Her legs worked faster than her brain could. Aiela had a point. She was nine. What did she think she was going to do when she got there and someone was being attacked by a huge bear or something?

Still, if there was any chance she could save someone, she had to know. What kind of leader would she be if she let someone die when she could have done something?

"Get back! Get back, you overgrown chicken!" she heard a girl's voice yell. It sounded familiar, somehow.

She found a familiar girl with blond hair tied in uneven pigtails – the ringleader who’d been bullying Aiela before. The girl whose name currently escaped Venza hid between a group of trees, seemingly unarmed. She clutched her left shoulder with her right hand, and Venza could see crimson dripping down her pale skin.

The 'overgrown chicken' was a large, black bird that seemed to be trying to attack the blond girl. Venza swore silently. The bird was massive, nearly the size of a teenage boy. It pressed its face closer to the blonde. It was only a matter of time before it could get to her.

What could she do? If she could do magic, taking it out while she had the element of surprise would be simple. Unfortunately, the most she could manage was release sparks that fizzled out in about a second.

Think. Think. Think!

Her first thought was to throw a rock at it and hope it fled, but she knew if she missed or the rock didn't hit hard enough, it would probably turn on her and that would have been an inglorious end to the House of Greyfield.

She needed a long weapon to keep it at bay, at the very least. A long, snapped off branch with a somewhat pointy end caught her attention, laying helpfully on the nearby ground. It wasn't that sharp, but against a bird's hide, it should have no problem.

She considered yelling her father's battle cry, then realized that would be stupid in this situation. Instead, she gripped the pointy branch with both hands and rushed forward, building momentum to skewer the black-feathered fowl in the back.

Her blow struck true, except rather than sink into soft, feathered hide, the branch glanced to the side as if striking rock.

The bird suddenly stopped pecking at the girl between the trees, craning its head to look at Venza with eyes that were either angry or hungry. Hangry? No, that sounded stupid.

It turned its head to peck at her, but she'd recovered from the shock enough to back away. As its beak clamped down on empty air where she'd been a moment prior, something that looked like a small spout of water suddenly splashed it in the face.

The bird monster screeched, looking towards the direction the water had come from.

A bolt- no, it couldn't have been called a bolt. A dart of lightning suddenly shot through the air, so small and quick she'd nearly missed it, landing square on the bird's wet face.

It recoiled, giving Venza room to get away, but the fowl looked more annoyed than anything.

"Are you stupid?" Aiela called to her from behind a bush, beckoning her to run. She didn't need to be told twice. Branch still in hand, she made a beeline for her new friend.

"What were you trying to achieve?" Aiela asked as the two of them ran from the pursuing bird monster. They kept between tighter clumps of trees to prevent it from chasing them down from above.

"I was trying to stab it!" Venza answered, acutely aware of the bird stumbling through the foliage behind them.

"Don't you know Bloodbeaks have Protection? That they're resistant to non-magical weapons?" Aiela asked her, as if that was something every girl the age of nine was supposed to know.

No, she hadn't known that.

"I couldn't help it!" Venza shot back. "I saw someone in trouble and my body just started moving."

Venza cursed under her breath. If only she had a Revenant Arm like her father. Or even just a normal magic weapon!

Aiela let out an exasperated sigh despite clearly getting short of breath. "Oma, if you're watching," she called out, "A little help would be nice!"

"Wait! Over there!" Venza pointed, seeing a thicket of trees that looked close enough together to keep the bird from getting through.

Aiela gave an affirmative grunt and the two of them rushed towards the gap. Just as Venza was almost in, she heard a distressed yelp from behind. She found Aiela on the ground, her foot caught on a root.

Venza swore. The wise move would've been to keep going and hope Aiela could get away. At least that way, one of them would have been sure to survive. She didn't even need to think. She turned on her heel, branch still in hand. It might not hurt the monster bird, but it could still get in its way.

