The Hot Spring Soak

A number of simple tents were erected not far from the entrance, around half way between it and the first pool, more than enough for everyone to take one. It was in one of those that John stood in, suddenly self conscious about changing into his very basic set of swim trunks.

It was an odd feeling, given how much his body had been seen without clothes in the past week. Maybe it had to do with what was going on in those moments to distract from what he considered his less than impressive physique.

‘I think you’re being a little dramatic,’ Senka remarked. ‘You aren’t going to be showing off. And you really don’t have to worry about how we think you look. I don’t think you’ve really taken stock of the changes your body has undergone.’

John felt his eyebrow rise up as he felt Senka’s hands trace across his chest, his heart beginning to beat harder at the pleasurable sensation, even if it was only in his head. He felt Senka tug on his mana, silently requesting to be summoned. He did just that, the spirit manifesting behind him, her large breasts squishing against his back as her fingers moved up and down his chest.

“I don’t think I’ve changed that much,” John muttered.

“Oh, I think you have,” Senka breathed into his ear. “But if you want to disprove me, I think you’ll need to remove your shirt.”

John failed to hold back a shiver; her sensual tone combined with her touch sent blood south. Still, he obliged her request and unequipped his shirt. With the fabric removed, Senka’s moving fingers now raked across his skin pleasurably, one hand remaining around his chest, the other trailing down to his midsection.

“I believe you didn’t have this definition last week,” the spirit said huskily, her nails tracing his abs. The hand that remained on his chest then drifted over to his bicep, and gave it a squeeze. “And these are definitely bigger.”

“Alright, I get it,” John said in an embarrassed tone. “I’m not a featureless beanpole anymore.”

‘If she keeps feeling me up, I’m not going to be able to get out of here without tenting my trunks,’ he privately thought. ‘That would not be a good way to start things.’

Already, Senka’s ministrations had driven him to half mast, something he could hide with a little effort. Any more would push him into the danger zone.

“Oh,” Senka murmured, her breath tickling his ear. “Is this doing it for you?”

“We really don’t have time for this, Senka,” John tried to head off her descent into something lewd. However, the thought of engaging in something with only the tent separating them from everyone else caused a small jolt to run through him, even if the ambient noise of the spring would muffle any suspicious sounds.

“I think you have a split opinion on that.” Senka chuckled. She pulled away from him and John thought she was going to let things cool off. Instead, she sauntered around him, her professional outfit melting away, exposing pale, flawless skin. That display was more than enough to fully rouse John’s dick, which now twitched with need.

“Senka,” John hissed, his body torn between fear and horniness. “We can’t…”

“I think we can do a little bit of fooling around,” she whispered as she squatted down, her hands coming to rest on John’s hips. “Just a bit of quick fun.”

A spark of indignation flared up from under John’s nervousness and arousal, ignited by Senka’s words and the smile she wore as she said them. The small part of his mind that was crumbling under primal urges or locked up in fear realized she was goading him. And that he was going to give in.

As Senka moved to manually undo his pants, John unequipped them, along with the remainder of his clothing. She licked her lips sensually as his erect dick bobbed in front of her face.

“That’s what I like to see,” the sexy spirit said, her breath washing over John’s cock as she moved her hands to it. She kissed the tip, making John groan, before continuing, “Since we don’t have the luxury of time, I’m going to go all in. Don’t be afraid to kick things up a few notches yourself.”

Before John could question what she had in mind, Senka shot her head forward, her mouth engulfing his cock in one go. John held back a groan as she began to work his dick, her tongue swirling around the head. The back and forth of her lips stimulated what parts the flexible organ couldn’t reach, sending pleasurable waves up and down John’s cock.

He felt weak kneed thanks to her actions, but knew that at her current rate, it would take a bit too long to bring him to completion. So, taking her advice, he reached out and took her head in his hands. She hummed around his cock in a pleased manner and let him take control.

John increased the speed of her bobbing, drawing out a throaty moan from the spirit. Her hands no longer lingered on John and instead quickly made their way to her dripping pussy, the slicking sound of her masturbation now joining the lewd chorus.

