Chapter 22: Hatred

Although humans were destroyed by touching the Black Snow, the land destroyed and rent from mountain to valley, the beasts and creatures endured, though nothing could escape the ash’s touch unscathed.

With an ear-splitting shriek, the monstrosity threw its scaled body against the silver bars of its cage, making the entire structure shudder under the force of the blow. As it coiled against the bars, it shrieked again, angrily springing to the other side. The enclosure shook once again as it hit the opposite wall, sliding to the bottom like a mass of dark red liquid, its body sliding over itself in smooth loops as its head shot up, hissing and snapping as it gazed out at the students sitting before it. A forked tongue shot out, tasting the flavor of so many warm bodies on the air, and the creature rose from the ground, hovering in the middle of the cage with nothing but air underneath.

Suddenly, it struck towards the students, head striking the bars once more as a pair of long, curved teeth shot out of its mouth, curling down long past its jaw. Slipping down the oversized fangs was a black substance, forming a small droplet at the end that slowly dripped to the floor. Where the liquid landed, stone hissed and spat, a pocked mark marring the spots where the creature’s venom struck. Long green and orange feathers stuck out in tufts on either side of its wide, diamond-shaped head, waving enticingly with long, brightly colored plumes.

Beneath this crown of feathers, a pair of large, black eyes edged with the faintest hint of yellow glared out, hunger shaking their gaze between those seated in the front row. The monstrosity gnashed its overlarge fangs once more, striking at the bars as though to bite its way through.

“Now, now.” Doctor Nguyen swooped in, her long, pale hair braided back in an intricate braid made up of thousands of smaller ones. With one, graceful motion, she pulled on a pair of thick leather gloves, reaching for a long pair of iron tongs laying on the table beside the monstrosity’s cage, a dish of meat, and the cloth that she had pulled from it several moments earlier.

The imposingly tall woman neatly picked up a piece of pink meat from the bowl, catching the flesh in between the tong’s iron teeth. Her dark skin showed no hint of sweat or stress. Indeed the Doctor seemed unnaturally calm as she swung the morsel towards the cage, her eyes almost affectionate as the creature within redoubled its efforts in writhing and gnashing.

Clicking her tongue soothingly, Doctor Nguyen dangled the meat over the creature’s mouth, its limbless body stilling as it caught the scent of the food. Swaying, its head followed it back and forth as she slowly moved her hand back and forth.

“Note the way its tail moves. It can be an excellent indicator of a Carrion Serpent’s mood.” The tall woman spoke, never raising her gaze from the creature.

Smoothly, she moved her glove-covered arm closer, and the monstrosity narrowed its black and orange eyes, pouncing on the tongs the second they passed the bars. A small tug of war ensued, the Carrion Serpent ripping into the meat, and Doctor Nguyen refusing to loosen her grip upon the tongs that held it. Eventually, the raw pink flesh ripped, the creature retracting with its half into a huddle on the floor of the cage, hissing as it consumed its hard-won prize.

“They’re generally calm for a short period after feeding, but still dangerous.” Placing the tongs and the partial piece of meat back on the table, the doctor began smoothly removing her gloves.

“Nasty chickens,” Gail muttered from beside Briddy, her mouth turned down in a scowl.

Briddy glanced down at the illustration in her copy of Taming the End: The Two Hundred and Twenty by Tamora Pronsit. “It doesn’t even look like a chicken.” She murmured, playfully nudging her friend with an elbow. The lab tables in the Bestiary Study classroom could fit two, which meant she didn’t have to reach far to make contact with Gail’s muscular arm.

Also glancing at the picture in front of her, Gail shrugged, nudging her back. “Close enough.”

Behind them, Asher leaned forward over the table he shared with Warrin and whispered “It’s better than what she brought in last month. Less slime.”

