It was on the night I woke up after the fierce battle with the werewolf and had dinner with Alfred. I was awoken in the middle of the night by a dream of the earlier battle. My mind would go back to the terrifying yet at the same time intriguing encounter with the Werewolf cultist. A type of beast I could only ever have imagined seeing in my previous world where the only place they existed was within the realm of fiction and television. Regardless, I was thirsty once I got up and I needed a cup of water to refresh myself.
I got up from my bed and headed toward my door. Alfred said earlier that Rosie had prepared a jug of drinking water on the table outside of my room should I ever feel thirsty. I was surprised - however - to find Alfred still awake, again writing in his journal with the red scale shield emblem on it. As the door opened with an audible creak, Alfred noticed me and looked up with a slight smile on his face “Having nightmares, Charlie boy? Why’re you up already” Al joked.
“Hahaha, not in the slightest.” I said with a slight yawn “I’m just a little thirsty, is all.”
I had taken the jug and poured a bit of the water in it inside of the empty cup next to it before drinking from it. It didn’t take a while before I altogether just ignored the cup and started drinking from the jug though I put a distance between my lips and mouth and the jug’s spout.
“You weren’t kidding…” Al said “You really were thirsty.”
“I’m a thirsty man, indeed. In more ways than one.” I chuckled. After putting the jug back down, seeing as how Alfred was still there, I guess it didn’t hurt to sit around in the main office room. I took a seat on the upholstered bench across from Al’s usual desk. “Actually I have been thinking of something, but no it’s not about a nightmare… Well at least not per se.”
“Oh? Then what have you been thinking about?” Alfred asked with an intrigued tone
I let out a sigh before explaining. “I keep thinking back to that encounter with the werewolf. It was my first time seeing something like that… I won’t lie to you, It looked horrible. The sounds of flesh tearing, bones crunching etcetera and to just see him transform like that…” I shuddered to which Alfred gave a slight chuckle
“That would be quite unsettling to see indeed, especially considering it to be your first time…”
“But you seem pretty unfazed by the beast’s transformation… and the fact that you seem quite familiar with them”
“That’s because I’ve seen them before.”
“Back during your adventuring days?”
“Aye, that too, but more so because I faced an entire platoon of those creatures way back when during our war with the Lowereichs.”
I nodded, though clearly I didn’t know any of the context to these conflicts. Alfred caught on to this as he laughed, “It’s alright, you don’t yet need to understand all the complicated political squabbles and disputes between the many states of this realm. All you need to know is that the Empire kept - and most probably still do - an entire division of beastfolk drawn from the many denizens and diverse population of their Empire. Now this division of beastfolk also held several regiments of wolfkin beastfolk which as you’d probably guessed held the ability to transform into the werewolf beasts akin to the one you saw, but they were even more of a bitch to handle as they were equipped in weapons and armor…”
My eyes widened in surprise to hear of such a thing. “So being a werewolf or whatnot isn’t some sort of taboo curse or condition?”
“Not in general, no. Of course there are many folk stories of things like that happening, involving full moons and what not, but they’re either embellished or misrepresentations of events or a completely different phenomena. But no, werewolves in general are just an aspect or ability like any other but distinctive to those of the wolfkin beastfolk.”
There’s that word again. “I’m not sure if I even get that part. I’m still not one hundred percent sure of what beastfolk even are in reality.”
“You haven’t read the book I gave you on the racial phylogeny of Orbis, have you?” Alfred said in a slightly disappointed yet also teasing tone
“Ehhh… I was about to read that one next, I assure you… hehehe…” I scratched the back of my hear to which Alfred just shook his head with an exaggeratedly disappointed frown
“Learning about the heroes is good and all, no doubt, Charlie boy, but the basics are essential. It’s this late at night and you have an early day, should you seriously be staying up?”
“It shouldn’t matter too much, Alfred, I mean I did sleep for most of the day, but I think a nice bedtime story would be most useful.”
“Pffft, do I look like your mother?”
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“No, but last I checked you’re officially my grandfather, so…”
“Bahahahahha!! You’re a smart one, you are. And cheeky too I’ll give you that! So what do you want to know, eh?”
I liked seeing Alfred being so energetic. It in turn boosted my mood as well. “I really want to know about these beastfolk. I might have a slight idea of what they are but since they don’t exist in my world, the context would be great! I’d be lying if I told you I was surprised when I saw that even in his human form, he had characteristics of a wolf, with the ears and tail and all that.”
“Truly your world sounds like the dullest there can be… No magic, no different species of sentient beings. A shame, really.”
“I know quite a few people in my world who’d most probably kill to even have a chance of making beastfolk there a reality, hahaha.”
