[BIAW] Chapter 154 – Settling Down in the Depths (Patreon)

I wake up in complete darkness, surrounded by something soft and pleasant. I quickly realise that I’m underwater, thankfully with my borrowed ability still active. Feeling the tender surface all around me with my hands, I try to figure out where exactly I am. My prison seems to be quite irregular and extremely narrow as I can tell that my skin is in contact with the walls at many points.

My fingers finally run into a bigger opening and I put both hands into the crevice, trying to slowly push it to the sides. The breach grows in size without an issue and I’m soon able to squeeze myself into the gap. Wiggling around and pulling myself up, I notice a weak, blue glow and my head pops out of my temporary jail.

Seeing what it’s made of makes all the memories from the previous night come crashing back.

The aforementioned prison turns out to be a huge heap of naked Mermaid bodies entangled together like a massive, flattened ball of yarn. I’m currently sticking out of that amalgamation somewhere on top, recognizing the squishy handholds I’m resting my palms on as two pairs of perky breasts.

With some more struggle accompanied but a few quiet sighs and moans, I manage to crawl out of the beautiful mass of fish ladies and swim a little bit higher, taking in the amazing and quite unexpected sight. Because who would have expected to find such a sexy pile of tens of Mermaids napping comfortably with a guy in the centre?

Well, I guess I could potentially have, considering all that happened last night. Or this night. It’s hard to judge when inside a giant underground hall filled with water where the only source of light is the azure crystals placed here and there.

If I remember correctly, after getting into the hands of Fei’s friends and the matron of the tribe, I was pulled into quite the celebration. Things escalated quickly and we suddenly were dancing in the water altogether with all the other Mermaids joining us. Some pleasant and definitely sensual music accompanied the event as all the pretty women began rubbing themselves into me.

Left in their hands, I travelled from one person to another and enjoyed swaying our bodies together to the rhythm. Which, naturally, evolved into a more vigorous swaying in literally every single case. I came so many times while spinning in circles with a dazzling Mermaid in my arms that I lost count early in the celebration. I do remember our fun with Cir, Nel, and Yun clearly, but a lot after that has become a blur, to be perfectly honest.

One thing I clearly remember though is Cir conveying to everyone what my main abilities are after I filled her in and the uncountable number of requests I had to send to all the ladies who were willing to become part of my strength. I can feel it even right now. My stats clearly rose by quite a bit after everything. I’m sure I mated with almost every single Mermaid in the tribe, save for the elderly, children, and the few that were hesitant. Thankfully, I managed to convince the matron not to force the unwilling to partake in the ritual.

I honestly wonder if any of the girls turned into Divas just like Fei had. We were focused on slightly different aspects of the celebration than the potential evolution. The enchanting moans and songs of the aquatic ladies are still reverberating in my ears even now. Thank Goddess we are deep in an underwater complex or that much carnal noise would have definitely attracted lots of attention from other residents of the seas.

Prying my gaze away from the delicious pile of sexy Mermaids, I glance around. Most of the things remain just like they were back before I fell asleep. The hall still needs some cleaning up after the feast. I spot a bunch of drunk or exhausted girls just lying or floating at various places by the tables, musical instruments, or just random locations around the sizable chamber. Some of them are still accompanied by a trail of white from the obvious parts.

Finding one specific slab of stone with some leftover dishes, I quickly recall how my loving wives excused themselves somewhere in the middle of that giant fish orgy and returned to the ship. Lianne was adamant about staying and watching the show until the end but Cornelia forced her to withdraw so as not to overstrain her body, especially since the Queen was this long in the water while protected by the pills for the very first time. She should take it one step at a time. We don’t want to risk her forgetting herself and dozing off when she does need to remember that she has an oxygen-generating mask she has to consciously operate, more or less.

Perhaps one day I would be able to share skills between more people than just myself and one other person—or two, technically, since the second share happens between a pair of my Partners—but until that time comes, we need to work with what we have. I’m sure everyone understands that, including Lianne. Her pouting face might have looked pitiful but I felt no negative emotions from her. Only the usual spark of mischief.

