There was once a poor village within the Empire of Lunaria, villagers feared for their lives as they're surrounded with forest filled with dangerous beasts and monsters. It came to a point where they could no longer import anything into the village when a chimera was just waiting outside the gates, like a predator to a prey.
"We can't lock the gates forever! Supplies are running low, it won't last for a week!" Announced a villager, causing panic and despair in the village.
Though the people had abandoned hope, a certain man among these villagers stepped up. "I'd rather die fighting than to live the rest of my life in fear! If I die battling with that wretched beast, then so be it..."
Seeing this brave man walk towards the village gate dragging his sword behind him, another man followed him behind. "Hold on! I can't stand aside and let you battle alone, let me aide you in this fight." He said, holding onto his staff firmly.
Then another one tried to catch up, "I will come too!" He panted, carrying a bow and bundle of arrows behind him, "'Tis better to fight in bigger numbers, the better chances of defeating the chimera."
"Very well then," The brave swordsman held his sword up high, "May the evil vanquish for good!"
The gates have opened and the three faced the corpse chimera head on. The swordsman swung his sword with great force, the mage sustained the swordsman's stamina, and the archer pinned the chimera in its place.
The three have successfully defeated the chimera and became the heroes of the village, the three worked together from then on to defeat anything that tried to haunt or terrorize their village.
People throughout the village spread their story as they travel through other places in the Empire, and those inspired from their bravery and strength have come to visit and try to learn from them.
As their story spread and brought others to aspire their glory, many people have formed their own groups, or what is known nowadays as a guild. "...and soon, the Emperor of Lunaria gave the village the honor of forging guilds that made a great marks in history, and that village is now known as the Heartlocke City we live in today." The showman put down the puppets in his hands, facing the children with a proud smile.
"The city of guilds, they call us. And among those guilds, we take pride in all of those that fought for the sake of peace in our land." He leans closer to the children in curious excitement, "So does anyone care to share their favorite guild?"
This topic sparked the children engage, each raising their hands, announcing the guild names they look up to. And as the showman picked a little girl, she shyly spoke to them all. "My favorite guild is---"
Before the showman could hear the girl's answer, a terrified man came running to their street and gave them all a warning. "The Night Fangs are coming!"
Hearing such feared name, all the children and passerby's have ran off. The showman hurried picking up his stuff before leaving the area, though before he can push off his cart, a heavy hand held him by the shoulder.
"The streets have gone empty at an early hour in this time of the night, but it's a good thing we found you..." This person's tone sent chills to the showman's spine, he slowly turned to look at them and both his hands and legs began to shake, "We've got questions for you, if you don't mind."
"Err, I-I'm sorry. I need to go home... to my family." He tried to excuse himself, but once you're caught in the beasts claws, there's no escaping them.
"Oh come on, you just have to answer our questions."
"But I can't. I really need to go---"
"Quit being difficult!" Bucks raised his voice, annoyed by the Showman's excuses.
"Go easy on the guy, Malcolm." Bucks gently pushes Malcolm away from the guy and held the showman by the arm, "Sorry about that, my friend can get impatient over little things."
"...just let me go, please." The showman begged, his eyes on the verge of tears.
The dead silence of night and the cold brush of the wind made all matters feel worse for the showman. There will be no one to help him despite the eyes gazing upon them through small gaping windows on that street.
"Sure." Bucks answered calmly, though his grip tightens on the showman's arms, "Before I let you go," He takes out a crumpled photo out his pocket for the showman to see, "Have you seen this woman before?"
The watchful eyes on that streets widened seconds later to find their road painted in red. Meanwhile, Carlisle is on his way to the tavern with Ren. There's no other place he can think of to get his dinner and some answers on the lingering questions in his head.
"What's this place like, Carlisle?" Ren asked curiously.
"You'll see for your---oh, right." He scratched his head remembering she's blind, "You'll know when we get there." Ren could only pout while following him.
When they arrived and opened the doors to the tavern. Barrel is seen at his usual spot, pouring drinks for the customers. His head turns to the door and smiled at the sight of Carlisle, "Oh! I thought you'll never come back again... Welcome back, dear customer."
"Any available tables for two?" Carlisle asked, getting him intrigued.
"Ooh, and you brought yourself---" Barrel turns his eyes to Ren who behind Carlisle, "A date..." His smile fades, the sight of Ren made him cold and pale. "No... no, this can't be." He even drops the rag he's holding.
Carlisle noticed the way he reacted after seeing Ren. In some way, he expected that Barrel has some information on Ren's identity or background. "Barrel, do you---What the, hey!---"
The two were startled when Barrel grabbed them, "Come with me!" He drags them all the way to his kitchen and closed off all doors and windows.
"What's going on, Carlisle? W-Where are we?" Ren got a little frightened by the sudden change she can feel in the atmosphere, she grabs him tightly by the arm.
"...the Night Fangs, they've been here in the city for a while, relentlessly searching for a certain girl... spreading fear and chaos as we speak. So tell me, Carlisle... why are you with her?" Getting right to the point, Barrel glared at Ren as he waits for his answer while holding the door shut.
With his suspicions proven right, Carlisle both found hope and fear for Ren's sake. He glanced at her with pity. Her existense tied to Night Fangs meant that things might take a bad turn. "Barrel, y-you... You know about her?"
"Probably more than you have... she's evil, well---at least not yet."
"Evil!?" Carlisle's in disbelief by his words, the Ren he knew was far from evil. And seeing Barrel's hostility towards Ren is sipping through, Carlisle put Ren behind him, "Ren isn't like that, she's blind---she can't even do anything on her own!"
"That's exactly why I said she's not evil, yet." The door click locked behind Barrel as he slowly approach Carlisle, his hand gripping on the knife he hid inside his pocket. "You're not meant to be here, little girl. You ought to go back where you came from... or would you rather disappear right here, right now?" He points the knife at her.
"C-Carlisle!" Ren got frightened by his threatening words, all she could do was cling onto Carlisle. And Carlisle held his hand against Barrel, stopping him from getting any closer, "Quit it, Barrel! She's innocent!"
The face with such kind and carefree smile Carlisle used to see is now tainted with fear, "That girl could be deceiving you! You'll never know when a snake will strike, so better step aside and let me finish this!" Now all he sounds like is a mad man.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Barrel!? Stop this, she hasn't done anything wrong!"
