On the way back to the farm, we made sure to test one of the armor’s properties — its weight. I informed Cellestra of what I was about to do, so she could hold on tight.

I made a few sharp turns to see how much the added weight helped Cellestra’s stability. The effect was there, but if I did it too fast, she’d lean far to the sides, and, while she managed to hold on just fine, I knew it would strain her because she lacked the strength. For short periods, I imagined it would be fine, but I’d have to be somewhat careful with my movements. Nevertheless, her new armor’s main goal was to protect her from attacks, and I had no doubt it would do that without issues.

“You’re a true knight now,” I commented after some athletics.

“With a talking mount,” Cellestra added. “I’m only missing the lance.”

“Do you think you will even be able to lift one?”

The brunette shook her head. “Definitely not.”

“I’d think about getting you more used to armor, but I just had an idea strike me,” I said.

“Do tell.”

“I have passive skills that improve my strength. I mean, you saw me hold back there with that sword. We both have an ability that keeps a barrier around us passively. Now, I’m wondering if there are any spells, or spell scrolls that offer something similar for physical strength.”

“I don’t know,” Cellestra answered. “Sounds expensive if it exists. I guess I should have asked the shop owner when I brought that scroll for Elira.”

“Maybe next time,” I said, smiling, before pausing for a few seconds.

“There is another spell I possess, that might be of some use to you, called Adrenaline Rush, but I’ve never used it before. Its description says it offers me a short burst of extreme speed at a drawback when the effect ends. It results in exhaustion, and the spell can only be used once per day. I’m not sure if it’s possible for you to replicate it, but we could look into it, I suppose.”

“I’m always open to ideas. It can’t hurt, right?”

“So much to explore,” I let out, thinking about all the secrets that dungeons held. “I wonder if there are any spell scrolls that are unique, that have never been found before.”

“I believe they exist,” Cellestra said. “But some are lost. The peddler that used to visit me told me a story once about how one of his old party members found a spell scroll and learned the spell within, but he grossly underestimated it, and didn’t possess the mana pool to be able to cast it. He never managed to get enough in his lifetime. Makes you wonder how many spells are lost like that.”

“That sounds… regrettable,” I said. “All those spells that never were.”

“That’s why it’s important to get them appraised, see what info there are on spells with similar names and such.”

I nodded. “More than understandable.”

We arrived at my parents’ residence and noticed the aforementioned steel trough waiting for us on the gravel, Elira doing her best to hide behind it. My parents waved at us from the table, their gazes immediately drawn to Cellestra.

“Who is that?” Elira asked from the safety of cover.

“It’s me,” The purple-eyed elf called out in her usual, soft voice.

“Cellestra?” Elira called, my parents grinning in the background.

I helped her get off my back and she removed her helmet.

“Woah,” The elven girl called out. “You’re like a knight!”

“Except I’m not,” Cellestra replied as Elira approached. “But your sister is. Well, kind of.”

I grinned. “Afraid I left that behind. I’m an adventurer now, and I have to admit, I enjoy the freedom of being able to do whatever I want. Anyway,” I said, increasing my volume so my parents could easily follow. “Seems your landlord didn’t have problems selling one of those troughs?”

“One silver coin was all he asked, so we didn’t hesitate to buy it. No need to pay us back,” My father said.

“We all know that ain’t gonna happen,” I said with a grin. “Though, I don’t think we have any silver coins, only gold.”

“It’s fine,” My father said again.

I shrugged but decided to let it rest for now.

“Thank you,” I said in conclusion.

I then looked at my little sister who was circling around and checking out Cellestra.

“You look so cool. Do you not have a sword to go with it?”

“I don’t even know how to use one,” Cellestra admitted, petting Elira with a gloved hand, before trying to walk through the gravel, her heavy boots grinding the small rocks.

“Are you okay?” My mother asked, her voice serious, but without concern. I suppose that was the result of both Cellestra and me being in a good mood.

“I’m fine,” The brunette replied, her helm under her arm. “I’m just not used to this. I admire you for being able to walk in this, Kealyna.”

“I’ve run in it, too. I understand what you mean, though. I had years of training before I even wore anything like that, and what you have is heavier than what I could dream of.”

“I wish you were the one who needed it most,” She replied. “I’d love to see you in this.”

“I suppose it would add to the scare factor.”

Cellestra giggled. “For sure.”

We spent some time talking and playing with Elira. We quickly found out I was terrible at hide and seek, terrible because of my side, which was the only thing left for me as I couldn’t close all my eyes so I’d always know where Cellestra and Elira ran off to.

In fact, the only one that could somewhat play this was the elven girl herself. Cellestra had no way to hide in time, but it proved valuable practice for learning to maneuver. At the end of it all, she was left exhausted and, after a very early dinner, we decided to call it a day and go home to finish up a few things regarding our home and spend a bit of time on magic practice.

Cellestra held on to my weapon while I carried the trough, which we ultimately decided to place at the edge inside the shelter after creating another hole in the horizontal webs. Before I placed it there I’d created a small hole at the bottom that we could easily plug with a primitive stopper that was nothing more than a ball of concentrated silk.

The trough was placed on the grass and then merged into the webs with thousands of threads, preventing it from being stolen. Not that I thought anyone was likely to invade our home, but still…

The brunette rested while I worked. She simply lay in the webs and watched me work on the bathtub and then on her idea of a curtain of sorts to cover the entrance. For that, I wove an immense sheet of silk in the grass outside. When, after an hour or so, it was finished, I connected the top above the entrance so that it fell over the gap. If there was a lot of wind, it could simply be fastened with one-time use strings, which could then be removed again in the morning when we headed out.

I lifted the curtain and entered, collapsing in the hole next to Cellestra after I was finished.

“That was a great idea,” I said. “It feels much cozier inside all of a sudden.”

“You’re right. It does.”

“Still want to do some practice?” I asked.

She shook her head. “In all honesty, I’m far too tired to concentrate. I don’t think much will come of it.”

“I saw. Today hasn’t been kind for you.”

“I’ll get used to it, as you said, but yes, today wasn’t the best of days.”

“Let’s get you out of all that,” I suggested.

“I’d be more than happy to get out of this,” She paused for a few seconds. “And I think a bath wouldn’t be excessive either. I’ve been sweating like a pig.”

“I was wondering if you’d experience the same. It’s definitely one of the more annoying things.”

“Most defininitely.”

I helped her free herself of her constraining armor and placed the individual items at the side of the nest. Once she was fully liberated, she heaved a sigh of relief and thanked me warmly.

I then plugged the hole at the bottom of the tub and summoned water to fill it, as warm as I could. When it was full, I prepared to leave the shelter, when Cellestra extended an arm to grab mine, halting me.

She had a shy smile on her face as she spoke.

“It’s okay. Stay if you want.”