Inspecting the Dryad

“Great! First off...” The former Wood Elf raises one of her big bark-covered hands, pressing a dagger-like claw against her chest. With a quick flick, she effortlessly slices through her own flesh, leaving a shallow cut just beneath her collarbone. “As Ah said, Ah’m no longer a bein’ o’ flesh and blood. See?”

A reddish sap trickles from the small wound, runny and viscous. It is semi-transparent. Not clear like water, but not opaque like blood should be. It is... more like a translucent syrup.

And the ‘flesh’ it oozing from is equally alien. It isn’t red or meaty. It is... almost green. A little muddy, kind of brownish. And is a bit fibrous. Like the inside of a leafy plant. Or a vegetable.

Beryl presses her armoured palm over that cut. She holds her hand there for just a couple seconds, and when she pulls it away the wound is gone, as is the trickling sap.

“Ah should still feel the same though. Isn’t tha’ right~?” A teasing smile plays at Beryl’s lips as she gently drags the Drakling’s hand up from her pregnant looking belly, pressing it into her perky tits.

A quick squeeze confirms that, yup, Beryl still does feel the same as before. Well, this part of her body does at least. Who knows how the rest of her changed? Only a hands on inspection can really answer that question~.

“Missed me, did ya~?” The Dryad grins up at her Draconic lover, not bothered at all by the curious caresses trailing over her upper thighs and hips, touching pretty much every part of her that isn’t covered in bark. “Hhh~...” She shudders slightly as a thumb brushes over her damp slit. “Hold yerself, my dearest love, Ah’m not done showin’ myself off fer ya!” Beryl laughs and shakes her head.

“Go on then. I’m not stopping you.” Krvavy plainly replies. Her strong fingers squeeze and knead the tomboys toned inner thigh, hesitant to touch the wooden roots that extend out of the bark plating.

“Alrighty,” Beryl dramatically sighs, sitting up slightly. “Wha’ do ya think about these?” Four vines slowly creep out from behind her back, splaying around her.

Krvavy lifts a hand up and away from the tomboy’s thigh, curiously poking one of the vines. They’re the same dark green colour as Beryl’s lips and nipples.

The Dryad twitches slightly at that contact. “Ah feel everythin’ they feel. It’s a bit odd, really, but Ah’ll get used ta it.” That vine slowly glides across the barbarian’s palm, slipping between thumb and index finger. “Same about controllin’ them. This is all me, so don’t ya worry about them doin’ somethin’ ya don’t want ‘em ta.”

Krvavy gives the vine a soft squeeze, drawing another twitch out of the Dryad. It feels almost rubbery, but not quite... It is smooth and kind of soft. Almost like an arm without a bone, as odd as that thought is. The Drakling shrugs to herself, emerald eyes following this green tendril all the way to its source.

The vine just emerges from Beryl’s back. There isn’t a sheath or a hole it came out of. The caramel skin has simply turned green through a gentle gradient and ‘stretched’ up into a tendril about as thick as Krvavy’s wrist. All four vines are like that, just with slightly different locations: two on either side of the tomboy’s spine, the top ones being just below her ribs and the bottom ones being just above her hips.

“The interestin’ part isn’t down there, it is up ‘ere~.” Beryl playfully draws the Drakling’s attention back towards the vine curling around Krvavy’s hand and wrist. It is moving almost like a snake, slithering and twisting. “These aren’t just borin’ old vines. Ah can do quite a bit wit’ them. Like this~.”

The vine’s rounded tip turns to ‘look’ Krvavy in the face, before slowly splitting open like a hollow orange being peeled. It divides itself into thirds, forming three equal sized and equally spaced ‘fingers’ each about as long as Krvavy’s hand.

“Ah’ll be able ta grab things much easier wit’ these lil’ grippers.”

The splayed vine hovering in front of Krvavy is... a little unnerving. It just feels very alien. The barbarian gently grabs one of the ‘grippers’, slowly brushing her thumb over the thing. It feels a lot like the outside of the vine, just softer and not quite as smooth. It has some subtle ridges on it, arranged like a ladder. And, as Krvavy’s thumb descends closer towards the center, it also gets a lot more squishy and... moist.