‘I hope you’re taking your own advice, Senka,’ John thought to her, not trusting his voice at the moment. ‘I don’t want to leave you hanging, but we don’t have the time.’

‘Just worry about draining yourself,’ the spirit responded, the voice in his head incredibly erotic. ‘I think you getting off will push me over the edge.’

‘God, that’s hot,’ John thought, increasing his use of Senka’s mouth, something she seemed to enjoy if her moaning was any indication. A few moments later, John felt his balls begin to contract.

‘I’m-’ he tried to warn her of his impending climax but only got that out before the dam broke. Senka quivered as his load was fired down her throat, her hands pawing at her sex with increased fervor. After swallowing his cum, Senka pulled back, John letting her slip from his fingers as he caught his breath.

He watched Senka reach her peak with a muffled cry, the spirit’s shaking legs giving out on her. She fell onto her cushy rear, legs splayed out enough to see her moist sex. Sensually, Senka shakily brought one of her hands to her mouth and licked the fingers clean.

“Hmm, delicious,” she purred and John felt a renewed burst of arousal and he let out a groan. Senka let out a chuckle and held her other hand out. “No more fooling around, I promise.”

John could feel her sincerity as he helped her to her feet. As he did, he frowned a bit, already feeling the post nut tiredness fading.

“Feeling it too, huh?” Senka inquired. “I guess that regen buff first goes into relieving exertion.”

“Seems so,” John said, finally getting around to putting on his swim trunks, a plain black pair that nearly reached his knees. “At least we’re not going to be winded when we go out there.”

“Agreed,” Senka nodded, a dark one piece bathing suit manifesting on her body, preserving her modesty. “Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.”

“You say that like I’m the reason we might be the last ones done changing,” John complained.

Senka grinned at him and winked.

“You were the one worried about how you look.”

---

Thankfully, they hadn’t been the last to emerge, and it seemed none were the wiser to their pre changing activities. Kiera had been the last to leave her tent, a towel wrapped around herself like a dress and her face bright red. Without missing a beat, Senka casually walked up to the bluenette and slung her arm around the girl. Kiera eeped and flinched slightly, more from surprise than fear.

“I think it'd be best for us to soak a little bit aways," the spirit said into Kiera’s ear, leaning down quite a bit to do so. "A bit of privacy, just us girls. That'd make you feel less embarrassed, right?"

Kiera mumbled something too quiet to hear over the low rumble of the water, not that Senka would pay attention to any attempt to worm out of some girl time. It would be easier to get her to come out of her shell with only one or two other people around. The spirit’s eye moved briefly over to Barbara, still weighing whether to invite her too.

‘Maybe she just doesn’t like being around too many people,’ Senka thought. ‘She probably just hangs around the rest of Echo.’

The spirit turned her attention to the pool they were likely going to enter and to the others and her lips curled into a slight smile. She could sense a question begin to form in John’s mind and she sent him a reassuring feeling, one that wordlessly conveyed she was trying to make Kiera more comfortable. A subtle nod alongside a small pulse of agreement gave her the go ahead for her plan.

“I think Kiera here would prefer a more private spot to soak,” Senka firmly said. “That’s not going to be a problem, is it?”

Her tone was pleasant but there was a dark undercurrent to it that seemed to slightly faze Martius. The gnome sputtered before Harker said, “That’s fine. We were going to focus on the plans for tomorrow. I think John will be enough to give your group’s input on things.”

“Great,” Senka cheerfully uttered before beginning to maneuver Kiera away from the group. “We’ll be just on the other side of this wall.”

The spirit quickly ushered the shy bluenette towards the secluded part of the pool. She shot a smile towards Barbara and tilted her head towards the water, hoping it was enough of an invite for her to consider. The silver haired girl didn’t respond but Senka paid that no mind. Her inclusion was only a secondary objective.

She dipped a toe into the spring and let out a pleased hum before properly stepping into the waist high water. It was just at the point between comfortably hot and scalding and she quickly sank down onto a stone outcropping that served as a bench, the water now coming to partially obscure her breasts.

She eyed Kiera and made a beckoning motion with her hand.

"Come on in. The water’s perfect," she said, careful to keep her voice from slipping from its friendly tone to one more seductive.

