Facing the Chimera 2…

"Forget the heart!" Adrian shouted, his mind racing as he fought to stay on the creature's back. "Aim for the throat of the goat head! That's its only weak spot!"

Lilith nodded, her focus narrowing as she quickly nocked another arrow. 

The Chimera, enraged by the attack, lashed out with renewed fury, the lion's head snapping at Adrian while the serpent tail coiled around his leg, trying to drag him off.

Adrian gritted his teeth, the pressure on his leg intense as the serpent tightened its grip. He slashed at the tail with his sword, the blade sparking as it clashed against the serpent's scales. 

The tail recoiled slightly, giving him just enough room to maneuver. He yanked his leg free and sent his fiery chains towards the beast, wrapping them around its legs and pulling tight.

The Chimera roared in fury, trying to shake off the binding chains, but Adrian held firm, digging his heels into the ground as he struggled to keep the beast restrained.

"Now, Lilith!" Adrian shouted, sweat beading on his forehead as he strained against the Chimera's immense strength.

Lilith drew back the bowstring, and an arrow made of pure light appeared, glowing brighter and brighter as she infused it with her energy.

With a steady hand, she aimed for the Chimera's throat, the only place they knew would be vulnerable.

"Hold it steady!" Lilith ordered, her voice sharp as she focused on her target.

Adrian grunted with the effort, his chains glowing brighter as he poured more of his energy into keeping the Chimera still. 

The beast thrashed and roared, its three heads snapping and snarling as it fought against its restraints.

With an exhale, Lilith released the arrow, sending it streaking toward the Chimera. 

The arrow struck the beast's throat with a blinding flash of light, embedding itself in the soft flesh of the goat's neck. 

The Chimera's roar of pain was deafening, the sound echoing off the mountain walls. Black blood spurted from the wound, and for the first time, the creature faltered, its movements growing sluggish.

"Yes!" Lilith exclaimed, hope surging through her as she saw the effect of her shot.

But the victory was short-lived. 

The Chimera, enraged by the attack, broke free of Adrian's chains with a powerful surge of strength. 

The force of it sent Adrian stumbling back, his grip on his sword faltering as the beast charged at him with renewed fury. 

Before he could react, the Chimera's massive paw connected with his chest, flinging him into the air like a ragdoll.

Adrian's world spun as he soared through the air, his body slamming into the rocky wall of the clearing. 

He gasped for breath, the impact knocking the wind out of him as he struggled to regain his bearings. 

The Chimera's roar echoed in his ears, the sound reverberating through his skull as he fought to stay conscious.

Lilith let out a cry of alarm, her eyes widening in horror as she watched Adrian crash to the ground. "Adrian!" she screamed, her voice tinged with panic as she rushed toward him.

But Adrian wasn't finished yet. Ignoring the pain that shot through his body, he summoned his fiery chains once more, the glowing tendrils shooting out to latch onto the rocky ceiling above.

With a groan of effort, he pulled himself up, using the chains to swing back toward the Chimera.

The beast snarled in surprise as Adrian propelled himself towards it, his sword raised high. He aimed for the Chimera's goat headed throat, hoping to pierce through the wound and strike a fatal blow. 

But the creature's snake-headed tail was quicker, snapping up to intercept him.

The serpent's fangs sank into Adrian's arm, the pain searing as the venom burned through his veins. He gritted his teeth against the agony, refusing to let the Chimera gain the upper hand. 

Before the Chimera could react, Lilith swung her dagger which was shining bright with her energy and sliced through the snake's head, severing it from the Chimera's body.

The Chimera turned away from Adrian and charges towards Lilith in rage.

Adrian's chains lashed out again, wrapping around the Chimera's limbs in an attempt to hold it back, but the beast's strength was formidable. 

It yanked free of the chains, its eyes blazing with fury as it charged at Lilith, its deadly fangs bared.

"Lilith!" Adrian shouted, his heart lurching in fear.

Lilith scrambled to her feet, her daggers back in her hands as she tried to keao out if its way, last minute.

Adrian didn't wait, using the chains as springs, he shot himself towards Lilith, wrapping his hand around her as they made contact, and pushing her out if the way.

Before they hit the ground, he turned mid air and landed on his back, Lilith on top of him. She let out a breathless laugh as she sat up, her legs straddling Adrian's hips. 

Her dark eyes sparkled with a mix of mischief and relief, even as the echo of the Chimera's enraged roar filled the air. 

She glanced down at Adrian, a teasing smirk playing on her lips as she adjusted her position, her hips pressing down against him in a way that made his heart skip a beat.

"Well, well," Lilith purred, her voice low and sultry, "if you wanted me on top, Adrian, you could have just asked."

Adrian groaned, both from the pain in his back and the way Lilith's playful tone sent a jolt of heat through him. 

His hands instinctively moved to her hips, holding her steady as he tried to catch his breath. "This… wasn't exactly the plan, Lilith," he muttered, though there was no real irritation in his voice.

Lilith's grin widened, and she leaned down, her face inches from his. "Plans are overrated," she whispered, her breath warm against his lips. "Besides, I think you're enjoying this more than you'd like to admit."

Adrian felt a flush rise in his cheeks, and he looked away, his heart pounding in his chest. 

Lilith had a way of getting under his skin, of making him forget the danger they were in, if only for a moment. 

But now was not the time for distractions, no matter how enticing they might be.

He cleared his throat, trying to focus. "Lilith, the Chimera—" he began, but Lilith cut him off, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Shh," she murmured, her eyes glinting with amusement. "The big bad Chimera can wait a second, don't you think? I mean, it's not every day you get to be…"

She had barely finished her sentence when they felt the heat of the fire from behind them. Quickly, Lilith rolled off, giving Adrian the space to roll out of the way too.

Upon seeing them, the Chimera roared and spat fire again at them. Adrian gathered his chains as shields in front of them, weaving them together to back the fire. 

Taking advantage of the beast focused on Adrian, Lilith leaped onto the Chimera's back, her daggers flashing as she struck at the goat's throat again and again. 

The creature bucked and thrashed, but Lilith held on, her attacks relentless.

Adrian, seeing the Chimera's strength waning and no longer spitting out fire, he shot out his fiery chains one last time. 

They wrapped around the creature's neck, tightening with each passing second. The flames burned brighter, searing the Chimera's flesh as Adrian pulled with all his might.

The Chimera let out an ear-splitting roar as Adrian drew out his sword. "Lilith! Get off!" 

Lilith did as told and Adrian threw his sword straight for the goat's throat, followed by three fiery chains.

The sword and chains shot through the goat's throat, cutting it off the rest of the body.

The Chimera groaned and collapsed to the ground, its massive body twitching.

Wanting to be sure it was dead, Lilith grabbed Adrian's sword from where it stuck to the ground. Filling it with her energy, she brought down the flamy sword in the lion's head, killing it instantly. 

The clearing fell silent, the only sound the crackle of Adrian's chains as they released their hold and returned to him.

Adrian and Lilith stood over the fallen beast, their breaths coming in ragged gasps as the reality of their victory sank in. 

The Chimera was dead. They had done it.

Lilith looked over at Adrian, a satisfied grin spreading across her face. "Well, that was fun."

Adrian chuckled, though his body ached with exhaustion. "You have a strange definition of fun, Lilith."

She winked at him, the playful light back in her eyes. "You love it."

Adrian shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Let's just get out of here before I start questioning my life choices."

"Let's grab the heads and get out of here," Lilith said, walking over to where the goat head was.