The Rejuvenating lake was a stark contrast to the blackened Verdant Lake, she marveled at the crystal clear waters no doubt teeming with life beneath it’s waters. Her reflection swayed as she looked upon the lake, ready to take a drink.
“We can catch our breaths here, take a drink from the lake it’s super refreshing,” Yvlena said, encouraging the young man.
“Wow, I didn’t even think there would be a lake so deep in here,” Dylan held a hand to his chin, thinking. “Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone’s gotten this far out of town since the Miasma started spreading, except Twyla,”
“Yeah, do you have any idea where she went?” Yvlena asked, hoping for more clues, if Dylan knew something about her then maybe it would point her in a direction other than Rosenheim.
Dylan shook his head and knelt by the lake bed to scoop some of the water into his hands and sip. He released a contented sigh and sat back on the soft grass. He laid down after a moment of sitting and looked up at the sky.
“Wow, the sky’s so much brighter now Yvlena,”
[The Lake Rejuvenates You, Full Health To Party]
“I know,” Yvlena said sitting down beside him while her summons got to know each other, she turned her head in the direction of the three beings to watch silently as they played.
Sprite was really taking a shine to the Kuti, flitting about for the china doll to chase, while Rabbit Knight cleaned his snout with his paws.
‘Adorable!’ Yvlena squealed internally. As she and Dylan rested, she checked her inventory for some wood she would use to make a campfire, it would be a good idea to roast some meat or cook some soup.
After making the promise to always eat before a big fight, Yvlena didn’t want to end up breaking it so soon. While she didn’t feel weakness from her actions so far, a little status boost couldn’t hurt. She took the wood out of her inventory and gathered some stones to create a barrier for her fire.
“What are you doing?” Dylan asked, watching her start the campfire with some help from Sprite “We aren’t camping are we?”
“Just some lunch. I warn you, I’m not much of a cook,” Yvlena said, facing him with a smile. Neither her Rabbit Meat Soup nor her Roast Rabbit were up to stuff, both were at such a Low Grade she didn’t want to risk giving them to her NPC companion.
‘But Beatrice liked it that time,’ Yvlena thought, she reasoned the old woman was just being nice.
“Neither am I, it can’t be that bad,” Dylan shrugged.
Yvlena laughed, she looked at the water of the lake and then had a thought, when she used her cauldron she always just used the default liquid that bubbled in the pot and while it might have been great for potions, it might not have been for food.
Taking out her new bronze cauldron she set it down watching it bubble to life.
With an empty bottle, she approached the lake and dunked it in, scooping up some water for her soup, then returning to pour it into the pot.
[Yvlena Acquired
***
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Bottled Lake Water x1]
“Alright, let’s do some basic cooking,” She muttered, taking a few carrots she had won off the Horned Rabbits and some common spice herbs, she tossed it all in before putting in the meat. It bubbled and bubbled until it was done.
[Recipe: Rabbit Meat Soup Improved!]
[Yvlena Acquired
***
Rabbit Meat Soup x2]
Two bowls of steaming hot soup appeared in Yvlena’s hands, she didn’t question it and simply handed one off to Dylan who eagerly began chowing down his meal.
[Rabbit Meat Soup x1 Gifted to Dylan]
“Delicious!” He said, chewing furiously.
“Hey, eat slowly! If you bite your tongue off what am I going to tell your mom?!” Yvlena cried. She took a spoonful of her own soup with a sigh.
“Only one way to find out if this was worth it,” Yvlena mumbled. She blew the steam off her spoon and slurped, surprising herself with how good it tasted. “What?” she whispered taking another spoonful. It wasn’t the most mind blowing food, but it tasted much better than all her other attempts at the soup.
The meat was well done and meshed with the carrot and spices she had added to the soup. Even with the Revista’s faint senses, the aroma of the soup smelled heavenly
“Got to be at least a C Grade now right?”
[Rabbit Meat Soup (Common, Improved)
***
Type: Food
Grade: C+
A common soup enjoyed by the denizens of Bloom Haven. Made from hunting the common Horned Rabbits around the area.
This improved variety is made by adding an extra vegetable and some spice herbs, the recipe can always be improved.
The Grade determines how flavorful it is as well as the status effects.
+150 HP
+Temporary AGI Boost
+Minor Resistance to Fire]
“Wow! Okay I’m definitely putting this up for auction now! Finally!” Yvlena cheered. She laid back on the grass giddy. The next stop would be the old temple, she wondered if she could say a prayer for Lilian and Bavga even the old Swamp Guardian, Crocante.
----------
“Hey!” Aya yelled as her VR set was yanked off her head by an annoyed Mars. She looked up at the dark haired girl, through the dangling wires, standing above her with a strong frown and glare in her eye.
This was the first time Mars looked at her with such anger, Aya gulped.
“Oh, Mars,” Aya said quietly. She turned off the game on her computer, realizing she was in trouble now. She stood up but came up short as she tried to stand to Mars’ height. The other girl shook her head and sighed, not in annoyance, but with a slight disappointment that stung.
“Aya it’s late, you missed dinner,” Mars said in a clipped tone.
“I was in the middle of a quest and lost track of…” Aya trailed off, looking down at her feet like a guilty child. “I’m sorry,”
Mars shook her head and folded her arms, losing her stern countenance. She looked at Aya with a softened gaze, into those guilty brown eyes.
“I think I might have overreacted,” Mars said, pinching the bridge of her nose, “I know I’m not your mom, I just got worried about you. You know,”
Aya nodded, guilt growing within her at worrying the (possibly) only person who cared about her. Mars had given her playful warnings but Aya had still managed to forget.
“No, no I get it. It was irresponsible and stuff. I should have known I was in there a bit too long,” Aya said.
An awkward silence hung between them, neither being able to look the other in the eye. It was the first time Mars had seriously scolded Aya and it surprised her.
“So…” Aya began in a bid to diffuse the tension. “You must really care about me huh?” she said.
Mars chuckled, lifting her hand to pet Aya’s hair.
“Silly girl, of course I do,”