The first thing Reyleigh noticed was the birds singing. Their squawks and twitters meshed into an unwelcome cacophony, each high-pitched note stabbing into her ears like a knife. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw massive branches crawling through the sky, their girth indicative of the enormous proportions of the tree they belonged to. Filled with awe, she could hardly believe it when she looked closer and noticed thousands of smaller branches sprouting from their larger brethren, filling the sky—reaching for the heavens. The leaves were sparse but massive, hiding the sun and fluttering ponderously in the wind. Reyleigh’s overheated skin appreciated the shaded coolness beneath the oversized canopy. The cool air lifted some of the fog from her tortured mind.

  Battling her ruined body and strained brain, she managed to string together enough clarity to realise that she had a high fever, as apparent by her hot, throbbing neck and chest.

  “There you are.” Harald’s face entered her blurred vision.

  The large man was moving at a fast pace—the sight of the branches above going past made that clear. His massive arms wrapped around her in a protective princess carry. Somehow, he managed not to jostle her.

  “We thought we lost you there for a second.” His eyes were glassy, clearly struggling to keep his emotions in check. “But we made it… The Dungeon Orb is just a few meters away. Hold on Rey, Purity is almost there.”

  His rumbling voice reverberated into her body once again, but instead of comforting her, it just made her sleepy. She snuggled into his arms but winced when her stomach touched her soaked armour and undershirt. Ignoring the offending wetness and brief pain, she succumbed to the fuzziness of sleep. Rudely, something insistently shook her awake. She felt stubborn anger flare at the interruption.

  “Don’t you dare fall asleep, Rey! Just hold on a few more minutes.”

  The obvious concern in Harald’s voice mollified her, and when he started jogging, she kept from complaining. To be honest, the violent movements helped keep her mind afloat, even though she wished he would stop.

  All too soon, her world tilted and her line of sight changed from the canopy to the trunk of the enormous tree. It was impossibly large. The width of it was easily wide enough to hold a full fortress with both walls and moat. The true height of the leafed wonder was impossible to measure from where they were standing since the branches and leaves hid the crown, but it wasn’t an exaggeration to say it was over a hundred meters tall, at least.

  Reyleigh stared with wide eyes that widened even further when she saw the massive set of double doors carved into the middle of the trunk, with a stairway made of wood rising majestically toward it. The doors looked decidedly unnatural, made of some outlandish type of grey stone, filled with runes and abstract shapes. At the bottom of the stairs, just a few meters away from her and Harald, stood Purity, her hand resting on a perfect crystal orb the size of a melon hovering above a pedestal made of the same type of stone as the door. Runes encircled the pedestal in the same manner as the door. The complex patterns shone in dazzling shades of green. Reyleigh could have sworn she saw them move.

  Purity’s eyes were closed, her face screwed up in a grimace of concentration.

  A few moments passed. Harald caught his breath and lowered her so she could see what was happening, while Owen fiddled anxiously at their side.

  Purity’s face flickered from concentration to anguish and then to her usual stony-faced expression. Slowly, her hand dropped from the orb. With a sigh, she opened her eyes.

  “I’m sorry. No medicinal Classes.” A small smile played on her lips even through the sombre proclamation.

  “I’m a Tender.” She met Rayleigh’s swimming eyes and the smile disappeared. “I got new skills, but nothing that can help you. I’m sorry…”

  Shaking her head, she walked over and touched Reyleigh’s cheek with two fingers. The fingers were very cold, making her flinch and let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Eventually Purity’s words penetrated Reyleigh’s fever-fogged minds and, with a pit opening up inside her stomach, she nodded. Something had told her it wouldn’t be that simple, but she had hoped…

  One could strive for a specific Class for years, but actually receiving one was a gamble at best, and getting a Class out of sudden necessity was a million to one.

  “Carry me over there please, while I’m still strong enough…”

  Reyleigh couldn’t help but grasp toward the orb with a childlike gesture.

