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Cautiously moving down the ridge, the group took its time, not the least of which was due to the various wounds they had suffered. Selene finished disbursing additional healing herbs to everyone and Stacy used more healing magic on Nicolas and Durg. Those two had seen the worst of the action by far.

Cire begged off awkwardly after the herbs. He did not want to mislead his compatriots. They had relied upon each other in a life and death situation. However, he would also heed the warning regarding his nature.

As a vampire, he had a -50% resistance to Holy Magic after all. While he had been too dazed to avoid Eugene cramming herbs in his mouth the day before, or Selene repeating the action almost exactly today, he was not about to take that chance on something less natural.

Maybe it was because of his Herbalism skill, as pitiful as it was. Maybe it was his 'divine soul' which he still had no clue about. Whatever the case, it appeared that healing herbs worked on him like everyone else. He was not in a reasonable state to figure it out, so he moved onto something that he could - notifications.

You have slain Tundra Yeti (Level 8). You receive 2,251 experience points.

Your party has slain a total of seven Tundra Yeti (Levels 7 - 14). You receive 3,104 experience points.

Level 5 Acquired!

Received per level

Points

Health and Mana Points

You receive 5 – 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (4)

You receive 5 – 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3)

9

13

Skill Points

You currently receive one skill point per level.

5

Ability Points

You currently receive one ability point per level.

2

Racial Bonus

You receive an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice.

5

Skill level up! You have reached level 5 in Blades

Skill level up! You have reached level 5 in Large Blades.

Skill level up! You have reached level 3 in Armor.

Skill level up! You have reached level 3 in Light Armor.

By standing firm with your party members and rising to defend one as your own kin you have significantly increased your reputation in their eyes.

You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points with Selene.

You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points with Stacy.

You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points with Durg.

You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points with Nicolas.

You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points with Andreas.

Your relationship with Selene has improved from Suspicious to Friendly.

Your relationship with Stacy has improved, still Friendly.

Your relationship with Durg has improved from Neutral to Friendly.

Your relationship with Nicolas has improved from Neutral to Friendly.

Your relationship with Andreas has improved from Neutral to Friendly.

All somewhat expected, but also readily accepted. He wondered briefly, if Selene had been 'Suspicious' of him before or after their 'warm' introduction. It hardly seemed to matter now, new bonds had formed while each fought together. A rocky start would not deter Cire from finding the true value of someone.

Cire left the ability point alone, he could always use it if he got into trouble, but he wanted to see if the Bite ability would evolve at the next rank. Uncomfortably, he banked the skill points as well. The points were starting to burn a hole in his pocket, but he resisted spending any. At least he could sate himself with gaining hit points and mana. No allocations for today.

Biographical Information:

Name: Ciresil

Level: 5

Experience: 15,981

Race: Vampire – Sun Elf

Class: Unavailable – Requirements not met

Alignment: Neutral

Languages: Divine Elvish, Common

Stats:

Health: 63/63

Mana: 57/57

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Armor: 13

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 19

Constitution: 14

Intelligence: 13

Spirit: 9

Charisma: 19

Luck: 7

Resistances:

25% Enchantment

20% Weather

-50% Holy Magic

Aspects:

Indefatigable

Skills:

Wilderness Survival 3, Natural

Martial Combat 1, Natural

Blades 5, Natural

Sub-skill: Large Blades 5, Natural

Armor 3, Average

Sub-skill: Light Armor 3, Average

Herbalism 1, None

Abilities:

Shapechanger, Bite (3), Regeneration

Traits:

Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.

Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.

Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.

Inventory:

Basic Set of Clothing (Body)

Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (equipped)

Light Linen Armored Cuirass (Chest)

Light Linen Armored Pants (Legs)

Light Linen Armored Gauntlets (Arms)

Light Linen Boots (Feet)

Light Linen Helm (Head)

Simple Shoes (unequipped)

Steel Longsword (unequipped)

Small Pouch of Coins (pocket): 2 gold, 36 silver, 14 copper

Not long after they had reached the flat length of the valley floor, the group made its way to the cabin and a much needed rest. Armor was stripped, bodies were scrubbed and washed, and the party shared small talk while catching Eugene up on the action.

