Becoming The Strongest Angel With A Saintess System-Chapter 81: High and Dry

"If I so much as see a puddle near this camp, I’m killing everyone," Diana announced, chucking more firewood onto their already massive bonfire.

They’d set up on a steep hill overlooking the village and beach, high enough that even Grace—who was getting seriously paranoid about water—felt safe. Night was falling, and Diana had gone full psycho with her self-appointed bodyguard role. She’d already circled their camp fifteen times, sword drawn, eyeing every shadow like it might grow tentacles and grab her ass.

"You can’t kill water," Grace pointed out.

"Watch me," Diana growled, stabbing the fire with a stick like it owed her money.

Meridian sat cross-legged near the flames, surrounded by scrolls she’d somehow kept dry during their underwater chaos. Her face was doing that intense scholarly thing that made her look like she was constipated.

Petriel huddled on the opposite side, still shivering despite being wrapped in two blankets. Her lips still had a faint blue tint, and her wings drooped like sad puppy ears.

Grace scooted closer to her.

"You okay?"

"J-just c-cold," Petriel stuttered.

Grace nodded.

And she got an idea.

"I should check you again," Grace said. "Make sure there’s no leftover... whatever that was."

Diana smirked.

"Yeah, you should definitely ’check’ her."

Grace shot her a glare.

"I-I’m serious."

"So am I."

[She’s not entirely wrong, though. I do want to check her... thoroughly. Make sure she’s alright, obviously.]

"Come on," Grace said, helping Petriel to her feet. "There’s a tent over there."

"Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!" Diana called after them.

"That leaves literally nothing off the table," Grace muttered.

The tent was small but private—a canvas shelter Diana had somehow packed despite their minimal equipment plan. Grace led Petriel inside and zipped the flap closed.

"I really should check for any residual effects," Grace said, trying to sound professional despite her heart suddenly dancing in her chest. "The water beings... they might have left something inside you."

Petriel nodded, her eyes wide.

"Y-Yes, I felt it."

"Yeah... so, uh, better safe than sorry." Grace swallowed hard. "You should, um, take those wet clothes off. I-I think."

Petriel blushed but obeyed, her fingers trembling as she untied her robes.

Grace tried not to stare as each layer fell away, revealing more of the healer’s soft curves, but with each article of clothing, her eyes progressively bulged out of their sockets.

Unlike Diana’s hard, muscular body, Petriel was all plump, gentle slopes and pale skin that made Grace’s mouth water.

[Focus, Grace. This is... medical. Totally medical. Not at all about how her boobs bounce when she moves.]

"Lie down," Grace instructed, her voice embarrassingly husky.

Petriel stretched out on the bedroll, completely naked, her golden eyes locked on Grace’s face.

"What now?"

Grace summoned her divine energy, letting it warm her hands.

"I need to... check everywhere. For traces of The Tide’s influence."

"E-Everywhere?" Petriel whispered.

Grace swallowed.

"Everywhere. Uh, just to be sure, you know?"

Grace started with Petriel’s shoulders, running her glowing hands over the smooth skin. She worked her way down the healer’s arms, then back up to her collar bone. The golden light lit up the tent, making everything look warm.

"Does this feel okay?" Grace asked.

Petriel nodded, her breathing quickening.

"It’s... nice."

Grace moved to Petriel’s torso, hands hovering just above her breasts before making contact. Petriel gasped, her back arching slightly.

"S-Sorry," Grace let out instinctively.

"No," Petriel breathed. "You just... s-surprised me, is all."

Grace felt like her face was about to melt off.

Still, she continued her "examination," hands sliding over Petriel’s soft stomach, down to her thighs. Every inch she touched seemed to make Petriel’s breathing more labored, her skin flushing pink.

"Um, turn over for me."

Petriel rolled onto her stomach, exposing her back and the gentle curve of her butt. Grace worked her way down, massaging divine energy into every inch of skin. When her hands reached Petriel’s lower back, the healer made a small, needy sound that sent heat straight between Grace’s legs.

"Almost done," Grace said, though she was in no hurry to finish.

She was about to roll Petriel back over, to pull her close and kiss those slightly-parted lips, when—

"I FIGURED IT OUT!"

Meridian’s voice pierced through the tent like a fucking air horn, followed immediately by the sound of the zipper being violently yanked open. Grace barely had time to throw a blanket over Petriel’s naked form before Meridian thrust her head inside, eyes wild with academic excitement.

"The cycle! It’s lunar-based! The Tide’s power peaks with the—" Meridian froze, finally registering the scene before her. "Oh. I... interrupted something?" frёewebnoѵēl.com

"N-No no, no, I was just... Checking on Petriel. That’s all."

Meridian didn’t buy it at all, grimacing for approximately half a second before her scholarly boner returned.

