A Gentleman’s Guide to Hunting Fantastic Beasts: 14

A Gentleman’s Guide to Hunting Fantastic Beasts: 14

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Commissioned by Sivantic

Wordcount: 2500

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I knew little of establishing a village, but I did have experience in managing a medical area for soldiery fresh from battle.

The essentials to saving individuals from death were engraved into my memory. I could never forget the suffering of those valiant young men and my attempts to save as many of them as I could. Even if I found myself with a third, new life in another world, I would not consider myself “me” if I ever forgot those moments.

But I am digressing from the matter.

The abandoned lakeside village appeared fortuitously whole on the surface, but with a cursory glance I knew that I needed much work. The foundation of the structures and their walls seemed fine, but in the absence of the populace, vermin decided to make it their home. What little food stores were left behind showed signs of being consumed by rats, the droppings of many small pests were present everywhere, and there were holes carved into the weaker buildings by the earnest effort of many, lesser creatures.

I located the largest structure in the abandoned village and saw to its cleansing and fixing. The structure was sturdy and previously belonged to the lord of the village, who was conspicuously absent, and so it would work as a fine shelter for the duration. I made sure any source of disease was thusly disposed of, found small points of egress for vermin and fixed them, and made opening when necessary for places that lacked airflow. Thus, the larger building was made into a goodly shelter for a large portion of the populace.

I noted the fact that it lacked anything of value within it, and when speaking to one of the few prior inhabitants of the village, I discerned that the leader of the village had knowledge of the coming calamity. According to the villager that man had many carriages go to and fro from his town towards the new fortress, which I could only surmise was how he transferred all his wealth and personal treasures and important furniture. The man abandoned his people whilst keeping all his wealth in the process. There wasn’t even a spare bed in the mayor’s manse, let alone a book that could be used as kindling.

If I ever met the man, I would have words with him.

But that was a matter that needed to be handled later.

After securing shelter, I made sure the various maladies that could affect the population under my care were not to be worried about. The town’s well was cleaned of anything that could taint the groundwater, before I had the water pump disassembled, cleaned, and reinstalled with a hardier cover. I made sure that areas were set for defecation and made it clear that no waste was the reach the river. A place to bathe was also set aside and I had a soapmaker begin searching for the tools and ingredients that he needed to make soap, which he thankfully could with simpler tools and ingredients than I thought.

I made sure the memorize his methods of making soap with “soft” water, hardwood ash, and rendered fat, because it was essential to survival.

Then, of course, was the matter of food. The fishermen nearby found that the fish were largely undisturbed by the onset of the eternal night. The scraps of meat and bone from the pests and the various monsters we hunted were easily dried and turned into bait, which could be spread across the lake to encourage growth. The fishermen told me that it was best to let them spawn first after being invigorated and then catch them, even though the fattier fish would be better tasting, the leaner creatures that came forth after spawning season were easier to dry and keep. It would also ensure a stable population as we’d only take them after they laid their eggs.

My knowledge as a physician in my previous life, and my knowledge from the Great Desert helped me in various fields. I was able to assist the people and ease the transition from refugee camp to shanty town, as well as ensure that they didn’t perish from a bout of disease that could be avoided. However, for everything that I did not know, I relied upon those who did. The fishermen, the soap makers, carpenters, hunters, and blacksmiths left behind to die all contributed with their knowledge and skills after being guaranteed their protection and safety.

I set patrols, and thinned the herds of monsters threatening to assault the village, and did so with greater ease. The hunters that I had taught how to eat the flesh of monsters grew stronger and soon enough they were armed with what I could fashion from their kills, which were strong enough to withstand their better physiologies. With the lake at our backs, and with walls and moats defending the other directions, we were able to work more efficiently and the constant tide of monsters became far more manageable.

Of course, as problems fell to the wayside, others arose in their place.

Namely greater and more terrible monsters than the ones who came before.

…

It was a strange, amalgam of many species of creatures. Though I was tempted to call it Chimera, in respect to the ancient beast of Greek myth that had many parts of other animals, I felt that the term was grossly insufficient. The reason why was simple: the Chimera of myth had been composed of a lion, a goat, and a snake.

The monsters that the hunters tried to face and had to withdraw from had the features of at least a dozen.

It stood upon four legs, with the first pair at the front being heavily furred and with clawed paws like a bear. The back two were like that of a lizard and seemed good for movement in any direction. Its torso had reptilian segments of armor covering it, but upon closer inspection, I found that they were more reminiscent of fish scales and acted like layered armor. Upon its back was gossamer wings beneath a shell, which spread out and unfurled to large sizes, and propelled it any direction at great speeds. As for its head, it had four pairs of eyes that encircled its skull like a skull that seemingly looked in every direction. It had the nose of a dog and, frighteningly, the mouth of a human with which it used to make noises of weeping from the wilderness.

The first Hunter, who heard it nearly ran for it, thinking that it was a child, until his partner stopped him and made note of the fact that they had dispatched monsters from that direction. If a child had been truly present there, those monsters would’ve had blood upon their mouth and fangs.

It was an interesting monster.

One that tried to pretend that it was human and use communication as a weapon.

It had cried and tried to convince me it was in pain the moment it realized it couldn’t hurt me and that I could kill it.

It stopped, naturally, once I had cleaved it into multiple pieces, despite its incredible toughness.

As I examined it the hunters who I had helped returned with my student and entered the clearing.

