Traps, Tricks, and Beasts[Fantasy, Adventure, Underdog]

Squirt’s luck has finally run out. As the weakest in a world ruled by magic, she ekes out a solitary life hunting feybeasts on the fringes of civilization—until a technicality drags her into the new lord’s Guard Trainee summons. Yanked from her quiet village, she’s furious to find herself saddled with a stubborn found family determined to crack her prickly shell. What should’ve been a swift dismissal spirals into chaos: monstrous beasts see her as prey, capricious fey could obliterate her on a whim, and a brewing border war threatens the entire territory. With only her razor-sharp wit and knack for trapcraft, Squirt is thrust into political games as she aids the lord in stabilizing a collapsing ecosystem. Failure means starvation for the villagers who once saved her—and the noble fey won’t let her quit. Survival hinges on outsmarting enemies far beyond her weight class, but Squirt’s greatest challenge might be trusting those who refuse to leave her behind.