"You don't know anything!"
"Then tell me what you know!" Carlisle pressed, "That's why I'm here... I figured you might know something about her, and why the Night Fangs is chasing her... we need your help."
His sincere pleading have made Barrel realize that he this is a lost cause, he doesn't want to hurt Carlisle so he puts his knife away and sighed.
"...all you need to know is that girl is danger. To be seen with her will make you an instant target to the Night Fangs." Barrel stepped back, "If you insist on protecting her, then be on your way. I don't want to get my tavern involved with the Night Fangs."
Barrel was the closest thing to the truth behind Ren's background and yet they left with nothing to work on. Carlisle knows that Barrel is capable of doing dangerous things from the rumors he heard, so he willingly walks away. And when Carlisle watched Barrel close the tavern's door on them, a heavy feeling weighed down on his chest to lose a good friend.
"Carlisle, I don't understand... Why does that man want to kill me?" Ren asked, her hands still trembling in fear.
"Just who are you exactly?" Carlisle can't help but ask, even Ren doesn't know how to answer that.
As they left the tavern, Carlisle can only think of one place they can head to. They made it back to the abandoned house where Eya and Mori stays. For him, this was the safest place they can stay at, with strong allies to rely on.
Inside, he finds Eya and Mori eating together with one lamp lighting up place, "Ah, you're here!" Eya grinned, and she got even more delighted when she saw Ren. "And you even brought Ren along, come on in!"
"The scheduled meet-up is still tomorrow, so why bother coming here so early?" Mori said, glaring at Carlisle as he and Ren took a seat near Eya.
"Sounds like you don't want me around." Carlisle glared back at him.
"I thought that was obvious." The two looked like they were about to pounce at each other so Eya had to jump in, "Alright guys! Since we're all here, I think this is a good time to hand out our quests for tomorrow."
Eya brought out two papers containing the quests and handed one over to Carlisle, this had Mori raising an eyebrow. "What? Are you going to leave me out on this Eya?"
Carlisle only smirked without looking at Mori, and this had him forming his fists. "This annoying brat..."
"I was thinking about it, and I thought that giving the two of you this quest might help you get along better---" then Eya held onto Ren's shoulder, "---while I go on a quest with Ren."
While Ren stayed quiet, feeling a little down after what happened at the tavern, she was quite surprised when Eya considered going on a quest with her, "Me!?"
"What!?" Both Carlisle and Mori reacted, "You can't be serious, I work alone Eya! You know that." Mori protested, while Carlisle was worried about another thing, "Why even bring Ren along? She can't even do anything!"
"Ren's still part of our guild, I'm sure she's also capable of something." Eya assured, patting Ren on the back, "Won't that be exciting?"
"Err, I don't know..."
Carlisle can only stare at Ren, unsure of what to feel after everything that happened. He's also beginning to dwell on the thought of her deceiving him all this time for being blind and having no memories but then again, it's likely impossible when she tried to sacrifice herself for him not long ago. His mind was a mess when it came to Ren, he sighed and stared down on the quest paper.
"Carlisle, what do you think?" Ren suddenly asked.
"...decide on your own," He answered bluntly, "It's about time you should do things your own way."
Ren clutched onto her skirt, her head hanging down with her lips pressed, stopping herself from frowning. She didn't like the way he was talking, it was far from the usual mean-yet-kind demeanor she was used to. Though she can't deny he's right, "Fine, I'll go with Eya."
Eya noticed the distance between the two, her ears droops down as she thought that she made a bad decision splitting them up for their next quests, she wanted to console Ren but remained quiet instead.
The next day, the whole guild were up early before sun rise. Eya taps Carlisle by the arm to remind him something before they part ways, "Now don't forget, try to figure out what we've discussed the other day... and please get along you two." She added, turning to Mori who rolled his eyes.
"We'll... I'll try." Carlisle said, though he doubt they will. Then he glanced at Ren who's clinging on to Eya from behind, she looked just like a child afraid to get separated from her mother.
Carlisle sighed, "Hey, take care." She turned her face away, with cheeks puffed up. "Tsk, what a child."
Then they split in pairs, heading to the location of their assigned quests, Carlisle and Mori went east while Eya and Ren goes south.
When they made it out of Heartlocke City, Carlisle and Mori were trying to walk past each other to get ahead the other, and neither of them were backing down. "Tsk, what are you walking so fast for!?" Carlisle complained.
"This is my usual pace," Mori grinned, "This is why I prefer to work alone... I can't stand people slowing me down."
"Slowing you down huh." Carlisle outran Mori, and glanced at him with a mocking smirk, "Look who's behind now!"
"Ohh, you're really asking for it." And Mori caught up to Carlisle in a matter of seconds, their eyes locked at each other with competitive gaze. Carlisle is a bit startled when Mori run at the same pace as him with ease, "Too slow." Then he outruns him again.
"No way!" This surprised Carlisle as he watches him increase his speed, making a greater distance between them, "How is that even possible!? Where do he get all that stamina!?" He slowed down when he ran out of breath.
"H-Hey!... That bastard... he left without me!" Carlisle stopped for a moment, panting while he stares at a distance. Mori was out of sight, how is he going to catch up now? "If I don't make it there, he'll definitely clear the quest without me!"
He looked around for anything that can help him catch, then his eyes darts to the man resting at the other side of the road. He has a wagon filled with crops and two horses resting beside him, Carlisle quickly ran up to him and mounted one of his horse. "HEY! GET DOWN FROM THERE!"
"I've no time to deal with you!---" Carlisle scooped some coins from his pocket and threw it over to the man, "Take this!" And he ran off with the horse.
The quest's location is all the way to the eastern district of the Lunaria Empire, to a town called Burrowdale, a place known for its specialty in woven goods. It is said that a few chimeras have entered the town, wreaking havoc to the townsfolk.
Soon, Carlisle arrived to the town's entrance before the sun settled down. And there he finds Mori talking with the other people in this town, "No way, did he sprinted all the way over here!? That guy's nuts!" He jumped off the horse and ran up to him, "Mori!"
"Huh?---oh! I thought you'll never show up." He chuckled and gazed on him with disappointment, "Took you long enough... you even got a horse with you."
"Did you really run all the way here!?"
