At Yvlena’s words, the young man allowed himself to release the breath he held anxiously. If anything happened, Yvlena and her summons would come to his aid, of that he was sure.
His attention went back to the foxes, still circling them like prey. At any moment one or both would fly straight at them, most likely with the intent to go for the throat.
Dylan gripped his sword, nodding grimly at the situation before him. His eyes drifted towards the Foxes’ hostile expressions, snarling teeth barred at him, ready to snap shut with him caught between their jaws.
As if tired of their conversation, the Foxes lunge but, they’re no match for Rabbit Knight who attacks with a swift blow to the more daring of the two.
[Rabbit Knight Cast Slash (03MP)]
With just one blow, the Rabbit landed a critical hit, dispatching the fox instantly. With how many bosses he had fought, it would be laughable if forest critters gave him or Sprite any trouble now.
Dylan leapt at the other fox, against Yvlena’s warning. She huffed, growing annoyed with the NPC and praying Risel would not act the same way when they ventured into the more dangerous Verdant Woods.
“Sprite, help him out.” Yvlena ordered urgently. If Dylan wanted to tackle this himself, she would help him not get hurt in the process.
The Forest Sprite saluted and rushed at the Fox, blasting it with Stings.
[Sprite cast Sting (01 MP)]
Dylan swung his sword in a wide arc and with Sprite’s help leaving the Fox distracted, he slashed his blade against its side, wounding it fatally.
The Fox yowled in pain, nearly retreating before Dylan landed another blow. The Fox disappears in flakes of light allowing Yvlena and her party to collect their rewards.
“Good job.” Yvlena says more out of relief than any other emotion. At least she knew he could take care of himself with minimal supervision. She watched him pump his fist in the air, cheering at his victory over the harder enemy.
The elf folded her arms in thought, the only sub quest left in this area would be to kill a boar for Laurent. Level-wise it wouldn’t be a problem the only thing she would have to worry about was...Dylan.
She focused her attention on him again, now he swung his sword recklessly the way a child would with a toy.
“I’m not going to get mad at an NPC for having fun in his world.” Yvlena said to herself. She reached for her head and found the lace dress of her newest summon. “Oh Kuti, I forgot you were there.”
The doll made a rattling noise that Yvlena assumed to be laughing. It brought a smile to her face. She could breathe easier in Moon Valley, the rigors of the real world couldn’t get her here and neither could the people.
Yvlena shuddered at the thought of interacting with competitive players, she had been on the forums enough to see how they spoke to each other.
“Yvlena what are you thinking about?” Dylan asked, he was done swinging his sword around and now stood beside her, waiting for the both of them to continue with the quest.
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“Killing a Boar.” She said turning towards the path that would lead to the old traveler's temple.
“Oh.” Dylan gasped somberly. Yvlena didn’t understand his reaction considering he might try to lunge at it.
“Just be careful alright, the temple is up next.” She said.
----------
The statue of Selendriel greeted Yvlena at her arrival at the temple. She smiled wistfully at the face of her mother, now an asset within the game she loved.
She noticed Dylan performing a gesture and bowing his head to the statue. It made sense, these were the gods of Bloom Haven after all.
“I’ve only heard of this place in mom’s stories.” Dylan said.
[The Departed Request a Prayer]
The game prompted her.
Yvlena already knew she would need to say some words for Lilian after her discovery.
“Would you like to go inside? I would like to say a prayer for someone.” Yvlena said already walking towards the battered doors of the temple.
“O-Of course.” Dylan stammered, following behind her into the stone building. He gasped in awe at the structure left to rot in the forest. He watched Yvlena approach the altar and clasp her hands together. He joined her, saying a prayer for the people in his life.
[You Prayed for Lilian]
[You Prayer for Rael]
“Rael.” Yvlena whispered. It sunk in that he was dead when Bavga implied that two Harvest Guardians could not exist concurrently. “What happened to you?”
If she hadn’t taken the title, would Rael still be alive somehow?
[Your prayers have been heard by the temple]
[Your prayers bring you peace of mind, Full Health to party]
Once again a shimmer rained down upon Yvlena and her party. She wondered if Dylan could see it too, but reasoned an NPC wouldn’t be able to sense a game mechanic like that. She turned back to the young man who was slowly opening his eyes after the prayer.
Dylan seemed dazed and Yvlena wanted to ask him if he was alright, but he was already walking towards another part of the temple to gaze at the statues of Vaelindor and Selendriel.
While ruined they retained their original beauty and Yvlena was hard pressed to say anything about him exploring. It had probably been a long time since he left Bloom Haven, if at all.
Yvlena followed his line of sight to the faces of the stone carvings that graced the insides of the ruined temple. Her gaze softened as it fell on the goddess. She approached it, her feet crunching dead leaves as it did.
Dylan stood beside her in deep contemplation, he gazed up at the goddess’s face, searching.
“I found Twyla’s locket here actually.” Yvlena told him. Dylan snapped out of thought and turned to her with an expression of surprise.
“So she did make it through.” Dylan whispered so lowly he thought Yvlena couldn’t hear him.
The elven girl pretended she didn’t hear him. Yvlena read the hope in his tone, she wondered if Dylan thought about Twyla coming back to Bloom Haven. It was unlikely given the state of her quest but maybe.
Yvlena rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“We need to head to the Outpost now.” She said softly. Even if this particular NPC was a bit of a hassle with his recklessness, she had grown fond of him.
Her words snapped Dylan out of further thought, he nodded at her and followed her out of the temple back into the Forest’s Depths.
"We have to go through the Outskirts before we reach the outpost." Yvlena informed him already on her way to the next area. She stopped herself from going any further until she was sure Dylan was a foot behind her.
Once she was satisfied with his proximity, she and her summons parted the bushes and emerged at the Bloom Haven Outskirts.
“Breathe that fresh air.” Dylan said inhaling deeply. Yvlena giggled beside him but understood his excitement.
Suddenly Dylan ran forward into the wide space of the Outskirts, Yvlena growled, knowing the dangers that lay ahead, and chased after him.
“Stop doing such dumb things!”