Side Story - Mid-Spring Days Simmer
“Oww…” Pakin groaned as he picked himself off the anemone he had crashed into. It had thankfully broken most of the impact. Still, fighting against the powerful current had hurt. It was just instinctive knowledge to move with the flow normally but these weren't normal circumstances by any means. Larry had triggered something with the DLC, something big and he had gotten blown away by it like a beginner.
“Seriously, of all the things to run into, why couldn’t it have been pirates or a sea monster. Damn magic temples!” Pakin groaned to himself. It was one thing to injure yourself. It was a whole other matter for the person you were escorting to get injured. Even if he wasn’t one of the main VIPs, he was still a guest. L-l-larr… huh? Her name was Rylla wasn’t it?? Pakin shook his head for a moment trying to clear his head. Maybe the current had concussed him? Checking himself, his vision and senses seemed fine. Rylla was one of their party members… right??? Or was she? Something strange was going on, alright...
Pakin paused. Even though he had just seen her a moment ago, his memories of the cute elemental mecha mermaid he had been escorting were fuzzy. H-She was admittedly a merhalf but that really wasn’t a knock since most of the females he knew were merhalves. Also, she was gorgeous in an exotic foreigner sort of way, even as a former surface dweller. She had been so flustered but insistent that she come to the temple immediately even while the others went to greet the Empress. Something about a daily weather forecast? Whatever that was, it was a land person thing.
Or wait… was that even true? Was Rylla a merhalf that had just transformed herself? Or was she a full mermaid that had always been here? But if that’s the case, then what was HE doing here? He clearly still had memories of her. Her bubbly naivety that was equally endearing and embarrassing, the vibrant colours of her scales, her beautiful, luscious eyes…
Uh, ahum, wait. He was on duty! He couldn’t start fantasizing about the client he was supposed to protect now, was he? In any case, he remembered her clearly, but his memories of anything that had happened after entering the temple seemed muddled to say the least. Nothing seemed to really make sense. Perhaps he’d get his answers once he finds his way back to Rylla again?
Well, one thing at a time. First, he needed to figure out where he even was before he could even think about finding Rylla again. Righting himself, he looked around the room he had been sucked into. The oval shaped room was probably larger than his entire apartment. The smooth pink seagrass bedding in the center of the chamber was large enough to fit even a whale… well maybe not that big but it was still larger than anything he could afford. Not only was the room big, it was richly decorated as well. The coral furniture vibrantly glowed with engraving that contrasted the purple anemone seats while the flooring sported its own miniature Mangrove forest. It was surprising that they still flourished since this temple had been unoccupied for centuries. Well, it was given maintenance and the window’s shape at the center cone likely unshuttered to allow some daylight in. There were a series of giant clam closets, large mirrors, and, heck, there were even fresh starfish pasties stacked in the corner that were…
“I’m in a girl’s bedroom, aren’t I….” Pakin muttered, sighing at the realization. “Captain Ael is gonna kill me if she learns of this…” He looked around awkwardly for an exit to the large bedroom chamber that he was currently in. He was probably going to get demoted for messing up with Rylla already but violating a lady’s sanctum? That would be an even worse offense! He had to get out of here before anything else happened…
“Here it is,” he thought out loud as he found the tunnel that he had tumbled out of. Unfortunately, there were three separate tunnels and he hadn’t had time to catch a good look at which one he had been spit out of. Still, any of them were probably better than staying here and getting blamed for…
Something was coming. Something fast! Pakin gripped his trident, tensing as the rippling in the water indicated motions in the southern tunnel.
“Halt, who goes there!” Pakin shouted “This is Corporal Pakin of the 7th Currents! Identify yourself!” Pakin barely had time to jump back as the object barreled into the room, her vibrating figure leaving very little to the imagination. It was her!
