Aqueous Adventures

[Angel]

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After drinking a cup of Sun Juice I retired to one of the available rooms in the dormitory. The Sanctus Templar and the Dawnbreaker orcs were able to find extra rooms, while some of them chose to camp outside in tents. It was already late but we were able to get a few hours of solid sleep. After such a long trip, resting and recovering felt great.

We were awoken gently by some brown robed servants, just before the break of dawn. It was still cold, due to the city being so high up in the mountains. The air felt crisp and refreshing, while the view down the Aurora mountains was breathtaking. There was no time to take in the sights, at least not yet, as we had to prepare for my formal initiation ceremony.

I was given a simple white robe to wear, one that was free of any symbols or decorations. Part of me expected it to have the Helios symbol placed somewhere, however, I confirmed that it was indeed blank. It did lend itself to a pure image, an unspoiled new beginning. Since they didn't give me anything else to wear with it, I decided to wear a simple outfit of white linen cloths underneath.

With the wardrobe taken care of, I met Bishop Krenalis in the main room of the dormitories. He was already awake, though I could tell that he was fighting off some early morning yawns. That didn't stop him from recanting the tales of our journey to the others who'd gathered for morning service. He really loved to tell the tales and I swore that they kept growing taller each time. The bishop was really a lovable goofball!

Smiling while listening to his harmless embellishments, I used my holy ghost hand to summon some mixed fruit smoothies. Bodaberries, Pineapple, and Purpleberries were all blended together by the system into a tasty and unique morning beverage. Just a dash of juice from a Bergamot orange, a hint of vanilla, and a small pinch of nutmeg rounded out the drink together. This should give everyone a little energy to help start their day.

Tapping the bishop on his shoulder, I handed him one of the etched glass cups containing the simple smoothie. He was pleasantly surprised and not even mad at me for interrupting his story time.

"Thank you Angel!"

There was plenty available, so it was no problem to pass them out to everyone else there. Many were surprised at the strange beverage, however, they quickly recognized large pieces of different fruits and were happy to drink it. I swear that I could see some color coming back into their pallid faces. It made sense to me, if they were used to fasting their bodies would be lacking nutrition. Not only were the smoothies extremely nutrient dense, they were enhanced with energy on top of that.

Gathering up together, everyone headed out in the direction of the main temple building. Those who'd come from the other nearby dormitories were all curious about the strange drink everyone had. Revitalized and excited, many of them had passed the drinks over, sharing them with nearby friends and coworkers. The bright color and amazing flavor gave them something to talk about, as we neared the main temple.

Entering into the large central building, the various pews were quickly filled up, as it seemed that everyone in the entire city attended the morning service. On the main stage area, I saw Cardinal Eckbert who I'd met last night. Beside him was an even older man who was quite tall and had a thin frame, wearing a white robe that was so old it seemed almost grey. Was that the Pope of the church?

Noticing us, the cardinal motioned us over, wanting us to join them on the stage area. My troops had all quietly taken seats on some available pews, so I made my way up to them, together with the bishop. I let him do the talking, since that was his forte.

"Archbishop Solari, Cardinal Eckbert, morning's greetings to you. Blessed be the light."

The older man in the washed out robe, Archbishop Solari, replied nonchalantly.

"Morning's greeting to you bishop. I trust that this is the initiate we're inducting today?"

Beaming with pride, the bishop confirmed that I was the one.

"Yes, your grace. This man here will be an asset to the church, of that I'm certain! Have you heard of the trials we had to go through on our journey?"

Cardinal Eckbert assured the bishop that he'd already relayed the information to the Archbishop.

"I've already told him about the harrowing dangers you both faced."

Slightly disappointed, the bishop deflated like a popped balloon, and was about to sit down when the archbishop stopped him.

"Wait! Where did you get that?"

Pointing directly at the smoothie, he inquired about it's origins. The bishop smiled, inflating right back up again at the chance to brag.

"Oh, this? It's a smoothie that Angel gave us. Did you want one?"

Both the cardinal and archbishop were staring intently at the beautiful etchings in the glass cup. A sturdy handle had been added for easy gripping, while double-layered glass provided insulation and gave the contents an ethereal floating appearance.

Coughing twice to clear their throats, both of them spoke in hushed voices.

"It would be rather nice to have something light for breakfast."

"I have to admit, the appearance and scent are both wonderful."

