The air was fraught with tension.
Eliron had never received this sort of treatment in his life.
He was already nervous when there were many women around him, but somehow, now that it was only Terra, it seemed to be even worse.
Being alone with her seemed somehow more… intimate…
He took in a breath as Terra continued her massage, calming himself.
Her hands slowly glided over his chest with slow, precise strokes, but he could tell from the look in her eyes, she was just as nervous as him.
"Have you done this before?" Eliron asked, a puzzled look on his face.
Terra slowly shook her head. "No my lord, I've only ever worked on arm and foot massages, never anything like this."
'No wonder she's nervous…'
"Then why did you decide to do a full body massage this time?"
She looked up from his chest, her face peach red from embarrassment.
"I felt it was necessary, we all know you have been working out in the forest for several days now."
"Oh…"
Eliron smiled. He had thought it was just something she always does, but she had chosen to do it out of concern.
'She's considerate, unlike a certain someone I know.'
Eliron imagined Yennefer to be lying down on a log somewhere close to a steaming pot.
Terra's massage felt good, and although it made him feel nervous, it was already far better than the massage the last elf had given him.
But her nervousness was slowly seeping into her work, so he held her hands to stop her.
The moment he did, Terra straightened like a pole, her body tense as she raised her head to meet his gaze, mouth partly agape.
Eliron could already imagine what she was thinking.
He rolled his eyes. "Relax, I'm not going to bite you…" Then he smiled. "…that is, unless you want me to."
Eliron did not think it was possible to be even more flustered than Terra was, but somehow, she managed to surpass his expectations.
"M-my lord!"
Eliron chuckled and let go of her hand. "So, do you feel a little more comfortable now?" he asked with a smile on his face.
The woman's expression softened when she realised the reason behind his joke, then she smiled.
"Yes, forgive my earlier reluctance my lord, I'll get to work now."
Eliron waved his hand. "You can call me Eliron, you're Artie's friend after all."
Her gaze darkened. "Ehe…" She scratched her head nervously. "I can't do that my lord, the other girls might just kill me…"
Eliron blinked. "Huh?"
Terra waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind, please allow me to get to work."
She packed her wet hair up in a ponytail, and tied up her long skirt just above her knees.
A few minutes ago, Terra was already good, but it was after she decided to focus that Eliron realised she was something else.
Her tender fingers were flowing past his muscles in a way that ignited every nerve, lymph nodes and muscle fibres.
Even with her delicate fingers, she still managed to massage his muscles so deeply that Eliron instantly felt relief.
"So, how did you manage to get here, if you don't mind me asking?" Eliron asked, sparking up a conversation born out of curiosity.
A human being in the elven forest was almost as strange as her being a quarter elf.
"I don't mind." she said, glancing down at him before moving to massage his right hand, her fingers interlocking with his as she worked.
"Although, personally I guess I don't know much. From what I was told, I was abandoned by my parents in the forest."
She paused before continuing.
"My guess is that they didn't have the nerve to kill me, so they left me to the monsters instead."
"But before night came, I was found by Artie and the late elven lord."
There was a slight fluctuation in her voice when she mentioned him. It was clear that they had shared some sort of bond.
"The elders were the ones who discovered I was quarter elf, something about my ears…"
"I see…"
She then placed her hand in her shirt and brought out a necklace with an insignia. "This is all I have left from my parents."
Eliron gave the necklace a long stare. 'Why does it look so familiar?'
The longer he stared at it, the more the answer evaded him, so he gave up on identifying it.
"I guess you must have been through a lot then, I can't imagine it being easy to be the only different one."
"Eh," she smiled. "You learn to grow a thick skin for it."
She had moved to his back and held his ears, giving them a soft tug which caused a light popping sound.
"Besides, Artie was always there for me."
Terra continued her massage, positioning herself in front of him. As her hands slid past his neck and to his back, Eliron was greeted by quite the sight.
She was right in front of him, her wet body and chest just inches away from his face, as her hands explored his shoulders.
Eliron swallowed.
Terra was completely engrossed in her work that she had forgotten the situation she was in. But when she realised, her eyes widened and she cleared her throat.
"Uhum— P-please turn over my lord." she stuttered.
Eliron did as she said.
"Can you lie on the stone? I need to massage your back…"
"Alright…"
Eliron laid flat on the stone and then Terra stepped out of the water.
"Please permit me, this is part of the process."
'Hmm? What is she talking about—oh…'
Eliron finally understood what she meant when she placed a towel over his back, and climbed atop him, her feet gliding over his spine and muscles.
It was heavenly.
'How is she this good?'
Her feet were finding the sore spots in his back, and dealing with them with gentle swirling motions.
She used the ball of her feet to massage his shoulder blades, lining his scapula like she had a mental map of it.
And then she went to her knees, using her knee to trace his back, creating popping sounds with each subtle tap.
'This can't be natural.'
Eliron had seen videos of massages like this online, when he would fantasize about visiting a spa, but there was no way in hell this was what they were experiencing back on earth.
Because when she was done, Eliron felt no pain. Every single ache, or subtle stiffness he had, had completely vanished.
"You… you are really good at this…" Eliron managed to say as he thought it through.
"How are you able to get the precise spots each time? Did you study under a mentor?"
Terra shook her head, and was about to speak when she paused, hesitating for a moment.
"You know keeping secrets from your lord is a crime right?" Eliron said playfully.
Terra sighed. "Well, it's nothing special. When I look at someone, I can see shimmering dots on their body, that way I know where to touch to get the desired results…"
"Shimmering dots…" Eliron stroked his bare chin as he contemplated, then he froze. "Wait, shimmering dots?!"
"Y-yes…"
"Are they patterned??" Eliron asked, excitement seeping into his voice.
"I guess so, they are connected by threads— My lord?!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Eliron grabbed her hand as well as his saber, pulling her to the other side of the room.
'It can't be, right?' he thought.
Although Terra was confused, she followed him until they arrived at a sizable rock.
Eliron had turned serious. "Can you show me the largest shining spot on this rock?"
Still confused, Terra walked forward and pointed at a certain spot.
"Here… but why does it matter, my lord?"
It was a smooth area that looked just like everywhere else.
"Stand back."
Terra followed his instruction, and Eliron lifted his blade.
Whoosh!
He struck the rock at the exact spot she had pointed, and the moment the sword hit the stone, it cleaved through it like butter, skewing the stone in half.
Terra stared at it with wide eyes. "How is this possible…."
Eliron smiled and held her shoulders. "You can use magic, Terra."
And it was not any ordinary type of magic.
"This is INFIRMITAS. A high grade magic that lets you see the weakness of all things!"
The wood elves had gained an invaluable asset.