“Oh, thank the goddesses you're ok, Rylla!” Pakin sighed in relief. Whatever the case was with this curious mermaid, he was very glad to see her. In fact, now that he saw her again, he couldn’t really make himself turn away anymore. He just stared at her pristine face as the pounding beat of his heart fluttered faster and faster. He had remembered her being very pretty already but seeing her again now, she was drop dead gorgeous. Those vibrant scales, those wide, egg bearing hips, those cute yet sensual lips. In fact, he would bet she could even give the Princess a run for her money, and she was one of the top contenders in the Miss Mortals Pageant. Or had Rylla always been this way? Why couldn’t he think straight about this…
“Oh you’re… hmm,” Rylla glanced at him before suddenly twirling around him almost faster then he could react before pausing again, now mere centimeters from his face pouting in confusion. “Uh… who are you again? This room is private, you know.”
“It’s… Pakin Welk? You know, your bodyguard,” he sighed, rubbing his temples to avoid allowing the disappointment to show in his face. Her vacant eyed look meant that she had forgotten all about him already. Whatever had affected his mind must have also done something to Rylla… maybe?
“Pakin? Pakin, Pakin… huh… Sorry, don’t remember that name! But then, I only just disconnected again, so my head’s a bit fuzzy! Fuzzier than usual I mean,” Rylla said, giggling to herself like a ditz and knocking on her own head. “A lot of time has paused since my last disconnect, hasn’t it…?” she mused to herself absentmindedly while placing a hand on her chin and looking off to the side, completely lost in thought.
“Your… disconnect?” Pakin asked.
Rylla shook and gasped. “Uh… Who are you again? This is a private room, you know,” she asked a second time. It was as if she had completely forgotten about what happened mere seconds ago!
“Uhm… Pakin Welk… Your bodyguard,” Pakin repeated, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
Rylla started slowly swimming around him, inspecting him curiously from all sides. “And what does a body… what was it? Body pillow? What does it do?” Rylla asked innocently before pausing to lick her lips rather sensually. She still had a bit of a vacant look in her eyes as she giggled to herself.
“Bodyguard… I’m supposed to uh… protect you,” Pakin replied.
“Protect me? I don’t think I saw anything I need protection from… Maybe you’re talking about… aaaaanyway, have you seen Pye Pye?” Rylla asked, seemingly having abandoned her previous train of thoughts to jump on a new one.
“Pie? What does pie have to do with anything? I mean, if you're hungry, we can go back to the markets and get some food?” Pakin asked, hoping to keep Rylla on topic this time. Was this the Rylla that he had remembered? Or was there something else going on? He just couldn’t say for certain anymore. At the very least, with any luck, she may completely forget about his accidental trespassing into her room. Then again, knowing his luck, she would bring it up accidentally and get him spit roasted after all.
Rylla became starry-eyed at that point. “Fooooooood. Yes! Food sounds yummy! I haven’t eaten anything in centuries!” Rylla cheered, looking rather energetic and swimming multiple circles around Pakin.
“Centuries…? But weren’t you…” Pakin tried asking but Rylla ignored him completely. Instead, she swam back towards the tunnels again.
“BUTTTT!!! We have to get Pye Pye first!” she shouted excitedly and dashed into one of them.
“Wait!! Who is Pye...” The words barely even left Pakin’s mouth before Rylla jumped back into the lower tunnel, her hydromantic swimming method making her a blur of speed. “Crap! Crap! Crap!” Pakin mumbled to himself as he jumped in after her. Losing his charge twice in a row would be a stain on his honor, if not a discharge. He would figure out what was up with her later. For now, he had to do his best to catch up with her!
The tunnel system was a lot larger than he had anticipated. When he had soared through them earlier, everything was such a whirlwind that he could barely see where he was going. Now that he was able to see around himself, he was amazed. The interlocking tunnel sections gave a window view of most of the interior passageways; they most likely acted as a 2nd transit option for water dwellers to move around the temple before the bubble system had been invented. A testament of just how old the temple actually was. As old as Rylla was… or… was she?
