Finding the spirit...

The same cool feeling came across my body. I had to stop by the academy to leave a message for my counterpart before returning to this realm. Emerging from the water, my body would twist and shake to get the excess water from my clothing. My hair was wet and in my face, so it would be swept back behind my ears before I started to fly for the coast line. I had been absent from the village for nearly three days, and was rather curious to the progress they had made while I was on my safari in the underworld. The trip had ended in failure, and I was sure Domen was rather irate at that fact. For all the work we had done, we had gathered some interesting assets, including some regenerative armor in the form of a chest piece. At least I knew I would be able to take hits in a pinch even easier now. With a smile on my face, my body would be directed directly west towards the coast line, in hopes that I could catch a trade route on the way in. I was pretty hungry, and barely had time for a glass of hot tea while in the future realm. Now that I had rushed back here, food was a priority. I could really go for some smoked sea bass right about now...
231.1

The day was sunny and the wind sharp as I dove from the rock into the water, my tail slashing up like the whales that sometimes came out this way. The rock was not very high, but I had gotten a little too hot on that rock. So into the water I jumped. Swimming down a few feet, I turned in a graceful arc and brought myself back up to the surface of the water. The waves were quiet this afternoon as I crawled back onto the rock. Looking out over the ocean, I reached up and tucked my dark brown hair behind my ear. There were ships out there today, apparently there was a new trade route going across the water. Julian would have been happy to see those ships. It would have brought people into our village. But that was years ago, long ago before the wreck.

I glanced behind me to the crumbling remains of his invention. The salt that was on my cheeks had nothing to do with the ocean breeze and everything to do with the memories. I was still human from the waist up. But at the waist, scales covered my lower body. and instead of legs, I had a long, dark tail with beautiful shiny scales. The only thing that covered my upper body was my long dark hair. It curled around my breasts and hid them from sight.

Many a sailor had been warned away from these rocks by my haunting song. At least one of us would continue the work we had started so many years ago. The memories were hard on me so I wiped my eyes and cheeks and then began to sing the song that I had created to morn the loss of my love. The song brought up a brown seal onto the rock beside me.

my body would dip down towards the water, while a single arm lowered to touch it. A spray of salt water would raise up in a light mist before I hopped up towards the sky a bit. There was about a four mile stretch of coast line I had never visited before, and figured I could check it out before the other spirit laid claim to it. If I could find some solid water front property, I could set up a coastal outpost for trade, so that goods could be screened before moving into my village. After all, I couldn't allow bad goods to be brought in if they were carrying diseases with them. Twisting through the air, I would swirl around to remove the last bit of water from my being before coming to a halt. Looking around, I figured it may have been a bird or something since I was fairly high up. There it was again.. A faint sound raised interested as soon as it hit my ears. Something sad, but with hope. it was.. music? A song? i couldn't tell from this height. Looking towards the shore line, I would descend at full speed towards the water, curious to what was down there..

The song comes to an end as the seal claps happily. Using a few clucks and such, I had the seal diving off his rock. The seal resurfaced in a few minutes with a golden comb in hand. It was inlaid with pearls and I started to pull it through my hair to comb out the tangles, after taking it from the seal. The brown seal slips back up to his rock and holds his head up proudly. This would make me chuckle in that husky voice that made me shiver with lust. Shaking my head, I continue to comb the hair back and then pin it above my delicate ears. For a moment, the hair pulls away to reveal the soft pale flesh of my chest, only to be covered by the dark chocolate locks again. After finishing with my hair, I flick my tail from the water and splash the seal. He grunts and dives into the water. Laughing again, I silently thank him for pulling me out of my dreary mood. He was right. It was time to play.

I pulled up across the coast line, watching the sand in the distance for a moment before focusing on a rocky shore line. The song had stopped, causing me to halt in my place. For a moment, it seemed to have gotten louder. Was I close to the source? Shaking my head from one side to the other, a sharp crack would emanate from my neck while I scanned the coast line for an answer to my curiosity. A hand would come across my lightly tanned chin while I continued to look around. off in the distance stood a strange structure, but that wasn't my priority for now. Food was second now, and I hated my strange attraction to the unknown. Looking down, a light laugh caught my attention... What was that thing...

Gently, I started to sing again, this time a more happy tune. One that the sailors would know. They sang it every time they hauled in the fish nets. A few more seals poked their heads out of the water, followed by a few otters. Well it was time to play. I stopped singing as I watched them diving in and out of the gentle waves. My hand comes up and I cover my mouth as I chuckle. These were my family now. I had to stop being so dreary, but I did miss my life on shore. My tail comes up from the water and I flick the ocean foam onto the playful sea creatures. They were laying chase me.

