A Gentleman’s Guide to Hunting Fantastic Beasts: 16

A Gentleman’s Guide to Hunting Fantastic Beasts: 16

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Commissioned by Sivantic

Wordcount: 2500

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Over the course of our refuge’s existence, a handful of individuals have arrived after being turned away by the outermost defenses of the kingdom. Small groups were common, and they were typically those who hunted for a living or were guards of villages that refused to leave their station. These groups survived the eternal night and sought refuge with us, which we were willing to give in exchange for their aid.

Shelter, food, medicine, and strength in numbers were our offerings and it was gladly taken in exchange for assistance in maintaining those strengths. I’d thought that there would be disharmony, power struggles, and conflicts. But that was averted by the constant threat posed by the monsters, the assurance that there was enough food for all, and the simple understanding that coming to conflict with one another would result in all our deaths.  We offered a better life than what they would have outside our walls, and the rules set within our lands were fair, so there was little conflict to be had… but we still took great care in regards to all those who come.

Especially as the night lengthened and those who came may not have been people anymore.

Gale turned to me as I arrived atop at the watchtower above the gate and she informed me of what was occurring. 

“It’s a group of twelve. Large enough to survive against the monsters. They have wagons, livestock, and look plenty hungry.” There were many tales of Demons. Some were simply monsters of greater rarity and strength in the forested lands of the kingdom. However, they also spoke of Demons that could think, speak, and act. Creatures that took the form of people, so that they could kill more people than they could with tooth and claw alone. “No children, though. Or, elderly.”

 “Then, I will conduct the test.” Thankfully, the forested kingdoms passed on knowledge through both legends and texts. The existence that I mentioned had a certain weakness: salt. The means with which they changed their bodies created a thin membrane upon their skin. Salt disrupted it and revealed the truth beneath. “Tell them to close their eyes for a moment and remove their hoods, so that we may quickly check them for demons.”

Gale called out my request towards those gathered at our walls, in the range of our archers, and at the mercy of our defenses.

There was muttering amongst the group, but they complied, and I approached the barrel of salt.

It was a common substance in these lands.  The As’Kari and many other tribes traded salt with these people for the use of preserving or granting more taste to food. It was abundant in these lands, even though common families in the As’Kari called it a luxury, to the point that barrels were left behind in the fishing village in its abandonment. It was a greatly appreciated by the rest of the town as a foodstuff, but now it would serve a greater purpose. 

I took a handful, looked over the gathered people, and with strengthened lungs blew it over the group. 

A light plume fell upon the group.

Eleven of the group frowned at the sprinkling of salt, but one did not.

Instead, that one individual recoiled upon feeling its façade fall away from its face and revealing a scaled, lizard-like countenance beneath. 

It screamed and tried to run, but my threads were upon it in a moment, and it was bound… and its neck snapped in a moment. The assembled group of newcomers stared at the Demon in their midst, as I dragged it towards the walls, and began to shout questions towards Gale in confusion and anger.

I came forward and spoke to them instead, while keeping the creature bound and away.

“Whoever that man was before, he was no longer. He was killed and replaced by this Demon you now see here, which wears its victims skin and consumes their mind to know their mannerisms and history. If any of your people died under mysterious circumstances, this is the killer you’ve never found.” I spoke from the stories that the hunters relayed to me, and the past experiences we’ve had with the lizard-like creature. I glanced at it as I spoke to the refugees. It was much the same as the others. Bipedal lizards vaguely akin to chameleons, save for the fact that their long tongues were replaced by fangs, some of which were poisonous. Their poison was worthwhile as a remover of rust and it ate through flesh with ease, so they were worth capturing whole. “Enter the village. Speak to the officials. Find work. You will be protected here, but we cannot afford to give free lodgings.”

I was ready to turn away, to leave the matter of speaking to Gale, when another sound reached my ears and I turned my gaze to the road that led to our village.

The sound of hoofbeats and the clanking of armor.

We were being visited by those from the fortress… but to what end?

