The monster roared, shaking the leaves of the nearby trees, but she could tell that it was a roar of pain. It crouched, blood dripping from the Lionit’s side.

Janis took a step back, her focus narrowing on her opponent. She breathed deeply, feeling her mana spread through her body and forcing it into shape. It twisted, almost slipping through her mental fingers. A drop of sweat dripped down her forehead and she blinked. Then she was ready and she cast the Spell.

A Magic Missile shot out of her hand, slamming into the wound in the monster’s side. The Lionit made a high-pitched yipping sound as it was thrown off its feet. It struggled for a few moments more, but finally lay still. Janis raised a hand to rub her eyes.

“Gods yes!” She stumbled to an overturned rock and sat down, stretching out her legs, still grinning. She’d done it. She had learned Magic Missile, and she had reached level 10.

Janis sat there for a minute, recovering her breath. She felt too elated to care about her tiredness, the blood on her dress or the badly-wrapped gash in her left forearm.

She had been stuck in level 7 for what felt like years, even if it had only been a few months in actuality. Then she’d finally reached level 8 helping defend the village against monsters. That had been the day the Delvers came. Her grin slipped from her face at the memory, and she took a deep breath and made an effort to release the tension in her body.

She’d gone out frequently since then, hunting monsters, at first near her village and then coming into the outskirts of the forest. Janis shook her head at herself. After she’d lost her parents, she’d promised herself she would never become an adventurer, and look at her now.

But it had paid off. In only a week, she had gained two levels. Of course, she knew she’d only gained that last level because of Magic Missile. Most people might not know, but one of the benefits of leveling without a Class was that the System would reward you for various things, not just accomplishments in line with your Class. Learning a Spell by herself must have brought her a nice sum of experience.

Janis smiled again. Now that she’d reached level 10, it was time to finally get her Class. With a shift of her attention, she pulled up the message.

Below that was a list of Classes. Janis whistled silently as she read through it. There were more choices than she had expected, at least twenty. Focusing on any of them made a new screen expand, giving her a bit of information on it. But she quickly breezed past them. There were a lot that she didn’t care about, from Baker’s Apprentice (probably because she’d helped out at the village bakery a bit) to Hunter (these fights against monsters, presumably) to Disciple (she couldn’t even guess where that came from).

But she’d finally gotten the choice she wanted. Janis hesitated as she saw that the System offered her the option of Fire Mage as well as Mage. For a moment, she wavered, tempted to choose it. But then she shook her head. Old, almost forgotten advice from her father rang in her ears, warning her not to over-specialize. Besides, she didn’t want to restrict herself, not when it came to this. It might be childish, but she daydreamed of being able to fly. She’d need air magic for that, not fire. And she remembered the old adventurer who’d passed through Forest’s Haunt years ago, who she’d talked to for hours and persuaded to test her magical talent. She had an affinity for air magic as well, not just fire.

With her choice made, the System sheet dissolved in a shower of colorful sparkles, and her bones thrummed like someone was blaring an inaudible trumpet. Janis shivered, feeling a warmth spreading throughout her body. She sensed her mana rise and vibrate for a long moment, before it calmed again. Then she stood up and flexed her hands. She felt much better now, as if all of her prior pain and tiredness had been swept away. Grinning again, Janis called up her status sheet.

Janis nodded to herself, happy with what she saw. Then the echo of a far-off howl brought her back to reality. She stood up, glancing at the corpse of the monster she’d killed and at the sky. Usually, she would skin and harvest it here, but the sun was sinking and night would fall soon. She didn’t like the thought of leaving it behind, especially since the pelt and teeth would make her a nice profit. But as her mother used to say, you couldn’t spend any money if you were dead, and she didn’t fancy the thought of being in the forest at night, even if she was not far in. So she grabbed her hunting knife, secured her pack, and set off back to the village.

She felt her excitement drain out of her with every step and chided herself for it. The village might not be where she wanted to be, but it was her home for now. And her aunt might actually be worried for her, even if the old shrew wouldn’t show it.

Janis emerged from the forest quickly and crossed the fields towards the village, putting her newfound energy to good use. It was still getting noticeably dim outside by the time she reached it.

Janis frowned as she saw the soldiers standing by the entrance on the main road. The Delvers had finally left a few days ago, but things still hadn’t gone back to normal. At least she could finally walk around the village without feeling like she was constantly being watched.

She pulled the strap of her pack tighter as she remembered what happened a week ago. She’d often found her thoughts straying to Regina, the strange ‘Hive Queen’, over the last week. And not just because she was the reason Janis had learned her new Spell. The girl had shown her something she hadn’t seen in all the years she’d lived in the village and barely realized she missed. It felt odd to think of her in that manner, since she was only a fifteen-year-old girl, whatever her Class. But she hadn’t acted like a girl, she’d acted like a woman. A confident, if not quite regal, woman, sure of her power and her responsibilities.

Janis was no idiot and realized that Regina had seen her as a useful contact at best. An illusion of friendship was not why she’d headed out that day, resolved to do what she could to try and free her from the Delvers’ clutches. It was for the best that there had been no need for that, of course. Janis hadn’t told anyone about her encounter, but she had been pondering it.

Although going out to search for a mysterious demihuman with unknown intentions in the wilderness sounded a lot like adventuring.

And there was the way Regina had looked at her in that alleyway. Assessing. For a moment, Janis thought she’d seen what she’d rather not let people know. Janis frowned to herself at the thought, then glanced around at the village. She had reached level 10 far more quickly than someone without a class should. Still, she didn’t think any of the villagers would notice or realize anything. If the baron heard of it, he might, but she didn’t think he would say anything. As far as she knew, no one in Forest’s Haunt suspected that she was anything but completely human.

“He, Janis!”

