Chapter 138 - Cult Classic

Despite my best efforts, I did eventually fall back to sleep. Thankfully, some god somewhere must have seen fit to bless me with a lack of dreams. I really hoped this wasn't going to be a recurring thing.

I awoke, and the slight soreness and wavering edges of exhaustion let me know that this time, I woke for real. Eira was sitting in bed next to me, reading quietly.

"Is it morning?" I mumbled as I tried to prop myself up on one elbow.

"Afternoon, technically, but that's fine, my love. I think after everything, you deserved some extra sleep. Do you feel any better?" She asked, caressing my face softly, her own face concerned.

"Yeah. Nightmares all night, though. I'm not sure if it was a dream, a warning, a premonition, all of the above. Very rough night though." I nuzzled her hand gently, pulling myself to her side, and embracing her.

"My poor beloved! We can take it easy today. Do you just want to stay in here and read all day?" She petted my hair softly, which felt rather nice.

"Did you sleep ok? Yesterday wasn't easy on you either." I said, as I pulled myself closer to her.

"I slept like a rock, to be honest. A very squishy and sore rock. But I'm doing ok this morning, all things considered. Now answer my question, sweetness. Do you just wanna stay in today?" She petted my hair softly as she asked.

I thought about it for a while before I answered. Staying in sounded nice, but the room they had posted us in since the strange ritual had no windows, for reasons I couldn't begin to fathom, and I was feeling a little bit trapped. I needed to get some air, or I was going to go even crazier.

Normally I wasn't averse to closed-off spaces. If you were claustrophobic, dungeon exploring was going to be an intensely rough time for you. But today, I was starting to feel it. I think I just wanted a day to pretend that this was a proper vacation, and not just an ocean-themed cavalcade of chaos.

"I think I need sunlight. And to stay out of the water for a little while. I just want to sit in the sun, and relax and do nothing." I said, making my decision.

"We can definitely do that. There's a surfing competition later; we can go watch people wipe out in the waves. It's kind of funny sometimes." She suggested with a big grin on her face.

Surfing? That rang a few alarms in my head.

"Is that the thing with the surf cults? Aren't they a problem?" I asked, a bit concerned. I wasn't eager to deal with more cults and craziness.

"Well, I talked with Uncle Osian, and it looks like they were able to round up all the weird heretic cultists. The rest of the surf cults on the island just really want to do the surf ritual, which is admittedly pretty fun. It's like a big party. Just don't go to any of the prayer stuff. That is both boring and weird. Sometimes. Sometimes it's fun? Better safe than sorry, though." She shook her head with a chuckle. "Made that mistake one time. Got sunburned because I fell asleep during it.

I considered it for a while. Sitting on the beach, relaxing, enjoying the sun, watching people fall off into the ocean sounded entertaining enough. And I could use entertainment. Really badly. I needed to laugh, relax, and just have some fun.

Something occurred to me, though, and I knew I had to address it or it was going to bother me the whole time.

"What about the whole defense of the island thing? I thought-" I started to say, and Eira held up her hand to stop me. I could tell she knew exactly where I was going with this.

"Don't worry. Sure, a lot is going on, but the Pirate Fleet and the Knights know what they're doing. This isn't our problem, Alta. If anything, we'd just be getting in the way. For once, you just need to let others handle things, and worry about ourselves. Please? For me?" She asked plaintively. I could say no to her.

Besides, I completely agreed. What could I do against something as big as whatever Caru had planned? Plus, if Eira was this confident, I should trust her instincts and let it go. I really wanted to. I needed to.

"Yeah. That sounds good." I said, giving her a gentle squeeze of a hug. My brain started running down a checklist of what we might need.

I looked at Eira, and she was giving me a look. I knew that look. She was planning something mischievous.

"You should wear that really tiny bikini. The gold one." She suggested slyly.

"Woman, do you want me to scandalize the whole beach? It barely covers anything!" I protested half-heartedly.

"Yeah, and I get to show off my cute sexy girlfriend!" She grinned at me eagerly.

I had originally intended that to be a fun outfit for alone time, but there was a little exhibitionist part of me that liked the idea of strutting my stuff for the world to see. Normally that part of me was really quiet, but for now, my inhibitions had apparently taken the day off, and I was seriously considering it.

I had conditions, however.

