The bestiarium

Malc made it to Clay Point just before nightfall. He was exhausted from the walk, but knew it was important he research his quarry.

He pushed open the heavy door to the regal-looking building, marked plain-as-day in large letters across the front, "BESTIARIUM". The entire room smelled musty, which made sense considering the vast number of books lining the shelves. He had never seen so many tomes on anything in one place, let alone all on one subject.

"May I help you?" a shaky, dry voice called from behind a deck in the middle of the room.

"Yes, actually," Malc said as he spotted the source of the voice; an ancient man with an impatient, but incredibly wise air about him. "I'm a Wardwatcher, and have been sent after a class of arcane entity I am unfamiliar with."

The old man behind the deck arched an eyebrow. "You don't know what you're after? What kind of Watcher are you, anyway?"

"That's why I'm here, sir," Malc responded, not one to take such insults despite his unassuming build. "I'd be a fool not to learn about it, wouldn't I?"

The old man grumbled, then conceded, "I suppose you did make the wise choice, kid. What class entity was it you were sent after, anyway?"

"Class S."

The old man's eyebrows shot up. "A rare one indeed. In all my years serving the collective, I've only heard of one other class S ever appearing." He didn't stop to answer Malc's obvious question, ignoring the young man and disappearing into the back. As he reappeared several minutes later with a thin, dusty tome, he cut Malc off by slamming it to the desk. "This is everything we have on S class," he muttered. "Their rarity makes it hard to document anything, you understand."

Malc, tired of trying to ask more about the S the old man had heard about, simply took the tome, thanked the man, and retired to a table close by. Carefully, he skimmed the tome for any clues. The few descriptions there were were vague and inconsistent, but all had the commonality of reddish skin. More importantly, they all had a common weakness; an amulet with a red-crystal gem set in it. Class S were artificial, and had to be made by someone. It was speculated they were so rare either because few made them, or few got loose from their masters. Anyone who held the amulet, it read, had the ability to command the entity. Moreover, the entity could bring no harm directly to the one holding the amulet.

Malc returned the book, thanked the man, and left, purchasing a cheap room at the closest inn. Tomorrow, it was hunting day.