  “Are you sure? Getting a Class in your condition… It could kill you. The strain alone could break your body or your mind.” Harald’s soft eyes came into focus above her again and looked into her own.

  “I’m sure. I can’t die without a Class. That would just be…”

  Reyleigh went silent. She didn’t know what it would be, but even the thought of not receiving a Class when she had the chance made her sick.

  With a heavy sigh, Harald nodded and set his eyes determinedly on the pedestal before walking the dozen or so steps towards it. Careful not to jostle her more than necessary, he angled himself so that Reyleigh’s outstretched hand could touch the orb atop it. With painful slowness, her palm stretched outward until a magnetic energy latched itself to her skin and pulled it onto the smooth surface. She marvelled over the delicate, chilly feeling for a moment before icy pain stole her breath away.

  You have unlocked the following classes. Choose wisely:

  Soldier, Normal

  Organisational techniques, tactics, fighting style and rigid order, you have been taught it all at the hands of a military organisation. You are willing to lay your life on the line for the doctrine and be a small part of a much greater whole, fulfilling your duty and serving your people.

  Do you wish to become a Soldier?

  Warrior, Normal

  You have trained long and hard to be able to take the first steps onto the road of combat mastery. Training alone or with others you are constantly seeking to improve yourself. Sweat, tears and blood are no obstacle.

  Do you wish to become a Warrior?

  Blood Warrior, Rare

  You have bathed in blood, revelled in the feeling of spilling it while cutting through your enemies and tasted its metallic sweetness. A bond has been formed between this sacred liquid and your very soul, enabling you to commune with your own life-force, using it to heal or destroy. Drenched in the lifeblood, you will thread the path of the warrior, using your weapon to sow havoc amongst your enemies.

  Do you wish to become a Blood Warrior?

  Elven Hunter, Rare

  Your senses are better than most. You move through rough terrain with unnatural ease, your body and senses honed beyond what most races can ever achieve. The Elven Hunter is the backbone of the Elven race, the one who provides and nurtures, but also stands as a shield between her people and those who seek to harm them.

  Do you wish to become an Elven Hunter?

  Rayleigh’s eyes stung. She forgot to blink as she scanned the magical text in her mind once, twice, and a third time. A deep longing she had known all her life, but suppressed and scorned, filled her as she looked at the Elven Hunter Class description. She could sense the tradition and pride within it, a glimpse of what could have been. Tears pooled in her eyes and ran down her face as she battled the urge to choose it. Closing her eyes, the flickering screen didn’t disappear but only kept floating in the darkness. The clear text seemed as if it was mocking her.

  She knew.

  There was only one choice that could help her now. The name of the Class was sinister, the description more so, but she knew within her very soul that she had no choice if she wanted to live. The taboo was obvious, and if her soul was forfeit, then at least she would live.

  At least… At least she could pay Alistair back before she died.

  She gulped, kept her eyes closed—tears still streaking down her face—and made her choice with her mind.

  Are you sure you want to select the Blood Warrior Class? This choice cannot be revoked.

  Again, she used the intrinsic knowledge given to her by whatever power generated the System to affirm her choice. The magical window vanished, and for a few seconds, she felt nothing. It was strangely enough bliss in itself as her wounds and fever seemed to disappear from her mind and body.

  Slowly, confusion replaced the pain. Sweat beaded on her fevered forehead. She dried her tears and continued waiting. Confusion gave way to fear, which then mounted. Suddenly, something ignited.

  It started small. A spark growing in a dark space deep inside her. It came from the same place as the strange blood vision from earlier, a perception of power rising within, enabling her to feel more, see more, be more. Like a sense long forgotten and slowly remembered.

  The spark widened into a raging flame as warmth spread to every single part of her body, filling her with a sense of wonderment but also apprehension. Abruptly, it morphed into the same icy pain from when she first touched the orb. It felt like a thousand daggers stabbing into every part of her with vicious ferocity.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She screamed.