"Is it that surprising?" Mori grinned, "I suppose Eya hasn't told you about my abilities yet." He stood tall and proud before him as he boast about himself once again, "I'll be generous enough to tell you. I have two awakened abilities, first of course is my unmatched speed---I can travel all around the world by foot within a half a day."
Carlisle was taken aback, he knows that no ordinary person can do such a thing and he can barely run a few kilometers without losing his breath. "Impossible! There's no way any person can do that."
"Of course you'd say that... But look who got here first, huh?"
"Tch... and your second ability?"
Mori shrugged, "Eh, maybe you'll just have to see it for yourself. I don't like being called a liar."
"Whatever..." Carlisle rolled his eyes, "Let's just get this quest over with." He looked over to his side and was surprised to see other guilds gathering around, "Why are there other guilds here!?"
"I've had a word to the town's guards, and this is supposed to be a joint guild quest considering the number of chimeras that invaded the town---though I can definitely handle all that by myself."
"Sure you can..." Carlisle squinted his eyes at Mori's arrogance, both can't stand each other like how the similar sides of a magnet repels the other.
Then as Carlisle observes the other guilds, he found a familiar face through the crowd. "Holy shit! They're here." He stepped back, heart racing while he recalls Barrel's words in the back of his head.
"What now?" Mori asked annoyed.
"It's them! The---"
"Ohh, the bastards from last time!" Mori spoke ever so loudly, this made Carlisle panic thinking it might draw unnecessary attention. "Hey, shut up! Didn't Eya told us not to get involve with 'em!?"
"I know," Mori grinned, "But aren't you curious how strong they can be?" He laughed, "Honestly, I've seen similar bastards before, nothing but talk..."
Carlisle looked at him completely annoyed. As they glare at each other, Mori can only grunt, "Geez, if you're that scared, fine! I won't do anything with 'em."
"Tsk, just what are they doing here..." He peeked at the Night Fang members, sweating at the possibility that he might face them here.
While in a meeting room near the town's entrance, the town's governor, Baron Hertz, and a few of his officials were discussing about the guilds. "These guild names are nobodies!" Baron Hertz slammed his hand on the table, "How are they going to defeat the damn chimeras, huh!? They're all gonna be wiped out the second they enter the town!"
"Calm down, Baron Hertz. Have faith in these people, the Guild Hall won't send incompetent men---"
"Enough of your hopeful nonsense!" The Baron glared at the official, "These are A ranked beasts, rather than sending a bunch of rookies, the Northern Guild Hall should've sent the Dragon Wings, the Red Spherion, or the Porthea to get the job done! Lives are on the line here, we can't have our town serve as a training ground to these... Argh!"
The frustrated Baron had to lean back in his chair to take a breather, he can't handle how the Northern Guild Hall's undermining the danger imposed in his town. But with nothing else to do, they might as well make use of what they have.
The Baron sent over an officer to split the guilds in three groups to handle each chimera: the first chimera located at the town's entrance, the second chimera located at the opposite side of the town, and the last chimera located at the town's center area.
"Guilds assigned at the town's entrance will be; White Jade, Pheonix Blade, Haliser, and Redskulls..." All those who were mentioned gathered in a line as the official continue his announcement.
"Guilds assigned to the town's back entrance will be; Storm Fall, Ivoryclaws, Swift Landers, and the... Night Fangs." The officer paused at the mention of an infamous guild, even the crowd became alert, looking around to see where they are.
"Then for the guilds assigned to the town's center; Saint Arkhis, Magnumshire, Hollowave, and Tact Fury." After the guilds have been grouped, Carlisle felt relieved that the Night Fangs will be in a different group.
He can feel his heart race from a mix of emotions. It's the first time he has to do a high ranked quest, beating a dangerous beast. He looks to his shaking hands as he begins to doubt if he can make it out alive, Mori may be strong but he clearly won't be there to save him if trouble gets in the way.
"Is this your first quest?"
Carlisle's thoughts were quickly cut when a woman spoke to him, he turns to her and sees a woman in red hair and loose attire that can quickly identify her as a mage. She must belong to the other guilds in the same groups, "No... but this is the first high ranked quest I've been assigned to."
"Hmm? Ohh! I see, then that must be really nerve wrecking." She grinned.
"What about you?" He returned the question, and she slightly tilts her head with eyes full of thoughts, "Huh, good question..." She began counting with her fingers, counting more than twenty to which disturbed Carlisle, "That many!?"
"Err, I can't remember but I'm sure it's been more than all this!" She said, raising ten of her fingers, "Well, aren't you something." Carlisle doubts if she's even telling the truth, but this girl seemed genuine. "Yeah! I get that a lot..."
"That so? Mind telling me what---" before he can ask her what guild she belongs to, the officer grabbed all their attention and spoke to the crowd once more. "We will now proceed to your respective areas! Each group will be guided by knights standing before you."
Three tall knights of Burrowdale stand proud before the groups, they all followed them as they begin to march.
"May Lady Selene bless your quest with victory..." The officer added before he stepped down and report back to Baron Hertz, "Baron! We've got grave news."
"What now!?"
"The Night Fangs are among these guilds!" This news have shaken all the officials within the meeting room, "Argh, just what is the Northern Guild Hall plotting here!?" The Baron breaks into an outrage.
Then by the time when all the groups of guilds are in place, they marches deep into the town, wary of the dangerous chimeras lurking within.
Carlisle followed Mori behind, his thoughts in a tangled mess. He still worry about encountering the Night Fangs member, the mystery of Ren's identity, then there's the chimera he has to deal with, and Eya's reminder about awakening his power. "Crap, I feel like shit." He can feel his stomach churning.
The red haired mage that is watching him giggled, finding his reaction quite adorable, "If you're that scared, you can stay by my side! I'll protect you."
"Pfft---" hearing her say that, Mori breaks into laughter, "Hear that, pretty boy? Looks like you've secured your safety."
"Shut up, Mori!" Carlisle snapped, "And I'm very much capable of fending for myself, you know?" He told the girl.
As their group marches forward, one of the guild leaders made them all stop in their tracks as he spoke. "The name's Dutch, I'm the leader of the White Jade guild. Today we're going to face a chimera, before we face this beast, we all must have coordination and a strategy to take it down and have enough time to help the other groups defeat the other chimeras..."
