It felt like Melanie was trapped as a cow for years. From her perspective it had been a full year. From the game’s perspective it was a box that read ‘One year later.’ During that time it was the same routine day in and day out. Melanie would get food, keeping a healthy weight, milked, have her stall cleaned out and then be left alone for the rest of the day. At the start Rebecca used to taunt the poor cow but she hasn’t been around in months.

The only thing that kept Melanie’s mind sane was the other prisoners, they’d come in, be tortured for a little while then get moved on as a new object or animal, sometimes both. Melanie still remembers the royal family that were sent to the dungeons, the King was now her nose piercing, the queen the broom they used to sweep the stall and the prince the bucket used to milk her. One of the goblins even commented that she was getting the royal treatment.

Then the day finally came when Melanie recognised someone, and it made her heart sink. In shackles were the people from the village she started in, Joren looked beaten up and was missing his right arm, Gwaine didn’t fare much better.

“Lady Melanie?” Gwaine whispered. “Is that you? No wonder the evil Rebecca was able to conquer this land so easily, you weren’t there to stop her.” Gwaine looked down at his feet then back at Melanie. "All is not lost, I suspected something like this might’ve happened to you, and while I can’t undo the curse, I did memorize a spell that would help you save us all.” He then began muttering something under his breath looking at Melanie the entire time.

“Oi stop that!” A brutish orc demanded, hitting Gwaine in the stomach. Joren acted fast and grabbed the Orc with his chains, allowing Gwaine to finish the spell.

Melanie found herself being drawn out of the cow’s body, as she floated up about the room. She looked down just in time to see Joren and Gwaine finished off before she was sent flying across the realm. Which now looked darker than before, the green fields of grass were dry or burnt, many towns she ventured through were gone. Monsters roamed the lands freely. Even the edge of the Fairy Woods was now burning an eternal fire, preventing anything or anyone from getting in or out.

There was one town that still stood still, though there were war wagons and piles of debris around it. There Melanie floated down into the local inn filled with Orc and goblin patrons. Melanie felt herself drawn to a human girl behind the bar, trying to please the brutish thugs. She had short red curly hair, freckles all over her body, a brown dress and a white yet heavily stained apron. She ended up floating down into the young woman, ejecting her spirit from her body, sending it the way Melanie came from.

“Barmaid, another drink,” an orc demanded. “Where’s my food!” Another demanded. “You should sing us a song luv,” a third laughed.

Melanie had been a cow in a basement for an entire year, and being thrown into this chaotic shift felt worse. Surrounded by brutes twice her size in a body her one from the real world could beat in a fight.

“That’s no way to treat a lady,” a charming and smooth voice said. It came from a handsome man in the corner, he was wearing black robes, had shaggy black hair and a goatee. He was quite pleasing on the eyes. The man walked up to Melanie with a gentle smile that said everything would be alright. “Fortunately she’s no lady, look at this place, its absolute filth and there’s cockroaches running across the bar,” his demeanor changed instantly.

Hearing there was a cockroach, Melanie jumped back but saw there was nothing there but empty glasses and spilled ale. “There’s no cockroach…” Melanie looked up at the man who had a twisted smile. “Oh….”

The next thing Melanie knew is she was the cockroach the man had been talking to and now there were dozens of giant monsters looking down at her with hungry eyes. BAM a fish came down next to Melanie, cracking the wood, and shaking her entire body. Fortunately he was drunk so his slam missed. This sent Melanie into a panic as she began to run away, dodging mugs, glasses and fists. She managed to make it onto the floor when a boot came crashing down.

Fortunately for Melanie being squished didn’t feel too bad, just a tight pressure then she was back behind the bar.

“What!” the wizard in black cried. “Resp-Awn has blessed some hapless wench?!” He was furious now. Before his anger turned to glee. “Though it was probably better she didn’t, I’m going to have my fun with you girl.” He sent another blast of magic towards Melanie. The blast scattered into a thousand beams and covered the entire bar, turning every orc there into worms.

“Miss me?” Sparkflower appeared before her, raising her hand up at the wizard. She then turned to the wizard. “I guess you wanted a feast, I can help with that.” Sparkflower then turned the wizard into a pigeon, who started eating the worms one by one.

“Sparkflower?” Melanie asked, happy to see the fairy. “I tried to call for your aid but I lost the flower…” she was almost crying.

“I know,” the fairy consoled her. “Rebecca’s fortress is imbued with an evil magic that even we fairies are weakened by, it's why I could barely hold off her attack against you the first time.” She flew back and into Melanie’s line of sight. “Now my fair maiden, what is it you wish of me?”

“I want to undo all this, reset everything like last time,” Melanie said confidently.

“Are you sure, this is a part of the endgame, all you need to do is level up that Barmaiden and you’ll be ready to fight Rebecca.” Sparkflower informed her.

“Really, perhaps I should…” Melanie pondered the situation, she had been in worse situations and she has grinded xp before.

“Too late, the first answer is always the only answer,” Sparkfest teased playfully as she opened up the menu and brought her back to the start once more.

Melanie found herself back in her elf form, though now she was wearing a green robe and a pointed hat, she also had a spellbook in one hand and a wand in the other. “This is new…” she muttered.