  The sound of it lost to her agony as she writhed and shook. Every single fibre of her being was ripped apart before it stitched itself back together—this time with something extra added to the mix. Her throat ripped from the constant screaming, and she wanted to black out, willed it to happen, but the sweet release wouldn’t come. She wanted nothing more than to escape the pain. Dimly, she was aware of her physical body thrashing and her back buckling.

  Two muscular arms gently lowered her to the ground. The pain continued for an eternity; never ending, all-consuming.

  Finally, she got her wish as her consciousness dimmed, ripping at the seams like a piece of cloth put under too much strain. She welcomed the end, embraced it even, anything to escape the fiendish pain, but just as she was about to welcome oblivion, a small voice drew her back from the precipice. A woman’s voice from long ago.

  “Please. Please save her… Swear to me!”

  Her mother’s desperate plea rocked through her and dulled the all-consuming agony, forcing her to fight back against the creeping darkness. The pain redoubled, but was ever so slightly dulled. She tried to hold on to that voice. She knew it was important, critically so, but she wasn’t strong enough. Like a hand slipping from her weakened grip, she lost it to the pain and the darkness.

  Again, she was lost, but this time she didn’t seek the precipice of oblivion but rather stood fast. The voice had instilled something in her. A wish or a dream, maybe. She couldn’t analyse it before a new sensation distracted her.

  The sensation was the same as she had felt earlier, but at the same time totally new. She could feel her own blood flowing through her. She could visualise it as an infinitely complex array of energy flowing into every corner of her being. It connected to her organs, her body, her flesh, and surprisingly, her very soul. Her blood was a life-force in the most literal sense, like a tub filled with lightning waiting to be released. She had glimpsed whatever this was before when she lay in Harald’s arms, but this time the sheer force of it was something else entirely. Last time she had only been a bystander, far away and closed off from the true sensation. Now, she was dunked body and soul into the pure power of it.

  This new sense widened until it suddenly hiccupped, catching like a fishing line hooking a tree-root.

  Her body felt wrong, her pool of life-force was wrong, something had invaded it, and she felt disgusted at the sight of the sheer amount of filth rampaging within her. She cast about for a way to remove it and obliterate it. It felt so fundamentally wrong.

  To her surprise; something answered her call. New knowledge flooded her mind. It told her to activate an unknown part of her, something she had never noticed before, like a switch inside herself. With a burning desire to kill the invading sickness in her blood, she obeyed. Suddenly, and without any conscious effort on her part, a new life-force flooded her. She could feel her mana pool, but it was still full. This was something else. Like a reservoir hidden inside. It was similar to her mana in nature, but still so very different, more grounded, more visceral.

  The knowledge rose again and told her to expel the intruder, cast it from her body like the vile corruption it was. She didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but the desperation to rid herself of it ran deep and before she knew it, she agreed to the silent question posed by her new sense.

  Immediately, an acrid taste invaded her mouth. The taste shocked her and forced her to lose focus, but whatever she had turned on didn’t stop or even slow down. Bile rose in her throat, quickly overwhelming her, making her gag. With an immense effort, she was able to open her eyes, not aware of the world around her, seeing only vague shapes and silhouettes. It didn’t matter anyway as she gagged and vomited, spewing blood laced with black, congealed pieces of filth. She retched and heaved again and again, emptying her body of everything that felt wrong.

  After a while, the process finally stopped, and she lay gasping for air.

  Before she could collect herself, the knowledge spoke to her for a third time, telling her to fill herself with fresh blood.

  Thoroughly exhausted and barley conscious, she didn’t dare refuse. The knowledge had forced harrowing pain and suffering on her, but she sensed that her body was better for it. Her acquiescence prompted the pool of life-force to stutter, expelling the last of its energy. Like a glass filling with wine, the energy entered her body and slowly congealed into blood.

  She realised that the transformation drained the last of her reserves. The reservoir of life-force was totally gone. A strange numbness crept into her extremities as well as her thoughts.

