The wolf slammed into the small hillside the same way a bug would collide with one's windshield, sending dirt and debris in every direction. The impact left a deep crater in the side of the hill in the shape of his body, the beast coughing and gasping for air as he climbed out.
When he did manage to get some air back into his lungs, his stomach decided it would now void its contents as he wretched the morning's breakfast.
"That was fuckin' incredible!"
"Says you, Des." the wolf attempted to rub the pain from his neck. "You weren't the one that got to play the part of a meteor just now,"
"Meteorite."
"That's what I just said!" Advrik barked a reply.
Desmond, being who he is, began to explain, "No, you said 'meteor'. Meteorites are what make it to Earth because they have the right stuff. Meteors burn up in--"
"Not the time, Desmond!!" he barked again.
"Mh-hm," the voice said, sounding tinny out of the cheap earbud Advrik had placed in his ear. "You looked almost cool for a second. Now liven up, the goddamn thing is almost on you again."
Advrik looked around the surrounding areas as the ground began to vibrate in an awkward, uneven pattern, scanning for a foothold he could Shadow Step towards. The phasing through space would no doubt cause him to spew whatever contents of his stomach were left, but he needed more time. Time to recollect and figure out the best way to handle--
The Chimera burst through the tree line not twenty feet away, knocking two large evergreens to the ground and shearing clean through a smaller one with the massive claws that lined its right hand. It roar-bleated at the staggered wolf as his nervous glances increased in rapidity,
The massive beast stood upon hooved legs and sported two powerful arms, one lined with massive saw-like claws and the other, a massive disfigured serpentine-like appendage, wriggled and snapped at the air in a blind rage.
Advrik had to move fast. The bestial, goat-lion head of the monster sniffed the air in its pursuit of prey as an ember glow began to emerge from its throat. "Ah, crap,"
"You need to get out of there, man. Like right now," the mole barked into the mic. "It's going to rip the hillside a new one with that fireball."
"I can see that, Desmond. I'm looking for a place to jump to!"
"What do you mean 'looking'?! Just shadow step and get out of its way; Chimeras can't move when regurgitating their fireballs." He shouted, "Fucking imbecile; the hell are you taking monster hunt contracts without knowing the basics?"
* * *
[ Earlier that week... ]
The wolf had started the day like most others, following the festivities in June. He got up and, depending on the length between showers, bathed and then checked his email. He'd begun posting ads as a 'handybeast' in the local bulletin board, advertising his services for just about anything one might need to be done.
In other words, he was beginning to see the bottom of his savings account.
Given the relative quietness of Brickhedge, the last thing he expected was a boss-class monster hunt, and from the mayor, no less.
"Brickhedge is and has been in need of dire help for a long time now. You see, a chimeric monster had taken up residence in the woods just below the overlook to the north of town. It has thankfully stayed put and not ventured any further south, but we've received an increase in sightings of the monster from those visiting the outlook, and for me as mayor, that is a little too close for comfort.
If you would like to discuss this possible contract further, please see call me at..."
The email was short and brief, but the actual discussion had gone on for much longer, with several papers eventually being signed and some preparation funds for the wolf to pick up any supplies needed before beginning the hunt.
He'd contacted Desmond shortly after that and ran the specifics through him.
"A chimeric boss-class monster? Damn man, your first job ain't no joke." The first reply hadn't sparked the beast with much hope. "Well, since you took the job knowing it was chimeric, then I'm not going to bore you with the specifics. But you definitely want to pick up some fire-retardant veils to be on the safe side."
They agreed to meet up with each other at K-Mart later that day, with Advrik firing up his old Camry for the first time in over a month and the mole hitching a ride in a cab at the expense of Advrik.
The two hit up the electronics department first, grabbing two sets of cheap Bluetooth earbuds and microphones. Then they circled around to the pharmacy and apothecary area, grabbing some Tylenol and other mild pain relievers before moving to where the potions and other magical oddities were kept. Several Fire elemental buffs were dropped into the cart, along with some ethers and defense buffing potions.
The prepaid Visa that the mayor had given Advrik for this purpose worked without a hitch, and the pair were on their way, passing several old arcade machines from the late 90s, including one for The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
"That," Desmond stated matter of factly, "is dope. We have got to come back here and give them a go!"
"We? Did you just insinuate we hang out again, Des?"
"Yeah, well, that will depend on whether you survive this hunt or not." The mole crossed his arms, then his tentacles, as they ventured across the parking lot to Advrik's waiting car.
"This thing got an AC?"
Advrik nodded as he turned the ignition and switched the air conditioning to the max setting, pelting the mole with the pent-up hot air as the vehicle cycled it out through the cab.
"Say Desmond," the wolf spoke, looking over his shoulder as he moved the car in reverse. "Weren't you supposed to be working today?"
"Probably."
* * *
[ Present. . . ]
The fireball exploded through the monster's gaping mouth with a thunderous explosion of sound and flames. The mass of enflamed, sticky digestive fluids flew across the landscape at a blistering speed that, had one been unaware, would have found their body blown apart by the fiery explosion.
The sight of flames licking the monster's lips had been the signal Advrik had waited for. He threw out his arm as if he were pitching a softball, his magitek sword appearing and disappearing in a single blink of an eye as it invisibly jettisoned upward, impacting the thick trunk of a nearby ancient evergreen with a resounding THUNK.
"Fuck yes, that was awesome!" Desmond hollared over the phone as the fireball exploded in a loud, fiery burst of flames that the residents in town had no doubt heard.
The Chimera roared as it lunged from the hillside and landed in the crater it had made, unquestionably looking for the remains of its foe.
