Shadow of the Abyss

Through several feet of snow, The Prince and Nephilim traveled, tripping over their feet every couple of meters, stopping to pee as they drunkenly staggered toward the hunt, singing songs of war on each other shoulders whist dragging a corpse behind them, the duo herded themselves towards the Chimera. Their cheeks flushed like that of a crisp apple. And their bellies full with a ball of fire.

[Divine Being, "she Who Hunts' laughs at the drunken hunt below]

[Divine Sin, 'Archeon' approves of this hunt]

[Divine Being, 'Debaucherous Wine,' nods at the blessing of wine]

Swallowed by snow that cradled their little arms and shoulders like weights, Altair and Riena drunkenly raced ahead, their arms over one another, to a particular location they had once visited.

"There!" Reina yelped, covering her mouth, as her echo stirred the snow.

The duo stared at each other and the shadow of the Chimera stationed beneath the Hearttree. Wrapped in snow, locked in a deep sleep. Altair and Riena giggled.

"W-W-we got to get serious…" The boy joked, having felt a heavy weight off his shoulders for the first time in a while. He felt free as if nothing could dampen his mood. The earlier apprehension towards this powerful beast was all but gone with the first two cups of wine. By the third, Altair and Reina no longer felt worry. The wine had given them courage.

"You remember the plan?" He continued glancing at Riena, grinning his way. Stealing a lick and nuzzle over his cheek, she nodded.

"Of course!"

The Prince pursed his lips and licked her back, smirking as her eyes went wide. " Revenge!"

Reina watched him, wary. Her expression portrayed one of betrayal as she touched her cheek. "No fair! Reina does that to you. You can't do it to her."

Altair only grinned evilly at the docile gleam. He leaned in again, almost as if to strike. Amused at Reina's puppy dog eyes, she looked back at him, her wolf-like ears drooping as if waiting to be bullied.

[Divine Being, 'Piercing Owl' believes you are too young for this type of play!]

The Prince gave the other side of her cheek a lick and nodded. "I see why you like doing this. It's kind of fun."

[Divine Being, 'Fallen Titan blocks his eyes]

Reina gave a nod. She backed away shyly, her plump cheeks pursing as she glared at him as if he'd done wrong. It had felt different when her father had done the same. With Altair, she felt excited, wanting more but too embarrassed to ask.

"Bully…" She nuzzled out.

Altair bore a bright, victorious smile. "I'll lure the Chimera to you. Can you handle the first trap?"

"Of course!" Reina sounded, taking a step back. She leaped onto the branch of a Sentinel Tree. She glanced at the Prince, growing solemn. " Be careful, OK."

"Always." He nodded, watching as she leaped away towards the first trap.

Altair shifted his eye toward the Chimera. His expression turned cold, but the courage bubbling within his gut began to leak as he approached with Jay's body pumped with poison and a few drops of Riena's blood. He stepped close, stopping as a silver-scale beast flashed across his pearly eyes.

Bearing the head and body of a powerful Lion, armed with glistering silvery scale rather than fur, with a goat head over its mane and a cruel-looking serpent for a tail. Altair sucked in a deep breath of icy air. The beast was well over ten meters tall, clad in iron-like muscles over its frame.

[Ding]

Lunar Chimera Lv 12

Race: Monstrosity

Strength: 24

Dexterity: 16

Constitution: 20

Wisdom: 15

Charisma: 10

Mana: 10

Resistance: N/A

Weakness: N/A

Skill: Frigid [E], Photon Beam [D], [Sleep [F], [Lions Roar [F], Poison Mist[F]

He gulped yet again at its stats and abilities as slivers of sweat came crashing down from his forehead. He laughed to himself before tossing Jay's corpse inches away from the beast.

The Chimera's lion's ears perked up in alarm as it opened its azure blue eyes towards the corpse wet with fresh blood. It gave a low, satiable growl, alerting the other heads. Altair watched from above, having lept away the moment he tossed the corpse as six eyes opened one by one.

He swallowed hard, with the quickening of his heart against his chest.

The Monstrosity rose, sniffling at the dead man. It gave a few licks and nudges before easily tearing off Jay's arm with such ease Altair knew he'd be no different if he were caught. In a matter of seconds, as the beast tested its meal, the sounds of bones breaking and muscles tearing entered the Prince's ear.

He watched coldly without expression as, one by one, each of the heads had a taste. Despite sharing one digestive system, they each held tastebuds. Altair stood up on top of a branch, disturbing the snow on the branch, having seen the beast devour all its meal.

The Chimera looked up, all six eyes settling on the obsidian-haired boy standing in his territory. The beast growled as the mana within the area shuddered with deadly intent. It was a growl that would turn a man's heart weak and their legs to jelly.

"Hello~" The Prince acknowledged, unphased. "I am here for your head."

With a horrid roar that tore the Prince off his feet alongside the bark of the nearby trees, blood trickled from his little ears as he laughed at the sudden attack that sent his mind into disarray. Altair caught hold of another branch, flipping back on top of a nearby tree, and kicked off with all the strength he could muster.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM~

Tearing through the neighboring Sentinel tree was larger than three grown men with ease. Thunderous explosions crackled through the silent woods as Altair leaped from tree to tree, branch to branch, using the large trees as tools to slow the beast.

Suddenly, bells of alarm sounded through his young mind as the hairs on his neck stood at attention. The Prince turned to the Monstrosity as it opened his mouth, bearing a great ball of flames that sent the mana into a state of uproar.

[Animal Instincts proficiency has increased by 7%]

[Proficiency: 72% → 79%]

Altair did not even hesitate to leap high into the skies as a great tongue of flames tore through the snow and trees with such ease ash bellowed through the skies like rain. The cone-shaped wave of flames swarmed the woods for over a hundred meters, eating away at life.

Barely dodging with a few burn marks trailing up his elbow, Altair tumbled onto the ground on his feet wet with ash and melted snow. "My Lord…" he cried, unable to believe the level of destruction. "Is this a dragon?"

A light snow graced his cheeks, melting the moment it touched his flesh. Altair pulled back a few steps, stopping as he noticed a peculiar contracting of its six eyes. He grinned as the poison began to kick in. Kicking off his feet at the moment of pause within the beast, Altair ran for dear life, catching sight of Riena in a nearby tree minutes later.

He stopped, nearly tumbling over as he whirled towards the Chimera chasing after him with a crazed gleam, slowly beginning to foam at the mouth. He narrowed his gaze towards the ground near the disturbed trees and snow, near where the beast was about to step over.

He roared. "Riena now!"