Gentleman’s Guide to Fantastic Beasts 34 (Patreon)

Gentleman’s Guide to Fantastic Beasts 34

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Wordcount: 2500

Commissioned by Sivantic.

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To my relief, the city that we approached was truly whole and hale, despite the horrors we encountered.

However, it was not unscathed.

It was surrounded by a massive battlefield upon which the signs of battle were clear. Craters littered the surroundings of the city, much of the ground was turned over and bereft of any life, and there were immense piles of bones upon which monsters were burned en masse.

The roads leading in and out of the city were in disarray. Large chunks were missing, cobblestone spread many meters away from the path they should form, and some stones were even crushed and utterly broken.

The foundations of a few light posts were present as well. I’d seen them in a few of the abandoned towns that we had passed. They were powered by oil and meant to keep the people productive despite the endless night. The massive, walled city shone with multitudes of them, but the ones that lined the streets were gone and there were no signs of attempted repairs.

I imagined that the same was for those leading into the city, and that might have saved it.

The refugees coming to the city died in the dark, instead of reaching it.

The city itself was like a fortress with multiple tiers of overlapping defenses. A great and massive citadel stood at the center, surrounded be an innermost ring of the tallest walls, and its second ring had many structures billowing smoke. Cranes and platforms lined the walls, bringing goods and people up the walls in constant motion, like trails of ants crawling upon sheer stone. The lowest section was reserved for tall homes and domiciles, meant to house multitudes, but their roofs were and sides were covered in terraces for gardening.

Large airships also filled the sky, of the same make that ferried prisoners in the Great Dessert. Rather than helium-filled transports, they were like sailing ships given the ability to take flight, with sails on the sides that acted as wings, as well as those atop the deck itself. Unlike the military-minded one that I first saw, these ones did not seem to sport any weaponry, and instead towed platforms filled with growing plants closer to the light cast by the immense tree of light.

Even formidable assets such as those were not spared from being used to bolster food supplies, though I had to question their worth in battle when faced with the immense swarms of flying monsters that flew through the sky. I could not imagine them being able to fight against that, so it was better to fly high and feed the hungry, rather than risk death and destruction.

Those they chose to protect were well-protected and industrious, but those they left behind had nothing.

Such thoughts swam in my mind, and nearly stopped me as I approached them, but in the end the greater threat was clear.

The parasite and its ilk were a disease that would destroy a city as concentrated as this with utmost ease.

And, if all these people turned into monsters of vectors of disease, then only a miracle could stop its spread to all nearby towns.

This was a battle in which enmity and hate had little place.

If we fought amongst ourselves, then we would all perish without a doubt.

…

Averi took the lead on our approach, and we found ourselves sequestered in a holding area surrounded by guards covered in weathered, but well-maintained armor. Food was brought to us. Bread and vegetables, which we ate with the meat that we had in stock. Some of the guards stared at us and turned their noses when they realized that we were consuming monsters, but I paid them little heed.

They were of no threat to me and my people.

The holding room reminded me of the shelters that we encountered in the villages. Mostly composed of thick stone and mortar and without any windows, as well as only a singular entrance. It was lit by several torches and there were a few slits for ventilation on the roof, as well as some on the walls, which all had grates for added protection. The more I looked, the more I realized that it most likely was one of the shelters, and constructed with materials that they had on hand.

As we ate, I glanced at the soldiers keeping us here.

Those who had been manning the walls used spears, but the ones inside the city used swords and shields. The shields differed depending on the user. Some had small bucklers and others large kite shields. Many of the soldiers had crossbows at their back which were knocked, with only a bolt necessary to change it into a lethal weapon. While their armor looked weathered and scratched, their weapons were well-maintained. Not even the smallest strap of leather was ignored.

These men and women were hardened warriors… but they were still too weak.

“They have skill, but they do not have power.” Djet’Is grunted as she consumed a hunk of meat with a large, singular bite. When upright, she loomed over most of the soldiers nearly two heads higher and I had no reason to doubt that their weapons would have little effect against her. Their armor would be worthless, too. She could simply throw one at the wall, or smash them into the ground, and they would perish. “Why do they not partake in the flesh of monsters? Their form is feeble, and they will perish because they do not.”

Seeing as Gale knew the people here more than I, I asked her Djet’Is’s question.

A frown spread across her face, before she spoke, until she nodded to herself.

“I think… it’s because they wanted to keep power. If everyone ate the meat of monsters, then they’d be too strong to control. They wouldn’t have been able to abandon us so easily.” The answer wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be a matter of custom and tradition, but couldn’t those two things be used to shape a nation? “Knights would have been needed our livestock, if everyone back home was as strong as they are now. So, I think that they made it so no one would eat it, unless they were desperate.”

I interpreted for Djet’Is and she grunted.

“Foolishness. More soldiers and more warriors would’ve made the nation stronger. They would have less to fear, if their people were all as strong as those of the Great Dessert.” Djet’Is shook her head and spoke this time in the tongue of the people of the forest. She directed her words towards the guards, many of whom had begun to glare at Gale. Her focus on them, along with a smattering of release of her power, nearly had the guards shake and quiver as they struggled to stay still. They resisted falling to their knees in surrender. “Your people have weakened yourselves against this struggle. Even your finest Knight hardly compares to me.”

Djet’Is boasted and none could deny her, but the fact was that she was an outlier and not at all the norm. From the moment of her birth, she was trained and cultivated into someone that could either unify the Great Desert with force, or rule through it with an iron fist.