Were they here to take from us and strengthen themselves after the battle they endured?

Did they still wish for my power, even though they did nothing when I asked for them to care for the refugees in exchange for it?

Or, perhaps, they were here for something else?

I did not know, but I motioned for Gale to take in the recent refugees and came forward while I waited at the helm of the refuge that I had created.

All I knew was that I would protect this place.

…

I almost expected the Knight that had guided me here to be present, but instead another came forward. 

He was clad in steel armor. In places it was dented, and in some places it showed signs of recently being patched by newer steel. His helmet was stylized as that of a bull with etched horns engraved along the sides. On his back was a large sword, but at his side was a cavalry saber. The man was suited for both combat on foot and riding, and it seemed as though he endured many battles over the last few days. 

The armored knight rode ahead of a group of fifteen. They were armored just as well as their leader with many recently fixed plates. Some carried shortbows and plenty of quivers, others had lances, and others still had axes. They all had bull-like etchings upon their helms as well, but theirs were etched on haphazardly or painted, unlike their leaders. They all rode their horses differently, and did not ride in formation, but instead stayed close to one bearing the same weapons as them or alone. 

These people had the arms and equipment of those who benefitted from the prepared defenses and refuges of the kingdom, but they did not appear to be truly a part of those people. 

His second urged his horse forward, as though they wished to speak for their people, but the man at the lead urged his horse forward.

A man who leads from the front. 

A wonder I never thought that I would encounter. 

The man came forward until he was in the shadow of our wooden gate and our palisades, before removing his helm. His hair was black, his eyes blue, and a scar travelled from the middle of his temple to just above his left ear. A strong, grazing blow from a mace, which would’ve caved in his skull otherwise, left a trailing scar on him much like a comet. Though his hair was pure black, his beard had grey hairs, and wrinkles were beginning to set on his face. 

An old man in a job where men died young.

“Hail, Warrior of the Great Dessert. What brings you to this place, so far from the sands you call home?” His gaze was sharp and his words belied that he was both well-learned and well-traveled. Not only that, but he dismounted his horse, and in accordance to desert custom he bowed to a prospective host as a guest. “My men and I have little to offer besides our strength of arms, but we would appreciate a place to rest our bones for even a day.”

A greeting and a request. Such was the way of those who lived in the desert. A host could deny both and walk on, leaving the one who asked to the desert, or to try and take from them through force of arms. If you answer with your name and your reason, then you are willing to bargain with their request. Finally, to address the request first was a matter of benevolence in accordance to custom, and a way to show hospitality at the onset of a meeting.

The man with the bull helm’s knowledge of the Great Desert’s universal traditions made me curious, but I knew better than to invite twelve armed men into a refuge without a thought. 

So, I answered him with my name. 

“My name is Will. I have no family.”  He knelt and addressed me properly, so I gave him the same courtesy. I leapt over the waist-high protection offered by the gatehouse and landed before him. I stopped several paces ahead of him, before the place he sought refuge, and spoke to him without infringing any more of his honor. “Rise and give me your name, knight, and we shall see what we can offer you.”

A few of the aging man’s retinue bristled, but a swift glance by him and a raised had made them silent in an instant. Unlike their leader, it seemed that they were less knowledgeable about the Great Desert’s traditions and customs.

“I am Erucic of no house, and here is my order of miscreants and traitors, who all decided that the orders of the king to abandon people to the darkness was against our codes as knights. We are the Order of the Bull.” Erucic tapped his helm at his side and gave a wry smile. The knights at his back straightened at those words. The notion intrigued me. It seemed that the warriors of this place disagreed with the orders they were given and acted against it, instead of accepting it meekly. I had thought them all as stringent as the Knight I had first met. “We were following the stench of that Demon there, as it was mixed with the tracks of a group of people seeking shelter. Now, I sense that it is quite dead behind those walls of yours.”

The other knights present were taken aback at the mention of their prey being dead and their glares at me were replaced by apprehension. Erucic, meanwhile, simply kept his gaze on me and stroked his pointed beard as I gave a single nod at his words. 