Then one stopped and looked up as if noticing that something was there, above us. Then more stopped until they all bobbed there looking up. Then they were quickly gone. This caused me to look up, my sea foam green eyes grew wide as I noticed something like a man floating in the sky. My breath caught as I bunched up the muscles of my tail and prepared to leap from the rock and back into my ocean depths.

that was it.. was it a human? or maybe a spirit? A slow smile would begin to form across my face before my body slowly leaned forward. When it nearly began to invert, it would take off at full speed. The water was a deep blue shade, and was rather beautiful. With the sunny sky behind me, i would careen at full force straight forward towards the surface. I would spin, releasing a light bolt of lightning to break the surface tension before my body disappeared into the water. Rotating, I would go down about thirty feet before stopping and looking around. It was wet, and I was holding my breath. . . Were those seals? I was unable to tell from way up there. Slowly turning, I would get my bearings while holding my breath longer than I had wanted, and trying to figure out what that woman was...

I dived into the water and heard the splash behind me. My fin swishing as I moved and swam down to the bottom, which was only about 50 feet down. The seals were gone by now and I would not call them to my aid. I was not even sure if this being could find me. The waters were cooler at this level and clear. There was reef a little in the distance. But I looked back behind me to see the being about twenty feet above. What could fly and then dive like that. Was it human? Or was it a spirit. My nature while being human was curious, so even now with the spirit inside me, I was still such. So instead of running, I decided to find out what the being was and what it was doing in my waters. So with that in mind, I began to swim the 20 feet up. When I reached him, I would circle, my hair flowing out around me as I gracefully turned and floated in front of him. He looked human, but my awareness told me he was other. A spirit.

Air bubbles would come from my lips while my arms stabilized me. With an interesting change of events, something I never thought would happen, happened. A human? With a tail? I was really curious now, while I floated there under water with her swimming around me. A big burst of air would come from my lips while my body moved forward towards the surface. As I broke the top, I would lift up about a yard before spinning around to shake the water from my body. Quickly looking down towards the water, I would scan the surface to see if my eyes had actually been correct in the salty depths. Was there a fish woman? I had never seen anything like that in all of my years in existence.

floating there, I waited only to find her emerging from the water on the coast line. Straightening my body out, my form would take a seat before moving towards her at an even pace. Her form was peculiar, but not really strange. I had seen stranger in my travels and adventures in the underworld. slowly, I would stop about ten feet away from the rocks while keeping my eyes on her. Her form, beautiful beyond words. Had I found something special, a new breed of spiritual creature? I had lots of questions, but none would make it out of my mouth before I blurted out the obvious.. "Aye! What in the hell? Are you a? Maybe ? kinda?"

A mermaid, or siren? I think there was something about that in a spreadsheet that I saw, but I had quickly dismissed it during my time. There was a little bit going through my head right now, especially now that my attention was on the lighthouse. A warning for sailors. That was something that had me interested. At her return, a question would be posed in my direction. She had been fair and answered mine without hesitation. the least that I could do is return that level of politeness.

"yes, a spirit from the higher realms.. are there many lighthouses like that one?"

A glasswright? Was that someone who created glass? It might have been possible for me to bring glass from my time, if it was actually possible for something like that to work. If I had a system for creating light and lightning up my harbor, there was a chance that I could extend my economy to function at all hours. Hhmm...

"So this lighthouse allowed ships the ability to travel at night... do you remember how it was built? A lighthouse could be a great asset to my village.."

Interesting... Crossing my legs, I would take a sitting position while thinking about the desert clans, and the architecture of the lighthouse. if it was a difficult project to do, then it may be easier to just import the simple glass. Glassblowing was a difficult thing back here, but it wasn't where I was from.
"What if I could get you the glass without having to make it from scratch... and give you a new purpose.. I have a village to the north, and we are going to be opening up sea routes as our primary form of trade. Your song was lonely, I could get that much from it. If you want a new purpose, and a new home, you are welcome to my waters... although its probably a lot colder than here.."

Taking notice of the seals, my attention would be brought directly towards the siren again. I was still curious about what she really was, and what she could do with that voice. It was beautiful.

The plans were inside that tower.. it was a tower of stone, in a cylindrical shape. I had built an entire academy, and part of the entrance corridor was a fountain that had quartz, a rock that naturally broke down light into its individual colors. If the plans were on paper, there was a chance they would be old and unusable to me. I watched the siren explain how she became this way. Life is life.. and if she was grateful for it, she would want to live her live as best she could..It left me with a curious pondering of why she was still here..

"Do you stay here out of responsibility, or because you are afraid to leave.."

"worship is worship, it doesnt matter the form.."

thinking about the priest and their religious caste's from the mainland, I remembered that they were rather archaic in their practice. I had nearly forgotten that these were the days of lynching and leeches. What a shame that a servant of the heavens was stuck here.. Hhmm.. stuck... it kind of gave me a bit of an idea. An even exchange, if you would. she had given me, indirectly, the terms of her release..

