*Panting* *Panting*
Between ragged breaths, Chryssia collapsed to the ground, utterly drained of strength.
Her legs were a bloody mess. None of the feathers that once covered them remained, and the scales beneath had been reduced to scattered patches here and there.
In some places, even the bone was exposed.
The rest of her body wasn't in much better condition—most notably, her right arm was severed at the elbow.
Chryssia tried to speak, but her shattered jaw—missing teeth, with pieces of her tongue displaced where they shouldn't be—made it impossible.
In that moment, she was truly grateful that her body had such a high resistance to pain.
Her body, usually a fortress of muscle and scales shaped into a feminine form, was now so mangled it was a miracle she was still breathing.
Chryssia recalled what happened during the explosion: the dagger's blade shooting from her mouth, the hunter's panicked face, and then the blast.
She didn't know for how long, only that for a short time the explosion had knocked her out. When she regained consciousness, both the hunter and the Guild Master were gone.
She thought they couldn't be far, but likewise, the other hunters couldn't be far either. With no better options, she ran.
She wasn't sure how long she ran for. Gathering the last of her strength, she lifted her head and looked up at the sky.
And froze. The sun was rising over the horizon. She remembered that when the fight against the hunters began, only a few hours had passed since sunset.
She kept her head raised until the muscles in her neck gave out.
She tried to move, but her broken body refused to obey.
So she simply closed her eyes.
—What are our numbers? —the commander asked solemnly.
—Between poisoning and serious injuries, eleven hunters —replied the medical officer.
—And the dead?
—…Six hunters.
Silence filled the meeting room. They had expected not all hunters would return from this hunt, but that didn't make the news any less heavy.
The commander sighed before asking:
—How is the Guild Master?
—He has severe burns on his torso, fragments of armor embedded in his flesh, and multiple fractures. Serious, but nothing life-threatening. The ones I'm worried about are those who suffered poisoning.
At that moment, the head researcher stepped forward and added:
—This poison is unlike most. It attacks the victim's nervous system along with their organs—and that's not even the worst of it. The worst part is that it's also a potent acid, strong enough to damage steel.
A hunter who had been in the battle spoke up:
—But how did it poison so many? It only used its claws a few times, and it never bit anyone.
—The lance, the spine, whatever that thing was… —the hunter paused to gather his thoughts— Every hunter who was cut by that weapon ended up poisoned. So I think the weapon itself carried venom.
—Fire and lightning elements, paralysis, poison, nitro, the ability to create natural weapons from its body, unleash a powerful flash, and an absurd rate of growth… —Lyra looked at everyone before saying aloud— How can a living being possess so many abilities?
No one responded, though Lyra noticed the head researcher and the commander exchange a glance.
She remembered the conversation that took place after Chryssia was first discovered—when she and the others had been present at that meeting.
The head researcher began to speak:
—How such a lifeform could have developed these capabilities remains a mystery. But what matters is not the how what matters is what we will do.
Lyra felt a knot form in her stomach at the blatant lie.
As if on cue, the commander spoke again:
—The Phageris surpassed all expectations. The problem wasn't that we didn't send enough hunters, the problem was the attack plan. The Phageris is not like any other monster we've hunted.
He paused, looking around at the room.
—We must devise a strategy specifically to hunt her. It was a mistake to hunt her as if she were just another monster.
—Do we use heavy equipment? Cannons, mounted crossbows, even a dragon-killer? I hate to sound pessimistic, but all of that seems too oversized for her —noted the forge master.
—And let's not forget, we still don't understand her behavior patterns. Luring her to a pre-prepared zone is difficult if not impossible —added the commander.
—Then what's the plan? —Lyra asked.
—We'll force her to follow us. We don't know much about her, but we do know she seems unwilling to let her prey escape. Call it instinct, call it pride, whatever it is we'll use it to our advantage.