Little Red stared up at the big man clad in forest green and slate gray. He had a wide, brown leather belt with a pouch, tall boots, and an insignia on his chest that marked him as a Ranger. They were so cool. “You saved my life!”

“Quick thinking with the bike and the pastries. You saved me, too.”

Little Red waved her hand. “It was nothing.”

A trumpet sounded, interrupting his response. She jumped up and started dancing. “Yes! Level 5 at last!”

“Congratulations!” he boomed, high-fiving her. “Got a subclass picked out?”

“Can you teach me how to become a Ranger? I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

He scanned her vitals and shook his head sadly. “Sorry, no can do. You’re too young to multiclass, although I’d be happy to show you around the forest.”

She frowned, then noticed a notification. She read it aloud:

Subclass unlocked! Monster Hunter: Hunt the hunters! You’ve learned how to turn the tables on predators. Collect 10 more monster kills to earn a subclass specialty.

“Nice,” the big man said. “That’s cooler than being a Ranger, if you ask me.”

“I am not complaining,” she said, starting to grin, but she stopped when the Huntsman tilted sideways, falling over. His eyes fluttered once, then shut.

Little Red propped him up into a seated position, patting his ashen cheeks to wake him up. “Here, have a few cookies. They’ll help with those nasty cuts.”

Lesser Cookie of Restoration: Gain 3 HP instantly and 3 more over the next hour.

He thanked her weakly and took a bite. Instantly, he brightened, cracking open his eyes to stare at the delicious cookies. He ate half a dozen of them before declaring that he felt much better. His injuries closed over without leaving any scars, and he soon had enough strength to stand and walk with her to Granny’s little cottage.

“You sure you want to go in?” he asked. “Might not want to see what’s inside.”

Little Red pushed open the door and marched past him, hiding her fear. “Family should find her if something happened. She’d want it that way.”

“Want it what way?” a muffled voice said from inside the bedroom.

Little Red sprinted into the room and slid open the closet door. “Granny!”

“Untie my hands, will ya?” Granny said, spitting out a sock. The Wolfman must have stuffed it in her mouth to gag her. “Whew! That tasted terrible. I need to wash my laundry more often.”

The Huntsman snicked the ropes with the edge of his axe, slicing Granny’s bonds.

She patted him on the shoulder. “Took care of the Wolf for me, eh? And here I thought you could only handle the Giant Rats that have been after my pantry. Guess it’s nice to have an exterminator around!”

The Huntsman scratched his beard awkwardly. “Actually, your granddaughter did all the hard work. I just swung the axe at the end. That’s why she earned the subclass.”

Little Red shot him a look. She’d wanted to tell Granny herself.

“Ooh! Let me see!” Granny said, clapping her hands together. She scanned Little Red and let out a surprised squeak. She sat down in her overstuffed chair, shaking her head. “Wait until your mother finds out about this.”

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“Yes, well, about mother . . . she sent me with your treats.”

“Goody!” Granny said. Then she narrowed her eyes at Little Red and sniffed the air suspiciously. “Where are they?”

Little Red and the Huntsman exchanged glances.

Granny clucked her tongue. “Never trust an exterminator.”

“Sorry,” the Huntsman said, ducking his head. “If it makes you feel any better, I couldn’t have finished off the Wolfman without the mana regen from the Blueberry Spirit Pastries.”

“I’ll let you off the hook—this time,” Granny cackled. “But I expect a double-batch next week. And Red? Stick to the path. Don’t think I didn’t notice your Deviation when I checked in on you just a moment ago.”

Little Red felt her cheeks burn, but she crossed her arms defiantly.

Granny hoisted herself out of the overstuffed chair and motioned for Little Red to follow. “Cheer up. Perhaps I can help you, if you insist on hunting monsters.”

Granny ambled into the main living area, motioning for Little Red to follow. They stopped in front of a locked hope chest. Granny creaked down to kneel in front of the chest, pulling a key pendant on a chain out from under her dress and unlocking the chest. She rummaged inside for a moment before withdrawing a white rock that pulsed with inner fire.

“I’d been saving a Mountain River Purestone for your sixteenth birthday, but what’s a few years between family?”

“What does it do?” Little Red asked, taking the smooth stone in both hands. She almost dropped it, not expecting the strange weight for its size.

“Scan it!” Granny said, chuckling. “Your Perception should be much improved now that you have a subclass.”

Little Red focused her attention on the rock.

Mountain River Purestone: one time use; transforms an object into an invested item.

“How will this help me hunt monsters?”

Granny huffed. “And here I thought I’d raised your mother better than this. She hasn’t taught you much imagination, huh? Well, let’s go take a look at that Wolfman.”

The three marched outside, swept along by Granny’s force of will. She let out a long, satisfied sigh when she sat down next to the dead Wolfman. Humming, she pried open its jaws and fished around in its mouth. She clamped her fingers on a tooth and pulled until it popped out with a soft squelch.

“Hold this,” she commanded, thrusting the tooth toward Little Red, who struggled not to drop the Purestone as she took the tooth in her left hand. “Now push them together, focusing on growing a weapon in your mind.”

“What kind of weapon?” Little Red asked, raising an eyebrow.

Granny snorted. “Well, you can’t lift an axe. A knife will do.”

Little Red closed her eyes and concentrated. She pressed the tooth to the Purestone, expecting them to fuse, but nothing happened. She couldn’t even picture them in her mind. With a sigh, she opened her eyes to find Granny grinning at her from a foot away.

“It’s not working,” Little Red complained.

“You’re not working! Stop mashing them together with your hands. Your inner focus must power the transformation.”

Little Red sat down and steadied her breathing. Instead of moving, she reached out with her mind, focusing on seeing each object. Nothing happened for so long that she almost gave up, but she pushed through, not wanting to embarrass herself further in front of Granny. The wolf’s tooth took shape in her imagination.

Transmutation: transform the very fabric of reality—change one object into another!

Little Red dismissed the notification. This new skill would come in handy, even if it required rare, one-time-use magical items to power the change.

She tried melding them in her mind, feeding the Purestone to the tooth, which devoured the energy with terrifying hunger. This time, the tooth swelled, taking on new dimensions as it grew and flattened, absorbing the Purestone until nothing remained in her right hand.

Little Red opened her eyes. A karambit glittered in the waning sunlight, balanced on her left palm. She examined the item. Text floated above it. She read the description eagerly.

Wolf’s Bane: 10 piercing damage; 150% damage against wolves and monsters; damage is tripled on sneak attack/backstab.

Little Red hugged Granny, careful not to nick her with the new knife. “It worked!”

“Course it worked,” Granny said, rolling her eyes. “Now check your Map; a new subclass means you’ve probably unlocked new Quests.”

Sure enough, three new Waypoint indicators glimmered on the Map, promising bounties in return for kicking monster booty. Little Red tucked the dagger into her belt.

The Huntsman tapped the Map, eyes lighting up. “Good rewards for some light work. What do you say? Ready to hunt?”

Little Red grinned sheepishly. “Sorry! It’s my bedtime.”