“Hnnh~!” The Dryad sharply moans out, her cheeks flushing a deep green colour. “Hah, they’re, well, a bit more than just vines.” The black pools of her eyes turn away as an uncharacteristic embarrassment fills her voice. “They’re a lot like roots in a way, if ya get wha’ Ah mea– aaahn~!”

The tip of Krvavy’s finger, her clawed nail, presses into a tight but stretchy hole in the very center between those three ‘grippers’. “Beryl,” she plainly states her sweet berry’s name, a smile steadily spreading across her face. “Do your vines have pussies~?”

“W-well, Ah’d sa-aaayh~! Stop tha’!” She grabs at her vine, wrapping her big knife-like wooden fingers around it, and pulls it from her teasing lover’s grasp. “They’re more like mouths and throats!” Beryl abashedly blurts out, bringing all four of her vines up against her pert breasts, hugging onto them in way that is honestly pretty similar to how Adeline holds her tufted tail. “Ah can drink and take in nutrients through them...”

“I see. Then why was it so sensitive~?”

“Ah’m just not used ta these new feelin’s and sensations, okay!?” Beryl bristles slightly, cheeks turning green as she blushes intensely. “Ach, ‘ere!” She shoves a hand into Krvavy’s face, bark covered palm raised up and wooden fingers spread wide. “Look wha’ else Ah can do!”

The relatively rough bark visibly smooths out. The large and dangerously sharp claws that cap each finger begin to retract, sliding backwards into nothingness. The whole hand shrinks back down to its normal size, the bark ‘sinking’ down as caramel coloured skin once again covers the entirety of Beryl’s arm.

Krvavy raises an eyebrow. She has been fairly grabby so far, and that isn’t going to stop now. Her fingers wrap around the Dryad’s much more Elf-like arm. It isn’t exactly the same as it used to be. Lines cover Beryl’s forearm, spreading from hand to elbow where they fade away. These lines look a bit like... wood grain. And they have a bit of a texture to them. A very slight ridge, kind of like a thin scratch that hasn’t fully healed but is barely visible anymore.

“Ah expected a bit more o’ a response than this...” Beryl sighs out in mock disappointment, moving past her embarrassment as if nothing had happened. The knife-like fingers on her other arm subtly brush aside her vines, letting them retract back into her body mostly unnoticed. “Thought ya’d be more excited ta learn tha’ we can still ‘old ‘ands without ‘avin’ a bunch o’ bark and wood in the way.”

“No, I’m happy about that.” Krvavy idly responds, pulling this much more Elf-like hand up to her lips and planting a gentle kiss on the knuckles. That causes another green blush to spread across Beryl’s face. “I kind of figured all of that extra wood was some kind of armour anyway.”

“Tsk. Ya’re no fun.” The Dryad sighs as the bark covering her other arm, and both of her legs, begins to shrink and retract.

Authors Note: Sorry for the interruption. Here is Beryl’s new image and accompanying reference sheet. Her currently pseudo-pregnant belly is not pictured.

But the barbarian hardly pays attention to that brief transformation. Her gaze is firmly locked on Beryl’s face. “Your eyes...”

“Hmm?” The former Wood Elf tilts her head slightly. She seems completely oblivious to the blue-green light emanating from her eyes, even as it softly shines onto her bangs. That glowing light shifts and ripples like the surface of a lake, before fading away as all of her limbs return to a relatively normal albeit wood grained state. “Oh! Right, they’re different, aren’t they? Should be all black, like a starless night sky. Aye?”

“Yeah, but... they were glowing.”

“Aye, tha’... tha’ll probably ‘appen whenever Ah need ta focus my mana. Guess shiftin’ my shape around counts fer tha’...?” Beryl gently shakes her head, smiling reassuringly up at her Draconic lover. “So don’t worry. Tha’ is supposed ta ‘appen. It isn’t a bad sign or anythin’. But if ya miss wha’ they were like before...”

