"...and those who show aptitude for magic get recommended to walk the Path, though it's entirely voluntary," Venn continued, stepping over a fallen log with exaggerated care. "The Temple believes that healing and magic should complement each other, not that one is superior. Though Elder Adra does tend to favor the purely academic approach, which is why she was so upset when I asked to come with you instead of continuing my theoretical studies."

  Reyn, who had been half-listening while scanning the rocky terrain ahead, stopped walking. "Wait. Go back. Magic? The Path?"

  "Oh." Venn adjusted her pack nervously. "Did I not mention I was training to be a Mage?"

  "No."

  "I was certain I'd brought it up."

  "You didn't."

  "Well." Venn shifted her quarterstaff from one hand to the other. "I'm aspiring to become a mage. Surprise?"

  Reyn turned to face her traveling companion fully. Two days on the road, and Venn was just now mentioning she could do magic. "What kind of magic?"

  "Basic things, mostly. Healing, stuff that might be helpful. Watch!" Venn held out her hand, concentrating hard. A small ball of light appeared above her palm, flickered like a dying candle, then winked out. "It's supposed to last longer."

  "How much longer?"

  "An hour. Mine tend to last about twelve seconds." Venn sighed. "I'm better at the sleeping enchantments. Been practicing on the temple cats. Well, until Elder Merra caught me and said it was unethical to practice on creatures who couldn't consent."

  Reyn raised an eyebrow. "Can you wake them up after?"

  "Usually. Eventually they wake up themselves. There was that one tabby who slept for two days, but he was always lazy anyway."

  Reyn started walking again, processing this information with amusement. A healer who could barely fight, now revealed to be a mage who could barely cast. At least she was consistent. Reyn's knowledge about magic was minimal. She knew there were Mages, Sorcerers and Wizards, and of course Druids and their nature magic, but not exactly what the difference was between them all. Apparently, Mages were healers, at least.

  She opened her mouth to ask, but saw Venn struggling to find her footing on the rocks and the bouncy grass, and decided to let the mage-to-be focus on walking for now.

  They climbed higher into the rocky hills, the landscape becoming increasingly inhospitable. Scraggly bushes clung to crevices, and the air grew thin and sharp. Perfect territory for creatures that didn't want to be disturbed.

  "There," Reyn said in a low hush, pointing to scratches on a boulder. "Claw marks. Fresh."

  Venn immediately launched into an excited whisper. "Vescori mark their territory. See how these curve? That indicates a mated pair. During mating season, their venom becomes more potent, which is actually better for our purposes because—"

  "Venn."

  "Yes?"

  "Quiet."

  They crept forward, following the trail of marks and shed scales that gleamed with an oily rainbow sheen. The path led to a cave entrance partially hidden by an overhang of stone.

  Reyn was planning their approach, head on most probably, when Venn grabbed her arm. "Look."

  Near the cave entrance, nestled in a depression lined with shed scales and bits of fur, sat three eggs. Each was the size of a melon, mottled green and gold.

  "They're parents," Venn said with wide eyes.

  "So?"

  "So we can't kill them!" Venn's whisper rose dangerously in pitch. "They have babies!"

  Reyn looked at Venn, then at the nest, then back at Venn. "They're eggs."

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  "Eggs that will be babies. Soon. I think." Venn chewed her lip. "How do you feel about orphans?"

  "I have nothing against orphans, but I'd rather not create more," Reyn admitted. There were no orphans in Bormecia, but from what little she saw in Westkeep, she truly felt sorry for them.

  "I have an idea," Venn said, already rummaging in her pack. "I've been practicing sleep enchantments, right? If I can put them to sleep, we can extract venom without killing them."

  "If. You practiced on house cats."

  "The spell is the same! Mostly." Venn pulled out a vial of something that smelled like mint and old socks. "Trust me?"

  Before Reyn could respond, a low hiss echoed from the cave. Two shapes emerged, moving like creatures perfectly adapted to killing. Reyn reached over her shoulder and grabbed the hilt of Good Deeds, not unsheathing it just yet.

  The Vescori were beautiful in the way that poisonous things often were. Scales that shifted color as the light hit, wings folded against backs like cloaks, heads that swiveled on their neck to fix the intruders with eyes like molten gold. They were also the size of large dogs, with teeth that promised an excruciating death through maiming.

  "Now would be good," Reyn said, readying to draw her sword.

  Venn stepped forward, hands shaking only slightly. She hummed, sounding like wind through bells, gesturing in patterns that left faint traces of white and blue light in the air. The scent of mint and old socks grew stronger. Old, wet socks.

