Well, the experiment in the slums has paid off. I managed to create a new chimera, much stronger than my first specimen. Its seven limbs, each ending in clawed paws that seemed designed to tear flesh rather than walk, supported a body that was a twisted fusion of human and animal. Heads - yes, several deformed heads - stuck out at odd angles, as if the result of evolution. They snarled and snarled in different directions, and each had a pair of eyes that glowed faintly in the dim light. An additional mouth, wide and gaping, with jagged teeth around the edges, hungry and relentless, devouring whatever it could, was located additionally on something that could be called a stomach.
This poor creature from my previous experiments now rested in this very mouth, consumed by this monster. I doubt the new chimera even has a stomach in the usual sense of the word - just an endless, insatiable hunger.
The city is doomed to fall, that's for sure. It's only a matter of time before the last of Erimor's fortifications collapse, leaving the streets open to the invading army. But I can't just sit back and watch; no, I need to experience my creation in this chaos.
What surprised me most was the unexpected obedience of the chimera. Strange, isn't it? Commanding something so unnatural, so primal. To be honest, I still don't quite understand what drives them. Are they driven by pure instinct, or is there a fragmented consciousness lurking beneath that grotesque exterior? Some of my previous chimeras pounced on me the moment they were born, insatiable and mindless. But this one... it seems different. There's a spark in those eyes, something that says something more than just base animal aggression.
How do chimeras differ from each other? Why do some immediately try to devour their creator, while others - like this one - show deference? I don't have answers to these questions yet. But for now, I will take advantage of their obedience.
The warring parties will be the first real test of my new creation.
***
POV: Nameless Soldier.
***
Today is the day my homeland falls, and as the defender of my land, I am trying to save what little is left of my city of Erimora. It is a strange, suffocating realization that the strongest city-state, once a beacon of power and pride among such cities, is crumbling under the weight of its own ambition.
The enemy has already breached our walls, their soldiers pouring in like a wave that knows no mercy. They do not hesitate to slaughter my brothers in arms, their blood soaking the stones that once stood firm against invasion. The city walls that protected us from the outside world have turned to rubble, and now the city-state of Igrand, the first to strike at our borders, claims its reward. They have taken our territories one by one, and now they have come for Erimor, the heart of our resistance.
Our battalion, numbering barely more than three hundred poorly armed defenders, has gathered at the northwest wall. A gaping hole gapes before us - thanks to the relentless bombardment of enemy catapults. They charge into our sanctuary, a pack of hungry wolves eager to devour what's left of our spirit. You can see in their eyes that victory is already in their grasp, just as we feel the weight of defeat pressing down on us.
But this is our last desperate attempt to fight back against the enemy of our homeland. We huddle together, clutching our weapons as if they were the last vestiges of our hope. The screams of fallen comrades echo in my ears, mingling with the sounds of clanging steel and the guttural shouts of the invaders.
"Hold your defenses!" I shout, trying to rally my fellow soldiers. "For Erimor! For our families!"
They respond, gritting their teeth, preparing to face the oncoming wave. I can see the fear in their eyes, the uncertainty, but behind it all is a burning determination to protect what little is left of our city. As the enemy rushes forward, we prepare for the inevitable clash. This battle may be lost, but we will not give up without a fight. Erimor's legacy will not die ignominiously.
Taking a deep breath, I grip my sword tighter and prepare to meet the enemy face to face, and I can almost feel the ground shake beneath us as they approach. It's now or never.
The enemy comes at us like a storm, a wave of steel and fury crashing down on our tired bodies. We resist with all our might, but we are outnumbered. They come armed with gleaming swords and heavy armor, while we are but the remnants of a once mighty army of disparate weapons and tattered pieces of armor.
When the first wave comes, I swing my sword with all my might, feeling the blade sink into the flesh of an enemy soldier. He falls, but before I can catch my breath, another rushes at me, swinging a heavy axe that nearly knocks the weapon from my hands. I duck to the side, my heart racing as I barely manage to dodge the deadly arc. The air is filled with the clang of metal against metal, mingling with screams of pain and guttural cries of battle.
All around me, chaos reigns. The comrade to my left is slain, his screams cut short as the enemy plunges a dagger into his side. On my right, another soldier fights valiantly, but he is swept by an overwhelming wave of Igrande soldiers, and I watch in horror as he is dragged downward, swallowed whole by the maelstrom of bodies.