  Sensing the state of her body through her newfound sense, she felt that her body was filled to the brim with fresh blood, to a level where she felt bloated. As she viewed herself in this weird way, she realised she couldn’t sense any leaks. Just as the infection plaguing her had been expelled, her wounds were healed as well.

  The process had seemed to drag on forever. Now that it was finally over, she fought to remain conscious, but it was a losing battle. Against her will, blessed empty darkness took her.

  ***

  Reyleigh lay on something comfortable when she woke, the soft sensation trying to drag her back to sleep. Remembering what had happened, she bolted upright instead. Expecting pain, she winced out of reflex, but was shocked to find that the pain didn’t come. Slapping her hand to her abdomen, she found dry, fresh bandages. It felt sore, but a thousand times better.

  Sitting on her bedroll—which someone had unrolled for her—she recognised the massive branches of the tree above her. It was the same ones she had seen before she chose her Class.

  A pit opened up in her stomach.

  Bood Warrior, the word echoed inside her head. Before she could let it consume her, she heard a faint crunching sound.

  Purity was walking towards her from the small cooking fire she had been tending. The sun was setting; the world was coloured in red and violet streaks intermingling with the clouds in the sky. Blearily, she recognised the beauty. It felt otherworldly for some reason.

  The feeling disappeared abruptly when she remembered to touch her face, wincing when she found a puckered and swollen scar running from her left eye across her nose to her mouth, stopping right above her upper lip. She felt the edges carefully, trying to imagine what she looked like. She wished she had her locket. It had been in her pack, but she couldn’t see it anywhere after a cursory search. Purity stopped a few steps away, but came over when she saw Reyleigh looking at her again.

  “You are awake.” She said, her eyes roaming her body.

  Reyleigh dropped her hand from her face and looked down, she was still caked in blood, but she felt only a little pain and a slight discomfort from her face. With uncertain movements she rose to her feet, her mouth slightly ajar, before she shook her head and answered.

  “It… seems that way. What happened?” She paused before continuing.

  “I was sure it was all over. I could feel myself slipping… I Could hear a voice…” she held a hand in front of her face, the one she had used to touch the Dungeon Stone.

  “You touched the Stone, then you healed.” Came the clipped reply.

  Reyleigh just looked at Purity, her eyes widening in disbelief when the woman remained silent.

  “And then?!”

  “Then you slept. And woke up.” Purity tilted her head to the side in a questioning gesture. Reyleigh, getting more frustrated by the second, was about to shout at her, but thought better of it.

  I am alive. I have a Class… I can get the explanation without losing my temper.

  Holding her hand to her head, she was about to ask more questions when Owen interrupted her by rushing into the clearing with Harald in tow.

  “Rey! You’re up! Finally… You’ve been out for a full day. I couldn’t believe it when I saw you heal! What class did you take? Is it amazing? I have no id—”

  Reyleigh cut him off by hugging him tightly.

  “Thanks… Thanks for finding me. Protecting me and getting me here.” She locked eyes with Harald over Owen’s back, “and for carrying me.”

  Letting go of Owen, she hugged Harald, too.

  She held him for a long time until she saw Purity staring at her with a complicated expression.

  “Thank you, too Purity,” she said.

  Purity stared unblinkingly into her eyes for several seconds before she nodded. Reyleigh caught a slight flush in her cheeks before the stoic Tender turned away and busied herself with the fire. She was seemingly unaffected by the sentimentality, but Reyleigh noticed small signs of happiness through the stoic visage.

  Seems like she is a little softer on the inside than the outside. She thought.

  “Wait! I almost forgot to ask what happened. Purity tried to tell me but—”

  “She didn’t tell you?” Harald replied, looking at Purity, who ignored them.

  “No. Or she tried—but that doesn’t matter, just tell me.”

  Reyleigh, even though she was frustrated, had enough presence of mind to not be too loud. They were still outside a dungeon, after all, and a new one at that. Being stealthy was still important and everyone spoke in low tones to not attract unwanted attention.

