Chapter LCII: Khimairas and Death

During the length of their battle, most of which Jinxie freely admitted she spent running away, she heard a number of sounds from the Khimaira. She had heard the crackle of electricity as it focused energy through its horns. She had heard the slicing of the air as it beat its heavy black wings. She had heard it growl, roar, and howl in ranges from deep and rumbling to loud and piercing. Only now did she hear the noise the Khimaira made when it was in pain.

"Burn," Rughadjeen said softly, holding his dual-bladed sword aloft, "Algol."

Jinxie covered her eyes as a flash of light and heat pulsed from the General's weapon. The Skyserpent's famous blade erupted into flame in his grasp, blue-tinged fire licking the tempered steel as he clutched it in both hands. Springing forward, the Elvaan slashed at the Khimaira, leaving an arch of flames behind him. The beast cried out as Rughadjeen's blade creased its chest, leaving a smoldering trail of burnt flesh in its wake. Angrily, it batted him away, but he caught the strike of its paws with Algol, feet planting in the mud as he resisted the impact. With a mighty heave, he threw the monster's claws back, assuming a defensive stance as he went head-to-head with a creature whose head was as big as his body.

The Khimaira's horns surged with a fresh pulse of electricity, and with a furious toss of its head a torrent of lightning streaked towards Rughadjeen. The Elvaan held up his burning sword, gritting his teeth in preparation for impact. Instead, he was thrown from his feet as an explosion rocked the air in front of him. He fell backwards, but was stopped by the massive hands of the Galka General, Zazarg. An oppressive atmosphere of raw power weighed down upon them as Flameserpent Gadalar crouched forward with his hand outstretched, a burst of his own formidable magic countering the Khimaira's electricity. From his back he withdrew a thin-shafted scythe with a blade of ivory, eyes burning as he glared at the beast.

"Abominations like you have no place in this world," he snarled. The wet ground hardened at his feet as waves of heat began pouring off of him. "Cremate!" The Hume shouted, twirling his scythe forward towards the monster, "White Joker!"

His weapon ignited as he called its name just as Rughadjeen's had, but rather than use it as a striking implement, Gadalar only pointed the scythe towards his target. The Khimaira surged forward, teeth bared, but the Flameserpent remained where he was. Jinxie covered her ears as a booming sound louder than any thunderclap burst from his scythe, and from it cascaded a river of flames. Dirt, mud, and gravel sprayed up as the beast stopped short, too late to stop itself from being bathed in fire. Its howls pierced the inferno, underscoring Gadalar's crazed laughter. The Khimaira vanished from sight entirely, his form blanketed by the General's endless flames.

"Are you alright?" Jinxie was startled to hear a voice addressing her, and looked up to find the Galeserpent, General Najelith, extending her hand. She took it readily, pulling herself out of the mire. She brushed off the front of her dirtied tabard, squinting at the blaze engulfing the Khimaira not far from where they were.

"I'll survive," she answered, "but is that going to be enough to stop that thing?"

Najelith smirked. "Gadalar's just having fun. We haven't even gotten warmed up yet." A moment passed as Jinxie's gaze went flat. "Get it?" The ebon-haired archer asked her. "Warmed up? Because of the fire?"

"Why are you here?" Najelith made a sour face at Jinxie's blunt changing of the subject.

"Razfahd's orders," she explained. "We're here to help!" The Galeserpent smiled brightly at her. Jinxie was surprised at how young the woman was. She had scarcely paid attention to the Serpent Generals during their meeting at the palace, but now seeing her up close several details caught her eye. Besides Rughadjeen, they all wore the same red-and-gold armor over loose-fitting white garb traditional of the Empire. The Skyserpent wore a heavier, less ornate breastplate more suiting a man on the front lines. He and Zazarg seemed to be the only two possessing age enough to reasonably be considered a General. From what she could tell, the other three were barely into their twenties, likely even younger than her.

It occured to her that perhaps the Empire's military structure was not founded on the same principles of her native Bastok. In the Republic, promotions came with time and experience, soliders earning their way up the ladder by dedicating their lives to the service. Bastokans in the army could stay in for decades and not reach the upper echelons of command. Now she was looking at a girl that she likely had a good five years on who was in charge of a sixth of the entire Imperial Army.

"General Najelith," she asked aloud, crouching down to pick her fallen three-cornered hat off the ground, "how did you earn your position?"

