“I barely had a day!” Mia whined as they camped down for the night. “A single day, and it was just in a room with nothing else!” She hadn’t stopped lamenting the situation since she’d been dragged out by the pair and they’d made a quick exit from Durandil. She had hoped that they’d stay around longer, but… “Why did they have to be so aggressive?”

Junia sighed roughly, sizing up the beef haunches. They’d had enough foresight to at least buy some food, including some rations for the road, but now that they weren’t going to be eating at leisure, it was back to careful judgements for how much they could spare per day. “I was REALLY hoping nothing would happen,” she admitted. “I dunno why they were so intense about it, but word travels fast. We would’ve been at the center of some serious problems if we hadn’t left right then.”

“Eeeh, it won’t be that way for long,” Marcus said. Although he’d certainly been annoyed at the quick exit, it seemed like he hadn’t let that seriously dampen his mood too much. Mia envied him that. “Kreely’s probably gonna bonk a few heads and after that folks’ll quiet down about it. I don’t think anyone’s gonna come after us or anything, at least.”

“I hope not…” Mia said lowly to herself. “I REALLY hope Charloom isn’t like that…”

“No way,” Junia assured. “I mean, yeah, you’re gonna get some looks, but Charloom is a proper city. Not at big as the capital, but it’s got big stone walls, it’s own security force, all the guilds, a real proper temple, the whole sack of goods. It’s near the Aribeth River, which is why it’s so popular.”

“Aribeth River? You never mentioned that to me,” Mia noted.

“Oh! It’s one of the bigger rivers on the continent, and it winds through a lot of places before dumping out in the ocean. This isn’t the only city near the river, but it’s the closest for sure, and one of the older ones, too. So it’s a pretty important city, with a lot of defenses. They’ve even actually got a proper guard check and everything.”

“Oh…that’s…” Mia wasn’t sure what to make of that. It’d be secure, sure, but as for her? So far she was kind of oh for two with first appearances.

“I know Dundaril was a bit of a bust, but I promise you, the Charloom guards aren’t nearly so antagonistic,” Marcus assures. “And once we tell them what you’re coming in for, you’ll be fine! Like I said, it’s a big trading town, so they’re used to weird and unusual stuff coming through. Especially when we mention the thing about the King.”

“Honestly, you’ll probably get a lot of gawkers and all, but not to scream.” She paused for a moment before she amended the statement. “Well, okay, you’ll probably get some screams, but I doubt they’ll stay scared of you for long.”

Mia didn’t want to hope too hard, but she couldn’t help but do it anyway.

The night came and went, and morning’s breakfast was a small affair. It was going to be at least a couple of days more of travel before they reached Charloom, and a few more still before Havelin even by carriage, so they had decided not to rush too much. It was during the second day’s travel, however, that off in the distance, they heard a commotion off a ways to the side. At first, Marcus was reluctant to check it out.

But then they heard a screeching, and suddenly a loud BANG, and the boy’s eyes began to light up. “Wait a sec, I know that bird cry! That’s a Golden Crest Hawk!”

“A what?” Mia asked.

“A Golden Crest Hawk!” he repeated excitedly. “They’re big, flightless bird beasts that can discharge big flashes of light after enough time storing it up! Their feathers sell real nice on the market!”

“And you want to actually go fight it,” Junia lamented. “You know how dangerous those things are even with a full team of trained knights, right?”

“Yeah, but it sounds like it’s in the middle of something! If we can just sneak up on it, we might get a real nice payday out of it!” He seemed all too eager, despite the risks.

Mia wasn’t a fan. “But don’t you have a payday you’re trying to get to right now?” she asked.

Junia was quick to agree. “Exactly. We don’t need it.” At that, Marcus seemed to deflate, considering that he was outvoted, and Junia continued. “So put it out of your head for now. We’ve got plenty to worry about as it stands, so let’s keep marching.”

It was then, however, that a second screech rolled through the lightly forested plains, and in maybe a minute more they could hear thunderous gallops as a trio of people riding horses came barreling into view at an angle, clearing racing for the main road and hightailing it in the same direction they’d been going. Before much longer, they were specks in the distance.

What was not, however, was the massive thing that had been trying to chase them, lumbering into view. Although it maybe looked a bit familiar to Mia, she couldn’t place it. With brilliant umber gold feathers adorning its body, it let out a massive screech of disappointment. It’s leg muscles were thicker than any horses’s, and had three long toes, each tipped with a vicious talon. Its wings were comically undersized, for sure, but its wicked, curved beak and large, pitch black eyes gave it all the intimidation it needed, beyond its size, which was well superior to Mia, or horses and rider combined both in height and width.

