The Hunter's Guide to Monsters

The Levian Fortress quest took three realworld months to complete, and it wasn't upgraded to Legendary until the Bandit Court was found in the later stages.

Three months in the Fortress would likely up his level to the 50s. The 60s if he got good quest rewards. All the players got awarded knighthoods, raising them to the noble class. Not to mention the gold, armor, and weapon rewards for the continuing defense of the Fortress.

The loot for three continuing months of bandit attacks? Immense.

How in the world did Krow rate a quest that would become a Legendary?

He didn't have RP in Tvarglad.

The challenge badges came to mind. Oh right.

He did have both continental and world RP from the challenge badges. He checked his profile. A hundred points each. He also had a few points of RP with the Guinsant Alliance.

All of those affected the city-state of Tvarglad.

Krow took a breath.

The rewards for a Legendary would dwarf anything he could do in the next three months.

But three months in Levian Fortress would unravel everything he'd worked at since he entered Redlands. For one, he wouldn't be able to make the Gauntlet if he participated in the defense of Levian Fortress.

He wasn't playing to win Redlands, he reminded himself. He was playing for Zushkenar.

If he transmigrated to Zushkenar again, having fought for Levian Fortress…. 

Haha, he wouldn't survive the social backlash. If he remembered correctly, the Bandit Court had ties to various draculkar nobles. And Levian Fortress was a vargvir stronghold.

There was no way to participate in secret.

But shkav.

It was tempting.

  "I am sorry." Krow heard himself say, as if from a long distance. "I have already undertaken a quest that would take months to prepare for."

Even as he said it, each word drew blood from the part of himself that wanted to win at everything, the part of him that would have loved being a warmaster, would have loved Redlands. 

It really was too bad.

"A quest?"

"The Blood Gauntlet."

"You are nobility?" Avan asked, surprised.

"Of noble descent," he corrected. "Not true nobility until the tests are passed."

"To earn nobility," Hadi smiled at him. "A rather vargviran sentiment, would you say?"

Fighting words, if Krow was actually a draculkar.

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"Perhaps draculkar and vargvir aren't as different as people think they are," he returned, escalating.

The vargvir guffawed, slapped Krow on the shoulder. "Just for that, instead of a city key, I'll give you three boons. What is it you want?"

"Really?" Avan complained. "You never let me do anything, and you're giving boons now?"

"The third play is 'Rochenfort'."

  "Obviously it's 'Canellea and the Cat'!"

"Possibly not anymore."

Avan raised his hands in surrender.

Krow ignored their bickering, thinking. Three boons was better than a city key, certainly, but against legendary rewards, the consolation prize really was too little.

Hadi turned to him, expression expectant.

"Five books from the Enchanter's Library, two horses to replace the ones from the caravan, and…passage on a fast ship to Galbrane tonight."

"No book is allowed to leave the Library."

"Ten copies then."

"Nothing else?"

Wasn't that already three?

Well, since he was being asked anyway. "A recommendation to a shop where I can replenish my bullets."

Hadi studied him contemplatively. "You must know I have high influence in the city. You only want this?"

In truth, considering the sentiment against draculkar in Tvarglad, having a local royal smooth the way would already be wondrous help.

In any case, it was best not to be too greedy. 

Copies from the Tvarglad Enchanter's Library? That was something that only master enchanters with high RP could request.

He was still expecting Hadi to bargain the number of books.

"I only want this," he confirmed.

"Hm. Agreed."

What, really?

He was grateful this was Redlands. It would have never happened in Zushkenar.

"Let me write you several introductions." Hadi moved to a small writing table, pulling out parchment and ink.

Avan sighed, shook his head at Krow.

What?

"You could've asked for more, you know. A fortune in jewels! Enchanted artifacts! A villa in the city! You could visit and see more of Tvarglad."

"It is really magnificent, the city," Krow sighed.

Avan patted him on the shoulder. "I miss Baraldore whenever I leave too! It's natural to feel the same for Velkenbragg."

"I've never been there, actually."

"You've never--!" Avan stared, consternation all over his face.

"Not a single one of the sky cities," Krow added, inwardly smirking at the other's disbelieving shock.

"It must be the reason you're more tolerable than most of your ilk." Hadi muttered.

"Not really." He watched as the last parchment was stamped.

Hadi waved over two of the Reeves and handed them rolls of sealed parchment, with quietly murmured orders. The first Reeve left.