"Um, are you sure this is ok?" Kiera asked as she slowly let her towel come undone, revealing her petite body to Senka.

"John can field whatever questions they have and strategize without us," Senka answered, doing her best to keep from leering at the bluenette. The swimsuit was a quite plain dark blue one piece, but it was rather tight, which the spirit presumed caused the girl's mild distress, given how it emphasized her bust.

'They certainly seem larger than a 'B' cup,' Senka mused as Kiera sank into the water. Her smaller frame meant she was up to her neck. 'I suppose they just look bigger given her short stature. I hope being hidden by the water will help her feel more comfortable. Not that she has anything to be ashamed of.'

A pleasant shiver ran down Senka’s back as she briefly imagined the girl across from her fully exposed but she shut down that part of her mind. It was far from the time and place for such things.

'Focus on being a friend first. Then, we can take things as they come.'

"Ahh," she exclaimed, leaning back towards the rim of the pool, "this is quite exquisite. Shame it's my first experience with a bath. I don't think any old one will compare."

A quizzical look flashed across Kiera’s face, her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, and her lower lip pursed between her teeth. She shifted awkwardly, clearly internally debating on whether to say something. After a long moment, she asked, "W-what did you mean by that?"

"I've only been alive for less than a week," Senka answered plainly. "Not really any time to indulge in such things. Not to mention I really don't need to do them to clean myself. Small perk of a physical form created from mana. Still, if they can get this comfy, I'll have to see if we can get one."

"W-we!?" Kiera squeaked, her face growing red.

Senka let out a good natured laugh. "I meant John and the girls. Though I doubt anyone would object to you borrowing it if you wanted. "

Before any more conversation on baths could commence, Barbara walked into view from the other side of the ridge.

"Oh, decided to take up my offer?" Senka asked with a smug look on her face.

The silver haired woman shot Senka a withering glance before slipping into the water, a fair distance from her and Kiera. With her mind firmly locked into friend mode, Senka only dimly noted Barbara’s mildly hourglass figure.

“It’s better over here than there,” was the response Senka wasn’t sure she was going to get out of the ironically quiet girl. Something tickled in the back of her mind, though. Their guest from Argent Echo had a large cavern full of pools to soak in. Why join them when she clearly didn’t want any company?

Senka let that question sink to the back of her mind. Instead, she focused back on Kiera and smiled. One job at a time. Right now, that was getting Kiera more comfortable talking. With her at first, and the others later.

---

“Are you sure it’s wise to not have Kiera on hand to answer questions?” Martius asked as the rest of the party slipped into the pool.

“If she had any insight, she would have told us,” Harker answered with certainty before letting out a groan as the hot water surrounded him. “With how much strain her mind underwent, pushing her to try and remember could end badly.”

“I have to agree with that assessment,” Lynn added as she leaned back along the edge of the spring. “Not my area of expertise, but letting her get back to speed in her own time is the best way to go about things. Even if it slows us down. Wouldn't make us better than them if we pushed her to break again.”

John sat back as the three continued to debate their next move regarding Phantom Reach. He was somewhat grateful they were discussing that instead of the upcoming event in the world tree barrier. He had always hated giving presentations in school, no doubt more due to the audience than his ability to recall the relevant information.

To calm his mind for the upcoming talk he was likely to have to give, John activated Arcane Sense, curious to how such an area felt. If the water around him was just the right temperature, the mana around him was a degree closer to scalding. And not just against his skin, but throughout his whole body, like he had just downed a piping hot beverage.

He knew the area was bolstering his, and everyone’s, health regen. Entering the water had pushed the increase up to an impressive twenty-five percent, but to feel it flowing through him was a different story.

Something moved through the roiling currents of mana, a somewhat cooler spot that seemed to swim through it with ease. A sense of placidity briefly overtook John’s perception when he focused on it, enough to almost make him want to slip into a nap. The realization of what he had detected was enough to break out of that effect, though.

‘A spirit?’ he thought as he traced its path. ‘I guess a spot charged up with this much mana would be a good spot for them.’