It all certainly worked to make Mia panic when the beast turned to them, and charged. Whether thinking that either it’d use them to take its anger out on, or otherwise simply wanted prey, they were its targets now.

Mia immediately turned to the duo next to her, only to see Marcus’s excited expression. “Guess we’re not getting much of a choice!” He yelled, before spurring his horse. “Heyah!” He cried as they charged forwards.

“Oh, pus and bile!” Junia swore, before kicking her horse and following behind closely, stave at the ready. Mia felt nearly frozen as they charged forwards, and for several long moments, she felt like she could do nothing but stare as the fight between them and the beast began.

The creature initially tried to snap at Marcus, only for him to rather deftly steer his steed out of the way, leaving the creature’s beak to snap down on air with a loud and resounding clack. The response from Marcus was to draw his blade down the creature’s side as he rode past; Mia couldn’t tell exactly how much damage had been done, but she only saw the tiniest amounts of blood on Marcus’s blade from this distance. He didn’t look worried, however, and he quickly turned his horse around for another pass. The beast turned its head to follow him- only to be smashed in the head by what looked to Mia like a small sphere of ice!

Mia was at first surprised, but she looked to see Junia holding her focus out with steady nerves as the bird thing reeled from the impact. She supposed she should’ve expected such a thing, considering Junia’s knowledge, but what she wasn’t sure of was how many times she could do it. The creature seemed to hop away briefly, before it turned to her; she didn’t have to do much to get her horse out of the path of its brief lunge- and allow Marcus to take the opportunity to stab the thing with a wicked thrust into its side.

Unfortunately, it’d clearly take more than that to down the beast, as it quickly pulled itself away with another screech, focusing its attention again to the swordsman.

This dance continued for some time, with Marcus striking out when the beast was distracted by Junia’s efforts, and vice-versa. It slowly got to the point where Mia’s fear started to abate, even, as she watched them seemingly effortlessly bait and punish the creature. Vicious, spearing pecks met air, pounces that would’ve crushed a standing human beneath it grabbed only dirt, and lashing, clawed feet that should’ve torn skin apart struck only rock. It wouldn’t be much longer before they’d successfully manage to subdue it.

That is, until a strong strike from Marcus that had the creature bleeding well convinced it that this fight was beyond it.

The creature made a series of small hops away, and then, turning and screeching, barreled in the opposite direction…right towards her. Mia hadn’t moved at all during this time, and whether the bird knew that or not, it no longer cared. It would tear through this strange thing, or it would die regardless.

Mia, of course, didn’t think like that; she merely reared back as before- unthinkingly, instinctually as her forelegs raised in worry. ‘No no no no!’ she yelled in her mind, her throat too tight and nervous to speak aloud. She only belated remembered she had a sword with her, and in a snap fit of panic, fumbled to draw it as the world seemed to move in slow-motion, the beast charging towards her with its own brand of panic and fear in its eyes. Her hands felt like they were made of mush, wouldn’t respond to her mental command. ‘Come on, damnit, move! Pull the damn sword out!’ she swore to herself as her vision filled with the creature’s beak and beady eyed face. Her hands gripped something- she hoped, prayed it was the sword, and in a fit of panic, drew it, drew it fast and suddenly there was a rainbow of colors and she couldn’t tell what was happening. She felt pain blossom over her, but also an odd warmth splashing over her face, then darkness-

-and with a gasp, she woke up. “Gaah!” Her hearts beat heavily and strongly, and though instinctual, she was grateful for the confirmation that she was, in fact, still alive. With that understood, she whipped her head around to figure out what happened. She was…by a river? There was grass, and the smell of smoke, and-

“Whoa, you’re up! Hold on there, you were out for a while!” A familiar voice said suddenly. “Yikes, that had to be unpleasant. You feeling okay?” Mia turned her head to see Junia, looking concerned, but she had a smile on her face, if a small one, so…good?

“...I…geez, a lot of me feels kinda numb, actually,” she realized. “But…not entirely. Like I can just feel a bit of everything.”

“Good, that’s normal,” Junia said with a sigh of relief. “Means that the healing worked. Damn, though. Should’ve told you to stay further back. That’s our fault.”

That… wasn’t what she was expecting to hear. “W-wait, what? No, I’m the one that didn’t move out of the way. I-”

Junia waved her off. “Oh, forget it. I’m just glad you’re still with us. That big bird’s corpse really ran over you.”

“Y-yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Mia agreed. Then she paused as the statement registered. “Wait, corpse?”

