Chapter 47: Comrades

In the middle of the Forest Igraine, two souls fought side by side against a terrifying beast that aimed to crush them. Both wounded and exhausted, sweat dripped from their brows but they kept going knowing that there is no time to rest until the beast is put to rest.

Ruby kept shooting at the monster but her bullets only bounced off of its hind while Aurelius did his best to decapitate the snake tail aiming to snap at his head. Numerous times he nearly melted to a puddle of gore when the snake tried spitting poison at him but luckily he is swift with his feet as well as his wit which saved him time and time again from dying.

The maiden had instructed him to cut the other heads before they could finish the beast so that it would lose two-thirds of its Divinity and be vulnerable to their attacks but so far he could only land minor bruises and injuries to the thing since it's too wild and too strong to vanquish so easily. The lion claw tried swiping at him but he quickly stepped back and went to his companion's side.

"I-I can't get close enough without the snake biting my head off or the lion tearing me to shreds. Do you have a backup plan for that?" he admitted panting beside her. He gave her a side glance and noticed the hard contemplating gaze she directed towards the beast. It seemed fairly a whole five minutes before Ruby managed to say anything and Aurelius can't exactly help but agree and comply anyways.

"Run!" she grabbed his hand and held it firmly in her smaller ones before pulling--or dragging him rather along with her as she ran through the woods with the monster following suit.

Ruby led him through twists and turns seemingly to aim to get the monster off their trail however with a size and feet as powerful as that, outrunning it doesn't seem to be a real plan. Aurelius only followed after Ruby's path making sure to never let her hand slip away from his hold even though they nearly tripped here and there and got scraped and bruised. He is a bit unsure where their exact destination is or if they even have one but he decided to put all his trust in her confidence and knowledge of the forest.

"Jump!" his partner yelled and he instantly complied without question or doubt. He noticed a rope lying low in front of them but he didn't have enough time to think what it was all about as they heard the monster roar from behind them.

Ruby suddenly pulled him against a marked tree to hide them both as the monster tripped on the rope. Darts instantly flew all around them impaling the Chimera making it release a loud guttural roar. The two collapsed against each other in a tight hug to avoid getting hit by any of the darts. Ruby pressed herself against his head and wrapped her hands around his head to ensure that no dart would ever hit him. Aurelius wrapped his arms around Ruby's waist in fear, squeezing his eyes shut and feeling her rapidly beating heart against his cheek. They heard the Chimera moaning and roaring in pain just near them and prayed that it doesn't inch closer to their location.

The barrage of darts soon stopped after a long thirty seconds and the two suddenly became more conscious about their position. Aurelius sat on the ground while Ruby sat on his lap while he had his arms wrapped around her waist protectively. The Prince didn't have the time to blush when Ruby soon stood up and quickly pulled him up before leading him again to run away from the beast.

"Come on, Rel! The sedative and the shock won't keep him down for long. I bet he's angrier now." she said while giggling. For some reason even though their lives are in great danger the little lady found something amusing in their current predicament as she dragged him along with her into their next escapade with a phantasmal beast. The prince couldn't contain his own laughter that bubbled from his chest as he ran side by side with a complete and total stranger that he can't help but admire.

"Rel?" he asked with a questioning look as they both ran for their lives while laughing.

"Since Aurelius is quite long I decided to shorten it a bit. I hope it's okay for you." Ruby explained with a cute goofy smile. The prince couldn't help but blush due to her adorableness.

"Sure. I don't mind." he answered timidly.

As the two ran together, the Chimera followed suit however there was a certain tipsiness to his every step unlike earlier but it doesn't seem to be enough to deter him in chasing down his two frolicking prey. The goat head tried blasting them both with lightning bolts and although they weren't exactly hit by the blasts the goat managed to hit a few things that can fall on them like trunks of trees or even the trees themselves. Luckily the two are very swift at evading the flying and falling debris.

Ruby led them deeper and deeper into the forest almost out of breath but she kept going. Aurelius did his best to follow after the huntress maiden however he can feel his own strength nearly failing him. The only thing keeping him moving is Ruby's hand that was wrapped firmly on his sweaty hand.