I fall back, desperate to regroup with my remaining allies, but the enemy presses on. They're destroying us one by one, and fatigue is starting to creep into my bones. Each swing of my sword feels heavier and heavier, my breathing becomes ragged. I catch a glimpse of a sergeant rallying the remnants of our battalion, shouting orders through the cacophony of clanking swords.
"Hold the defenses! Don't let them break through!"
But the words sound unconvincing. I look back at the breach in the wall, the gateway to our doom, and horror rumbles in my stomach. Another enemy soldier rushes at me, and I barely parry his blow, the force of it shaking my arm. I strike back, lunging forward, but he steps aside and delivers a strong leg kick that leaves me sprawled on the ground.
As I try to get to my feet, there is a sickening crunch as another comrade's shield splits under the weight of the enemy's sword. I force myself up, my heart pounding furiously, but I am overwhelmed by a wave of fear as I realize we are being thrown backward, the enemy closing in on us, choking us.
"Retreat! Retreat!" I hear someone scream, but order is lost in this chaos. The world narrows to a tunnel of screams and blood, and the only hope is a fight for survival.
I grit my teeth, determined not to give up. I can't let Erimor fall without a fight. With renewed desperation, I lunge forward, blade held high, eager to take down at least one more enemy before death catches up with me.
As if battling an enemy wasn't enough, my heart nearly stopped when I saw this creature. To be honest, at first I thought I was hallucinating. But no, it was real, too real.
The creature clumsily came into view, its seven limbs clawing at the ground as if in search of its next meal, and apparently we were the main course. Heads - yes, many heads - growled and snapped their teeth like wild beasts, each pair of eyes glowing with hunger. And what was that mouth on its belly? A nightmare mouth with jagged teeth that looked like they could chew through steel.
He didn't care which side anyone was on. The soldier-Erimor, the warrior-Igrande.
The creature swept across the battlefield like a hurricane of claws, teeth, and madness. I saw it grab a soldier from Igrand, lifting him easily before tearing him in half like a rag doll, his armor crumpled like paper. Blood splattered in all directions, and for a second I forgot I was fighting in a war-I was just trying to survive.
The beast moved with terrifying speed, its seven legs giving it bizarre, sudden movements that were hard to predict. One moment it was to my left, charging into a group of Erimor defenders, and the next moment it was rushing through a line of enemy soldiers. Swords bounced off his thick, wiry flesh.
I watched in horror as a group of Igrand warriors struggled to stay on their feet. One of them swung his sword at the creature's head and struck hard. But the creature didn't even flinch. Instead, it turned its head, as if it was annoyed, and simply bit its arm off. Uh-huh. Completely. The soldier screamed, but before he could react, he was grabbed by another head, and then another. They fought over him like wolves over a piece of meat.
I don't know what was worse, the sound of crunching bones or the fact that these guys were some of the toughest warriors out there, and they were getting wiped out.
The monster just kept advancing, tearing through our ranks and theirs, leaving nothing but chaos in its wake. Soldiers scattered in all directions, some trying to fight, others trying to flee. But it was impossible to escape. It was like a nightmare come to life, an elemental force that could not be stopped, it was tearing everything apart with unstoppable hunger.
The battle was unfolding like a twisted ballet of chaos. The creature, a nightmare come to life, continued its ruthless attack on both armies. With every swing of its claws, it paved a path of destruction on the blood-soaked ground. Limbs flew, screams rang out, and the once proud defenders of Erimor became mere food for the abomination.
I watched as the monster leapt at a group of Igandan soldiers, slicing through leather and chainmail with its claws as if they were made of parchment. One soldier, a tall figure clad in heavy armor, tried to counter it by raising his sword high. He swung, and the blade touched flesh, leaving a shallow wound from which dark blood oozed. For a moment there was hope. But the creature only turned its head, growling, and the wound seemed only to fuel its rage.
Another soldier took advantage of the creature's distraction and thrust his spear into the creature's side. The spear pierced the tough hide, and dark slime flowed from it. The creature howled, and that horrible sound spread across the battlefield, but it did not calm down. Instead, it turned around, its many heads snapping frantically in the air as if each one was more enraged than the last, flinging off with one of its paws the one who had inflicted the wound by thrusting its spear.
