Chimera King Box Set Books 1-3

by Atlas Kane

  ……….If you think you’re a champion, and want to see what comes next, check out Chimera King 3: Rulers of Last World (Aug. 20 Release).

  Ebook: Rulers of Last World!

  Book 3: Rulers of Last World

  Prologue: Like Crack or Kryptonite

  It was five hours past nightfall, and the creatures who stalked beneath the bright moon roamed freely. All avoided the blight slowly spreading from the once-beautiful city. A fog of dense and poisonous ether shifted occasionally, taken up by the wind. Anything caught in its grasp twisted and warped into something new.

  The process wasn’t slow, but sudden and violent. More often than not, the unfortunate creature would die, its final outraged cry raising the hair on another beast’s back a mile away.

  But sometimes something new would form. Hybrids had become common, mutations that combined the aspects of two or more creatures, and those that survived such amalgamations lived tortured lives.

  The Kotani tribe were all asleep in their caves. Only a handful of bull males remained alert, throwing stones set in a neat pile nearby. Incursions on their territory had increased of late, and the extra precaution was necessary. Orders from the Kotani Ma were irrefutable, and though the males had at first complained - what male doesn’t appreciate the warmth and comforts of his female companions after all - after the village was attacked by a handful of monsters, they remained alert.

  Beasts who once frequented the Waterfall District had found new homes, pushing into the territories of others. This made the Nilgathi Drakes of the Toth Mountains more than happy. New food was a bounty none would overlook or question.

  Yet others, the buggbears for instance, had been forced from their homes, and without the protection of their tree, had all but disappeared already.

  Only the formidable Brimstone Boars still roamed freely, the size of their pack and their own physical prowess lending them some degree of protection. Even now, coming closer to the old city, the boars didn’t feel at all afraid of the glowing mist wavering before them. It had no fangs, no claws to tear at their hides. Yet they had snouts to rival a hound’s, and on the wind, they smelled the sweet stench of rot.

  Something was dead, or many things perhaps. It was enough to feed the pack, and so their leader steered their course into the ether.

  Miles away, the Kotani Apes heard their fell screams. Huddling closer together, the males made ready for whatever vile presence might come.

  At Camp Casmeer, the people had all found their beds. Only a handful of guards remained awake, and they leaned on spears heavily, blinking with fatigue. Nobody enjoyed guard duty, but none were exempt. It made for less squabbling.

  Their great leader was asleep, an arrangement of gorgeous women decorating the inside of his tent more suitably than any chandelier or decadent painting from his old world. And yet all around them, newcomers dreamed of building a more substantial base, one that could withstand any danger, one that all could call home.

  Only eight feet away, inside a newer structure designed to house only three of the villagers, a woman of great importance struggled to find rest.

  Cha had arrived to Antinium long before the fool Cade had, and she resented his new position. If anyone should have gained leadership over Camp Casmeer, it was a woman as wise as she. He knew her opinion on the matter, and at least did not seem clever enough to have her eliminated. She’d requested her own place, apart from the squalor of sleeping alongside so many other bodies. The main housing structure held most of the villagers, and private walls kept their beds separate. Still, Cha needed her own space, somewhere she could speak privately to those who were loyal.

  Nearby, Havasham slept, arm over slender Pomre. Both knew her ultimate plans, shared in her vision, and most importantly, would walk off the nearest cliff should she ask. Those were the kind of followers Cha sought. And though many were in love with the muscles and shining exterior of Cade and his women, a few remained who harbored other emotions.

  Confusion was easy to take advantage of. It could be twisted and guided into a more useful emotion. Resentment was her ultimate goal.

  Writhing on her own bed, Cha dreamed again of darkness. A creature whose face was a mask of eyes, lidless and staring, met her every night. Rest evaded her almost completely, but she knew also there was something to gain by these meetings.

  They had a wordless communication. Images flickered through her mind, showing her evidence that her dreams were not only possible but looming. Jungle burned, creatures scampering in all directions as the foliage curled away and turned to ash and smoke. The woman grew black, choked by the growth of the impending darkness, its very flesh absorbing everything in its path. Finally, the very mountains themselves splitting, and the divine and winged beasts roosting there pulled earthward by grasping tendrils too strong to deny.