Taking the not so subtle hint, I summoned up a glass for each of them. I supposed they were in an awkward position, where they couldn't directly ask for it, due to their superior position. They were immediately grateful, thanking for me the beverage.

"Ah, thank you initiate. So refreshing!"

"Such a delicious taste and what a beautiful glass."

Looking over, I noticed many people in the pews gazing over and licking their lips. It wouldn't be polite to leave them hanging like that, so I produced some more for the rest and they were passed out to the audience. Finally, the dawn broke, as the first rays of morning light fell onto the steeple of the temple.

An amazing and beautiful sight came after that. Hitting the large glass steeple, the light was refracted into different colors. The result was a breathtaking spectacle of brilliant rainbows, which seemed to fill up the room and dance around the walls. Archbishop Solari set his drink down and began the morning service, feeling refreshed from the smoothie.

"Beloved faithful, believers of the light, today we are gathered here to pay homage to the bright and holy sun! It is the source of all life and it brings us out of the darkness. As the plants and animals bask in it's pure nature, so shall we. Let observe a moment of silence, as we take in the first warm rays of the day."

Everyone closed their eyes, basking in the warm rays that were diffused through the church. It was evident that the procedure meant a lot to them, so I joined in and closed my eyes. After about five minutes or so, the Archbishop continued. Taking a quick sip of his drink, he addressed the congregation.

"Today, we've got something special planned. The formal induction of a new initiate, Angel. From what I've heard, he is a man of remarkable talent and extraordinary character. I'm sure that he'll rise to new heights, as a member of our glorious organization, and accomplish many great things. If everyone could please rise and welcome him, as we perform the baptismal ceremony."

The entire church rose to their feet, clapping and cheering for me, as the archbishop lead me to the nearby basin filled with holy water. As he said a prayer of blessing in the ancient Helios language, I was lightly dunked into the basin. Deciding to have a little fun, I figured that it was my time to shine. Activating the system for a few brief seconds, I glowed with a bright and intense light, while I was under the water.

Shocked, the congregation quieted down instantly, looking over to the bishop, cardinal, and archbishop who were equally surprised. The archbishop was the first to react, motioning to the nearby servants and calling out to them.

"W-what miracle is this? Quickly, you must go inform the Pope! He must be notified at once!"

One of the nearby brown robed servants walked up onto the stage. He removed his hood and spoke to the archbishop with a calm voice.

"I'm already here, Solari."

It was the same servant that I'd previously helped!

Realizing who it was, everyone quickly gave a respectful bow. Afterwards, the archbishop asked what the sign during my baptism meant.

"You saw it, your grace? What does this mean?"

Taking a minute to sip on his smoothie, the pope responded a moment later.

"Prophecies of the Sun, chapter four, verse twelve. Would you recite it for me?"

Without hesitation, the archbishop recited the passage.

"In times of great need, you will receive a boon, so that the glory of the church may survive impending darkness."

Halfway through, the archbishop's eyes went wide and he fell back into his chair in shock. The cardinal picked up right where he'd stopped.

"Look to the one who bears the mark of the dragon, one who will shine with my light. Rejoice this day, for I have sent unto you a Saint. Many will flock to their banner and spread their tales, the anointed who bears a righteous character. Rally behind the chosen, for they shall light the way, a beacon in the night for all to follow."

Having recovered, the archbishop confirmed the pope's accusation with trepidation.

"You mean to say that this young man here is a Saint?"

Nodding in affirmation, he extended and hand and helped me out of the basin.

"That is what I suspect."

Turning to address me, he asked me to show them my holy dragon hand.

"You hide it well but I can see the truth. Please, show them your hand."

I took note that the pope could see through the illusion. With a nod, I dispelled it and revealed the glowing white jade carving. Using it as the focal point of my system powers had saturated the dragon figurine in dimensional energy. It now gave off a powerful magical aura and shimmering glow.

Gasps could heard throughout the entire audience.

The pope pointed over to my Sanctus Templar and Dawnbreaker orcs.

"See how many are already flocking to his banner."

More cries of surprise and shock arose.

Finally, he took out a strange orb from his robe. It looked like an oversized marble with a sun suspended in the middle. Handing it over to me, he addressed the crowd in a sweeping manner.

"The Orb of Helios has been inert since the ascension of the last Saint."

Just as he finished handing the orb to me, I received a curious system prompt.