Meanwhile, I fought desperately, striking with my sword at any enemy that dared to approach. A soldier lunged at me, but I dodged to the side and brought my sword down to pierce his throat. He wheezed, falling to the ground, but my victory was short-lived. Turning around, I saw the creature swept through another group of Eremor soldiers, its clawed limbs slicing through them, guts and entrails spilling out, and there was such a stench on this battlefield, a choking stench that it made me dizzy.
I ducked as someone's head flew through the air and landed at my feet. The sight made my stomach twist, but I couldn't afford to lose my concentration. The enemies in front of me pressed harder, and I had to fight. Still, every glance in the creature's direction sent shivers down my spine. How easily it had broken through our ranks was a terrifying reminder of the powerlessness of men to the creature's strength.
I almost tripped over the body of a fallen soldier. I barely managed to get to my feet in time before the Igandan warrior lunged at me. I barely had time to react and stabbed him in the side, picking up a broken piece of sword blade, my hand bleeding from cutting myself on the blade.
As he fell, I looked back at the creature just in time to see it sink its sharp teeth into the Igrand soldier. The crunch of bones and the spray of blood stained the ground, a gruesome masterpiece of carnage.
My heart raced as I felt the ground shake under his weight. I had to get out of his sight. I threw myself behind the crumbling wall, using the rubble as cover as I continued to fight off the enemies who were now focused on the creature.
But even as I fought, I couldn't shake off the feeling of fear. For a second, I thought about running away. But where to? The creature had broken through both armies. It didn't care who it ripped to shreds and devoured next.
So, yeah... I did the only thing that came to my mind.
I prayed. And I ran.
The world around me turned into a whirlwind of screams, and as I rushed to escape, I was determined to survive this nightmare, no matter what it took.
***
Mc POV:
***
From my place on the watchtower, I could watch the chaos unfolding below. The scene was both horrifying and mesmerizing-my creations, these chimeras, were a testament to my twisted ingenuity, and they made a veritable slaughter on the battlefield.
Claws pierced through armor as if it were mere paper, tossing people into the air. The soldier tried to defend himself by raising his sword high, but the chimera ducked and curved, its many heads pouncing on him like a pack of hungry wolves. In one swift movement, she tore him apart, leaving nothing but a scarlet spray that glistened in the fading light.
The stench of blood mingled with the acrid smell of smoke from the siege weapons, creating a nauseating miasma that hung heavy in the air. The ground beneath me became a canvas splattered with the life force of two armies. Innards and limbs were scattered and the sounds of dying filled my ears.
I turned my attention to another section of the front, where my second chimera was engaged in a brutal battle near the gate. Several Igandan soldiers had cornered it, raising their weapons in a desperate attempt to overpower this beast. With a scream that echoed through the chaos, the chimera lunged forward, its deformed head grabbing anything it could reach. It crashed into the soldiers, causing them to stretch like rag dolls.
One soldier, a fierce-looking man with a face covered in battle scars, managed to thrust his spear into the creature's side. Dark liquid gushed from the wound, but instead of retreating, the chimera roared with rage. It turned around, opened its extra maw wide, and in one swift motion, bit the soldier in half. The sound of tearing flesh was sickening, but the creature's hunger was unquenchable, and it didn't hesitate to move on to its next target.
But as I watched them, I noticed something disturbing. My chimeras, though resilient, were beginning to accumulate more wounds on their bodies, signaling that they too would likely be destroyed in this war. If they could survive, I could investigate them afterward.
Suddenly I heard a shout from below. A squad of defenders had gathered, trying to repel the onslaught of the Igrans. Their bravery was admirable, but in the end it was all in vain.
And yet, despite the chaos, I sensed that things were changing. The warriors of Igrand rallied, attacking my creations with redoubled fury. They kept their distance from each other so as not to die in a heap, and they struck back with a determination to destroy these creatures slaying them.
I felt a prick of disappointment mixed with a twisted sense of pride; my chimeras held their ground. The sun dipped lower, casting an eerie glow on the carnage, and I could barely take my eyes off the sight before me.
I huddled deep in the shadows of the watchtower, determined to witness the fall of Erimor and collect the fruits of my research.