Targe braced himself as his tent door ripped open. But instead of the wild monster he was expecting, Chimera marched through.

Targe sighed, standing down, but Chimera bared his teeth. The two of them stood eye to eye - each one refusing to blink first.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”Chimera roared, pointing to the monsters piled up outside.

Targe shrugged, picking up an apple from the table and biting into it. “We did what we had to do. They were hurting people.”

“The Mech Arena League would never-”

“They signed this all off, son.” Targe tried to steady his tone.

Chimera’s face fell. “We’ve lost sight of the true enemy. Everlife needs stopping. This is just a distraction.”

Targe held up his hands. “Look, I’m just here to do my job.”

“What if…” Chimera pulled out a chair so forcefully one of the legs snapped off. “What if they are like me?”

Targe saw then, the worry etched into his face. His human and animal sides battling against each other. 

“They aren’t like you. Come, I’ll show you.”

Chimera was reluctant to pilot the Mech, but after some convincing he linked up and locked in. Targe retraced his steps and the pair waited. It didn’t take long. Over the mic, Targe heard Chimera yelp out as one pounced, wrapping its jaws around one of the weapons and shattering it as if it were a plastic toy.

Targe rushed forward, finishing off the beast while Chimera stood, panting with the shock, next to him. 

“There’ll be more.” He said, voice low.

Around them, twigs snapped as they sensed themselves being circled.

Targe took aim, would Chimera fire too?

As the monsters ambushed them, Targe fired without thinking. It was only after a second that he realised Chimera had joined in too.

“Do you believe me now?” Targe asked sadly, towering over the monsters which lay across the forest floor.

Chimera said nothing, he simply turned and began to walk back to camp.

Targe heard nothing else from Chimera after their hunt. Chimera left camp immediately to continue his campaign against Everlife. Meanwhile, Targe continued to eliminate the rogue monsters they’d released upon the wild with his crew. The work that both of them are doing are helping to ensure that Everlife and its shadowy network is being dismantled, bit by bit.

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