Darkness covered them.

Apexus hid in a cluster of swamp grass. The tall plants hid his form well. A number of leeches in the water attempted to draw nourishment from his naked calves. They failed to penetrate the skin and swam on after a while.

From his position, the slime had a good look at Aclysia and the beam of summerly sunlight that she projected. It was a focused, if harmless, ray, illuminating the form of the monster that was following the brightness.

The Chimera Gargant was everything described. Three pairs of arms extended from a broad torso. One pair was girthy and muscular, covered in black fur like those of a gorilla. A second pair, the smallest and located closest to the chest, was the double-joined scythes of a praying mantis, scaled up for the height of the creature. The last was akin to that of a human and a crocodile mixed together, scales covering twitching muscles.

The top of the monster was dominated by a cluster of heads. At the bottom sat the gorilla head, above it crocodile and mantis. Their necks were short, too short for the monster to look around without turning its entire upper body. An advantage that they would exploit.

The legs were an odd mixture of all the species that went into the mix. Long and thick limbs, capable of holding up the weight of the monster. Every step made the stale water ripple.

The light lowered just a tad, focusing instead on the back of Atlas. The moment the Gargant spotted the silhouette of a humanoid, its body language shifted instantly. What had been instinct-driven curiosity turned into pure aggression. Dropping onto its gorilla arms, the monster suddenly charged.

Atlas grit his teeth, placed one foot back, tensed his core and pushed ki into every bone in his body. Reinforced joints locked into a rigid position. Steadfast, he awaited the impact.

The scaled knuckles of the Gargant slammed into the shield. Atlas’ feet dragged through the wet ground, but he remained standing. Screaming, yelling, and hissing, the three heads of the monstrosity expressed its frustration, before going into a flurry of blows. Atlas leaned fully into his Warrior Control, that particular Skill that exchanged the flashiness of bursts of power for pure reliability. The expensive, heavily enchanted shield absorbed and returned the blows, only making the Gargant angrier.

Behind Atlas, behind Aclysia, Rahesia read the words of power that flashed inside the turning pages of her grimoire. Every word spoken brought her closer to the completion of the spell. Finally, the woven vocals unfolded their magical power, descending on the monster as Curse of Lethargy.

“Thanks!” Atlas shouted and knocked aside the scythe-like arm. Fists were easily blocked, but the grapple of a praying mantis he could not afford to end up in.

“You’re welcome!” his girlfriend shouted back.

The stand continued, while arrow after arrow sailed through the air. Each projectile spun in the air, the technique of the Ranger working with her specialized arrows to drill into the flesh as deep as possible.

Kumlin poured a flask of the good water over his hands. Before the enriched liquid could drip from his hands, it was connected to his will. He rolled the water between his hands like it was a collection of prayer beads. The water amplified the effects of the spell the Shaman wove. It was costly to prepare. What was it supposed to be used for if not in a situation like this?

Atlas felt the refreshing cool wash over him the moment the water leapt onto him. Straining muscles were reinvigorated, allowing him to continue to take and keep up with the strikes of the Gargant. Between the increase in his power and the diminishment of the Gargant’s, they were surprisingly equally matched.

Apexus and Korith continued to observe the situation. ‘It seems they could have taken it on their own,’ the Monk considered. ‘We are here to tip the scales in their favour. We probably will save them a few one-time use items as well.’

While the two heavyweights laid low, the two felines snuck closer to the back of the Gargant. Blue tiger and red tiger girl suppressed their presence with Stealth, prowling ever closer. The monster raised all of its arms for a barrage of hammering strikes. The duo struck.

Confused screams accompanied the Gargant’s pain. Teeth and dagger dug into the soft flesh of the gorilla arms, below the shoulder joints, then ripped downwards. The Gargant attempted to fall backwards, to crush the assailants on its back under its weight. Doing so left its legs defenceless. A sudden forward surge had Atlas slam his shield against the kneecap of the large creature. The bone shattered.

Reysha and Flora had to retreat. They left behind heavily bleeding gashed and exposed sinews. They were unsevered, but the shattered kneecap created an alternative advantage.

Apexus and Korith stayed in the background even as the creature thrashed on the ground. There was no need for them to weigh in. Every second the monster kept Reysha, Flora, and Atlas at bay with its wild swings, kicks, and bites was a second Alabasta used to needle its exposed stomach with arrows.

