"That was easy." Vlad said, sliding an ordinary longsword back into its sheath.
The holy sword stayed dormant at his side, as it was reserved for foes worthy of its light. Lesser threats didn't merit the risk of drawing it. Rather, it was simply overkill.
Thomas dusted ash from his singed sleeves. "Regular low-level monsters barely qualify as a warm-up."
Sera shot him a look. "Says the man who only stood there watching."
"I didn't want to crowd you two," Thomas replied, deadpan. "you two had it handled. You even have good chemistry together."
"Wha—" Sera's fist launched at him.
However, that one comment had made her feel happy inside, far more than she thought it would. Even so, he made her feel flustered, which was more than enough to warrant a punishment.
Vlad caught her wrist gently. "Easy, Sera. We cleared them fast. That's what matters right now."
Vlad had felt that Sera was only jokingly throwing the punch, and that she wouldn't actually hit Thomas. That said, he still caught her fist just in case.
Initially, he hadn't noticed her slightly flushed face. It was only after he caught her fist, that he saw her blushing, which in turn, made him blush as well.
Thomas—seeing the short interaction between the two, raised a brow in response. Oh? What do we have here? he thought to himself, his lips forming a grin.
The lesser monsters had fallen quickly, leaving only the true guardian of the lair.
A towering stone door loomed ahead, its edges etched with ancient, faintly glowing runes. As they approached, the slabs parted on their own with a low, grinding rumble.
The trio stepped inside.
Pillars lined the long hall like silent sentinels. At the far end, curled atop a raised dais, slept a colossal three-headed wolf. Its fur gleamed like hammered steel. A serpentine tail coiled behind it, fangs dripping venom.
As the doors slammed shut behind the trio, all three heads snapped awake—blue, red, and yellow eyes glowing in unison.
"You dare trespass in my lair, humans?" the heads spoke as one, their voices overlapping in eerie harmony.
Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Figures that it talks."
"It has intelligence," Vlad said quietly. "That must make it a demon."
Sera's eyes narrowed. "Looks like a chimera."
Thomas studied the beast. "First time I've seen one up close."
"It's said that they form when dark mana saturates a mass grave of monsters." Vlad explained. "The corpses then fuse together, twisted by the energy."
"I thought that demons created them deliberately." Thomas wondered.
Sera smirked. "That only happens in bad novels."
"Hey!" Thomas let out, slightly offended. "I'll have you know that some of them are just underrated, not bad."
Vlad gave her a light chop on the head, "She's just teasing."
"Eep!" Sera let out a cute sound as his hand made contact with her head. "That hurt..." she pouted, rubbing her own head.
"Demons can force the fusion, but it's rare. Most chimeras are just accidents of corruption." Vlad clarified, gently patting her head.
"Whatever its origin is," Thomas said, cracking his knuckles, "we'll just have to kill it. That way, Tepis can breathe easily once more."
The left head snarled. "You will find that task… difficult."
The right head rumbled. "My master entrusted me with a purpose, and I will see it fulfilled."
"Who is your master, and what is your mission?" Thomas asked, somewhat hoping for an answer.
The central head tilted. "A being beyond your feeble comprehension."
"Well, that sucks. A part of me actually thought it would say something." he let out in disappointment.
All three voices merged. "Perish!"
The middle head's jaws parted, and golden lightning arced straight toward them.
"Brace yourselves!" Vlad shouted.
"I got this!" Sera thrust both hands forward. "Frost Wall!"
A thick wall of ice erupted from the floor, intercepting the bolt. The lightning shattered against it in a shower of sparks and frost.
"You okay?" she asked them both.
"I'm good." Vlad confirmed, turning towards Thomas.
Thomas laughed once, brushing static from his arms. "That was a close one. It's a bit hard to block surprise lightning attacks when you've got no mana to counter with."
Sera cracked her neck. "We need to end this fast."
Thomas circled left. "I'll draw its eyes."
The left head tracked him, exhaling a torrent of flame.
"Thomas, watch out!" Vlad called.
Thomas walked straight through the inferno, coat smoldering but skin untouched. "Relax. This is nothing to me."
Sera muttered, "Seems we underestimated it."
Vlad charged. "Watch the right head. It could be another element."
"Mhm." she nodded once.
Vlad was the bait.
Sera read the play instantly—draw the attack, reveal the affinity, come up with a plan of attack, and then counter.
Meanwhile, Thomas stood—watching, thinking, and planning their next move.
The right head roared. A pressurized jet of water blasted forth.
Sera swept her arm, and the stream froze mid-flight, shattering into glittering shards before it reached Vlad.
"So, it can use fire, water, and last but not least, lightning." Vlad cataloged.
Thomas grinned. "I got it. Alright you two, listen up."
They split the heads.
Sera on water since she had an ice advantage, Vlad on lightning since he could match and redirect it, and Thomas on fire since he could tank the heat without flinching.
Sera hesitated. "You sure about the fire head? I can handle it if you want."
Thomas smirked. "I'm good. Just don't slow us down."
"That's my line." she retorted.
Vlad added, "Watch the snake tail. We still don't know what it's capable of. At the very least, it might have some kind of lethal venom."
"Got it." they answered together.