Beryl closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. When she opens them again, they once more look exactly as they did before the ritual. The sclera are white and the iris’ a bright blue-green. “Then ‘ow about this~? And Ah can go a bit further as well.”

Her eyes shine again, though this time the glow is limited to just the blue-green parts. In the span of a single second, her lips and nipples return to their old brownish-pink colour and those wood grain lines on her limbs fade away.

“Tada~! Ah’m just a plain and ordinary Wood Elf~! No one would ever think otherwise just by looking at me, aye~?”

Krvavy smiles in amusement, lifting a hand up to the top of Beryl’s head. “You forgot something~.” She playfully comments, lightly flicking a branch-like antler.

The Dryad’s brow shoots up in surprise and her plain looking lips spread into a wide grin. “Ah ‘ave horns!?” Excitement and joy fills her voice as she reaches up and grabs at her antlers, feeling each curve and offshoot. “We match now! Kinda!”

“Yeah, kind of.” The Drakling can’t help but grin as well, being infected by her sweet berry’s joy. “Though I’d say yours are more like antlers. Like a deer. Still, they’re pretty cute on you. Same with the flowers.”

“Tha’ fits still! Ya, the mighty Dragon, are the predator and Ah, the harmless lil’ deer, am the prey!” A playfully teasing gleam fills Beryl’s blue-green eyes as she reaches up and presses a finger into her Draconic lover’s collarbone, slowly trailing it down the center of Krvavy’s chest. “Ah wouldn’t mind bein’ devoured~! Especially if ya were the one doin’ the eatin’, my dearest love~.”

“Is that so~?” Krvavy raises an eyebrow and gazes down at the ‘Elf’ in her lap. “I’m not sure if you’d make that good of a snack~. I’m rather carnivorous, you know, and you’re pretty much a living salad now~.”

“Ach, Ah’d say Ah’m more o’ a sweet fruit or a delicious berry dessert~! But,” Beryl dramatically sighs and shakes her head, “if ya want meat, then Ah should say tha’ this appearance o’ mine isn’t an illusion. It’s not exactly wha’ Ah was before, but its close enough ta fool most everyone. Even if Ah get cut, my blood should look and taste like actual blood right now. So, if Ah got rid o’ these cute antlers, ‘ardly anyone’d be able ta tell Ah was anythin’ but an ordinary Wood Elf!”

The barbarian leans down and plants a kiss on her sweet berry’s forehead. “Honestly, I don’t think I care too much about that. Yeah, it’s nice that I can still have my favourite Elf looking exactly the same as she did before, but... But I kinda like your new look as well. It’s... exotic. Beautiful.”

A blush, a red blush, spreads across Beryl’s cheeks. The blue-green glow spreads from her iris’ to the rest of her eyes as nearly all of her Dryadic features return in the span of a second, turning her flushed face a shade of green once more. Her soft, wood grain textured hand gently cups Krvavy’s cheek, thumb brushing over the small patch of black scales that rest beneath emerald eyes. “Even wit’ no collar forcin’ feelin’s onta me, ya still give me reasons ta love ya, Krvavy~.”

Sweet, leaf-green lips press against the Drakling’s own pale pair. The kiss is brief and chaste, but so full of love and affection. The whirlwind of emotions that both lovers have been caught up in is, at least for this moment, calmed.

Krvavy brushes a stray strand of hair away from her Dryad’s face. Two pools of near complete darkness gaze back up at her. “You know, at first I thought that I’d miss your bright and beautiful eyes a lot more...” She idly whispers out, barely resisting the urge to kiss Beryl again. “But... The ones you have now are just... gorgeous... I can still see their colour up close... Faintly and not as vibrant as before, but still there... It’s like your eyes are a gift for me and me alone... Private, personal...”

Beryl shudders as she listens to those honest and earnest words. “Hahh~...! My dearest love~...! Ya’re so possessive~...!” She audibly gulps and takes a deep breath, her verdant lips parted slightly. Alluringly... “As much... As much as Ah’d just love ta indulge in ya, Ah... We’re not done lookin’ over all tha’ Ah am now yet: ya ‘aven’t even used Inspect on me!”

