Side Story 4: Water

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Olia kneels down in front of Myrou's smiling statue, the local temples full of the cleansing water of the Runalymo's daily ritual. She has had a bad feeling for a few days now, not that she was feeling ill but more like a bad omen of sorts, the only thing she knew to do is pray and hope Myrou wards off the omens.

"Please grant this child a pleasant day" Olia prays. Olia then strips her clothes and slips into the waters, splashing the warm liquid onto herself.

Kuko enters the Temple walking to the Goddess and kneeling in front, eyes closed and whispering a silent prayer. Myrou winks at Olia and gave a warm smile. A sign of a good day, Myrou had answered her prayers!

Kuko then stands up, "Over here!" Olia waves. Kuko looks at her naked form and gives a welcoming smile. Olia felt her heart quicken and suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. Kuko walks over and strips her clothes, displaying her hermaphrodidity and entering the baths of the holy temple.

Kuko embraces Olia nuzzling her cheek. "I missed you, Olia" Kuko strokes Olia's ears, feeling the softness.

"I worried that I'd forget your beauty, the silkiness of your hair and fur" Koku's hands roamed finding her tail "Your tail remains ever-beautiful, long, and soft" Koku kisses Olia's neck.

"That's enough. This place is holy, it's not a place for such things." Olia gently pushes Kuko back and moving over to get some soap. "first day back from the military and that is what you want? We're not even married yet!" Olia chastises.

"Sorry, it's just... It's been a stressful four months" Kuko says, taking a handful of soap from Olia.

"What's going on?" Olia sat down next to Kuko, giving her a side hug, she dipped her hand in the soap and starts rubbing it on her lover.

"Vanaal Empire is coming after us next, it's all but confirmed" Kuko wears a dark expression.

"Us?! But this city is the center of our faith! The Grand Temple is on the mountain just above us, how can they think of betraying the order of Myrou?!"

"I don't know! I just don't understand them! They reject faith, they deny Myrou, heretics the lot of them! But worry not, it's not for a couple of months. For now, I have a beautiful spot overlooking the city on Teano mountain, I spied it just before being deployed, I suggest we use our time to enjoy life"

"How can I enjoy those things when worrying about war?" Olia says, continuing to clean Kuko.

"This city has stood the test of time, Olia, we've stood strong for thousands of years, we have artifacts to protect us, siege or no, we will stand resolute and victorious." Kuko hugs Olia to comfort her.

"But the Vanaal Empire already controls three cities how can we compete against them?"

"Yes, they do but two of those cities are unwilling. They've spent their resources already, Olia, they are weakened" Kuko reassures her.

"I guess you're right."

The next day Olia and Kuko climbed a long winding path up Teano mountain, one of the largest and tallest mountains in the nexus. They can't make it all the way to the top but at the quarter mark, they are already high enough that the city below looks small, hundreds of thousands of people below them like little grains of sand. It has taken them all day to get here, the overlook that shows bamboo forests, the many city-states, and the empire. Tall mountains rise in the distance, hundreds of them, entire mountain ranges and further still lies the Nexus wall, the ring of mountains that provides a barrier to all monsters.

Thousands of lights litter the cities below, the rivers carve paths through the lands and the clouds hug the middle of the mountains. The temple is near their elevation, on the top of the smallest mountain, a reminder of our position to the gods above.

"This is beautiful!" Olia says, watching the lay lines weave between the mountain tops, shimmering with radiance. The scene before her banished the day's feeling of bad omens, she is truly lucky to have Kuko.

"I've always wanted to climb to the very top of these mountains," Kuko says, spreading out a thick, warm, blanket. "But the mana gets too dense, perhaps one day someone will train their [Mana Toxcitity Tolerance] high enough."

"That doesn't stop some insane people from trying to get as many resistance skills as they can" Olia replies, then hugs her lover from behind. "But I'm glad you're not one of them"

"Heh, many people try to reach the same legendary heights as Kayafe, some say she could bend mana to her will, the absolute authority on the energies of the world." Kuko chuckles a little. "That's what is insane, she wasn't a goddess, after all, just a saintess"

Olia lays on her back, gazing upon the moons and stars. "Some say she could fly, ride on the winds, It would be wonderful if we could do that, perhaps then you could stand on the tallest mountain. I wonder if we could make boats that sail the air instead of water"

"That would be awesome wouldn't it." Kuko lays down next to Olia. "Imagine the skies filled with air... ships. Flying from city to city, flying between the mountains"

"You like to write stories, why not write something like that, a world full of islands in the sky" Olia suggests"

Kuko rolls to her side, and strokes Olia's ears and head. "I'll tell the grandest story filled with sky bandits, swashbuckling rouges, and a tale of love" Kuko rolls on top of Olia kissing her. Soon they are tearing at their clothes to share a night of passion under the gaze of the moons, overlooking the grandest city their people have ever known.

When Olia and Kuko came back down from the overlook they paid a visit to the Grand Priestess Shara's Cathedral. The Cathedral is a massive building with towers that reach high into the sky, reaching close to the high of the mountain that the Grand Temple rests on. Mosaics fill the windows, paintings fill the walls and ceilings depicting how Grand Priestess Shara brought their people back to Myrou, to follow in the goddess's guidance. How the Grand Priestess Became an angel after discovering the way to ascend.