The elven Ranger drew the bowstring back to its utmost. Ki flowed from her fingertips into the rune carved into the enchanted wood. The fire energy from the tendon of a young dragon seeped into the back of the arrow. Each of her projectiles was tipped with magic-basked gold, the Silver Birch of the shaft quivered in excitement and the Storm Fowl’s feathers unleashed their element at the call of the Ranger.

The Evocation Shot unbound the magic in the item to devastating effect. Slicing winds accelerated the arrow as it flew, then formed a digging, drilling tornado in front of the tip. Flesh tore open. The tip of the arrow was about to dig into exposed guts when it was blown back.

All of the fighters were blown back. “PHASE TWO!” Atlas yelled. Pure ceremony, everyone was already moving. In their hiding spots, Apexus and Korith tensed up.

The six arms of the Chimera Gargant fused into two. All over the creature’s form, thick chitin plates pushed out of semi-liquid skin. Where it was injured, the wounds flowed back together. Bone and muscle were patched up as if they had never been injured in the first place. Its bulk increased by a notable factor, as the various colours of the chimera all turned an angry red. It roared and so did its enemies.

Rahesia slammed her grimoire shut, then opened it back up at the first page. The Curse of Vulnerability now was on her lips. Effortlessly, she grabbed a Witch Candle from her bag and lit it with one hand. The curse’s effect was magnified, outlining the monster’s shape in dooming purple.

The Chimera Gargant still had its eyes on Atlas. It could hardly see more than the Warrior and was not smart enough to consider that the origin of the cone of light may have been another person. ‘This is going to hurt,’ the party leader thought and raised his shield.

The impact of the fist was diminished by the simultaneous arrival of Apexus and Korith. The two had leapt from their individual hiding spots, wings equalizing the extra jumping power the shortstack had by nature. Hammer and Ironskin-reinforced leg hit the monster in the back of one shoulder and the front of the other.

Apexus narrowly escaped the vengeful bite of the crocodile head, beating his wing just as the monster reclaimed its balance. Atlas rolled his shoulder. Even the diminished impact had vibrated down through the force-reflecting shield.

Korith landed in the grass next to him. The two Warriors did not exchange a single glance. They remained entirely focused on the enemy. Atlas’ eyes widened when he realized Apexus was already back in the fray – and had even landed on top of the Gargant. “Does he do that often?!”

“Uhm, yeah?” Korith answered.

Apexus had one foot on the side of the mantis head, keeping it from turning while he held the bottom of the crocodile jaw. Devouring these creatures had told the Monk enough about their physical attributes: while the bite strength was incredible, the muscles related to opening these jaws were relatively weak. All Apexus had to do was to keep a secure grip and pull up. Crystal claws dug into scales. Like that, he remained, struggling and, for the moment, succeeding in keeping the boss’ attention occupied.

The Chimera Gargant was reaching up to pluck the annoyance off its face. Korith and Atlas moved as one. Surprise was not a large enough factor for them to stop in the heat of battle. Sword and hammer came down on the arm, breaking the surface plates, and driving the limb back down.

That covered one hand, but the other was already going up. “Alabasta!” Kumlin shouted, sending a surge of rejuvenating energy towards her.

“I know what I’m doing…” she pressed out. It was all she could do. The high elf was drawing her bow past what she should have been capable of. Ki surged through her arms and the weapon in equal measure. The effort affected her entire posture. It looked like she was leaning against an invisible wall, such was the tension on her bowstring. The surge of new stamina allowed her to eke out that little bit more, before loosing the Power Shot.

The arrow had a light blue glow, as it cut through the night. The tip slammed into the forearm, punched a straight hole through the chitin armour, and threw the arm backwards.

Time bought was time used. Apexus gathered all the Ki he could in the meridians that boosted the strength of his limbs. Eerily quiet, the lungless Monk burned biomass to grant himself the might he needed, then twisted the crocodile head. The neck snapped with a loud crack.

Adrenaline and pain allowed the Chimera Gargant to move faster than anyone had expected. It twisted around, the momentum enough to send Apexus flying. He spread his wings. Too slow, he was already on the ground. The Gargant immediately brought its fist down. Apexus trusted his instincts and met the punch with an upward kick.