Some movement catches my attention and I turn my head to get a better look. A small smile sneaks onto my face as I watch Fei and Cir swim towards me. I open my arms and welcome the shy Mermaid first with a warm hug. Fei giggles quietly and pecks my cheek as Cir arrives by her side.

“Good morning, ladies. If it is morning.” I chuckle at them.

“You are correct, Alastair.” The matron nods with a smile of her own. “It dawned not that long ago. The sun is slowly rising above our new home.”

“Which we owe all to you.” The young Diva beams at me. “This place will be even better than our previous location after we refurbish it a little bit.”

“How are you feeling? Tired?” Cir asks, brushing a hand over my cheek. “It certainly couldn’t have been easy keeping up with so many of us.”

I smirk at her and put her palm into mine. “I think you are underestimating your Primordial Patron a little bit, aren’t you?”

A cute giggle escapes Fei’s lips. “He is right. Don’t you remember how strongly he embraced every single one of our sisters even near the very end? I’m pretty sure he filled their wombs with so much seed that it could easily rival a whale.”

“Not something I’d have ever imagined being compared to.” I laugh openly and peck her forehead. “I hope it was enough to help them become Divas just like you.”

“I’m certain that it was.” Cir nods, taking a peek at the heap of her naked, sleeping subordinates. “I can already feel that most if not all of them are different. You created something unimaginable, a never heard before miracle. To see this many Divas in one place is something out of this era.”

“Good. You will definitely be safer thanks to that. I saw the two of you in action and it was incredible what you can do with your voice. We are all aware that I won’t be able to be here all the time to watch over you.”

A slightly disheartened expression takes over Fei’s face as she drops her gaze to my chest. I don’t miss that, including the way she trails her finger over my skin at a somewhat sad pace. Cir sighs softly as our eyes meet. We both know what our black-haired friend is thinking without having to try and read it from our bond.

Before I get to say anything, Fei raises her eyes and stops her palm on my pecs, looking straight at my face with an anxious, upturned gaze.

“It might not be my place to ask this of you but…” She gently bites her lower lip. “Is there a chance that I could come with you?”

I smile at her kindly and pull her chin up to present Fei with a delicate peck on the lips. “You do remember that I’m from the land, right?”

“I know…” She hangs her head down again. “I’m sorry…”

Helping her raise it up once more, I lovingly graze her cheek. “I didn’t exactly say no, did I?”

Her charming eyes brighten a little bit as she stares back at me with a clearly hopeful gaze. “Then…?”

“It certainly won’t be easy. We do have open-top tanks filled with water for our aquatic friends but it doesn’t change the fact that they are very limiting. For a Nershark or Nereid, it’s not that much of a problem, but a Mermaid might find it extremely restricting,” I explain. “Honestly, I did hope that perhaps some of the women here would consider coming back with me since my business employs many races other than Humans and we could use the help of some aquatic individuals but I’m still on the fence considering the fact that you would literally be locked in a glass container for most of the time.”

“The brothel, right?” Cir strokes her chin.

“You know about it?” I raise a brow at her.

“We talked a little bit about a thing or two with your mates. That petite Human woman explained that you run a safe place for poor non-Humans which also operates as a brothel for Humans. She mentioned that it would definitely be a huge asset to have Mermaids in the roster since many people of the land love the tales and legends about us,” she replies.

“Well, we are talking about gorgeous women with dazzling figures, mesmerising scales and fish tails, and truly angelic voices. There’s no doubt that many Humans would dream about spending a night with one of you without risking never waking up again.” I chuckle softly.

“I think we should be able to find at least a few sisters who would like to work for you,” Fei chimes with a bright smile. “I personally know of at least two people who always wonder how it would be to live on land and interact with other races more directly. Mating with Humans is definitely a bonus too. They are really fascinated by the world outside of our waters and having limited living space might not be that big of a deal for them.”

“Hmmmm…” I ponder over their words for a moment. “That would certainly be great. The problem is, they are extremely thrilled about this now, but after let’s say a year, they will surely grow homesick, learning as much as they can from staying in just one Human city, no matter how grand. We would naturally not hold them hostage or anything if that happened, allowing them to leave, but… Hmmm…”

“Perhaps we could utilise the sewers?” Another voice joins us from behind and we glance towards the source.

