EMRYSA

Chapter Three (II)

"We are hunting," said Arc. Chimni, curious, asked, "For what?" Ciara smirked and replied, "Take a guess."

Desperate, Chimni pleaded, "Oh please, spare me. I've never hurt anyone. I don't even eat meat. I beg you, Emrysa, Emrys. Spare me."

Arc reassured Chimni, saying, "I think you've got us confused with some other people."

Morgana interjected, "Never mind, Chimni. It's the heads we need. Take us to Chimdia." Chimni, obliging, led the way. Arriving at the edge of a waterfall, Chimni's stop prompted Morgana to remark, "Great. I love getting my hair wet."

However, before continuing, Chimni's lion head urged them, "Before I take you to Chimdia, you have to promise me something. There is a chimera-eating chimera named Chimdusala that terrorizes my city. We are no match for her. You must help us get rid of her."

"You have my word, Chimni." Arc said, solemnly. With a nod from Chimni's lion head, he walked ahead and vanished. The trio exchanged glances, shrugged, and decided, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Their surroundings gradually transformed as they sheathed their swords, taking in the sight of a hollow mountain resembling a hornet's nest. Numerous small cave openings dotted the area, with several chimeras climbing out, seemingly unaware of the three humans observing them.

Chimni's lion head addressed the chimeras of Chimdia, proclaiming, "Listen, chimeras of Chimdia. I, Prince Chimni, your acting leader, have found the solution to our problem. These humans, Emrys, Emrysa, and their friend, have promised to kill Chimdusala and take her with them. They are not harmful to us, only Chimdusala."

"Why are you their acting leader?" Ciara asked, curious. " Because Chimdusala's venom. She bit my father when he fought her." Chimni's lion head explained. Suddenly, the other chimeras hurriedly retreated to their caves. "Chimdusala," Chimni's goat head bleated. "Hide."

The menacing chimera, bloodstains in her mane, approached the mountain and roared, "It's time for lunch! And I'm hungry! Come out, come out of your tiny holes!"

Stepping forward, Arc confronted Chimdusala. The serpent head hissed, "And who are you to ssstop me, human?"

With resolve, Arc introduced himself, "I am Arcwick, son of Johnwick, king of Chamelor. I am here to slay you." He unsheathed his sword. "If I eat you, I won't be hungry until tomorrow," Chimdusala's goat head bleated. The fight between Arc and the chimera began. Arc found himself at a disadvantage, dealing with Chimdusala's lion head breathing fire, which melted his shield. He skillfully dodged the goat horns and serpent venom.

With a swift s***h, Arc targeted one of the chimera's legs and broke a horn. In retaliation, Chimdusala clawed his thigh, pinning him down. His sword slipped from his grasp and fell beyond his reach. Chimdusala's lion head licked Arc's face, taunting him, "You smell delicious, human." Despite the precarious situation, Arc managed to grab his sword and pierced it through Chimdusala's heart. The chimera collapsed on top of him. He pushed her body aside and stood up, raising his sword triumphantly.

As the chimeras roared, bleated, and hissed happily at him, Ciara shouted a warning to Arc, "Arc, look out!" She pointed at Chimdusala's serpent head. But it was too late; the serpent head sank its fangs into Arc's left leg. Arc swiftly sliced off the serpent head and fell unconscious. Ciara rushed to his aid. Morgana, examining the bite, stated matter-of-factly, "Chimera venom acts fast; he will be dead in very little time."

“The girl is right. You thought by stabbing my heart, you can kill me. I will not die so easily.” Chimdusala stood on all fours. “If she dies, the potency of the venom will reduce to zero.” Morgana told Ciara. Chimdusala broke out in laughter, mocking their efforts. Enraged, Ciara's eyes turned from brown to a bright green. She channeled her anger into a greenish ball of energy that formed in her hand.

In a bone-chilling tone, Ciara muttered, “Die.” She unleashed her energy, bombarding Chimdusala with multiple blasts. The chimera roared and eventually became motionless. As the energy subsided, Ciara's eyes returned to their normal color, and she fainted. Arc caught her before she hit the ground. An elderly chimera approached them, delivering news to Chimni, "Chimni, son, your father has woken up."