The group members began to talk among themselves and eventually came to agree with Dutch's initiative, "Each guild will take a position surrounding the chimera. All warriors and swordsmen should take the frontlines---" Carlisle and Mori along with the other frontliners stepped forward, "---Mages and Archers will gather a few meters behind. Mages must cast a barrier to trap the chimera, archers will aide the warriors targeting the chimera's weak spot."
Whilst Dutch layout the strategy, Mori seemed upset over this. "Tsk, who said he gets to be leader here?"
"Like you can do better," Carlisle rolled his eyes.
"And you," Mori flicked Carlisle on the forehead, "Stay behind with the mage and archers."
"Huhh!? I can't cast a barrier nor do I have a bow to pretend like an archer. I'm a swordsman for pete's sake!" He points to the sword hanging by his belt, "I'm going to fight on the frontlines whether you like it or not."
"Ehh... Then who's gonna be the mage to assist you guys from behind?" The red haired mage asked curiously.
"Right, it's just the two of us in this guild. So I'll handle the frontlines, and you stay back and do whatever you can to assist." Mori told Carlisle.
"Err..." Carlisle's gritting his teeth at Mori, he can't just bring himself to standby.
"Then let me volunteer to assist alongside you two!" The red haired mage volunteered with a wide smile, "Ugh, who are you anyway? And what guild do you belong to?" Mori questioned.
"Ohh, I'm Benedette and I belong to the---" her introduction was cut short when a loud roar is heard nearby. The whole group stood alert and began to take position in their area, "This is it..." Carlisle told himself as he holds onto the handle of his sword.
"Tsk, stubborn brat---you'd better not regret this." Mori told him, and everyone's attention darts to the chimera that finally appeared on the scene, standing at a three-storey building gazing down on them. A huge beast mixed of a lion's head, six legged scaled lizard body, and a serpent head for a tail. The unsightly form of this beast made them all feel tensed.
"Roooaaaar!" The chimera jumps off the building and landed with a strong impact, destroying the ground beneath its claws.
"Ugh..." Carlisle went pale as he finally laid eyes on the chimera, "I-Is it even possible to kill that thing!?"
Mori turned his head to glare at him, "Don't you fucking hold me back, got that brat!?"
"I-I won't!"
"Then quit pissing off your pants and be ready!"
Then the chimera dashes to its left, targeting the guild with most members to feast on. "Shit! It's coming this way!" They were about to scatter and dodge, but the chimera managed to catch the guild's mage in its mouth, "AHHH! HELP ME! HELP---" And it began chewing on the mage's body, the screams died down as the chimera was done eating and turned its head to a hundred-eighty degree to look for its next target.
"Aaaahhh!!" The group began to panic, losing track of their plan.
"Damn it!! Frontliners, attack the beast!!" Dutch commanded, but people began to fear for their lives after witnessing something gruesome. Some began to flee, while some got caught by the chimera. "They're all panicking, these idiots!!"
"What'd you expect? These people are fodders..." Mori said, walking towards the chimera with Carlisle behind him. "Though they make a good distraction!"
"What are you!?---" Dutch and his guild were speechless by his brave display. Then they watched him jump up high from the ground, his arms shapeshifts into a huge sickle.
"How did he!!" Carlisle's eyes widened discovering Mori's second ability, his arms capable of shapeshifting into any weapon he can imagine. He then lunges towards the chimera's back, but the serpent tail bit onto his right sickle arm. "Carlisle!"
"R-Right!" Carlisle draws out his sword, running to cut the serpent tail but the chimera whipped its tail, throwing Mori to the side. It looks back and meet eyes with Carlisle while chewing another person in its jaws, "EEK!" He stepped back and tried to run away, but the chimera yanked him with its claws.
"AHHH!" Carlisle fell to the ground near Benedette, getting a sprain from the fall.
"Are you alright!?" She ran up to Carlisle and help him sit upright.
"Damn it! I have to kill that thing!" When he tried to get up, he fell to his knees because of his sprain, "No, no, no! I can't stay back like this and watch from the sidelines... I can't be this weak!"
"Hey, just because you're stuck in the sidelines doesn't mean you're incapable of helping---" Benedette stood up and began to cast a barrier, "---you just have to find another way to help."
Mages that saw her barrier began to take stance and cast a barriet themselves, Dutch noticed and felt relieved to see the plan in action, "The barrier is being set up! Now's the chance! Warriors, swordsmen! Attack the chimera!!" Not everyone listened to his words, but few got back on their feet and tried attack the chimera simultaneously.
Mori got up from the rubble stood fierce, "That damn chimera!" With all the other fighters distracting it, he took this chance to make another strike.
He dashes towards the chimera once again, aiming for the serpent tail. "Hiiisss!" He manages to pierce through its skull with his left sickle and cut the head off with the other, "Ha!" Mori chuckled as he jumped off the chimera and threw away the serpent tail, this angered the chimera.
"Rooooaaaar!" The chimera raises its arm and cuts the fighters around with its claws. It even manage to graze Mori on the arm as he jumps back, "Crap!" It wasn't as serious like the other injuries, but once a chimera inflicts a wound on a person, they can be rendered paralyzed in a matter of minutes.
"Looks like I've got a few minutes to get this over with..." Mori looks back to Carlisle from a distance, "How are you holding there!? I could use some help here!"
Seeing how tough Mori's been, Carlisle felt pathetic. "Tsk! Get up, get up!!" He told himself, he looks over to his sword that fell a few meters away from him. He tried dragging himself all the way to his sword until the chimera dug its claws into the ground and threw debris around, hitting everyone within range. Carlisle got caught up and fell again, "Shit!"
"H-Hey! Be careful!" Benedette yelled, "Come back here, it isn't safe to get near the chimera!"
"Damn it!" Carlisle hits his fist onto the ground in frustration, "...I have to help them! I have to help..." Then he looks over to the chimera, rampaging over the fallen frontliners.
As the chimera continues to slaughter those within its reach, Dutch was already preparing his special ability against the beast. He raise his hands up high, releasing his mana in the air and forming it into three huge rings, "Strengthen the barriers!" He ordered the mages, then he casts the three white rings onto the chimera, holding its neck and front legs.
This enraged the chimera further, causing it to rampage even more. It squirmed and ran inside the barrier, trying to break free, but Dutch tightened the white rings grip, choking the chimera. "FRONTLINERS, KILL IT!"