“Oh.” Krvavy blinks blankly. She has been so caught up in getting to see her sweet berry once again that she hadn’t even thought about that.

“Now go on, my dearest love, Ah’m all yers ta read! Open and ready, like tha’ book ya bought yer brat~!”

“See anythin’ special~?” The Dryad giddily asks, quivering with excitement as she nuzzles against her Draconic lover. “Like one last surprise, perhaps~?”

“You... have a bit of my soul now.”

“Aye~! Aye, Ah do~! Took ya long enough ta give it ta me~! Ah’ve got a little bit o’ ya inside o’ me now! And Ah’m not just talkin’ about our Seed~!” Beryl laughs out in pure joy, patting her distended and pregnant looking belly. “No, Ah’m yer ‘Pride’ now, forever and always...!”

Krvavy nearly focuses on the trait that is definitely associated with that, but stops herself as she notices something else. Beryl’s stamina and mana aren’t regenerating anywhere near as fast as the numbers say they should.

“Ya look a little concerned, my dearest love. Lemme guess... Ya’re worried about my stamina and mana reserves not tickin’ up all tha’ fast?” A wide, triumphant grin fills the former Wood Elf’s face as her guess gets a nod. “Even now Ah can still read ya wit’ ease~! Ahem, but really, tha’ is nothin’ bad. It’s just because Ah’m not inside my tree right now and – Ach! No!” Her tone quickly grows rather firm and scolding. “Don’t panic! Ah said it is nothin’ bad! Ah’m just strengthening my connection ta it! Ah just ‘woke up’, remember? So gimme a day or two and tha’ll be back ta normal.”

The Drakling slowly exhales. “Alright, if you say so...” She reluctantly sighs out. The fact that those numbers are still increasing, even if rather slowly, helps to reassure her that Beryl really is fine.

“Since ya like numbers so much, wha’ do ya think o’ my attributes?” The Dryad playfully asks, lightly poking Krvavy in the cheek. “Quite an impressive jump fer just three levels, aye~?”

Krvavy’s eyes turn towards the bottom left corner of her tanned tomboy’s stat sheet. Each and every number down there is bigger than it was before. Some, like Might and Guile, have only increased by a few points. But others, like Insight, Willpower, Charisma, and Allure, have more than doubled in value. And then of course there is Perception. That isn’t quite double what it was before, but the number has still gone up massively.

“So impressed tha’ ya can’t even put it inta words~?” Beryl smugly grins, her fingertip squishing into the Drakling’s pale skin.

“How come you still only get four points per level?”

“Oy! Why do ya sound disappointed?!” Mock outrage fills Beryl’s voice as she reacts in an overly exaggerated way, grabbing at her Draconic lover’s lower horns and giving them a little shake. “Ah’ll ‘ave ya know that those four points are just the ones tha’ Ah get ta allocate myself! The others are all automatic: two fer Dexterity, one fer Insight, one fer Willpower, three fer Perception, and one fer Allure! Tha’ is twelve points in total fer each level! Plus an extra one time boost ta all o’ ‘em fer becomin’ a Dryad as well! So be impressed!”

“Wow, that’s actually pretty good. I mean, I get ten each level, and I get to choose where over half of those go. But, yeah, a couple extra points isn’t bad.” Krvavy comments in as calm and almost bored a tone as she can.

Two nearly pure black orbs glare up at the barbarian, narrowed into thin slits.

“What~?” Krvavy innocently smiles back. “Not going to put your new Charisma to work~? Or maybe you’re hoping that your now massive Allure will make this pouty look of yours even more endearing than it already is~? Yeah, I definitely get where that ‘plan’ came from, seeing what one your lowest stats is~.”

“Ah may not yet ‘ave the milstone trait fer Rationality, but mine is now a bit ‘igher than yers is.” The Dryad plainly points out with an exaggerated huff. “Are ya goin’ ta keep bullyin’ me as if Ah were Thea, or move onta all o’ the rest already?”