Najelith quirked an eyebrow, perhaps as puzzled by the content of the question as its timing. "The same way everyone in the military did, through proof of my power in combat."

"So the five of you . . . "

The Galeserpent nodded, holding her bow outstretched towards Jinxie meaningfully. "Out of everyone in the Empire, we, the Serpent Generals, are the most powerful soldiers you will find"

The air suddenly crackled with electricity, and she gasped as a burst of the Khimaira's power threw apart Gadalar's dome of fire. No sooner had it emerged than the ground split at its feet, and the beast toppled over in response to Zazarg sending a shockwave through the earth with nothing more than raw strength. The beast was singed and smoking, still-burning flames smothered as it was tossed into the mud. As soon as it was down, the Galeserpent, Mihli Aliapoh, was upon it in a flash. The club she wielded was nearly as big as she was, and with bone-crushing force she battered the monster down as it struggled to rise.

Jinxie watched, taken aback by the sheer power unleashed by the Serpent Generals. The Khimaira retaliated fiercely, a bolt of lightning from its horns sending Mihli sprawling, but the Mithra landed on her feet and immediately took the offensive again. Rughadjeen and Zazarg joined her as Gadalar continued to harrass it with flames. Najelith spun away from her, nocking an arrow in her bow, but lowered it after squinting at the monster.

"Not yet," she whispered to herself.

Jinxie looked around with a start. "Oh no," she said, and took off suddenly. Najelith called after her, but she was already sliding down the short cliff wall between her and where the Serpent Generals had beaten the Khimaira back to. She halted just short of a groundburst as the Khimaira and Zazarg shattered the landscape with an exchange of blows, diving around it instead. Not far in front of her, she saw Isset's limp form stretched over the moss-covered rocks dotting the area. Lightning danced around her as the Khimaira viciously counter-attacked the Serpent Generals, and she clutched her trireme hat against her head as she darted towards the fallen Puppetmaster.

"Isset," she called out to her, kneeling in front of the other woman. Isset gave no response. Her face was dreadfully pale and smeared with blood and dirt. Jinxie pulled her up, draping one arm around her shoulders and clutching it tightly. An explosion of lightning and flame burst up beside her, and she rushed through the heat and haze, dragging the Puppetmaster with her. The ground shook as the Khimaira and the generals battled it out, Jinxie forcing her way through the warzone to rescue her friend.

She twisted first to her left, then right, trying to find a clear way free from the melee. Isset moaned as she was pulled bodily away from the battle, and Jinxie struggled to keep her steady. The mercenary was nothing but dead weight, and the quick slide downhill to retrieve her was now far more formidable going back up. Gathering her resolve, she ducked her head down and broke for the steep incline at a dead run.

Isset pressed down on her, but she continued with all her strength, pushing her legs up the hill. Looking up for a brief moment, she saw Najelith leaning down over the ledge, extending her hand furtively. She also saw that hand was still much too far away to grab. Gritting her teeth, she pressed on, but the mud was dragging her down. Desperately, with her body being assailed by loose debris kicked up by the battle raging behind her, she lashed her hand out and made a leap for the Galeserpent's grasp. The archer stretched forward, and wrapped her hand tightly around Jinxie's wrist, heaving her up to the ledge.

She was almost up when a bolt of lightning struck the space between them, sending Jinxie and Isset plummeting back towards the ground below.

A scream didn't even have time to escape her lips before her descent was cut short. With a sudden and powerful jerk, she felt the breath explode from her lungs as she was yanked from the air, and a moment later tossed bodily atop the ledge she had been trying to reach. Isset's body rolled next to her a second later, and the Puppetmaster stirred at the rough disturbance, blinking uncertainly and trying to move. Jinxie struggled up to her elbows, taking a moment to make sure her hat was still secure, and then looked around for an explanation as to what had just happened. She gave a start when it presented itself before her.

"Vaala!" She exclaimed as the Ninja landed gently on the ground. "You're alright!"

Stretching her neck to one side, the black-garbed woman rolled one shoulder forward, then repeated the motion in the other direction. "My task was to escort and protect you," she stated, "and the Special Assignments Division is not familiar with failure."

"The others," she started moving to her feet, pushing herself up, but Vaala shook her head.

