Chapter 89: Wet and Wild

The cave-like space opened into something way bigger than a simple hole in the rocks. Ancient stone columns lined a path that hadn’t seen humans in forever. Water dripped from the ceiling, making little pools that caught the light from Grace’s glowy sword thing.

“This is incredible,” Petriel whispered, her voice bouncing off the walls. “Look at these carvings.”

Grace tried to look at the carvings.

She really did. But Petriel had bent over to check out the stonework, and her ass was right there, perfectly outlined by her damp robes.

[Focus, Grace. Ancient water temple. Tide’s Tear. Not Petriel’s perfect, round butt that I could bounce a coin off of.]

… But Grace’s eyes kept drifting back.

Her Love attribute was messing with her brain. It had to be. She’d always liked women—even back when she was just a turnip farmer with dirt under her nails—but this was different. This was “I want to push you against that wall and make you scream my name” desire rather than “oh, she’s pretty” appreciation.

She wasn’t used to it.

“I-I think these symbols represent an ancient water cult,” Petriel continued, completely unaware that Grace was mentally undressing her. “They believed the ocean was a living entity long before we knew about The Tide.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s… that’s fascinating,” Grace said, not hearing a single word. She was too busy watching a droplet of water roll down Petriel’s spine and disappear into her crack.

Grace’s fingers twitched at her sides. When had touching Petriel become all she could think about? Last week she’d been too shy to even make eye contact with Venus during “morale training.” Now she was fantasizing about bending a Sister of Compassion over in the middle of a sacred temple.

[Love attribute. It’s the Love attribute. Not me becoming a sex-crazed pervert. Definitely the attribute. Probably.]

They moved deeper into the temple, their steps echoing on the stone floor. The place smelled like salt. Petriel ran her fingers along a wall carving, tracing the outline of what looked like a woman made of water.

“Look at this one,” she said, excitement making her voice higher. “I think it’s depicting The Tide, or at least what these people thought was The Tide.”

Grace nodded absently, watching Petriel’s slender fingers move across the stone. Those same fingers that had been inside her that one time in the rookie wing, making her see stars.

[Get! It! Together!]

“The artifact should be in the central chamber, according to Meridian’s—”

Something moved.

Grace saw it from the corner of her eye. Not quite water, not quite solid. Three humanoid shapes, blue and see-through, with empty eye sockets and gaping mouths.

“Water monsters!” Grace shoved Petriel behind her and summoned her Blade of Dawn to full brightness.

The creatures lunged, their watery arms stretching like taffy. Grace slashed through the first one, her divine weapon cutting it clean in half. The creature splashed into a puddle.

The second and third attacked at the same time. Grace spun, blade flashing, catching one across what passed for its chest. She ducked under the third’s reaching arms and drove her rapier up through its head.

Both creatures collapsed into puddles, leaving the hallway quiet again.

“W-Wow. That was amazing,” Petriel said, eyes wide. “You’re getting really good at this.”

Grace wiped water droplets from her face.

“Thanks. I’ve had practice.”

Petriel squinted a bit.

“You’re different,” Petriel said suddenly, reaching out to touch Grace’s arm. “You’re… More sure of yourself.”

Grace swallowed hard.

“I’ve learned some new skills,” she said, trying to sound casual.

They kept going, more careful now. The temple was clearly protected—whether by The Tide herself or just some ancient magic stuff, Grace couldn’t tell.

“Step carefully,” she warned. “There might be more—”

Click

Petriel’s foot pressed down on a stone that sank into the floor.

“Traps,” Grace finished.

The floor beneath them suddenly tilted, sending them sliding toward a wall that was opening to reveal a deep pit.

“AAAAAAAAAAH!”

Grace grabbed for a column but missed. Petriel yelped as they both tumbled downward.

Grace’s stomach dropped as they fell, her wings flapping uselessly in the narrow space. They plummeted for what felt like ten years but was probably only a few seconds.

They landed with a thud, Grace flat on her back with Petriel directly on top of her. More specifically, Petriel’s massive tits right in Grace’s face.

“I’m so sorry!” Petriel scrambled to move, accidentally grinding her pussy against Grace’s stomach in the process.

Grace made a sound that was definitely not appropriate for a divine being. Half-moan, half-whimper. One hundred percent embarrassing.

“A-Are you hurt?” Petriel asked, still not moving, still pressing against Grace in all the most distracting ways.

“Only my dignity,” Grace managed to say.

