Fandom High School

Last week, Senshi had told the class that they were going to be covering basilisks, and hopefully they were ready to do just that as they met in the Danger Shop, once again on the second level.

Yes, there were more levels to explore, but that was just going to have to wait until the full, semester-long class. "So a basilisk," Senshi began. "First, take a chicken roughly the height of a fully-grown Tall-Man." He gestured at the whole class, even though he wasn't sure if Kamala was fully grown yet, or if she was still a youth. "And then, give it a snake for a tail. Now, I wanna be clear. I don't mean it's got the tail of a snake hangin' off its butt. Nope, I mean that protrudin' from under its tail feathers is a snake, almost like they're two creatures that were fused at the backside. And maybe that's how they started? But now they're one single creature and they breed true. If you're gonna ask me about how it works, especially biologically - don't. I know how to hunt and prepare 'em, and some information about their habits and behaviors, but how they actually function is more than I can say. Even the experts aren't sure where the dividing line between 'head' and 'tail' are, never mind folks like me."

He'd leave speculation like that to mages and monster fanboys, not that he knew Laios yet.

"Now, male basilisks have larger, brighter combs and wattles than their female counterparts do, and both sexes have a spur on the back of their claws that are attached to a venom sac - the same type of venom that the serpent produces and injects through its fangs. A bite or a kick from the spur that manages to inject even a little of the venom in your is a very dangerous emergency; their venom is very virulent, causin' hemorrhagin', paralysis, and finally death. Even takin' the venom out of the picture, the wings are strong enough to break bones, the kicks can cause internal damage and even ruptures if they land just right, and even dry bites can getcha if the fangs nick an artery or a major blood vessel. The chicken half has eyes on the side of its head like most prey animals, and have close to three hundred degrees around themselves. The snake half has its eyes facing forward, but can also sense heat and changes in the air around 'em through what's called a pit organ, found near the nostrils on the snake's head. Together, these make it very difficult to sneak up on a basilisk, because even if you can avoid the chicken's peripheral vision, the snake might still be able to sense you. And, if the chicken is sure there is danger directly in front of itself, the snake half will curl up and over the chicken's head to look forward. Basically, what I'm sayin' is that these critters are real dangerous and are probably the number one cause of death on this level. So don't go thinkin' that they're easy prey just because they look goofy."

They did look a little goofy though. As did their even more deadly cousin, the cockatrice.

"Now the best way to fight 'em is to first make yourself look as large and intimidatin' as possible. Yell, scream, bang metal together, whatever you gotta do to send a message that you're big and scary and not to be messed with. You also wanna buddy up. Just yellin' is fine by yourself if you're hopin' to scare 'em off, but if you're lookin' for a fight, you're gonna wanna have a partner. You both attack the basilisk from either side at the same time - the two brains will briefly confuse the body about what to do or where to go if they both register an attack. When the brains are figurin' out how to react and which head's impulses to listen to, that's when you finish the attack, aimin' for the brain, the eyes, or severin' the head. You can try for a stab through the chest, but the chicken side has a number of thick, insulatin' feathers, like we saw that they line the underbrush with for their eggs, and if you're not strong enough or don't have enough momentum, you can end up getting deflected off or or lodged into bone and missin' your opportunity. Which will let the body know what brain to listen to, that's for sure."

Senshi spent some more time explaining what signs to be on guard for when either trying to hunt or avoid basilisks, how they marked their territory, and their general behavior (aggressive). "All right, now, pair up and good huntin'!"

"Now, monsters use a lot of different methods to hunt and kill," Senshi said, the simulation set to show a fairly empty room made of stone. There were some barrels, a front-facing cabinet, and a table placed about but that was it as far as furnishings went. "Some are just big and strong and dangerous - you've gotta be pretty tough and well-kitted out to take on a dragon - some, like the slimes, like to pinpoint areas that're vulnerable on you and attack those places especially, and others tend to rely on camouflage and concealment.

