Fantastic Beasts and How to Fight Them

[Silas Hetherton]

Reaper,

I hope that you have retained that same fighting spirit I witnessed previously in the tavern, for you are going to need it! I wanted to inform you that, after much cajoling, I have successfully negotiated a deal on your behalf to market you as a Monster Slayer. This means you will face only monsters in the arena. This may sound frightening, but let?s be honest, after that embarrassing flub with the hedgehog rake, it is probably for the best. Obviously, your talents lean more in the way of vanquishing monstrosities.

Lucky for you, I have many connections. The beast who handed you this note is named Jace Lindley and he is the most renowned zoologist in the world currently. He will prepare you to face each foe with a knowledge most gladiators would trade their tails for. So be attentive to what he tells you and learn all you can about these creatures before you have to fight them.

Remember to make it a good show! I will be watching!

Sincerely,
Blasio Timberfell

Silas set his jaw as he read the name and the easy scrawl, then looked down at the squirrel before him. He had the wild bearing of a careless adventurer while retaining a distinctly scholarly tone.

?Now then, shall we get down to business??

?I was about to sit down to lunch, actually,? Silas put off, shoving the note into a gap in his armor. He could make use of it later in the privy.

?Very well. I?ll join you!? Jace smiled amicably at the rat and the two walked down the tunnel toward mess, one tail dragging while the other curled high. The squirrel kept studying Silas in a way that made him uncomfortable, measuring him with his eyes.

?Northern brown rat by the angle of your nose, if I?m not mistaken. Chewed ears means you were born in a brood, typical of hordes.?

?I was a farmer.? Silas corrected, watching the squirrel?s nose twitch curiously under wide blinking eyes. After a moment, he sighed. ?But yes, I was born in a horde.?

Jace snapped his fingers. ?I knew it!?

?Never fit in though,? Silas added. ?Ran away when I was ten seasons.?

?I see.? Jace took Silas?s lead, picking up a clay bowl and sniffing at the various black kettles of simmering stews before choosing the same leek, turnip and dill concoction as the rat. Silas passed him a small barley loaf and they sat at an empty table, being first of a much larger crowd that now cued before the serving line. Soon Minerva and Komi joined the table, digging in determinedly.

?How did you become a farmer?? Jace asked between bites. ?That?s not something they teach brood pups, from what I understand.?

Silas cleared his throat self-consciously before answering. ?A mouse taught me, and his wife taught me to read and write. They never had children of their own.? He narrowed his eyes at the squirrel, watching him suspiciously, remembering once more who sent him. ?How do you know Timberfell?? He stuffed a spoonful of soup into his mouth to keep from sneering at the name.

?I don?t, actually. He wrote to me with a generous offer along with a bonus if my journey was expedited. So here I am ? and what a venue I?ve found! So rich in exotic beasts from every temperature and clime! I?m positively thrilled!?

Silas caught a glance from Komi. ?So you?re supposed to be some sort of ?monster? expert.?

?Aye! The ways of beasts are most fascinating. And such a smorgasbord of social implications. For instance, many assume that if a beast doesn?t walk upright that it?s dumb, but this is certainly not the case! Physical limitations do occur, but their way of life has never demanded the dexterity required of our own.?

?You mean because their way of life is to eat us?? Komi suddenly interrupted, showing her fangs as she tore into a stew-dipped loaf of sourdough.

?Not all of them! Boars for instance??

?Love the sound of their own chatter?? Komi stood. ?Sorry, Silas. I prefer to eat in peace.?

Silas was somewhat baffled at Komi?s extra cross demeanor, but even more startled when she actually stood up and walked away.

?You?re not chained anymore? Minerva ? that?s great!? The rat?s smile faltered at the glum look on the otterwife?s face. ?Isn?t it??

?Oh... uhh, aye. Nire thought we?d both been chained long enough, though I'm still s?posed t? watch Komi like a hawk.? She smirked half-heartedly and shrugged. ?Beats a sore ankle I suppose.?