Before Petriel could get up, the floor shifted again. Grace grabbed her and rolled, switching their positions just as another trap sprung. Spikes shot from the walls—not close enough to stab them, but close enough to make Grace very glad they’d moved.

Now she was on top, straddling Petriel’s waist, their faces inches apart. Grace could feel the heat between Petriel’s legs even through their robes.

“We should—” Petriel began, her breath hitching.

“Move,” Grace finished, though moving was the absolute last thing she wanted to do. “Yeah, move. Definitely.”

The floor tilted again. Grace grabbed Petriel and rolled once more, the two of them tumbling across the stone as jets of water shot from hidden nozzles in the ceiling. They rolled, twisted, and scrambled across the chamber, staying just ahead of whatever ancient mechanism they’d triggered.

Petriel’s hands were everywhere—grabbing Grace’s shoulders, clutching her waist, accidentally brushing against her breast as they dodged another set of spikes. Each touch sent electric shocks through Grace’s body, making it even harder to focus on not dying.

Finally, they reached a raised platform that wasn’t moving. Grace found herself once again on top of Petriel, both of them breathing hard, clothes soaked through.

“Are you okay?” Grace asked, trying to ignore how Petriel’s wet robes were now basically see-through.

Petriel nodded, her golden eyes wide.

“That was… intense.”

Grace suddenly realized exactly how they were positioned—her thigh pressed right between Petriel’s legs, their chests squished together, faces close enough that she could feel Petriel’s quick breaths against her lips.

“Grace?” Petriel’s voice went all soft and breathy. “Y-Your eyes are doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“That thing where you look like you want to eat me alive.”

Grace swallowed hard.

“Sorry.”

“I don’t mind…”

“…”

The air between them was so thick with tension you could cut it with a knife.

Every spot where their bodies touched felt like it was on fire. Petriel’s lips parted slightly, and Grace found herself leaning down, unable to stop herself.

A distant rumble shook the chamber though, and she pulled back.

“We should keep moving,” Grace said reluctantly, pushing herself up. “The tide will be coming in soon.”

Petriel looked like someone had just snatched away her favorite toy as she got to her feet, adjusting her wet robes.

“Right. The artifact.”

Grace took a deep breath, trying to focus her horny brain. The Tide’s Tear. That’s what they came for, not to fuck Petriel senseless on a temple floor, no matter how appealing that might be.

Grace adjusted her wet robes, somehow feeling both cold from the water and way too hot from… everything else. She rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the feeling of Petriel’s body against hers.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Petriel asked, noticing Grace’s discomfort. “I can heal any injuries you might have gotten from the fall.”

“I’m fine,” Grace said quickly. The last thing she needed was Petriel’s healing hands on her right now. “Just a little…tense.”

Petriel’s lips quirked up in a small smile.

“I can help with that too, you know. Later.”

Grace nearly tripped over her own feet.

[Is she…? Did she just…? No. Focus on the mission, dammit!]

But as they continued through the ancient temple, Grace couldn’t help looking at Petriel every two seconds. The healer angel was completely soaked, her robes sticking to every curve, her wings slightly damp and drooping like a sad puppy’s ears.

It was adorable. And hot. Adorably hot.

“The central chamber should be just ahead,” Petriel said, pointing to a fancy doorway at the end of the corridor.

Grace nodded, adjusting her grip on her blade.

“Stay behind me.”

They approached the doorway carefully, watching for more traps or water demons. The stone arch was carved with symbols of waves and what looked like people rising from the sea.

[Ominous. Super ominous. Like “we’re definitely going to regret this” ominous.]

Grace paused at the threshold, squinting into the darkness beyond. Something shiny sat in the center of the chamber—something small and round and perfectly blue.

“I think I see it,” she whispered.

Petriel leaned close, her breath warm against Grace’s neck, sending shivers down her spine. “The Tide’s Tear?”

“Maybe.”

As they stepped forward together, Grace couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into something way more complicated than a simple treasure hunt. The Tide had been weirdly quiet since their last encounter. Too quiet.

And now they were deep in her territory, searching for something that supposedly had power over her.

[What could possibly go wrong? Other than everything. Everything could go wrong.]

Grace gripped her sword tighter, hyper-aware of Petriel’s presence behind her. No matter what waited for them in that chamber, she wasn’t going to let anything happen to Petriel.

[We’re going to get that pearl, save the village, and then maybe, just maybe, I can finally finish what we almost started on that platform.]

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