Mori got on stance, he can already feel the paralyzing venom surging in his body, so with the last of his strength, he's determined to strike the finishing blow. Using his unmatched speed, he chages onto the chimeras face, his right arm forming into one big sword. "HAAAAAA!"
"Rooooaaar!" The chimera hits Mori with its other free legs, pushing him into a distance. "Tsk..." Mori can already feel the venom taking effect on his body, slowly numbing his limbs and losing balance. He looks over to see Carlisle struggling on the ground, "I should've known." Losing any hope he had for him.
"This is rather disappointing." Mori told himself, "If it weren't for these fodders, I could've killed this chimera already... But I guess it'll be too boring if it ends up that way." He gets on stance again, ready to launch another attack.
Meanwhile, Carlisle can only watch from afar, feeling the most useless he's ever been. He watches Mori attempt to strike again, and he notices the chimera's arms raising to deflect his incoming attack, "MORI!!" He yells, and he clenches his hand onto the dirt ground, unknowingly gathering a concentrated flow of mana within his body into his fist then merging it onto the dirt, "WATCH OUT!!!" Then as he throws the dirt into the chimera's direction, it formed into a blazing spear of fire, hitting back the chimera's arm.
That paved the way for Mori to do a finishing strike, his sword arm cutting through the lion head and completely decapitating it. "What the..." Mori looked back to where the spear of fire came from, and he sees Benedette fascinated by Carlisle.
"Woahh! How'd you do that!? It looked so cool!" She said.
"T-That was me!?" Even Carlisle himself can't believe he did that, "I don't know..." He looks at the palm of his hand, remembering the sensation he felt when he casted the flaming spear. "Did that really come from me?"
"For once, you made yourself useful."
They saw Mori approaching them with a cocky grin plastered on his face, "What? Cat got your tongue?" Then he stops for a moment then fell down on his face.
"Mori!!!" Carlisle crawled all the way to his side, "Hey, don't die on us!" He held Mori by the arm and shakes him, fearing that he might have dropped dead, "Get up! You can't die just yet!"
"I'm not dead, you moron!" Mori yelled, his face still on the dirt, "My body's paralyzed from the chimera's venom! A small wound from its claws can cause this."
"Oh..." Feeling a bit embarassed by his display, Carlisle clears his throat while Benedette laughed aloud, "Man, you guys are hilarious!"
"I'm sure Eya packed us some antidote for this kind of venom..." Mori uttered, Benedette watched over the two with a smile. "Must be nice to have caring guildmates." She mumbles to herself.
Now that the chimera is dead, a great number of their people died too. Dutch can't bring himself to feel proud over losing this much, most of the survivors are injured, the Pheonix Blade lost half of its members, and the Redskulls guild got completely wiped out.
"Did we lose anyone?" Dutch asks his fellow guildmate, to his relief they were only injured, "What about the Halisers?" He looks over to their area and found them treating each others injuries.
He sighed in relief, "I guess this will be it for us, I don't think we can aide the other groups in this state."
As the group disperse and heads back out of town, Dutch glanced at the Halisers and found them moving to the opposite direction. "What the heck, are they lost?"
"Dutch, where are you going!?"
"I'm gonna check up on those guys, just go ahead without me." He then tries to catch up to the Halisers, "Hey, the exits this way!" He told them.
"Huh, aren't we supposed to help the other groups?" Mori questioned.
"Yeah, but..." He observed their injuries and decided, "You guys aren't in good shape to fight another chimera!"
"Merely a scratch." Mori shruggged, and Benedette nodded along. Then Carlisle looked away, feeling ashamed for what little he did.
"Seriously!?"
"And you?" Mori looked at Dutch from head to toe, "You sure like ordering people around, but you haven't done much yourself."
"Huhh!?" Dutch stepped back, dropping his jaw, "Didn't you see how I immobilized the chimera!?"
"...you mean the bracelets you put on the chimera? It barely did anything."
"If it weren't for those 'bracelets' the chimera could've torn you to shreds! I also helped with casting the barrier too, you know!"
The two argued, leaving Carlisle and Benedette watching by the sidelines. Carlisle can only shake his head in disappointment, seeing how Mori can argue with anyone as he please.
On the other hand, the group handling the town's back entrance faced a chimera, mixed of a goat horned eagles' head, feathered wings, four-legged body of a horse, and a dragon's tail.
Most of the assigned guilds were wiped out except the Night Fangs, and they watched the last person get their head ripped off by the chimera. "That chimera had a feast!" Malcolm chuckled.
"Since the number of people partaking in this quest decreased, our reward will be much larger." Bucks said, his grin wide from expecting a huge reward. The two of them were hiding at the top of the tallest building in their area, out of the chimera's sight, waiting for the others to get slaughtered by the beast.
"How exciting, I'd like to have a feast myself."
"We'll get a bigger reward if we also eliminate the other guilds assigned to the other chimeras, how does that sound?" Bucks suggested with excitement, both of them got up from their seats, ready to land on the ground.
"Count me in."
Then they jumped off the building, Malcolm landed on top of the chimera's back, gripping on its wings to stop it from flying. Then Bucks held the chimera by the head to rip its eyes out.
Maniacal laughter echoed through the alleys as blood spread everywhere, by the time they were finished with the chimera, they were drenched in blood. Bucks wiped his face as he turns to Malcolm, "Now let's go and pay a visit to our fellow guilds."
Located at the town's center, the chimera is hiding itself behind its wings that resembles a dragon. The assigned group were all wondering how to approach this creature in its current state.
"Think we should throw a stone at it to see what it'll do?"
"I don't know about that." Members of the Magnumshire were getting impatient after hours have passed, still none of the guilds were willing to risk their lives to wake this beast.
Although the guild of Saint Arkhis surrounded the chimera, all hand in hand as they bow their heads at the chimera.
"What the heck are those idiots doing?" The other guilds watched them curiously, and with all their attention focused on them, the leader of Saint Arkhis spoke, "We are Saint Arkhis, we come from the kingdom of Aureus in order to spread word about our benevolent Lord Arkhiel IX..."
"Oh great, its those weirdos from that cultish kingdom." The others began to whisper about, there were many nasty rumors regarding the Aureus Kingdom though the guild remained unfazed.
