grow clear. Most have already scabbed over but there are black and purple veins spreading from each of them. Good, at least it is still poisoned.

Another step brings me to the base of the tail. One more step and I can cut it off.

I spread my claws out, pushing just that extra point or two of stamina into them.

The snake’s head that lays on the top of the body, using the goat part as a pillow, flicks out its tongue sensing something in its sleep.

Not bothering to wait for it to wake up. I lash out with my claws. My arms swing wide, cutting through air and flesh. Stitches come undone, and blood spills out along with an ear-piercing roar.

Not looking behind me, I sprint out of the clearing.

The chimera continues roaring in rage as it tries to free itself from the now-dead tail that wrapped around it.

I take my first breath in what feels like minutes, My claws radiate with pain. I pass the first trees and keep on running.

My eyes flick to them and to my horror I notice that the roots are badly bruised, bleeding golden blood out of tiny tears.

I brace for more pain and push stamina into my hands once again. The stinging pain returns, this time louder. I push past it. There is no turning back now.

I slide behind one of the trees and peek out from behind it.

The chimera has almost freed itself from the tail. It roars in anger and with a final pull it is free. The monster’s golden eyes scour the forest around it and lock onto me.

The black horns that sit atop its head grow in length and glow a painful blue. Before I know it, the ram’s horns are as long as swords and probably just as sharp.

The beast speeds towards me like an enraged bull, building up momentum, ignoring the trees in its path.

It barges past them, pushing through the trees, literally. Just like with the tsunami they are uprooted and pushed to the sides.

I take off towards another tree, seeing that nothing will stop this monster.

The beast slams into it with an almost comically silent impact. There is a painful pop as if someone popped a balloon or a soap bubble behind me. Bits of wood shoot through the air along with fluttering leaves that seem to flee whatever there is behind me.

I reach the next tree and spare a glance behind me.

A wave of nausea hits me as I see the remains of the tree that I used as cover. The tree wasn’t just felled as the Chimera barged into it, no it fucking exploded. All that remains of the once-tall tree is a twisted stump that barely sticks out of the ground.

It must be whatever those horns did. Probably an infusion skill like my claws but instead of cutting better, the energy it transferred to the thing it hits, making it explode.

That should cost a lot of resources to use. I just need to tire it out. When it doesn’t have enough to use skills, I only need to somehow overcome the stats it has.

The chimera roars out again, horns charging up with blue light.

Relatively to its size, the monster is slow, it has trouble turning and is just like a Cave crawler. With it mad, it will only make more mistakes.

I jump out of a tree and shout at the chimera, “Hey you! Yes, you! You look like you got attacked by a sewing machine!”

The monster seems to understand me as it lets out a louder roar, making birds several trees over fly away in fear.

It barges towards me like before, horns glowing with lethal force.

I jump away from the tree, feeling it explode behind me as wood shrapnel hits my back, drawing more of my blood.

I sprint towards the next tree, intent on repeating the tactic until the beast is exhausted. The chimera, however, seems to have figured out that what it has done up till now, does not work.

It begins to circle around me, giving me a wide berth. It sneaks behind the trees, trying to be stealthy which is impossible with its size.

I keep my eyes locked on the monster, tracking its minute movements for the inevitable moment it will attack.

It keeps circling for another minute and I grow confused. But then it opens its mouth, flames leaking out and spilling onto the ground. It continues circling me, the flames growing in its wake.

Air heats up and smoke fills the sky as the forest begins to burn.

I’m trapped. Trapped in a circle of flame with a fucking murderous chimera.

The smoke stings my lungs and eyes. The leaves in my crown flicker with pain and I worry that this will count as damage to my crown. I can’t also lose stats and resources to this. The chimera doesn’t stop, intent on setting the surrounding forests ablaze.

Finally satisfied, it rushes towards me at the speed of a freight train. Like all the times before, I step to the side and push my claws into its fur. With the momentum of the beast, I barely have to do anything as it rushes past, cutting its body open in my claws as it tries to change direction.

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I’m forced to push my feet firmly into the ground so that I don’t get dragged along with it.

The monster roars in anger and vanishes behind the curtain of flames.

