57 CHPT 57: Vindictive species

Students from all over the Library looked up from their studies, wondering who yelled that loudly in a Library and what caused them to do so.

Conroy looked up from his book— Elemental Mage training drills and strategies, thinking , "Lord, please don't tell me there's about to be a fight in the Library...not here—- not in my sanctuary." He looked to the source of the noise and saw two men who could be described— in a way, as polar opposites standing face to face. It was one of the new students in his Training class who didn't talk much and Claude who stood looking....embarrassed??

"Pfft! Rival? Do you know who that is your talking to?" Warren asked from his seat at the desk covered in black leather bound Demon books.

"Why of course. This is the Werewolf boy." Chase responded.

Claude felt himself get angered at the students' 'mention of the rumor.

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" Warren asked.

"I don't give a damn, to be honest." Chase answered flatly, stunning the three in the process.

"This guy's different." Claude said to himself, while Warren and Ursula thought the same thing.

"Alright. Since you're aware of that, that means you know I already have enough...uhh...rivals." Claude answered.

Chase smile again before yelling animatedly, "How many of those rivals were placed in your path by fate? Destiny??!"

Claude cringed as Chase drew attention to them all again, "We're in a Library, you sun deprived dumbass!" He thought angrily.

Ursula scooted closer to Claude and whispered, "I think this guy is uhhh.... you know." She said insinuating that Chase was insane.

"That can't be possible, he's backed by a god. There's gotta be something about him." Claude whispered back.

After his brief exchange with Ursula, he turned back to Chase and met his excited and determined gaze.

"Alright, how about we spar on the weekend or something? Do you live in SkyHaven?" Claude asked.

"Accept." He replied.

"What?"

"ACCEPT!"

"God dammit! Will you stop yelling if I do?" Claude responded angrily for the first time.

"Yes." Chase replied with a smile.

"Alright. We're rivals."

"Hey! Loudmouth, get out of my Library!" The attractive white haired librarian said from behind Chase. He turned and walked away silently with a smile stretched across his face and unblinking eyes. As he opened the door, he quickly turned and yelled a farewell to his new rival.

"WE'RE GONNA COMPETE IN EVERYTHING WOLFBOY!! ITS GONNA BE GREAT!!"

Claude shut his eyes and shook his head in disappointment as everyone in view looked at him with confusion.

***

After Chase left and the Library retained its calm and refreshing atmosphere, Claude, Ursula and Warren decided to take a seat at their table and begin their search for answers. The beautiful crescent moon glowed brightly through the large wall of windows next to them.

"So, looks like you've got a stalker." Ursula said with a teasing smile.

"Possibly psychotic rival, actually." Claude jokingly corrected as he reached for his book.

The book looked like a direct mirror of the information it held written on its stiff and stained pages, ugly. The books leather exterior was wrinkly and squishy to the touch like jet black human skin. The cover held a large and clawed six fingered hand that looked branded into the fleshy leather exterior— the hand of a Demon. Claudes attention was briefly taken as Ursula read an entry from her book— Intro: Demons.

"Demons, a despicable race with origins shrouded in mystery. Unlike every other monster species born from the Tangent, these physical manifestations of evil also came from below. Whether it was from the dark and cold depths of the ocean or the bottom of a bubbling volcano, they emerged clad in nothing but crude armor and weapons. In the height of their collective existence, they happily killed, raped and tortured all life forms indiscriminately, with nothing but smiles on their wicked and haunting faces." She finished reading and couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, scared even.

"Smiles? That's horrifying.....nobody smiles when they're killing." Warren said while he rubbed his arms like he was chilled.

They both ended up looking at Claude and saw that he sat silently with his hand clenched into a fist and an enraged expression on his face.

As Claude heard Ursula read the entry on Demons, he couldn't help but remember something. He'd heard of someone else smiling in battle, the thought didn't scare him though, it pissed him off.

"Claude, whatever's bothering you, you can tell us. We can talk about it...it might make you feel better." Ursula offered.

Claude sat up straight and leaned his head back quickly to get his hair out of his face. He exhaled in anger before he spoke in a low and almost gravelly tone.

"M-My father, he's.... he was a Tangent Biologist and he was assigned with a new guild in SkyHaven, they're called...uhhh... The Midnight Wardens. He described them oddly... and even looked uncomfortable as he spoke about them, he said they smiled while they killed and brutalized every living thing in the Tangent too." Claude said.

"I've heard about them, but nothing is really known about their members or even their guild leader. They kind of just moved in, which was creepy already. Now I feel like I should avoid them at all costs." Ursula said.

"You said your father was a Tangent Biologist. What is he now?" Warren asked.

Warren watched Claude slowly turn to face them, he felt like the question was innocent and an easy way to learn more about someone he was beginning to consider his friend. Apparently that was the wrong question, at least that's how it felt.

He suddenly felt like he was being stared at by a giant mass of predatory rage and hateful energy, Claude no longer looked human— despite simply staring at him from across the table, he was entirely different from a few seconds ago....Warren could only describe at as him looking like...something else... pretending to be human.

Ursula flinched as she heard a low and husky growl from beside her, she quickly turned thinking she was about to come face to face with one of those things she saw in the Deviant. But, all she saw was Claude, he clenched his jaw repeatedly like he was angry, but his eyes looked like they were screaming in pain.

Suddenly she felt sad as well and reached out to try and place a hand on his shoulder. He quickly got up before she could touch him saying, "Erhm....excuse me. I feel sick, I'll be back."

SSSHrip!

A horrible raking sound came from under the table as he got up and briskly left.