The bird had taken flight, swooping down towards Aiela's prone form. Venza's feet ran as fast as they could, placing herself between Aiela and the Bloodbeak, the branch held aloft like a spear with both hands, one end braced against the ground. The bird's neck caught on the branch, but it seemed unfazed, talons viciously trying to rake at her as it beat its wings to stay aloft.

Venza screamed internally. If only she was a little bigger and stronger like that blond girl. She could have grappled the bird to the ground. Instead, it was all she could do to keep it at bay while Aiela regained her footing.

As Aiela got clear, the Bloodbeak managed to lunge further than expected, and one of its wicked talons slashed into her shoulder. Searing hot pain flooded her mind, manifesting in a scream as she thrust harshly at the monster with her branch, driving it back with a strength fueled by her will to live.

Adrenaline coursing through her body, Venza ran right after Aiela, blood seeping into her shirt from her wound. Within moments, they managed to duck inside the thicket. The monstrous fowl tried to squeeze in after them, but it was simply too wide and the passage too narrow for it to pass.

It cawed angrily as it tried to enter, but wound up retreating, instead peering at them with hungry eyes from outside. It then flew up and out of view, though the sound of its flapping wings didn't last long.

The two girls flattened themselves against a tree farther back, hoping it was enough space to keep it away.

"Is it gone?" Venza asked.

"Might be," Aiela answered, "or more likely it's waiting for us to come out so it can nab us. Wonderful. Now we're in the same position that girl was. Happy?"

She gave Venza a pointed stare, though her face quickly softened when she spotted the blood seeping through her clothes.

"You're hurt," Aiela observed.

"It's nothing," Venza lied. Now that they weren't in immediate danger, the pain in her left shoulder was starting to register. She grabbed it with her right hand, trying to keep it covered.

"Don't touch it!" Aiela snapped. "You might get an infection."

Aiela reached into her bag and pulled out an unassuming, brown jar that looked to be made of clay and sealed with a wooden lid. She stared at it, muttered, "Alcohol," and then pulled the lid off.

"What is that?" Venza asked.

"An Alchemist's Jar," Aiela answered. "Oma gave it to me for my seventh birthday. Once a day, I can say the name of certain common fluids like water, oil, or alcohol and it gets filled with said fluid. Now come here and hold still. This will hurt."

Venza nodded and braced herself. It wasn't the first time she'd gotten a cut or bruise. She knew alcohol would sting, but it was better than what would happen if the wound was left untended.

She pulled down the shoulder of her shirt, revealing three mercifully shallow cuts on her skin. It seemed the bird hadn't gotten as good a blow on her as she'd thought.

"Hands," Aiela said. Venza got the message and presented her hands. Aiela poured clear liquid from the jar, covering her hands, and Venza rubbed them together.

Then, without warning, Aiela moved to her shoulder, hitting Venza square on her cuts. The redhead screamed in agony, nearly biting her tongue in the process.

"What the fuck?" Venza cried out, instinctively rubbing her shoulder.

"Your scream might get someone to notice and help," Aiela said simply. "It worked for the other girl, so why not us?"

Venza scowled. "Warn me next time."

"But then the scream might not sound authentic," Aiela answered. Venza couldn't tell if she was being messed with or not. It was becoming clear Aiela would be difficult to read and the coming years would be long indeed.

"But thank you," Aiela said softly.

"Hm?" Venza intoned, pretending she hadn't heard.

Aiela sighed. "I said thank you. You didn't have to come back for me like that."

"Yes, I did," Venza said. "You're my friend. Besides, I think your grandmother would have done worse to me if I abandoned you."

Aiela's lips twisted into a smirk. "She probably would. Hold still for a sec, alright?"

"Again?"

"Just do it," Aiela insisted, and when Venza complied, Aiela touched a hand to her shoulder. "Heal," she said.

A dim, green light poured from Aiela's hand, and where it touched Venza's shoulder, the wound seemed to dry, though it still left angry, bright scabs.

