The evening came quickly. An hour before the feast, people started setting up the area. At the center of the plaza, a big bonfire was built and the tables were arranged in a wide circle around it with plenty of space for mingling and dancing.
The hunters came back with the finest prey. I wasn't sure if meat tasted better the harder the monster was to kill but it did look like it. I saw a large tiger-like monster appear in the kitchens, unloaded from a storage item. The plant mages in the various gardens had grown special fruits and vegetables, they too were dropping them down by the basket load. And the village cooks were busy, all of them were present and it looked to be quite a feast from the delicious smells.
Vel and I agreed to meet back at the square for the party. I had to pick up my dress and we both had to get ready. Naeris gave me a large weaved basket with everything inside and I made my way back home.
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The bonfire burned brightly at the center, casting exaggerated shadows on the surrounding buildings. A group had pulled out a variety of instruments and had started an improvised jam session. People were dancing to the catchy tunes.
I was nervously waiting for Vel. People were filing in from everywhere and I got my fair share of well wishes for my recovery as well as complements on my dress. I pointed the latter to Naeris, she deserved most of the credit.
After a few minutes, I finally saw Vel. She was stunning. She was wearing a loose dress in a deep forest green color with subtle gold embroidery. A flower was woven into her hair.
Her steps faltered when she saw me. I smiled at that. It looked like my choice of dress was a resounding success. She weaved through the crowd and took me in a hug.
"You look fantastic," she whispered to me.
"You do too. As always."
We calmly made our way to a table and sat down. The cooks were about to serve the food and neither of us wanted to miss it. The seating arrangement was mostly random, people sat down where they wanted. My grandmothers had found a place at our table and from the looks they were giving me, they knew.
I gave them a quick warning look. I didn't need any help.
Soon, the dishes arrived. Each table had a collection of large plates in the center, kept warm by magic stones, with mountains of food on them. Each dish had a different presentation, A cleaned out rib cage on a bed of greens held a pile of grilled meat together. A circle of large carrots, had some long noodles inside. Clay pots held sauces for all tastes.
I used the provided utensils to fill my bowl and dug in.
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After a hearty meal, Vel dragged me away from the table. She pulled me into a dance and the smile on her face was almost brighter than the fire. I struggled to keep pace with her until the music slowed down and she pulled me closer into a slow and intimate dance.
She gently pulled us away from the bustling crowd and into a small alcove between two houses. I already knew what would happen, I had planned the same thing, but it still took me by surprise. There, in the shadows, she planted a kiss on my lips. It was over in a flash but my heart skipped a beat and my brain stalled. It looked like I didn't need to worry about a rejection after all. I pulled her into another longer kiss and she leaned into it. The world faded away for a few instants.
Then she punched me in the ribs. "Idiot," she said, "I thought I'd lost you forever," Vel embraced me and started to quietly sob with her head in the crook of my neck.
I returned the embrace and gently stroked her hair. "I'm not that easy to put down."
"You idiot," she chuckled in between her sobs.
I kept consoling her for a few more minutes until a patrolling guard appeared nearby. He looked at the two of us with a smile and signed a question. Everything alright?
Everything alright! I signed back.
He winked and disappeared again.
"We got caught?" Vel asked quietly.
"Totally," I said and she started to laugh.
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At night, the mana stones on the ceiling of the cavern glittered like stars. Their faint light gave the jungle foliage a dark green color with the occasional dash of orange and purple color here and there from the occasional exotic tree. Large fireflies were flying outside the village barrier in their intricate mating dance. Hunter owls prowled about, only noticeable by the pinpricks of light they obscured.
I was lying on the roof of the highest building in the village, my favorite spot to go and relax. Everything was distant and the view was calming. The music and noise from the festival were muted, background noise.
Vel and I had retreated there to get a bit of quiet away from everyone else. She was snuggled to my left, her head resting on my shoulder. She was holding my hand, perhaps a bit too hard but it was understandable.
"So ... are we ... together now?" I asked.
"I guess we are, uh," Vel said, "I didn't really think things past the first step to be honest."
I laughed softly. It was so very ... her. I ran my hand through her silver hair and she snuggled a bit closer. We stayed there simply basking in each other's presence for a while. I hadn't really thought it would take being thrown into a new world altogether to finally get into a long term relationship. Velatha was totally worth the trip however.
