A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

"Good choice," Erik chuckled, easing his vice-like grip from the man's throat.

The man, gasping for air, eyed Erik with a mix of fear and defiance. For a fleeting moment, the thought of seizing this opportunity to launch an attack crossed his mind. However, the dangerous glint in Erik's eyes quickly quelled any notions of rebellion.

Erik looked at him with slight amusement, wondering if he would make a mistake and turn today into a bloodbath after all, but then the man turned to one of the guards. "Go get the girl. We'll give these people what they want. It's not like those eggheads down there have made much progress anyway."

The other guards looked uncomfortable, but they didn't dare disobey. A single glance at their comrade, who was still quivering, an orb of darkness lodged in his now vacant eye socket courtesy of Emily, served as a potent reminder of the consequences of disobedience. These were not ordinary foes they faced.

These people were dangerous.

Before the designated guard could take his leave, Erik intervened, his voice authoritative yet calm.

"Wait," he commanded, signaling with an outstretched hand while simultaneously turning his attention towards their apparent leader. "It'll be you, me, and two more of your second-rankers who will go inside to get Alice. I wouldn't mind a look inside this place."

Actually, it was Elora who was curious to see what they were up to down there. The two extra second-rankers were just to ensure they wouldn't get any ideas up here while he was away.

"No way!" the man quickly shook his head, clearly hesitant. "They'll have my head if I do that."

"Literally, or figuratively? Because in my case, it will be literally." Erik chuckled threateningly, before taking a glance around the plaza they were standing in, and looking at the nearly sixty first-rankers that were gathered there with clear killing intent. "And I won't stop at just yours, either."

After a tense moment of silent contemplation, the leader sighed, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "Fine," he conceded reluctantly.

However, Erik, ever observant, noticed a fleeting spark of something akin to deceit in the man's eyes. 'Probably trying to lure me into some sigil,' Erik mused internally, a smirk playing on his lips. 'Not that that'll help them.'

He turned to the women behind him with a warm smile. "Wait for me a moment, alright?" he said, before thumbing to the guards. "If they twitch, kill them."

"You got it, Boss," Emily quickly answered, with a twinkle that suggested she hoped they would.

"Be careful, Erik," Astrid warned, while cautiously eyeing the guards for any suspicious movements, brandishing her clawed swords with deadly intentions.

Only Emma was quiet and merely smiled brightly, her confidence in him remained unshaken.

Erik smiled warmly at the feelings of love and trust he felt from Emma and then turned around to face the enemy leader. "Well? Lead the way," he indicated towards the glass building behind them.

The leader somberly nodded, before picking two second-rankers and ordered them to flank him while they walked towards the Institute, with Erik trailing closely behind.

Erik walked casually, slightly hunched over as werewolves tend to do, and appeared to simply take in the sights while he crossed his clawed, transformed hands behind his back.

The first-rank guards they passed all stared venomously at Erik, but anytime he actually met their gazes with his fierce and unwavering, wolfish amber eyes, they quickly averted their eyes, scared to be made an example of.

Upon entering the facility, Erik was immediately struck by the stark contrast between the modern, albeit slightly neglected, architecture and the world outside. Despite its apparent state of disrepair, one could only imagine the grandeur that once pervaded this space, now marred by the ravages of time and neglect.

It was evident that the realm of genetic experimentation and research had yet to capture the Council's full attention, the facility languishing in a state of limbo, awaiting the resources and focus that had been bestowed upon other projects in the wake of the Council's establishment.

However, what surprised both him and Elora was that this entire space appeared to have been rebuilt into some kind of community housing. They quickly realized that the labs and clean rooms had been cleared out and turned into a refuge for people during the last seven years.

But then, where did they do their research on Alice?

The answer came quickly when they entered an elevator that started going down. Clearly, this place had a basement.

Naturally, it came as no surprise that the entire building had power, as the very sigil that Elora used to provide electricity to devices had been stolen from the Council in the first place.

"So what's your name?" Erik asked the leader, curiously while they rode the elevator down.

"Alistair," he answered, gruffly. "And you are Erik. I read a report about you."

"All good things, I hope," Erik chuckled.

Alistair snorted and didn't answer, so they continued to ride the elevator in silence.

After going down for at least half a minute, the elevator dinged, and the doors opened.

Erik couldn't help whistling when he saw the narrow hallway, surrounded by pure white walls ahead. "Now this is what I'd expect a secret biological research facility to look like! All that's missing is blood on the walls and some hideous, mutated creatures roaming about."

The guards didn't react to his joke and kept walking, while Erik shook his head and chuckled. "They're missing a sense of humor," Erik remarked towards Elora mentally.

"Did you hear me laughing?" Elora shot back in a teasing tone.

"Actually, no," Erik responded with fake offense. "And what's up with that? Aren't you, as a loving wife, supposed to laugh at all my jokes, no matter how bad?"

"No, that's just a myth." Elora giggled.

Erik laughed out loud a little, causing the guards to look at him strangely. But Erik ignored them and instead sent some love to Elora through their connection.

Alistair led them up to a large, hermetically sealed door, and punched in a code to open it.

Behind that door was a larger, open area surrounded by the same pure white walls. It was clearly a well-equipped research area, illuminated by soft artificial lighting.

Workstations were equipped with state-of-the-art microscopes, gene sequencers, and bioreactors, all arranged to maximize space and efficiency. The walls were lined with digital displays and storage cabinets containing meticulously labeled samples and research materials.

A hive of activity buzzed within, first-rankers clad in pristine white coats moving with a purposeful intensity, their focus undisturbed by the arrival of Erik and his contingent.

It was only when a woman, noticing their presence, approached with a deferential tone that the tempo of the room shifted momentarily. "Alistair!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with surprise. "What brings you here? It's not yet time for our next update, is it?"