"Today, we invite you all to watch a miracle unfold, bestowed by the divine power of Arkhiel! May this sight open your hearts and guide your soul into his light."
The people felt uneasy as the Saint Arkhis began to chant a prayer around the chimera, they all believe this stunt might disturb the chimera and cause a rampage, but unexpectedly a realm opened above the chimera, shining a miraculous ray of light that tugged the strings in peoples hearts.
"N-No way, is this true?... To witness this fist hand, I feel honored!"
"A divine display! Saint Arkhis is performing a miracle!?"
"Then, does this mean that the Kingdom od Aereus have been speaking the truth all this time?"
The crowd were in tears as they witness this unfold, and even more so when a hand of pure light was going to reach down for the chimera, but the prayer they've been chanting has been disrupted when the chimera opened its wings. The realm they opened quickly closed and all were distraught by the chimera's awakening.
Members of the Saint Arkhis flew away, hitting their backs on the wall as the chimera finally revealed its whole form. "Aaaarghh! Who dares... Disturb my slumber..."
Everyone have gone pale and cold as they see a chimera mixed of a female human body up to the waist with a dragon body and feathered tail. It was no ordinary chimera, having it mixed with a human body making it capable of so much more.
"G-Get in position!" Leaders began to order their guild, but the chimera was quick to snatch a member of the Saint Arkhis guild, "Mortals... ganging up... on a single woman... how cruel." The chimera said.
"P-Please spare---" Right before the person can beg, the chimera bit off the head and glared at the rest of them while she swallowed, "YOU MONSTER!" Yelled one of the guilds.
The Tact Fury guild got on formation, their mage and archer combining their arrow and lightning magic to strike the chimera, however it used its dragon wings to shield itself. The strong scales on its wings made their attack useless, "How dare you!" The chimera screamed.
Without giving the chimera a moment to retaliate, the Magnumshire guild sent their swordsmen flying towards the chimera, their shining gold blades hitting her body, leaving merely scratches on her. "It's like her whole body is armored with thick scales!'
"Aim for the human body!" Then as they try to run on the chimera's back to cut through her body, she used her wings to blow them away againts the walls.
Hollowave guild then surrounded the chimera, being filled with gifted earth magic users, they casted a sinkhole pulling the chimera into the dirt ground. "Arrrghhh! You damn mortals!"
This gave the leader of Saint Arkhis the chance to cast their ultimate move, "Divine intervention! The hands of hope!!" As he casts the spell, the divine realm opened above the chimera's head, the glowing hand grabs onto her neck tightly.
"Attack!!!" Each guild took turns attacking the immobilized chimera, looking down on her. As she watched them all strike her down, she uses all her strength to get back at them, "I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!!" As she screamed again, she let out a strong fire breath reaching beyond the sinkhole, burning those who were standing on the edges.
"AHHHH!" And it was no ordinary fire either, her crimson red flames were difficult to put down with water, the heat of the flames can evaporate any liquid that comes near it.
Those who got consumed by the flames were as good as dead, and all that remained unharmed were the whole Saint Arkhis and a few people from the other guilds. "N-No... This crimson flames... That chimera must be..." the Saint Arkhis leader recognized her ability.
The chimera's hands reached for the edge of the sinkhole, slowly crawling out looking furious at the remaining survivors, "Damned mortals... Do you not know who I am?"
"That chimera!! She's the---" the chimera snatched the leader of Saint Arkhis off the ground.
"Nooo! Our reverend!!" His members cried out reaching for him.
Then as he face the chimera up close, she asks him one thing, "Do you not know... Fear?"
"Y-Your crimson flames. You are, the Witch Queen of Chimeras."
"So you know me..." She grinned, "I will spare your life, if you kill everyone else in this area." She offered.
"You vile monster! I will never obey you!" He yelled, infuriating her completely, "Then I shall end you here!" As she raised her hands, her plan got interrupted when others showed up.
"Ohh!! A chimera mixed with a human! This is interesting!" Buck was amazed at the sight of this chimera.
"She's got some huge tits too!---" Malcolm laughed aloud, everyone was stunned by their outburst, "---how indecent, dangling those around in public."
His mockery upset the chimera, "Insolent... Disrespectful... VERMINS!!!" She threw the Saint Arkhis Leader at their direction, to which they easily dodged, "YOU WILL DIE!"
"Don't be upset now, sweet heart." Bucks chuckled, "We're only getting started!"
While the Night Fangs clashed with the Witch Queen of Chimeras, the other guilds used this chance to escape, and while everyone was leaving, Carlisle, Mori, Benedette, and Dutch enters the scene, "A h-human chimera!?" The sight shocked Carlisle.
Mori grinned as he found the Night Fangs fighting the chimera, "Isn't this interesting?"
"H-Hey, it's dangerous! Get back here!" Dutch called out to Benedette as she goes to check the sinkhole, "Guys!" She gasped, "Look over here!"
When they all came closer to check, they saw three huge eggs at the bottom of the sinkhole, "It's the chimera's offsprings!" Dutch glanced at the chimera and got determined, "Let's crush it before it hatches!"
"You guys handle that..." Mori walks away.
"Where are you going now!?" Carlisle questioned, and they all watch him join the battle against the chimera, "Tsk! That idiot!" He can't do stop Mori once he decides to do something on his own.
"Leave him be, let's get to work!" Dutch pulled the two with him when he jumps into the sinkhole, "WOAAAAHHH!'
"Ugh..." Carlisle's fell to the ground on his face, while Dutch landed on his feet with Benedette in his arms, "Oh my, such a gentleman!" She laughed.
"Alright, you two! Do whatever you can to destroy these eggs!" Dutch ordered, then kicked the egg. Since it wasn't like ordinary animal eggs, the shells were much more thick, making it difficult. The three tried to come up with ways to destroy it, while Mori seemed fascinated at the battle scene.
Malcolm has immobilized the chimera's legs throught the shadows, then Bucks held the chimeras horns giving her a headbutt, "A weak move, is that all you got?"
"You might regret wanting more!" He leans back to attempt another headbutt until she caught him with her bare hands, "Foolish mortals, I'll have you burn to ashes with this crimson flames!" She heaved a breath, preparing to cast her flames again, only to be interrupted when a blade pierce through her right shoulder, "AHHHH!"
