Besti- Something

"Maybe we should visit a library, huh? What do you think, Toby? We could get some more information on your species."

The Warg was busy and didn't respond. What would it know about evolving? It was its first and only life. The experience of rapid evolution was something it didn't have.

Gerald said the stuff about Bloodhounds at a whim, but now he really wondered if he could influence his mount's evolution. Wouldn't it be cool if he could turn it into an even bigger and cooler-looking monster?!

And so it was decided.

"Onward my steed! The library awaits!" Gerald shouted and pulled on the reins while giving a light squeeze with his heel.

Toby made a depressed whining sound as he slowly left, giving sad glances to all the meat that remained behind. It was akin to a soldier departing for war and leaving his young new wife behind.

Who knew how many hooligans would treat her like a common piece of meat while he was gone? It certainly wasn't going to be the same after he got back.

***

As they arrived at the massive library, made of white marble and limestone, Gerald felt a bit of nostalgia. How long has it been since he first visited? Not that long actually, it's just that so many things happened since he first came here.

For example, back then he still had an above-average amount of hands. He smiled as he thought about it. Good times!

He planned on leaving Toby to wait for him outside, but then he remembered he had nowhere to tie him down and common ropes were certainly not enough for the beast. And since he couldn't be sure it wouldn't go wild, he had to keep an eye on it.

Many heads turned in their direction as they went in, and many more froze in fear as GTA passed by the reception desk at the entrance.

"Keep the change," Gerald said as he casually tossed a gold coin at the gawking receptionist. Surprisingly the guards didn't try to say anything as Gerald led Toby inside by a thin leather strap. The lead was more of a formality than an actual way to keep the Warg on a leash. One gentle bite and it would be over.

As they entered the grand hall filled with books, they went straight for the place where it should be. In Gerald's memory, the book should be right… there. It wasn't.

"We are going to have to look around, Toby. Someone moved the book," Gerald said as his eyes scanned the various titles.

He was searching for a book called Bestiary. Not to be confused with bestiality, for that was something else entirely.

***

Auralba became much livelier in recent days. The allied armies of all four Guardians were finally gathered in one place inside the city.

A few days ago, both Crag Carre, the Guardian of the West, and Ewat Holt, the Guardian of the East, marched over the south wall amid rabid monster attacks.

Despite general Crag being a beastmaster, and bringing a full army of powerful war animals, a Warg was still something even they didn't dare keep. It wasn't that they were incapable of taming it, but Wargs always had the potential to go crazy even if they lived among humans for years.

You never knew when your beast companion would suddenly decide you smelled nice and wanted to have a taste.

[…Where am I going with this?]

[Oh, yes!]

As you might expect, having a Warg roam the streets, even if it was tamed, didn't sit well with some. Especially if it belonged to some young man who came out of nowhere and was still unknown to most.

Many complaints reached The King's ear and many demanded, amid flattery, that something be done about it.

With the Kingdom's ruler being super busy with… stuff, the job once again fell on Tabbris' shoulders to sort things out with Gerald.

He was briefed on everything that happened recently and then sent on his way like some common servant, but he didn't mind. He was the only one close to the man and could be considered a friend. He should be able to quickly figure out if there was any potential danger with the Warg pet roaming about.

On the fields of endless carnage, the fight was still going on. It was not as aggressive and unending as the first days, but both human and monster's blood was spilled, painting the ground red.

The Flame Barrier was extinguished quite some time ago. With nothing to keep Mana in place, it soon returned to normal levels and mages quickly lost their advantage. Luckily it was the same for Orc Shamans, so at least there was a good side to it.

Tabbris took one last look across the city from the Royal Palace, steeled his heart, and with heavy steps marched towards the most menacing place of all: A library!

***

"Any luck, Toby? Did you find anything?"

In the now deserted library, Gerald and Toby were busy searching for the elusive [Bestiary] book. They were going at it for hours already. Most patrons of the library have long since ran away, afraid of the Warg.

He was regretting not properly reading the book back then as he just skimmed through it. But it wasn't like he could absorb all the knowledge just by touching the cover like some crazy OP fantasy characters!

Or could he?

A long "Hmmm…" escaped him as he squinted his eyes and touched a book and sent Mana through it to examine it.

The feedback was crazy! It was… absolutely worthless! He might as well be doing the same thing to a block of wood. Anyone coming up with the idea to magically absorb knowledge had to be clinically insane!

Oh, wait...

"Gerald? Are you alright?"