Rift was taken aback by the creature facing them down. It towered above the entire grotto, easily over nine feet tall. The upper torso resembled a lion’s body with its lower half being like that of a goat. In the middle of its back was a secondary head of a goat with long black horns, and what appeared to be a cobra where its tail should be.

Yuki placed a hand over her mouth in disgust, “What is that thing?!”

“That would be a Chimera,” Sebastian yelled out as he suddenly charged towards it. “Doesn’t matter, it picked the wrong guy to mess with!”

“No! Wait, Sebastian!” Zephyr called out after him.

Rift quickly ran after him, “You don’t even know what it can do!”

He had heard of chimeras during his Araphel history lessons. They were ferocious beasts that were often used as guardians for treasure troves or strongholds. It was not usual to find them wandering around forests or the countryside. Their homeland was Uto Valla in the Ceres Empire, another continent far to the West of the Bastion island. This meant it wasn’t here by accident and something, or someone, brought it here.

Sebastian held his hands outwards to his sides as he began to close in on the creature that continued to glare him down. “If we act fast enough, we hopefully won’t find out. Besides, if it can breathe it can die!”

He pulled back his right fist and as he did flames began to engulf it. He launched himself into the air but just before his fist could connect to the lion’s head, the secondary head opened its mouth and fired shards of ice that Sebastian quickly blocked with his attacking hand. The collision caused an explosion and forced Sebastian back about ten feet. Rift dashed into his path and managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

Sebastian smiled smugly, “Awww, I didn’t know you cared.”

Not funny.” Rift scowled.

Yuki quickly sped past them, “Flirt later guys! First, let’s deal with Mr. Ugly over here!”

She held out her hand as it began to glow brightly. Ice shards and snowflakes flurried around her hand and took shape to form a staff. She spun it around her causing large gusts of icy wind to fly towards the beast. The lion head spewed a fog of burning flames which instantly dissipated the attack.

“Damn it, this thing has an answer for everything, doesn’t it?!” Zephyr yelled out as he caught up to stand beside Yuki. “There’s no other way, we’ll have to attack it together! Alright guys, remember your training!” Zephyr continued as he aimed his bow at the goat head and unleashed a barrage of arrows. The lion jumped out of the way and swung the cobra head at him and the shockwave caused him and Yuki to fly across the field.

Yuki used her staff to gain her balance as her eyes began to glow an icy blue. She pointed her staff at the ground then swung it upward. The creature lunged into the air just before an ice spike rose from beneath it.

Sebastian grabbed Rift’s arm, “Lock and load, buddy!”

Rift nodded in acknowledgment. Sebastian pulled back, causing Rift to lift off of the ground. He swung him around, gradually gaining speed before suddenly releasing him at the monster. Rift spun around as he flew by, just barely missing its outstretched jaw. He aimed both pistols and rapidly released an onslaught of bullets, but most were blocked by the goat head spurting ice blasts. While it was distracted Zephyr boosted Sebastian into the air as well. Sebastian pulled back his fist, which began to crackle with purple and black streaks of electricity, and as he reached the lion’s head he upper-cut it. The shockwaves sent ripples around the entire area, causing the trees to snap and fly back.

He grabbed onto the lion’s main and continued to attack its face. “I am tired of your shit!” He yelled as he pummeled the beast with a series of magic laced punches.

The snake tail hissed violently as it curled around and spewed green gas directly into Sebastian’s face. He landed one final punch to the body of the creature before slowly passing out and losing his grasp.

With the beast distracted, Rift aimed his pistols at it and fired another onslaught of bullets. They tore through the tail, ripping it to shreds. As he sped past the beast he kicked off of its remaining head, causing him to gain momentum as he plummeted down. He grabbed Sebastian and lifted him off to the side of the clearing, out of the way of the battle. The creature howled in pain as blood spewed from where the snake’s head had once been. Enraged, it turned to face Rift and Sebastian, ready to unleash an attack.

Zephyr aimed his bow into the air and quickly began chanting. “In my darkest hour, I call out to thee, flaming birds of wisdom and power three!”

The color of his energy arrow deepened into a bright orange. He let it loose and it split into three arrows while it traveled upward. Suddenly, they burst into flames as they gained momentum. The flames shape-shifted and eventually took on the appearance of flaming rainbow-colored peacocks. Rift looked up and watched in awe as the three firebirds suddenly dove down towards the chimera.