  Her body was wracked with pain. It was her back, always her back, and she reached behind her and held the puckered scar there.

  After fleeing Tanrial with all the rest, Cha’s mind had been clouded. She felt relief for having been released from that bastard Vormer and his twisted entertainments. She’d also felt a desire to meet and thank the man who’d saved them all, this Caderick figure who rode atop a boar with four women at his side.

  But the blast that followed, a cloud of screaming metal chasing them down, had changed that sentiment permanently.

  Blinking up at the dark ceiling of her small house, she could almost see it. A tiny fragment of gold metal rested between one of her vertebrae and ribs. It hurt always, but mostly at night. And yet, far from resenting the pain, Cha reveled in it. Yes, it placed her in a foul mood resembling a roiling storm that never quite broke.

  But it also gave her a personal connection to the darkness, the Night herself, to Abyss, queen of the empty spaces. She was terrible and lovely.

  Cha wanted nothing more in this life than to deliver Antinium to her. What other cause was there to rival such a calling? None that she knew of.

  Her work had only just begun, and one task resonated clear and obvious before her. Camp Casmeer was not a refuge for those settlers looking to reclaim their lives and build a place to thrive in. No, it was a gathering of slaves who needed to be brought to knee.

  A worthy task, Cha knew, and to accomplish it, she would need to contend with Cade.

  He would fall first, and she had so many plans how to get him there.

  1

  The Fruits of Mankind

  “Trust me, you’ll want this. It doesn’t look like much, but when cooked right, they taste so good,” Minda insisted, her hand on a very sassy hip.

  Satemi fought the hand on hip gesture by crossing her arms as aggressively as possible. “They look like Cade’s manhood after a long night with Ketzal. I don’t think I want to eat those.”

  Despite being the butt of the joke, Cade laughed. The woman was right. These fruits, or pods of some kind, looked like nothing more than unfortunately shriveled dicks.

  Normally, when any of the villagers became quarrelsome, he’d think of a way to find a middle ground. This was too much fun to watch though, and he was tired besides. He’d pulled a guard shift in the middle of the night and hadn’t fallen asleep again afterward.

  Ketzal rose to the occasion. “Let’s be honest, Satemi. Almost every plant in this forest looks to be an imitation of either a man or a woman’s tender parts. It might be a joke from the gods, but it is very consistent. Have you seen the flower with the orange…”

  “Yes! We’ve all seen it,” Satemi snapped, but though her brow was knit tight enough to hold water, she did uncross her arms.

  Small victory there then, Cade thought. As soon as those arms loosen up, she can be persuaded. Saying as much out loud would be equivalent to starting a war, so he just smiled casually and suggested they get moving.

  “Listen, I don’t care either way, though Minda’s tongue hasn’t steered us wrong in the past. But if we do decide to harvest this thing, we should do so soon. We didn’t come out
here to scout out for delicacies. And for some reason, I keep feeling like we aren’t alone,” Cade finished and glanced to a stand of ferns a few dozen feet away for the tenth time.

  Reports of mutated beasts had been coming in from the village’s hunters, and just yesterday, a small expedition had gone missing. Two villagers disappearing without explanation was cause for alarm. Especially so when that village accounted for around forty souls.

  Ordinarily, only Gemma would be out hunting, but Cade wanted whoever found the monster to be strong enough to deal with it. So Gemma had taken three of her best hunters in one group and Cade had come with Minda, Ketzal, and Satemi.

  After a day of tromping around in the brush, they’d fought little more than insects.

  Minda sniffed, scanning their surroundings briefly before shrugging. “All I can smell is the damned Chorba Beans. I was away on a long hunt when my companion found these. We pulled a few down and roasted them above the fire. Once they cool, you can pop open the husk and enjoy. Believe me, Satemi, they taste better than they look.”

