Only one week had passed since Jerik had met Charlotte, and he was already beginning to notice some strange things about her. For one, she was already outgrowing him. When he had met her, she was roughly his own size. But now, she was nearly double his height when he stood up; that's to say nothing of her overall length, which spanned a lot further than that. Whether she noticed, or even cared about the size difference, was a mystery. Charlotte continued to remain hyperfocused on Jerik, following him everywhere he went.

  "So, why were you out here all alone anyway? Do you not have any family?" Jerik thought to ask.

  Charlotte may not have been able to speak, but she was surprisingly shrewd, and was beginning to learn visual ques to commune with Jerik, and slowly was beginning to understand more complex sentences. It was a work in progress, teaching a whole language from scratch... but they had nothing except time.

  Charlotte merely shrugged and shook her head 'No.'

  "No idea, huh?" Jerik responded, "That's okay. I am grateful for the company, Miss Charlotte."

  Charlotte returned to her usual half-cocked grin, before turning her gaze upwards.

  Jerik followed her gaze, and noticed fruit hanging from a tree.

  "Nice find, there! Can you grab us some?" Jerik asked, pointing at the fruit and then at Charlotte.

  Charlotte seemed to understand, and swiftly ascended the tree to knock the fruit to the ground.

  Jerik was consistently mesmerized by her speed and agility. He very slowly began to realize, if she were to get any larger...

  Jerik stopped, and shook his head, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. There was no reason to be afraid of Charlotte. She was intelligent, sentient, and cared for his well being.

  "I am grateful I met you when I did," Jerik mused to himself. And, to an extent, he was correct. Would things have gone differently if he had met Charlotte later in her life? He didn't even know how large a Naga could grow, much less what they eat. For the moment, they both seemed to enjoy fruit, but what if she kept growing? It just was not a feasible source of energy in the long run.

  A fruit landed on Jerik's head, pulling him away from his musings, which he then managed to catch.

  "Ah! Hey!" Jerik called up to Charlotte, only to notice she was silently wheezing to herself, a form of muted giggle. Jerik smiled back and took a bite of his fruit. Charlotte returned to the ground to join him in the small feast.

 *******

  Later, Same Day

  After exploring for more lost objects of interest that might have been left behind from the travelers of old, Jerik and Charlotte took refuge back at the Bedroll Cave. It was at this point, Jerik remembered something in his possession: the survival guide. He retrieved it from his satchel, which was resting on the edge of the cavern wall.

  Jerik sat on the ground, and Charlotte coiled around him before resting her head in his lap. Her head was larger now than it was a week ago, and Jerik once again remembered he knew next to nothing about the Naga species. Charlotte was obviously fond of him, and wasn't likely to hurt him. But...

  "I need to know more. Perhaps this book covers such a thing? What if she goes into some sort of hibernation someday, I don't know. I just don't want to be surprised by anything." Jerik thought to himself while lightly petting Charlotte's head, and holding his book in his free hand.

  Some time later, Jerik located a bestiary index.

  "Nice... Hmm... Ah! There's the Naga page!" Jerik silently rejoiced to himself while Charlotte took a catnap.

  Jerik began to read. And read... and read...

  His eyes went wide once he realized just exactly what kind of creature Charlotte was.

 ********

  Excerpt, Naga bestiary entry

  Dear reader, there are many dangers in this world; monsters of all kinds that will take pleasure in relieving you of your limbs and blood. Some great threats, like a dragon for instance, are rare but immensely powerful. A little less powerful, but something you would be much more likely to encounter, is a snake-human hybrid known as a Naga. They usually have a feminine upper half, and a long snake tail starting from the hip, down.

  There are many types of Naga, but they all tend to share similar traits and interests. Firstly, they're excellent predators, masters of stealth, and, perhaps most shocking, they nearly exclusively prefer to swallow humans alive as their main foodsource. A single human will only last them for a month or two.

  The Naga age differently than a typical human. Some live for centuries, and some for only about eighty years. A young Naga is typically no threat, and you are urged to kill them if you're ever fortunate enough to locate one before it grows to a problematic size. Naga puberty is where things begin to change; they will grow rapidly, and then they'll realize an innate urge in their instincts-- begin to crave and seek out humans to prey upon. So, act swiftly, as Naga adolescents mature into a full sized Naga after only a half-year!

  Naga are considered sentient, and in extraordinarily rare circumstances, they may speak or otherwise communicate with a human, although this requires more data since most Naga encounters just end up with someone trapped in their stomach, doomed to die a slow death. The Naga digest things a bit differently than we do, as it has been observed to take them nearly thirty hours to fully process a human. That means if you're ever unfortunate enough to find yourself in one's stomach, you'll be alive for perhaps half a day, regretting the choices you've made to lead yourself here in a dark, hot Hell. It is at that point I recommend you just go ahead and take your own life somehow, because Naga are incapable of regurgitation. [as observed thus far]

  The color of a Naga's scales also has some bearing on their powers with magic. For instance, a red scaled Naga will be proficient with fire magic. Currently known Naga colors are: red, blue, green, black, yellow. If you ever encounter a Naga outside of this color scheme, then I'll pray for your soul, because you'll have encountered an undocumented apex predator.

  This author suggests you do not engage a Naga in combat, as you will most certainly lose. Even the strongest knights in the land become finger food for the common Naga. Avoid areas like Holm Desert and Twill Forest, and you should likely never encounter a Naga. Your only weapon is prevention at this point. Unless you encounter an adolescent Naga, of course.

  Remember: a friendly Naga has never been documented, so stay a safe distance away and happy travels!

  Next Page: Dire Rat

   ********

  Jerik closed the book, and laid it to the side. Charlotte continued to peacefully rest on him, coiling him entirely. Jerik swallowed a lump in his throat, and closed his eyes before taking a few breaths in and out... and then continued to stroke through Charlotte's hair with his fingers.

  "Charlotte... you're... going to be... a badass!" Jerik thought to himself, and chuckled quietly.

  There was no way he was going to try and kill his friend, no matter what his book had urged him to do.

  He was sure of it; he would be the exception. Perhaps the only man in the world to befriend a Naga in her infancy and watch her grow into his giant protector.

  "There's no shortage of bandits in this land, I'm sure they'll be a fine foodsource for you, my friend," Jerik lightly whispered to himself. "I just... want to watch you flourish."