The Mortal

I start to believe that rest doesn't exist here

I was still able to use magic because of the force of the night but I didn’t want to force. I would need energy to fight Lamia. A lot of energy. So I decided to fight without using magic as long as it was possible. I wasn’t so good with a sword but I was still able to fight some monsters with Kyle’s help and with Leah watching our back. I wasn’t the one who was killing the most monsters but I was at the top of my abilities. I beheaded some monsters but also get some injuries. Nothing really serious but I was careful since the snake incident. The fight was starting to turn to our advantage. Kyle and Leah were killing enough monsters to fill up an entire mosnter graveyard (I know it doesn’t work like that with monsters but the ide ais good no ?). At the same time as I thought that I realized something.
« How is it possible that you still have arrows ? » I asked after getting closer to Leah
« We’re in the middle of a fight and that’s the only thing you can think about ? » she answered shooting another arrow which killed a monster behind me
« Hum in fact yes it is » I said doing a tourniquet movement with my sword to repel a monster
« My father was once turned into a mortal » she answered with a sigh « And since this incident he thinks more often of his children. He gave me this quiver. It’s a magical quiver that couldn’t be empty. That’s why I still have arrows to shoot »
So some Gods actually cared about their children. They weren’t that bad finally.
« So you met your father once ? »
« Yes I did ! Now could you focus on the battle please ! »
I started to fight again with a new force : the bigger conviction that I was really doing something good. Demigods needed magic to protect them and Gods weren’t bad. Their world deserved better than what Lamia was about to do.
I was killing monsters faster than ever when I suddendly realized that the one I was facing was the last one in the room. Before I could do anything Leah shot an arrow to it and killed it in a single shot. It was done. We had won this fight. But something wasn’t normal. I still felt monster’s energy around us. A lot of monster energy.
« We’ve done it ! » Kyle said
« We won ! » Leah added
I suddendly noticed that there was another door on the wall in front of me and my own certainties have disapperead.
« Don’t be so sure about that » I answered
I walked toward it and opened it. At this moment I thought that maybe we still hadn’t yet won.
There was an enormous monster in this room. It was a huge and scaly lizard-like monster with nine heads, each one diamond-shaped with a mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth. Each mouth spits toxic acid. There was an hydra in this room.
« Guys you should definitely look at that ! » I said
« Seriously ?! » Kyle said « Like all of the monsters we had defeated weren’t enough ! »
« You were truly thinking that she would let us find her easily ? » I answered ironically
« She could still have made it easier for us » Kyle answered
« Guys we have an hydra to fight ! » Leah yelled
« We know ! Let us complain ! » we answered at the same time
« You’ll complain later ! » she said « It’s running toward us ! »
Seeing that the hydra was almost in front of me I reacted instinctly. I made amove with my sword and beheaded it. At least one of the heads.
« NO ! » Leah yelled « If one of its heads is severed, the hydra grows two heads in the place of the lost one ! »
But it was too late. Two heads grew back from where the last was.
« I’m sorry » I answered « I knew it but I reacted instinctly »
The hydra got closer again and tried to attack us with toxic acid. We moved and achieved in escaping the acid jet.
« How do we manage to kill this thing ? » I said
« I can’t remember » Leah answered « I need time to remember ! »
« I’ll try to give us some » I said
I had to use magic. I had no other choice. So I did it. I focused and made a barrier between the hydra and us. I was becoming an expert in making magical barriers between us and monsters. But this one was bigger and more powerful than every ohter monsters we had fought so far.
« It’ll not last long ! » I warned
The hydra made a first move but the barrier resisted. As it was preparing to attack another time Leah had an illumination.
« Fire ! » she said with a beautiful smile « Heraclés eventually defeated the monster by having his nephew Iolaus cauterize each stump after he had cut it ! »
Kyle was the first one to react.
« I’ll cut its heads and you use your fireballs to cauterize them ! » he said looking at me before turning to Leah « And you watch my back while I’m doing it »
He ran towards the closest heads and took advantage of my barrier to cut three of them in a row. I focused and made three fireballs appears. I shot them to the stumps being careful not to touch Kyle. We continued like that until there is only one head left. I was preparing a last fireball when Kyle attacked its last head. But at the moment his sword touched the monster’s neck I saw that the sword was blocked.
« Guys there’s a problem » he said « My sword doesn’t want to cut its last head ! »
He backed off and looked at me. He must have read the dismay in my eyes because he immediately turned to Leah.
« The last one is immortal » she said « Heraclés used a giant stone to prevent it from moving but we don’t have that here ! »
Why things were always becoming harder when I thought that it wasn’t even possible ?!