“Speaking of slime, Mister Miltark,” Doctor Nguyen’s voice boomed out, making all three of them jump and sit up straight in their chairs. “Carrion Serpents tend to coat themselves with their own venom, which while not fatal, can cause temporary paralysis. I recommend that you all make sure your gloves are properly on before handling them.” She paused, tilting her head. “It can be useful in small doses when used in certain applications, much like the venom of the Humworms, yes?” Looking over the students, the statuesque woman gave a small smile.

“But I’m getting ahead of myself. This creature,” She indicated the cage behind her, “May be the first encounter some of you have had with a monstrosity outside of the lowest classification. Next year, your class will take place in the basement menagerie proper, where multiple species are on display. Now, we’ve studied the banes and lore surrounding two hundred and twenty species of monstrosities, but now we’ll begin to delve into more complicated details. Who can tell me more about this series of criteria?”

A hand flew up in the air.

“Yes, Mr. Miltark?”

“Do you mean the hate levels, Ma’am?” Asher inquired.

Doctor Nguyen let out a loud, long-suffering sigh, swinging her hefty braid over a dark shoulder and mindlessly tugging on the end. “The official term published by the Teradsih Coalition may be hate levels,” She said, picking her way through words like she was walking through a field of mines. “But for those of us better entrenched in the academia surrounding monstrosities, the term ‘classifications’ creates a much more positive rhetoric.”

Striding away from the table that held the cage, Doctor Nguyen picked up some chalk from the bottom of the board and began writing across the top in a flowing hand. From there, she went all the way down the side, listing letters ‘A’ through ‘E’, turning to the class once she was done.

“All known monstrosities are placed into one of these tiers. Now, who can tell me what purpose these classifications serve, hmm?”

“Ma’am?” Parvati’s silver hand flew up in the air this time.

“Yes?”

“What about Leviathans? Aren’t they a class above the highest hate level?”

“Hmmm.” Doctor Nguyen considered her with a small frown before adding the phrase ‘Leviathan Class’ at the top of the board, cramping the small writing in right above the large letter ‘A’ that she had inscribed there. “Something you should not have to see in your young lifetimes, as it is rare for a Leviathan to wander close to the Sekna’s Embrace, and those that do are tracked by the Guilds closely yes?” She tapped the chalk on the board. “And since there hasn’t been a new species of monstrosity for over three centuries, there won’t be any more to surprise you. Now, the purpose for classifications?”

A short pause went by before someone piped up. “The guilds do their contracts based on them.”

“Yes.” Doctor Nguyen inclined her head. “The Guilds differentiate the threat that different monstrosities pose to those who live inside the Embrace, and allocate the necessary resources needed to hunt them using this system.”

“And use it as a way to give themselves more bragging rights,” Gail muttered.

Briddy looked over at her friend, who was casually tightening the string on the ends of her two thick braids. Before she could whisper something back, Doctor Nguyen began writing on the board again, and she rushed to keep up in her own notes.

“Now the easiest way you can tell these classifications apart is based on the color of their eyes. A direct correlation can be drawn between the level of aggression a monstrosity shows towards humanity and the coloration in their eyes, which has been suggested to be an indicator of corruption within.” With a squeaking symphony of chalk, Doctor Nguyen filled out the space beside each of the letters, hand dashing across the dull green of the board.

Back at her desk, Briddy’s hand flew as well, copying down the table onto the paper in front of her.

Rank E: Eyes of complete Black

Rank D: Eyes of black ringed by yellow

Rank C: Eyes of yellow ringed by orange

Rank B: Eyes of orange ringed by red

Rank A: Eyes of red ringed by white

Pausing for a moment, Doctor Nguyen grimaced slightly before adding on the words ‘Leviathan: Eyes of complete white with a red iris’. Dusting off her hands, she turned to the assembled group before her and languidly indicated the silver cage once more. “Now, who can tell me which classification our lovely guest falls under?”

Briddy raised her hand first this time, and Doctor Nguyen caught it out of the corner of her eye. “Miss Vasily?”

Glancing over at the large, unblinking eyes of the creature that peered at her from the depths of the cage, Briddy said. “Well, they’re all black with a yellow edge so, D?”

