The world flickered back into existence... bright... too bright and blurry. Amelia groaned, the taste of blood was thick on her tongue and she lay sprawled on her uncomfortable cot. 

[You have slept in a bed. HP and MP fully restored.]

As she lay there, a wave of nausea washed over her. She groaned, the feeling overpowering her senses and making her painfully aware of how uncomfortable her rest had been. 

Disoriented, she tried to sit up only to stumble back into the cot,

"Easy there, lass."

A soft voice said from above. 

Amelia squinted upwards, her vision slowly coming back into focus. It was Hallbera, her mother, standing above her with a small wooden mug of some sort,

"How are ya' feeling?"

Hallbera asked, her voice neutral.

"Sore,"

Amelia croaked, wincing as she remembered the pain in her abdomen. Gingerly, she reached out for the mug,

"Drink. It'll help."

Amelia eyed the yellowish-brown content of the mug suspiciously and frowned. It smelled funny. She hesitated for a moment, but her mother's eyes urged her to take a cautious sip. 

To her surprise, the liquid had a robust fruity taste with a hint of herbs that flowed coldly down her throat. The liquid was cold and comforting. She took another sip and then another, and another until the mug was empty.

"What is it?"

She asked, her voice still hoarse from the sleep.

"Ale,"

Answered Hallbera as she chuckled, looking out through the room's window.

"Eh,"

Hic

[Status Effect: Intoxication]

Amelia's hand shot up, covering her lips.

Hallbera threw back her head and laughed. The sound was both soft and merry, indeed, merrier than any she had had all week as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders,

"Looks like the ale's working,"

She managed the remark from under her peal of laughter, eyes twinkling with amusement.

Amelia lowered her head in embarrassment. Despite living in an age where people drank it like water, she had never had any ale before. Still, it eased some of the discomfort, and the warmth spreading across her body felt strangely welcoming.

Hallbera gently patted Amelia on her head and smiled.

"I dare say you did better than me when I was your age,"

She said softly.

"You are made of sterner stuff than you look,"

She added, poking Amelia where she had been hit. 

Amelia pretended to wince a little and pulled back instinctively, the wounds had long since healed but the pain was fresh in her memories.

Hallbera frowned, and with a final pat on Amelia's shoulder, she stood up and walked towards the door,

"Rest up now,"

She said over her shoulder,

"We'll continue tonight. After you're feeling better, that is."

As Hallbera left the room, Amelia settled back into her cot, her eyes following after her mother and she noticed... 'something,' and averted her eyes,

'I shouldn't be thinking about such things... certainly not!'

Her thoughts drifted off to the system and she whispered,

"Notifications,"

[Skill Alert!]
New Skill: Novice Blunt Weapon Mastery(Lv.5)
Description: Allows the user to handle blunt weapons with greater proficiency and inflict 5% additional damage while using blunt weapons.

New Skill: Novice Staff Mastery(Lv.2)
Description: Allows the user to handle staffs with greater proficiency and inflict 2% additional damage while using them.

New Skill: Physical Damage Resistance(Lv.2)
Description: A 2% decrease in damage taken from physical attacks.

[Attribute Alert!]
|STR: +1|
|VIT: +1|
|DEX: +1|

[Name: Amelia Calvindotr]
[Job: None]
[Gender: Female]
[Level: 8] [Next LV: 19%]
[Title: Village Hunter's Daughter]
[Age: 15]
[Species: Human(Dúnedain/Númenórean)]

[HP: 450/350]
[HP Regen. 3.6/Min]
[MP: 330/330]
[MP Regen. 3/Min]

[Status Effect: Intoxication]

STR: 19(+25%)
VIT: 15(+25%)
DEX: 21(-25%)
INT: 11(-50%)
WIS: 10(-50%)
LUK: 15(+25%)
|Free Points: 20|
|Money: GC0/SC0/CP5|

***

Her gaze lingered on the Dúnedain/Númenórean under her species. She had never paid much attention, but she knew what it meant. 

Númenóreans or as they contemporarily referred to, 'The Dúnedain,' were the people of Númenor, descendants of the Edain, the noble Men of the First Age. They were granted the island of Elenna as a dwelling, but eventually, they turned against the Valar and their home was destroyed in the last years of the Second Age.

Of course, she knew a lot more than just that, but the Ale was doing its work on her mind and she couldn't recall anything else. Maybe later, when the effects of the ale wore off completely, she would try to recall all that she could.

Still, the ale couldn't stop her from muttering,

"Species"

[Species: Human(Dúnedain/Númenórean)

Númenóreans: Pure-blooded descendants of the Edain of the First Age.
Effect 1) A 300% increase in HP/HP regeneration and MP/MP regeneration.
Effect 2) A 200% increase in skill level up rate.

Amelia smiled, but her grin soon turned into a frown when a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. The pleasant warmth of her limbs turned into a dull throb behind her eyes. She groaned, realizing that 'Intoxication' wasn't just a cute status effect after drinking a bit of ale. 

She felt sluggish, her thoughts turned fuzzy, and her vision grew darker. 

With a sigh, she tried to crawl out of the cot again, carefully avoiding jostling her sore stomach. But as soon as she got to her feet, the world spun, and the land beneath her feet disappeared. 

Amelia giggled as she lay flat on her back, her voice sounding strange and slurry to her own ears. The feeling was strange, but not entirely unpleasant. 

The door creaked open by a few inches and Hallbera peeked inside, her eyes narrowing slightly as she heard the sound of Amelia's laughter. Her gaze softened a touch as she saw the flustered cheeks and glassy eyes of her daughter,

"Ye can't hold yer drink lass, can ye'."

Hallbera asked. There was more than a hint of amusement in her voice.

"A little,"

Admitted Amelia, a wide grin spreading across her face.

"That's alright. The ale ought to wear off soon enough."

Hallbera moved to the other side of the room and began fumbling through a dry store of things. From it, she withdrew a new wooden quiver, a bundle of arrow shafts, a box of arrowheads, and several bags of dry-hardened feathers. 

"Wha... whatcha makin' there, Ma?"

Amelia slurred, the words thick on her tongue.

Hallbera glanced over her shoulder, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"Nothin' ya need to concern yerself with, lass."

She replied, expertly slinging the shaft bundle over her shoulder and the feather bag under her other free hand. 

Amelia's brows furrowed, she stared at her mother,

"Númenór..."

The strange taste of ale was still thick on her tongue,

"What does that mean...?"

Hallbera's smile vanished, replaced by a guarded expression.

"Where did you hear that? Calvin's been filling your head with weird stories again?"

She mumbled, avoiding eye contact, but her hands sped up and she rushed out the gate.

"Just go to sleep!"

Hallbera hollered back over her shoulder,

"Don't go thinking about those crazy things."