“Sir James, it is time to awaken,” whispered Elana through the back wall of James’s tent. A gentle lantern light flickered in the darkness. There was a sharp chill in the air.
It was still dark and it took a moment for James to process where he was. ‘That’s right, I am back in the lands of the Empire…… ‘Why did I agree to this?’ thought James.
“Lord James, we are about to depart camp. I would bid you to accompany me. We are required to support those attempting to capture the monster,” explained Elana.
“I will be ready in a few moments, Elana.” replied James. As he readied himself and pulled on his shoes and jacket, James could hear a great deal of bustling and intense conversation. Equipment was being packed, weapons were being made ready, and orders issued.
As James exited his tent, he observed the four royal steeds being harnessed to the front of the cage cart. Attendants slipped bridles over the heads of the giant horses and slid the bits into place. The horses stomped and snorted enormous condensation clouds into the cool morning mountain air. The two units of soldiers were forming up into lines and led by their commanding officers, began their hike to the upper sheep paddocks. The Royal cage cart was next, and James’s travel companions brought up the rear of the parade. Marcel and Elisabeth Baumgartner were awake and wished the departing Chimera hunters a safe and successful capture of the beast, but stayed with their sleeping children. “A smart move,’ thought James.
“Chimera’s generally hunt during the daylight hours, Sir James.” explained Elana. “Lord Irontooth’s plan involves us baiting the monster as he begins his day of hunting. If we can bring the beast close enough to the Lord of Animalia he will attempt to control him. Confronting a Chimera in this fashion is dangerous so we are advised to keep our distance and provide what support is possible.”
“Won’t he just fly away from the soldiers?” asked James. He didn’t have a very solid idea of exactly what sort of monster a ‘Chimera” was, but the soldier who had witnessed the beast seemed clear on the fact that it was a powerful flier.
“Chimera’s are fearless and powerful. They will back down from a fight only if significantly outmatched. Enchantress Saturin has offered to produce an enticing scenario for the monster. She is a master of controlling domesticated animals. The soldiers will be employed only once Lord Irontooth has gained control of the beast,” explained Elana.
The hunting party had reached the paddock and the soldiers deployed to their previously agreed upon positions. The Royal cage cart stopped some distance from the fence line and James, Lord Adelar, Elana and Mage Saturin continued past together until they stood at the entry gate to the pasture. The sheep stood almost motionless in the cool air of morning as sunlight began to gently illuminate the tops of the mighty Grey mountains.
Saturin spoke, “Do you all understand what is expected?”
Elana and Mage Adelar nodded and looked towards James. “Ye, Yes,” stammered James. “I think so,” he added nervously.
“Good!” replied the Animal enchantress. Saturin closed the wooden gate, and with a wave of her staff and a twist of her powerful body she transformed into her canine form.
Mage Adelar also employed her staff and in a shimmer of yellow light transformed herself into her totemic golden eagle form, flying away into the brightening sky.
Saturin, the Saint Luther dog, galloped into the paddock, producing an instant reaction of surprise in the flock of sheep. They started and bolted and some of them reared up against the stone walls that formed the boundary of the field. Saturin’s enthusiasm clearly upset the animals but she was quite patient with them. The huge dog form of the Animalia mage cautiously nudged and herded, gaining their cooperation gradually. Carefully she corralled the ewes and their lambs, eventually distancing the herd from the safety of the stone fence, and never allowing a single animal to separate itself from the group.
Into the middle of the pasture the animals moved, bleating and keeping one eye towards the skies. The virtually cloudless morning was now quite bright with areas of full sunlight splashed against the opposite side of the valley. Saturin was masterful and unrelenting, circling and herding the nervous sheep keeping the herd near the center of the enclosure and in full view of anything looking down on them from the mountain slope that towered above the scenic farm.
A ferocious “ROAR!” rang out, echoing against the stone slope, and a huge winged beast swooped down from the direction of the rising sun. For a moment it seemed that it would be certain to be able to grab a defenceless black curly lamb, but the hound of Saint Luther circled in front of the petrified young sheep and lept upwards snarling and swiping towards the swooping monster. The audacity of the defence seemed enough to deflect the trajectory of the Chimera, just enough.
The size of the flying monster seemed impossible to James. Surely an animal the size of a lion could not maintain true flight but fly it did, circling up and above the far end of the paddock before once again diving towards the ever so vulnerable flock. The giant wings of the beast produced a violent whooshing sound as the Chimera strained in a tight turn. This time it's target was a single ewe which had bolted towards the stone fence while Saturin was engaged in protecting the hapless lamb. Again Saturin galloped to the defence of the wayward animal and James noticed an odd burst of yellow light emanating from a thick patch of bushes on the outside of the opposite end of the enclosure. Saturin leapt once again, interposing herself between the Chimera and its target. But this time the dog's already imposing bulk had grown considerably and her claws and teeth looked more like the claws and teeth of a giant dire wolf.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Thump!” was the sound as the enhanced war dog collided with the Chimera in mid air!
“Oh no!” cried out Elana as the vicious claws of the Chimera struck home in Saturins’s side. As she fell forcefully to the ground Saturin let out a pained, “Yipe!”. Fortunately, the impact had also affected the Chimera bringing the monster to the ground between the stone fence and the now panicking sheep. Saturin, clearly injured and bleeding, rolled up to her feet unsteadily, as best as she was able.
