The sensation of something sharp poking Piper in the ribs tore her from a peaceful slumber, and she was greeted by the sound of giggling. Groaning, she rolled over to see Ophelia with a stick in had standing beside her bed. When the girl tried to poke her a second time, Piper attempted to snatch it away, only to watch Ophelia dance back.

  “Hah!” Ophelia said. “I got you again, demon!”

  “Can’t you let me sleep?” she groaned. “It’s not even dawn yet.”

  “Dad said to come and get you,” Ophelia replied with a shrug. “He needs you in the fields for some boring farm stuff.”

  The young woman darted in, trying to strike Piper with her stick again. But this time, Piper was ready. Her tail lashed out, wrapping around the girl’s ankles and yanking her from her feet. Ophelia’s stick went clattering away in the barn as the young woman let out a surprised cry.

  As Ophelia landed on her side, her eyes went wide before she burst out laughing. “I can’t believe you finally got me! And since when did you learn how to use that thing?” She motioned in the general direction of Piper’s tail, which was now curled up in the air like a cobra ready to strike.

  “I’ve been practicing with my tail every night,” Piper replied with a grin. “I knew I’d get you eventually.” It had been almost two months since she’d arrived at the farm, and she’d constantly been at the mercy of Ophelia’s attacks. She’d been planning her revenge for a while now as she secretly trained with her tail at night. Right now, she was feeling pretty proud of herself.

  “Come on,” Ophelia said, heaving herself to her feet and then offering her hand. “Once you’re done in the fields, I have a surprise for you.”

  “You do?” Piper’s eyebrows shot up. Ophelia’s surprises usually ended badly. While her parents had hoped she would keep their daughter out of trouble, more often than not Ophelia pulled her into her hare-brained schemes. “What’s the surprise?”

  Ophelia gave her a mischievous grin. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

  She rolled her eyes as Ophelia helped her to her feet. While she tied back her silver hair, her friend went searching for her stick in the barn.

  In the gloom, Piper took a moment to inspect the animals, trying to count them to make sure they were all there. But after a few failed attempts, she gave up. She’d have to try again when the sun was up, and she had proper light.

  When she’d first arrived at the farm, she thought all the animals lived in the longhouse. But apparently a raiding party of redcaps had been spotted in the area, and most farmers had moved their animals inside to protect them. Outside of winter, all the animals lived in various structures around the property. And she got to stay with the horse and the cows.

  At least I’m not in the pigpen, she thought to herself. That place smells the worst.

  While Alfred had softened toward her since she first arrived, he’d still been adamant about not letting her live in the longhouse. A few times, she’d overheard his arguments with his wife about the topic. But he wouldn’t relent. Not that Piper could blame him—she looked like a demon after all.

  At the thought of being a demon, she lifted her hands to touch the horns on her head. They had erupted from her skin only a week earlier. She could barely make them out in her reflection in the nearby spring, but Ophelia had told her they were shiny and black.

  “Ophelia!” she heard a familiar deep voice roaring from outside. “Give me that cursed stick!”

  Piper fought down a smile as she realized Ophelia must have poked her dad. Her friend was always practicing to become a warrior someday. Ophelia claimed the Holy System kept track of your deeds and offered classes based on them. If that was true, then the girl would almost certainly be offered a class for annoying her parents.

  She shrugged on her woolen cloak that Ethel had made her and then stepped out into the chilly morning air. A dense mist clung to the ground, swirling around her feet as she walked. She lifted her cupped hands and blew into them to warm up.

  While it was still summer here, it was surprisingly cold. Apparently, it was because they were in the foothills of the mountains. Winter came early here and clung on long after spring had arrived in the lowlands. At least that’s what Alfred said.

  Piper spotted Ophelia racing into the woods while her father shook his fist at her from the middle of the crop field. With a shake of his head, he returned to cutting weeds with a sickle. At her approach, he looked up with a smile on his face.

  “At least someone wants to work here,” he said. “Mind helping me with the weeding this morning?”

  “I’d love to,” she said, really meaning it. The last two months had been some of the happiest in her life. It felt wonderful to do hard work and finally have a purpose in her life. Up until now, she’d spent most of her days stuck in a wheelchair, bored out of her mind.