“Just so.” The teacher gracefully inclined her head. “Now, we know the guilds use the classifications for allocation of resources and discernment of threat, but how else are these applied in our society?” She pointed at the first hand into the air, arm already fully extended before Parvati’s was halfway up.

“Currency. Higher value gems are formed from the blood of monstrosities with higher hate levels.” The dark-haired girl responded eagerly.

“Quite so. The blood of higher classifications can be magically coaxed into higher valued gems. Doctor Nguyen rephrased. Several other answers flew out, but Briddy found herself distracted by Gail, who was currently drawing a crude rendition of herself punching a squiggle labeled “Chicken Serpent.”

“-yes, the lowest classification can be used as livestock, Mister Demarov, but I find issue with the phrase ‘them’s good eatin’. For the most part, they have retained the labels that they had before the fall, however, consumption is not the only purpose they serve.” As Doctor Nguyen lectured Warrin, Bridget leaned closer to Gail.

“Personal grudge?” She murmured, indicating the doodle.

“They’re a menace where I’m from. Always swooping away whenever you get close to hurting them.” Gail muttered back.

“Ma’am!” Asher swooped in, saving his friend from Nguyen’s scolding. “Different classifications also apply to their use as Alchemical reagents and components. Higher hatred levels produce more potent effects.”

The Doctor’s eyes flitted between the pair as Warrin did his best to look contrite and Asher smiled earnestly. “Yes, well.” She smoothed the front of the long, blue draped dress that she wore and returned to the front of the class. “To continue Mr. Miltark’s thought, yes, different components of monsters are utilized in Alchemy, but also in the strengthening of Wards, and the creation of Sacred Sculpted Silver. To use a higher classification is to receive more potent effects.”

Briddy’s attention was briefly grabbed by Parvati, stroking her metal arm with a far-off look on her face.

“Very good.” Doctor Nguyen clapped her hands, her towering form backlit by the sun that crept in through the windows set into the back wall of the classroom. Windows that somehow managed to still leak light despite being underground. “It is safe to say that despite the Guild’s efforts to keep monstrosities from overrunning Sekna’s Embrace, the creatures are still firmly embedded in our lives. You have now reached the point in your education where you need to learn about them more intimately, and we’ll start with a simple feeding.”

Rippling through the class, a small murmur arose from the students, punctuated by the Carrion Serpent's occasional shriek.

“Is that safe, Ma’am?” Briddy asked, thrusting her hand into the air. As if to prove her point, the monstrosity in the cage began thrashing at the bars, gnashing its oversized fangs around the metal.

“Entirely. Both the wards and the holy metal that the cage is made of are a foolproof barrier against monstrosities, so unless someone willingly sets it free,” Doctor Nguyen threw a pointed look at Warrin, “You will be safe. These are the same precautions set over the menagerie, which you’ll visit later on, yes?” Walking over to the table, she indicated the tools laid on it. “Now split up and divide yourselves, but no more than three to a group, please. Take turns feeding the Carrion Serpent and observing its feeding and attack patterns, but make sure that whichever one of you is doing the feeding wears the proper protective equipment.”

With a flick of her long skirts, Doctor Nguyen gracefully made her way back to her desk, which was seated behind the table that held the cage. Folding her considerable height down into the tall-backed chair waiting for her, she added “I will expect a two-page essay on your observations by the day after tomorrow.”

With that, the class began breaking up, chairs squeaking as the students stood. Briddy looked over at Gail, and upon finding that her friend was already looking at her, began wiggling her eyebrows. Gail did the same, standing up and pushing her doodle-filled notes away. “We doing this?” She said, already looking over towards the cage.

“Sure are,” Briddy responded standing as well.

Like a MireBee nest that had been kicked, the class began swarming towards the front of the room, different clusters jostling for the opportunity to feed the creature first. Following close behind Gail, who was using her considerable height to elbow a way to the front, Briddy was suddenly stopped by a hand on her elbow.

“Got room for one more?” Asher sidled his way between Parvati and Argus to stand next to Bridget.