"I brought them here first. When I saw you with Najelith I determined you were in the safest place possible and went looking for the others. You descended the cliff while I was gone." There was a trace of irritability in her voice for a fraction of a second. "They are not unharmed, but they should survive."

"Thank you, Vaala," Jinxie clasped the other woman's hand, bowing her head sincerely. "Thank you."

"Uggh . . . " at the sound of the voice behind them, she quickly turned to find Isset starting to stir. "Wha - what's going . . . where am I?"

"Lie still, Isset," Jinxie crouched down next to her, taking her hand. "How do you feel?"

"Like I was just hit by a Khimaira," she muttered. "Where . . . where is everybody . . . ?"

"Vaala rescued them. We're all safe."

"But . . . the monster . . . "

"Good morning, mercenary!" Isset almost leaped out of her skin as General Najelith's face appeared over her, and Jinxie felt her stomach flip-flop in surprise. She hadn't even heard the other woman approaching and now she was right next to her. The Puppetmaster bolted upright into a sitting position, clutching at her chest with a gasp.

"General!" She breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you, naturally," the archer planted her bow in the ground, looking out towards the fight. "The others sure are taking their time, though."

"Others?" Isset turned her head questioningly towards Jinxie.

"Can you not feel it in the air?" Vaala asked seriously. "This mountain of force weighing down upon us? The thickness in the air, the heat in your blood, the sense of dread you must surely feel in its presence - this is the strength of the Serpent Generals assembled in one spot."

Jinxie nodded to Isset, and then moved out of her range of vision. The battleground below them revealed, the Puppetmaster could only stare.

"Ash! Ash and smoking ruin!" Gadalar was shouting. The Hume's long brown hair was matted down with sweat as he swung his ivory scythe. "Now, White Joker," he called to the weapon, "Salamander Flame!" With both hands, he crashed it into the ground. As soon as the blade touched the mud, a river of flames erupted from its tip, crashing with terrible force into the Khimaira. It howled madly, but then unleashed a noxious gas from its maw. The Flameserpent hastily fled as the ground solidified around him, the monster's breath petrifying all that it touched.

Just before the lethal gas could lay claim to the Hume, the Springserpent General pounced out from behind him. Mihli Aliapoh swung her enormous club with a fierce cry, producing a wave of cleansing water. The two forces struck with an explosive result, with the Khimaira's putrid gas scoured away. Following through, Mihli dove through her own torrent to viciously smack the end of her club down on the beast's snout. Blood gushed from its nose, and it responded with a roar and a toss of its head that threw her aside. No sooner had she skidded to a halt, landing on her feet once more, than Zazarg and Rughadjeen were on it. The latter charged in head on, Algol still ablaze, the former launched down from above, his fists crashing with meteoric impact into the Khimaira's back.

For every attack they launched, the Khimaira had a counter. When they crowded in around it, it would release the same storm of energy that had obliterated Sefadin's assault. If they ran out of range, it shot deadly toxins from its tail and its throat. It fought their weapons with its fangs, and their magic with its lightning. The Generals were taking a beating, Jinxie could easily see, but so was the Khimaira. Its wings were flared upwards in a defensive posture, and the ground was covered with claw marks from where it had dug itself in yet still been pushed back.

Watching them in combat was seeing a perpetual motion machine in action. Every time one of them was forced back, there was another to take their place. They never let up, never gave quarter, they only pressed harder with every fresh assault. The Khimaira was powerful, that was clear, but she knew just from watching them that the outcome of this battle was not in question. The Serpent Generals were going to win the day.

Coughing nearby tore her away from her thoughts, and she turned to see Sefadin, lying propped up against a tree some distance away, slowly coming to his senses. Krista was next to him, and she called for help as soon as he started stirring.

"What's goin' on . . ?" His eyes were bleary, and his arms were limp at his sides.

"We took a pretty bad hit," Isset replied to him, the woman still coming to her senses herself. "You're missing a great fight, Captain. The Serpent Generals are here."

"Oh man," he breathed, "I gotta see that." He strained, trying to rise, but collapsed quickly. "Ugh . . . you got anything that'll kickstart my heart?"

Isset lifted her hand up, and for the first time Jinxie saw clearly the manipulator she used to control Shoki. It snapped into place in her palm, and she began twisting her wrist while moving her fingers. She caught Jinxie staring and smiled.