“Meru. Welcome.” I smile at my fierce sharkgirl mate and Fei gingerly escapes my hold, clearly making some space for her. “Do you maybe need something?”

She swims closer, stopping in front of me, and I brush through her short, fluffy hair. “I sensed you waking up and so I came. There’s nothing else to it. I apologise if my appearance disturbed your conversation.”

“Please, don’t. Alastair’s mates are always welcome to join us at any time.” The matron makes a polite bow and Fei mirrors the motion.

Pulling the calm Nershark lady into a gentle kiss, I bring her to my side, turning us to the two Mermaids. “Could you elaborate on what you meant, then?”

“Astrea found us stuck against one of the gratings. After rescuing us, she brought us to your mansion through the underground tunnels. Perhaps we could transform one of the paths to not mix with the other ducts, at least until it reaches past the entrance to your home, creating an easy way for aquatic races to swim right to it. It would be easier for them to come and go that way, without having to be transported to the port over the surface,” my amazing mate suggests.

“That… could technically work.” I try to imagine the entire venture. “We would need to consult it with Ross first and see if any of the sewer canals can be singled out without causing problems for the city. And replace the grating with some kind of gate. Perhaps remotely controlled. Sirgia should be able to take care of that with a slightly altered version of our internal phone artefact.”

“Then… It wouldn’t be an issue if I came with you, right?” Fei glances at me with hopeful eyes.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll make sure to find a place to accommodate you.” I smile at her.

She squeals in delight and slams into my chest, causing me to chuckle as I wrap my arms around the overjoyed Mermaid. A rain of dainty pecks floods my face as Fei keeps giggling adorably and her fish tail smacks the water all around like crazy. At least until she realises what she is doing and grows so flushed that she has to hide her face in my neck.

I pull her up for a slow, deep kiss and she slowly calms down. Cir shakes her head with a quiet sigh and smirks at me.

“You are not going anywhere before we visit the Sacred Temple and that’s not negotiable, young lady,” the matron states coldly, evoking a delicate whine from the girl in my arms. “And before we finish settling down here. We could use every single pair of hands to make these ruins habitable and safe enough.”

“We will help.” I nod at her. “I bet Lianne and the others would be up for that too. Especially if her crew gets to spend some more time with the Mermaids. I feel like both sides could have lots of fun interacting with each other. You share a strong connection in how you prey on sea men wherever you go.”

“Any help is appreciated.” The matron makes a respectful bow with a charming smile painting her luscious lips. “First, though, we need to wake up all those lazytails. It’s already long past the hour we should have started cleaning up.”

“Cut them some slack, Matron Mother. They experienced the mating of their life last night. Many were barely able to move after being filled up so much. It felt like I was going to float to the surface belly up with my womb full of Alastair’s hot seed.” Fei giggles sweetly and peeks up at me with a tiny flush.

“I can’t refute that.” Cir sighs dreamily. “Stop clinging to our respectable Patron for now then and let us meet again in an hour or two. He must be starving after expanding this much love and energy. His lovers haven’t seen him for a while too.”

Fei leaves a peck on my cheek and swims to her superior’s side, waving her fingers at me. They both lower their heads politely and escape the chamber together. I exchange a glance with Meru, bringing our bodies together in a gentle embrace, and we share a more passionate kiss before heading out of the underwater complex too, holding hands along the way.

We jump back onto the ship after moving through the rocky passage and Alyssa’s crew welcomes us with cheers. Some women walk closer and start patting me on the back while giving me thumbs up and shouting something about a great job. It doesn’t take me long to figure out that a certain lewd royal has already spread the news of my recent conquest amongst literally every living soul on the deck. Definitely in full detail.

I find my girls in the mess, sitting around one table, and we join them with Meru. I share a good morning kiss with everyone, giving some well-deserved mana-pats and mana-tickles to my precious jelly queens. Safi and Emi played a big role in our last subjugation and I let them know about that properly. They deserve all the kisses and cuddles for being so brave and smart.