"Oof!" Bucks fell onto Malcolm, and they both saw Mori, pulling back his arm sword and repeatedly slashed at the chimera's back, Bucks recognized him, "That guy! Isn't he the cocky bastard that bragged about decapitating an Ashen Witch?"
"It is him..." Malcolm grinned, "You know, he's quite familiar. His power and combat strategy, I'm sure I've seen him before."
They both watched him fight the chimera, and she was enraged having stabbed by surprise, "AAARGH! YOUR COWARDLY ATTACKS, UNFORGIVEABLE!" She tried to resist Malcolms shadow control and was able to release herself, she turns to Mori and tried getting a hold of him.
"Hah!" But Mori was too nimble to get caught, he smirked as the blood of her wounds stained him, "And here I thought you'd be a stronger than the lesser chimeras."
"AAAAAAARGHHH!' She spreads the crimson flames, trying to burn Mori alive.
As for Dutch's group, he managed to put three white rings on the eggs, trying to squeeze and break it while Benedette and Carlisle were hitting it with all of their strength. "Tch! What are these shells made of!?" Carlisle complained.
"Hmm, I could try doing an explosive spell, but that might bury us alive in this sinkhole." Benedette thought, "What do you think we should do here?" She asks him.
"I don't know! Just hit it, eventually it'll crack open."
She watched him sway his sword, hitting it against the eggshell. She sighed and patted him on the shoulder, "What now?!"
"You're just wasting your energy like that! Why don't you try doing it again?"
"Do what exactly?"
"You know, the thing that you did with the chimera earlier..."
Carlisle then remembers the blazing spear he threw, he grits his teeth in frustration, "That was just luck, I don't know if I can pull it off again."
"Oh come on! If you've done it once, you can definitely do it again!" Benedette held onto his hand and smiled, "You just have to try and feel the same back when you did it."
"And how am I supposed to do that?" He questioned.
"Try to feel the flow of mana in your body..." She tightened her grip on his hands, "Then try to focus it on your hands."
Carlisle paused for a moment and closed his eyes, trying to do as he's told. Benedette's eyes glistened after seeing his hand glow bright, then the mana have transfered onto the sword. "That's it! Try swinging your sword now!"
On her cue, Carlisle got on stance and cuts through the eggs, two of the eggs were cut in half with blood leaking out while one egg only received a few cracks on the shell, "YOU DID IT!" Dutch and Benedette rejoiced, "Now if you can do this one, we might have time to help the others defeat the chimera!"
"A-Alright!" Carlisle was a little happy since he finally discovered his awakened abilities, but just when he was trying to repeat the same process, the little cracks on the egg grew bigger until bits of its shell fell to the ground, revealing an eye staring back at him.
"Err, guys... I think---AHHH!" The egg completely shattered and the creature that came out pounced on Carlisle, "HEY!"
"Grrr!" A mix of a gator's head with a body full of spikes and a tail like scorpion, it was smaller compared to the chimera they fought considering it's a hatchling, but it still looked just as dangerous.
"Get away from him!" Benedette casted a chain, holding back its head from Carlisle, however its tail was roaming free, darting towards him, "AHHHH!" Luckily, it missed and landed a few centimeters away from his face.
"Quickly, run!" Dutch called out to him, and when Carlisle crawled out the way, it let out a piercing scream, alerting the mother chimera.
"My children!" She stopped breathing fire when she heard the hatchling, a moment of distraction lead Mori and the Night Fangs dashing towards her, directing an attack to her vulnerable human body.
Mori stabbed her once again at her left shoulder, Bucks gripped onto the chimera's skin making her blood explode, then Malcolm sent a flying kick to her face. "DAMN IT, DAMN ALL OF YOU!" She makes a turn, blowing them all away and ran towards the sinkhole.
When she saw the scene, her eyes widened in terror to find two of her children murdered while the surviving hatchling was being held captive, "RELEASE MY CHILD AT ONCE!" She yelled.
The three were petrified to see the furious mother chimera crawling down into the sinkhole to get them, "AHHHH!"
Mori was going to jump into the sinkhole to help, but Malcolm pounced on him to pin him on the ground. "Got you!"
"H-Hey! We still have to kill that chimera!"
"I'm sure we can take care of it later, after we take care of you..." The Night Fangs chuckled. Then Bucks pressed his face onto the ground with a smirk, "...say, have we met before?"
"You!..."
"Now, now! Answer wisely, otherwise your head will explode." He said with such unserious tone, Mori then understood how dangerous it is to be around the Night Fangs, they won't ever give their victims a chance to fend for themselves.
"I..." Before he can answer him, a thin string tied the three of them all together and dragged them all the way to the person that captured them, "What the fuck man!?" Malcolm reacted, they looked up to their captor and were shocked.
"Night Fangs! You are now under arrest by the request of Baron Hertz for preventive measures!" The thin string holding them together is connected to a knight's hand, he's dressed in decorated armor, seemingly holding a high status in the empire. He faced them with an unbothered expression, "Y-You're a knight of the Lunaris Tenets!" Bucks quickly identified him.
"Damn right you are... Try to resist and I'll knock you out cold."
"I'm not a Night Fang member!" Mori said, the Lunaris Knight looked down on him, "M-My guildmate is at the bottom of the sinkhole! Please, help him!"
The way he begged made Malcolm laugh, "Geez, pleading doesn't suit you."
"Shut up!" Mori's face flushed, while they bicker under the watch of the Lunaris Knight, he sighed and watch his fellow knights enter the sinkhole.
"AHHH!!" Dutch, Benedette, and Carlisle ran in circles on the bottom of the sinkhole while the mother chimera tried reaching out to them, "YOU PESKY LITTLE MORTALS! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"
"STOP RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" The chimera stopped and looked above her, seeing two armored knights falling down, she recognized the symbols on their armors and got mad, "LUNARIS KNIGHTS! WHAT NERVE YOU GOT TO SHOW YOUR FACE AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
They both landed infront of the three, facing the mother chimera head on, "Witch Queen of Chimeras, this time we'll exterminate you once and for all!"
One of the Lunaris Knight stayed behind while the other grabbed the three, jumping up high to set them far from the mother chimeras danger, "Hold on, what about the other knight!? That human chimera is poweful!" Carlisle got worried but the knight protecting them gave an assuring smile, "It'll be alright, he can handle anything!"