"One of the latter types are monsters known as mimics, large crustaceans that use various normal objects as their shells. They hide within them, usually in places that seem like they're a little hidden, but are actually pretty obvious - tucked away behind corners, under tables-- anywhere that someone might stash something of value if they're in a hurry or not really good at hidin' things. Because at first glance, they look like a mundane object, they get the element of surprise once an adventurer tries to open 'em up."

Both doors of the cabinet opened up, displaying a pair of heavy front claws and two pairs of legs, along with a pair of lambent eyes on stalks that glowed slightly from within. Without warning, it lunged at the class, skittering far faster than one might expect it to be able to move, considering its size - the tops of the claws would easily reach Senshi's waist. "Most adventurers, openin' doors or chests or whatnot lookin' for treasure or supplies often can't react fast enough to avoid gettin' stabbed by the pincers to or dragged into the box."

He stopped the simulation before it reached any, but kept the cupboard open so the students could get a chance to examine it with as many senses as they saw fit to bend towards that activity. "Juvenile mimics are about the size of a thumb and they slowly grow over time. This mimic is probably close to a decade or so, which is well within their lifespan. They're not limited to usin' chests or the like, either; younger mimics will often use other objects as their shells, such as pots, helmets or animal skulls. It's always a good idea to check your helmet and your shoes before you put 'em on in the mornin', just in case. But it's also important to know that mimics can come out of their shells if they wanna. Hungry enough an' with somethin' edible lookin' like it's gonna get away? A mimic will leave their shell behind in order to maximize speed." The cupboard disappeared, leaving the full mimic on view, which was immediately followed by a second one. "You can tell a male mimic from a female by flippin' 'em over." He did for both simulations, pointing to the various points of difference between them. "You're really lucky, you'll get a female with a belly full of eggs, cause that's also good eatin'.

"They're sneaky and fast, but then, they gotta be because otherwise, they're really easy to kill," he continued. "The carapace they have on their bodies is very thin and fragile, which is why they use objects for their exterior shells. So they're pretty vulnerable to anythin' that could smash or crush 'em once their outta their shells. They're also pretty vulnerable to magic," he added with a sigh, because it was true but that didn't mean he liked it. "As to how to avoid 'em or sense them - well, sometimes you can hear 'em shiftin' around in their shells, but that's usually only when they've just moved into a new object and are still getting used to it. Sometimes bangin' hard on the top or the sides'll make 'em reveal themselves, lashin' out with a leg or a claw. Mostly the trick is to be clever and pay attention. Does it make sense to have a random treasure chest right here - and if it wasn't placed here by a fellow adventuring party, then why is it there?"

"And that's your job today," he said, adjusting the sim to look like a storeroom. "Let's get you a mimic and learn how to cook it!"

Senshi was waiting for them at their assigned classroom today, but only to inform them that all future classes would be held in the Danger Shop and to meet there in the future.

Once everyone had arrived, Senshi turned on the simulation he had painstakingly programmed with the help of Raiden and a lady in purple who had been a little brusque and high-falutin but had given him pointers on how to use it once she realized it was for a class. They were inside a large stone hall, with tall arches and spaces that looked like oversized shelves inset in the wall. It was full of talking people, merchant stands, people offering trade goods, advertising various services, even offering pop-up restaurants and beverage stalls. Even with the volume turned down low, so as to not interfere with the lesson, there was still a steady murmur. There were also large basins full of cool, clean water encircling many pillars, with a strict separation of basins used for cleaning and basins used for cooking and drinking. In all, it resembled more of an indoor flea market than anything one might call a dungeon.

( I don't do short lectures, this is a fact. )

He dusted off his hands and nodded. "All right, I'm gonna give you a few minutes to poke at these examples here, just to get a feel for 'em, and then you're gonna catch one of each. And then we'll get to cookin'. Sound good?"