"We're near another one! Get ready to jump!! Right... NOW!!" Ruby exclaimed as they both leaped over a hidden rope before running a few more meters.

The Chimera seemed to be smarter this time as it jumped over the rope as well failing to activate the trap. It snarled at them with a hateful look while it's other heads glared at them fiercely. Even though they are in a critical position and fear was very prominent in their hearts, Ruby didn't let herself be stared down by a mere lower-class phantasmal. She glared back at it and pulled back her weapon holstered on her back before standing protectively in front of an exhausted Aurelius.

"Ruby what are you doing?" he asked as if she was out of her mind. And in this situation she probably is.

"I'm saving us both." Ruby answered before propelling herself towards the great beast and slashing its face numerous times with her scythe. It didn't do much damage but it seemed to be enough to disorient the creature and intimidate it into taking a step back. Aurelius realized that she's trying to make him back away towards the trap and activate whatever the hell it was but he couldn't help but worry for her safety. With her close range the goat head couldn't really strike making the snakehead and the lion body it's main offense teams.

Ruby yelped and stumbled backward when the snake tried biting her only to be punched away by Aurelius who grabbed her waist and dragged her to safety when the lion tried swiping at her.

"Don't be too reckless. Even though we barely know each other I need you to rely on my strength as well. I can fight too so stop trying to show off, little girl. And if we're going to both live and defeat this thing we need to work together, okay?" Aurelius voiced with a stern reprimanding tone.

Ruby pursed her lips before detaching herself from the male and standing her ground. "I'm not trying to show off, I just want you to know I can do this." was her reply before readying herself and facing the monster once more.

"You're fine. Now let's go." Aurelius said before striking the monster overhead followed by a shockwave from Ruby. This certainly made the monster take a step back until his feet stepped on the rope and two logs emerged from the side and slammed against the monster together. It wasn't enough to cause major injuries but it was enough to disorient him long enough for Ruby and Aurelius to execute their plans.

Ruby jumped overhead and swung her scythe to decapitate the goat head while Aurelius went behind the Chimera to destroy the snakehead. The reptilian tail was very feisty giving the prince a very hard time to even get close to it. He grabbed it by the neck but the snake managed to bite him making him release a moan of pain but he quickly sliced it off with his weapon.

"Rel, are you okay?!" Ruby asked in alarm.

"I'll be fine but we must continue."

"Right."

The two attacked the Chimera simultaneously trying to bring it down and push it to its belly but even with its two other heads gone it still proved to be a very formidable opponent.

Ruby was sent flying to a nearby tree when the monster clawed at her stomach knocking the air out of her lungs and leaving three large claw marks on her belly. Aurelius kept on fighting the monster while waiting for Ruby to collect her bearings. He kicked its head from the underside before delivering a heavy knuckle punch to its nose.

"Rel! Get ready to strike it!" Ruby yelled, gripping her bleeding stomach before lifting her scythe and propelling her body forward with the strong recoil of her sniper scythe. Ruby hooked the lion's head and flipped it over to its back while Aurelius activated his Photon Blast. Golden artifacts aligned in front of the prince surrounded by gold and blue light and it rushed to the Chimera blasting it to pieces and shaking the forest to its very roots, decimating half of the woodland as well. A loud bang resounded throughout the forest making a murder of crows fly away in terror squawking for their lives. Silence followed after that as the two panted and stared at the path of destruction Aurelius' power caused.

"Agggghhhh!" The prince suddenly fell on his knees gripping his arms in pain. Ruby quickly went to his side in alarm, lifting his head to her lap.

"You're poisoned!" she exclaimed after seeing the greying flesh of his arm where a green vile liquid exuded from.

"Come on I'll get you to Phantasia's house. She'll know what to do. Hopefully, she's still alive." Ruby said before hoisting him on her back and giving him a piggyback ride to the witch's cottage.

"Don't worry I'm not going to let you die." she reassured while he only replied with a grunt.