I need to finish this fast. The fire is spreading and the space I have is shrinking.

Roars fill the forest, echoing all around.

Sweat beads on my skin, preventing me from drying out to the searing heat. The leaves on my crown begin to shrivel under the constant assault of smoke and I feel the system warn me in the back of my mind that my stats will start declining soon.

I let the blood drip from my claws, pulling comfort from it. I hurt the monster again. I can kill it.

I force stamina into my claws again, topping off whatever was depleted.

Right on time, the chimera leaps out of the flames. The fire licking its fur without doing any damage.

It circles around me like a shark in deep waters. I feel the monster’s eyes scour over my body looking for any weak point.

The monster moves towards me, this time with manageable speed, having learned from its previous mistake.

I sidestep at the last moment, feeling one of the chimaera’s claws graze over my back, drawing the thinnest line of blood.

Before I can strike back, the monster leaps away.

It roars, having had enough of all this. More flames leak out of its mouth. The beast closes its mouth, letting the temperature build up higher.

I can’t win this. I probably can’t even survive the next attack it’s going to throw my way. I just need to finish it before it can spew out those flames.

I move towards it, my body low to the ground and my claws outstretched.

Large paws and even bigger claws swipe through the air. I duck, stumble and roll over the ground, the shards of wood all around painfully digging into my back.

The world swims around me, smoke blotting out the sun and fires burning at the edges of my vision. My eyes water, the painful heat trying to dry them out.

Above me I see the paw of the chimera descend like the hand of a wrathful god.

Groaning I roll to the side, more of my senses returning. I blink away the hazyness and the world returns into view. Somehow, during my stumble, I slid forwards over the ground and ended up between the paws of the chimera.

The beast stares down at me, the flames all around reflected in its eyes. Liquid fire, almost like snot, leaks out of its nostrils dribbling onto me.

It dribbles onto my chest, the droplets boring into my body like parasites. They chew their way through me. The chimera gives me a feral grin in triumph, as it watches me writhe on the ground in agony.

As if that isn’t enough, the beast makes a show of opening its mouth, letting me watch as more liquid fire rises out of its gullet to pour down its tongue and onto me.

I roll to the left and lash out widely with my claws, hitting its leg and whatever else is close enough. I scream in rage and pain feeling fur separate, the smooth sensation of cutting through flesh and the chipping of bone as my claw reached deep into the chimera.

It roars, all the flame it has been holding back, spilling onto me.

I scramble away but not fast enough. The barrage of flames hit my back and eat into me. I feel roots burn and nerves consumed by fire. I jump through a curtain of flames that embrace me in a warm, suffocating hug, unwilling to let me go.

The next thing I know I’m rolling over the ground, screaming and begging for something to pull me out of the fire’s embrace.

Mandrake Screech activates on its own as I continue to wail, the pain worse than when my arm was cut off. The only upside about this is that I don’t smell my own body burning thanks to the smoke from the surrounding trees that fill my lungs.

The grass under me blackens as the normal flames are quenched. But that still leaves the droplets of flame that continue to bury deeper into my body towards my heart and lungs.

I activate Roots of Nature pushing everything I have into it. Stamina is spent and roots are created in my body. They converge on the liquid flames, pushing at them until there is no oxygen. Even then they continue to burn, slowly sputtering out as they fight for their existence.

I choke back sobs as I crawl over the ground and take refuge behind the closest tree.

I’m going to die. This is it. I should’ve never done this. Because of this I will die alone, burn to death. Because of this Sairal might die too. All because I wasn’t strong enough in the end. I should have done more, should have practised more skills, gained more levels.

I curl up in a ball, the smoke making not just the air but also my mind hazy.

I should just give up. There is no winning this. I barely have a dozen Stamina and Health points.

I continue to Hide behind the tree, shaking when the phantom pain hits me and trembling at every roar that echoes through the forest.

Far in the distance, a tree explodes burning wood shrapnel flying everywhere.

More roars boom through the burning forest as the monster plays a twisted game of hide and seek with me.

I close my eyes, giving up. I already died once, can a second time be that bad?

