Chapter 128: The Bestiary (1/2)
This was possibly the thickest book that Calvin had ever encountered in his entire life.
Written on the surface of the book was the word, ”Bestiary”. The font used to write the word made it look domineering and dashing, but the dust that covered its surface made it obvious to Calvin that the book hadn't been opened for at least several months now.
Calvin opened the book and a short introduction was on the very first page.
[Author Unknown]
[Let this book be the guide for the lost souls of the future generation. Written within this book are accurate information pertaining to the beasts that have appeared after the first Cataclysm.]
[However, one must never rely on a single source of information for advice when it comes to dealing with the beasts described in this Bestiary for mutations do happen...]
[A Thrall may have consumed the Essence Core of a Ghoul and it could acquire abilities that are far different than what is described in the Bestiary. Nonetheless, those that aspire to be Predators must start by memorizing each and every beast described in the Bestiary.]
[A prepared mind is sharper than a silver sword.]
[Table of Contents]
[Evil-Type Beasts]
[Non-Evil Type Beasts]
[The Untouchables]
[Draconids]
[Elementals]
[Corpse Eaters]
[Insectoids]
[Draconids]
[Giants]
[Ancients]
[Specters]
[Vampires]
Calvin turned to look at the side of the book and discovered that the information related to Non-Evil Type Beasts was the thickest. He opened the very first page of the topic in regards to Non-Evil Type Beasts and he was greatly disappointed for he discovered the reason why it was so thick.
it was because both Non-Evil Type Beasts and Evil-Type Beasts were a collective term referring to beasts without any magical capabilities nor core that could store any amount of Mana. The beasts described within the Bestiary included, but not limited to, Wild Dogs, Bears, Wolves, and Wild Boars.
The stark difference between the two was the word, ”Evil”.
When a non-magical beast stayed long enough in a place filled with negative energy such as a battlefield. They would be able to gain capabilities far beyond what their species permitted.
In other words, a wolf whose leap only reached three meters would suddenly be able to pounce for five meters after soaking up these negative energies.
The author of the Bestiary found them dangerous enough and worthy of being listed in the Bestiary due to the fact that their transformation was far too devastating for rural villages and other city residents who often ventured to the woods near their walled cities.
”And I have to memorize all of these?” Calvin felt a headache coming. But his interest was still piqued by the vast amount of information contained within the book, so he continued to peruse.
He flipped to the end of the current topic and reached the topic related to the Untouchables.
The Untouchables sounded intimidating at first, but it was yet another collective term referring to beasts or humanoid creatures cursed by Predators wielding evil magic.
Every being that turned evil due to the result of a curse could be considered as a part of the Untouchables.
As for the reason why the author deliberately added the Untouchables into the Bestiary... It was because those that fall into this categorization were often weak against silver and medicinal decoctions.
In the very first Epoch, people relied on decoctions to fight against the Untouchables and other beasts, so the author found them worthy to add as an entry to the Bestiary.
Calvin skimmed through most of the info regarding the specific creatures first as he flipped over to the next topic related to Draconids.
Draconids piqued Calvin's interest, after all...
Who didn't want to see a dragon?
But when Calvin saw that the bloodline of the Draconids wasn't even close to the bloodline of True Dragons...
His disappointment was immeasurable and his day was ruined.
However, there were a lot of different species of Draconids existing in the world of Las Felipinas at this moment. Both Draconids and True Dragons had inhabited this land since time immemorial and they became an important branch of Las Felipinas's eco-system.
But unfortunately, the Draconids far underestimated humanity's reproduction capabilities. As human cities and villages grew, so did the territories claimed by humans in the land of Las Felipinas.
Soon, the Draconids found out that it was far better for them to swoop in for some quick meal on herds of cattle and swine than to fight against other beasts and possibly sustaining injuries that would make them waste their time recovering.
Unfortunately for the Draconids, their involvement with the humans became the reason why the author of the Bestiary decided to add them as an entry.
While the creature mostly associated with the Draconids are dragons. The most populous members of this species were actually from a kind of a lesser dragon known as Flood Dragons.
The Flood Dragons bred Wyverns and Dracolizard. They were easily confused with dragons as they share the same scaly skin or armor made up of bony plates and the reinforcement of the earth.
Their features such as their reptilian maws, legs, and tails were also the same as the dragons.
But there was a stark difference.
Members of the Flood Dragons were known to be less intelligent than the dragons.
Those dragons were far developed than the Wyverns and Dracolizards and they were the undisputed king of the skies due to their prowess in aerial combat.
They were definitely a force to be reckoned with, but every problem in the world has a solution.
As formidable as these dragons may be, they still had a weakness. One of them was once again, silver. They also shared this weakness with the Draconids though it was easier to kill a Draconid with a silver sword than a fully-fledged dragon.
[Elementals]
Elementals are fascinating creations made from the manifestation of a Predator's will. Those that can manipulate Mana can create an Elemental, but creating them was far easier than controlling them.
Elementals have little to no will of their own, but if left on its own, an Elemental is a force to be reckoned and can easily obliterate a human settlement or so if it wished.
Elementals are incredibly difficult to fight against, but with the usage of a silver sword coated with the dust of a material containing the properties of anti-mana.
They weren't insurmountable mountains.
[Insectoids]
A collective term for monsters with insect-like traits. They usually lived in woodlands and damp forests. They are weak against fire, and one could repel their presence with a mixture of appropriate medicinal herbs and decoctions.
[Corpse Eaters]
They are monsters born from the negative energies that haunt the battlefield. Usually, they appear in cemeteries, but if a battlefield wasn't cleaned up fast enough, then their appearance was sure to be neigh. They are weak against silver, and could easily crumble in the face of fire.
[Giants]
Calvin was about to open the page describing the Giants, but he decided against it. The title of the topic alone was enough to describe its contents. After the disappointment that he had with the Non-Evil Type Beasts and Evil-Type Beasts topic earlier, Calvin didn't even bother.
Though, he glanced at it and discovered that ”Giants” was another collective term of humanoid beasts whose figures were so tall and huge that one could mistake them for a mountain from a distance.
[Ancients]
Not much information was contained within the Bestiary regarding the Ancients.
The author said that they arrived in the world of Las Felipinas after the First Cataclysm, but he also cited some references which said that the Ancients were actually one of the very first creations of the Goddess Grace, similar to the Primordial Beast, Bakunawa.
[Specters]
Specters are easily confused with Ghosts, but there was a stark difference between the two.
Specters are usually spirits that swallowed enough negative energy and are tethered to a place or a person. Ghosts, on the other hand, may or may not have absorbed negative energies, and they generally have a lot of freedom, unlike the Specters.
Specters could also remain in the material plane due to unfinished business.