Venza reached out to touch it, but Aiela quickly stopped her. She wore a frown on her face. "Despite how shallow the cut is, I can't heal it fully," the brown-haired girl said, seemingly short of breath. It sounded like she'd just spent an entire day running instead of a few minutes.

"Thank you," Venza said. "And I'm sorry. We should have snuck past and called for help."

"You think?" Aiela asked, rolling her eyes, her breathing coming in deep gasps.

Just as Venza was about to respond, the Bloodbeak suddenly lunged forward, its red-tinted beak snapping. The two girls held each other on reflex, but were relieved as the bird drew no closer, its head stuck between the trees. It grew tired and withdrew shortly after, still watching them.

"Bloody chicken," Venza muttered.

The two of them stayed within the thicket for what felt like hours, but it had probably been minutes. The monstrous bird continued to watch from outside, waiting for them to slip up. Within roughly fifteen minutes, Aiela's breathing had returned to normal.

"How much magic you got left in you?" Venza asked.

"Not enough," Aiela answered. "I'm too young for proper magic."

"Could've fooled me," Venza said. "That lightning was more than I've ever managed in nine years."

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"Even more reason not to agitate a monster like this," Aiela pointed out.

Venza winced, unable to deny that. "What would my father do?" she wondered aloud.

"He'd use the magic sword the Empire gave him and cut that bird in two," Aiela answered, deadpan.

"Right," Venza agreed, sighing. "His Revenant Arm. I could really do with a magic weapon right now."

She stared at the branch, still useless in her hands, and suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Can you make a magic weapon?" Venza asked.

Aiela gave her a withering look. "Enchanting is an advanced craft that takes years to master. Oma could do it, but she hasn't passed the knowledge on to me, and I definitely don't have the capacity for it yet."

"No, not that," Venza answered. "I mean can you put some magic in this branch? If you do, I might be able to hurt our pursuer enough for it to back off."

Aiela looked thoughtful. “That could technically work. The lingering touch of Mana should be enough to bypass its protection. The spell wouldn’t even have to do anything.” Aiela looked at her. "So you did take your magic studies seriously."

Venza sighed. “I did, at one point. Anyway, can you do it?”

"You think you, a nine-year-old girl with a recently-bloodied shoulder," Aiela gestured at her for emphasis, "can drive off a monster bird almost as tall as a man? Just because you have a pointy stick that doesn't get turned away by its magical skin?"

"I'm pretty strong," Venza answered with a confidence she didn't actually feel. "You saw me wrestle that bigger girl earlier."

"I saw you struggling to get back up because she was too heavy for you," Aiela answered. "Do you really think you'd fare better against a bird monster?"

"I don't know if I can do it," Venza admitted. "But it's better than waiting for it to get a chance at us."

"You realize we could just wait here until help arrives," Aiela pointed. “Or the bird leaves. Or a different monster comes along and drives it off.”

"Who do you think is going to help?" Venza asked. "No one knows we're out here, and the town is-"

The town is busy receiving guests instead of actually patrolling outside, she thought, but didn't want to say.

"Understaffed," she said instead, managing to sound only mildly suspicious.

"Fine," Aiela said. "Give me a minute. The magic we need isn't difficult, but I am nine."

"Thank you," Venza said, now wondering if she'd made the right choice. She was the one who'd have to actually fight it, after all. “I don’t suppose you have a better idea,” she said hopefully.

“I have a few options,” Aiela admitted. “But they’re about as likely to succeed in taking it down as your plan is, probably even less.”

“Alright,” Venza said, steeling herself. “Make the stick magic.”

"Could've waited a few years to ask me to cast this," Aiela muttered under her breath. "Demanding little-"

There was suddenly movement outside the thicket, and Venza worried the Bloodbeak had found a way through their wooden defenses, but the sound came from further away.