The Witch Queen of Chimeras breathes in deep, ready to burst her crimson flames onto the Lunaris Knight handling her. The knight then summoned a sword, emerging from the ground with the gentle light of the moon shining in its blade, "Cresent of the night!!"
The sword emitted a glowing wave of sharp wind that can cut through anything, passing through the crimson flames and slashed the Witch Queen of Chimeras on the face, "AHHH!"
"Shooting stars!" The knight jumped, stabbing her on the stomach repeatedly.
The Witch Queen of Chimeras used her wings to blow away the knight and get herself out of the sinkhole, "DAMN YOU ALL! DAMN YOU!!!" Then she flies away into the night sky, leaving her hatchling behind.
"Tsk! COME BACK HERE!" Seeing her escape again, the knight got mad. He hears the newly hatched chimeras growl to which he quickly finished off by splitting it in half.
When he got up the sinkhole, his fellow knight ran up to him, "Nigel, you let her get away again!?"
"Err, just shut up!" He hissed, "We're only here to capture the Night Fangs anyway... So where are they now?"
"Captain's holding them down!"
"And the survivors?"
"Over there!" He pointed to the corner, seeing they all look worn out. Carlisle was catching his breath from all the running, he's glad that he's saved from the human chimera and it got him excited thinking about returning to Heartlocke city to tell Eya about his newly awakened powers.
He then felt a hand tapping him by the shoulder, he turned to Benedette, "You know, I never got your name..."
"It's Carlisle Ahh---j-just Carlisle." He almost slipped.
"I see," She smiled, "Carlisle! That sounds like a cute name."
"Hey, thanks..." He looks to his hands, holding it into a fist, "For teaching me how to use my mana. I'll use your advice and train more."
Benedette suddenly held his hand, smiling at him fondly, "How about you join my guild? I can help you with your training!"
"Uhh, right... What guild do you belong to anyway? Weren't the guilds from our group mostly wiped out?"
"Oh! I'm actually with the---" Benedette looks back and got startled seeing her guildmates held captive by the Captain of the Lunaris Knights, "---THOSE IDIOTS BEEN CAPTURED!" She panicked.
"Huh, what do you..." Carlisle looked around and saw the Night Fangs tied up with Mori, his eyes almost popped out of his face when he realized something, "THE NIGHT FANGS!?"
"Seriously, those ugly buffoons cause me nothing but trouble!" Benedette then casted an explosive spell onto the ground, creating a wave of dust for cover. She sneaked up on the Captain, casting another explosion spell causing his tough thin strings disappear.
"Benedette!" Malcolm and Buck smiled at the sight of their ally rescuing them, "Chained fools!" She throws her chain spell at them, dragging them with her.
"THAT GIRL IS A NIGHT FANG MEMBER TOO!" The Captain alerted his comrades, they all start to run after Benedette with her guildmates tied in her chains, she turns to Carlisle for one last time with her hand reaching out, "Carlisle! Come with me!"
"I, uhh..." He was stunned seeing all this happen, when the Lunaris knights were getting close, Benedette sighed and just smiled at him, "Fine, give me your answer the next time we meet! See 'ya around!" Then she winked before completely disappearing.
"Arghh! They escaped as well!" Nigel stomps his foot on the ground, "WHY DO THEY ALL KEEP ESCAPING!?"
Both Dutch and Carlisle was dumbfounded by that reveal, working with the member of the infamous Night Fang guild, you can never truly know a person by their action alone.
"That girl seemed so nice! I never would've thought she's one of the Night Fangs." Dutch got goosebumps just by thinking about it, Carlisle nodded along as he looks back to the moments when Benedette treated him nicely.
The Captain of the Lunaris Knights approached them, with Mori following behind him. "How are you guys holding up? Did that girl do anything to you guys?"
"N-No, not at all... I think." Carlisle began to worry if Benedette have casted a spell or curse on them.
"I see," The Captain sighed in relief, "Now gather your guildmates, we'll head to the entrance of the town. The Baron would like to have a word with you all."
They were all escorted back to the place they've gathered, and it shocked them to see how many people were lost during this quest. Those who remained alive were the Halisers, White Jade, Saint Arkhis, and the few surviving members of the other guilds.
Baron Hertz were unsettled looking at their wrecked appearances, he bows his head with tears of gratitude to these people, "The people of Burrowdale Town will forever be grateful to your hardwork in purging those evil beasts out of our humble town, thank you! Thank you all!"
Each guilds were all given a token for completing the quest, the token will be used to trade and receive their reward for this quest. And when the Halisers were going to receive their tokens, Nigel stopped the Baron from giving them a token, "Hey! We completed this quest, we deserve this token!" Carlisle protested.
"While we were investigating the record files for this quest, it is said that your guild only consist of two members..." He stated.
"Ehh!? What's the big deal!? In our guild, we always go on seperate quests---" Mori covered Carlisle's mouth too late.
Upon hearing his statement, Nigel pulls out a handcuff from his pockets and cuffed Mori and Carlisle together, "You just had to run your mouth like that." Mori scowled at him.
"I didn't know it was a violation!"
"Under the rules and conduct of the Guild Ministry, you are subject to the courts decision of punishment. You have violated the rule of doing quests with incomplete guild members." Nigel then drags the two with him, bringing them with him all the way to the Capital.
"NOOOO!!"
On the other hand, Eya and Ren were at the Flower Meadows located at the southern district of the Empire. Their quest was to pick and gather a special type of flower, it was an F ranked quest, a fitting quest for Eya to train Ren.
"...now what we're searching for is a flower strongly infused with nature's mana, they call it the prisma flower. It looks like a simple flower, but once you see it shine under the light, it shows different colors like a rainbow." Eya explained.
"A rainbow flower, how wonderful... I wish I can see it." Ren sighed with a faint smile.
"You know, even blind people can see the prisma flower."
"...but Eya, blind people can't see."
"This is why I brought you on this quest with me," Eya held her hand, looking through her closed eyes, "I can see you've got a huge amount of mana within you. This is why I considered you part of the group when Carlisle tried to join."
"Huuuh!?" Ren leaned back in shock after hearing this, "I-Is my mana that interesting?" She got all shy infront of Eya.
"it's not just interesting, Ren. You've got potential!" Eya looked at the field of mixed flowers, filled with hope for Ren's pontential. "So what do you say Ren? Are you ready for your training?"