“WAIT UP!!!!” He shouted after her. Swimming at top speed was all he could do to keep Rylla in view. Well, being behind her gave him a lovely rear view of her curvy figure at all times. It was a nice bonus at least… They kept going deeper and deeper. Her slim, tight fins were magnificent if not infuriatingly faster than him. An unearthly glow illuminated the tunnels as they eventually descended into a curious cave. To say it was enormous would be an understatement. It was likely bigger than the entire temple above… or maybe the temple itself was a cover for this cave? It did always strike him as odd that no others were allowed to build in the zoning area but he had always attributed it to being either the will of the politicians or that of the gods.
“Come on, hurry up! Pye Pye is either with me, in our room, or in here!” Rylla said, glancing impatiently around as she waited for him by the entrance.
Pakin paused, still a little dizzy from the chase, took a moment to regain his bearings. “Where is here?” he asked as his jaw dropped. He was in awe as he stared at the endless streams of moving colors in this cave. It reminded him of the great Mommanna lava ravine, a dangerous area where the deep water currents clash with the earth’s flow. This rainbow epitaph of colors, on the other hand, was anything but violent. it was actually very soothing to gaze upon. It was almost as if it was calling him…
“Oh! This is the…. Uh… what did Pye Pye call it again…” Rylla said, looking thoughtful and placing a finger on her cheek while looking on vacantly again. Some of the colourful streams flowed through her, illuminating her inside and out. That’s right, of course. As the Seeress of Aeons, water (and by extension, time) was able to flow into her through hair-like tubes on her head and out again through her fins.
Wait, the Seeress of Aeons? Wasn’t that the goal of Rylla’s quest? To awaken the Seeress? Pakin really could not figure anything out anymore at this point… How could Rylla be both the Seeress AND the outlander supposed to awaken the Seeress at the same time?
“Oh yeah! It’s one of the Primordial mana veins! The mana of the Spring of Aeons in the church above rises and mixes from here!” Rylla explained excitedly, interrupting Pakin’s thoughts again.
“Wow,” he exclaimed, trying his best to forget about his confusion again for now. He couldn’t help but stutter absentmindedly and bask in the radiance of all the colours. It was a calming yet raging tide that stirred something within him, similar to how Rylla had made his heart flutter earlier, though it was unique in it’s own way.
“Teeheehee,” Rylla jiggled as she sensually tapped him on the fin, waking him from his revelry as she swam past him. “You like it?”
“It’s… beautiful…” Pakin said, his words trailing off slightly.
“We’re here to look for Pye Pye, remember? Then we can get food!” Rylla exclaimed. It seemed that she was slowly beginning to think a little straighter again. At least, she hadn’t forgotten about their task this time…
“Oh… right…?” Pakin said, a little dazed still as he dutifully followed along deeper into the cave. It was admittedly a rather empty cave for all it’s size. The ever moving flow of pure magic that passed through it left little room for much else. Still, as they swam closer, he could make out something jutting out of the flow. It was some kind of crystalline structure. It was roughly the size of a house and it was shaped like a spiral shell that rested upon the currents. It was big enough that Pakin wasn’t sure how he missed it in the first place until suddenly a wave eclipsed over it completely before gradually receding once more.
“Are you sure that's safe?” Pakin asked, looking hesitantly at the structure even if it was unblemished by the mana running around it.
“Of course it’s safe! I think I’d know if there was something super dangerous in my own home, dummy,” Rylla laughed.
“A-ah… haha… I see,” Pakin said awkwardly. It certainly seemed that Rylla was indeed the Seeress and that she had no recollection of traveling to this temple mere hours ago. But then… Why did HE still remember that? Who was right here? What was true and what wasn’t? He was beginning to doubt his own mind now…
“Well, what are we waiting for! Let’s go!” Rylla exclaimed, demanding the attention back to her again.