[System remnant has been located.]

[Activate?]

I chose to activate it, curious as to what would happen.

The Orb of Helios began to emit a soft light out, as the sun depicted inside was projected out of the clear sphere. I could feel dimensional energy pouring out, which was directed into me and absorbed by the system. In addition to the sun, several other planets and celestial bodies were projected. An entire galaxy was swirling around, with countless stars and even black holes.

Leaving as quickly as it appeared, the orb returned back to it's inert appearance. The only reminder of the previous incident, was that the sun inside was now moving and shifting, mimicking the appearance of a real sun. Even the pope was shocked by the unexpected event. I tried to return the orb to him but he refused.

"The Orb of Helios has chosen you."

Clasping a hand onto my wet shoulder, he addressed the audience once again.

"My children, it is with great pleasure, that I personally anoint Angel as our newest patron Saint!"

[Devil]

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I awoke to the young dragon moaning in pain. The poor little dragon was holding it's head with it's two front legs. Clamping it's eye's shut tightly, it was evident that the small dragon was suffering from a hangover. Chuckling, I brought out some spatial water for the both of us.

"Here, drink this. It will make you feel better."

Crawling over to the wooden bowl filled with water, the young dragon submerged his entire head. Loudly slurping up the spatial water contained within, it once again resumed it's lively and energetic personality.

"Thanks! My head was killing me. It felt like someone was squeezing it."

Chuckling at the dragon, I admonished him slightly.

"Well, next time you want to drink some alcohol, let me know. I can water it down a bit for you, so that you don't get a hangover."

Looking up at me with wide eyes, it asked what that was.

"What's a hangover?"

I answered it's innocent question.

"A hangover is that feeling you had when you woke up. If you drink too much alcohol, it can cause headaches and pain the next day."

Shocked, the little dragon quickly responded.

"I don't like it. I'm never drinking that stuff again."

I laughed at the young dragon's innocence. We've all said those same words before, only to drink again later. I motioned for the dragon to come up onto my shoulder, already used to it's presence.

"It's not for children anyway."

Hopping up onto it's favorite perch, the dragon made an exclamation that shocked me.

"When I get older, I'm going to drink all the alcohol!"

Had I become a bad influence on the little dragon?

Shaking off the notion, I left the captain's quarters of my galleon. As I walked back to the scene of last night's celebration, I saw that many of my crew and the Rangers were passed out from drinking. Shaking my head at the sight, I made sure to produce a few large barrels of the spatial water mixed with just a bit of healing potion. If people knew that I was using such a valuable restorative for a simple hangover, they might cough up blood.

Rousing my crew from their slumber, they groggily scooped out cups of the spatial water blend. While they drank it and recovered, I used the time to prepare some breakfast items. Using the system, I was able to produce some yogurt from the various animal milks. Whole wheat rolled oats and puffed rice were processed into a granola. Honey from the Dragon Bees would provide sweetness and a beautiful iridescent color. Fresh purpleberries were also used to top it off, along with a hint of vanilla extract.

In addition to the yogurt, I also made a breakfast cereal using whole wheat flakes and another from puffed rice. Mildly sweetening them with sugar extracted from the honey added a much needed touch of sweetness. Now they resembled the familiar cereals that I grew up eating, which I loved as a small child. Drinking the sweetened milk after eating the cereal was the best part!

Balancing out the cold dishes with something hot, I decided to add some porridge to the breakfast menu. Honey or fresh fruit could be added to taste, elevating the somewhat classic and plain dish. With access to eggs, milk, cheese, and shark, I was able to whip up a Mako shark quiche dish. For the last hot dish, I decided to go with Screamer chicken and waffles.

While the food was being passed out, I conversed with the young dragon, who had hidden away once again.

"So tell me about the thing you sensed last night?"

Pausing in between it's various slurps and chomps, the dragon answered after gulping down it's current mouthful of food.

"It's underneath the water in the ocean. I couldn't sense it clearly last night but now I can! Now that they're closer, I can make out the energy from a few of the fish people."

Fish people? Could it be the reclusive and rarely seen Merfolk?

"Fish people huh. Are they dangerous?"

Picking up it's wooden bowl to slurp down the last of the milk, the dragon answered me telepathically, since it's mouth was full.

"I don't think they are but I've never actually met them. They usually leave things by the cove for me! Whenever I try to get close, they always run away."