Parallel to the kick a singular fist rose. Reysha came to everyone’s awareness, the Rogue lending her aid to Apexus’ counterforce. A large foot and a small fist met a giant hammer of chitin and bone. The leg broke. The arm broke. Opaque, blue slime and black blood splattered. The attack came to a halt before it could destroy more than the limbs.

Again, Atlas and Korith moved in seasoned unison. The backs of the legs were turned towards them. Unarmoured knee pits were a ready target. Atlas cut a tendon. Korith’s swing was hard enough that the leg folded. The Gargant lost its balance and keeled off to the side.

The terrain blessed the party in that moment. All of that weight hitting the ground caused the muddy ground to give. The Chimera Gargant fell, then slipped into one of the ditches of the marsh head first. Usually a disorienting experience at worst, but deadly in the middle of combat.

“Get its legs!” Apexus shouted an order. Much like Atlas’ comment, that was hardly needed.

Korith and Atlas got on the right, Apexus, Reysha, and Flora on the left. Slime leg and demon arm had already regenerated back to the point of usability. Together, each group managed to grapple one leg and keep it down while carving into the chitin plates. The Gargant was struggling, trying to pull itself upright, but its hands only found water and yielding mud.

Reysha stabbed and stabbed again, cutting between two of the armouring plates. Once it was loose enough Flora hooked behind it with her teeth and pulled. “Stay like that,” Apexus ordered and rammed a hand into the resulting gap. The slammer hidden in his wrist punched the back of the chitin plate with enough force that it suddenly came loose in its entirety.

They ruined the entirety of the exposed musculature within seconds, then moved onto the other leg to the same. “Back!” Atlas barked, once they had completely torn both of the monster’s legs open. This time, the order was necessary for a coordinated retreat.

Everyone scattered. “Light out!” Apexus told Aclysia, who extinguished the cone coming from her joined palms immediately.

Everyone blinked to get used to the new levels of light. It was an overcast night. Even if it hadn’t been, the moon was thin. The Atlas Party reached for their adventurer’s bags and pulled out glasses that granted them a degree of dark vision. Korith, as a kobold, had her own limited variety of that. Reysha and Apexus were barely inconvenienced at all. Aclysia flew back and trusted that she would be given orders when necessary.

Now that no one was obstructing it anymore, the Chimera Gargant managed to push its hanging torso out of the ditch. It was bleeding in heavy gushes from its ruined legs. It didn’t even attempt to stand upright. The eyes of the two still-living heads scanned the environment. They barely managed to make out anything. An angry slam was delivered and squelched something. The group of ferns did not appreciate being squashed like that.

It was quiet. The two parties remained without word, keeping their distance from the Chimera Gargant as it dragged itself towards whatever it identified as an enemy. After ten minutes of this, the monster became delirious from the blood loss, twitching and thrashing without any reason at all. After another five, it was so bereft of vital ichor that it stopped moving. After another ten, it let out its last breath. After another five, Apexus carefully approached.

“It is dead,” he confirmed.

Everyone let out a collective sigh, as relaxation settled in. “Clean work, everyone,” Atlas said. “So much for only using Eagle Shot, Alabasta!”

“Can you people ever decide if I am too rigid or too spontaneous?” the high elf complained and closed in to try and get back as many of her arrows as possible. It was the lot of a Ranger to lose money to retain the range advantage, but even if the shaft broke she could at least get some of the tips and feathers back.

“What’s the proof of kill?” Apexus asked.

“The three heads,” Atlas said. “I would say we should wait until morning to start the sawing, but then we’ll have a maggoty mess by the time we get back… Stupid swamp flies.”

“Go sleep. I will take care of it,” Apexus stated. “I have biomass to recuperate.”

“You’re going to-“ Atlas stopped his question when he noticed the form of the Monk… changing. He wasn’t exactly bloating. Extra mass was expanding out from the skin, leaving the original body untouched. “…Okay… If you hadn’t told me what you were, this would be the part where I might try to take your head off for being really creepy.”

“Will you try?” Apexus asked.

“Nah, but I’ll take that nap. Alright, everyone, we’re leaving the clean-up to the Inevitable!”

“Why is their party name so much cooler than ours?” Rahesia asked.