Chapter 08
Adventure Hour
…
A lone figure stalked through the woods as the sun dipped low on the horizon. It was female in shape, but gnarled and twisted, a hag by any definition. Silence fell at her approach. The small things of the forest shrank in fear at her passing. She paid them no mind. Her thoughts were focused elsewhere, on other things, humans.
There were few things a hag hated more than humanity. To see them suffer was the hag's greatest pleasure. But that wasn't what she was after, not this time. This day's work called for something more severe, permanent.
She grumbled quietly to herself as she trudged through the forest. She hated being so far from her hut. It made her feel exposed. She was easily a match for anything in the forest, and more than a match for the average human. But the group that had killed the she-troll were far from average. If they spotted her before her work was done, she would be in danger. She didn't like that, not one bit.
A caw from a nearby tree drew her attention to a large crow. The crow was one of hers. She knew by the size and the eyeball it carried in its beak, "You've found them?"
The crow cawed in response.
"Show me" she said, holding out her hand.
The crow dropped the eyeball into her open palm and a rapid replay of its journey ran through her mind. The trip to Daggerhold was monotonous and thankfully brief. Hopping around Daggerhold she finally found what she was looking for.
The three humans were silhouetted in red. The fool goblin hadn't been lying. Too bad for him.
"Take this" she ordered, handing back the eye, "fly to the wall nearest the forest and wait."
The crow cawed once, plucked the eyeball from her hand then flew off to fulfill the command.
The old wretch cackled quietly to herself, "Good, and now for you my little friend" she said, taking a small wooden statuette from her pocket.
…
"It's not right I tell ya, not right at all" Ron complained as they stumbled away from the fort, "He had to be faking it. There's no way he could do all that otherwise."
"You mean kick your butt all over the training ring" snickered Harry.
"Don't think I wasn't awake to see him do the same to you" Ron shot back with a smirk.
"I've never claimed I knew how to fight with a stick" said Harry, "I've never claimed I knew how to fight at all."
"It shows."
"Ah shut up Ron."
The two boys chuckled as they dragged their battered behinds and bruised egos toward the tavern. Hermione was already there, pouting no doubt, but they were both willing to put up with that for the promise of food.
"So whadaya think we should have tonight?"
"Don't care," said Ron, "as long as there's meat in it."
"Here, here!"
They were in a jovial mood, despite their bruises, which was shattered suddenly by an earsplitting roar. Turning toward the source the two boys watched a massive form smash through the wall like a rampaging rhino.
"Oh bollocks."
The creature roared again, just in case anyone in town missed it the first time. Those that hadn't were already scrambling into the closest shelter, except of course for Ron and Harry.
"Why does it feel like we're outnumbered?" asked Ron, drawing his sword.
"Because you can count" said Harry, staff at the ready.
Facing the massive monster, its leonine visage stared at them with savage hunger. The goat head bleated and looked them over with its strange eyes and the serpent tail bobbed back and forth never losing sight of the two adventurers.
Taking the initiative, the chimera charged, lion teeth bared. Harry responded with a vicious swarm, a wall of hornets. The goat head bleated once then belched a massive gout of flame that turned the hornet wall to ash.
Harry backpedaled while Ron came in swinging his sword. It took the lion head in the mane doing no damage and putting him in range of the lion's teeth. Trying to take a bite out of him got it nothing but a mouthful of shield.
"Harry, this isn't working. YIKE!" the surprise attack at his unprotected flank was countered by a panicked flail, only just saving him from the serpent heads bite.
Having its fill of shield the chimera body-checked Ron, knocking him off his feet while disarming him at the same time. Looking into the savage eyes, and more importantly, teeth, Ron was certain his end had come. The universe however was not done with him.
"SPOON!"
With that declaration an armored figure came charging into the fray. His heavy metal shield smashed the lion head and the beast staggered back in shock.
"Heaven's Wrath!"
A crackle of static was the only warming they had before the chimera was engulfed in a glowing orb of lightning. A brilliant flash and the sound of thunder drown out a pained cry and when the lightning vanished the chimera wobbled, dazed and smoking but still alive.