“The Demon is dead. We require no warriors to aid us as of now and have little to spare for such aid. We can offer you lodging and a place to stay for the evening in exchange for news, however.” Erucic nodded at my words and his shoulders untensed, as I asked of him the true treasure that any of the Great Desert would inquire of in times of crisis. The customs he inquired of could be gleaned by a worldly scholar and a patient imitator, but those truly of the Great Desert would cherish information above all else in times of crisis, even above strength of arms.  “Tell me here and now what you know about this region and I promise you shelter, food, and water.”

Erucic bowed his head in acceptance of the bargain and spoke.

…

A gathering was made at the center of the fishing village, where the town square was, and Erucic’s knights were at the center of the festivities. They were surprised by the hunters and their enhanced physiques, but they accepted them quickly thereafter, and were far happier to be present. The knowledge that they were in a refuge that was well-guarded, concealed, and with defensive walls allowed them to lower their guard.

Many of the knights took to the offered shelter the moment they were given, stripped themselves of their arms, and fell asleep after seeing their horses were provided for. Those who were present at the celebration were those who awakened after nearly an entire afternoon of rest, and they were mostly present for the food and water, instead of having any interest in the people of the town. 

I’d thought that I’d have to speak to them about the matter of consent and the dangers of having a child at this time, but beneath the armor the knights were lean and tall machines that walked with a tiredness that belied the terrible journey that they faced following their leader. Erucic had told me of the threats of the region, fulfilling his bargain, and gained further entrance by relaying to me his story and the happenings behind the protective boundaries set by the kingdom. 

They were third or fourth sons of nobility, hedge knights from forgotten houses, or simply individuals who did not feel it right to hide and wait when people called for their help. Erucic gathered volunteers after disbanding the knightly order that he founded, a small one whose members decided against following his command to sally forth, and he rode out past the fortifications of the kingdom to help all that they could. 

They numbered nearly a hundred at the start, but in the end there were deserters, casualties, and more that whittled their numbers down to just thirteen.

Gale listened to it all wordlessly as the flickering light of the bonfire cast its shine upon her.

“The younger lads left after they realized what was happening. They thought they were joining a great, legendary adventure that’ll kill the source of this eternal knight, so they left when they realized we were only saving innocents.” Erucic spoke of the matter somberly while nursing a mug of soup. The boiled fish with foraged herbs and roots brought a smile to his face and he partook in it gratefully. “The others who left gave their lives and limbs to save others and find them safety in refuges like this. Some of us decided to stay there and give them protectors. In the end, this is all that remains of my second knightly order.”

A band nearly a hundred whittled down to just a dozen and one. 

It was a sobering thought for me, as my thoughts of possible revolution were stifled at the knowledge that so many deserted such a noble calling, but it was something else entirely for Gale.

“Thank you.  You did more than anyone else did for all of us left behind.” Gale’s voice was strained, as though she was holding back a great weight. Was it sorrow that her people weren’t saved? That none of this noble band came forward to save her people? Or, perhaps, she was glad that some part of the nation she once cherished was truly good? That some of the people she entrusted her life to, before everything went wrong, truly sought to save her? I did not know, but I did not ask. This moment was hers. “I wish that more thought like you did, so that more would be saved, Sir Erucic.”

The older Knight was silent at those words, before nodding at them.

“I can’t speak for the boys who left us, but I know that every single knight that stayed and gave their lives wouldn’t change what happened for anything.”  Erucic’s words were somber, but the hint of pride in his voice was unmistakable. He was proud for what he did. Truly and completely. “They died knowing that they were true knights battling against an eternal night for the sake of the people.”

Gale’s shoulders shook at those words as she nodded in the flickering light of the bonfire.

Her mouth opened to speak, but her gaze turned to me for a moment.

Ah, there were things she did not wish to share with someone who was teaching her.

I took that as my cue to leave, at least for the time being, and allow Gale privacy with the hero that she wished would’ve found her and her people.

I could only hope that the time they spent together would help them both.