You rest

Sunrise comes, but you have no desire to get up. Though, you feel better after yesterday, everything still hurts with the slightest movement. The brightening sky causes Dana to stir. When she finally rises from bed, you take the opportunity to observe her actions. You often leave before she wakes up, and you've wondered what she does to when you're not around. You're surprised when, immediately after waking, Dana leaves the Lair. The Wall of Thorns parts for her just as easily as it does for you.

You realize now in hindsight, that Dana must be able to leave the clearing, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to do fetch the forest spiders yesterday. But how can she do that? Didn't you make it impossible for her to leave? The idea that Dana can leave the Lair is both comforting and terrifying. On the one hand, it means that she's not just your captive; she's chosen to stay with you. On the other though, she can leave you. Without her, you'd be left all alone; a worthless monster that nobody cared about. What would you do then? You fight down your rising panic. You hadn't been bullshitting yesterday when you told Dana she gave your life meaning. The thought of life without her is petrifying. You try to ignore your dark thoughts lest they consume you.

While you wait anxiously for Dana's return, you try and distract yourself. You realize that you haven't checked to see if the XP you gained yesterday caused you to level up. You look at your stats.

Tree Fiend

Lvl: 30
Melee Attack: 60
Ranged Attack: 23
Weakness: Fire
Special Abilities:
Plant - heals 8 HP/sec when raining and regenerates 6 MP/sec when in direct sunlight.
Immune to poison
Earth Wade - can wade through the earth like water.
Absorb - can draw mana from target through contact.
Herbal flow - can heal an ally for 3HP/sec through contact.
Kindred - creatures sharing a type with you receive a bonus to HP and melee attack.
Armored Bark - 50% resistance to physical damage (Passive).
Vine Lash - use vine to do damage for 12 HP/sec (3 vines active).
Barrier - creates dense mat of dead vines and branches, can be dropped in place or carried.
Treekin - 15% combat bonus is forest or woodland area. Lose 10 HP/sec outside forest or woodland area (Passive).
Camouflage - 20% chance to avoid detection in all areas. 75% chance to avoid detection in forest or woodland area (Passive).
Woodwise - able to recognize the properties of most plant and animal alchemical ingredients (Passive).
Sacred Seed - can cause unpredictable transformations.
Mark of the Hunter - having participated in the Wild Hunt you are forever marked. 20% combat bonus when ambushing. 5% combat bonus in all other situations. May be called upon to join the Wild Hunt again (Passive).

You note the new changes. You shake your head. That Cave Troll was a tough son of bitch, but gaining five levels almost made it worth it. The changes to your stats though, can't distract you forever. You shift uneasily. Where was Dana?

Finally, Dana comes back. She starts moving around the clearing, making her bed and doing some light cleaning. You can't see much point to it, but you have more important things to worry about. Where did you go? you ask, trying to sound casual. "Hmm?" Dana looks over to you. "Oh, I just went out to get some berries." Berries? What does she need those for? "Yeah, if I don't eat and drink every once and a while I get a major debuff. Eventually, I start to lose HP. There are some berry bushes and a small stream not too far from here." How did you know where to look for them? you inquire, briefly side tracked. Dana shrugs. "Most adventurers know how to find berries or other types of basic food in the wild. They're usually by a water source." And, uh, you didn't have any problems leaving? you ask cautiously. "Oh, you mean the web trap? No, I just covered it with some less thorny briars that I broke off. I piled on some dead leaves on top of them later for comfort," she says, completely unaware of the dismay she is causing you. That would mean she knew about the webbing before she ever tried to leave though. How did you know about the web? you ask "I heard you ask the spiders to make it that first day." She comes over to you and kneels down to give you a small kiss on the cheek, before resuming her tidying. "It was so thoughtful of you to be concerned for my safety." You can't tell whether or not she's serious, and you decide you'd rather not find out. So you could leave from the start? She nods. "Mmm-hmm" So, why did you stay? I took you prisoner and **** you, robbing you of your connection to your goddess. Why didn't you just leave? Dana stops what she's doing and considers the question. At last she gives a small shrug and speaks, "I don't know. I guess I figured I deserved it. You know, I couldn't hack as it real hero, so why even go back? It's not like I would be missed." She sounds very calm for someone stating they'd thought all they were good for was being a sex ****.

You can kind of understand her twisted logic. You know Dana has serious self-image problems, and it makes sense that those might cause her to think she should be punished. After all, shouldn't trash be treated like trash? You shudder. Do you still think that way? you ask, your voice uncharacteristically small. Dana shakes her head vigorously. "No." She comes back over and wraps her arms around you, laying down slightly on top of you. "I feel happier here than I have ever felt in my life." The news causes a warm feeling to swell in your chest, and makes you wish you could smile.

You spend the rest of the day with Dana. You talk about various things. She doesn't talk much about her previous life, but she does mention a little bit about her time as an adventurer. This causes you to start questioning her about the world at large. You find out about other environments other than the forest and canyon. You hear about beings living in cities and towns, a completely alien concept. You still can't quite wrap your head around the idea of a building. From what you understand, it sounds like some kind of artificial cave. You discover there are some places completely devoid of plants. A concept that horrifies you. You're told about others that are formed entirely from water. Though you're not really sure how that works. Are they just giant puddles? For a moment you wish to see all these things for yourself. Then, you remember your Treekin ability: if you leave the forest, you slowly start to die. A feeling of melancholy and disappointment washes over you. You steer the conversation towards another topic.

As you lie there in the warm sun talking with Dana, you run your eyes over her. You find the sight of Dana's curved formed curled up against you somewhat erotic. You become more aware of the feeling of Dana's lush body lying against you: Her breasts resting on your chest, soft and warm; her small nipples, not yet erect, pushing into you slightly; one smooth thigh thrown casually over yours. You feel your cock stir. Huh, guess you've recovered. The harder it gets, the more your prick starts to press firmly against Dana, causing her to sit up and notice.