Otherworld Avatar

When Lily woke up, she saw that the storm had passed and that the sun was out already. However, Mia was gone. She got out of the comfortable bed slowly, and went into her room. She wasted no time getting ready for the day ahead, and went into the shower. When she exited, she saw that Mia was sitting on Lily's bed, waiting for her.

"I woke up earlier than you did, so I spent time in the library looking into something," Mia said. "Follow me and I can you show you." Her voice showed no sign of the night's fear, but Lily suspected that it would take more time until Mia was fully back to her confident self, and that for now she was putting on a facade. She made no comment on it, instead pointing at her towel covered body. "Sure thing, I just need to get dressed," she replied, and Mia's face went red with embarrassment.

"Of course, how silly of me," she said, getting up. "I will wait for you in my room."

Few minutes later, after Lily picked some nice clothes and put them on, the girls were on their way to the library. "I took the liberty of having breakfast brought up, and ordering the guards to prepare transport for us, so we can go to the temple," Mia explained on the way there, and Lily nodded. That seemed like a good plan to her, and she was glad to see Mia take initiative. The library was on the other side of the floor, and Lily was impressed when she entered inside. Rows and rows of books sat on bookshelves stacked up to the high ceiling and Lily regretted that her duties would make it hard for her to spend time there. Mia led her to a reading table next to one of the windows, and pointed at an open book on it.

"When you mentioned seeing question marks under your attunement, I remembered that I saw something like that once before," Mia said. "It was in this book about Jason, an Outworld Avatar of order and justice that lived a millennia before the Deluge."

Lily picked the dusty book up and looked at the title. Lives of the Avatars - Jason the Second, it said and she gave Mia a questioning look. "The second?"

"All Avatars of Val, god of order and Justice, take the name of Jason, in honor of the first Avatar of that god. It wasJason who established the Adventurer's Guild, and the inventory system."

"I hope I don't have to change my name, I've always liked it," Lily replied, and Mia shook her head.

"Your name is safe, no such practice in Dahlia's church," she said.

Lily sat down and started reading the marked page. Apparently, the author explained, Jason, as an Outworld Avatar did not start out with a second attunement, having to spend some time on Teras first to unlock it. It reflected his actions up to that point, and Lily supposed that it made sense for the system to need time to give a suitable attunement to someone who wasn't born on Teras. It meant that she would get even stronger, and she hoped that this was not another feature that got broken by the Sundering.

The rest of the page was uninteresting biographical information, and she put the book down. "I am glad you showed me this, I was a little worried that something was wrong," she told Mia, whose eyes gleamed at the praise. Well, at least I can help that way, since my damn lighting doesn't work yet, Mia thought as the girls exited the library and made their way to the dining room. Lily was very pleasantly surprised by the sight of pancakes, and she enjoyed eating a very big breakfast. She tried to ask Mia some questions about the religion and the temple they'd be visiting, and while Mia gladly explained that there were many gods, not all of whom had sent champions, she told her little about the worship of Dahlia. Instead, she talked about the truly old legends who spoke of mortal races and immortal elves achieving goodhood, and becoming local gods on Teras.

With the meal finished, they made their way downstairs. Mia told Lily that her father had already gone into the city, where he intended to show his displeasure with the Watch in person, so they would be traveling alone. A servant was waiting for them in the great hall, and he led them to the luxurious carriage that was waiting outside. Two armed guards accompanied the driver, a reasonable precaution in light of the recent events, Lily thought, and they set off as soon as the girls got in.

The ride was more comfortable than the one they had the evening before, and it was made more enjoyable by the fact that it was broad daylight. Lily spent most of it asking about the various buildings she saw along the way, and Mia answered with her customary patience. Lily was starting to feel bad about having to ask Mia about everything, but the raven-haired girl seemed to enjoy talking and telling stories a lot, often going on tangents barely related to Lily's original question.

Eventually, they arrived in front of a gated complex with tall spires, and Mia explained that this was the temple. Lily saw the beautiful statues representing the goddess, and the whole area had a purple motif. She could smell the beautiful perfumes and the scented candles, and there was laughter coming from inside. They exited the carriage, instructing the guards to wait there. Mia explained that there was no need for armed escort inside the temple grounds, and the guards didn't protest.

The gate was open, and Lily saw several women and men clad in light purple robes moving around the courtyard, talking to the guests. None approached Mia and her, however and they passed through the great doors of the temple itself. The aromas and sounds were even more intense inside, and Lily had to try hard to not be overwhelmed. People stood and sat all around the room, talking and praying in front of statues and images of Dahlia. Mia led her to a desk in front of the room, behind which another purple-clad girl sat.

She was even shorter than Lily's companion, and when she looked up and saw Mia's face, her whole face turned into a giant smile.

"Lady Dawnheart, what a pleasant surprise. And you brought a cute girl along this time. We didn't have you booked in the schedule today, but I can check which girls are available. I am sure none of them will object to spending time with our favorite customer and her partner," the girl exclaimed, giving Lily a jealous look. Mia's face turned more red than Lily thought was possible, but she quickly recovered and waved the priestess off.

"Actually, I am not here to use the temple's services today. Me and my friend here need to see the High Priestess. It's a matter of great importance that I cannot discuss with you," Mia said gravely, and the priestess nodded.

"Normally that would also require making an appointment, but we will of course make an exception for you. Her Holiness is in her office, I am sure she won't object to seeing you. Do you need a guide?" the girl inquired, and Mia shook her head. She grabbed Lily by the arm, and led her through one of the arches behind the desk.

"What was that whole thing about 'favorite' customer all about? And why did she try to kill me with a look?," Lily asked Mia once they were walking through the hallway.

"I remember that you mentioned visiting the temple several times back when we first met."

Mia's face was red again, but after a moment to compose herself, she mustered the courage to speak. She stopped walking, and turned to face Lily.

"I've always had to be careful about the people I spent time with and trusted, due to my wealth and skills, and after some bad experiences during my studies, I kinda gave up on relationships. But a girl has needs, and the priestesses here are professionals, so I used the temple's services from time to time," Mia explained, and Lily could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. "That's not something that's frowned upon on Teras, but you are from a different world, and I didn't want you to think I am weird."

That explains some of the noises I've been hearing, she thought as she listened to Mia's explanation.

"I'd never think that about you, and I don't think I can, as an Avatar of Dahlia, find it weird that someone is using the 'services' her priesthood provides. That would be the height of hypocrisy," Lily replied. "Besides, it's not like we are girlfriends or anything, right? So who you sleep with is none of my concern."

"Right," Mia replied quietly. "Let's not keep the Head Priestess waiting," she said and continued moving.