“Sure,” Bridget replied at the same time as Gail, who turned back with a firm “No.”

Asher gave the tall girl a cheeky grin, stepping forward. “Perfect, it’s settled then. Warrin’s off chasing someone’s tail.” He added, replying to Briddy’s questioning look.

Bridget glanced over at Gail, whose mouth was screwed up to the side. After meeting her eyes, the tall girl shrugged, turning back to the jostling crowd. “Fine,” Gail muttered, the word barely audible above the din.

Ahead of them Gemma gingerly picked up a piece of meat in the tongs, holding it out towards the enclosure with a shaky hand. “This would be easier if someone could help me.” She pouted, throwing a wide-eyed look at one of the boys that had volunteered to group up with her. Before either could move to offer aid, the creature sprung at the morsel with snapping jaws, and Gemma dropped the tongs on the floor with a skull-splitting scream.

To Briddy, it was harder to tell who shrieked louder, Gemma trying to get attention, or the enraged Carrion Serpent, who had lost part of its meal to her antics. As the two boys ushered the sobbing Gemma away, Gail took the opportunity to step forward and scoop up the tongs, tossing them onto the table as she picked up the long, thick leather gloves.

“You want?” She offered one to Briddy, who was busy watching the inconsolable Gemma and shook her head.

Gail jammed her hands into the gloves as a small buzz picked back up, students murmuring to their neighbors as they awaited their turn. With no hesitation, she grabbed the iron tongs, aggressively shoving a piece of meat in between the bars. The Serpent glared at her, the orange and green plums on its head smoothing backward as its head swayed, considering the morsel. Without warning, the feathers snapped open and it sprung, prying the meat from between the metal teeth as Gail made a disgusted noise.

“I’ll be right back,” Briddy said, slipping through the small crowd to grab her notes. As she made her way back, snippets of conversation tickled her ears, fluttering past whether she wanted them to or not.

“...returning home for Mistletide next week…”

“I heard that she completely went insane on him…”

“Another essay? On top of Maistwels, that makes four this week, are they trying to kill us?”

“It’s kind of cute when you look at it just resting…”

“These Carrion Serpents are nothing, a quick freezing spell, and then bam! No more monstrosity.” This voice belonged to Argus, the big-eared boy that was currently speaking to Parvati. “I can’t wait till we can hunt the big game, like a Leviathan, that’ll be a real fight.”

“As if.” Someone nearby scoffed. “You’d need at least a full team before you could even dream of it.”

Briddy pushed her way through the last couple of people to find Gail pointedly ignoring Asher, and instead glaring daggers at the people holding the conversation about hunting.

“No, you would need at least an entire guild.” Parvati corrected. “When the Gilded Dawn took on a BoneEagle about a decade ago, most of them went on that hunt, and even then, it was a young one.”

Argus scrunched up his nose. “Yes well, that was mostly for appearances though, right? I bet Titanium Kerr could’ve taken it on by himself, isn’t that right Briddy?” He turned to face her, and Bridget tensed, slowly opening her mouth to respond.

Before a reply could exit her mouth, a slam rang out, as Gail thrust the tongs onto the table, walking past the group with stiff shoulders. Briddy watched her walk past, a dark look shadowing her sharp face, and began to follow. Instead of stopping at their desk, Gail walked out of the classroom entirely, making Bridget pause and look back at Doctor Nguyen, who was watching, pale eyebrows raised.

“I’ll just ah, go after her then? We completed our observation.” Briddy said, glancing back at the remaining class.

“Very well, Miss Vasily. Ensure that she doesn’t forget about the essay as well.” The teacher said mildly, returning to the paperwork in front of her.

Scrambling, Briddy gathered both of their things, shouldering the two bags as she crammed the last copy of Taming the End under the flap. Turning to go, she found Asher hovering nearby, a concerned look on his face.

“Do you want me to come with you?” He asked, bright eyes flicking over her face. “I’ve been told I provide wonderful company.”