  Like he was reading her mind, Owen chose that moment to stoically slink back toward a tree near the edge of the clearing and climb up—obviously continuing to keep watch. He gave her a slight nod and a grin when she looked at him.

  “Well, I guess there isn’t much to tell, really.” Harald watched Owen climb the tree and scratched the back of his head. “I mean, you put your hand on the Orb before you started screaming and writhing like a banshee. Was all I could do not to drop you. I couldn’t pry your hand from the orb. I know I shouldn’t have tried. Everybody says you can’t stop a class selection, but the sounds you were making… I thought you were going to die…”

  The large man locked eyes with her, and she could see the fear in them. It warmed her heart even though she felt guilty for worrying him.

  “I mean it. I couldn’t physically pry your hand away. It was stuck to the Orb. I think I would have ripped it apart had I tried any harder. Anyway, after a while, you calmed down, and I managed to put you on the ground. Then suddenly, your wounds started healing. Slowly at first, then faster as the hours went by. You’ve been out for a full day. Your face only relaxed a couple of hours ago… How do you feel?”

  Reyleigh gaped like a fish. A full day? She thought. That’s insane! It only felt like a couple of hours at most.

  Looking down at herself and holding her arms out slightly, she examined her body.

  There was pain, sure, but compared to the total agony of the Class selection or her injuries, it was nothing at all. Reyleigh closed her mouth and took the time to feel her arms, torso, legs, and face. It honestly felt fine. She was sore everywhere, especially where she had been cut, which included her face. The scar moved and throbbed with every facial expression, and she felt herself trying to minimise them, which she couldn’t quite process at the moment. Not to mention how she looked. She shuddered a little as she forcefully flung the thought from her mind.

  “I feel fine, actually. I mean, I feel like I’ve been sparring with Alistair for a week, but other than that, I’m totally fine. It feels like some sort of miracle. It must have something to do with my Class…” She mumbled the last part before her eyes went wide.

  Sweat gathered and trickled down her spine as she remembered that she had picked a taboo class. Blood mages were outlawed and especially hated in Unbern. The city had a bloody history with certain elf clans who delved into the practice, creating grand rituals capable of killing thousands. Not as a big as a scar on the city as the Necromantic Plague, but still something parents scared their kids into staying in line with.

  What the hell do I tell them? If I tell them the truth. Will they kill me, imprison me? She thought, suddenly aware of the three people around her.

  No. They would accept me. Right?

  Could she trust Harald and Owen with this? Maybe.

  Purity, however, was a total wild card. She had never heard of her Tender Class, and she couldn’t imagine what that meant for her sensibilities toward taboos like Blood Magic. She was, of course, not a full Blood Mage but a Blood Warrior, something she had never even heard of. Considering the massive changes to her perception and the healing of her body, she could guess that it was heavily invested in blood magic.

  She looked at the expectant Harald. Purity had turned to listen as well.

  “Umm. I didn’t really get a good look at my Class. I’m going to touch the orb again. There should be an explanation in there.”

  She knew she sounded a little shifty, but both Purity and Harald just nodded and gestured toward the Orb, letting her get away with her little charade.

  “I guess that makes sense. Be sure to tell us after though!” Harald said with just slightly forced cheer.

  A lump formed in Rayleigh’s throat at the comment, but she swallowed it and walked towards the Orb.

  “Also, we really shouldn’t stay here for too long. It’s just a matter of time before another ogre or something shows up. Alistair mentioned goblins as well.” Harald said as she walked.

  “I know. But I’ll be able to help you a lot more if I do this. You all got your Classes and checked them too, right?”

  Harald grinned with pride this time. “Of course. And I’ll tell you all about it after you’ve done the same.”

  Reyleigh smiled a nervous thigh-lipped smile and slowly walked the last few steps toward the pedestal with the Orb hovering above it.