Hmm, perhaps the Merfolk worshiped the dragon as some kind of powerful entity? I was curious about them and wanted to try meeting with them.

"Do you know how close they are?"

Cocking it's head to the side slightly, the dragon licked a finger and stuck it up into the air.

"Still pretty far off but closer than they were last night."

Nodding my head in understanding, I finished up my breakfast, enjoying the various dishes and savoring the flavors. I announced to my crew that I'd be sailing off for a bit, leaving them free to enjoy their leave at the Ranger's base. Making my way back to the three masted galleon, I called over some of the undead pirates to man the ship.

Setting sail, I followed the young dragon's directions, as he guided us to where the Merfolk were. About twenty minutes later, we reached a drop-off in the continental shelf, which was formed by a deep trench. Standing of the bow of the ship, the little dragon hopped up and down excitedly, using one of his front legs to point into the trench.

"There, there! I can sense them!"

Looking at where the dragon indicated, I could faintly make out the silhouettes of four or five Merfolk. Roughly humanoid looking from the waist up, their lower halves contained long tail appendages where legs would normally be found. Among their silhouettes, I could also clearly identify what appeared to be tridents. Judging by their gesticulations, they seemed to be arguing about approaching my ship.

After giving them a moment to deliberate, one of the Merfolk hesitantly approached, breaking the water's surface by my ship. He warily scanned my ship, making sure that there was no danger. After spotting the young aqua dragon, the Merman's face softened and he seemed relieved. Before I could try to communicate with it, the Merman spoke out to the aqua dragon in a melodic voice.

It sounded like gibberish to me, however, the young aqua dragon stood up on it's hind legs and belted out something in reply. Whatever it said caused the Merman to worry, as it dived underwater and called it's companions over in a hurry.

During that brief moment, I asked the dragon what it had said.

"What did he say?"

The young dragon answered, just as the Merfolk returned as a group.

"They speak Aquan and he asked if I was in trouble. I told them that everything was fine and I'm going to be leaving with my new friend soon. Then he totally freaked out. The fish people are funny!"

As the group returned, they called out to the young aqua dragon. I couldn't understand what they were saying but it certainly sounded frantic. Their melodic voices had a sense of urgency.

Grabbing his belly, the young dragon let out a deep and mighty laugh, before responding. It seemed to be adopting more and more pirate mannerisms by the day. I'd have to watch carefully, before it got too corrupted.

"They want me to visit their city before leaving. I told them that I would have to bring my new friends with me. All of them."

One of the Merfolk produced a blue lily pad from a kelp pouch at it's waist. Carefully tossing it up to the young aqua dragon. It then said something that I couldn't understand.

"He says that this plant will allow you to breathe underwater. He wants you to try it out and make sure it will work. If it does, they will bring enough for everyone else."

As the young dragon handed it over, I absorbed it into the system and brought it back out.

[Material analyzed:

Name: Air Lily

Type: Plant (Magical)

Rating: Level 4

Description: Air lilies are a magical plant that originates from the plane of water. Growing in caves at deep depths, they're able to imbue a temporary and limited water breathing upon consumption. Cultivated by Merfolk, these plants are considered sacred to them and are not given out lightly.]

Taking a bite of the plant, I could feel a strange sensation, as the air started to feel soupy and thick. I dived into the ocean with the young aqua dragon, eager to test out the plant's effectiveness. It worked amazingly well! I was able to breathe in comfortably without issue, producing bubbles when I exhaled, which caused the nearby Merfolk to double over in laughter.

The young aqua dragon explained that they'd never seen such a sight, as they had gills to filter oxygen out of the water. Climbing back onto one of the rowboats, the undead crew raised me back up onto the galleon. I told the young aqua dragon to let them know that the plants worked.

Once he did, we informed the Merfolk that we'd be back in a few days to visit their city. This delighted them and they agreed to have a waiting party in this same location. Sailing the galleon back to the Ranger's base, I joined my men as the celebration was still underway in it's second day of partying.

Opening up trade and relations with the Merfolk would be very beneficial. New foods, new treasures, and new creatures were bound to found at their city. Most importantly, they probably had some kind of new and interesting alcohol! These next few days would give me time to craft a few simple things for the upcoming trades with them. Now, if only I knew what Merfolk even needed? Ah well, I'd figure it out soon enough.