Time To Eat!

Treena and Liz lead me past more hollowed tree houses. Along the way most of the Dryads we past stop and stare at me. We eventually reach another hollowed tree, this one however is different. It's much larger than the others, almost able to fit three of the normal ones inside. The leaves on it are a cool blue color instead of the green the others have. Treena walks up to the door and opens it.

"Come on, let's go eat." She says cheerfully and we enter. Inside is not what I expected. I see two large couches positioned like an L with a small, almost two-foot by two-foot, table connecting the corners. In front of the couches is a very large table with papers and tools covering it. I turn and see Layla moving about in what appears to be a kitchen. It has what you'd expect. There's a fridge, stove, cupboard, and sink. But they're made of roots or vines. The stove is the only thing made of stone, and instead of burners, it has magic circles with a small red gem in the center. Layla takes something out of the fridge and walks over to a dining table. The dining table has a palm-sized yellow gem hanging above it. The gem is dangling from vines that wrap around it and connect it to the ceiling.

"You really are awake." Layla says when she sees me.

"Here you go, Layla." Treena says while handing her the staff. I didn't even notice when Treena and Liz made their way to the table. I start walking to the table to join them while Layla stores her staff away.

"Thanks, so how do you feel? Do you hurt anywhere?" Layla asks me and I shake my head no.

"All that's left is a lingering pain, but it's nothing too big." I answer.

"Good! Now let's eat." She says and I sit down. I look at the food on the table. It's a bowl of apples, oranges, pears, and bananas with a plate of baked potatoes next to it.

"Dryads are vegetarians, expect to only eat fruits and vegetables while you're here." Liz says while grabbing an apple and pear. I follow suit and we start eating.

"So Eric, what spell did you use on the core?" Layla asks.

"I used one Gaia gave me. It's called Gaias Embrace. Is there any reason why you're asking?"

"Sometimes the core reacts to magic used around or on it, that's part of the reason we have it behind the wall. It hasn't yet but sometimes it has delayed reactions, and knowing the spell used helps us deal with the effects." Treena answers.

"What kind of reactions would it have?" I ask a little concerned.

"Nothing dangerous, don't worry. If it reacts to your spell then it'll most likely accelerate the growth of the plants in the forest for a bit."

"So should I keep the core you gave me away from where spells are cast?" I ask and Treena sighs. Layla smiles and turns to Treena.

"I thought you said it was a ridiculous idea?" Layla says and Treena sighs again.

"Sorry, was I supposed to keep that a secret?" I ask.

"No, I planned to tell the others after you had left. That way they wouldn't be able to take it from you. But yes, you should try to place your core somewhere that magic won't be cast nearby." Treena answers and I nod.

"What core?" Liz asked confused. Treena tells Liz about the core while we finish eating.

"It's hard to believe your Domain went from a small cabin to vast grasslands with hills, mountains, an ocean, and all those workshops you've added in just a few weeks." Liz says as I finish eating.

"Has it really only been a few weeks? It feels like it's been months." I say and Liz laughs. I take a look outside the windows and see it's dark out. I look up and see the yellow gem above us has brightened to act as a lightbulb. I check the time on my phone and see it's 9:36 PM. I stand up and store my phone back in my inventory. It doesn't use any battery in there and I get a new popup if I get a call or text so I like keeping it in there. "It's about time I get going." I say and Liz stands up too.

"Yeah, me too. I have guild work in the morning." She says.

"Okay, thanks again, Eric. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask us." Treena says and I thank her. We tell Layla bye and leave.

"Eric, do you have a few minutes?" Liz asks as we leave.

"Yeah, why?"

"There's something I want to show you." She says and I nod. She leads me down the path, along the Dryad's houses. Most of them are dark but a few still have their lights on. The leaves on them are now glowing and light up the path and more. The sight of it is enough to stun me and I admire it while following Liz. She leads me out of the village and we follow another path for a bit. She suddenly stops and takes us off it. "Come on, this way." She says and I follow her off the path. We walk between the trees and plants for a while until I hear running water. We get out of the forest and I look to see we're at the edge of a river. Liz starts walking upstream and I continue to follow. We quickly arrive at a waterfall. Instead of stopping Liz continues until we're at the edge of the water, right next to the waterfall. She takes a running start to the water and jumps in.