"Ok, but you've got to wear something just as daring. I'm not going to be the only one baring everything to the world! If I get to be scantily clad on the beach, so do you!" I replied, playfully defiant.

"Fine, fine, fine! Let's eat something first. You missed breakfast, and I'm starving." She groaned dramatically.

"You didn't get breakfast?" My mood immediately shifted to concern. Was she sick and didn't tell me?

Eira blushed and looked away.

"I didn't want you to wake up by yourself." She said quietly. "I wanted to be here in case you had more nightmares or got sick or something."

My heart swelled with joy at those words. She was trying to play it off casually, but it just warmed my soul, and I felt some tears forming at the corner of my eyes. I had never been treated so warmly, and I loved it.

"You are the sweetest thing to ever exist. I would take you right now in a maidenly fashion if I wasn't ravenous. For food. Ravenous for food. Pervert." I said playfully, giving her the biggest kiss on the lips.

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Eira just laughed and gave me a big kiss in return. "Get dressed, you goof, and then we'll go from there."

As I stood up from the bed, my poor muscles reminded me they existed again, and I winced.

"I dread to think what my poor body is going to be like in twenty to thirty years. Ugh." I groaned.

"You'll be the honest granny elf in the world, of course." Eira teased and tossed clothes at me.

We finished getting ready as quickly as we could, though I needed more help than I cared to admit. After that, we practically ran, or limped, to get to the dining area.

One lovely brunch later, and we found ourselves on the beach in swimsuits that barely qualified for the word. I could not believe I was wearing this thing in public. Hells below, I'm still in shock I actually bought the thing.

While I had said I had a slight exhibitionist streak to me, I realized that had previously been limited to slinky dresses and short maid outfits. This...this was less covering than my underwear.

I felt very exposed, and couldn't help but notice the eyes on me. I tried to ignore it, as Eira was likewise exposed, and she seemed to be brushing it off like it wasn't anything major. I was a bit jealous of her confidence.

I decided to focus on the rest of the preparations for our little outing.

Eira and I had split the load of beach blankets, parasol, and an enchanted box with an ice crystal to keep some drinks and fruit cool for the day.

"Here. Gift from Enfys." Eira handed me a little case. I opened them up, and they looked like reading spectacles, but with tinted lenses. Sunglasses! I had heard about them but never gotten to try any. I put them on and was delighted.

They cut down on the glare of the sun off the water, which had been starting to hurt my eyes.

Also the shine off the sun salve on my body. I was so shiny. It was kind of ridiculous. Shiny and ready for the day. And doing my best not to blush like crazy at how exposed I felt. I just couldn't stop thinking about it!

It was an odd thing. The baths at Dungeon School are communal. I had been naked around others for quite a while, and it didn't really mean anything to me. It was practical, utilitarian, and fine. And it was all fellow women. Sure, my tastes lean towards my own gender, but that was a different thing altogether.

I mean, I guess it isn't, but still.

But here, I was technically clothed, and I felt like I was on display. Which I suppose I was. This golden set of strings and cloth triangles was clearly designed to show off one's body. And other than the scar on my shoulder, I really didn't have anything to be ashamed of. And the scar was increasingly less bothersome to me.

I don't think that I would ever be over it, but today, I was going to do my best.

"You look good, my love. Don't worry too much. You aren't dressed nearly half as scandalously as some." She pointed down the beach.

She was in fact correct. Some of the beachgoers had apparently decided that tops were not a necessity. A lot more than I would have expected.

"Eira, why are there so many topless people? Is...is there no dress code? Is this just how things are in the Free Waters?" I said with a mix of curiosity and shock.

"A bit of both? People like to come out here for the freedom and relaxation. There are a few decency rules, but nothing too extreme. This one is a bit more strict than others. There's one of these pirate resorts that is full nudity required." She shrugged, putting a wide-brim straw hat on our heads.

As I adjusted it, not even sure where she got them, I considered what she said.

"Wait? Requires? People of the free waters are a different sort, I guess." I shook my head while smiling. "I guess I just need to go with the flow!"

"True enough, my beloved! Now let's find a good spot to set up and watch the fun!" She gave me a big grin followed by a playful swat on the rear.

I yelped and retaliated with a full-strength smack that left a handprint on her very tanned buttocks.

"Ouch! I'm gonna get you for that, you brat!" She swore as she chased me down the sand.