"Holy hell...I think my legs are numb." Warren said. "What did I say?" He continued.

Ursula didn't respond and instead pushed her seat back away from the table.

"What are you doing?" Warren asked.

"Checking something." Ursula replied as she left her seat and looked under the table.

She began to get a cold sweat once her head was all the way under their table. She turned to look at the underside of the table and saw five jagged claw marks cutting deeply into the wood where Claude sat.

***

Claude returned from the restroom near the Library, he came incredibly close to revealing his true nature just from hearing someone ask about his father and he could only think one thing as he entered the Library.

"The pain doesn't go away does it?"

"[No, it doesn't. But you learn to handle it.]" Arne said.

The students in the Library looked up as he passed them feeling a wave of fear and discomfort briefly settle within the area.

"Hey, sorry. I felt like I was gonna puke hehe." Claude said nervously as he approached the table.

"I-It's fine." Ursula said while she patted his seat next to her beckoning him to sit down.

Claude cautiously sat down and grabbed his book. "You guys find anything that may involve or be related to the snake?" He asked.

"Not yet. Just stuff on their origins and what they did, they're extremely low in population density now." Warren said quietly without looking at Claude.

"Fuck, now he's uncomfortable around me." Claude thought while opening up his books.

***

After about thirty minutes of searching and reading, Claude flipped another stained and musty page and found himself reading an entry on a peculiar Demon type called a "HellBreeder".

"Guys, I think I found what we're looking for." Claude said to the group. They looked up from their books saying in unison, "What is it?"

"It's a high ranked Demon called a HellBreeder."

"Ok, if that isn't it then I don't know what is. What does it say?" Warren asked.

Claude began to read the entry on the Demon with hope that it wasn't anything too serious.

"HellBreeder's are a type of Demon that is almost never seen by Heroes of the Tangents. Unlike other Demons who are drawn to the chaos and misery often found in Tangents, HellBreeder's go to secluded areas within the untamed wild of earth, infecting and transforming the mental and physical composition of animals in the surrounding area. The effect HellBreeder's have on animals isn't only a danger to humans but to their entire ecosystem, so much so that they become an invasive and destructive species no matter where they go..."

"I-Invasive." Warren said.

Claude was immediately reminded of the strong stench of decay and blood in the forest caused by the ravenous snake mother who must've eaten everything in that forest.

"Keep reading." Ursula said with a determined expression.

Claude nodded quickly and continued.

"Regular HellBreeder's strength is found in their ability to cause serious problems to both wildlife and human life. But, HellBreeder Kings have the ability to control the animals they transform as well as increased stats in varying areas."

"Kings!!?" Warren said in a whining tone.

"Luckily that's not what we ran into." Ursula said.

"We don't know that for sure. But, something we do know for sure is that there was a HellBreeder somewhere in the Redwoods." Claude said.

"Is there anything else?" Ursula asked.

"Uhh, just stats and a pictur— god damn!." Claude said as he looked at the hideous depiction of the HellBreeder.

On the page was an ink drawing of something he had trouble fathoming in real life. It looked like it had a smooth plated body— like a bug, and long limber arms and legs, unnaturally long legs. Behind its legs and curling up beside its body was a thick and muscular scorpion-like tail. The worst part was the face, its lipless mouth held a stern expression and at the corners of its mouth, mandibles jutted out of its expressionless face. To top it off— literally and figuratively, it had two eyes in their normal spot on its face, and then two more on the sides of its head with reptilian slits.

"Your telling me that could've been in the forest with us?" Warren said.

"This isn't even the king..." Claude said with a wide eyed expression.

"Then what is?" Ursula asked.

"They don't have it on this page." Claude said as he reached for the page to flip it. He stopped and looked at the bottom of the page noticing a bright red stamp.

"We might have a problem."

"What." Ursula said.

"What does it mean if something that was extinct suddenly comes back?" Claude said as he pointed to the bright red stamp at the bottom of the page that read "Extinct."

"Uhhhh...maybe there's more on the next page— like an off brand version that's a lot weaker and less terrifying." Warren said.

Claude thought about how impractical that was, but decided to flip the page anyway. He saw that the entry on the species continued, Claude's blood froze as he read over the new piece of information.

"HellBreeder's become almost like parents towards the animals they infect and watch over them intently. Unlike all other documented Demon types, HellBreeder's seem to feel sorrow and depression at the loss of their infected kin, these emotions soon turn to rage that they use to empower themselves as they track down and even stalk the one who killed their family...."

Claude decided he wouldn't tell them this new bit of information since Warren already looked like he was about to explode and Ursula was completely silent.

"Hehehe. It's not—" before he could lie, the sweet smell of fear bombarded his nostrils and tastebuds. He turned and saw Ursula side eyeing the page next to him, he could see the sweat collecting on her brow as she continued to read about the HellBreeder's....about how there's a chance a giant scorpion demon is stalking them.

"Hey! It's time to return to your rooms. Don't your see the time?" The librarian said scaring the three in the process. They looked up from the book on Demons noticing they were the only students in the Library.

"Sorry, we'll leave now." Ursula said as she closed the book for them and stood up quickly.

They headed back to the bookshelf for Demon books feeling absolutely horrified that a Demon with that much destructive potential could be making a resurgence and stalking them. Ursula watched Claude cautiously put the last of the Demon books back into the eerie shelf before she spoke.

"We have to tell someone." Ursula said.

"I'll talk to Prof. Raizen tomorrow." Claude said as they left the Library and headed downstairs to their rooms.

Claude could only think one thing as he headed towards his room.

"Arne. I need to get stronger."