“Wait! Be careful!” Pakin shouted, pulling her out of range of some mana droplets that had sprayed out as the waves broke against the shell. One glancingly touched his arm, leaving a tingling, burning sensation of mana burn, though there was thankfully no permanent damage as far as he could tell. “How about I go in first and check for any dangers while you stay out here and don’t take any unnecessary risks.” Pakin stated in the most commanding tone he could muster. As a merman he of course had no right to command a mermaid on what to do, but as a bodyguard he deemed it necessary. At least, he still remembered himself to be Rylla’s bodyguard. Whether that memory was true or false, he couldn’t say though.
“Ooooh, you will? Oh oh oh, this should be fun!” Rylla giggled, seemingly very amused already.
Bravely, Pakin turned to face the shell before pausing as he realized he was missing one key component. “So… uh what does this Pye Pye look like?”
Rylla’s eyes turned wide at the question. Once again, she looked like she was having a lot of trouble thinking about this question. “Well… Pye Pye is like… uhm... Pye Pye! She’s usually round but sometimes not. And she’s slick and slippery and, oh! Also she’s super sexy and hot and uh... like the mana flow here,” she said, still a bit absentminded while gesturing with her hands to form a round shape but not really clarifying anything at all.
“That’s… uh…descriptive,” Pakin paused, struggling to hold back a deadpan glare from showing on his face as he tried to figure out how to get more details out of this absolute klutz of a mermaid.
“Soooorryyyy. I told you, I only just disconnected again after centuries of being in the spring non stop,” Rylla giggled. “My head’s still way too fuzzy to form coherent thoughts.”
‘That’s apparent,’ Pakin thought to himself. “What do you mean, ‘disconnected’ anyway?” he asked.
“From the spring! Duh!” Rylla replied.
“Right…” Pakin said, rubbing his head before turning to face the shell once more. “Anyway, I… guess I’ll go look for this amorphous friend of yours then…”
“Oh oh oh! I know how I can describe her better! I’ll just check!!” Rylla said excitedly. She dashed forwards before Pakin could react as the flow of many soured into her and surged out of her tail again before coiling back into her like a tornado of incandescent colours. Her eyes were glowing with power as she was illuminated from the inside out by the mana. She opened her mouth and spoke words that resonated with power.
“Forsooth, for when the torrent flux, thy count shall be high, no less no more.”
“The yearning of ardor willth become one with that cherished idolatry.”
“Descended from which shall stir two singularity becomith true.”
The glow gradually faded again as the regular currents ebbed back into Rylla. So, this was the true extent of the skills of a seeress that he had heard so much about. It sounded like a prediction and if this was truly the fabled Seeress of Springs, that meant that it must be spot on, though what was with this olden tongue riddle? For just a brief moment, Rylla sounded a lot smarter and wiser than anybody else there but looking at the ditzy grin she had on her face again now, it seemed like it was only a fleeting moment.
How should he interpret this prediction? High count? Maybe it was a… hmm, the time? It was a temple devoted to one of the time gods after all. Cherished idolatry? I mean, there were a few options there. The Idol princess was one, though for all he knew, perhaps Rylla was also known as an idol seeress back in the day. At the very least, he imagined she would be among the guys. Two singularities… hmm maybe that referred to the twins? What did any of it mean though when put together? Argh… this sort of stuff never was his speciality.
“Wow… soooo… What did I say! Wait, no, let me guess first. Was it about love? It was about love, wasn’t it?” Rylla said perking up again after she had returned to normal. She forgot about her own predictions?!
“Uh… well, uh… uhm… not exactly? I think,” Pakin replied hesitantly as he faced the mana waves ebbing and flowing around. He had no clue what to make of Rylla's prediction at all of course but it sounded like things would work out? At least, he hoped so.
“Well here goes,” Pakin said before diving swifty into the shell just as the tide began to retreat. It was a tight squeeze but he could make it! While the mana flow didn’t seem fatal, he didn’t particularly look forward to getting mana poisoning or such from swimming in it.
“Whew,” Pakin let out the bated breath he had kept as he coasted along the tidal force, making it in as the thunderous drumming echoed throughout the shell's structure.