“Hmmm... I’m sure that I could find something to tease you over...”

“Ach,” Beryl pokes Krvavy’s face again. “Go and look at my new traits already.”

“Alright, alright...” The Drakling dramatically sighs out, playfully hiding her excitement beneath an exasperated mask. “Guess I’ll be boring and go in order. So... Allure first.”

All Natural Allure II: Increases Allure by 10%, further strengthens the effect it has on Health, Stamina, & Mana Regeneration, and gain Base Armour equal to 50% of Total Allure when naked & 35% of Total Allure when scantily clad. Associated attribute = Allure.

“Does it sound familiar, my dearest love~? Even just a little~?”

Krvavy glances down at her smug Dryad. “Are you really proud about getting a knock-off Naturists Blessing? Even if it just gives Base Armour instead of True Defence?”

“Aye! O’ course Ah am~!” Beryl’s green lips spread into a wide grin. “Are ya goin’ ta pretend tha’ ya don’t appreciate the fact tha’ Ah now ‘ave a good reason ta be naked all o’ the time~?”

“You needed a reason for that?” The corner of Krvavy’s lip twitches upwards. She can just barely keep herself from smiling. To distract herself, she quickly turns her attention back towards the stat sheet hovering in her vision.

Charismatic Charms I: Increases Charisma by 5%, strengthens its effect on Mana Regeneration, and it now affects Total Mana. Associated attribute = Charisma.

Composed Confidence I: Increases Composure by 5%, strengthens the effect it has on Total Mana, and it now significantly affects Mana Regeneration. Associated attribute = Composure.

“Ehh, both of those are kind of boring.” So is the one for Dexterity, and not just because it isn’t new at all.

Deft Dexterity II: Increases Dexterity by 10% and further strengthens its effect on Stamina Regeneration. Associated attribute = Dexterity.

“Aye, not every milestone trait can be amazin’. Ya know tha’. But...” Beryl’s nearly pure black eyes gleam with anticipation. “The next one is! So go on! Read it!”

“What, Endure & Adapt? That one isn’t new, and barely does anything.”

“Ach!” The Dryad grabs at the Drakling’s lower horns, sufficiently bothered by Krvavy’s oblivious act. “Not the next attribute trait! The next one in line!”

Dryadic Ascension: This Wood Elf has infused herself with the powers of Life and Nature, reshaping her body into a new form and binding her soul to a tree within her grove. Should her tree be destroyed, she will begin to wither and fade away, only clinging to life if a new one is planted to take the firsts place. Should her body be slain, the remnants of her soul will coalesce within her tree and she will be reformed, at the cost of losing a part of who she was before. Distance from her grove will see her wilt and weaken, while proximity will see her flourish and thrive. Can change her physical shape and appearance, shifting between her current Dryadic & former Wood Elven forms with leeway for minor alterations. Attacks utilizing her body, or extensions of her tree, completely bypass Base Armour. Expansion and enhancement of her grove will lead to further ascension.

“Wow, that’s, uh... a lot.” The barbarian mutters out, reading and re-reading the lengthy description. “You can come back from death?”

“Ah knew ya’d focus on tha’ part.” Beryl triumphantly states, her expression and tone quickly growing quite serious. “Aye, Ah can. But not like ya. It takes a lot more time and energy. And carries much, much greater consequences. It’d take only three, maybe four, deaths fer me ta completely forget who ya are, my dearest love. Tha’ alone should tell ya ‘ow bad dyin’ and bein’ reformed is fer a Dryad. But it gets worse still. Another death or two after tha’ would probably be enough fer me ta go completely feral. At tha’ point, wha’ is left o’ my broken mind would vehemently purge anythin’ tha’ doesn’t fit in my warped view o’ ‘Nature’. Dryads like tha’ get permanently put down, fer the good o’ everyone and everythin’ around them.”

“Right...” Krvavy slowly breathes out. Her throat feels a little dry.

