The old soldier left at once, while Kayle, Rack, and François set out. The most important thing was to find Lilly before Defrus did—if he was still alive.
For some reason Kayle couldn't explain, he felt certain that he was.
They approached the scorched ground, and all came to the same conclusion: they couldn't walk across it.
—Damn it.
Kayle turned toward the little genius of the group, hoping he had some miracle solution up his sleeve.
—Any ideas, François?
—Not the slightest. The good news is, we can be sure Defrus won't reach her either.
Kayle glanced down at his foot, nearly charred through. The pain was unbearable. But he was someone with a strong mind—pain like this hurt, but he could resist it.
At least, until he realized his foot was actually burned.
—You okay, Kayle?
—I'm fine. Let's just find Lilly and get out of here.
François eyed the young fighter with concern. It was obvious he was still trying to resist the pain.
Damn… I can't move it anymore. It's like it's dead. That won't help me. At least once Lilly's here, I can get healed. We're lucky to have such a strong healer, but later… I'll be on my own. Depending on others won't be an option.
Rack scanned the horizon.
Through the smoke and flames, it was impossible to know where Lilly was. François couldn't sense her az either—she probably didn't have any left.
This is a real mess. Lilly's probably at the center of the circle, but we don't know where exactly, and we can't reach her. If Defrus is still alive, he'll come this way. The beast apparently took the brunt of the blast… but was that really enough to kill it? I doubt it. Either way, we can't just sit and...
Out of the corner of his eye, Kayle suddenly saw something that froze his blood.
A massive creature was slowly advancing toward the circle's center. It was so grotesque he nearly vomited just from looking at it: violet skin, multiple half-human, half-spider arms, and those hideous, bulging eyes sprouting from its stomach. It didn't take long for Kayle to realize—it was the chimera. And it was far worse than he had imagined…
Panic set in.
Shit. If that thing is moving, it must have received an order. If Defrus is still alive, then the command came from where he was—that means the rest of the group is in danger.
In a rush, Kayle turned to the village chief, desperate for direction.
—Rack…
Rack too spotted the monster trudging toward the circle, its feet searing with every step. François had seen it as well.
For a moment, they all stood frozen, shocked by the creature's vitality and horrified at where it was headed.
Things were getting far too tight.
Kayle forced himself out of the nightmare, clinging to his last shred of composure. He had to move—no matter what.
—Damn it, now's not the time to panic. That thing's headed for Lilly. Throw me!
Rack snapped out of his own stupor, processing the boy's words.
—What??
—I said throw me! And then go help the others!
Rack instantly understood the boy's insane plan. It was absurd, suicidal even—but there wasn't any other choice. If Rack tried himself, his feet would be ash before he got close, and he'd lose against the creature anyway. But Kayle didn't stand much more of a chance either—hoping to slow the beast down by throwing himself at it was madness.
Both options were suicide. Kayle's was just the worse of the two. But time was running out. Rack had to decide quickly.
—Throw me too. Together, maybe we have a chance.
François suddenly spoke up, resolve burning in his eyes. His determination was so fierce no one could have dissuaded him.
Rack knew this plan had no chance of working—but if it bought enough time to defeat Defrus near the other group, there might be a chance to save them. He shoved his doubts aside and smacked his own head with both hands.
—The old soldier should already be there. Once we're done, we'll join him.
That was true. But Kayle also knew…
—Watch your step. You might not make it across.
—Just like you might not slow that thing down. But we don't have a choice.
The three exchanged a firm nod. Rack grabbed Kayle. Kayle felt himself lift off the ground, suspended for a second in the powerful arms of the village chief. Rack clenched those arms tight and poured az into them, his skin turning a light brown as particles began to shimmer around him.
Wow. With muscles like that, no wonder he's got five wives…
Then, with a sharp motion and a running start, Rack hurled Kayle with all his might toward the monster.
You bastaaarrrd!
The wind slammed against Kayle's face, and he instantly questioned how he'd ever thought asking this of another human being was a good idea.
Then he remembered—no one in this world was really normal. And Rack was weird even by those standards.
He soared a hundred meters through the air like a football, the wind flattening his face as he hurtled toward the beast. The creature was getting closer and closer and Kayle felt the heat of the scorched ground striking her abdomen.
For a moment he feared he'd miss his target, but it turned out Rack's aim was absurdly precise.
—That bastard's precise.
The chimera loomed closer, impact imminent. At the last second, Kayle's speed miraculously dropped, leaving him gliding at a moderate pace a few meters from the monster.
—That bastard's really precise.
Now, Kayle finally got a proper look at the chimera. The two hideous faces. The body that looked ripped straight from the nightmare of a deranged scientist.
He nearly vomited a second time.
—What a horror…
But he noticed the chimera had been badly burned. Several arms were missing, and its back was scorched so deeply he could see inside the monster's body—an even stronger trigger to retch.
Still, he had to land.
The creature hadn't noticed him, so he could act freely.
Kayle pulled off his jacket and twisted it into a makeshift rope. His timing would have to be flawless. His target—the creature's neck. Enormous though it was, if he could get the jacket around it, he'd win.
But after a few more seconds in the air, Kayle realized he had gravely underestimated the monster's proportions.
The neck was as thick as three giant tree trunks—it was impossible to wrap.
Damn it, why'd it have to be so huge? Couldn't Defrus have spared a thought for me while designing this thing? Something like: "Maybe I should trim down the neck in case Kayle Landers comes flying at it one day like a human missile, launched by some overly muscular, weirdo village chief, to defeat my beast."
Kayle paused.
…Yeah, no. Forget it.
His doom loomed closer. He had no choice but to latch on and cling, even if he slid, just to slow it down.
By some miracle, he managed to wrap his jacket around part of its massive head—but it was far too large. The makeshift rope began slipping the instant it went taut.
—Damn it.
Kayle tried to adjust, bracing his feet against the monster. Once he found balance, he stopped moving.
Chunks of its charred skin—or whatever it was—peeled away. Perfect anchor points for Kayle to loop his jacket around. He had found one.
The monster kept walking, oblivious to him. He sighed in relief and managed, after some struggle, to stand upon its shoulder.
He was about to celebrate his tiny victory when suddenly François's scream pierced his ears.
—KAAAYYYYYLEEEEEEEE!
The boy was soaring toward the monster at full speed too—but unlike Kayle, he wasn't slowing down.
—Of course. Stupid Rack. He's way lighter than me.
Kayle readied himself like a baseball catcher, but quickly realized he'd just get dragged off too if he tried something that dumb.
—Shit.