"So.. for you to leave, you need an alter. If I were to build you this alter, and repair this lighthouse, would you then consider leaving?"

I watched the old tower for a moment. If there was no port here, then the lighthouse really did nothing in terms of productivity. I would send my researchers to investigate it, and draw up plans for a newer, stronger version. In surprisal, I wondered how long she had been here. The port was gone, for but a few remnants that remained. An alter in the water, on the shore line would be easy to construct. she had a simple request, of what I would require of her. I wasn't like the other spirits, who would want favors in certain ways. My only concern was with my people.

"I have founded a new settlement to the north, and they need religious guidance. If you could be their icon of faith, I will supply you with all that you need."

Flipping my body completely over, I would look at her, face to face upside down. My blonde hair would hang down, hanging loosely in the air. A bargain with another spirit, that was spiritually binding. Without waiting, my left arm would move forward, clasping with hers. A pulse of energy would be felt before a strange marking appeared on the inside of my wrist. It would be easily coverable for business in the future realm. since religion was so powerful back here, this siren would probably end up running this village when I was back to my time.

"a spiritual bargain is binding for both parties.. my village is to the north.. past the island of Mandira.. How long have you been here?"

Call me a lord? I had never thought of myself in that way. I was merely overseeing a settlement of people, and leading them to productivity. I looked at the wave marking on my wrist before my body flipped back over, moving both hands into their respective pockets. A light cringe would come at the mention of the other spirit. Yes, there was. Yes, he was an isolationist tyrant.

"Yea, Mukhya resides there with his growing nation. He is a spirit that doesnt really care too much for religion, and governs his people in a strict military fashion. My people were actually saved from his island. He wanted to butcher them, but I had them moved to the mainland. As for me, call me whatever you want.. we are both spiritual beings, that makes us equals."

it sounded decent to me. She got to pick the site of her temple though.. and that slightly concerned me. We had set up pier construction for at least two thirds of the closest coast line. maybe if I brought the miners back, we could dig inland, and create a land based temple, with an open waterway. It sounded insane, but for some reason I felt like it would be able to work. After all, basic irrigation was the concept being used, and I was pretty sure they hadn't even really touched on any of that area in this time frame. I would have to make a trip back to the future to pick up a few books, and then return before construction was started. Lifting away from the water, my body would move to about seventy five feet, while waiting for her to be ready. I would take my time with the flight to allow the other one time to keep up. Once we hit deep waters, it was a flight straight north until we reached the settlement.

With that we finally reached he shoreline where his settlement was and I found a beach where a few rocks were jutting out. A perfect spot, I thought to myself as I slipped up with a wave and sat up on the rock. I would wait for the spirit to come to me, since I could not fly. Just as he could not swim as well as I could. At least we had our strengths. When he descended to my level I would look to the shore. "I can assume a human form. But I do not have any of the clothing that you of the land wear." I think looked back to him with a bit of an embarrassed smile. "I am sorry for that as well as being on the land will greatly weaken me."

Taking sight of the settlement, i would lift up towards the clouds before diving down towards the shoreline. Heading to the north of it, my body would then turn south across the shoreline before slowing to a stop. Lowering down towards the rocky area south of the pier I would cross my legs in the same way as I originally had. Taking a floating seat, I looked at the area she had selected for her temple..
"are you sure this area is sufficient? I can build you one more inland, and create an underground waterway, much like an irrigation system."

Taking a look at the small settlement, I was rather satisfied that they were coming along well. The people here were working hard, and that was a great thing to have. Looking back to her at a simple comment she made, I smiled.

"No worries, I dont have any clothes for this time either.. If you are more comfortable in the water, then you can stay there until the temple is built. If I can figure out a way to allow you to stay in the water most of the time, I will. My Manor is going to be on the coast line as well, next to the temple location... I can do the same there if I need to. "

I nodded to him as he spoke thinking on what he had said. "Yes, inland with a water tunnel would be good. I can also teach those who wish to learn. Math, Reading, Writing. In my former life, I was the village teacher as well. So if you need me for that, an inland temple would be far better." He was a smart one. It was a wonderful idea especially the manor. It might work well. A pool of water that leads out to the ocean would be a good way to exit quickly if I needed to. I was not much of a fighter, but I would fight to protect this new settlement. But for now, I would need to rest and move my items. But first to find a new home. An underwater cave would do nicely for now. "I need to find myself a place to rest here until the temple is built. If you need me, just come to the shore here and call out my name. I will come. Thank you for your kindness" And with that, I slipped into the water to find a temporary home and to move my things from the south.

-exit rp WC goes to you hun-