"The band around my wrist has a length of wire inside of it, and that's attached to the manipulator," she explained. "That way I can drop it and fight with my fists without losing it. Once my palm is on it, I can control Shoki through specific finger movements on the surface or verbal commands, or just manipulating my chi a certain way. He'll even react to changes in my pulse that the manipulator picks up." She frowned, pulling at nothing with the hand holding the device. An apologetic look came upon her as she turned back to Sefadin. "The Serpent Generals' spiritual energy is giving us too much interference, I can't reconnect with Shoki while they're fighting like this."

"They're so strong," Jinxie could feel the intense power being released from their battle growing even greater. "Why don't they finish it off already?"

"Because," Sefadin coughed, "they need to destroy it completely."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah," this time it was Krista who spoke up, "I can answer that." Rummaging through her pack, she produced her harp and began plucking rhythmically at the strings. To Jinxie's surprise, a cloud of images began appearing in the air, moving in time to the Bard's tune and voice.

"Khimairas are not what you might imagine," she said, and a rough purple shape formed in the cloud above Krista's head. "They're not born or summoned, they're not an ancient monster of any kind. Khimairas are engineered through science and magic - soulless creations assembled from the remains of other monsters!" The images of several other creatures appeared in the cloud, with arrows pointing from them to the purple mass in the center. Jinxie realized that the comical display was the same as what she had experienced when Pixel had told them Kkel's story, only obviously to a greatly lessened degree.

"Making Khimairas is strictly forbidden by the Empire," a large "No" sign appeared above the Khimaira in her image, and Jinxie had to force herself not to roll her eyes. "But the Beastmen still produce them regularly. However, it was discovered . . . " the tempo of her song increased, and the image solidified into the form of the blank-eyed beast the Generals were fighting below them, " . . . that new Khimairas were being created using remains from previous ones which had been slain!" She lowered her voice, and the illusion lapsed into a series of rough shapes and colors. "Therefore, in order to prevent old Khimairas from being used to build new, stronger ones . . . " Five red shapes appeared around the Khimaira in her song, closing in on it rapidly, with a white flash as the result. " . . . you must obliterate that Khimaira entirely!"

"The Serpent Generals are waiting for the perfect moment," Sefadin spoke as Krista's song was carried away by the wind, "so that they might capture the Khimaira at a point of its greatest energy release and turn that energy back upon it. That is the only way to ensure it is completely destroyed."

"A monster made from other monsters . . . " Jinxie looked back over her shoulder, eyes widening at the sight of the beast. "Then it doesn't just have powers like a Behemoth . . . "

"No," this time it was Vaala whom confirmed her suspicion. "It is very likely the Khimaira you see before us was constructed using Behemoths native to your continent."

"That's . . . terrifying." She shuddered openly.

"Wait," Sefadin managed to edge himself up on his elbows, looking out over the ledge, "do you feel it?"

"Yes," Vaala confirmed, "the time is growing near."

General Rughadjeen was ruthlessly battering the Khimaira with his sword, forcing it up against the wall of the cliff around them. It attempted to break to the right, but was met by General Zazarg's fearsome strength and turned back. To its left, Mihli and Gadalar closed in on it, countering its magic and assailing it with their own. It roared in fury as it was boxed in, and Jinxie could see a white glow beginning to pulsate from beneath its stolen skin. The wings on its back were stretched wide open, and the hungry look in its soulless eyes had been replaced by sheer rage. It no longer wanted to simply eat its attackers, it wanted to hurt them, to punish them.

The monster was thick with wounds now, scars from the burning sword the Skyserpent brought against it. Beneath the cut flesh, a ruddy white glow was slowly pulsing outwards. The horns on its head were no longer crackling with lightning, but instead burning with that same white light. All over, the Khimaira was beginning to glow, and its chi was growing massively. Jinxie felt the air become stifling as its spiritual energy rose to greater heights than ever, overpowering even that of the Serpent Generals. Its howl was like an arrow, piercing through the oppressive river of colliding forces. The ground swelled up and burst around the Khimaira's feet, and the four Generals were forced back in unison, shielding themselves from the sudden surge.

At exactly that moment, a new source of chi suddenly burst to life, and with a gasp Jinxie turned to see Najelith, the Galeserpent, drawing back her bow.

"Almost," she whispered, squinting one eye as she leveled an arrow. To Jinxie's astonishment, the point of the projectile flickered briefly, and then burst into radiant light. Barely a moment later, the Khimaira let loose a deafening roar, its body erupting with power. A sphere of blinding energy formed around it, holding in place for a fraction of a second.