“It’s still better than death bein’ entirely final, my dearest love.” The former Wood Elf reassure her Draconic lover, a kind smile playing at her verdant lips as she moves the conversation on. “And so is the rest o’ tha’ trait. Ya’ve already seen my ability ta shift my form, though not the ‘minor alteration’ part. Tha’ should let me make my tits a bit bigger, fer example. Or smaller, if ya want tha’. And ya’ve also already experienced the next bit as well wit’ tha’ lil’ scratch Ah gave ya earlier.”

Krvavy idly nods her head. “Yeah, that part is great. Helps to make you dangerous even up close. Any limitations to it? Like a cap on armour you can ignore?”

“Nothin’ like tha’, no. Just tha’ it only bypasses Base Armour. So actual physical armour, like a breastplate, will defend against me just as well as it normally would. Same wit’ resistances and True Defence. Still though, pretty good, aye~?” Beryl trails a single finger down the Drakling’s chest, letting her completely ordinary nail ‘scratch’ across Krvavy’s skin. “Ah should also point out tha’ the vines tha’ came out o’ my back earlier are part o’ my body. And an ‘extension o’ my tree’ isn’t quite as strict as it sounds either.”

“And the whole ‘ascension’ aspect of it?”

“Well, Ah’m just a Lesser Dryad right now.” A tinge of pride fills the tanned tomboy’s voice, despite her response being mildly sarcastic. “As much o’ an improvement this ‘as been from bein’ a plain ol’ Wood Elf, Ah still ‘ave a lot o’ room ta grow.”

“Okay...” The barbarian breathes out, her worries about the consequences of Beryl dying repeatedly all but forgotten. “Do any of your other traits do as many different things as this one?”

“Why don’t ya read ‘em and find out~?”

Heart of Nature: Through Druidic & Dryadic rituals, this Wood Elf has significantly strengthened her connection to nature. Her mere presence causes plants to thrive and improves the health of animals.

“Tha’ one used ta be Heart o’ the Woods.” Beryl helpfully explains, putting a bit more emphasis on the ‘h’ to actually pronounce it. “It didn’t do much before, just made me a bit more aligned wit’ Nature Magic.”

Insightful Mind II: Increases Insight by 10%, further strengthens the effect it has on Total Mana & Mana Regeneration, and now provides 10% of Base Insight to Rationality. Associated attribute = Insight.

Simple and a bit boring, but not bad at all. Definitely more exciting than the same old Might milestone trait and the Wood Elf racial trait that makes animals less likely to care about Beryl’s presence.

Overwhelming Love: An intense love has completely consumed Beryl’s very being: you are the sole purpose in her life. The magic that has burned this into her very being no longer holds sway over her, yet the love she has for you remains. You are no longer infallible in her eyes, so take care to not lose that love.

“Kind o’ like Khalia’s Loyal Love, aye?”

“Yeah...” Krvavy’s brow furrows slightly. “Except that still has an effect on her: she isn’t entirely free of the collar’s influence like you are. So not sure why this is even a trait...”

“Tha’ accursed thing may not be controllin’ me any more, but Ah do still ‘ave the echo o’ it in my mind.” Beryl points out, tilting her head slightly to the side. “Maybe tha’ is enough fer me ta be ‘immune’ ta the collar now? After all, once someone ‘as been enslaved by it, puttin’ the collar back on them doesn’t do anythin’ at all.”

“We are not testing that.” The Drakling very firmly states, pressing her lips together into a thin line.

“Aye, o’ course. Wouldn’t want ta test tha’ anyway.” The former Elf agrees. “Now, why don’t ya skip ta the most important trait tha’ Ah ‘ave~? The one tha’ yer soul gave me~? Don’t worry about Perception & Attention. It is borin’. Just increases Perception by twenty percent. Tough as Nails ‘asn’t changed either, and Will & Determination just went from increasin’ Willpower by two-point-five percent ta five percent. Absolutely borin’, unlike the one yer soul gave me. So go on already. Look at it.”