"Hardy bastard. Well, get up maggot, fights not over yet" The Captain ordered offering his hand to Ron.
"Got another one of those handy Simon?" Harry asked as the wizard came to join them.
"I'm afraid not" he replied, "It was only luck I had that one prepared."
"Looks like he's on his last leg anyway" the captain observed, "We got this."
The way it convulsed and twitched it seemed a safe assumption. That all changed when a strange energy coursed through its body then exploded outward in a furious wave. All signs of ailment were gone, and its various eyes glowed with unholy light.
"Shite!"
"You just had to tempt fate."
"Oh, shut up Simon."
"Now what?" said Ron.
"Here" said the captain, handing the unarmed fighter the small axe from his belt, "I'll keep the teeth busy, you go for the neck. You two keep that goat head from barbequing us. Ready, go!"
Without waiting for a reply, the captain charged, Ron dashing after him. The chimera met them halfway throwing its considerable bulk against the captain's shield. Thrown back he never lost his balance and he was charging in again as soon as his feet hit the ground, shoving his shield in the lion's face.
"Now maggot!"
Ron was on the beast in an instant swinging the axe with both hands. His strike was good and bit into the chimera's flesh. The lion head tried to come about and confront him, but the captain would not allow, stabbing around his shield held firmly against the lion's head.
Ron was winding up for another hit when the forgotten serpent head struck. Ron saw it just before it latched onto his throat and clamped down. Ron struggled, sure the fangs had punctured something important.
The fangs ground against his skin but refused to penetrate. Abandoning the axe, he tried to pull it off and that's when he saw it. His skin, normally peachy smooth was gray as gravel, pebbled and coarse.
"Ha, thirty seventh times the charm" he heard Harry shout.
Realizing what had happened, he redoubled his efforts, breaking the snakes jaw and tossing it away, hissing furiously.
Snatching up his axe he went back to work on the body, but it was too late. The chimera had managed to exert its weight and throw the captain off. Ron was body-checked again and landed in a heap, unhurt thanks to his stone skin.
The two melee combatants were preparing for another assault when the binding Simon had placed on the goat head snapped and it belched flames like a drunken dragon.
The captain hid behind his shield while Ron, having nowhere and nothing to hide behind, was bathed in fire. Once again, his new stone hide saved him from harm, though not his shirt which wafted away on the evening breeze, a thin stream of fine black ash.
"Damn it" Harry cursed, "This thing just won't go down."
"Where did it even come from? Chimera aren't natural creatures."
"You think someone sent it?"
"Most likely" said Simon, projecting a magical shield to protect them from the fire.
Up on a nearby roof, a large black crow held a disembodied eye in its beak and surveyed the scene. The bird had no will now, fully controlled by the foreign entity that held sway over it. Still as a gargoyle it sat, unmoving, unperturbed.
If it had possessed its will it might have registered the presence of the other bird. It might have dodged the vicious talons that raked its fragile body, or at least squawked in protest as it was hurled at the druid's feet.
"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed, surprised by both the crow at his feet and the sudden appearance of his familiar.
"Harry! The chimera."
The three headed beast thrashed about as though in pain. The lion head roared, and the goat belched fire every which way.
"What brought that on?"
"Harry, the crow, there in its beak."
Harry knelt and took the small orb from the beak of the dead bird, "Is that, an eye?"
"Someone's been spying on us" said Simon, "Here, give it to me."
Simon took the eye in one hand, cupping the other over it. A few muttered words and his hands were engulfed in flame. The chimera bayed in confusion and fury.
"What the hell?"
"Whoever is spying on us must be controlling the chimera as well."
The wizard clapped his hands together then a quick rubbing and he threw them open, spreading ash into the air. The destruction of the spying eye did nothing to quell the chimera who continued to thrash about madly spewing flames on anything it got near.
"That thing'll burn down the whole town if we don't stop it." shouted the captain as he and Ron joined Harry and Simon.