Suddenly Jace leapt from his seat with a loud, drawn-out gasp of what could be either horror or awe. ?What the ?Gates is that?? When he dropped his paws from his face an enormous grin split his features. Silas turned to look in the direction he pointed and sighted Kali, shuffling along with a tray of fruit.

?A? bat??

?No ? no ? that is not ?a bat!? That is a beast I have never before seen in my life! Do you know what this means??

Silas shook his head tentatively.

?It means I?ve potentially discovered a new species!? He practically danced with glee, his tail twitching spastically. ?If you?ll excuse me ? I must meet this amazing creature!?

As the squirrel pushed his way towards his newfound prize, Silas turned back to Minerva, who appeared unusually dejected.

?Is it Adeen??

Minerva stirred her soup sullenly. ?She was my only connection t? Fable. She took risks fer our sakes. I can?t help but think it?s ?cause of me she was thrown in.?

Silas gnawed his bread thoughtfully. ?She also reunited me with the letters from my wife when they were going to burn them. Do you think maybe she was part of the FTN??

Minerva glanced up in alarm. ?The? what??

?The Family Trust Network. Another otter was telling me about it. It?s an underground organization that tries to help slaves trapped in the Crater. They deliver messages to family members. So maybe there?s more than one beast who would be willing to help.? He shrugged and gave her a small, hopeful smile.

Somehow Minerva managed to look even more miserable. Silas wished he could help, but Jace Lindley was returning once again with an inappropriate bounce in his step. Silas stood to meet him and tactfully steered him away from the sullen otterwife.

?A fox bat, she calls herself! Obviously an adopted name as she has very few biological similarities, but beasts like to make assumptions based on what?s familiar to them. She?s agreed to meet with me again to discuss her native habitat and customs!?

Silas patted the squirrel on the shoulder and waited for him to finish his gushing, nodding along until he gasped for air. ?Great. Glad you made some progress. Let?s not lose sight of why you are here, though.?

The squirrel smiled amiably, his long incisors pinching the flesh of his lower lip. ?Of course. Er? ? he craned his neck to look at their cooled lunch bowls.

?Don?t worry about lunch. I?ve had enough, and if you?re still hungry, you can chew on this.? He handed the squirrel his barley loaf and moved him toward the exit.

?Ah, very good!? Jace accepted the loaf with a bow of his head. ?Do you, ah, know where we?re going??

Silas stopped in the tunnel, looking left to right and shrugged. ?Not many places a slave is awarded privacy, sorry to say.?

Jace looked embarrassed at the admission, then seemed to brush the disturbing thought away. ?Not to worry! I have a pass.? He held up his left paw where a metal bracelet reminiscent of Silas?s collar was locked. ?Good for today, at least.?

?That?s new.? Silas noted.

?Extra precaution, they told me ? to ensure nobeast can slip into the arena under the guise of being a guest. Apparently they?ve had some issues of late.? The squirrel clicked his claws together nervously.

Silas eyed the bracelet. ?Where are you allowed to go??

?Monster cages, your? sector, public access areas, and of course, Mr. Timberfell?s office.? He glanced twice at Silas as a dark look crossed the rat?s features, adding hurriedly, ?But of course, it?d be useless to anyone else who isn?t a squirrel of my description.? He lifted the band once more, pointing at the engraved info plate.

?Then lead the way.? Silas muttered with a measure of disgruntlement.

?How about a visit to your first opponent, the Lycosidae? A most fascinating species!? Jace beamed with enthusiasm, leading the rat downward.

?You already know about the fights? They don?t usually tell us what we?re up against until the day of, and often not even then.?

?Oh yes ? with the arrival of multiple new shipments, Nire has blocked off an entire two weeks for what he has dubbed a ?Monster Marathon!? He is having flyers and posters made today outlining the entire exhibition.?

