Yvlena returned to Bloom Haven with fresh eyes but a terrible exhaustion. Knowing what Mars had told her plus the note on the relaxation potion, it was obvious she needed to cook something before she collapsed in the game.
“I don’t want to eat another bowl of Rabbit Meat Stew, maybe I should try to Roast it? I’ve got the recipe somewhere,” she said.
[Roasted Rabbit (Common)
***
Type: Recipe
A common dish served to tide the hunger of adventurers while out on long journeys, it’s a simple meal to prepare only requiring meat and an open flame.
The recipe can be modified
***
Rabbit Meat x1
Open Flame/Oven]
“Open flame? I guess I can try to build a campfire. Or just use the stove? Wait the kitchen has an oven!” Yvlena said walking into the Rose Manor.
It was such a relief to have the kitchen clean even though there would be some things that would have to be restored.
“Ah there it is,” she said walking over to the large brick oven in the shape of a rabbit with a wide mouth.
“I’m sensing a pattern,” Yvlena said finding it cute. The Harvest Guardians of the past definitely had a thing for rabbits.
It didn’t take her long to find the Oven tray and pull it free, it reminded her of the pizza ovens at fancier restaurants in Axen City. The Rose Manor’s oven on the other hand exuded a certain rustic charm that Yvlena quickly grew fond of.
She took a piece of rabbit meat and placed it on the tray, then slid it into the oven, she waited for a bit and noticed that nothing happened.
“Oh, that’s right, some charcoal.”
She tossed some charcoal from her inventory in and watched the oven roar to life. Flames blazed about, firing the meat on the tray until it was cooked.
Yvlena wasn’t expecting much, it would most likely be an F Grade meal but it didn’t hurt to try, she wanted to eat something different.
[Yvlena Acquired
***
Roast Rabbit x1]
[Subclass Skill: Cooking Leveled Up]
“Thank goodness Rabbit Knight isn’t here to see this,” Yvlena said as she pulled the tray out to see the charred piece of meat on it. “Uh...”
The elven girl picked up the fist sized piece of meat and winced.
“Yikes but here goes nothing,” she said taking a bite out of it. Despite the charred exterior, the inside was woefully undercooked. Yvlena chewed with a crunch until she had somehow gotten the meat all down.
“That wasn’t as bad,” she said to console herself.
[+5HP
+Temporary Increased resistance to Fire]
“Sweet!” Yvlena said, taking note of that. It would be great if she happened to encounter anything that shot fire at her, the reduced damage would go a long way in a boss battle.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“My exhaustion’s down too.” Yvlena noticed she could move a lot more freely now after eating up the charred bit of Rabbit meat. “Okay let’s do that again.”
She repeated the process, knowing she wouldn’t be running out of Rabbit Meat any time soon.
[Yvlena Acquired
***
Roast Rabbit x1]
She ate up, noting her next attempt wasn’t as bad as her last try, the meat was less burnt, with some pink shining through the blackened exterior. The insides were better cooked too.
[+5HP
+Temporary Increased resistance to Fire]
“Still a long way before I can sell this on the auction house if I recall people only like things that boost their status so resistance to fire should be pretty good when it hits C Grade.”
----------
“Alright, I promised Laurent I would stop by the library and I need to look up Lilian’s history,” Yvlena said walking out the door.
Mars wasn’t kidding, she felt energy surge through her as she walked down the clear path of the Rose Manor, down to the gate. Yvlena hadn’t understood why it felt like the game had a stamina bar but now she understood she just wasn’t eating enough.
“New Rule, eat one thing before heading into the dungeon areas,” Yvlena said to herself, she pushed open the gate and walked through it, into the streets of the Floral District.
Her boots clacked on the fresh cobblestone streets as she walked, looking at the houses and remarking on how new they looked. She recalled her first foray into the district while trying to find Beatrice’s house.
The broken roofs and dilapidated houses now shone with new polish as she walked by them. NPCs milled around, breathing new life into the streets she crossed on her way to the main area of the town before she headed to the library.
“Hello.” someone greeted.
“Hi,” Yvlena greeted back just as cheerfully, she waved for good measure and managed to bump into someone in her distraction.
“Yvlena!” A masculine voice called.
Yvlena looked up at the person calling her, finding the face of Dylan Brackett staring at her in relief.
“Huh? Dylan, it’s been a while, How are you?” Yvlena asked cheerfully. The boy was most likely heading back home to his mother after a day of adventuring.
He stood taller than her than the last time she had seen him, with the same piercing eyes that reminded her of the Ghost she had met at the Bloom Haven Outpost.
“I’ve been good,” he said with a cocky smile, “I’ll definitely catch up to you soon and then we can go adventuring together!”
Yvlena giggled, he was still exactly as she remembered him. He wore better equipment now but Yvlena didn’t think he was ready to go with her to the Verdant Woods, she already had Risel to protect, and Dylan wouldn’t be an ideal candidate to take.
“Well, have you been helping Iris with her herbs?”
“Well, yeah! Just like I promised. I’ve also beaten a few forest critters too!” He said, puffing out his chest in pride.
Yvlena nodded, impressed by the NPC’s growth since the last time they had met, as well as his programming. The game’s AI never failed to impress her with its emotional range.
She wondered how his mother was doing.
“How’s your mom?” Yvlena asked, recalling the gifted ingredients she had yet to use.
“She’s alright, the letter from Dad really helped. I wanted to thank you for bringing it back to her and apparently Iris too. How did you reach the outpost, It’s incredibly dangerous you know?” Dylan asked folding his arms.
“It’s not really a problem for me,” Yvlena said.
“Then I wanted to ask you a favor,” Dylan said.
“Sure ask away,” Yvlena said, sensing a quest not far behind the young man’s request.
Dylan scratched his head nervously as he prepared to speak, he mumbled something under his breath that Yvlena didn’t quite catch.
“What?”
“I was wondering if you could take me to the Out Post, I would like to see it and perhaps my father’s grave if I can.”
“Oh that’s right I did bury your father and his comrades,” Yvlena said under her breath so he couldn’t hear her.
[Quest: Requiem For The Outpost
Dylan Brackett, son of the late Captain William A. Brackett, wishes to pay his respects to his father who has long since passed.
The road to the Out Post, although clear, still fosters hostile danger far beyond the skills of the young man.
Will you escort him through the perilous roads of the Bloom Forest?
***
Rewards
????
***
Moon Points x1500
***
EXP x700]
[Yes/No]
“Of course Dylan, I accept.”