She glanced up and started. Ty, the smith’s son, was carrying bags of ore out of his father’s shop without a shirt on. When he caught her gaze, he set his bag down and waved, tensing his muscles a bit more than was perhaps necessary.

Janis returned a small wave and quickly hurried on, forcing herself not to make a face. She knew that her aunt had been talking to Ty’s mother about arranging a betrothal. Janis could already hear her nagging her again about finding a husband and settling down. Yes, the boy was strapping and had a secure future, but it would take a lot more than that for her to let anyone tie her to this village, to a life like this. Besides, his family was most likely only interested because she had high Int and Wis stats.

By the gods, most of the people in this village could barely read and write. At least Janis had had the benefits of a real education, before. Her parents hadn’t been the most successful of adventurers, but they’d done well enough. Her life in the city sometimes felt like a pleasant dream, separated from her current life by almost a decade of dirt and drudgery. Janis occasionally felt it would be hard to find a more backwards place. Not that she was going to tempt fate by saying so.

Still, a voice in the back of the head was questioning her resolve. At least adventuring was one of the few careers where women could act almost equal to men.

Janis paused as she finally reached her aunt’s home, surprise pushing away her dark thoughts. After a glance at the black courser tied to the wooden post, she opened the door and entered with a smile.

“Janis! Good to see you. You look healthy.”

“Uncle Rich.” Janis closed the door and returned his hug, before she stepped back and looked the man over.

Her great-uncle had reached a high enough level that his aging had slowed. Although she knew he was at least sixty, he still looked like a middle-aged man. His black hair showed some gray, but he was still tall and broad with muscles instead of fat. His clothes were dusty from travel, but still of finer make than hers, as expected for a knight in the service of the local marquis.

“Are you staying for dinner, Sir Richard?” her aunt asked, bustling out of the small attached kitchen. A few strands of red hair had broken free and were dangling down her face, and she’d rolled up the sleeves of her old dress slightly.

“No, thank you, Madam Marian. I won’t be able to stay for long.”

“Janis, go stoke the fire!” Aunt Marian barked. “And make sure you clean your shoes properly this time.”

Janis rolled her eyes and went to do as she was bid. With Spark, it didn’t take her long, and she returned to the main and only room of the house quickly. Then she sat down on the chest opposite Uncle Rich.

“I’ve got news, Uncle. But first, what brings you here?”

“I was sent to talk to the baron, and I wanted to check on you,” he replied. His smile quickly faded into a sober expression.

Janis sat up straighter. She hadn’t seen him in almost a year and was looking forward to talking to him, but this seemed serious. “Has something happened?”

“You could say that, although it’s nothing that concerns you directly. But the conflict between the elves and the Nerlian kingdom has escalated.”

Janis paused. “You mean they’re going to start a war?”

He let out a small sigh. “The war has already started. We just got word from the capital. The Nerlians have already mustered their armies. They’re most likely fighting their first battle as we speak.”

Janis drummed her fingers on her thigh, trying to remember everything she knew about the situation. A cold shiver trickled down her spine. “But that means we’re going to be called on to join them, doesn’t it? The king is married to a princess from Nerlia, right? So … ”

Her uncle shook his head and leaned forward. “I can’t be sure, but I would guess that is likely. My lord has already implied that I would be given command of some levies we’d send to Nerlia.”

Janis grimaced. “They’re calling up levies?”

He sighed again and shrugged. “We need men to defend against any major threat that might come from the forest, not to mention that we are close to an elven city. They won’t strip too many from the march.” His lips twitched into a small smile. “Besides, I may have mentioned that the marquis likes the king just as little as the reverse.”

Janis snorted. He had mentioned that before, though she hadn’t paid much attention. It was the kind of gossip knights liked to pass around just as much as washerwomen, they just pretended to be more discreet about it.

“I even heard him say that if His Majesty orders him to move out in force into the forest against the elves, he’s going to mysteriously lose the missive,” Uncle Rich added in a conspiratorial tone.

Janis shook her head, but she couldn’t help but smile. Was he drunk or something? If Uncle Rich was telling her this, it was probably all over the castle. Well, it wasn’t her problem.

Janis glanced up to see her aunt standing by the doorway. When their gazes met, Marian didn’t glare at her or move away. She just looked concerned.

“We’ll simply have to wait and see,” Uncle Rich continued in a louder voice. “I just wanted to see you before I left. Now, what is this news you have got?”

Janis smiled, feeling some of her excitement return. “I got a Class!”

He raised an eyebrow. “You mean you got a Class, or -?”

“I chose a Class,” she quickly corrected. “I’m a Mage, level 10, now.”

“Congratulations, Janis. I have to admit that I half-expected something like Fire Mage, though.”

“That was an option I considered,” she admitted, ignoring his teasing smile. She hesitated for a moment. “But I was hoping you might help me find a position with it. You said mages are always in demand.”

“You’re bound and determined to get away, aren’t you?” He frowned. “You know mage Classes are usually something for nobles and people from families with means. Books, for spells and such, aren’t cheap, not to mention the issue of leveling safely …”

“I know, you’ve told me before. Mages are weaker and more vulnerable at lower levels, although they’re powerful later. But I’ve already reached level 10, and I learned three Spells on my own!” Well, one of those was Spark, which barely counted, and she’d had help from someone for another, but it was still nothing to scoff at.

He nodded slowly. “You clearly have talent. And my lord wouldn’t turn his nose up at the chance to get more mages. Most nobles wouldn’t. Alright, I’ll talk to a few people. Just don’t expect instant results.”

Janis grinned, barely containing herself from jumping up.

She knew she’d still need to be patient and that there might be issues, but she found it hard to care. She was confident she would finally get out of this village, hopefully to something better.