A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Chuckling, Erik poured some new strength into his noodle-like body and slowly sat up. "Well," he sighed with a half-smile. "So long as you still treat me like a flawed mortal, I guess I'll be fine."

A teasing grin spread on Elora's lips, her hands still stretched towards him. "Flawed indeed, since I'm still not being picked up!"

"So demanding," an amused Erik groaned as he pushed himself to his feet and stretched his body. "Fortunately, I do like it when you get a little needy," he smiled, and closed the distance between them.

"Hehe, and I like it when you pamper me," the fairy grinned teasingly, her hands reaching for him.

Bending down, Erik allowed her to hook her hands behind his thick neck, before pushing his hands beneath her body, and lifting her up in one easy motion. Without surprise, she weighed no more than a feather to him.

"Hmm, that's a good boy," she smiled and nestled into his chest. "Did you enjoy my surprise?"

"Did I enjoy getting a massage, as well as having my balls emptied twice?" he smirked slightly as he walked over to the pool-sized bath of hot water. "Surprisingly, yes, I did."

"Hehe, good," Elora smiled, her eyes closed in comfort.

Reaching the water, Erik took his first step inside the bath and immediately raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This…" he muttered, before taking another step.

"Curious, right?" Elora smiled, her eyes closed. Even without using omnisense, she could easily guess what had drawn Erik's attention. "It's definitely not normal water. Although clearly focused on relaxation, it's equally obvious that Audumla believes such a thing should not stand in the way of progress."

Opening one eye, she looked up at him mischievously. "Admittedly, I might be starting to like her, hehe."

Erik didn't answer, and instead enjoyed the warmth that seeped into his body from the water. It was slow and gradual, but he could feel the water tempering his body, much like what happened when he exercised.

"It might not be as fast as doing the actual work, but it's still an advancement while doing nothing," Elora explained as her expression became a little more thoughtful. "That's not all, though, because the real benefit of this tempering is an increased benefit from training. I really do wonder where this water comes from…"

"You can't tell?" Erik asked with a hint of surprise.

Elora shook her head, frowning. "No… As you know, many parts of this structure are still invisible to me, as they were to Eira as well. There are specific blocks in the core room that I can't break through, no matter what I try. The only thing that works is you advancing in rank."

With Erik now standing knee-deep in the middle of the bath, Elora pointed over to one of the bath's sides, where a barely noticeable, fist-sized hole bored into the smooth black stone.

"That's where the water comes from," she said, before angling her finger to point at another hole, this one in the middle of the bath's floor. "And that's where it leaves again."

She looked up at him and shrugged helplessly. "It cycles slowly, but constantly, yet I have no idea where it goes or comes from. It simply disappears into the bowls of this construction."

Erik now started frowning as well. "You know, I never thought about how little we actually still know about this place… and yet it's inside my dimension, which is inside my soul. Do you think there's any nasty surprises waiting for us?"

The fairy appeared to think for a while, but then she shook her head. "Maybe, but even if so, I'm sure we'll be able to deal with it."

She put a hand on his chest and smiled reassuringly. "Your dimension and soul completely isolate this place from the outside world. We may not have all the keys yet, but no one, not even Audumla, could connect with it remotely. The only real security risk was Eira, but we solved that already. Plus, in the worst case, you could always force this structure out of your soul in mere moments."

Yet, then her reassuring smile wavered a little. "Of course, Audumla might be able to connect with it forcefully through physical contact, but… I'm pretty sure we'll have bigger problems at that point. With her level of power, we wouldn't even be able to stop her from forcefully enslaving us, let alone do whatever she liked to our dimension and soul."

Smirking wryly, she looked into Erik's amber eyes. "I guess what I'm saying is… It's important we never meet her physically if we can help it, but outside of that, the dimension should be safe."

If Eira were with them, she'd probably jump out at this point to give her opinion, but Erik was currently missing his armguard. The excitable sigil construct was currently wrapped around Astrid's arm.

Of course, Astrid couldn't use the armour because it'd been specifically designed for Erik, but the point was for Eira to experience the first wedding preparations she'd ever participated in. And she did so joyfully.

Erik and Elora looked at each other for a while as they both wondered what the future had in store for them. Would Audumla be a friend or an enemy? Would they decide to willingly help her in her plans, or would they try to avoid it at all costs?

Ymir seemed amicable enough, but he also seemed equally restricted right now. Would he have been as friendly if he had the freedom to be more aggressive?

These and many other questions flowed through their thoughts until Erik suddenly shook his head and grinned. "Anyway… topics like this one probably aren't conducive to your plans for relaxation, huh…?"

Clearing her thoughts as well, Eora giggled and shook her head. "Hehe, no, they're not! I want to enjoy the water with you!"

"Then let me find a place to sit," Erik smiled and looked around the bath. Several places looked designed for just such a purpose, and he eventually settled on one.

Making his way over, he sighed contentedly as he lowered both himself and Elora into the hot, relaxing water. Now it was time to truly enjoy some time alone together.