Cornelia obviously starts teasing me about the amount of fish pussy I was drowning in a few hours earlier, trying to act jealous and all pouty. Too bad I can clearly sense her smug expression through our really deep connection. But, to play along, I promise to do anything she asks of me to make it up to her, no matter what it is. Her eyes glimmer mischievously and she accepts in a flash, clearly already having something sinister in mind.

We share breakfast while chatting about the ritual and all the other things connected to the Mermaids. I let everyone know about their situation down there and things go just as I expected. Lianne suggests we help our new friends a little and drags Alyssa and her officers into it. They find that a good and fun idea and so does the entire crew. They are all excited to spend more time around Mermaids. And Divas, who are an even bigger legend.

Since we aren’t in that big of a rush and we feel at least somewhat obliged to help after receiving so much from the fish ladies, we finish up our meals and jump back into the water to see what we can do to make their new home as hospitable as possible. I’m sure we will be able to figure something out.

We regroup with Cir and the trio of scouts. The matron informs us that last night’s ritual was a great success as over seventy percent of the Mermaids that mated with me have awakened their latent Diva talents. Unfortunately, not every single lady was able to get to the next stage, but everyone was aware that it might not have been fully guaranteed that they would. Some people might need more time or such.

In the end, dozens of Divas are not something to scoff at. It’s almost an entire tribe of entities that are supposed to be almost extinct, endangered, with a single individual per kilometres of underwater land. I’m pretty sure that tips the scales of balance just a tad. Those knowledge keepers in the Temple are going to be so confused when an entire colony suddenly shows up at their doorstep. Though, I assume that Cir will be sending people out in smaller groups or there would be no one left to take care of things at home.

Anyway, we move on to the more pressing matters and discuss what we can do. The Mermaids have already tidied the ritual chamber up so that is out of the way. Their entire home could use some cleaning and my amazing Slime Queens offer their help in melting away all the unnecessary weeds, moss, and whatever else covers the walls of the rooms and corridors. Cir accepts their suggestion and they slither away to happily do their thing.

Neira and Cornelia volunteer to help with transporting the rock piles and other obstructive pieces of stone or other heavy materials out of the Mermaids’ new settlement. The former can easily control water to create a strong current while the latter coats everything in a layer of frost or ice, creating slick, shiny highways for all the debris that moves at great speeds.

As for me and Meru, we are sent with the scouting trio to find some more glowing crystals so that there could be more light. A very important task, I would say. Fortunately, they remember seeing traces of something they have a suspicion should be what we are looking for so we head straight towards the area. Nel and Yun keep flashing Fei tiny grins and smirks, clearly teasing their friend about something and succeeding, judging by the tinge of rosiness on her cheeks.

After two hours of swimming, we find a deep trench in the seabed. Our Mermaid guides swim around and examine the ground while the two of us wait for their verdict. It comes as I expect and we continue into the unending pit of darkness. It looks like Meru’s vision is well-adapted to such levels of light as we still are able to more or less see our surroundings.

The three ladies don’t seem to have an issue with that too, though they also support themselves with an interesting technique. Fei explains that after becoming Divas, not just their voices got enhanced but also their senses, including hearing. They let brief sounds out of their throats and listen to their surroundings. From what I see, it seems to be an ability similar to echolocation but even more accurate and obviously magical.

They locate a natural cavern hidden behind an extremely thick blanket of seaweed and the two of us deal with the obstruction in a flash. If not for their skills, I don’t think we would have found it that easily. Just in case, I bring out a torch, which technically is just a metal stick with a shining gem atop it, and hand it over to Yun. They switch places with us and it’s now Meru and me who take the lead, warily advancing further.

And it’s fortunate that we’ve decided to do so because just after a few minutes the entire tunnel rumbles and something big clearly rushes our way. I order the girls to retreat to the entrance while our team of two scouts out the upcoming danger. Nothing would have prepared me to see an eel the size of the entire cavern wiggle itself right at me with fury in its eyes and jaws.