Eventually she caught me, damn my traitorous muscles, and we fell into a pile on the sand, and she tickled me in revenge. Eventually we lay there catching our breath, before reaching out to retrieve our hats that had fallen off in the playful struggle.

I'll admit, these swimsuits were good. They held on for dear life, and didn't expose me even more.

Eira looked around, and grabbed the ice crystal box, blankets, and parasol and declared, "This shall be the spot! Perfect view, out of major walking paths, but close enough to the buildings if we need a break from the sun."

"Let it be so!" I said with mock pomp.

We set up, stretched out under the parasol, and enjoyed the warmth of the day.

Eventually, I decided to sit up and look out on the ocean. It was a beautiful blue, with a few clouds in the sky, and it was bright and sunny. The waves moved as though they were dancing. I saw a few fish or something like fish leaping into the air playfully.

There were a few boats in the distance, and I recognized the flags they flew as the Pirate Fleet sigil, the green hourglass. On patrol, no doubt. A reminder of the threat lurking behind the façade of play on the sand. I did my best to push it out of my mind. I was here to have fun.

I looked to one side to see the gathering group of people. They all held long boards and wore simple swimsuits, much like the one-piece I had. What caught my eye was that half of them had orange suits and the other half had blue.

Between the two groups was something covered in a large cloth that I had somehow completely missed before.

"So what is all this?" I asked, pointing at the gathering. "Is this the surf cult thing?"

Eira sat up and stared for a moment. "Yeah, that's it, alright. Looks like they're about to get to the praying part."

"Can you give me the breakdown on what all this is? I kind of know what surfing is, but what's the deal with the cults?" I asked, pulling my knees in and resting my chin on them.

She sat there for a bit, lost in thought. "Short version? They worship a god called Peloras, the Divine of Sun and Waves. Hastera and Tarkota worship them, but so do many of the islands in the Free Waters. Most sailors pray to them just out of superstition. Anyway, a few decades or longer back, some of the more fanatical of the faith decided that surfing was an ideal way to commune with Peloras and receive their blessing. With me so far?" She asked.

I nodded. "Right, I remember you explaining that. So why are they competing?"

"Well, they disagree on Peloras' nature. One side, the Sunblessed, feel that bright sunny days make for the best communing. The Waveriders believe that good waves are the best. Seems simple enough, but they used to have some really nasty wars about it. So the main leaders of the church of Peloras decided that, instead of excommunicating them, they could compete. Whichever side won got to declare their way was best. But only for a year."

"That feels...really arbitrary and simple." I felt a bit confused.

"That's religion for you. Anyway, it works for the most part. I don't really go for Peloras myself, so there's probably a ton of theological stuff mixed in there, but I just don't care. They all come out here, and when the weather is perfect, like it is today, they do the ritual competition. And when the sun goes down, they party!" She said eagerly.

"I thought they had been partying. Nene got caught up in one. That didn't work out so well." I reminded her.

"Oh, there are parties, sure. But those are the regular parties, cult stuff aside. But then the end-of-the-competition party is wild! A ton of fun! Good food, good drink, music, the whole works!" She said, looking wistfully into the distance.

I sat there for a bit, looking out at the crowd, and pondering.

"Do you think they'd let us party?" I asked.

Eira looked at me, surprised. "Definitely, they're pretty welcoming, though I can understand if you're kind of wary after the whole thing in the jungle."

She was right. I was wary. Very wary. I felt like a coiled spring ready to explode into a million pieces. Maybe I just needed to let go and make some bad decisions while I still had the chance.

I sighed deeply. "I need to let loose, Eira. This last year, hells below, this trip even, has had me very stressed out, and I need to unwind. Maybe just letting loose and having a wild time is exactly what I need."

Eira smiled and touched my hand gently. "Sure. We can party. I'll stick with you the whole time, so you don't need to worry."

"You're going to party too, right? I don't want to have fun while you're stuck wrangling me."

"Oh, of course I am! We'll party like there is no tomorrow! And likely have regrets in the morning, but is it even a good party if you don't regret something?" She beamed at me.

"You are a terrible influence, and I love you." I laughed.

"You know it! Now let's watch them fall off their boards and laugh at them!" Eira smiled widely at me, her whole face lit up.

"Sounds good to me! Let's party and make mistakes!" I declared eagerly.