Little did the simple-minded creature know that high above, dangling just a few feet away from the tip of the tree, was the creature it hunted.
"That was pretty friggin' close!" he yelled, drawing the monster's attention upward. "Oh crap baskets!" The Chimera was behaving like a rabid animal as it abandoned its magical capabilities, choosing to use its raw strength as it galloped back up the slope to grip the tree with its awkward pair of limbs.
"Advrik man, you gotta move! Now!!"
The tree shook violently as the top swayed a frightening amount, thanks to the added weight of the beast. The combination of a roar and bleat rang out from far below, signaling his imminent demise was at hand if he didn't do something fast.
"Desmond," He yelled over the increasing volume of the Chimera below, "Stay put!" And then the signal went dead.
* * *
The star-nosed mole watched the scene from afar, sitting atop the hood of Advrik's Camry with a pair of binoculars. The sight of the exploding fireball was bright enough that even in the broad daylight, he had to turn his head away. The cascading effect of the flames and sparks from the resulting explosion would have been pretty had there not been an angry, mutant monster roaring and kicking up the ground just below it.
Desmond leaned into the old-fashioned VHS camcorder he'd mounted to a tripod when they arrived, making sure he was getting every second of the fight. He smiled to himself at the sight of the flashing red [REC] in the top right corner of the viewfinder.
The cheap earbuds snapped back to life with the sound of a mildly terrified voice. "That was pretty friggin' close!" he'd yelled, the sound of wind and the roar/bleat of the monster drowning out whatever it was he had said next.
It was July now and summer was in full swing, and sitting out in the sun like this had more than taken its toll on the mole. He could feel the sweat pooling up in places he didn't even know he had. It was miserable, but he needed to be here.
He needed to be ready to back his friend up should he need it.
His friend. The same one that now looked like a booger hanging from the finger of some child as it frantically tried to shake it loose.
"Advrik man, you gotta move! Now!!" He yelled into his phone, more concern bled into his tone than he had intended.
"Desmond," the voice on the other end replied, "Stay put!"
To the shock and surprise of the mole, the wolf not only let go of his perch in the tree but went straight down rather than shadow-stepping somewhere safe.
All at once, the monster stopped growling, and the phone signal went dead.
Just like that, the sound of the forest insects and animals returned, filling eerie quietness with the sound of peace and safety.
"What the hell?" The mole quietly squeaked to himself as he raised his binoculars, trying to see beyond the forest's shroud for a sign of life.
* * *
The wolf let go of the tree's trunk and allowed himself to freefall just as the Chimera reared back for another charge attack. He fell free, surprisingly, of any other branch or limbs on the way down. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. Then repeated it a second time.
Then, a third.
A second for each blink.
When he opened his eyes the third time, the Chimera lay struggling beneath a giant clawed hand, the serpent-like arm lashing out, trying to bite the larger creature. Advrik felt the control over his body lose some distance as a new conscience reared up beside his own, replacing his little wolf body with one that was much larger and far more terrifying.
The Wulphelk: The One That Lingers Beyond the Blink
He'd been freed, let into this world by Advrik. It was a risky move but a necessary one, given the circumstances.
The giant monster looked at the Chimera that had been pinned beneath his massive claw, kicking, scratching, and clawing at anything it could get in contact with.
Wulphelk's hand was a gnarled shape free of fur, exposing the blackened skin beneath, each finger lined with a small curved sword-like claw. He could end the monster's pitiful existence with a simple flick of the wrist, but how often did it get to really toy with its prey like this?
Wulphelk lifted its giant hand from the back of the Chimera, allowing the monster to stand up. As it did, he could sense a new emotion flooding the creature's thoughts; It was fear! The monster is going to attempt to flee.
Wanting to tool with its prey just a bit longer, the Wulphelk reached out and raked two claws down the Chimera's flank, tearing through flesh and muscle and scraping the bones, rendering the hind leg useless. It fell to the soft forest soil below with a growl, blood squirting from the damaged leg. Pieces of flesh and meat flew as it kicked and scrambled, trying to push its body forward.
The Wulphelk stalked the prey, walking upon its knuckles like Primal apes might have. Its hands spread with each step, claws piercing the ground. It lowered its massive head, its long snake-like neck writhing in serpentine motions that gave the being an otherworldly visage.
It lowered its head enough that it was eye to eye with the Chimera. The monster itself was frozen with absolute fear as they gazed into each other's eyes. Where the Wulphelk saw raw terror in the deep blue eyes of the Chimera, the Chimera itself saw horrors the likes of which it never thought possible.
The Chimera's eyes went wide as its whole body began to spasm! It clutched at its chest, clawing through its own skin as if it were trying to get at something hidden with its own massive body.
And then it went limp as its erratic heartbeat came to a sudden halt.
* * *
"Advrik, dude, come in. Are you there? Over." He tried the walkie-talkie, something he'd dug out of his belongings for use in case they ran into phone service issues. "Do you copy? Advrik, c'mon man, where the fuck are you?" He tried once more but only received static.
"You have got to be fucking with me right now," He growled to himself as he slid off the heated hood of the car. "If I have to come in there and drag your goddamn corpse out of the woods, I'm taking all of the--"
The walkie-talkie suddenly sprang to life, "Will you answer your friggin' phone? Over."
"Advrik! You shithead, what the hell happened in there? Over."
In the distance, a figure emerged from the treeline and into the scorching summer sun. "Dropped the radio, sorry." He let off the button and then began to wave. "I got it, though; The Chimera is dead. The hunt is over. Over.
Desmond would admit it to no beast, unwilling to fully accept it himself, but he was relieved to see that wolf fellow again.
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