I wait for my end, the tingling in one of my claws trying to pull me out of it. My eyes open, looking at a bloody claw, golden sap streaming from all the tears in the root, more continuing to bleed out as the pressure slowly leaves along with it.

I close my eyes again, ignoring the pressure of the Stamina in one of my claws as it slowly recedes.

But is this really what I want? Do I really want to die again, barely having seen anything in this world, only having met one person, and only having seen a single place?

For some stupid reason, Zulis pops into my head; the closest city near Luxia. Housing almost a 16th of Earth’s population.

I know that I never would be welcome there but I wanted to see it. I wanted to gaze at the walls that should rise far into the sky.

Another roar echoes through the forest. This time closer as it slowly searches the forest for me.

I stare at my menu, the blue light almost hurting my eyes in this world of oranges and reds.

HP: 14/73 (-6%)

Sp: 7/39 (-6%)

The evolution I took wasn’t kidding when it said that my crown of leaves would be a weak point. A flat six per cent reduction to all my stats and resources.

I watch the forest around me, engulfed by flame. The few birds in the trees scream as they fly through the smoke to safer lands.

What would Mom say if she saw me now? She would twist my ear, telling me that there is nothing wrong with losing but that giving up is wrong. Bad even.

What would Sairal think? Will he just be sad that yet another second-lifer didn’t make it far? Will he shake his head at me, disappointed in me that I gave up when things became difficult?

I can’t just lie here. No matter how much I want to do that. This is my last life. Whatever happens, I need to know that I’ve done everything that I could. I need to know that I’ve gone down swinging.

My knees buckle under my weight as I stand up. The smoke makes me wheeze as I breathe for air, the world only shades of orange at the edges of my vision.

My body hurts. Everything hurts. What can a little more pain do?

I stretch my claw that still has Stamina infused into it. I build up the pressure, expending two points.

This is the finale. This is the end. And I will make it your’s too chimera.

My face twists into a smile, the muscles in my face aching. This isn’t funny. This isn’t funny at all but why am I smiling? Why do I feel chuckles escape my lips as I step out from behind the tree, searching for the blurry shape in this world of fire.

My eyes watering or I’m crying. I don’t know anymore. “Hey! Living spare parts! Here I am!” I choke, my throat sore from Mandrake Screech and smoke.

Like the harbinger of death, the monster walks out of the flames, its yellow eyes burning as more fire leaks out of its mouth.

I walk towards it, speeding up in a run as I speed to my death.

The monster meets me in the middle, mouth open to bite into my neck.

I duck and slide over the ground, my claw finding its wounded paw. I cut through skin and muscle. I hit a ligament by sheer luck and the monster's leg gives out under it.

It falls over and slides over the ground, bellowing out as flames spill out of its mouth.

The monster begins to cough thanks to the smoke and I smile as I see that it isn’t immune.

Before it can stand up, I clamber on its body, pulling myself up on the tufts of fur having lost most of the feeling in my leg.

The monster roars again and somehow manages to stand up. But with no tail, it’s exposed from above, I push all my remaining points of stamina into my claw. Golden sap spurts out as the roots bruise visibly.

I ignore it, my eyes only on the ending of the finale.

Like a guillotine, I swing downwards with my hand. A scream escapes me as I feel it enter its neck.

Flames burst out of the monster's mouth, burning the world around us as it tries to resist. It rolls on the carpet of flame it made, the magical flames eating into the beast's fur.

More flames pour out and I vaguely hear trees topple around me.

My claw, embedded into its neck, push deeper into the monster like the droplets of flame that ate into my body.

It tries to make me let go, doing anything to free itself. My body gets crushed under the monster and I feel my Health deplete. However, as I feel the monster's flesh between my claws I can’t help but smile.

I hold on, my claws scraping further inside it, cutting through nerves, wrapping around bone.

Having found my target I pull with all my strength. I scream, my voice raw and guttural as the bone just won't snap as I continue to pull.

It won’t end like this. It can’t end like this. There has to be something!

The faintest whisper in the back of my mind says that I still have free stat points to allocate. Without thought, I throw all nine stat points into strength.

I pull again and I feel the spine of the creature groan. With another pull it cracks.