There were plenty of errant knights who chose to go forth and help those who were abandoned. Their strength was easily amplified to the same measure needed to be acknowledged as a warrior amongst the As’Kari within a few days of consuming the flesh of monsters. I would attest that their arms and equipment and skill, atop their newfound strength and power, would give them parity against veteran Warriors of the As’Kari.

However, the people of the forest did have a key advantage.

An advantage that took the form of the immense tree which provided the only light anyone saw nowadays.

Sorcery. Magic. Witchcraft.

Whatever it was called, they could do great things with the power within the bodies of the people of this world, and the As’Kari had nothing that could compare.

What could these people do, if they used their immense talent and power to fight instead of cast spells which keep the darkness at bay?

As that question resounded in my mind, there was a shuffling amongst the guards and the opening of a door.

Averi entered, provided arms and armor that shone and were obviously freshly made, and she accompanied a man… no… a noble.

He stood only a head shorter than Djet’Is, making him a towering specimen, and he was clad in aristocrat formalwear in pure white with accents of purple. His hair was a bright blonde, almost silver in color save for faint hues, and his visage dignified and sharp. Though he was clad in finery and looked like the part of a noble, he looked to me more like the clan leaders of the As’Kari.

Individuals who played at being leaders and politicians, but in truth were warriors to the core.

He stalked forward and cast his gaze upon the two of us, ignoring Gale and Will completely.

And, he spoke in the tongue of the Great Desert.

“My name is Lucien. My family, the Alexanders, rule over this city and its people are under our protection. Ten clans fall under my family’s banner, and of them all, none rival mine.” This was custom between those who meet on behalf of their clans. Djet’Is acknowledged this and stood at her full eight and garbed herself with her power. To hide one’s power in this case would be showing duplicity. Leaders looked upon one another in these meetings and judged what would become of their tribes. Whether they shall become allies, foes, or rivals. Neutrality in the Great Desert did not exist. One way or another, all peoples fought. “I know of you, Djet’Is of the As’Kari. Your clan seeks hegemon over the Great Desert. Your father even now has conquered another clan, despite the darkness that has fallen upon the land.”

He turned to me.

“And, I have heard tales of you. The As’Kari’s rising star. The boy who named himself and who cast himself out, after granting so much power and might to the As’Kari: Will.” Though his eyes lingered for a moment on Djet’Is, he looked upon me and his breath hitched. I could feel in the air a tendril of sorts, much like that which I use to guide my bandages and strings and even needles through the air, but it was faint and distant. I took hold of it as it brushed against my skin and repelled it. I supposed that it was a secret method of discerning the power of another. “Your power… is beyond what I expected.”

Averi started at those words, but held her tongue instead of speaking as she stood beside the noble.

Once again, the man waited for me to speak or reveal some fraction of my power, but I did not deign to do so.

I did not subscribe to the same customs of the As’Kari.

I doubt that I ever truly have.

“Lady Averi has informed me of what you found. Not only that, but you have a witness of my own territory, as well as one from those abandoned by the Crown.” Lucien looked at Will and Gale both and gave them both nods. A frown threatened to break his placid mask, but he kept it under control. How old was this young man? He must be barely past two decades, yet he held himself like a warrior and spoke with practiced authority. I was reminded of the young men of the officer corps, as he spoke to me. “And, of course, your enmity towards the crown is known to me… but I can see that you have held back, despite your disdain.”

It was a statement, but I was content enough with the man’s character to give him a chance.

He has distanced himself from the true rulers of this enough to be a point of contact between myself and them.

"The parasite that we have found is a malign creature with a weakness to flame and frost, but also holds a great power.” I held out my hand towards my pack and fetched the sample. An arm of one of the creatures, and I produced a knife. “Observe. This is a limb which I purged of the corruption and this is a blade I took from one of the bodies I found there.”

I dragged the edge of the knife against the leathery, blackened skin of the small arm… and Lucien’s brow furrowed as he saw that it found no purchase against the skin.

“The parasites do not only take control over the body. They overtake it, replace it, and they themselves are fed on the blood and bodies of monsters. Whatever they replace is strengthened as though they have consumed the flesh of monsters for years and years. Each and every single host that they hold is a match for a Warrior of the Great Dessert.” I stated the facts as simply as I could, and sealed the limb away in the bindings that I fashioned for it and returned it to the sealed pouch which I used to hold it. “I detest the actions of your people. Many have been abandoned and have perished against the hordes of monsters that now prowl the lands. However, this threat goes beyond any hatred. If this parasite overtakes all of your people, then all the world will be at risk, as all your peoples will become monsters with immense strength and power and the ability to plan.”

I expected the man to ask me for proof.

Instead… I found only worry in his eyes.

I came to a realization and shot upward to my full height.

“You already knew?”

“All that you have stated? No. But we have encountered these creatures in our long-range patrols, especially as we tried to fortify and evacuate closer villages. That these… monsters have the ability to remake flesh explains much.” Lucien took a steadying breath and shook his head. He frowned and let loose a sigh and gazed towards the guards. When he spoke again, this time it was with his mother tongue. “Return the belongings of these people to them. We make haste for the nearest guard command post. There is an enemy on the horizon which we must purge.”

The room began to move swiftly to do as the man bid.

For a moment, I thought that there was a clear and swift solution to the impending terror that loomed over us all.

I swallowed that foolish hope.

If we wished to solve this crisis with little bloodshed, we’d have needed to begun fighting and preparing months ago.

Prevention would’ve saved many.

Now, the cure would demand blood and flesh in quantities beyond reckoning.