I shape a greatsword with Lilith’s artefact and try to stop the beast but it hits me like a fucking freight train and sends me flying back. Meru jumps in to poke the monstrous underwater snake in the eye, rupturing it heavily. That makes the gigantic eel even more enraged and it starts thrashing around with tripled ferocity. We don’t really get any decent chances to poke or slash it with our battlefield limited this much.

Fei requests us to fall back too, saying that they have a plan to deal with it, granted it will follow us. We make it a little bit angrier by inflicting some more shallow wounds in its ugly face and start swimming away. We don’t need to act like we are escaping since it chases after us fast enough to force us to put actual effort into not being caught.

Soon, we reach the exit and immediately swim up after getting out of the hole. The Mermaid trio positions themselves all around it and takes a deep breath. Just as the eel monster pokes the tip of its head out of the tunnel, they let their voices ring all at once, bombarding it with an impressive and clearly painful sonic wave from three directions, shaking the surroundings even more than it had during its mad chase.

We don’t waste any time and get to work too. Meru rushes down under the stuck, wriggling snake, and soars up at a high speed. She sinks her trident into its throat from below and shuts its jaws closed, pinning them together with her durable polearm. I mirror her actions and fall onto the top of its head, driving my purplish greatsword into its skull. The blade pierces the bone with ease and sinks up to the draconic hilt.

With a few last shakes and shivers, the violent serpent grows soft as the last bits of life leave its long body. Pulling my sword out, I change it into a massive greataxe and chop its head off bit by bit just to be safe. You never know when it’s gonna pull a bamboozle on you.

We regroup to check if everyone is alright. I treat all the girls with my Rejuvenate to deal with the minor bruises and to refresh them a little bit. The Mermaid trio thanks me with a peck on the cheek and the less expressive Nershark beauty looks up at me, giving me a cute, grateful nod. I fluff her hair for a little bit, unable to resist that fierce cuteness of hers.

Ready to continue on our quest, I throw the eel’s corpse into one of Ailish’s rings so the blood doesn’t continuously leak into the water. The cave unblocked, we swim inside once more, still as careful as ever. Who knows if our wriggly friend didn’t have a girlfriend or a boyfriend?

But, after we reach the far end of the stone tunnel, we figure out that mama had no husband.

Besides a decently sizable chunk of glowing crystals growing out of the ground, we stumble on a multitude of eggs. They are all basking in the azure light emanated by the shiny rocks. It’s quite clear that the eel must have chosen this place having the crystals and possibly some of their effects in mind.

“It’s quite unfortunate, but it looks like we killed the mother defending her nest,” Meru points out in her charming, calm voice.

Fei sighs heavily. “It makes me feel bad but we had no way of knowing. Perhaps she might not have pursued if we didn’t agitate her so much.”

“We can’t know that. She might have very well chased after us to the ends of the world. It was us or her.” Yun swims closer and comforts her with a warm smile.

“What are we going to do with all those eggs? Can they survive on their own?” I ask, glancing at Meru and the trio.

“I’m pretty sure that it would be better for everyone to get rid of them right now. I’m not one hundred percent certain but I think I recognize this species and they are extremely predatory. They might be a danger to the Mermaids after they grow up. It’s possible that the female ran away from the Sahuagins to lay her eggs here before coming for revenge with an army,” Meru shares her thoughts.

“An army of your own children.” I shake my head with a wry smile. “A mother you wouldn’t want to fuck with.”

“Maybe we could take them,” Fei suggests and we all turn to her. “They aren’t yet born and lack a parent. If we bring them to our colony and raise them properly, they might become the guardians of our tribe. Both sides get to live in peace that way.”

“Are you sane? We can’t raise murder eels into obedient pets.” Nel looks at her weirdly.

“Correction, we couldn’t.” Fei waves a finger at her friend. “We were just Mermaids back then. Now, we are Divas. Our voice has power. Magic. Matron Mother alone might have had an issue but there are many of us now.”

“So, we are supposed to brainwash them into submission?” Yun asks, crossing her arms under her perky chest.

“I think it’s better than killing them off now or later when they become a danger to you,” Meru says. “If you really can raise them amongst your people, both species will only benefit from it.”