  The tall warrior sighed, a sign that the last of her resistance had fled. She looked to Cade, her bright eyes sparkling in a broad smile, and said, “Chop it down then, Cade. Use that axe of yours for something other than killing monsters. And besides, I always love to watch you sweat.”

  “Ha ha,” Cade shot back, knowing too well what Satemi liked to watch.

  “No! You can’t chop it down! Listen, these trees are rare. We’re only, what, eight miles from Camp Casmeer? I say we mark it on our maps and return every once in a while to harvest the pods. But if we cut it down,” she finished, exasperation written plainly on her features. “Then we have no Chorba to look forward to.”

  Cade looked up at the fruit clinging to a frail-looking flower. It was at least twenty feet high. Climbing would be the next obvious choice, but the trunk of the tree was littered with thorns. The protrusions weren’t simple points either. Upon close inspection, Cade saw that each had a tiny barb, making the one-inch daggers that much more imposing.

  “Okay, then what? I could chuck my axe up there, but what if it gets stuck in the branches. I’ve done plenty of that before.” Cade said, thinking of the many times he’d lost a ball in an attempt to free another ball from the clutches of a tree’s branches.

  Ketzal suggested, “Stones? Could we not find a lot of stones and toss them at the fruit?”

  It was Minda who once again denied the suggestion. “We’d need to head back to the stream. That will take us hours. And besides, the pods are more frail than they look. If we shatter the fruit, there will be no treat.”

  For a few moments, the group considered the problem at hand. Then Satemi turned to Cade, and he saw the most evil grin he’d ever seen on her face. Oh, shit. Whatever it is, I’m screwed.

  After a few minutes of heated debate, Satemi won.

  “I know, Cade. My Strength Attribute is higher than yours but you weigh a ton. For that, you can be the base. I’ll be on top, then Ketzal, then Minda… everyone agree?” the warrior asked, and the other three nodded. They’d gone back and forth so many times that even Cade nodded, wanting to just get it over with.

  Gemma isn’t here, he reminded himself. At least it’s only the three of them.

  Taking solace in this one windfall, Cade braced himself. Satemi climbed up his back, and he grunted as he took on her weight. The woman was careful to hold the tree with only her fingertips. The thorns were spaced a couple inches apart, so this much was possible.

  When she found her footing atop his shoulders, she cleared her throat. “Okay, Ketzal, you’re next. Careful you don’t hurt the boy. He looks grumpy already.”

  Cade shook his head but otherwise ignored the comment. It was easier to let such jokes go when it came from a woman who slept with you. That was a bit of wisdom he’d discovered long ago. The thought brought to mind the only woman he’d ever been with back on Earth who reminded him of Satemi.

  Tall and broad-shouldered, he’d once dated a college volleyball player. The girl was goofy and had far fewer barbs in her personality than Satemi, but their bodies…

  Athletic and well-muscled, yet both not without their curves, the two women were much alike. Andrea had been a ton of fun in bed too. A much different lover than Satemi, she was young, eager and had been gifted by the gods. The girl could cum in two different ways, something only Minda had in common here.

  It was painful to hear from her, years later on a chance encounter, that she’d also developed a water reaction to copulation as well. Some men were squeamish about the… physiological event, but not Cade. Fucking bathe me in your glory, woman! he thought to himself, then grunted as Ketzal’s foot slipped from his shoulder.

  She apologized, as sweet as always, and he braced her other leg.

  As she began to climb up Satemi, he did what any warm-blooded man would do.

  He looked up.

  Sure enough, it was a worthy sight. Satemi’s long, lean legs stretched above him. He made himself focus more on the sleek architecture of her limbs than the shadowed bits between her legs. At least most of the time.

  Ketzal’s body was a study in contrast. Thick and supple and round, she wasn’t the athletic type in most arenas. Yet Cade knew she could outshine them all in bed. Or, in the furs, rather. From down here, Cade had a unique perspective of the demoness’ behind. It bowed up from her voluptuous thighs. Such an ass, he mused, could start or end a war. By all that is holy, when we are done…

  A pain flashed in his earlobe. “Don’t be a creep, Cade,” Minda chastised and then began her ascent last of all.

