The swamp reeked of decay and stagnant water, mist curling around twisted roots and half-sunken ruins. The villagers of Hollowbrook had led them to the edge of a blackened lake, whispering prayers before retreating to the safety of their crumbling homes. No one dared to face what lurked beneath the surface.
Jaxon crouched by the water, dipping his fingers into the murky depths. "It's deep. Too deep." His symbiote tendrils rippled with unease. "Whatever's down there has lived here a long time."
Kade stood beside him, his chains shifting lazily through the air. "Then we rip it out."
Elias flicked through his deck, drawing a card at random. He smirked. "I have a bad feeling about this."
Reed, standing at the rear, felt the unnatural stillness of the land. Even the insects refused to stir. He exhaled slowly. "It's watching us."
Then the lake exploded.
A monstrous form erupted from the water, towering over them. Its scales were blackened like charred bone, its seven heads writhing, each snapping maw lined with jagged fangs. Fire burned in its throats, and the air shimmered with heat.
A Flame Hydra.
It let out a deafening roar, the shockwave sending reeds and mud flying. Jaxon rolled aside as a head lunged, teeth sinking into the spot where he had stood. His symbiote body lashed out, slamming into the beast's scaled snout.
Kade's chains struck next, wrapping around one of the heads, but the hydra snarled and wrenched free, dragging him through the mud. He dug his heels in, summoning more chains, twisting and binding the limb as best as he could.
Elias launched a card—a storm sigil. Lightning cracked through the air, striking the hydra's torso. The monster reeled back, its heads shrieking in fury, but its injuries began to heal almost instantly.
"We need to stop it from regenerating!" Elias shouted.
Reed moved, golden light bursting from his palm. He reached out, not to heal, but to infect. His power surged into the hydra, twisting its own biology against it. For a moment, its healing faltered, heads snapping in confusion.
"Now!" Jaxon roared.
Sinthia dashed past him, her daggers gleaming. She leaped onto the hydra's back, driving a blade into its eye. It screeched, bucking wildly, trying to throw her off.
Kade's chains locked around another head, crushing its throat until bone snapped. The severed head fell into the swamp with a splash.
For a moment, silence.
Then two more heads grew back in its place, flames gushing from their throats.
Elias cursed. "It's adapting."
The hydra lunged, flames engulfing the battlefield. The heat was unbearable. The swamp boiled, steam rising in thick clouds.
Jaxon's symbiote wrapped around him, shielding him from the worst of the flames. Kade's chains pulsed, draining the energy from the fire itself, turning it into fuel for his power.
Reed gritted his teeth, focusing harder. If he couldn't stop its regeneration, he would make it turn on itself. His magic surged through the hydra's body, forcing its own cells into chaos.
The hydra convulsed, its heads whipping around. Then—without warning—it lunged at its own body, tearing into its own flesh in a frenzy.
Sinthia leaped off just in time as the beast ripped itself apart.
Its final, dying roar echoed through the swamp before it collapsed into the water, steam rising from its corpse.
Silence.
The battle was over.
Elias looked at Sinthia, still catching his breath. "You alright?"
She grinned. "Better than that thing."
Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment too long. Kade rolled his eyes. "Not the time."
Jaxon kicked a loose hydra fang. "We're getting paid extra for this."
Reed wiped sweat from his brow. "Let's just hope there aren't any more."
But deep in the swamp, something else watched.
And it wasn't done with them yet.