"Now, Selene!" The Galeserpent shouted, letting her arrow fly. "Typhonic Arrow!"

Jinxie should have felt, as everyone else did, the catastrophic collision of power as Najelith's arrow collided with the Khimaira's fulmination. The archer had spent the entire battle letting her bow, Selene, gather energy for one tumultous release. At the moment of the monster's greatest attack, all that power was brought to bear, resulting in an energy wave deadly enough to completely eradicate the beast. For everyone else, being in the presence of such incredible power was enough to make their bones rattle and the breath leave their lungs.

However, Jinxie could not feel any of it. She was lost in the dark and infinitely vast ocean of terror which had just swept over her.

From just beyond the entrance to the Khimaira's clearing, the Dark Rider had appeared.

Even as Najelith prepared to release her arrow, his crushing aura struck her like a great, pulverizing weight. She stood in rapt fear, gaping at the horseman as he reared his steed just beyond where they all had gathered. His burning eyes returned her gaze from beneath his helmet, and in the next instant he lowered his lance and charged. Trapped in the cage of his power, she could feel nothing but terror. He was here to kill her. She knew it without a doubt, and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Her legs moving seemingly of their own accord, Jinxie screamed, running as fast as she could. Escape, she told herself, she had to escape. This was no foe she could fight, no battle she could win. This was death, and it was coming for her.

The voices of the others were lost as the ground gave out beneath her. She tumbled head over heels, landing on her back to see the Dark Rider leaping over the cliff, the hooves of its eight-legged horse bearing down to crush her.

She covered her face desperately, still crying out, and then a wave of darkness swept across her.

In the next moment, the entire area erupted as Najelith's arrow pierced the Khimaira's dome of energy, and the battlefield was scoured clear by light.


Kkel Solaar's eyes came alight as a portal within the Chamber of Passage flared to life. He had waited through the night, dozing in a chair propped up against the wall from time to time. All the members of his elite squad had long since been sent home to recover from their day of lightning-fast assaults. Razfahd had returned to the palace, confident that allowing the Serpent Generals to follow Jinxie would bring quick and decisive victory. The guards had all locked up for the night and retired. Only Pixel remained with him, and she too turned in anticipation as a soft blue glow filled the portal.

It was Sefadin, the mercenary Captain, and with him the Bard that he dragged along. He stood up to greet them, but stopped when they came fully into view. The Paladin's head was hung, and his companion was looking away. In the brief moment he saw her eyes, he caught their redness, along with her tear-stained cheeks. Before he could raise his voice to them as they stepped away from the portal, it came to life once more. This time it was the other two mercenaries, Speed and Isset. Both appeared in a similar state to the Captain.

"What happened?" They looked up, surprised by his presence in the darkened Chamber. All four of them looked away from him, and each other. No one seemed to want to speak. Rising from his chair, he felt his emotions beginning to churn. "Why did you come back?" He demanded. "Answer me!"

"General . . . " Isset whispered, biting her lip.

The portal flared to life once more, and the dark form of the assassin, Vaala, appeared within it. She kept her masked head high, walking past the others without a word. Stopping in front of him, she drew a deep breath under the intense gaze of his blue eyes.

"General Solaar," she said perfunctorily. "I must report mission failure."

Kkel could feel his cheeks growing hot as Pixel placed a hand over her mouth, shaking her head. "What are you saying, Agent?" He could no longer keep his anger in check. "Somebody tell me what happened! Where is Jinxie? Well?" Vaala continued to meet his gaze, but said nothing in response.

A flash of blue told of the portal being used again, and this time they all turned. The platform it rested on filled up with the forms of the five Serpent Generals. Kkel brushed past Vaala, walking towards them, but Rughadjeen quickly came forward and headed him off.

"Kkel," he said, "my friend," the Elvaan's voice was low, "I am sorry."

"What are you - " he stopped, realizing the Skyserpent was pressing something into his hands. He looked down, and his heart nearly stopped in disbelief.

"We lost her, Kkel," Rughadjeen whispered, handing him Jinxie's tattered hat. "We lost her."

Kkel could only stare at the object in his hands in the stillness of the Chamber. For a long while, no one said a word, and the only sound was that of soft, silent tears.