  When her disease first appeared, she had kept herself busy by starting a bunch of hobbies. But as she lost the use of her limbs, she also lost the ability to do most of them. By the end of her time in the hospital, she couldn’t do much more than read and watch television. Now her days were spent feeding the animals, weeding the fields, and spinning wool with Ethel. And she loved every second of it.

  Of course she missed her parents terribly, but she kept the hope alive that she would see them again soon. After all, magic existed in this world. If someone had summoned her here, then there must be a way to go back. It was only a matter of time before she returned to Earth.

  Piper took a sickle from Alfred and set about cutting down the most persistent weeds. The tall wheat stalks prevented most weeds from growing, but there were always a few that became problems in the field. They worked in silence as the sun rose until she heard a call from the longhouse.

  Looking up, she saw Ethel framed in the door, waving at them with a spoon. Her appearance meant breakfast was ready, and her stomach rumbled at the thought of food. She was starving.

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  Without waiting for Alfred, she dropped her sickle and raced toward the house. She could hear him cursing behind her as he retrieved the tool. But she knew he didn’t mean it. Ethel was an amazing cook, and she couldn’t risk missing out on any of the food.

  She burst through the door and hurried over to the table before plopping down on her chair. Spread out on the table’s wooden surface were bowls brimming with pottage, plates of freshly baked bread, and slices of bacon. It was completely different from what she was used to for breakfast back home, but it was delicious nonetheless.

  A second later, Ophelia dropped into her seat across from Piper, and shortly afterward Alfred lumbered into the house. Finally, Ethel sank down at the table, trying to wipe some of the flour from her face with the edge of her apron.

  Piper started to reach for the bread when Ethel whacked her hand with a spoon. Letting out a cry of surprise, she recoiled from the smack.

  “You know we always thank Infernus before the meal,” Ethel said, her spoon held at the ready in case anyone else tried to grab some.

  “Oh, right,” she said with a grin.

  Ethel raised her eyebrow and then turned to her daughter. “Would you care to do the honors?”

  The young woman scowled but then nodded. “O Infernus, Radiant Father, who rides the golden chariot across the sky. We give thanks for thy light, which warms the land, ripens the grain, and brings life to beast and field alike.” She paused and screwed up her face. “What’s next again?”

  Ethel sighed before continuing for her daughter. “Bless this table and those who gather here, that we may eat with grateful hearts, and walk in thy shining path. In your light, we live. By your flame, we are fed.”

  With the prayer completed, Piper grabbed some of the warm bread. She broke off a piece and then used a spoon to slather it with butter. She gobbled down the first piece, barely tasting it, before taking a second one.

  Everyone else around her was eating the pottage first, but she couldn’t get enough of the bread. One of the first foods she’d lost to her illness back on Earth was bread. Her doctors thought cutting out gluten might help her symptoms, which meant all the bread in her house had disappeared overnight. Her mom had bought some of the gluten-free stuff, but it had tasted like cardboard. However, nothing was stopping her from gorging herself on it now.

  As she finished off her second piece of bread, she slid the bowl of pottage closer. While it resembled oatmeal, it also had spices and vegetables in it. Sometimes, Ethel would add leftover meat from the previous night’s meal to it, but there was none this morning. However, there were crispy strips of bacon.

  Piper spooned the delicious pottage into her mouth, making appreciative sounds. As usual, Ethel had an amused expression on her face. The woman was still surprised at how much she enjoyed her food. But after spending over a year with her meals being pumped via a tube into her stomach, anything tasted amazing.

  Still, Ethel made delicious food. She was starting to wonder if Ethel had a class for cooking. While not much of the system had been explained to Piper yet, she knew classes existed for just about anything you could think of. There were simple ones like cobblers, and amazing ones like lava mages. She was so becoming a lava mage.

  “I’d like to discuss your class with you after breakfast,” Ethel said. “If that’s alright with you.”

  She nodded in reply, her mouth stuffed full of bacon.

  “She can’t,” Ophelia said quickly. “We’re going to do something after breakfast.”

  Ethel pursed her lips. “Why does that make me worried?”

  “I just want to show her something I found in the woods.”

  “That makes me even more concerned,” Ethel said. “Is it safe?”

  “I found an old statue,” Ophelia explained quickly. “I thought she’d want to see it.”