Before they had time to consider a new plan of attack a strange sound filled the air and a long shadow fell across the ground. The four men looked up just as a massive shape crashed down on the back of the chimera. A sickening snap was drowned out by the booming crash and the four braced against the shockwave.
"Bloody hell" Ron said, expressing the feelings of the whole group.
Squatting on the broken back of the chimera, a familiar figure stood. Familiar to Ron and Harry at least.
"Well look who it is." said Ron.
"That our local bit a color?" asked the captain who had never seen the troll himself.
The troll spotted the four of them and instantly recognized Ron and Harry. Stepping off the dead beast it pointed past the gaping hole in the wall and roared a single word.
"HAG!"
Ron and Harry were confused but Simon looked like a light bulb had just gone on.
"Of course, that explains it."
"What?" the two boys blurted together.
"Hags detest humans, inherently," the wizard explained, "They thrive off misery and pain. Their notorious for working with goblins and monstrous things."
"Are you saying that she-devil is out there?" the captain demanded of the troll.
The troll nodded vehemently.
"She was connected to both those, the chimera and the crow when they were killed. Doubtless having that link severed so violently has left her dazed."
"We should go after her now then." said Harry to which the others nodded their agreement.
"Well what are we standing around for!" barked the captain.
"Can you lead us to her?" Simon asked the troll.
The troll nodded and beckoned them to follow. Taking off at a lope the four men followed the troll into the darkness as the last rays of daylight faded away.
…
A haggard figure stumbled through the forest, curses flowing from her lips like water from an ugly fountain. It was impossible, unbelievable. The chimera should have made short work of them, even with the assistance of the wizard and the old man-at-arms they should have been no match for the three headed beast.
Worse still, since the death of her spy preceded the death of her monster, she had no idea how they'd done it. All she knew was they most certainly had, she'd felt that.
And now she was running. Her head ached, and her body cried for rest after the ordeal of losing two bonded creatures within minutes of each other, but she couldn't stop. If they caught her, they would kill her, no question.
There was only one thing to do. She had to make her hut. If she could get to the special scroll she could escape with her life. She'd lose everything else, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. Things could always be replaced.
…
"Are we getting close?"
The troll nodded an affirmative as he thundered along ahead of Harry. It was just the two of them that drew near to their quarry. The others had started flagging after fifteen minutes, Simon falling first. He'd thrown a tracking spell at the troll and told them to keep going with assurances that he would catch up.
The man-at-arms had gone next, blaming his age and shortly after Ron had tripped on a protruding root and faceplanted into the ground. Still wearing the stone-skin he wasn't hurt but Harry hadn't waited around to laugh at him.
Hedwig was around somewhere, he'd no doubt, but he didn't have time to ponder on it as he bounded through the darkness with the troll. His breathing was hard and heavy, and the drums beat a frantic tempo in his ears. He was reaching his physical limit.
Quite suddenly a great ruckus exploded from the trees around them. A hundred beady red eyes glared, and sharp wicked beaks cawed angrily at their passing.
"Must be almost there." Harry thought aloud.
A moment later he was proven right when they burst into a clearing and spotted a small thatch hut. An individual was just stepping out of the hut when they spotted each other and for a moment everyone froze.
This was Harry's first look at the originator of all the recent trouble. She was a spindly gnarled looking thing, like someone had put a face on a piece of old driftwood and soaked it in vile.
Gathering her wits, the hag bolted, looking to resume the chase. Harry was sick of running and wasn't sure what he'd do if he did catch her. The wolves wouldn't have that problem. Pointing his staff, he cast his most powerful summoning to date.
It was not one or two wolves that sprang from the ether but a whole pack, nine full grown wolves lunging at the single grotesque female. The sight was just as impressive as it sounds. So was the explosion that destroyed them all in a single strike. Harry didn't know where she got the glowing red vial and he never had the chance to ask.
By the time the explosion had cleared the hag was leaping through a glowing blue hole that vanished as soon as she was through. Harry leaned heavily against his staff as the quiet began to sink in and the adrenaline that had been holding him up drained away.
They'd lost her. They'd failed.
"Well shit."
