Arc 2 – Swing
Ch. 4 – The Basilisk
...
A basil-green monstrosity seethed at us.
"And it is a special one."
Two distinctive, gruesome scars had been gouged, one in each eye of the beast.
"During a patrol in a nearby village, some knights found this beast. Unfortunately, they were no match for it, resulting in the death of half the patrol from its deadly gaze."
The ferocious monster hissed, searching for its next prey. It pointed a pair of arm-long fangs in our general direction.
The students looked away from the creature; most quivering in their boots.
"But they eventually won against this serpentine beast. They slashed his eyes in hopes of protecting others from instantly dying. So looking at him is fine."
Although we were standing far away, and on the other side of the thick steel bars that surrounded the beast, we felt as if we were right in front of it, ready to be ripped into pieces. No one felt safe.
"And this beast is known as–"
"The B-Basilisk..." I interrupted.
"Exactly, though a very young one," she smiled.
Just by looking at such ferocity, it reminded me of the hellhole I'd fallen into. I shuddered. Worried, I tried to suppress my trembling, hoping that no one had noticed it.
"As I said, this beast's eyes were slashed by Beast Knights, so you don't have to worry about looking at it," she reassured the students. "In its current state, this young Basilisk isn't much different from your regular Gifid, the earth snake, apart from its increased strength and intimidating nature."
Eyes fixed on the Beast, I asked the guide: "How do you know that?"
"The Beast Knights themselves brought the Basilisk and told us that we could safely look at him. But of course, we are still conducting research in order to protect citizens from a possible future attack, so rest assured."
"I see..." I deeply exhaled, trying to calm myself down. Little by little, my heart quieted.
"Any questions?" The guide glanced at each student until one raised his hand. "Yes?"
"How big is it?"
"About two and a half meters of height, and about five meters in length. This one, being young, is smaller than the usual Basilisk, according to the Bestiary Compendium." Another student raised her hand. "Are they rare?"
"They are indeed rare. On the Gramm Scale, an adult Basilisk with healthy eyes would be considered a level 6."
"Gramm scale?" She scratched her head.
"It's a scale with levels from 1 to 10 created by professor Gramm, a renowned researcher, a few decades ago to classify a Beast's rarity and power. That scale is widely used nowadays."
That's very interesting! I'll ask the teachers later about that.
"Any more questions?" She looked around, only to see a raised hand at the back. "Yes?"
"Is there any knight that linked with a Basilisk?"
"Hm... I honestly don't know. The Bestiary isn't responsible for keeping information on knights, only on the beasts themselves. That's why we are called the Bestiary."
I wonder if there's any place in the district that holds such information. Though I don't expect it to be public. That would be extremely stupid.
"Anyone else? This is the last question since we'll have lunch after this," her eyes scanned the group of students. "Okay, then follow me. We'll go to the dining room."
«———»
After everyone had their meal, the guide, along with the knight, escorted us to another section of the Bestiary.
She was ready to introduce us to another type of beast, aiming to get us used to seeing them in nature.
This project has been extremely interesting so far, and I hope the kingdom plans on doing this again in the future.
And even though my village isn't the biggest one in the territory of the kingdom, it is one of the few villages near the border of the kingdom with a geographical advantage over the Regis kingdom, resting atop a mountain.
They are most certainly trying to advise us of dangerous beasts, along to getting us used to them. Maybe it has something to do with that? I'm not sure.
But the Basilisk was terrifying. It may not be that powerful due to its young age and slashed eyes, but just standing near that monster reminded me of that Leo King.
Inside that underground cave, I was too preoccupied with trying to escape to pay attention to him, but I don't think he was any weaker than the Basilisk. I was lucky to escape.
As these thoughts kept swirling around my head, I bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry– !!" I looked up and saw the one person I didn't want to see. "Geh!"
"Tch," Rick turned around as our classmates kept walking forward. "Be thankful we're in a public space, wimp."
I nodded fiercely, not daring to say anything else that could agitate him.
Though I couldn't help but notice the same bitter glare he gave me a couple of weeks ago. Oddly, I felt that he didn't want to be here.
Suddenly, an ear-piercing hiss echoed throughout the Bestiary. I desperately clutched my ears at the hiss' sheer intensity.
But it was unmistakable...
That was the Basilisk's scream.
Following the hiss, a flurry of terrified screams alarmed everyone. I glanced in the screams' direction, only to spot a corridor. Red thick liquid oozed from the shadows inside.
The Beast Knight stood in between us and the passage, protecting us from whatever made that blood puddle. A canine figure warped into the room out of nowhere and growled at the seeping corridor.
"Attention, Nevi!" The knight ordered his beast.
Nevi was a human-sized beast. I had no idea what the species' name was, but his pitch-black fur and golden eyes gave off a mystic feeling.
"Go contact the director about this, we need reinforcements!" His grip strengthened around his ax. "I'll take care of the students!"
"Woof!" The beast suddenly disappeared, leaving only a small puff of black mist.
"Don't panic. I'll bring you to safety, I promise!"
The pitch-black mist enshrouded us.
...
Thank you for reading, and thank you Xaga for editing!
This arc will be packed with action! The pacing will also get quicker, so get ready for it!
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Talentless Beast Knight - An Original Novel
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