Ms.Led

Guildmaster Jericho stands with arms crossed, his narrow eyes glare at the gathered hunters. Most celebrating successful recent hunts. The new skull of a Hippogriff sits over the mantle and a fresh Basilisk roasts over the central pit of the Guildhall. His Guild was growing and with it the money from jobs. Jericho looks over the pile of new assignments before handing them to an apprentice to tack on the board.

“Fresh meat ladies and brutes!” He roars over the ruckus crowd. There are cheers and moans. Team apprentices rush to the board to scramble for the best jobs to show their bosses.

Last among them is the newest apprentice, a young girl of eleven. Orphaned when a Hellhound killed her family. Venes attempts to reach over the large teenage boys to grab at jobs her team could do, but she is shoved to the back with the younger boys, and to the back further by them.

There is only one job on the board when she gets to it. She stares at it with an open mouth, and with a hung head she takes it to Carl. The little red head holds out the notice to the large man, he glares at her and snatches it from her.

“We need more than one job if we’re going to make any money.” He looks at it and scoffs. “Look girl I took you on as a favor to the Guildmaster. But I ain’t gonna keep you on if this is the shit you bring me.” He hands it back to her and looks across the table at one of the other men on the team. “Go see if there are any jobs that need help.” He glares at Venes. “You, do that job yourself, if you can manage that I’ll keep you on for another moon.”

Venes nods without argument and scurries away from the table of large hunters. Off to where the few other female apprentices sit at a table. She sits away from the older teenage girls and reads her assignment.

“One Cockatrice terrorizing farm.” She smiles, it is a simple copper mission, the farmers could do this with a well placed bolt.

She gathers her crossbow and grabs some gold tipped bolts from the smith.

“Where are you off to Venes?” Smith Tom asks.

“Off on my own mission. To kill a Cockatrice.” She says proudly.

“Do you have a blade?” He asks.

“Well no. I’ve only ever been allowed-” She stops as he holds out a short sword to her.

“It’s already plated for you.” He says she pulls the blade out a few inches exposing the gold covered sword to the forge light.

“Thank you.” She hugs him around his middle and runs out of the smithy without another word. The big man chuckles.

She grabs her red cloak from her locker and a travel meal. She bids farewell to her team and heads out of the village. Her walk is five miles to the north of the village walls. She reviews everything she knows about the annoying creature, counting facts on her fingers.

“Claws, venomous stinger, stone eyes,” She skips along the road without fear under the sunlight.

The farm comes into view, a small chicken and goat farm. The little creatures graze around a large field with big white dogs watching Venes closely. She knocks on the door and waits. A farmwife opens the thick wooden door and looks down at her.

“We ain’t got no food.”

“No ma’am I’m here from the guild.” Venes says holding up her copper medallion proudly.

The woman looks down her nose at Venes and scoffs. “A child? An apprentice. They send an apprentice for a Chupacabra? I thought it was at least a Brass mission.” She looks around. “Where is the rest of your team?”

“I’m sorry did you say Chupacabra?” Venes pales beneath her red hood. She holds up the listing. “We have you listed for a Cockatrice.”

“What? We can kill a lizard chicken on our own.” She scoffs. “Jeffrey!” She shouts into her home, a teen appears. “Why is the listing for a Cockatrice?”

“Because it was cheaper.” The boy answers, his eyes land on the small red headed girl in the doorway.

The woman in the doorway throws a boot from beside the door at her son. He ducks it. “Stupid boy, daft, mulish as your pa’!” She shouts he disappears, then she turns her glowering expression to the girl in the doorway.

“Can you handle a Chupacabra?” She asks.

Venes pales more, Carl’s voice echoes in her mind. “Yes, ma’am. Or I will die trying and they will send better hunters.” She says turning to the field. “Where is it attacking from?”

Venes is pointed to the barn. “Every night we’ve lost three goats to its infection.” The woman says, Venes nods. “Good luck.” She shuts the door and Venes marches across the field, attracting the attention of some of the goats and a curious chicken. They follow along behind her to where she sets up in the barn loft.

“The worst thing that happens, I die?” She asks the chicken, staring up at her hiding place. It clucks and pecks at the hay before fluttering out of the barn. The boy Jeffrey comes into the barn before sunset, the dogs helping him to herd the animals into the structure.

“Do you need supper, Guild girl?”

“No, I brought food to hold me over for a day.” She says from her hiding place. “Remember don’t come out after dark.”

“We ain’t dumb.” He says, locking the barn door.

“You live outside the walls with the Night Creatures. You're the dumbest.” Venes settles into her hiding place watching over the herd. Chickens flutter into the loft and roost for the evening. The sun sinks below the horizon. The last of the sunbeams spill through the holes in the roof, before casting her and the animals into darkness.

She waits in the black with the shuffling goats. She nibbles on her meal to keep herself awake. The moon is high in the sky when she hears the scuffling of dirt at the base of the barn. She arranges herself better on the edge of the loft and aims her crossbow for the spot she hears the noise.

It is hours from sunrise. She sees the clawed hands of the creature open the loose earth beneath the wall. She aims for the hole as it widens, the golden tip of her arrow glints in the moonlight as it flies through the darkness. The Chupacabra screeches as the bolt punctures its shoulder, Venes curses under her breath, struggling to pull the lever on her crossbow. Her hands shake, putting the bolt into place.

The Night Creature’s scrabbling is more frantic, trying to get into the barn to get to her. It howls and growls, red eyes search the barn wildly, she aims for its head. It pulls its hulking canid form into the barn. It gnashes black fangs, red stained spittle splatters the barn floor. The guard dogs growl and bark at it, the herd bleat and cry. The Chupacabra roars at them, and they cower beneath its gaze. It stalks towards the terrified animals.

Venes takes her shot, the bolt hits the Night Creature in the back of the neck. It howls in pain, and turns to the loft. It sees her, red eyes narrow and it leaps. The girl shrieks and lifts her short sword, scrambling back in the loose hay.

The Chupacabra lands with a crash where she had been a moment before. Venes aims her sword for its neck. The gold gleams through the air, and just catches the arm of the creature leaping away into the darkness. The blood hisses when it comes into contact with the gold.

Venes uses her small size to her advantage as she shuffles through the hay to a new hiding spot. The Chupacabra lands on the loft floor again, it yanks full swathes of hay from the floorboards into the air. Venes leaps from her hiding place, stabbing her blade down into its back. The monster roars, thrashing beneath her.

Venes screams in pain as a long arm reaches up and slashes dark claws across her shoulder and face. It leaps into the wall in an attempt to dislodge her. She clings to its back, watching the gold blade sink further into its body the more it moves. She knows if she lets go, she’ll die.

The Chupacabra slows its movements, its grasping arms slower, weaker in their attempts to grasp at her. The body collapses and she rolls away, she yanks a stray bolt from the hay and holds it like a dagger. The Night Creature’s red eyes dull.

“I did it?” She says. “I did it!” She cheers into the night.