Yvlena, Sprite, and Rabbit Knight bolted towards the exit as Commander Addison yelled and screamed his existence away. All around them, the face in the ceiling withered breaking into particles of light and dissolving.
They watched the climbing, crawling vines shrivel, drying up and turning to dust as the being holding their life force together was no longer able to.
Yvlena pulled open the now free door, holding it open for her and her summons to rush out.
They found themselves on the Outpost grounds again, watching the wooden building rattle intensely until a beam of darkness was cast Into the sky.
It dissipated, breaking up into the clouds until it was no more.
[You Defeated A Minor Miasmic Entity]
[Yvlena Acquired
EXP: 1200/1046
***
Shadow Essence x2
Memento x1
***
Moon Points x1550
Moon Gems x100]
[Yvlena is now level 11]
[Subclass Skill: Crafting Leveled Up]
[Yvlena Acquired
***
Aruergo Shipment x2]
The game told her.
The elven girl exhaled in relief as she saw the quest had come to an end, now all she needed to do was return the shipment to Ricardo and she would get her reward.
All before he would leave Bloom Haven too. It was a tough quest, longer than she had expected and Yvlena was glad it was over. She sighed in relief, glad there were no longer any ghosts to fight.
Yvlena stared back at the wooden structure the battle had taken place in, already knowing the former Commander's form was a result of the Miasma's corruptive influence.
She went to her inventory, picking out the memento from her most recent battle.
Commander Addison's memento was a recipe and a note. As Yvlena read it, she found it was a reminder for the commander to do something for someone.
The note read
[Spice Bread Recipe
Send to Iris, the Tea House has been having a tough time recently.]
Yvlena put it in her inventory, finally the last memento had been collected.
She went back into the wooden structure to explore and possibly find the body of the former Commander.
“Look!” Sprite said. Yvlena stared straight ahead in the direction her summon pointed, where the tangled mass had been dropped was now the skeleton of the man she knew to be Jonathan Addison.
He sat in what used to be a chair, a shrunken skeleton surrounded by dry leaves and withered vines. Yvlena's heart sank, wishing she could have helped him somehow, helped all of them.
"I'll finish the quest," she said to herself.
Yvlena approached the body, dusting off the dust and leaves that had settled upon the dead town guard. She picked the body up and went outside to begin digging his grave.
With her hoe, a new space was made in the ground right next to the man's comrades, she used a Fairy lit torch as a grave marker, Planting the beacon into the ground and stepping back to observe her handiwork.
"There, I hope you three can rest in peace, thank you for your sacrifice," Yvlena said sadly.
The ground rumbled, the dirt of the fresh graves shook and began sinking into the ground, as grave stones began rising from the ground. Yvlena went on guard anticipating another battle, maybe an amalgamation of all three men combined.
The graves stayed still, when she came closer, she could read each man's name.
Willian A. Brackett
Thomas O'Leary
Jonathan Addison
"I'll be sure to finish all your quests don't worry," Yvlena said kindly.
With the shipment in her inventory, it was about time for the girl and her party to return to Bloom Haven.
"How do I construct the fast travel thing? I'll figure that out in a bit," she said with a sigh.
----------
[Yvlena Acquired
EXP: 254/1300
***
Pork x3
Boar Tusk x2
***
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Moon Point x200]
The boar was swiftly ended with just as much trouble as before, Yvlena sighed tired from fighting the ghosts within the Outposts, she wondered what she would find if she went even further.
Would she be able to find Twyla? Was Rosenheim that way?
"I should ask Ricardo when I come back," Yvlena said.
They walked all the way back to the Bloom Forest's depths once again meeting the temple. Yvlena looked up at the statue of Selendriel with fondness for the face that resembled her mother.
[The Departed Request a Prayer]
The game told her.
"Huh? I can...pray?" Yvlena thought for a second, so far all the people she could pray for were Bloom Haven citizens, Vaelindor and Selendriel were the patron gods of Bloom Haven and of her post as Harvest Guardian.
It would make sense to pray to the game's god as a mechanic.
Yvlena walked into the temple with her summons trailing cautiously beside her. She walked over fallen leaves, and crumbling rocks until she reached the altar past the statues.
It didn't look like an altar to her at first, but upon closer inspection, Yvlena could see the carving of the Ever Bloom on the raised platform.
She clasped her hands together and thought deeply about the enemies she had encountered.
[You Prayed for Viseli]
[You Prayed for Willian A. Brackett]
[You Prayed for Thomas O'Leary]
[You Prayed for Jonathan Addison[
The notifications came in rapid succession making Yvlena sway in dizziness.
"That was...a lot," She said holding her head in her hands. She looked up at the altar to find it shimmering in the sparse sunlight that came for the window.