Morgana proceeded to sever the heads of Chimdusala and carefully placed them in a sack they had brought along. Taking charge, she instructed Arc, "Arc, carry her. Let's go. The others must have returned by now."

"Hold out your hand," Chimni's mother instructed Morgana. Morgana complied, extending her hand. Chimni's mother's serpent head coughed up a small red pill onto her palm. "Take this. It will help you in your greatest hour of need. One more thing, you must swear never to tell any human about this place for the safety of my chimeras," Chimni's mother said solemnly. They departed Chimdia, retracing their steps.

Ciara strained her eyes, trying to make out the voices she heard. She realized that Arc was carrying her in his arms, causing her heart to race. Hastily, she closed her eyes and eavesdropped on their conversation. "That liquid that you drank..." Arc began, his voice filled with curiosity and concern.

"It's a potion. It helped me understand Chimni; ugh, I hate his name. If you reveal anything about my ability to perform magic, it will take your soul ten years before you realize you're dead," Morgana responded in a menacing tone, instilling fear in Arc. He gulped audibly. "You have my word. Did you find it strange when I spoke to the chimera?" he asked.

"No, I don't think you're an oddball because of that. Also, that whole son of Johnwick thing, it’s cringe," Morgana said, walking ahead without further discussion.

"You can put me down now," Ciara suddenly spoke up, startling Arc and Morgana. Their movements froze momentarily, surprised by Ciara's sudden assertion. "Are you sure?" Arc asked, recovering from the surprise. Ciara avoided his gaze and nodded. "How's your leg?" she inquired.

"It's a little sore. Morgana said I'll be alright," Arc replied. Ciara persisted, pointing out, "No, I mean your upper leg. You were bleeding from there." She kept her eyes averted, focusing on a tree branch."You mean my thigh?" Arc teased. Ciara nodded, still avoiding eye contact. "It’ll be alright." Arc added. They continued their journey in silence until they met up with the rest of the group.

The others were already there, although it seemed like their search was fruitless. Sage and Buttercup laid on the ground, not moving.

Addressing Prudy, Ciara asked directly, "Prudence, did you kill the princess of Askia and her slow friend?"

"No, how could you think that? I'm offended! I feel offended an-and attacked." Prudy feigned outrage, responding defensively. Mordecai interjected, "It's 'silent but deadly,' a knockout d**g. I had a feeling you guys would encounter the five-lettered word."

Prudy reluctantly admitted, "Okay, fine. I was close to doing it."

Morgana informed Mordecai about their experiences in Chimdia. Mordecai instructed Ciara to replicate her actions, but nothing happened. Mordecai turned to Arc and asked, "What about you, Arcwick?" Arc focused on his palm and replied, "Nope, nothing."

Using one of Mordecai's shortcuts, they embarked on their journey back, saving a day's worth of travel and arriving at night. Team Ciara was the last to return, luckily with some sand still left in the hourglass.

The next morning, they had breakfast at The Hamptons’ home. “When are you going to tell us about your adventure?” Dicky slurped his soup.“Later. Hunith, did they give you trouble while we were away?” asked Ciara. “I don’t know about these two, but I was quite the gentleman.” Micky bragged, earning a chuckle from the group.

Meanwhile, in the Askian castle, Baltimore moved in secret. He entered a concealed portal door masquerading as a stone wall, leading him into a dimly lit room. Shelves and cabinets filled with books, vials of mysterious liquids, a bed, an altar, and an enchantment table were illuminated by a candlestick burning with an occult blue flame.

“This plan of yours is needlessly long and tiresome," Baltimore complained, voicing his frustration to no one in particular. "Exercise patience. You must earn the trust of your people. Fear is fleeting; it can turn to anger at any moment," an old male voice resonated from the darkness.

"They wouldn't dare revolt against me," Baltimore asserted confidently. "They patiently await the fulfillment of the wizard's prophecy. Ah, I hear footsteps approaching your chamber," the voice warned.