They all look between themselves and think about it deeply. After a moment, everyone agrees that it’s not a bad idea. But, they obviously have to consult with their matron and Fei suggests swimming back to talk to her. Before she escapes onto her journey, I catch her in a gentle hug and explain that they can now communicate mentally thanks to being connected to me after most of them accepted being my Partners.

Fascinated by the prospect, they decide to check that ability and get in touch with Cir. A wide smile curves my lips as both sides realise just how spicy their voices sound while using Sweet Whispers. I can feel their embarrassment and also a little bit of something else as they sneak some glances my way while covering their Mermaid panties.

After getting used to it, they discuss the matter with their leader and Cir also agrees to have a try at it. Since I can’t really shove living things into the ring without risking ending their life prematurely, we have to wait for a bigger squad of Mermaids to reach us and help us transport the eggs the usual way.

In the meanwhile, we excavate the crystals from the floor using some simple tools I find in one of my spatial storages. As for me personally, I manage to shape my artefact hilt into a pickaxe and it does the Goddess’ work. Before the reinforcements arrive, we dig out every single piece of the glowing rocks, excavating quite a sizable pit down into the ground. This much should be enough for the entire ruins and some more.

Our helpers show up with big nets onto which we load the eggs. They are of the perfect shape to firmly sit in the holes between the lines. It takes us fifteen minutes to collect all of them and secure the payload. Checking everything for the last time, we head back home without dilly-dallying since the journey this way will take a bit longer than before.

When we finally reach the hidden complex, Cir greets us and guides the transport to a specific chamber. As we traverse the hallways and other rooms, we quickly notice how much cleaner everything became during our absence. It’s literally like someone took a wet wipe and washed every single dark brick, removing all the dirt, mud, moss and so on. If that wet wipe was highly acidic slime, of course.

The interiors need just a few more light sources here and there and the ruins should become super cosy. Perhaps it won’t be right to call this place ruins anymore. It will soon transform into a thriving underwater city of beautiful Mermaids and Divas. And most likely ferocious murder eels.

What a combination.

It’s also quite obvious that Cornelia and Neira did a great job at getting rid of all the debris. The hallways cleared up so nicely without all the rocks and chunks of stone cluttering every single step. The Mermaids will have to slowly fix all the cracks and chinks if they would like to fully renovate this place but I think it’s worth the effort. It can become a beautiful settlement.

But, that is for them to decide and not us. Though, I bet they would love to ask me about how I would like to decorate their tribe’s home. I guess I do have some ideas but it would be nicer if they used their cultural knowledge to make this underwater complex pretty rather than my weird, surface ideas that don't even come from this world.

After dropping off the eggs in what will become the hatchery, we gather in the meeting chamber with all the important people in the tribe and discuss the matter of the eels. Cir presents the way to tame the aquatic beasts with the use of their songs to everyone and the elders approve of it. Since she has to quickly teach at least a dozen girls how to do it, everything else is delayed for later and I leave with Meru for late dinner on the ship.

We share the experiences of the day amongst ourselves while eating and Cornelia mentions that they wanted to investigate the other side of the massive gate through which the Lusca came out to attack us but they decided to wait for me. Since it could potentially be risky to leave it just like that, we return to the settlement after finishing and head for the chamber where we fought.

I put myself in the gap and use all my stats to increase it. The giant dark stone wings groan just as heavily as I do while opening wider. Meru helps as much as she can and we create enough space for everyone to comfortably step inside, or even bring bigger things in or out.

In that sealed room, we find the Lusca’s treasury. It was clearly its nest for quite some time. Heaps of daily items made of precious metals are piled up into decently sizable hills alongside coins of various nominations. We also spot armour and weapons, and even ship cannons but those are mostly squashed and deformed, most likely by the owner of this place so that they could pass through the narrow slit.

Some digging reveals much older pieces of table decorations and similar stuff. Perhaps there’s even a chance that some items belonged to these ruins way in the past. We can’t be sure if anyone plundered them or if it was just the Lusca that hoarded what it could into this small vault.