Racing through the brush, spear in hand, Adam Vosmer made a running leap towards the Bloodbeak. She wanted to yell for him to watch out, that his spear would do just as badly as her tree branch had against the monster's Protection.

Except it didn't. With a powerful thrust, the monstrous bird was flung backward, its head hitting a tree with a loud thud. It angrily turned to face its new enemy, but before it could, Vosmer delivered three more swift jabs, first on its left wing, then its right, and finally, straight on its head.

Venza could only watch in awe at Vosmer's technique. He'd taught her the basics at her request, but she had no idea how skilled her father's closest friend truly was.

The furious succession of blows sent the Bloodbeak falling to the ground, though it seemed even that caused no real damage. Venza cried out in protest. Being nearly immune to anything not magic was cheating!

Seeing their chance, Venza signaled Aiela to make a hasty retreat as Vosmer kept the bird pinned to the ground.

"Vosmer!" she called out.

With a gentle smile as if he wasn't still in battle, he said, "I had a feeling it was you."

Venza shot him a look. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked as she and Aiela got behind him.

Without a word, Aiela reached a hand towards Vosmer's weapon. A faint blue light shone from her hand, seeming to surround the spear before disappearing. "Hit it now," she said, before nearly falling over. Fortunately, Venza had been watching, and managed to get a hold of her before she hit the ground.

Vosmer didn't ask questions, seeming to understand what she'd done. With movement Venza could barely follow, he delivered a diagonal slash across the Bloodbeak's torso. To Venza's amazement, blackish blood sprayed out of it.

They'd done it! The infusion of Mana, no matter how weak, had given the weapon the means to pierce through the monster's Protection.

Sensing it was actually in danger, the Bloodbeak let out a bloodcurdling scream that made Venza cover her ears. Vosmer, however, seemed to have taken it worse.

Their savior’s body seemed unnaturally stiff, as if invisible bindings had seized his arms and legs, freezing them in place.

"Venza! Run!" he implored, either unwilling or unable to look at her. "I can't move!"

The Bloodbeak swiftly got back up, flapped its wings once, and rose into the air. Rather than flee, it seemed to be circling them, as if looking for the best angle to strike.

"Venza! Get out of here!" Vosmer yelled.

But she couldn't. She couldn't leave Vosmer here, and even if she tried, there was no way she could outrun the Bloodbeak with Aiela weakened from her spell. Damn it all! She thought she'd finally had a good idea to beat the bloody bird, and now it looked like it would take down all three of them.

"I can't," she said, meekly, so softly that she doubted Vosmer could hear her. She couldn't run from this stupid bird. Not when it meant leaving him behind.

In a moment of clarity, she realized what she needed to do. If Vosmer couldn't finish it off with Aiela's help, then she would.

She pried the Mana-infused spear out of Vosmer's hands. Holding it up like she'd seen him do, her eyes locked on to the Bloodbeak as it circled them. The moment it struck, she would prop the spear against the ground and have it impale itself on Vosmer's weapon. Her arms lacked the strength to pull off such a feat on their own, after all. Not without a running start.

A part of her warned she would not be able to escape unscathed, that the creature would likely still get close enough to hurt her. She promptly told that part of her to shut up. The creature was going down, and they weren't. That's all that mattered. Flesh wounds could be healed.

She'd never killed anything more than insects, but even as green as she was, she knew the Bloodbeak wasn't about to fly off and retreat. It had spotted three humans it could sink its sharp beak into, and they seemed like easy prey even in its wounded state.

She watched carefully, for any sign of its course changing to swoop down. She'd have only an instant to react, or it would be all over.

With a great flap of its black wings, the Bloodbeak veered right and downwards, diving down with talons outstretched. Venza readied Vosmer's spear, angled it so it would catch the monstrous fowl.

The sharp talons inched closer, closer. Venza steeled herself. She had to brace the spear against the ground, which meant she had no time to adjust if she'd gotten the angle wrong.