John’s mind went back to what his latest upgrade with his spirit related abilities granted him and he couldn’t help but wonder what one of a different flavor could grant him. A part of him did worry about spreading his mana reserve thin with too many things to use it on. Another countered by pointing out more tools meant more options and he didn’t need to keep the spirit active at all times.

‘Can’t hurt to try and pull the spirit in while they’re talking about the other thing,’ John decided and began to extend his will out towards the spirit. He let thoughts of relaxing under the spray of a hot shower and a few memories of going to the beach with his mom flow out, hoping that would entice the little floating mote.

To his elation, it seemed to work as the spirit bobbed in place for a moment before it lazily drifted towards him. Once it was close, John tried to bind it, sending out a tendril of mana to leash it to him. He expected it to be slightly less of a hassle than binding the wind spirit, since he had the foundation down from that experience to draw on, but he felt his mana clamp down on the spirit unbelievably fast before it quickly just surrendered to his control, no sign of resistance.

‘Well, that was a bit easier than I thought,’ John thought, a little disappointed it had been so simple. A part of him wanted to manifest the spirit so he could Observe it, but Harker’s voice drew him out of his musings.

“I suppose we’ve taken up enough time covering old topics,” the dour looking man said. “We have to figure out how we’re going to tackle that ‘quest’ of yours.”

“R-right,” John sputtered, sitting up straighter like he’d just been called out by a teacher. “Where would you like me to start?”

“A more detailed overview of how your powers work would go a long way into giving us the general idea of what we might face,” Martius answered.

John nodded and began to rattle off everything he could think would come up in the barrier. Loot, monsters, that he’d suffer an experience penalty if people not in his party helped defeat said monsters.

“But this isn’t going to be like what I’ve done before,” John concluded after his little info dump, “so I can’t be sure how much of this is going to be accurate. Things in Kingdoms are as real as outside of illusion barriers, right? So the monsters might be flesh and blood.”

“We are dealing with something a bit far from the norm,” Martius muttered, resting his chin in his hand. “From how the description read, it seems that for now, the barrier remains close to normal. I wonder…”

“Wonder what?” Harker pressed. “No need to play coy, Martius.”

“I think the barrier will start off as normal. Therefore, I think it’s safe to presume that the creatures summoned will abide by the rules John has laid out,” the gnome explained. “This next idea may be a bit radical, but I think after a time, the world tree will begin converting everything into real beings when it fully transitions into a Kingdom. Not far out of bounds given that your powers generate items for you.”

“Things like weapons and armor are a far cry from living creatures,” Lynn remarked dryly.

“Which is why this step is an intermediary,” Martius elaborated his hypothesis. “One that not only will fill the barrier with specimens, but also build up a charge of magic to enact the conversion. We are to serve as a culling **** to make sure there isn’t an overabundance of predators or otherwise dangerous animals. We don’t have much to go on and I’m trying to work it through logical and established ideas.”

“Once it triggers, I should get an update on just what’s going to happen,” John said. “Hopefully, it will answer some of our questions and give us time before things go down to get ready for any curveballs.”

“In any case, we should make sure to have enough healing supplies,” Lynn chimed in. “I can whip up a good number of low level ones before we need to head out. And I’ve got some stimulants we could use if it came to it. Not going to recommend overdoing it with them though.”

“I can manage some minor healing if it comes to it,” Harker offered. “But I think my abilities would be better suited to making sure everyone remains in as close to top shape as possible. And I think after this, I will be up to the task.”

“I think I’m going to be the final arbiter of that,” Lynn remarked, idly lifting the surface of the water under her hand and shaping it into a thin tendril. “But I think this water is doing the trick. Between this and a good night’s rest, you should be in the clear.”

“Good,” Harker sighed, before looking at John. “I think I’ve had enough of this passive role. Some monster hunting would be a good way to shake off the rust.”

“Well, if the quest description is anything to go by, you’re going to get your wish,” John responded. “Got a feeling it’s going to be bigger than anything we’ve tackled so far.”

“Then let it serve as a stepping stone to us being able to take down Flora and Phantom Reach,” Harker solemnly said, his words bearing the weight of an oath. A weight all of those present felt settle upon their shoulders.