“What are they?” Rift wondered out loud.

Sebastian coughed violently, eventually catching his breath. “Phoenix.” He smiled before returning to his coughing fit.

The phoenix birds crashed into the head of the goat and as they did, they exploded into flames in colors of various shades and hues. The Lion roared in pain again as it turned to face Zephyr, the goat head now on fire. Yuki lifted her staff again, causing another ice spike to emerge from the ground. It tore through the beast like silk, removing the goat’s head from its body.

Zephyr charged in while pulling his bow apart into their two-dagger form, jumped high into the air, and finished it off by spinning himself like a fan with his blades outstretched which easily decapitated the lion head. Its lifeless body fell over abruptly, causing the ground to shake once more. The forest quickly grew as silent as it had been previously.

As Zephyr landed, he sheathed his weapon before looking over to his companions. “Are they okay?” He asked, concerned.

Rift smiled warily at him, “I’m fine. A bit beat up, but nothing a little rest won’t cure.” He looked down at Sebastian who had passed out in his arms, “He got a blast of poisonous gas at face level. We’re going to need to get him medical treatment as soon as possible.”

Yuki kneeled down and placed a hand on Sebastian’s head. She mumbled something and the wind around them began to freeze over. Rift, in awe for a second time that night, looked around him as a thick mist formed and made its way into Sebastian’s mouth. Before long he sat up and started to gag.

Yuki pat him on the back, “I know it sucks, but the poison should be clearing from your lungs now. I’m sorry buddy.” She winced with every cough that escaped his mouth.

Sebastian shook his head, “No, thank you. I appreciate it.” As his breathing began to settle, he looked over his shoulder at Rift, “And thank you for saving me.”

Rift smiled as he pat him on the shoulder, “No big deal, that’s what we’re here for, right?”

The three of them made their way back to the middle of the clearing where Zephyr was looking out into the distance. “Look over there, guys!” He called. “It’s a mansion about five miles south of here. Maybe we can ask the owner for assistance?”

“Better yet, maybe it’ll be empty….” Sebastian mumbled.

They made their way through the forest, nursing the injuries they obtained from their battle. The night was warm, and there was a slight breeze that Rift welcomed. Numerous animals and Fae, or fairy, folk went about their business, not paying much attention to them as they passed. A few Yoai, known in Earth folklore as imps, giggled at their misfortune, but for the most part, they kept their distance. A bright ball of light suddenly swirled around Rift’s head which caused him to jump back.

“Ooh, looks like you’re not from around here, are ya?” A small voice chimed.

Yuki squealed with glee, “Ooooh, how pretty! It’s a fairy!”

Rift had also read about the Fae of Araphel. They were made up of different races and species, each one coming in various shapes and sizes. From her size and the bright aura surrounding her, he had to guess that this particular Fae was a Sylph. The Fae originated from the Ceres Empire as well, but centuries ago they had spread out across Araphel after the great war.

Though they could be mischievous, they were mostly harmless. If they were feeling particularly mean, they could try to confuse you with their words. However, the one thing that smaller Fae, like Sylphs and Yoai, couldn’t do was tell a lie. He decided it might be best to try and use that to his advantage and hope this particular Sylph wasn’t feeling particularly “playful.”

Rift smiled at the fairy, “No, we had a bout of bad luck, so we’re trying to make our way to a mansion we saw from the clearing. Can you help us?”

The fairy dimmed its aura, which allowed Rift to make out her details. She was only about four inches tall, but she was beautiful. Her hair shimmered almost like it was made of golden specks. Aside from that, the pointy ears, and her wings, she could have been a tiny human.

“Noooo, scary! Aya doesn’t like that place. Lots of bad around there!” She covered her eyes with her hands, as if it would shield her from her own fear.

Rift thought a bit before responding, “Well, we’re superheroes! We can make the bad things go away! Will Aya help the superheroes fight the bad things?”

She pepped up and smiled brightly at him, a faint chime coming from her wings. “Aye! Leave it to Aya, she knows the way!”

----------------------

As the five of them reached the mansion Rift noticed the air around them had grown eerily quiet.

“Hey, Aya, what can you tell—” He began before Yuki cut him off.

“Manners, Rift!” Yuki whispered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small golden nugget. “For you, little friend.” She smiled warmly at Aya.