  Already holding more than double his body weight, Cade’s thighs began to tremble slightly as the beastkin climbed up his shoulders and then moved to Satemi. At least Minda was graceful enough to make it a quicker task. She was easily their best climber.

  So, after another minute of harem girl power-lifting, Cade heard the sweetest words he’d heard all day. “Got ‘em!” Minda declared. “Stored into my Inventory. Just give me a second while I come down. Oh!”

  Her tone had shifted dramatically as her short speech ended. She was afraid.

  But of what?

  Then Cade turned back to the ferns and saw exactly what he’d been fearing since they’d arrived. Stalking out of the foliage, and looking meaner than a hangry six-year-old, a massive beast prepared to pounce.

  “Shit!” he bellowed, too puckered up and scared to worry about his less than useful announcement of danger.

  Satemi saw the creature next, and she managed to shout the obvious orders. “Minda, get down now! Ketzal, as soon as she’s out of the way, get moving yourself.” After a half second of collective shock, the warrior yelled again. “Now!”

  Cade felt Minda begin her descent as his shoulders shook. Yet there was little he could do besides stand and stare. His axe was lying on the ground a few feet away; the buckler he’d once owned had been ruined by the abyss-mutated body of an asshole. He did have his ring though. It was a powerful object, capable of manipulating force shields and absorbing the mana of other creatures.

  Its only attack, though, was trivial.

  Regardless of its limits, Cade lifted his right hand out, pointing the ring at the terrifying beast. It was another of the ether-warped monsters that had begun popping up after Tanrial had blown up. Knowing as much did nothing to reduce Cade’s fear of it.

  Guessing by the varying components of its body, Cade guessed it might once have been a badger and either a salamander or frog. Some form of amphibian, to be sure, for its skin was moist and glistening. Its shoulders were as wide as a Prius. And though it crouched, it still stood over four feet tall at the shoulder. A long tail moved behind the creature’s flat head, moving like an overgrown worm.

  It’s trying to distract its prey, Cade thought distantly. The bastard’s smart. Fantastic.

  Instinctively, he examined the creature.

  Badgalmander

  Level 10

  Megafauna A
malgam

  Well, at least I wasn’t wrong.

  Though its stocky legs and blunt claws reminded Cade of its badger heritage, when the monster licked one of its bulbous eyes, he almost laughed from the absurdity of it. The size of it though, and the fangs it was exposing as it opened its too-large mouth, prevented the humor from sticking.

  Minda fell to the ground, darting to pick up her staff beside Cade’s axe. Then Ketzal began her descent. Just a few more moments, Cade hoped, chewing his lip and staring into the beast’s mouth.

  On cue, the beast began to glow. Electric rivulets rolled up its legs and gathered in its mouth. It looked to be charging a skill, and when it released, whatever shot out of its mouth would be aimed directly at Cade.

  Hoping it might apply, Cade triggered his Mana Sponge skill.

  His ring lit up and grew cold as a stream of ether leached away from the badgalmander’s mouth and into Cade’s arm. He wanted to shout in victory or laugh at the huge bully, but its reaction proved chilling.

  Frustration made the monster roar, and Cade saw far too many teeth to feel comfortable. Somehow, the amalgamation made its canines elongate and grow sharper. None of them would survive a bite from a maw that devastating. Then, shaking off the temporary setback, it finally pounced. Thankfully, Minda chose just that moment to cast her Entangling Roots skill. The plants’ gnarled roots exploded from the ground and wrapped around one of the badgalmander’s rear feet.

  Snarling, it curled its head around and gnashed at the constraints. Minda summoned a clutch of ethereal daggers and sent those sailing as well. The blades sunk into the monster’s hide one at a time, and it roared in protest. Turning on the source of its pain, the beast jumped again, pulling its foot free and moving toward Minda.

  She was fast but no match for what she faced. Cade fired his ring off and a glob of acidic ether plopped in its eye. Sizzling, the goo caused the badgalmander to flinch away and shake its head from side to side.