Her appearance was serene and calm, and when the veil fell, he realized... The veil was a magical item that completely hid her true appearance; despite keeping the hair, even the eye color was different beneath the veil...
'This must be expensive... But anyway, I found... an elf.' He thought, seeing the woman's pointed ears and her calm, serene gaze. She almost seed like a Goddess to his eyes, but... only her face was really in good condition, as for her body... it was as deteriorated as it was when he healed her and released her mana points...
Then she laughed at his reaction and began: "I believe I don't have much ti left." Evelyn said, as if expecting sothing from Strax, after all, he would know how to resolve this sohow, but... it wasn't exactly like that.
"I just wanted to ask you to be careful. Not for , but for Lyana... I have a bad feeling about this, so please, just be careful." Evelyn said as she approached him, but suddenly a ssage appeared.
[Extra Mission: An Enchanting Elf has been initiated, dialogue must be precise to obtain the extra reward.]
Strax read the ssage without even realizing what it was about... It was sothing really strange to happen out of nowhere... It was the first ti the word [Extra] was used in a mission...
He turned his attention to the woman, who was now getting closer to him, and he was starting to feel suffocated by the clear gaze of her athyst eyes. There was sothing in her eyes, a shine that had never been there before... well, he couldn't really see her eyes, but he couldn't stop looking at her. It was a mix of desperation and... Desire?
As if she were about to enjoy the last monts of her life to do sothing she had always wanted but never had the courage to do or soone to do it with.
"Evelyn," Strax began, but the words got lost when she took another step forward, closing the distance between them even more.
"Strax..." She murmured, she seed really surrendered to sothing he couldn't understand, it was a gentle and... loving tone. "I started to admire your strength, your determination with your wives... and now... I'm dying. I don't have ti to hesitate or regret not having done sothing."
Those words were... wicked... and that made Strax's heart race. He understood where this was going, and every fiber of his being wanted to stop her, but he was also becoming even more cautious. The system ssage... required precision in the dialogue, and he couldn't fail.
Evelyn raised her hand and placed it gently on Strax's chest, feeling his heartbeat. "I want to feel... just once... what it is to be alive, completely alive."
Her voice was indeed wicked and malicious, with a gentle and calm charm of desire, and Strax felt his whole body tense, the tension growing inside him. The intentions had already beco quite clear, but this behavior... was not sothing Evelyn would do, at least, he didn't see her like this... there was sothing behind it... he needed to find out what was going on...
"Evelyn, this is not how it should be done." Strax murmured, his hand moving to hold hers and try to push her away. "This isn't you. Don't let despair consu you, this won't help anyone right now." His words were on point, but...
She didn't stop.
She ca even closer until their bodies were almost touching, her eyes fixed on his, pleading for sothing that Strax... well, he was wondering whether or not to give, but not in this way.
"Please... Strax..." she whispered, her voice breaking his thoughts. "Just once... just one ti... Let forget all of this. Let feel as if there's no tomorrow, because for , maybe there really isn't a tomorrow..." She whispered...
Then, she made her bold move. With a quick motion, she leaned in, her intentions clear as her lips sought his. But before she could reach him, Strax firmly held her shoulders, halting her advance.
"Evelyn, stop," he said firmly, this... was not sothing he easily accepted. "This isn't what you really want. This is despair talking, not your true desire." He said, and this slightly irritated him. He was faithful to his wives, but they knew he would have more... the real problem here was...
This woman, she was acting completely strange! And it irritated him a lot!
She looked at him, surprised, and then the mask she had been trying to maintain broke. Evelyn stepped back, her hands trembling as tears began to form in her eyes.
"I... I just don't want to die alone," she whispered, her voice almost inaudible.
Strax felt his heart tighten because... well, he didn't like seeing won cry. He saw the real Evelyn there, a woman who was terrified of her own mortality, trying to cling to anything that could give her comfort in her final monts.
"You're not alone," he said softly, pulling her into a gentle embrace. "I'm here. And I won't let you face this alone."
Evelyn clung to him, softly sobbing as emotions overwheld her. Strax knew he needed to be strong for her, but he also knew he had to handle this situation the right way, without giving in to manipulation, no matter her reasons.
After a few monts, Evelyn pulled back slightly, wiping her tears away. She looked exhausted, but there was a palpable relief in her expression, as if expressing her feelings had lifted a heavy burden off her shoulders.
"Thank you, Strax," she said, her voice still fragile but filled with gratitude. "You… you passed the test." She laughed, and the sadness and vulnerability she had shown earlier vanished, leaving Strax sowhat confused.
[Mission Completed]
Strax read the notification with a neutral expression, trying to make sense of what had just happened. If he could, he would probably strangle the system for giving him such a pointless mission. "What a strange mission... it felt like one of those tasks to just deliver sothing from point A to point B... I didn't even do anything!" he thought, irritated.
"Of course, it was a test..." he muttered, beginning to understand why Evelyn had acted so out of character. At least she was a good actress. "She might even win an Oscar," he thought with a hint of sarcasm.
Evelyn smiled, a weak but genuine smile. "Yes… I needed to know if you were really the person I believed you to be. If you would give in to despair or remain strong. And you were… perfect. Now I know what will happen from here on," she said with a confident smile.
Strax was silent for a mont, absorbing what she said. "So, all of this was… for nothing?" he questioned, his eyes scanning her carefully.
"A test," Evelyn confird. "A test to see if you could resist impulse, desire… despair. Unfortunately, many people give in to these things during a crisis, and what's about to happen requires a strong mind. That's why I was testing you." She smiled, and he could hardly believe what he was hearing.
"So… you revealed that you're an elf, flirted with , even pretended to cry… just for that?" he questioned, still incredulous.
"Exactly," she replied, still smiling. "And you knew, didn't you? Your eyes are special." She laughed, and Strax felt a chill realizing she was aware of his abilities. "What? Did you think I wouldn't notice you reading the mana in the environnt? It's obviously a great help," she said, laughing before she moved closer to him again.
[The mission reward will be delivered by: Evelyn Parker]
Strax read the ssage, confused. "What do they an she'll deliver the reward?" he wondered, finding the system's behavior increasingly strange. But he didn't have ti to process what it ant, as Evelyn was approaching him again.
This ti, however, her expression was completely different. There was no more desperation in her eyes, only a deep calm and a sense of approval and kindness... along with sothing more.
She looked into his eyes, and Strax realized she wanted sothing. Evelyn was a bit shorter than him, so she gestured for him to lower himself. "And as a reward," she said softly, "I'd like to give you sothing… real." Not fully understanding, Strax leaned down, following her lead, and before he could react, Evelyn grabbed his collar, pulling him down abruptly, and then kissed him.
But this kiss was different.
There was no urgency, no desperation. It was a gentle kiss, full of gratitude and affection, sothing that transcended what she had tried before.
Strax was surprised at first, but he soon gave in to the mont, understanding that this was Evelyn's true gift, a sincere gesture of affection she wanted to share before it was too late.
When they finally parted, Evelyn looked at him with a soft smile. "Thank you, Strax. For taking my first kiss."
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