Sera conjured chains of ice that snapped around the chimera's legs, locking its stance. Vlad followed with earth magic—the ground beneath the beast liquefied into quicksand, sinking its paws.
Immobilized, the chimera snarled.
Vlad raised a hand. "Thunder Crash."
Golden lightning bloomed in a wide sphere around the creature, crackling arcs dancing across its metal fur, stunning all three heads.
Sera seized the opening.
The right head unleashed a barrage. "Water Bomb!"
High-pressure water spheres charged at her, cratering the stone floor upon contact.
Sera danced between them, baiting and waiting for the right moment to attack.
The head grew frantic, and unlished another spell. "Aqua Bombardment!"
A wide, uncompressed torrent roared out continuously. Unlike the first spell, this one prioritized raw power over precision.
Sera's lips curved. "Glacier Impact."
A lance of sub-zero frost shot forward, racing through the flood. Water flash-froze in its path. The spell struck the right head, and it crystallized instantly, then shattered in a spray of razor-sharp icicles as Sera shot multiple Ice Spears at it.
Sera glanced at Thomas with a smug tilt of her head. "Well?"
"What took you so long?" he shot back with a confident smirk.
Thomas had already finished with his target.
The fire head had fallen first—pummeled apart by a relentless barrage of identical punches to the same spot until bone and sinew gave way.
With its mobility restricted, it was unable to evade the barrage of attacks that Thomas dished out. Not to mention the attacks were all close ranged, further making them hard to dodge.
Thomas's shirt was charred rags, while his skin bore only reddening from subtle dripping blood from his knuckles. Well, a few of his knuckles had popped out of their joints, but that's nothing to Thomas, who just popped them back in place.
"Guess you can kill monsters with your bare hands. How savage of you." she spoke.
"They don't call me the Barbarian for nothing." he retorted.
Meanwhile, Vlad had moved last.
The lightning head charged slowly—giving him time to close in, blind it with a flash, then slip behind and sever the nape with one clean stroke of the holy sword.
Thomas eyed the blade. "Nice sword."
"Thanks. What happened to the—" Vlad froze.
The snake tail reared. "I will fulfill my master's will… for the Demon King!"
Lightning, fire, and water swirled violently across the chimera's corpse. Then, mana surged—wild and apocalyptic.
"Watch out!" Thomas yelled.
"Get behind me!" Sera shouted, preparing a spell.
Vlad stepped forward first. "Holy Barrier."
A dome of pure golden light snapped into place.
Then the chimera detonated in a violent surge of red, blue, and yellow dome that encompassed the entire cave.
The underground chamber collapsed in a roar of stone and dust. The barrier held, absorbing the shockwave and shielding them as tons of rock, those not disintegrated from the attack, rained down from above.
When the dust settled, they emerged unscathed. They trekked back to the pickup truck in silence and drove toward Tepis.
Thomas broke the quiet first. "Well, are you satisfied now?"
Sera crossed her arms. "You're… not terrible."
Vlad gave a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry for holding back."
"Don't worry about it." Thomas shrugged. "I figured that you wanted to see if the stories checked out. A non-mage fighting off hordes of monsters on his own, defeating each one with nothing but his bare hands? Even I would be doubtful after hearing such stories."
"Well, you passed." Vlad said simply. "Makes one wonder, how did you even become so strong in the first place?"
"Let's save that for another time." Thomas said. "Long story short, it's all thanks to the support and care my people gave me growing up. Without that, I would've never become the man I am today."
"I see." Vlad mused.
"Also, if it wasn't for the person who saved my life, I don't think I would've gained the courage to kill monster with my lack of magic." he added.
"That response is too vague, and barely answers the question in the first place." Sera interjected.
"Like I said, it's a story for another time."
Sera's expression darkened. "Still, to think that The Demon King's reach is already this far."
"We need to move faster." Vlad agreed, his jaw tight.
"Agreed."
Back in Tepis, Thomas gathered the townsfolk in the town square and announced that the nest of the monsters was destroyed.
To further ensure them of their safety, he had Vlad create a barrier around the whole town to protect them from small threats.
Cheers erupted—laughter and tears. That night, the were streets filled with lanterns, music, and tables groaning under food and drinks.
Sera challenged Thomas to a drinking game, and five oversized tankards later, Thomas was still steady while Sera was flushed and swaying, and eventually declared a tactical retreat to the inn.
Thomas and Vlad sat at a quieter table as the festival swirled around them.
"Thanks again." Thomas said. "Because of you, my people can finally rest easy. It's been a while since I've seen them like this. It makes me feel happy, grateful even."
"Don't mention it, it's my job after all. Regardless of significance or roles, my job is to save and protect humans, all of them."
Thomas gave a slight chuckle. "I'm a man of my word. So, if you'll have me, I will gladly join you in your mission."
Vlad clasped the offered hand. "Glad to have you with us."
Since Thomas had already arranged things for the necessary trip, as well as his absence from the town before hand, they'd leave as early as dawn.
The night stretched on—laughter, song, the crackle of bonfires. For one evening, Tepis finally forgot fear.
In the midst of the enormous open-air dance floor, the male silhouette spun and swayed in perfect time with the crowd—another invisible body caught in the rhythm.
The fight was quite entertaining. I wonder how they'll do when both sides actually use their full strengths... Well, that's just another thing to look forward to.