Elana reached into a pocket and brought out a handful of aromatic herbs, throwing them up and outwards towards her injured friend. A whirlwind of emerald green energy formed and sped towards the fallen Animal Enchantress. Just when it looked as if the Chimera would strike before the arrival of Elana’s healing spell a screeching sound rang out and Lord Adelar’s golden eagle form impacted the central lion head of the Chimera, slowing then stopping its charge, while the monster struggled to disentangle itself from the eagles talons.
The green light flowed around Saturin with immediate effects. The bleeding stopped and her awareness returned. Her ferociousness also returned and she snarled, growled and barked viciously at the three heads of the Chimera. The three heads responded in kind. The lion, snake and goat heads all lunged and snapped towards the dodging armoured dog. Mage Saturin slowly backed away from the assault, keeping just far enough away to avoid further injury, but remained in between the beast and its prey. The frightened ewes were gathering their lambs and the whole flock was compressing itself into a tight defensive group, pushing towards the fenceline at the opposite end of the paddock.
Closer and closer the flock moved towards the stone fence line, and the panicked bleating rose in intensity. Saturin used her superior agility to dodge and avoid the many claws and teeth which threatened her but there was only so much room to retreat. The soldiers remained outside of the walls of the enclosure, much to James’s surprise.
“Why don’t they do something?” asked James.
“Empire soldiers would stand no chance against this adversary, Sir James,” answered Elana. “Mage Saturin seeks to lure the beast within range of Lord Irontooth. Only a Wizard Lord is capable of a live capture of such a monster.”
Saturin snarled and barked, swerving and leaping. Suddenly the flock separated and out strode the human form of Bearclaw Irontooth, holding his bone staff forward. The yellow sapphires embedded with his staff grew larger and larger, then began to spin in an eerily hypnotic fashion.
“Look away from the staff, Sir James. Even at this distance there can be negative effects of this spell. Enormous magical power must be used to pacify a beast such as this one,” explained Elana.
As he looked away he noticed the soldiers and officers had climbed atop their respective sections of stone fencing, weapons at the ready, but they too were averting their glances from the spinning yellow sapphires. James could still hear snapping and writhing sounds from the direction of the engagement, but the sheep had largely quieted, and Saturin’s snarling was absent. He contemplated exactly what would happen if the Wizard Lord’s attempt to sedate the Chimera failed. The seconds dragged on as James did everything he could to resist a curious glance.
“Lord Irontooth has been successful!” called our Saturin Waechter, now returned to her human form. “Everyone take your positions! Present the Royal Cage Cart!!!!”
James turned to see a changed scene with the Lord of Animalia leading the fearsome beast with his wizard staff. The gems were still enlarged but no longer spinning. The Chimera’s attention was fixated on the staff, or rather, parts of the Chimera were fixated. The lion was fully hypnotised but the goat head and the serpent head appeared enraged by the situation, futiley writhing and snapping, without being able to reach their controller. The monster’s vast wing set was folded back onto its feline body.
“The lion head controls the Chimera’s body, Sir James. So long as Lord Irontooth is in command of the lion’s brain, the beast will do as it is told. He must maintain his concentration. Do nothing to distract the Wizard until the beast is secure,” explained Elana.
The spearmen had leapt from their stone perches into the field and advanced towards the beast, but the crossbowmen remained atop the stones with their weapons trained towards the hypnotised Chimera. Saturin was doing something odd. In her human form the stalky enchantress was tapping sheep on their heads. One after another seemed to require this action since most were standing motionless at the end of the field.
“They looked,” explained Elana.
Royal cage attendants had opened the farm gate and were maneuvering the enormous carriage into the field, turning the back end around, now facing towards the slowly advancing Chimera. One group of spearmen formed up on either side of the approach, spears extended, obviously deployed to help steer the beast into the cage. The goat and snake heads expressed their displeasure by attempting to strike at the spear points. Twice the goat succeeded, shearing off the metal spear heads and swallowing them in a single gulp.
A strong ramp was deployed, and two whips, which the cage attendants used with enthusiasm to convince the partially controlled monster to fully enter the cage. Even the tail of the animal, (if it could even be considered an animal), was armed and dangerous. The club-like spiked appendage swung back and forth, doing all it could to resist the impending imprisonment.
“Clang!!!” went the heavy metal cage door, as several attendants and soldiers struggled desperately to close it, then slide the huge steel locking pins into place.
Saturin, by this time having freed all of the ewes and lambs from theor hypnotic states, began calling up warm yellow whirls of power at the end of her bone staff, dragging it across the bars of the steel cage. The metal seemed to drink up the light. Lord Adelar, also returned to human form, to assist her efforts.
“They strengthen the bars, Sir James,” explained Elana. “Structural failure on our journey to Badendorf would be catastrophic. Saturin and Lord Adelar will ensure the integrity of the enclosure.”
James looked towards the Wizard and saw an exhausted man just now in the process of lowering his staff. The gemstones had returned to their original sizes.
“ROOOOOAAAARRRRR!!!!!” screamed out the caged monster, suddenly fully aware of its imprisonment. All three heads smashed out into the cage walls, and the spiked tail also. But with each impact yellow sparks flew, apparently causing the beast considerable discomfort since it squealed with each shower of sparks. Bearclaw Irontooth inspected the work done to the cage, adding his own finishing touches to the wards preventing any chance of escape by the Chimera. Or so James hoped.
“Congratulations everyone!” shouted the Wizard Lord. “Kaiser Willhelm Fredrick will be pleased by our work today! We have captured a Chimera!”