Page 1/4 King Chimaerus's Story Written by Ashe Katcher This is my most notable story as a trainer. First of all, a bit of background. The Katcher family has a long tradition of being excellent trainers of beasts and monsters. According to the early records of the Katcher family, our 6th-great-great-grandfather once trained and rode a drake! And my 3rd-great-great-grandmother tamed a Terror Bird to carry the family's luggage when the entire clan moved to what is now Stonegard. I also remember that, when I was young, my grandfather went on a great wolf hunt. Perhaps I inherited my ancestors' talent. It would explain why I was able to communicate with animals from a young age and eventually became a trainer of wild beasts following the family business. Most of my current work has me doing everything from taming beasts for combat to training small beasts specialized for treasure hunting to breeding falcons for hunting. Page 2/4 One day, a gloomy wizard named Belluatan showed up, gave me a sack of gold coins as an advance payment, and asked me to raise and train a lion. He said that he captured a wild lion and locked it in a temple, but it wouldn't eat anything and was just sleeping all the time. So he offered to pay a large sum of money if I took care of the lion at the temple for a whole month. I was a little nervous, as wild lions are deadly and I didn't have much experience with them. But the money was too good so I accepted the deal and journeyed with him to a place called the Temple of Sylaveth. We arrived at an enormous temple a week later. This Belluatan was the leader of a group called the Sylaveans. If I was an expert in training beasts, he was clearly an expert at training people. His followers were moving in perfect order throughout the huge temple. As I followed him down into the depths, I could see the shadow of a lion imprisoned in a large cage. Page 3/4 The lion was emaciated, but I could still feel the spirit of the leader that roared in the plains from his sharp eyes and dignified posture. I asked its name and was told it had none. So I called him King because of his regal bearing. They said that King wasn't eating any of the food they were leaving for him. I went inside the cage and released all the chains and protective devices that restrained King. And then I looked straight into King's eyes and spoke to him. "If you live and hold on, you will someday be free, and I will help you get there. Trust me." King responded by rearing back and launching at me, jaws open, claws out, and eyes aflame. But he stopped right in front of my nose when I didn't flinch. It was as if this was his way of testing my resolve and I had passed the test. Actually, I was pretty sure I would die when he rushed at me, but for some reason, I had faith that King would trust me. Page 4/4 I had regular conversations with King and he showed his trust in me by eating the food I brought him. One night, I woke up to the sound of howling loud enough to shake the temple. It was coming from King's cage, and I ran to him. Inside the cage was a chimera, several times bigger than a lion and roaring with bloodlust in its purple eyes. Belluatan, appearing from the darkness, said that it was an interesting and successful experiment. He then said that the monster would now be called King Chimaerus. It turns out, King was nothing more than a test subject for Belluatan. I was given my bag of gold coins and brusquely escorted from the temple. As I made my way back to the road, I heard a terrifying roar from behind me. At that moment I made a resolution. Someday, somehow I would come back and keep my promise to King...