The beast, limp, falls to the ground in the ocean of flames.

I pull up my notifications, only bothering to look at the kill notification.

*Congratulations. You have slain [Chimera (lion)] lvl 3/20 (G).

*Congratulations. You have slain [Chimera (goat)] lvl 3/20 (G).

*Congratulations. You have defeated [Chimera (snake)] lvl 3/20 (G).

The words of the system swim through my mind as I’m barely able to register them. Three notifications. Three kills.

I need to get out of here. It’s all burning.

With the neck broken, it is easy to pull the head off the corpse. I’m mindful enough to grab a clump of the black goat’s fur too.

I need to leave.

The smoke makes me cough and I look around. There is no green here. The world is grey and orange, the other colours having fled.

I need to flee too.

I move towards the clearing, everything focused on collecting all the parts of the chimera before I head back to purple.

Sleep can wait. I just need a bit of sunlight and I’ll be right.

***

As it turns out, the dryads have methods to contain fires, I don’t know how or why but the flames just end in one part of the forest as if they are held back by a barrier.

It hurts my mind looking at the contrast between the green and orange.

***

I enter the clearing and look at where the snake part should be. But there isn’t anything. Only a trail of purple blood that ends after a dozen metres or so.

I need to rest but the snake might return.

I press down the ashy taste of defeat.

With nothing else to do about it, I head back to purple.

***

Deep in the night when the true monsters roam through the forest, Snake slithers through the grass back home. The mandrake caught it by surprise. Luckily the monster was stupid enough to not finish it off. Silly lion and dozy goat died when the mandrake broke the life string that kept them animated. Well, they served as a good distraction for it to retreat back home.

Snake lets out a hiss of joy. It is finally alone. When the Master makes a new body, it will become the leader instead of silly now-very-dead-lion. The only special thing about it was that it could breathe some fire.

Lazy goat was even worse, always sleeping and never joining the fight. Well, both are now dead so who cares anyway.

The snake enters one of the caverns that lead to the world below. Right before the cave reaches the one-kilometre threshold where the Depths actually begin, it splits.

One leads to the Depths while the other is a dead end. That is what the Master wants them all to believe and so they will. The tree people are dumb like that, when they can’t sense something with their roots or leaves, it doesn’t exist to them.

The cave peels away before the snake, revealing a laboratory. On each side of it are large tanks made of glass and metal. Master calls them biotanks. Snake doesn’t exactly know what they exactly do, even if the Master was patient enough to teach him again and again.

In the glassy things, there are weird solutions of not-water. In each floats a body part or an entire monster.

Snake looks at each of the tanks, imagining the parts on his body and how they would complement it. From the claws that can cut through steel to the venom glands that can melt Deepstone, they want it all.

Having dallied long enough, it enters the Master’s living quarters to report.

Most of the Master’s subjects died to the night monsters since they were stupid like silly lion and lazy goat. But there is another of Master's creations that survived the evil night monsters.

One, itself, the grand chimera that hunted the monsters and the tree people.

The other the stupid dog that can’t decide if it wants to have fur or scales.

The blood-red reptilian eye of the stupid dog locks onto Snake.

“Calm down, Zorza, the Master says.

He turns around and sees the snake. His face, twisted in surprise, “Defeated? Show me,” he commands. His hand reached out for the Snake’s head. It phases through the skin until it encounters the brain. Snake doesn’t resist having grown used to the strange sensation of someone rummaging through your memories.

The Master cocks his head to the side, “Interesting. Too bad you didn’t watch the climax of the battle before you were forced to retreat due to the flames.” For the first time, the Master actually looks at Snake. “Hmm, I need to make some augmentations to you before I can send you out again,” he mutters to himself.

The Master turns to the stupid dog, “That mandrake you found might still be alive if it didn’t get burned up. You did well when you brought me those leaves. They helped in my research. So many monsters just perish so quickly when I work on them. Zorza, you will need to search for it again. Capture it alive if you can.”

The pesky dog barks in agreement. The Master smiles at his other creation. Snake is envious of it. Master never smiles at Snake. If Snake gets the chance it will kill the scaly dog.