"This is Marses," the vargvir introduced the second Reeve to Krow. "He'll accompany you for the afternoon."

"That's not necessary." He had to check the local pawnshops for his main gun, and he wasn't doing that with a Reeve at his back. The information sellers wouldn't tell him anything.

"I insist. You might not be able to enter the library without visible escort."

Krow had no choice but to thank the vargvir.

Avan grabbed his shoulders. "We must meet again!"

Uh, no.

He only stayed to say goodbye because the guy looked like the type of person who'd hunt him down and complain excessively if Krow left without a word.

"Fate is mysterious," he nodded solemnly. "There is every chance."

"We'll definitely meet again!"

Don't curse his future, oy. "Until then, fare well."

The doors to the private box closed behind Krow.

[You've escorted Avan Fresland Grayesand to Haradios, Primar of Tvarglad, successfully, gaining three boons from the Primar and +25 Reputation Points with Tvarglad City!]

So he was the Primar. Mystery cleared.

"The stables are this way," Marses gained his attention.

"Have you been in the Reeves long?"

"Three years."

Krow assessed the vargvir. With the gray at the tips of his ears, he thought the Reeve was a veteran member.  "A lower number than I thought."

"Nepotism."

Krow huffed his laughter. "Your nephew must be powerful."

The vargvir smirked at him, a hint of fang at the edges.

Making small talk, they rode leisurely through the streets.

The Enchanter's Library stood over an entire district in the third circle of the city. The streets were full of workshops, as every kind of crafter used enchanted materials.

Krow really wanted a whole day to explore the warren of streets in the Tvarglad enchanter's quarter, but he'd committed to leaving tonight.

The library was massive, the smell of old parchment and ink permeating everything.

The tables in the outer library were filled with people discussing and arguing over various books and documents.

Marses strode past tables, lecture rooms, and gardens. They passed two Shrines of Knowledge, with a raft of people who seemed to be exchanging skills.

Krow craned his neck to see them all, a curious sightseer.

He'd never been inside the Enchanter's Library before, though he'd seen it many times from the outside.

Marses accosted a librarian directed a raft of lower-ranked library workers and handed her the missive. She blinked at the seal, then flicked it open with one hand, as her other arm was occupied by a tower of books and paperwork.

Librarian was actually a main craftclass.

Krow wouldn't underestimate anyone with the title. He'd heard stories.

The librarian blinked at the letter in her hand, peered dubiously at Krow, then contemplated the Reeve at his back.

"If you are too busy, of course, I don't mind the assistance of one of your subordinates," Krow smiled charmingly. "A library of such grandness, you must have many responsibilities."

"No." The librarian's face fell into neutral lines. She waved at several people, dumped her load into their arms. "It is an honor of course, to serve the Primar."

She folded the missive absently into her sleeve. "Come. My office is here."

She led them into her study, and waved them to chairs. Marses took a post behind Krow's seat.

"What books did you have in mind?"

Krow had no clue. "What would you recommend for a beginner enchanter?"

"For…beginners."

"Your most recommended introductory texts."

She stared at him fixedly for a long moment. "Of course."

She flipped open a gold-bound book hanging from her belt, made a few passes with a stylus.

A library catalogue of some sort?

Krow could see a list form from where he was sitting.

"For comprehensive study, I recommend the two works of Darios Benin, and of course Giberon's Principles of Enchanting. The supplementary texts 'The Enchanting Tree' by Aldos Harmerant and 'The Compilation of Material Enchancement' by Kavronal are the most celebrated by scholars. There are several others I could name, but they are recent works which do not have the breadth and in-depth scholarship of the ones already mentioned."

Krow was half-certain she was hiding something.

But really, with the Enchanter's Grimoire, all he needed were books of high grade.

She flipped her stylus, stamped the butt-end down.

Five books appeared on the shelf beside her.

Whoa.

Every one of them was thicker than the width of his palm, wider than his forearm.

Good thing he didn't have to read them.

The librarian smiled at him. Was that a hint of a smirk he saw? "Between the five, the entirety of the foundation of Enchanting is covered."

"Excellent." Krow beamed at her. "What would you recommend for an advanced enchanter?"

  "The very same five books, of course. Enchanting is a lifelong cycle that returns again and again to basic principles."

"As a true learned scholar would say," he agreed. "Then what five books are the most sought after in the Library?"

Her face froze for a second, briefly aghast, before it returned to neutrality. "You want to…copy those books?"