“I’ll give you the briefest lesson I can so that you can go back to resting.” Alfred said “It also doesn’t help that you seem to have many preconceived notions on these things. It’s always good to be smart and what not but avoid any superfluous assumptions.”
“Aye. I had expected those werewolves to be beasts or creatures of terror.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Charlie boy, they are indeed beasts, and their ferocity and harshness may very well be counted as savagery. But no, beastfolk are just as sentiently human as any other race. Beastfolk are just more naturally gifted in their physical abilities depending on the type of animal-kin their tribe or clan are. The werewolves obviously come from the wolfkin tribes and clans and are counted among the more powerful of the beast clans, though they are far from being called the strongest. You see there are a plethora of beastfolk spread across much of the known world. If Elves are the masters of magic, Beastfolk would be masters of muscle to put it bluntly though their magics are not to be taken lightly by any means.”
“Where did these beastfolk come from though? Some profane demonic pact with, I don’t know, sacred animal spirits or what not?”
“You really are bright. You're close but not too spot on to the truth.” Alfred said as he gestured with his hands about my theory “That is indeed a common accusation levied at them but it holds no water as records have shown the beastfolk to be an indigenous peoples to the lands of Orbis since millennia ago. The origins of the beast race are just as unknown to us as our own origins as a people. To make things simpler, let’s say that they just appeared in certain geographical areas of our map.”
I nodded in actual comprehension this time. “And so these beasts also have the ability to transform into whatever beast lineage or bloodline dictates to them?”
“Yes, basically. But it really isn’t that simple.”
“How so?”
“Because depending on the tribes and on some level the individuals within said tribes, not everyone can transform into a more powerful beast form. On the other hand of the spectrum, their ‘human side’ are also subjected to this as some clans look more beastly than others. Now, I’m not a tome of knowledge, so a lot of what I can say, it would be better for you to start reading up on the book to immerse yourself with knowledge better than what this old mind can cough up, hahahahha…”
“Alright, alright… But can I at least have a bit of an overview of what sorts of beast folk are out there.” I slightly begged Alfred
“Off the top of my head, you’ve got Dogmen, Catmen, Wolfmen, Centaurs, Mermaids, Harpies, Satyrs, Lamiae, Kobolds, and the list just goes on and on. Once you get to see more of the world you can experience these things directly for yourself.”
“Perhaps so indeed. Also are these beastfolk treated with disdain as second-class citizens?” I could recognise most of those names from the mythology of my own world and the beast attributes those kin might have.
“Again, it’s not that simple. It depends on which country they’re located at and the resources available et cetera, so on and so forth. In fact there are quite a few countries directly ruled by the beastfolk and made up of primarily beastfolk. One of the most prominent of these countries is none other than the Beastmen confederacy, or how they like to call themselves the ‘Gizaki’. They’re ruled over by the mightiest of all beastfolk. The Dragon Lords of the Herensuge.”
“They ride dragons?”
“They are the dragons…” Alfred said with a convincing nod and a tone filled with awe “If you thought fighting against werewolves was tough, you should thank the Blessed Lord that he did not make this crisis to be a battle against weredragons.”
I felt myself instantly the luckiest man alive indeed. I felt that I had enough context but there was still something bugging me. “That was indeed a comprehensive enough summary on the various beastfolk races, but what of this ‘Cult of Malcanis’ business? From what I’ve read Malcanis was just a close companion to the Hero Vindex.”
“To make a long story as short as I can, Malcanis was a member of the dogkin clans but due to a close friendship with Vindex, he awakened his true potential with training and subsequently began teaching his fellow beastfolk on the dangers of the world. He is known as ‘the Father of Werewolves’ or ‘The First Wolf’ as it was due to his hidden powers being unlocked did his kin manage to gain the ability to transform into the beastly form of the humanoid wolf-man. All people with the ability to shift into the wolf ‘beast mode’ can trace their lineage back to him. Some members of the wolfkin had gone on to actually worship him as an ancestor God, though this was back before the advent of our Lord Christ upon a manger.”
“I see…” I nodded as I gave a huge yawn “Thanks for the context, Alfred…”
“I’m always happy to help, but again considering you just gave a huge yawn, I implere you to get some proper rest back to your room.
“Aye, the fatigue is catching up to me indeed…” I said as I got up whilst I gave another yawn and stretched my arms “I’ll make good on that offer now… Good night Al…”
“Goodnight, Charlie. Don’t forget to say your graces.”
“Aye, I won’t…” And with a slight wave of my hand I entered back into my room and crashed myself on the bed.
I tried opening the book on Racial phylogeny but, all it did was make it more assured for me to fall asleep as my eyes became supremely heavy. But regardless of that, It’s for the best, I’m sure of it. I had a big day coming up and Lord knows I’d need the rest.