Silas slowed his pace as he processed the squirrel?s words. ?Just how many monsters will I be fighting during this ?Marathon? thing??

The squirrel stopped and looked at him with his lips pressed together, then shrugged.

?All of them.?

?What??

?Not all of them all of them. But one of every type, at least.?

Silas felt his throat constrict, swallowing hard. ?How many is that??

?Let?s see? ? Jace pulled a paper out of his pocket and started to study it under the light of a torch with Silas leaning in close. The symbol that emblazoned his armor was stamped at the top with seven smaller stamps depicting various terrifying creatures in a line below.

?Hellgates. A fight every other day?? Silas ran a paw across the back of his head.

?Well, at least it?s not every day!? Jace smiled.

Silas shook his head. It took Minerva and Komi working together to bring down one scorpion between them, and even they didn't escape unscathed.

?I?m going to die? ?

?Let?s take this one step at a time.? The squirrel patted the rat?s arm reassuringly. ?The marathon doesn?t start for three days. We can cover a lot in that time.?

Silas tried to slow his rapid breath, holding onto the squirrel?s words. ?Okay.? Breathe. ?Okay.? He closed his eyes, silently counted to five, then opened them.

?Tell me about the Lycosi-thing.?

?Best to show you.?

The two beasts descended even deeper through the tunnels until they reached the level where the monsters were housed.

?This is Bessie,? the squirrel gestured at a large cage. ?She?s been the only Lycosidae up until now.?

Silas nodded, paws at his hips. ?That is one huge spider.? The creature appeared careful and slow, albeit creepy, tip-toeing gracefully around its enclosure until Silas leaned in to get a better look. The speed at which it launched itself at his face was terrifying, and he fell back with a shout as two long black fangs, gripped the iron bars a paw?s breadth from where his throat had been.

Jace laughed at the unexpected attack, one paw over his heart. ?Whew! She doesn?t mess around!?

Silas shook where he lay on the floor of the cavernous space. Soon enough there would be no bars.

?Hell?s teeth. How am I going to fight that??

?At least you now have a healthy respect for its speed!? Jace lifted a claw. ?You?ll notice it has eight legs, as most spiders do. Chopping at those appendages won?t do you much good. Even if you manage to strike one, it will be on you with the other seven in the next instant. So your aim will ever be the center, my friend. The axis. The heart. The head. Your weight will be your best advantage if you can pin her, but always keep your eye on the fangs. They?re poisonous.?

Silas clenched his teeth as he spoke. ?Are any of the monsters I?m fighting not poisonous??

?Well the boar for one. And the Vinegaroon technically doesn?t have venom glands, though it can spray acid.?

?Oh, that?s encouraging.? Silas scowled.

?As long as you don?t let it hit you in the eyes I think you?ll be alright.? Jace tapped a claw against his chin. ?And from what I?ve inferred, your final opponent, the colossal crab, is more likely to crush you with its claws.?

?From what you?ve inferred? I thought you were an expert.?

?I am, but you must understand, much of my knowledge of the more exotic creatures comes second-paw. This place is a rare and wonderful opportunity for me to study these creatures in person!?

?I hope my death is as inspiring to you. Be sure to take lots of notes.?

?Nonsense! That?s why I?m here! Let me show you something.? Jace took a small stick from his pocket and began to run it along the bars opposite Bessie. ?Watch her.?

BANG! The spider was at the bars again.

?Did you see? She rose up on her rear legs just a little before the launch. It?s a tell. Now. Practice getting your guard up before she hits next.?

The two rodents worked their way around the cage and Silas watched carefully as the spider made a slow turn. Then she rose slightly and he lifted his paws in a practiced gesture of defense just before she hit the bars. By the time they left, Silas was feeling much better about his chances. It was going to be tough, but these creatures were not so scary as he had first imagined. They had weaknesses and tells just like any other fighter, and knowing them might just give him the leg up he would need.

Now if only he could convince Jace to take him to the real monster...