Gods, if I make it out of here alive, I will never go adventuring again. It's now been three days ever since I walked into this forest with a group of adventurers after we all heard of great treasure being hidden deep in the enchanted forests of the elves, and it couldn't have been a greater disaster. We had only been exploring for a few hours when we realized that we were completely and utterly lost, and then the guy carrying most of our supplies and food was attacked and dragged off by a pack of wolves before we could even notice. Before long, night had fallen and the entire group was terrified, which the forest used to its advantage. After a dangerous noise startled us, half the group followed that noise to check it out and told us to stay behind and to move on if they weren't back after an hour. We gave them two extra hours and they still didn't come back. Then what seemed to be a living tree dragged one of the remaining few away and all we could do is watch. Eventually, it was down to three, and we were finally split up for good when a massive growth blocked us off from each other, forcing us to move in differing directions.
Somehow, I've managed to survive two whole days on my own after that, but it's not been without struggles. At this point, I'm completely out of supplies, my armor is tattered beyond repair and hardly protects me from anything, I'm cut and bruised all over, and I haven't slept since I first came here. The only thing keeping me going at this point is the desperate desire to just not die, as it would be so easy to just collapse here and bleed out. Something inside of me is screaming at me that it can't end here, that I still have so much to live for, that the forest has to get lighter at some point and the exit is just a few steps further. And yet, eventually my legs simply give out, and my consciousness goes along with them as I slam into the forest ground.
As I awake again, my surroundings have completely changed. Laying inside a bed, the first thing I realize is that I'm completely naked. Then, my drowsiness slowly dissipates, allowing me to take in my current location a bit more. It seems to me that I am in some sort of house, though what strikes me about it is that everything seems to be made of some sort of plant-related matter. Slowly, I try to get out of bed and onto my feet, but they turn out to be far too weak to support my weight and I start to fall. Thankfully, I am caught before I fall to the ground, and I hear a voice behind me. "Easy there, cutie, you're not ready to walk under your own power yet. Come on... let's get you back into bed," the voice says, its tone calm and caring, and I can't help but acquiesce, sensing that whoever this is only seems to want to help. After I am laid back into the bed, the owner of the voice walks into my view for the first time, revealing itself to be an elf. "Good to see you're awake. You've been out for over a week now, so your limbs won't quite work the way you want them just yet, but we'll get that done soon enough. My name is Laya, and I am the healer in this small elven village. What's your name?"
While it takes a moment for me to start talking, I do manage to introduce myself, and soon enough we have a conversation as to just what happened. Apparently I was found unconscious in the forest by an elven forager and was brought back to this village. As for what happened to my adventurer group, the forest, on account of being enchanted and all, is capable of detecting whether those that wander through it have pure intentions at heart or not. Since we were searching for elven treasure to steal, the forest itself turned against us and picked us off one by one. In fact, I should consider myself lucky that I survived at all, and it might have been my last minute repentance that spared my life. Finally, my armor and clothes were so tattered and torn by the point I was found that they were just completely unsalvageable and they threw them out, which is fair.
"Because of the forest protecting us, we hardly have any contact with non-elven people at all. In fact, the only contact is a human caravan that comes through to trade in specialty goods once a year, and it came through about two months ago, so you will have to live here with us for quite some time. However, as you are stranded here, you will receive our full hospitality. And once you're up on your feet again, you might even be able to help out as my assistant, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, it's good you're awake, because there's something we can do that will help you recover a lot. Wait a moment..." Laya explains before walking over to a wardrobe and pulling out a simple robe. She motions for me to take her hands, and she helps me up out of the bed and dresses me in the robe while supporting my shaky legs. "There. Now just lean on me and follow me, there's a place I would like to bring you to just outside the village."
As we leave her hut and slowly make our way outside the village, my footsteps start to become a bit more steady, but all the while I'm incredibly grateful for Laya supporting me like this. With careful steps, we soon arrive at a small lake surrounded by a downright picturesque glade. In fact, now that I think about it, the surroundings here are all totally beautiful, a far cry from the terrifying forest I was struggling to survive in. It seems that the forest rewards those that respect it, and maybe that is just the point of view I need to take now. "Here we are. The healing waters of our village, and the reason I don't usually have a lot of work. Now that you can at least move a bit, you should be able to take a dip in these waters and feel your energy just return to you, Rachel," Siveril explains. She then sets me off on the grass on the bank of the lake, and to my surprise, casts off her robe. With just one quick motion, her entire body is revealed to me, from head to toe, and it's just gorgeous. I have heard many stories of the beauty of the elves, and I can now see that none of that was exaggeration, because I have an example of it right in front of me now.
"Why... why did you undress?" I ask her, confused.
Her reply comes with a simple smile. "Well, I'm not going to just have you bathe in the lake alone, of course. I'm still not sure if you can handle the movement given how long you were out, so of course I'm going to support you." The way she says it makes it sound so simple, as if two women getting naked and going for a dip in a lake is just the most normal thing in the world. Carefully, she helps me take off my robe as well, and then leads me into the lake at a shallow point where we can simply sit down in the waters. So, as I sit there, the warmth of the lake reinvigorating me, a beautiful elf sitting next to me and doting on me, I feel truly at ease, and it is in that state that Laya turns her face towards me and gives me a soft and gentle peck on the cheek. "Ah, I'm sorry..." she mutters, blushing. "That was inappropriate of me, and yet...