  Ethel stared at her daughter. “You promise?”

  Ophelia bobbed her head up and down.

  “And you’ve done all your chores?”

  Ophelia held up her fingers as she listed them off. “I watered the herb garden, I fed the animals, and I milked the cows.”

  The blond-haired woman turned to her husband. “Are you done in the fields?”

  Alfred waved his spoon. “Not much else to be done until harvest. Let the girls go play.”

  Piper tried to hide her shock at Alfred’s words. Normally, he always objected to her going off alone with his daughter. He must be starting to trust her. Though his threats from the first day she’d arrived still loomed large in her mind.

  She quickly finished off her meal, then helped Ethel clean up the dishes. As they rinsed off the bowls, Ophelia kept pacing back and forth while peeking out through the open front door.

  “Come on,” she said, tugging at Piper’s sleeve. “Let my mom clean up.”

  “I want to help,” Piper replied. “It’s not fair to leave it all for your mom.”

  Ethel glanced over her shoulder at her antsy daughter. “You could learn a lot from Piper.”

  “Like what?” Ophelia shot back. “How to be boring?”

  “No, how to run a farm,” her mother replied in a strained tone. “Someday you’ll be married and in charge of running a household.”

  “Not likely,” Ophelia snorted. “I’m going to be an adventurer someday.”

  “The blood lords have banned humans from any combat classes,” Ethel said patiently. “You know that.”

  “Well, then I’ll leave and head to the Arissian Empire.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “It’s just over the mountains behind our farm.”

  “We’re not talking about that again.”

  Piper watched their exchange, understanding only a little about what was going on. They still hadn’t explained to her who the Blood Lords were or why combat classes were banned for humans. And the Arissian Empire was a new one as well.

  “They’re just across the mountains!” Ophelia repeated. “Why don’t we just leave?”

  “There are kilometers of treacherous mountains between us and the Arissian Empire,” Ethel said patiently, as if she’d explained this a hundred times before. Which she probably had. “And what would we do without our farm? How would we feed ourselves? It’s best you get the idea of being a warrior out of your head now.”

  Ophelia chewed on her lower lip for a moment before replying. “I will be a warrior someday. I’ll show you.”

  “I hope you find a way,” her mother said gently. “But you need to get used to the idea of running a farm. This is a good life, and we only have to pay the blood rent once a year.”

  Ophelia stood up and stalked to the exit. She stormed out of the longhouse, slamming the door behind her. None of them spoke for a long time after the young woman had left.

  At the table, Alfred finished his meal and then rose to his feet. He walked over to his muddy boots near the door, but grunted as he slipped his foot inside. Kicking off his boot, he reached down and pulled out a wooden carved figure from within. “In my boot? Really?”

  Ethel burst out laughing, her eyes dancing with mirth. “You put it in my pillow last night! It’s only fair.”

  Piper grinned as most of the tension left the room. This was a game that Ethel and Alfred played with each other. They constantly hid the little figure where the other one would find it. Apparently, the game had been going on for years.

  With a shake of his head, Alfred pocketed the little statue and exited the longhouse. Beside Piper, Ethel shook her head. “He’s going to get me back for that.”

  “Thank you for a wonderful breakfast,” Piper said quickly, placing the last washed bowl aside. She hoped Ophelia had waited for her, because she wanted to see the statue she had found. This entire area was dotted with ancient ruins, and some of them were incredible.

  After a nod from Ethel, Piper hurried out of the front door and spotted Ophelia near the edge of the forest. She jogged over to her friend’s side, her excitement building. What if Ophelia had found a magical statue? They apparently existed in this world. And in the legends, some even granted wishes or magical weapons.

  “Where’s the statue?” Piper asked when she reached her friend’s side.

  “Did you really believe that story?” Ophelia gave her an incredulous look, as if she couldn’t believe she had fallen for her lie.

  “Um… yes?”

  “We’re not going to see a statue.” Her friend’s eyes twinkled. “I found an ooze in the hills. We’re going to go slay it together. After that, my parents will never say I can’t be a warrior again.”

  Piper froze as she let Ophelia’s words sink in. She knew hunting an aspect beast was a very bad idea. But she also knew that she had no chance of talking her friend out of doing it.

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