Monster Slayers by Lukas Ritter

Author:Lukas Ritter [Ritter, Lukas]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-7869-5756-9
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Publishing
Published: 2010-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

As the creature soared through the smoke and was illuminated by the raging bonfire, Evin realized he’d seen it before. Or, at least, a painting that looked very much like it.

“Bet,” Evin whispered. “That’s the monster on the Practical Guide!”

She raised an eyebrow, then pulled the book out of her satchel. Just as Evin remembered, a painting of a similar monster stared at them from the book’s green leather cover.

Just like the illustration, the monster’s body was an unusual mix of three separate creatures: in addition to a long scaly tail and dragonlike wings, its body and front legs were sleek and tawny furred, like a cat, and its hind legs white and hooved. Most unusual of all was the fact that the monster had three distinct heads. The one in the center was like a maneless lion. The head on the left was the horned and bearded face of a goat. The one on the right was the long-snouted, scaly head of a red dragon with serpentine eyes.

Quickly flipping through the book, Bet opened to the page with Zendric’s notes on the creature. Beneath another painting of the creature—its dragon’s snout opened wide to spew forth fire—the page was labeled “Chimera.”

“A chimera?” Jorick asked. “Could this be the thing the gnolls allied themselves with?”

The creatures answered Jorick’s question for him.

“You have kept us waiting for much too long!”

“We have followed your commands and we have nothing to show for it!”

The chimera circled the room, the great flapping of its wings dispersing the smoke. Evin’s eyes watered and he muffled a cough as dirt flew into his mouth.

Finally, the chimera landed on a pile of stone on the opposite side of the room, where part of the chamber’s wall had collapsed.

The gnolls’ shouting grew louder and louder. They stomped their feet and raised axes and swords high. As one, the crowd surged forward toward the chimera, seemingly prepared to scale the rubble to attack the beast. The villagers cowered along the walls.

Rearing back on its hind legs, the chimera’s goat head bleated as its lion head roared. The dragon head took in a breath, then opened its mouth wide. Flames arced from its jaws, exploding against the ground in front of the encroaching gnolls. Several of the gnolls flew backward, screaming. The dragon head roared.

Evin ducked and covered his head, his ears ringing. Bits of scorched stone fell from the ceiling and pelted his back like a heavy rain.

When the ringing in his ears faded, Evin realized that the gnolls had ceased their ranting. Peering again through the old metal railings on the balcony, he watched as the chimera set down on all fours, the eyes on all of its heads scanning the room. The gnolls stood back, silent.

After a long moment, the chimera’s dragon head pulled back its lips and began to speak. In the sudden silence, the chimera’s voice boomed through the vast room.

“I understand that you are uneasy,” the chimera said. “And I understand that all of this waiting has been difficult.

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