“... so then Selene shot the one who had gotten Durg with the rock right between the eyes with a critical hit and it dropped. I could not have taken a better shot myself,” Stacy exclaimed.

Apparently, the two archers had put on quite the show. He had assumed as much given the end state of the battlefield once he had bested a single foe. Cire felt much safer than a few days ago when he was alone. Now he was around other people. People who were capable and comfortable in these rugged lands.

Pressing through the tavern door, they were already in good cheer, laughing and riding the high of being alive. This of course earned them a stern shout from Stout.

“Get the door closed before you let out all the warm air!”

A little deflated, they shut the shield against the wind behind them and went over to stand near the bar until they could wrangle up a table. While they were waiting, each got a mead or ale. Cire went with the ale this time, and it turned out to be a very good call.

Not only was the ale weaker in its intoxicating effects, it tasted delicious. Almost Guinness, but not the right color. He embraced the easy sociable atmosphere and took the time to get to know Andreas and Nicolas. He had not gotten a good chance to talk with them up until now.

“So, you two are both lumberjacks? Brothers? What brought you to the valley?”

The taller of the two, Nicolas responded in a jovial tone. “Yeah, we are brothers, I know the similarity is pretty obvious. We do not shy away from dressing in the same fashion as each other either, so it be clear as the Lake of Twilight.”

Andreas picked up where his brother stopped. “We hail from Meadow. Both of us wanted to get out of the city and away from the crap work. We did not have any useful skills for a while, so all we could do was help clear the sewers or other odd jobs.”

The taller brother pipped in again. “When we found out that we both had the aptitude to fell trees, well you can better believe we struck out as fast as we could for the mountains. Few places take all comers or folks starting out on their own. But Sunset is dangerous and isolated enough to keep most away, so anyone new who is willing to work hard tends to fit in.”

Andreas continued the story as Nicolas started in on his libation. “We took a ship from the city around the southern end of the island. You have to go through the Chimera’s Heads, they are a small set of rock outcroppings right at the tip of the isle. It’s supposedly the home to dangerous beasts, but all we saw were seabirds. Anyways, it’s better than trying to go around the north of the island. Dangerous monsters lurk in those deep waters.”

Nicolas set his tankard down and wiped his beard clean. “We got into Gearspoke during the winter and made it up here with the first caravan when the passes cleared. It’s dangerous to travel alone in the world, best to be with a group. We were lucky that our expedition didn’t get attacked.”

Unexpectedly, Cire felt a warm hand snake along the back of his butt and then firmly give it a squeeze. He tensed up and jumped half out of his boots, uttering a rather feminine yelp. His cheeks started burning red before he even landed. Cire spun to meet his assailant, only to have his gaze drawn downwards.

Maisy was a very comely dwarf, she had obviously been gifted with a naturally high Charisma score. The gorgeous silver hair Cire had remembered this morning framed a warm, mischievous face.

She spoke without much of the typical dwarven accent one might expect with a gentle, sweet tone to her voice.

“I did not expect you to be back again so soon my lovely, sometimes folks run off or get killed within their first day of being here. But I am glad that you are a man who keeps his promises.”

You have gained +2,500 Relationship Points with Maisy.

Your relationship with Maisy has improved from Neutral to Friendly.

Sometimes the notifications were entirely unnecessary. Cire could be as dense as a diamond, but he managed to put one and two together to make three. Her amiable approach brought a smile to his lips.

“Maisy my dear, how are you this fine evening?”

Curling around Cire’s hip, her hand rested on his bottom as she responded.

“Oh aren't you just as cute as a baby boar before its grown tusks. I know fair well that you did not know my name. I never gave it and you never asked.”

She squeezed again to emphasize her point.