A statue of the Grand Priestess stands at the back of the cathedral, hold high and shard of pure beauty and creativity mana. Myrou water flows in a fountain around the statue.

A priestess walks up to them. "Greetings, child, here to pray for Myrou's guidance?" The priestess greets them

"Yes, sister, I've been wondering for a long time, but what is that shard? I heard it's part of the angel heart that has the power to lead people to ascension" Olia asks, gazing at the wonder.

"You heard right, there are three pieces, sundered by a great foe. It is in fact the Grand Priestess Shara's heart, if we can find the other two pieces we may be able to summon her back to this realm to lead us back into a new golden age, or to fight back the heretic Empire"

They continue to talk before praying to one of Myrou's many statues.

"It is often debated whether or not to move the Likeness of Myrou here but you know how it is, The fact that it is the physical representation of Myrou means that it must remain above us," The priestess says.

Just then a woman approaches, wearing grand robes and a staff with a Myrou crystal floating at the top of it.

"Grand priestess Heru" Olia bows.

"Royal blue hair and eyes..." The Grand Priestess mutters.

"Yes? It's a fairly common trait" Olia looks up, a little confused.

"Not just any blue hair, sister, yours is the same as Saintess Kayafe, it means you are a descendant of her"

Olia didn't know what to say, it is a sudden revelation, and it's pretty awesome but that's all, at least that she knows of.

"I didn't know, I am honor to be descended from the Saintess," Olia says, trying to not be rude.

"You have a water Bond right? Most who share your trait do. Have you been feeling an omen of late?"

"Yes, How did you know?" Olia asks, lightly tilting her head.

"It is a common feeling that those with royal blue hair have been feeling as of late, I fear there is something coming, your connection to water is more than most so I suspect some disastrous flood may occur in the near future, please tell me if the feeling gets any worse, I'll be in the Grand Temple after I finish my duties here"

Olia hurries up the stairs to the Grand Temple, something is screaming at her to run, to hide, to seek shelter. She needs to warn Grand Priestess Heru, but she is still only halfway up the mountain.

Reaching the top Olia huffs and puffs, getting a few looks from passers-by. Olia grits her teeth and runs toward the pyramid shaped temple, a wall with growing rock surrounds the building. Once inside a priestess comes up to her.

"What is the rush, sister? Is something wrong?"

"I need to find Grand Priestess Heru, Tell her that the Omens are worse than ever before"

The priestess nods and hurries off to pass the message along. Olia rests on a nearby bench, but it isn't long before the Grand Priestess arrives.

"How bad is it?" Heru says

Before Olia can answer a long, loud drawn-out roar echos throughout the world, echoing for far longer than it should have.

Olia and the priestesses run out of the temple to see a floating ocean off in the distance, the sheer volume of the mass blocking out the sun and darkening the lands below, an endless reservoir of water.

"Seek shelter of the Temple little ones! Seek Shelter, an Elemental comes!" It is the Guardian. The great Dragon flies overhead challenging the mass of water. "I will hold it back, but the Mana arc is your only salvation, little ones!"

The ocean passes through Kanato mountain, the largest and tallest mountain of them all so tall the ocean could not engulf it, not that it needed to, the mountain fell as if the ground beneath it disappeared. The entire mountain was just gone, eroded in seconds. benethe the floating ocean sand and muddy water pours out from the elemental.

"Myrou, save us" Olia whispers in a shakey voice, hand over her breast.

Just then a torrent of water flashes past, the Guardian caught up in the current, It moves so fast it covers hundred of kilometers faster than Olia could realize.

A roar greets Olia's ears and the Guardian splits the torrent flying with an earsplitting boom, a cone shape wave at the front of the being, water tearing apart and disappearing but more is forming faster than it is removed. Another torrent sweeps over the nexus cutting mountains in half and flooding the plains and forests below.

"Myrou, please help us" No prayers will be answered today, just the battle of a Great dragon versus a water Elemental, a water dragon against the ocean itself.

Beams of water flash around, leveling the mountains but strangest is that the powerful torrents of water weaken considerably around the Grand Temple, they even seem drawn into the Mana Arc that rests above it.

The Guardian wills the water away, removing it, then suddenly the ocean vanishes as if it was never there, only the for flood below raise as if a sea sudden appeared, spreading throughout the lands below, the capital of the empire is now underwater, not swept away by a tide but the water grew instead, for each passing second the water level rises by tens of meters, mountains collapse and sands spread out below, covering the city under a seabed.

Tens if not hundreds of thousands of people gone in mere seconds.

The water rose growing more and more a new ocean forming in the skies. In a flash a massive wave overtakes the Guardian, slamming into mountains that became part of the muddy wave before it vanished, the dirt and sand falling below. the guardian flew around all traces of moisture disappearing around her, the Elemental would have none of it, however, conjuring torrents of water cutting mountains in half in an attempt to spread as much water as it can.

"Are we all going to die? Is this the end?" Only the sounds of battle answered Olia's question.