"Right. Well, this is more important than your... healing session. It seems to me the villagers transform en masse during the new moon."

"T-The new moon?" Petriel asked.

"Indeed."

"And that’s... when?" Grace asked, trying to ignore Petriel’s mortified expression as she clutched the blanket to her chest.

"Six days from now."

Grace and Petriel exchanged alarmed glances.

"That’s... not good," Grace said.

"No. It’s not." Meridian actually looked grim. "We should observe the village tonight. I believe we might witness preliminary behavior."

---

They stood at the edge of their hill, looking down at the village below. The sky was clear, stars shimmering above like a million tiny eyes watching them.

"Holy shit," Diana breathed.

Below them, a procession of villagers marched toward the ocean. At least thirty of them, walking in perfect unison, their skin gleaming blue in the moonlight. They moved silently, inexorably, like they were all part of one creepy hive mind.

"We have to stop them," Grace said, already moving down the hill.

Diana grabbed her arm.

"Are you insane? There’s like thirty of them!"

"If they reach the water, they’re gone," Grace insisted. "We need to try."

Diana cursed but followed, drawing her sword. Petriel and Meridian exchanged glances before reluctantly joining the descent.

They reached the beach just as the first villagers were ankle-deep in water. Grace summoned her Blade of Dawn, the rapier’s light cutting through the darkness.

"STOP!" she shouted.

The procession paused, dozens of black eyes turning toward them in perfect unison.

"Mother Water calls," they said together, the words emerging from thirty throats at once.

Diana charged forward, tackling the nearest villager.

"Sorry about this, buddy!"

The man responded with inhuman strength, flinging Diana aside like she was a rag doll. She landed hard on the sand, cursing colorfully.

Grace tried a different approach, darting forward to grab a young woman’s arm, pulling her backward. The woman’s skin was ice-cold, slick with some kind of gross secretion that made Grace’s grip slide off.

"Grace, behind you!" Petriel called.

Grace whirled just in time to avoid being grabbed by a blue-skinned child who couldn’t have been older than ten. The sight made her stomach twist, but there was no time for feelings. She dodged another grab, backing up.

"This isn’t working!" Diana shouted, on her feet again but clearly rattled.

That’s when Grace noticed Meridian.

The scholar angel stood apart from them, ankle-deep in the surf, a dreamy smile on her face. Her eyes had taken on that same vacant look as the villagers, and she was slowly wading deeper.

"Meridian!" Grace shouted.

No response. Meridian continued forward, now knee-deep.

"Crap!" Grace sprinted toward her, ignoring Diana’s warning shout.

Grace had grown up land-locked. Turnip farms didn’t exactly come with swimming lessons. But Meridian was only a few feet away, and the water wasn’t that deep yet...

She splashed into the surf, the cold immediately seeping into her bones. It felt alive somehow, pulling at her legs, trying to drag her deeper. Grace ignored it, focused entirely on reaching Meridian.

The scholar was now waist-deep, still moving with that horrible blank smile. Grace lunged forward, grabbing Meridian’s robe and yanking backward with all her strength.

They both went under, the salt water burning Grace’s eyes and nose. For a terrifying moment, she felt The Tide’s presence all around her, like a vast consciousness pressing against her mind.

[Get. The heck. OUT!]

Grace kicked wildly, one arm locked around Meridian’s waist. By some miracle, her feet found sand, and she pushed upward, breaking the surface with a desperate gasp. Meridian thrashed against her, trying to return to the depths.

"Diana!" Grace choked out. "Help!"

Diana appeared at the water’s edge, grabbing Grace’s outstretched hand and pulling them both to shore with the strength of a horny minotaur. They collapsed on the sand, Meridian still struggling weakly.

Around them, the procession of villagers had vanished into the sea.

Grace pressed her hands to Meridian’s face, channeling divine energy like she’d done with Petriel.

"Meridian! Snap out of it!"

Slowly, awareness returned to the scholar’s eyes. She blinked, confusion replacing the vacant stare.

"What... happened?" she asked, looking down at her soaking wet robes.

"The Tide happened," Diana said grimly. "It got its hooks in you."

Meridian sat up, looking like a wet cat that just got caught eating from the trash.

"That’s... impossible. I was merely observing. I have no susceptibility to—"

"Save it," Diana interrupted. "We all saw you wading in like it was a spa day."

"... Perhaps," Meridian said stiffly, "this entity is more... problematic than I anticipated."

"You think?" Diana snorted.

Grace stayed silent, staring at the now-calm ocean. She wanted the System to chime in, to give her a quest update or a skill boost or something—anything—that might help them face what was coming.

But the System remained silent.

As they trudged back up the hill, Grace couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched—not by villagers or water monsters, but by something huge and patient.

The Tide was playing with them.

And the new moon was coming.