After a few minutes of cuddling. I decided to finally check my status screen. I had ignored it long enough. It perhaps wasn't the best of times, with my girlfriend right there, but I felt safe with her by my side.
The system interface appeared inside of my mind's eye, in some sort of vision-adjacent space. My vision and other senses became muted, as if I had pushed them into the background. It was difficult to concentrate on both accessing the system and interacting with the outside world at the same time.
Name
Liscura Van-Niu
Ancestry
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Dark Elf
Status
Level 17 (Rank 1) | 38 Essence
Health: 590/590 (+78%/h)
Stamina: 810/810 (+110%/h)
Mana: 1880/1880 (+170%/h)
Focus: 0/114
Primary Class
[Locked]
Secondary Class
[Locked]
Perks
Blessing of Gaia
Essence Mastery (Rank 1)
Mana Perception
Improved Senses (Rank 3)
Night Vision (Rank 5)
General Skills
Combat Skills
Dagger Mastery - Rank 1, Level 15
Light Bow Mastery - Rank 2, Level 6
Knowledge Skills
Medicine - Rank 2, Level 24
Herbalism - Rank 2, Level 22
Alchemy - Rank 3, Level 17
Survival - Rank 2, Level 12
Utility Skills
Tracking - Rank 2, Level 6
Stealth - Rank 2, Level 8
Identify - Rank 2, Level 28
Meditation - Rank 2, Level 5
Languages
Elven Language - Rank 4, Level 12
Human Language - Rank 2, Level 6
English Language - Rank 5, Level 6
Resistances
Poison Resistance - Rank 3, Level 5
Disease Resistance - Rank 2, Level 3
Attributes
Strength: 38, Agility: 58, Vitality: 40, Endurance: 52
Intelligence: 64, Wisdom: 58, Spirit: 62, Clarity: 56
I raised an eyebrow. There were several new things that shouldn't be there from Liscura's memory. A new perk, and a very high level ones at that. The Disease Resistance skill was probably what had allowed me to survive the ghost fever. As for the other one …
"Something on your mind?" Velatha asked.
"I gained disease resistance," I said, "it's at rank two."
"Well, I'm glad you got it," she said.
"And I also gained a legendary perk called Blessing of Gaia," I said.
"A legendary perk?" She whispered. "That's ... I'm not sure even Breknir has a legendary perk."
"Oh, I'm sure he has more than one," I chuckled, "he's three hundred and a former adventurer. He must've picked up some interesting ones."
"You say that because he's your mentor," she said as she poked my ribs.
I wriggled and tried not to laugh from the tickling.
"If you continue, I won't tell you what it does," I threatened.
"No, you can't!" She immediately stopped and gave me her best puppy eyes.
"So, what did the goddess give you? Is it good? It has to be, it's legendary."
I opened the list of perks on a second screen.
Blessing of Gaia
Opens the path of the Mystic and strengthens Essence
Grants access to the Mystic classes and specializations.
Grants Essence Mastery and access to the Essence perks.
Essence Mastery - Rank 1
Decreases the cost of essence purchases by 25%.
Increases the number of attribute points per essence spent by 1/2/3.
Increases the number of skill levels per essence spent by 1/2/3.
Mana Perception
Grants the ability to sense mana as an additional sense
Improved Senses - Rank 3
Improves all senses (Vision, Smell & Taste, Hearing)
Dark Vision - Rank 5
Grants the ability to see clearly in complete darkness
"It's ... very good" I said, at a loss for better words, "I get access to Mystic classes, never heard of them, and essence perks. I didn't even know there were essence perks. It gives me Essence Mastery too which makes skills and perks cheaper, and upgrades are better."
The Dark Elves considered Gaia to be their patron goddess and the fact that I had her blessing gave me a pretty strong hint as to who had brought me here. The blessing was incredibly strong as well, it deserved its legendary status.
"Looks like she really took a liking to you," Vel said.
"Looks like she did."
"But … why are you checking your status instead of me," Vel threw her leg around my waist and pushed herself on top of me. Her amber eyes were glowing slightly in the dim light, her smile was mischievous.
"How could I forget the goddess in front of me," I said as I pushed myself up and kissed her. A quick move of my hips and I had reversed our positions. Her breath quickened and I dove in for another one. The festivities were just starting.