“Hello? Is there a Pye around here somewhere?” Pakin shouted, his voice echoing off the interior of the shell. Looking around, it was mostly empty despite the spiral shape. He was about to shout again when he noticed a sort of empty ball in the middle.
No… not a ball, it was an empty egg? Pakin stirred. It was definitely an egg but there was something about it. Something that seemed almost familiar…
“Wow...” Pakin stuttered as he swam up to the egg, feeling a little hot down to his core just staring at it. The eggs shell was like a translucent foaming bubble but at the same time it wasn’t. His eyes were telling him he was seeing through it but somehow he knew that what he was seeing was only the base of it.
He wanted to touch it.
He wanted to hear it..
He wanted to be it...
“Momma,” Pakin whispered as he felt it calling to him while he pushed against the shell. His soul parted flesh as if nothing was there. As he crawled into its… no, her embrace.
“Mother,” Pakin whispered again. The cord repaired from his belly as Pakin rekindled his connection to her, to the eternal flow. As he drank… yes, nested in her essence.
“Mmm….aaaa…. Mmm….aaaaaa….” His parted flesh melted into its base components, becoming one with the egg. His limbs retreated. His muscles melted into the evanescence. His bones vaporized into basic bonds. His manliness was restored to femininity.
Once more, becoming one within the primordial din. As she should have been.
She slept…
She fed…
As her soul cupped in the breasts of something greater than she could ever imagine.
Piece by piece, she returned to her.
Her soul rendered anew.
She moaned as her womb rebirthed, condescending into formless permanence.
Heart to core, she changed.
Nested, she was in the mother goddess’s embrace.
And then she awoke once more…
“Pye Pye! wakey wakey!” Rylla giggled a little, looking at the sleeping slime girl before kissing Pye right in her core sensually. The ball of mucus and Mana stirred from it. Amorphous yet sensuous petite limbs erupted forming from the ball of ooze that she was. One by one, they reformed into her breasts, her head, her bulbous waist, her tentacles as the primordial slime aroused from her slumber.
“Rylla…?” Pye asked as memories slowly returned to her. Her mind felt even foggier than Rylla’s usually was at that moment. She yawned as she opened her newly formed eyes at her lover. At her charge. “How long…”
“Have we slept? Too long! Much too long. But we’re awake now!” Rylla giggled. It was admittedly a little tiring dealing with the hyper extroverted ditz at times but she wouldn’t change it for the world. She had been reborn by the primal Mother’s love to fulfil an ancient pact but her personal love, well that was private. Still, completely emerging from her roundabout form was so much work, especially when she was already nice and toasty.
“Awake, we truly are…” Pye mused.
“Yup!” Rylla cheered.
“... Why?” Pye asked.
“You know what? I haven’t the faintest clue,” Rylla said, once again placing her hand on her cheek and tapping her cheek with her finger as she always did when she tried remembering important things. Rylla had kind of always been a bit of a ditz but it was a lot worse right after her emerging from the springs.
“Hmmm… wake me up, you did?” Pye asked curiously in her unique pattern of speech.
“I did? I mean, yes, I did! Duh, who else?” Rylla giggled. “Anywho, I was waiting for you Ms. Pillow Guard because it's Food time!!” She snuggled her head against Pye tenderly then.
“Pillow guard?” Pye asked curiously.
“Oh, don’t worry about that! I think it must have just been a lingering thought from inside the spring,” Rylla chuckled as a mischievous smirk appeared on her lips while turning her head’s main tube to face Pye.
Pye gasped. “Do it, don’t you dare!!!” she yelled but her retort was cut short as Rylla applied her suction to Pye’s still half asleep face. The slime girl was suddenly and quickly sucked inside of her. She splurged and spun while Rylla just giggled and moaned. Pye coarse and surged through Rylla, merging and mixing. Loving.