Aya excitedly reached out and wrapped her tiny arms around the nugget, which was quite big compared to her. Yuki giggled and smiled at Rift. She then gave him a nod to proceed.

Rift looked between her and Aya a moment before carefully continuing. “So, what can you tell me about what’s going on around here?”

Aya covered her face again while she cowered into Rift’s shirt collar. “Aya doesn’t like this place! None of the forest dwellers will come here. Bad things live here!”

“How long have bad things been going on, Aya?” Yuki picked her up in her hand and held her close to her face.

“Aya noticed it about a year ago! A really rich family lived here a long time ago, but the house wasn’t bad then. Not until the lady showed up!” She suddenly turned her head towards the forest. “Aya has to go, please be safe!” She whispered before she abruptly zoomed off into the night air.

“It’s customary to give a Fae a token if they’ve done a good deed. They believe that if you simply thank them, it’s a sign that you have forgotten the good deed. They want something that will guarantee remembrance.” Yuki explained.

It was so cool for Rift to see all the different creatures and races that existed in Araphel. Each one had their own cultural traditions and history. It was a shame that they didn’t exist back on Earth anymore, but he thought that maybe it was for the best. After all, on Earth, they couldn’t even handle having humans with different skin colors.

For a few moments, nobody spoke. They all just stared at the mansion. Though they weren’t talking, each one of them was carefully calculating their next move. Rift looked over the others and he could see the focus on each of their faces. It was strange to see his friends with so much determination. Then again, that made the difference between life and death in their line of work.

Rift decided he would be the first to speak. “Whatever is in there, it’s our duty to check it out. It couldn’t possibly be any worse than that thing we fought earlier.”

Sebastian snorted, “Yeah, what if there’s five of those Chimera in there?”

Yuki smacked him in the stomach, “Oh you just had to say that, didn’t you? What, was almost dying once not enough for you?!”

Sebastian winced and grinned smugly at her, “I can’t sleep unless my life has been threatened at least three more times today.”

Rift rolled his eyes, “Let’s get this over with already. For all we know it’s empty, and best-case scenario we have somewhere safe to call the others.”

The three of them cautiously made their way up the steps listening and feeling the area for any signs of danger. Rift noticed a faint light coming from the windows, which meant that something or someone was definitely living there. As they approached the entrance Sebastian stepped forward and gave a few hard knocks on the door.

“What the hell, Seb? Why don’t you yell for them to come kill us while you’re at it?!” Yuki hissed.

Sebastian stared back with mild annoyance. “What if someone lives here? We can’t just go barging into someone’s house without permission. We’re guardians, not military dictators.”

Before anyone could continue, the door slowly creaked open. The four of them all turned to look, but the doorway was empty.

“Huh.. must have been the wind,” Yuki said, unconvincingly.

“Wait, shouldn’t we let the others know what happened?” Rift asked.

Sebastian nodded while wincing from his injuries. “Yeah, go ahead and do it. My communicator was damaged so we can’t open up a R.A.B.I.T. hole out here. You can still let them know our whereabouts and where we’ll be hunkering down.”

Rift took out his communicator and started typing out his message back to Anzu while Yuki looked over Sebastian and Zephyr kept watch for any further danger. The forest was completely silent except for the sound of wind blowing through the trees. It was already pretty late, around 10 p.m.

“We ran into a chimera in the forest south of Rivierden. We’re all okay, just pretty beat up. Seb took the brunt of it. Its body is in a clearing, but we aren’t quite sure where we are. There’s a mansion somewhere in here that looks stable. We’ll wait for you guys here.”

After he hit send, he switched to the map app to try and get an idea about how far into the forest they’d gone. However, there was a looping symbol on the screen indicating that the device was having trouble connecting to the Bastion’s servers. The notification sounded that his message sent just as Signal lost displayed across his screen.

“Perfect. I guess mobile signal sucks in this world too.” He muttered as he showed the others the system notification. “I just hope my message went through.”

Suddenly a loud boom sounded all around them that shook the ground beneath their feet. They readied themselves for another fight as light flashed across the sky and rain began to pour heavily. They ran inside as the prospect of being both soaked and injured did not sound appealing at all.

“Hello, every horror movie cliché ever.” Rift scoffed as they made their way into the mansion.