Hero's Journey

Chapter 44

"Slap the foolhardy hero with a heavy book for me, won't you?" Heswyn asks. "I'm afraid if I drop one on him from this height I'll jar his brain and he'll only become more of an idiot."

Delia covers her mouth, attempting to hide her laughter. Kagon sends her a look, but shakes his head with a smile. "Holding your wisdom over my ahead again, I see?"

"But of course! Not everyone is lucky enough to have biceps bigger than their cerebral cortex. Well, I suppose the cerebral cortex is actually smaller than the biceps, but you get the point." She says, making her way back down the latter.

"What?"

Thil slaps a hand on Kagon's back. "Don't worry about it."

Heswyn lightly hops off the latter once she gets to the second to last rung.  "Unfortunately the book that had the most knowledge about the life-leeches has gone missing.  I would like you all to search around the library for a thick book with a title of Field Guide to Mythological Creatures.  It may have gotten misplaced.  In the meantime I'll be searching through our records to see who checked out the book last."

"Are there not any other books on life-leeches that can help?"  Delia inquires.  "Also, how can there be a field guide on mythological creatures when they're supposed to be, well mythological?"

"There are a couple books that mention life-leeches, but none that go over it so expansively as the field guide."  She replies. 

"Now to answer your second question, the book is very old and written in a time where there were few heroes to fight the many different types of monsters.  As more heroes popped up more types of monsters became close to or extinct, so they became mythological.  At least that's what my theory is, all I know is that the field guide has proved correct time and time again with dealing with such things as what you are.  So, I doubt it will fail us now."

Delia nods, gears turning in her head at all of this information. 

As she goes off to search the various shelves to find the book along with the others, she can't help but have her own theories on Heswyn's explanation about why mythological creatures are child's fantasy today.

Heswyn's theory is a sound and sturdy one. However, if many creatures have already been killed off and forced into hiding because of the swell of emerging heroes, then doesn't that mean that one day there won't be anymore monsters to fight?

〰〰〰

Kagon searches through the library's immense collection of books mindlessly. He is smart enough to know to trust Heswyn's judgement, but that doesn't mean he is doubtless.

"Maybe one day you'll understand the strength of books."  Heswyn had once told him when they first met many years ago.

Kagon still isn't sure what she exactly meant by that.

"Are you bored?" 

Kagon turns to see Heswyn look at him with an arched eyebrow.

"You have no idea."  Kagon chuckles.  "Have you finished looking through the library's records?"

"Yes, the book was checked out fairly recently by a man named Maud of Lanthos and I didn't find any recording of the field guide's return.  He lives in a large house a block or so away from the marketplace."