Prideful Patronage: Arrogant energies saturate Beryl’s body, making her into a symbol of your superiority. Increases the potency of Beryl’s spells by up to 50%, calculated after all other modifiers and effects, in accordance with how well her actions conform to your interest and desires. Allows for Beryl to tap into your emotions, channelling them into an aura that lends weight to her presence and which laces her voice with your will.

“Wew. That’s pretty good, but also a bit lackluster.”

“Oy!” The Dryad gently whacks her Draconic lover in the chest, her wood textured hand lightly slapping into a big pale tit. “Wha’ d’ya mean by tha’!?”

“It’s just that All Natural Allure and Dryadic Ascension raised the bar a bit too high, I guess.” Krvavy nonchalantly shrugs, her hand idly finding itself back onto Beryl’s pseudo-pregnant belly. “I mean, it’s still good. Great, even. That buff to your magic is amazing, really. But the emotion bit is a bit... I don’t know... boring?”

“Ach, come on. Be proud about this!” The black orbs that are Beryl’s eyes gleam as her green lips spread into a teasing smile. All because of that low effort pun.

“Honestly, it’s not a surprise that you got pride.” Krvavy idly comments, letting her tone grow a bit playful as she teases her sweet berry back. “Fits you just as well as wrath fits Khalia and lust fits Thea.”

“Why, because Ah’m an arrogant and superior Elf~? Or really tha’ Ah am above even tha’ now~?”

“More that you’re kind of an ass kisser that constantly strokes my ego and tries to make me feel better about myself than I deserve. Like, honestly, I’m kind of a trash person, but you –”

“Ach! My dearest love! Don’t be so ‘arsh on yerself! Ya deserve so much more than Ah alone could ever give ya!”

“See!” Krvavy triumphantly laughs out. “This is exactly what I mean!”

Realizing that she was just expertly played, Beryl crosses her arms over her pert breasts and pouts rather adorably.

Grinning widely, Krvavy leans her head down and plants a loving kiss on her Dryad’s puffed cheek.

“Tsk, fine,” Beryl does a pretty poor job of hiding the sheer amount of joy that simple kiss has filled her with. “If ya’re done lookin’ at my, as ya call it, ‘Stat Sheet’, then –”

“I’m not done just yet.” The barbarian playfully boops Beryl on the nose. “Don’t think that I haven’t noticed your three new spells.”

“Oh, Ah honestly forgot about those.” The tanned Dryad sheepishly admits. “Mendin’ Caress and Soothin’ Presence are both exactly wha’ they sound like.”

Mending Caress: Via directing the magic of life through your hands, you are able to completely heal moderate wounds with just a touch. Requires greater contact and more mana spent to mitigate major wounds. Associated attributes = Insight & Charisma.

Soothing Presence: Life magic radiates from your body, soothing the pain and calming the minds of those nearby while also increasing their Health Regeneration. Effect diminishes as distance grows. Associated attributes = Insight & Charisma.

“And the... other one~?” Krvavy teasingly asks, gently trailing her hand over her tomboy’s pregnant looking belly. “It sure has an interesting name~.”

Beryl’s cheeks flush a deep green colour. “Well... do ya remember tha’ Ah wanted ta make some sort o’ rejuvenatin’ sap? Ah, uh, didn’t ‘ave much luck in my attempts at gettin’ such a spell. Until now.”

Nymph-Heart Nectar: A Dryad’s nutritious nectar, infused with the rejuvenating magic of Life and Nature. Improves Health, Stamina, & Mana regeneration when consumed. Can cure illnesses and minor diseases. Associated attributes = Endurance, Insight, & Charisma.

“You sure are blushing a lot considering how innocent the description makes it sound~.” The barbarian leans in again, her lips nearly brushing against her sweet berry’s long and pointed Elf ear. “So was I right in guessing that there is more to it than that~?”

“Why don’t ya... uhm... help me lay this Seed and... and Ah’ll show ya~?” Beryl bashfully taps her fingers together, looking uncharacteristically shy and timid. “If... if tha’ isn’t too weird fer ya...”