“Yup!” Junia said as her smile brightened. “Didn’t know you were strong enough to lop it’s head clean off, but you did! Just a shame the rest of it didn’t stop.”

That was another thing she wasn’t expecting. “I killed it?” It was hard to believe.

“Sure did!” Marcus’s voice came from over her shoulder. She looked behind herself to see him carrying several twigs and pieces of fuel for the fire. “THWACK! Just sent its head clean over into the bushes! It was great! I went to go get it and some extra firewood…or whatever you wanna call all this,” he said with a grin towards the stuff in his hand. “You’ve got some serious muscle in those arms. I’m surprised!”

“Uh, you and me both,” Mia admitted. She hadn’t figured she was all that strong, really. Maybe she wasn’t, and it was just panic? “I…doubt that’ll happen again.”

“Oh, for sure it won’t,” he agreed, and she noticed his voice had gotten a bit more serious. “Especially because we’re gonna make sure it won’t. Came to remember that you really aren’t used to fighting. And I think we need to fix that.”

That didn’t sound pleasant. “Hold on, are you saying you’re gonna teach me how to fight?”

Marcus shrugged. “Or at least how to hold a sword right and swing it decently. It’d take a long time to teach you how to fight properly. But as big as you are, you’d make an intimidating figure if you held one right.”

“Although maybe a polearm might be more your speed…” Junia mused, and for the first time, Mia fretted about sticking with them. Did she really want to know how to fight? Part of her said no. That would just lead to trouble, and she’d be better off simply knowing to avoid anything in the first place.

But another part of her, a stronger part, to her chagrin, was almost already accepting their suggestions. She’d seen how the world was already, if only a bit of it. She’d need to be able to at least defend herself. And it was possible- even likely- that looking for this temple would have her cross with some unsavory sorts if she ever actually wanted answers to all of this, well, everything. Fighting seemed very much a way of life, and as much as she wanted to deny it, there was a section of her that seemed very much understanding of it. Probably spurred on by the fact that she’d nearly been killed by a runaway bird. Not an experience she wanted to repeat any time soon. “Uhhh…where would we even start?”

They both grinned. “Where else? Charloom has a building for just about every major guild on the continent. I’m willing to bet that if nothing else, the Wayfinder’s Guild will let you get some practice in with them.”

Yet ANOTHER new term. “The who?”

“The guilds. There’s a ton of them- like, too many to tell all at once. All you need to know is that the Wayfinders are generally the most accepting of new faces. They’re big on new experiences and junk, so they need to know how to protect themselves and fight. So yeah!”

Oh. That actually sounded very much like what she needed to do. “How do you join them?”

Unfortunately for her, Junia shrugged. “Dunno. I’m not a Wayfinder. I think it’s got something to do with exploring ancient ruins and finding rare artifacts or something. At least…that’s probably it,” she grimaces. “I’m just going off hearsay and what little I know for sure about them. But hey, don’t worry about it! Once we get you to the King, you’ll have it made. Heck, there’ll probably be plenty of Wayfinders that’ll be glad to search for whatever you want for you!”

That was true…but it wouldn’t help her much. Her heart seemed to ache at the idea of not actually finding the temple herself, and something deep and primal told her that this was NOT acceptable. “Right.” Not that she would say so out loud right now. “But in case I do…”

“Eh, as long as people don’t try anything funny with you, we can probably ask ourselves once we get there!” She turned to look at the river- the sun was going down, and it gave things a nice hue. There were no more big creatures here, and Mia could only presume that that was because the giant bird had chased out all of the usual animals. Chances are, they’d be alright here.

Marcus patted her on the…abdomen. It felt a little odd. “Anyway, you’re still numb, we’ve set up camp; go back to sleep, Mia. We’re gonna be riding hard for Charloom tomorrow!” Right. Just get to Charloom. Then she could worry again…

In her dreams, Mia saw herself wearing strange plate armor. Dark red metal covered her arms and torso, and her legs were covered by leather flaps. She held in her hand a great longsword, and scores of tiny, half-sized, overstuffed flightless bird beasts nipped at her legs. With a single mighty sweep, scores of them were sent flying with panicked and irritated squawks and chirps, and yet the horde did not cease.

Mia the Great raised her blade in challenge, and stormed forth to quell the tide.

“...wonder what she’s dreaming about.” Marcus asked quietly. “She’s been giggling in her sleep for a while.”

“I dunno. And I don’t wanna know,” said a Junia retiring for the night. “Just make sure you don’t fall asleep mid-watch again.”

“Hey, that was only the once!” Alas, his complaints went unheeded for the night.