Raging Sea, Storming Skies

  A special meeting of the pride was called. It happened after Raziel and his party returned from the kingdom in the sky with news about the scroll. Queen Walstrand managed to decipher a part of the message written on it in an ancient language. What it said was worse than anyone had expected. It wasn’t bad in a way that forbade danger, not directly anyway, but it spoke of a terrible past whose consequences they would now have to face. And not only that, it presented questions as to whether the future was worth saving at all.

  Present at the meeting were the Commander, the Captain of the Night Watch, the Oracle, Head Researcher and the Minutes Man. Raziel decided not to extend the invitation to the one the subject of the meeting concerned the most - the hero.

  - So they were using the titan this whole time… - Sia said, her voice sounding quiet and distant. - Perhaps they still are.

  - We’re yet to find what machine or magic is keeping the sky city afloat and granting water breathing to the kingdom of the sea - said the head researcher. - If it’s made possible by the power of the titan it would make sense. Titans are believed to be children of gods. I, of course, don’t believe in any such ludicrous thing, but I still acknowledge that they’re powerful beings.

  She looked around the room. Everyone was paying attention to her and didn’t seem like adding anything, so she continued.

  - Until recently we believed them to be only a myth and they were more the subject of research of those um… - she looked at Sia - …of priests and such. WE have, however, been studying religious books and mythos since the cities have shown themselves.

  - Have you found anything we don’t already know?

  - No, sir - the head researcher seemed genuinely upset to give Raziel a dissatisfying answer. She wanted to make sure he realized just how much work and progress her research team has done, but there was no point beating around the bush. - We still only know that they’re giant, powerful and destructive.

  Raziel nodded, acknowledging her answer.

  - How is the Night Watch?

  - Struggling. We don’t have enough man for the job or maybe, the right man. Even with help from the Sky City’s Air Brigade we can barely manage fighting off the titan’s forces with nature going wild on our every step.

  - Perhaps a new district is in order. We’ll talk about it later, but do consider who could be nominated captain when you have a moment of rest between defending our dear citizens and defying the forces of nature.

  Sen narrowed his eyebrows. It was basically an unconditional reflex at this point. Somehow, the Commander always managed to sound like he was mocking Sen. Sen was uncertain whether it was true or not. He was pretty sure Raziel wasn’t a bad guy and cared for the Watch in his own, twisted way. After all, he owned it.

  - Now then, that is not the last bit of news from our visit.

  Everyone in the room became more animated, curious at to what news might have been kept quiet for so long.

  - It is but a speculation, but it’s shared between me and the Queen. The scroll was found with one of the stone monsters. It’s a personal record of a lion that used to live in one of the cities. How did a beast manage to get a hold of it?

  Sia inhaled loudly, realising the meaning behind Raziel’s words before anyone else.

  - They are… citizens - she said, her voice trembling a little. - They have been turned to stone by the titan.

  The lions have decided that it was too dangerous to stay in their territory. As the titan comes closer the earthquakes have become too dangerous and the magic affecting the area has gone too far. The ground underneath their paws is quaking and breaking in places, while trees grow taller than ever reaching unbelievable heights just to then fall on the land. Even water is acting unnatural and proving difficult to drink from because it will splash around or try to suck the lions in by creating whirlpools.

  Luckily for the pride, they have a perfect place to take refuge at. The land of dreams, an alternate space created by their commander. It's where they spend most of their time anyway, but now it has become a necessity. The titan's power and abnormalities happening in the world cannot reach it. However, that doesn't mean the lions are just cowering away, waiting for things to pass on their own. The warriors and investigators are almost constantly patrolling, fighting and doing research in the sky and sea cities and on land. They want to protect and help other creatures as well, not just themselves, so they venture out despite the dangers waiting for them.

  A new team has been deployed to visit the kingdom under the sea and to deliver the ancient scroll for it’s king to translate. Or more specifically, his daughter, since the Queen od the Sky city had no faith that the King would be able to decipher it. This time the Commander stayed behind to manage the Alliance and to begin devising a plan of stopping the titan. One way or another.

  - Don’t worry, now that you’ve drank this potion you’ll be able to breathe under water no problem! We, seafolk, don’t need it of course, so we haven’t really tried it, but our researchers developed it yesterday and they said that it definitely works without fault! - a cheery cat with a fin on it’s back and tail explained to them.

  - Well, time to test if it works! - Sia yelled happily and dove off a bridge into the deep waters of the sea.

  - That’s the spirit! - the cat said. - Who’s next?

  - Uhh - mumbled Jaxeris. - She’s not coming back up. You sure she hasn’t drowned?

  Both him and the cat looked down at the surface of the water. They could not see much under the surface and definitely not a fluffily white lioness.

  - Uhh - said the cat.

  - Well, what are you waiting for? Go rescue her!

  - Right, yes! - and with those words the cat dove off the bridge.

  He managed to find Sia quite quickly because she hasn’t swam off anywhere. She had not swam at all, just curled up into a ball and sank to the bottom of the sea. The cat found her with eyes wide, sitting still with her tail around her paws.

  - I can’t swim - she explained.

  The seafolk went to the surfaces and after a little while of convincing Jaxeris that it was safe to dive and that Sia was definitely okay and he wasn’t just luring them to their death and even if the water-breathing potion did work there were no giant hungry monsters waiting to eat them. At least not this close to the surface.

  - Wait, what was that part about the monsters? - Jax asked, but he was already descending the waves.

  Him and the cat both managed to show Sia how to move underwater and together they made their way to the Kingdom of the Sea. Sia mostly flailed her paws wildly, Jax tried to mimic the cat’s movements, but it was clear they were not seasoned swimmers like their guide.