[Your prayers have been heard by the temple]
[Your prayers bring you peace of mind, Full Health to party]
A celestial shimmer rained down upon Yvlena and her party filling her with warmth, this was different from the Rejuvenating Lake. The warmth felt like an embrace from...her parents.
"Mom, Dad," She smiled sadly, blinking away tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "I will find out what happened to you,"
[Healing Prayers 3%]
"Oh, another hidden quest?" Yvlena asked, by now she already had a few she needed to keep track of, but this was nice. All she needed to do was come here to pray.
She ventured a guess.
"Did Rael come here to pray often?"
[Story of the Harvest Guardian 8.3%]
She nodded figuring that was the case. He would have been devout to Vaelindor and Selendriel, he was their Harvest Guardian. She bowed once more to the altar and turned on her heel to reach the Fast Travel device just outside.
----------
The portal spat the party out with a belch of smoke, forcing them outside the entrance of the Rose Manor.
"It's good to be back," Yvlena said finding herself once again in the Floral District. The sound of friendly chatter reached her ears, she turned around to find more and more people going about their business.
The homes opposite the Rose Manor were no longer shut and desolate. Little by little Yvlena made out personal effects and little flowers being placed around the streets and porches giving it life.
"Well would you look at that," she said with a laugh. The District had only begun budding, soon with her help it would Bloom.
"First thing's first, getting the shipment to Ricardo," Yvlena dismissed her summon and ran straight to the Market District where Ricardo was performing bombastically for the crowd he had drawn.
On seeing Yvlena he waved enthusiastically, his arms made big swings as he did. She waved back and approached the caravan as the crowds began to disperse with their purchases.
"Do you have some good news for me?" He asked.
Yvlena nodded.
"That's right I do," with strength bestowed by the game, Yvlena deposited the two shipment crates in front of the merchant who clapped giddily.
"You ventured to the outpost, miss you are by far the bravest person I've met within Bloom Haven!"
[Your actions have caused Ricardo to favor Bloom Haven, he will recommend the town to more merchants]
Yvlena gasped, did this mean more merchants would show up to her town? How exciting.
[Special Quest Complete:
A Merchant's Plight
Ricardo Aruergo from the great house of the Aruergo merchant family encountered some difficulties on his road to Bloom Haven.
Investigate the creature that attacked him and try to recover the misplaced shipment.
***
Rewards
Willow Dress x1
Giant Teddy Summon Bell (Epic) x1
***
Moon Points x1000
Moon Gems x100
***
EXP x500]
"Willow dress? Summon Bell?" Yvlena asked, she would use the Adiri specs to look into it later, she smiled at Ricardo. Thanking the man for the quest.
[Affinity with Ricardo Increased +5]
[Ricardo considers you a Friend]
"Thank you miss and should you need anything from me or any member of the Aruergo Marchant Family, you get a special discount," Ricardo said with a hearty laugh.
[Title: Aruergo Merchant's Favor
+30% Discount on any Aruergo Merchant's wares]
Yvlena grinned, reading the words that flashed across her face with great excitement. She jumped up and down squealing from the completion of what she knew to be a limited quest.
"Thank you, Ricardo,"
"It's no problem Yvlena, you're a friend of the Aruergo's now, wear that title proudly,"
----------
Yvlena walked back into the Floral District intending to find Iris and give her the Spice Bread Recipe.
"I wonder if he was her husband or her brother?" Yvlena said as she made her way to the arch with the Tea House sign, the closer she walked the more she noticed smoke from the building's chimney.
She rushed forward pushing the door to the tea house open to find a few people sitting around the previously unoccupied tables.
Yvlena gazed about, amazed by the simple beauty of the Tea House, word must have spread quickly about the place. Now there were only about five customers but she was confident it would soon grow.
Iris stood behind the counter making tea with the herbs Yvlena had gotten her. The girl smiled softly, happy to see the woman at work running her shop.
"Iris," Yvlena called once she reached the counter, the woman turned around, her eyes rounded in surprise then softened at the sight of the elven girl. She grasped the girl's hand from over the counter, happy to see the person who got her back up and running.
[Affinity with Iris Increased +3]
"Yvlena how good to see you,"
"You've turned this place around, customers already!" Yvlena said cheerfully. A couple came in from behind her, making their way to their seats a chattering excitedly.
"I couldn't have done it without you," Iris said. "Good timing too, I was just about to run out of the herbs I got from you,"
"All in due time, I have something you should see," Yvlena said. She opened her inventory and took out the note and recipe from Commander Addison. She handed it to Iris, much easier now than when she played on her PacBook.
Iris furrowed her brows, reading the note. Her hand flew to her mouth to hold back the gasp that nearly left her mouth.
"This is…"