“… What happened here?” Gale entered slowly and with a wide gaze. She took her time as I had instructed and clad herself in the leather armor forged from the monstrous wolves that continued to harry the refugees. The other two hunters present were better armed and armored as well, wielding great bows like the As’Kari’s which took better advantage of their much-improved strength and ability. Gale was armed with a large, two-handed axe with an edge of the wolves’ incredibly sharp and tough fangs, while carved bones made the tips of the large bolts that the hunters could use. “What is that thing?”

I looked up from my drawing and away from the carcass I had bound together with my thread. I had removed most of its organs to ensure it couldn’t somehow bring itself back to life after being bound and placed them at its feet, while I sketched the creature as well as I could. Though I was unsatisfied with my drawing, I closed the journal I created in favor of answering Gale.

“A strange, unknown beast that I’d never encountered before. It seems to be composed of a myriad of different creatures into a single form with all its strengths.” I stood and gestured to the creature. A breeze made it wobble, which frightened Gale and the hunters, until I moved the threads binding it together and allowed the pieces to come apart and hang farther away from one another. “It also had a strange power that it tried to use in the battle. Something like the pressure one could exude with sufficient power.”

It was the same sensation enforced by those of immense power upon those who were not as mighty. Should these creatures come upon anyone in the Great Desert, it would’ve found its ability largely worthless, but even still its physical abilities were not to be underestimated. It was a strong creature that had a myriad of abilities. Its claws were sharp enough to carve through entire tree trunks, its ability to interpret and respond to the environment was phenomenal, and it used its ability to fly for limited periods to augment its movements. It would’ve taken a seasoned warrior of the Tribe to defeat it and an entire group of fresher recruits to battle against.

Against someone of my caliber, who hunted all manner of dangerous beasts that he came across, the creature met its match.

Suddenly, however, one of the older hunters spoke.

“That thing… it’s a Demon! I only heard of these creatures in my grandfather’s stories!” I turned my gaze towards the man. He had a bare head and a grayed beard. His face was suntanned and had a fair few wrinkles, but his form was resolute and strong, courtesy of a life spent hunting and consuming the flesh of powerful creatures. He approached me warily and looked upon the creature. The more he looked upon it the more certain he became. The surprise began to turn to terror until he looked upon me and found no marks upon me. “How did you kill it? These creatures were said to once take on numerous knights and only perish after slaying a dozen of their number!”

The news made me frown, because I did not think that the creature I faced was that capable. The female Knight, who I had helped back to her homeland, would’ve been capable of facing this creature alone. Her treatment suggested that she was of good standing and well-respected, but not to the point where she seemed to be the exception. Perhaps, in the man’s grandfather’s time, knights were of lesser quality?

“I sliced it apart and evaded its assault. That’s all.” My statement drew the gaze of the man and a scoff from Gale. The scoff earned my curiosity and so I turned to my student. “What is it?”

She elected to address the bald-headed man.

“Barth, it’s useless to ask him. He might look like a lad, but his strength is beyond anyone here. Remember, that knightly lady wanted to take him all the way to the capital to help the crown? Even if he’s nice and courteous, you shouldn’t forget that real power runs through his veins.” Gale approached us both until she stood next to me. Her nose wrinkled at the Demon’s stench and she looked upon it with a grimace and crossed arms. Unlike the older gentleman, she faced it with something closer to hatred that terror. “All we can do is fight against all the these things and hold on for dear life. Just keep eating the flesh of monsters and train, so that we can face these things, and not need any craven knights.”

Her words were harsh and filled with vindictiveness towards the people who abandoned her and her people. Over the course of the last few weeks, her initial anger and rage had been reforged into something more permanent and deadly, but less of a danger to herself. The lack of looming walls and soldiers seemed to help her control her anger at being left to die, and the constant training also cleared her mind, but sometimes I caught her glaring in the distance at where people were safe behind magical walls and protections.

She internalized her hatred and made it a part of herself. I was sure that she would use whatever power she acquired to enact petty vengeance… if not for the value that she placed upon those who saved her and cared for her.

“We might be alone out here, but we’ll make it, and we’ll grow strong. You, me, and everyone else, Barth.” Gale placed a reassuring hand on the older man’s shoulder. She was steadily growing taller, but she still wasn’t close to the veteran hunter’s height. In perhaps a year, she’ll be as strong as one of the As’Kari’s veterans and she will lead a force of warriors on par with the As’Kari’s own normal soldiery. They will truly be capable of living for themselves sin this land without the help of the kingdom. Survival, however, wasn’t enough to galvanize a populace. They needed more than that. “One day, the Crown will regret what they did to us. We’ll survive all the monsters, these Demons, and whoever else that comes. We must for all those we lost.”

Simple survival was achieved through what we already had. The abandoned village provided shelter, food, and water, while the walls and patrols provided security. But in the face of what the village opposed, an endless night, abandonment, and a constant stream of monsters, the people of the village needed more than just that. The stress of the environment was too much, and they needed to more to survive, and so they clung to life to spite those who abandoned them and saw fit to see them perish.

Barth, in the face of a terror from his childhood coming alive, nodded and clung to Gale’s words.

If he stood alone, if he had nothing to protect, and if he had no justice to fight for, then perhaps the appearance of a demon would’ve shaken his resolve to the point where he wouldn’t be to continue. But he stood with a community which needed him, he had a duty to protect those who were left behind like he was, and he now strove to fight so that he could find justice for the wrongs rendered to him.

All these things that allowed a soldier to charge into machine gun fire, or leap over a trench, allowed this man to nod and continue despite an ancient horror returning.

A part of me detested offering the idea to Gale, who took to it with utmost ease, but times were dire and these people needed to have something to live for.

Otherwise, they might give up on fighting entirely and simply accept their end.