She gritted her teeth, forced her eyes to stay open as the feathery monster descended-

And suddenly, a shimmering blue shield materialized between her and the Bloodbeak. The monster slammed straight into it, quickly falling to the ground in a heap. She could only watch in awe as a second blue shield of light appeared in the air above and then suddenly slammed into the Bloodbeak. She heard bones crack as it was pressed against the earth.

She recognized the shields of blue light. They were the extensions of her father's magical sword, Dauntless, the Revenant Arm he’d received from the Emperor himself. A rustling from the trees called her attention, and she found her father striding through the brush, striking an imposing figure in his dark armor with his mane of red hair spilling about.

"Fear not!" he bellowed. "I will be your shie-"

Lucius cut himself off as he spotted her, and then Vosmer still frozen by the Bloodbeak's shriek. Then finally, Aiela who seemed barely able to stand.

"Venza Lucia Greyfield," he uttered in a serious tone.

She hated that. He only ever used her full name when she was in trouble.

"I told you to explore the settlement," he said in a dangerous tone. "Instead I find you in the woods, with a girl and my best friend being beset by a monster."

He quickly turned to Aiela, expression softening. "Are you alright, lass?"

Aiela nodded, but seemed at a loss for words. Venza decided to answer for her. "She's just tired. She used magic on Vosmer's spear to help fight off the Bloodbeak."

Lucius nodded, though he turned to face Venza again, his face dour. "And how exactly did this happen?" he asked.

"There was another little girl in trouble," Venza immediately said. "She was being attacked, and-"

"And you could have called for help," he said, cutting her off. "There are a hundred soldiers in Rentley!"

Venza flinched. Aiela had said the same thing. "I'm sorry. But if I'd left her any longer, she might have died."

She scanned the trees for any sign of the other girl, but she seemed to have fled the scene.

"You could have died, Venza!" Lucius exclaimed. "Then what would happen?"

"I-" Venza began. "House Greyfield would be left without a direct Heir, and Verdeholm would fall to our cous-"

"Stop," Lucius said. "Not that. Think about your mother and I! What do you think we would do if you had died? How would Vosmer feel? How about everyone at home who loves you?"

Her response caught in her throat. She didn't know how to answer that.

"You cannot risk yourself like this," he said.

"But you risk your life for our people all the time," she answered meekly.

"I am Lord Marshall of the Empire!" he shot back. "One of the strongest Lords of Odolenia, with an enchanted suit of armor and weapon that befit my office! I could fight a hundred of these monsters and come out unscratched!"

Lucius let out an exasperated sigh. She rarely saw him like this, short of when his political rivals were making his life difficult.

"Maybe your mother was right," he muttered. "Maybe I shouldn't have taken you along."

Venza wanted to protest, but no sound argument came to mind. She could only watch as Lucius raised his blade high, and then struck a mortal blow upon the Bloodbeak. Its Protection stood no chance against his Revenant Arm.

There was a sudden intake of air as Vosmer was freed from the dead creature's magic.

"You alright there, Adam?" Lucius asked. "Sorry about the delay. I should've killed it faster."

"No problem, Lucius," Vosmer answered, shaking the stiffness from his body. It seemed at some point he'd also lost the ability to speak. "But don't be too hard on young Venza."

Her father frowned. "She put herself and you in danger!"

"She only did what you would do," Vosmer said. "Or are you telling me you wouldn't have done the same at her age?"

Lucius grumbled. "That's exactly why I don't want her doing it."

"Regardless," Vosmer continued. "You can't deny she saved a life today. Go easy on her."

Lucius let out a heavy sigh. "Right. C'mere, scamp. Let me see your shoulder."

"Let me," Vosmer said. Lucius gave him a look. "Come on. You know I've always been better at first aid than you."

"Fine," Lucius said. He looked at Aiela and asked, "Where can we drop you off, young lady?"

Venza bit her lip as Aiela gave her a nervous look. This was not how she expected this introduction to go. "Um, actually…"