“No, you should stay,” Briddy replied, backing out of the room. “But thank you, Asher.” She turned quickly, her hair smacking her cheek, and rushed out of the room to follow in Gail’s wake. Once outside, it was a simple enough matter to blink through the heat and spot the tall silhouette ahead of her.

“Gail!” She called. “Gail, wait!”

The extra weight of her friend’s bag slammed against Bridget’s side as she ran, sweat beading on her back before running down her spine in small rivulets.

Finally, she caught up to her friend’s quickened stride. “Would it have killed you to pause?” She gasped, nearly tripping over her own feet when Gail came to a sudden stop.

“Sorry.” The tall girl muttered, her face still holding a dangerously dark look.

“Here. You left your things behind.” Briddy gratefully slid the satchel off her shoulder and offered it. Hesitating, she glanced over the crease of her friend’s brow, the way her mouth turned down at the corners of taut lips. “What…happened back there? Are you alright?” She asked, trying to keep her tone gentle.

Gail scoffed, irritably running her fingers through the side of her hair that was left loose.

“I hate this, Briddy. I can’t stand to sit there and listen to them, talking about how they’re going to take down a Leviathan class monstrosity.” Her voice roared into a short as she swiped out, grabbing the bag and beginning to stalk forward once again. “Most of those fools would die to a small group of the same creature they were just mindlessly cooing over.”

Briddy hustled to keep up, each one of her friend’s long, angry strides equaling two or three of her own. “We’re only in our first year, Gail. Give it some time.”

“Pah.” Gail’s face darkened further. “The world outside will wash its hands of their dreams before they even get the chance to blink.” She worked her jaw. “Those things shouldn’t even be allowed inside the school grounds, let alone into a classroom with a bunch of idiots. Do you think it’s cute too?” She stopped again, rounding on Briddy. “Harmless little creatures, right?”

“Not really. I mean my brother keeps some birds and they’re alright but… no, I didn’t find it cute.”

“At least you have sense. River’s rush, someone needs to help these idiots before they wake up and realize what lies in store out there. They have no idea what it’s like, to see a monstrosity slip through every defense a village has and slaughter indiscriminately for pleasure. Not for food, Bridget. For pleasure. Men, women, children.” She took a breath. “Families”

Briddy paused, looking up at what she had thought to be anger in Gail’s dark eyes, but finding the fear and hurt hiding behind them. “I’m sorry.” She offered, the absence of any other proper response ringing hollow against the shock of seeing her friend in pain.

“Don’t be. I got my revenge.” Gail kept on walking, heading towards the sunken dome of the library, her two, thick braids hanging over the back of her shoulder.

“Gail?” Bridget hustled after her, waiting for a reply that did not come for several minutes.

Without warning, Gail stopped in her tracks. “I’m quiet when I need to be. Even as a kid. I didn’t care about the danger. They took my friends, took my sister, these abominations took my future.” Her voice came out as a low growl, rumbling over words like rocks tumbling in the fast current of a rapids. “I found where they nested. Waited until they left in the day, and then I got into place. While they curled up with each other at night’s fall, I waited.” A pause came that Bridget couldn’t bear to break, some part of her knowing that Gail needed to say these words as much as she needed to hear them.

Finally, her friend spoke, eerie calm coating her husky tones. “Gravelks may be big, but even with those impressive horns, their skulls still crack like ripened melons.”

Taking a few steps forward, Briddy reached her hand out, fingers hesitating for a moment before she laid her hand on Gail’s shoulder. “That’s horrible.” She said softly.

Eyes dull, her friend turned to look back at her. “They hate us, Briddy. No one knows why, but they want to kill us more than they want to breathe. If you don’t learn that now, then by the time you do, it’ll be too late.”

Without waiting for a reply, Gail turned away and continued forward, leaving Briddy’s fingers to fall to her side as she swallowed the hard lump that had formed in her throat. She hadn’t known, had never seen this side to her best friend.

We should watch out for that one. Vex whispered as Bridget followed Gail’s hunched shoulders into the library. Lest her fire consumes her, and us as well.