(Naked) Adventure Awaits!

"Now, for this spell, you need to feed mana in through the roots. We would normally use a medium for this, but in a pinch it can be done by will alone. The important thing is not to it, simply pool the mana and let the seed drink it in when it's ready. Do you feel the difference?" The woman waited for her student's hesitant nod before gracing her with a radiant smile. "Good, then begin."

The young lady took a breath, then sang out in a clear voice: "Bloom!"

Before them, the dirt shifted. A green sprout pushed through, rapidly growing, thickening, and splitting off into branches until a three foot tall bush stood in the middle of the clearing. Broad green leaves unfurled, while bunches of berries grew plump and shifted color from unripened yellow to white to a vibrant, almost glowing purple. They hung there alluringly as the bush stilled, a sweet aroma beginning to permeate the area.

The woman gently plucked a berry from the branch and popped it into her mouth, savoring it. She smiled wider, nodding approvingly. "Very good, you did it perfectly on your first try. I'm so proud of you, Sweetie!"

Alis sagged in relief with a satisfied smile of her own, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "Thanks, Mum!"

Sedainaris of Maplewald, née Virralei, sighed fondly as she watched her daughter gleefully stuff her face with goodberries. Even all grown up, some things never changed. Although...

"Alis, is something bothering you? Your mana is unsettled."

She paused with a berry halfway to her mouth, blinking. "Um, just nervous to be leaving soon. It'll be good to see Rosa and Siri again, but it's gonna be hard to leave you and Father behind."

Sedainaris moved to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her. "Oh, my little starlight. I know, but I'm sure the four of you will be back to visit soon. Besides, just remember, your father and I met while he was an adventurer! Maybe you'll find love on your journeys too, hmm?"

Alis blushed and looked away. That could have just been from the teasing, but the tension in her shoulders and way she was leaning away slightly caused her mother to narrow her eyes. "Æleisanor,"--the girl winced--"is there perhaps another problem?"

She looked up with a pitiful expression, cheeks painted crimson. Alis bit her lip, then said, "It's just... do I really have to be naked for this?"

And she was--both of them were, bare skin pressed together as they sat cross-legged in the clearing a short distance past the edge of the woods behind their family's inn. The semi-private location was Sedainaris' only concession to modesty, and even then only because the proximity to nature let them draw on mana easier. While Sedainaris herself seemed perfectly at ease, with her prodigious breasts thrust out and her long emerald-green hair fluttering in the breeze, Alis had started to hunch over self-consciously, raising her arms to cradle her smaller yet still impressive assets as she scanned the woods for voyeurs. After all, it wouldn't be the first time one of the other townspeople stumbled across them by accident during her lessons, though at least her father would deal with anyone who intentionally came out looking for a peepshow.

Her mother sighed again, this time in annoyance at the familiar complaint. "As I've explained, our mystic arts are different from what the mages practice. We do not the mana into unnatural arrays, we must let it flow through us as it pleases, understand the currents and guide them accordingly. Clothing stifles the spirit and deadens the senses. Thus, attempting sorcery with clothing on is like wielding a blade without a hilt: even if you can manage it, you'll more likely than not just end up making a big mess of things."

She glumly nodded along to the rote lecture. Sedainaris huffed in amusement, tousling the girl's own green hair and tucking a lock behind one pointed ear. "Anyways, you're a beautiful young woman, you shouldn't worry so much about others seeing you. If only I had started teaching you when you were younger, you wouldn't have grown up with such silly ideas about decency... haah, but your father was always so insistent that I wait..."

Alis didn't reply, though on the inside she was once again wondering if it was too late to ask her father to teach her how to fight instead. Still, as she sat in the warm embrace of her mother, surrounded by the sounds of nature with dappled sunlight shining down, she did gradually begin to relax again. She stifled a yawn as her eyes slowly drooped half-shut.

And then the underbrush behind her shook loudly, and Alis leapt up like she had been sitting on hot coals. Squeaking in fright, she covered her breasts and womanhood with her hands as she whipped her head around, trying to remember where she left her clothes. A figure emerged into the clearing, and she instinctively ducked behind the goodberry bush before looking over at the intruder.