  The Vescori swayed, their aggressive posture softening. One yawned, displaying an array of teeth that Reyn really didn't want to be acquainted with. Then, like marionettes with cut strings, they collapsed into sleep.

  "I did it!" Venn squeaked. "It worked!"

  Reyn let go of the hilt and strode toward the drakes. "How long?"

  "What?"

  "How long will they sleep?"

  "Oh. Well, the book said an hour for a standard sleep enchantment on a creature of comparable size."

  "The book said," Reyn repeated as one of the Vescori shook in its sleep.

  "It was strangely specific for magic. One hour for a creature weighing between fifty and one hundred pounds." Venn was already pulling out extraction equipment. "Come on, hold this one's head steady."

  Reyn shrugged and took the creature's head. "Works for me."

  They worked quickly, Venn's hands sure despite her nerves. She knew exactly where to press to express venom from the glands, how to store it properly, how much they could safely take without harming the creatures. Her medical knowledge was solid even if her magical skills were questionable, Reyn figured.

  "That's enough," she said finally, sealing the last vial. "We have what we need."

  They were carefully backing away when one of the Vescori's eyes snapped open.

  Reyn kept an eye on the creature as she reached toward Good Deeds. "I thought you said an hour."

  "Give or take," Venn said wide-eyed. "I'm still practicing."

  "This would be a good time to practice for a ball of fire or something to put between them and us."

  "I'm a mage, not a wizard!"

  "What's the difference?!"

  Both Vescori surged to their feet, shaking off the enchantment like water. They looked at the intruders, then at their eggs, then back at the intruders. The conclusion they reached was obvious in the way they bared their teeth.

  "I can take them," Reyn said.

  "Run!" Venn said.

  They ran.

  Venn, true to her word, was an excellent runner. She bounded over rocks and scraggly bushes with surprising agility, quarterstaff used more for balance than defense. Her running was better than her walking. Behind them, the Vescori gave chase, their cries echoing off the canyon walls.

  Reyn brought up the rear, occasionally turning to discourage pursuit. She used the flat of Good Deeds, trying to discourage without maiming. It was like trying to swat away very large, very angry wasps that could breathe toxic mist.

  "Scaly Deterrent?" she muttered, dodging a spray of venom that sizzled against stone. "No. Guardian's Mercy? Ugh, worse."

  "Are you naming your sword right now?" Venn called back.

  "It needs a name."

  "Really?!"

  One Vescori got too close, jaws snapping at Reyn's new belt-heavy pants. She brought Good Deeds around in a defensive arc, the blade singing through air. The Vescori pulled back, more cautious now.

  "Try casting again!"

  "I can't! I'm too tired! And running!" Venn vaulted over a boulder. "Also terrified! Hard to concentrate!"

  They reached a narrow ravine, barely wide enough for humans but too tight for the Vescori to follow comfortably. The creatures pulled up short, hissing their frustration. They paced at the ravine's edge, clearly torn between pursuit and returning to their eggs.

  Maternal instinct won. With final threatening displays, they turned back toward their cave.

  Reyn and Venn didn't stop running until the Vescori were completely out of sight. They collapsed against a rock formation, gasping.

  "We're alive," Venn panted.

  "We are," Reyn said, sheathing Good Deeds with a smirk. She had to admit, that was fun.

  "We got the venom."

  "Also true."

  "I'm sorry." Venn's voice was small. "I should have practiced more. On things bigger than cats. I'm not ready to be a mage."

  Reyn looked at the younger woman, saw the genuine distress. "You found a way to get what we needed without killing. Sounds mage-like to me."

  "But they woke up…"

  "And we ran. And they're alive to raise their eggs. And the Temple has its venom." Reyn stood, checking the star sword on her hip for damage after several close encounters with sharp teeth. Still nameless, but intact. "Good enough."

  Venn smiled. "I suppose when you put it that way..."

  "I do. Now let's get back before they decide we look tastier than we are."

  They made their way down from the hills, Venn chattering about the properties of Vescori venom and possible improvements to her sleep enchantments. Reyn half-listened, still pondering names.

  Mercy's Edge? Star of Compassion?

  No. Still not right.

  But they had the venom, Venn had proven herself useful despite her limitations, and nothing had died. For a first hunt, it could have gone much worse.

  Even if the sword remained stubbornly nameless.

  is nice to see that real people are reading this, and that I'm not only posting to the void.