“Wheee!!!” Rylla squealed as a Pye’s magical energy mixed with her own. It had been aeons since they were able to do this after all. Eventually, Rylla started flapping her fins as she sped up and out of the cave again, back into the tunnel that led to the temple proper. Supercavitation occurred with the water splitting into vapor like a rainbow cone exploding in a rippling wave before them as they rocketed through the water. Though she was flowing within Rylla, Pye could still see the temple. It was still just as she remembered it from way back when…
“The food awa- OOH AAAAAH!!!” Rylla moaned as Pye purposely squeezed herself slowly out of Rylla’s limited openings that weren’t her fin. She was tightly sealed for the most part but she still had a few extra openings. Openings that Pye long since had discovered and that she loved to exploit.
“Told you not to do that, I did!” Pye sighed as she squeezed through slowly and purposely rubbing all of Rylla's pleasure points in the process. The Mermecha squirmed, twisting in the waters as she moaned in pleasure at the forceful treatment.
“F-fiiiine…” Rylla stammered between her moans. It was a punishment, but it was a punishment that she secretly loved alright.
Pye couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Rylla as she formed herself into a sort of jellyfish shape that she had come to prefer over the years. Just then, a flash of memories returned to her. Memories of her one merman half. They appeared in her mind for just a moment but she quickly brushed them away. It had been ages since she had given up that part of herself after all. The one known as Pakin, who had been reborn to fulfill one of the Mother Goddess’s Blessings. A promise between her and those of time. A promise that would soon be upon them. Still, it was odd that she was remembering something that had happened so long ago. Maybe it was the effect of the time goddess? Or the fact that they had only just woken up again from their slumber?
“Awww… is it over already,” Rylla whined as Pye finished exiting, leaving her feeling slightly empty. Of course, inside her heart, they held each other figuratively and literally. “Anyway, come on! I am DYING for some grilled Kraken bits!!” Rylla squealed as she started swimming at an incredible speed again towards the front door of the church, grabbing one of Pye’s tentacles as she did so. Pye had to admit, it had been a very long time since she had last eaten as well...
“And this is it. The Temple of the Eternal Current, home to the Spring of Aeons,” captain Ael said proudly as they approached the ancient church.
“It’s just as I remembered it,” Ysera mused.
“Whoah, this place is huge!” Julia exclaimed.
“What are we waiting for then? Let us enter and see if we can awaken cousin Rylla,” Zexa and Xeza said together.
“Of course,” Ael said, nodding her head and she was about to place her hand on the handles of the large doors when they suddenly swung open all on their own, after which an incredibly strong, rainbow-coloured current whizzed past them all and soared into the direction of the city.
“What… was that?” Julia gasped.
While the twins looked to Ael curiously, Ysera tried making out the quickly diminishing flow of rainbow-coloured water that went off into the distance.
“I think… the DLC quest has been completed without our help,” she finally said.
“Wait… it did?” Zexa and Xeza asked.
“What? Don’t tell me we came all this way for nothing…” Julia yammered as she realized that her pigtails had gotten wet from the sudden surge of water that even rippled through their air bubble.
“Hmm… I’m not sure,” Ysera said, crossing her arms. “Perhaps our mere presence here woke her up, just as Lavini did for me.”
“That would make sense… but isn’t she supposed to be in the spring and not out of it?” the twins asked.
“Oh, she can get out when she wants to, really,” Ysera chuckled.
“I… can’t believe it. The temple… is active again?” Ael said in awe.
“It would seem so, yeah,” Julia nodded.
“Well… I… I don’t know what you did, but thank you!” Ael said, bowing her head.
“So… seeing as Rylla’s currently out… guess we should wait until she’s back,” Ysera chuckled.
“Or,” Zexa and Xeza said.
“Or what?” Julia asked.
“Seeing as the quest has been completed, that means it’s vacation time,” they replied with devious grins on their faces as they both started tugging on Julia’s clothing. “It’s time for the swimsuit, Julia!”
“W-wait! Not out in public!” Julia cried out, blushing madly as her protests like her clothing were stripped bare.
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