Cire distinctly thought he heard a few chuckles behind him, but he pointedly ignored them. The smell of her hair and her soft caress had triggered a few memories to percolate to the surface. It had indeed been a passionate evening, if not the most dignified. He reached into his pouch and pulled out two silver. Then he placed them in her palm.

“My apologies for not remembering much of the evening, but what I do remember, I enjoyed.”

Maisy gave his bottom another tight squeeze before releasing. Then she gave him a hard swat and winked.

“You do not ever need to apologize to me, it was a pleasure. I believe for both of us. Now, remember that it was only one silver for the night. It was another for the healing afterwards. I am always around. You come and find me if you need some comfort.”

With that, she turned to walk back to the table she had been at before. However, Cire caught her by the sleeve before she could make it too far.

He asked quickly in a hushed whisper. “Healing?”

Grinning, the dwarven lady patted his hand suggestively. Then shook her head conspiratorially, before walking away.

“A woman has to keep some mystery about her.”

Cire gawked, he had not expected things to go that way. She impressed him, to be honest, he even felt more confident than before. Confidence can be a tricky thing though, one second it can be sky high and the next...

Selene called out to him over several tables. She used a tone that made it clear she wanted everyone in the room to hear and that she was also speaking directly to him at the same time.

“Hey there, Loving Slayer, get that cute ass of yours back over here so we can start drinking for real.”

Cire blanched. Loving Slayer? LOVING SLAYER!?! That has to be the worst name I have ever heard. A stunned debuff appeared at the side of his vision for a few seconds before disappearing.

All the moment of paralysis had done, unfortunately, was give him more time to panic. He needed to run? Hide? It felt like that moment in every horrible teen movie from the 80's where all the various plot lines collided to completely embarrass the main character.

Indeed, almost every member of the tavern had burst into an outrageous fit of howling uncontrolled laughter. For the briefest of seconds, Cire's heart broke. Hadn't he done his best to fit in? He had just risked his life to protect a part of this community and he was already a laughing stock?

Slapping him on the back, a complete stranger grinned at him. Wiping a tear from his eye, the gruff-faced gentleman pushed a full ale into Cire’s hands. The man couldn’t even speak he was laughing so hard. That was when Cire realized he had gotten it completely wrong.

In the strangest of ways, Selene had made it clear to the room that he was welcome to the hamlet. While having a fantastic laugh at his expense, the room was suffused with joy. These people clawed a living from Elysium, and they may be rough around the edges, but they sure knew how to have fun. Now, it seemed, he had been made part of the community.

Heading over to the table he sat down with a genuine smile.

“So, do I dare ask? How did I pick the nickname up? I take it you all know that I spent last evening with Maisy?”

Eugene just shook his head and spoke in his best deadpan voice.“Cire, Maisy lives upstairs. The whole hamlet knows that you spent last evening with her. We also know about the first, second, and third time that you told her how amazing she was.”

Cire almost spit up his ale, but he forced it down. There was no way he was going to ever lose that moniker. It might as well have been tattooed on his forehead. Really not wanting to know the answer, he asked his next dreaded question, trying but failing to keep the nervousness from of his voice.

“So... that is the whole reason for calling me 'Loving Slayer'?”

This time it was Selene's turn to inform him of what had happened during their absence from the hamlet proper.“No. It is a big part of it though. I believe a few folks came up with the name when they found the two dire boars you had slain in the forest. You see, Eugene knew you had a debt to pay, but that you were helping take care of the yeti with us. So he kindly asked some of the other villagers to search the forest for the remains. They found those two exactly how you had left them, mid thruuuuuust. Hence, 'Loving Slayer'.”

Cire gulped, the look on Selene's face was predatory as she stretched out the most lewd word in her statement. The rest of his new acquaintances were in various states of euphoric glee. Resigned to his fate, he made a simple plea.

“I know I will never live it down, and it is hopeless to ask. But can you please use it sparingly?”