In the end, we take only coins for now since the Mermaids tell us that they don’t really have any use for so many of them. So, we leave a healthy amount and store the rest. As for the decorations and other stuff, we agree to leave it all to them, picking just a piece or two that catches our attention.

Cir insists all of us do, including the sailor women, so we spend a few hours escorting every single crew member to the treasury so they can pick their fancy. Ignoring the fact that swimming this deep under the water with a breathing artefact amongst numerous Divas and Mermaids already puts them in an amazed trance.

Alyssa is so grateful for this opportunity for her ladies that she insists on showing it to me right away so we end up spending that time in her private cabin as the girls lead the women. Thankfully, everyone is so busy with their trips and gifts that they don’t notice the heavy rocking the ship must be subjected to from me receiving my own gift. It’s not just the Mermaid’s place that needs renovations now after we are done with Alyssa in her cabin.

Naturally, she gets her turn in the vault too, choosing to come last as the captain. She can barely move even after my Rejuvenate and I don’t miss the clear smirk Lianne gives me when I guide the captain to the treasures. After our trips finally end, we all go catch some good rest and decide to meet in the morning. Things are looking good for the Mermaids so we are going to continue on our journey.

As planned, gathering all my mates, I jump into the chilly water and pay a visit to the matron’s throne chamber. Cir and many other Mermaids wait for us, including Fei and her friends, of course. The scouting trio takes positions around us like honourable guards and escorts.

“So, the time to part ways has come,” the matron begins with a soft smile.

“I believe that it’s not the last time that our paths cross, Matron Mother.” I smile back and make a polite nod.

“That is for certain. We will now begin a diligent training of the newly awakened Divas and I can promise you that in a week's time, you shall have an army of powerful Mermaids at your command. It is our duty to both serve you and return the favour, therefore we will do whatever it is in our power to aid your conquest. Await our songs on the battlefield.” She makes a deep, respectful bow which is repeated by everyone gathered.

“Thank you. Don’t rush the training. Take only those who will be confident in their abilities and will to fight. Your help will be appreciated but we won’t fail if your numbers won’t be high,” I instruct her.

“I will keep that in mind, Patron.” Her smile grows a little. “As for our previous discussion, we shall await the news of the underground duct’s construction. Right after it’s completed, I will send those willing to visit your home. We are already asking around for people interested in working for our dear Patron.”

“Thank you again. I shall contact you as soon as we figure it out.” I nod gratefully.

“Well, then. I won’t delay you any longer. We all wish you luck on your conquest of the barbaric Sahuagins, dear Patron. May the blessings of the Goddess be with you.”

All the Mermaids bow again as Cir begins a brief but powerful song consisting of just a few prolonged notes. It has a divine feeling and I don’t doubt that she truly blessed me with some sort of skill or something. Or it really is Lumina working through her to aid us via some loophole based on faith.

Exchanging one last farewell, we turn around and start slowly leaving the throne chamber.

“Fei.” Cir’s voice echoes through the hall and we stop, glancing over our shoulders.

I find our black-haired friend just by my side with a wry smile. From how she looks at me with an embarrassed flush, I can clearly guess what’s going on here.

“You are to receive training alongside everyone else,” the matron continues. “Until then, you can’t leave.”

Fei bites on her lower lip and tries not to cast her gaze down. I smile warmly and swim back to her, pulling her into a tender hug.

“I thought you were a good girl but to try and sneak out like that?” I ask with a smirk and she giggles shyly. “We will see each other soon so don’t rush it. I would hate it if anything happened to you so listen to Cir and learn whatever you can to become stronger. We can talk in our heads and I can see you in my dreams if you get lonely. The real you.”

She nibbles on her lip even stronger but nods obediently with a much bigger flush. I cup her chin up and pull her into a delicate kiss, chasing after her mouth like after the sweetest piece of candy. She wraps her arms around me and we share a few slow pecks before finally moving away.

Sighing heavily, she nods again and returns to her two friends, completing their formation again. They wave at us together and we return to the ship. There’s quite some ass to kick in these waters and my feet are starting to itch.