The Ascension

Patreon is currently up to chapter 49 for first tier, and chapter 51 for second. In order to make it a ten chapter gap, chapter 40 will be posted this Saturday, while Patreon will have chapter 50 for first tier.

I am doing this as a sort of celebration. I am in the second arc, The Approaching Calamity, so things are going well, and wanted to share this news. My patrons are important, as they are the ones that showed they valued my work by reading, and supporting the story.

Aila smiled as she looked around the table and saw animated faces.

'They didn't look so happy yesterday, but look at them now. Smiles that reach their eyes. Warmth. Appreciation. They will still have conflicts from time to time, but as long as they treat each other respectfully, I won't have to interfere in how they handle their own business.' Aila was also happy.

For the first time since she was a child, she had people around her, and she could interact with them. She didn't have to use a false smile to please them, or make them not worry.

It was at that time that her mind turned towards the repairs she needed to do, and she remembered the storage room.

"Wait, how were they able to make a storage room if the ground is always under pressure?" Aila thought for a moment, but felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned and saw Elena.

"Master, the storage room might have been made a bit at a time, after they dug some dirt out, they placed the stones. Once enough were placed, the soil flowed around, rather than pushed through. Like water flowing." Elena said, which caught Aila's attention.

"Water flows around." She placed her hand on Elena's chest. "That's right. You have a natural affinity for earth elements, so it's understandable that you 'feel' it. Elena, follow me, and tell me what you see." Elena nodded, and was lightly set on her feet by the much taller and stronger Nadya.

When they walked away, Nuri smiled, and hugged Ellie to her chest.

"It's difficult to let her out of arm's reach, isn't it?" Nuri asked her sister quietly.

"Yeah. Elena makes me feel useful. I'm also frightened she'll get injured." Nadya sighed, and slowly stood up. She wasn't strong enough to hold herself up for hours like everyone else, but she was doing much better. She walked over to the room that Aila was going to turn into a bathroom, while Nuri hugged Ellie.

"Master, the soil does flow with pressure." Elena said after she watched the soil move back in place. "Can you do it again? There is something odd about it." Aila nodded and pulled out the earth elements. "That's it! It's slowed down a bit!" Aila pursed her lips, and pulled it out again.

"You're right. I didn't notice it at first, but now I can see it. The flow has less pressure." She thought for a minute or so. "I wonder. Is it like a lake? If I pull out some elements, the pressure reduces, but refills eventually?"

"It might, but we would need to watch for a lot longer, Master. What are you trying to do?" Elena asked.

"Put in pipes to drain water out." She said.

"Oh. But, if you do that, where are you going to drain the water to?" Elena asked, but before Aila could answer, Elena continued. "I guess you could make a pond. If you line the walls with stone, it won't fill back in. The soil doesn't push up, it pushes out, or flows along." Aila started to smile.

"Which means if I put a pond out there, and fill half of it with broken stone, the water will flow into it, and into the ground. That will filter it too. That is a good idea." She smiled, and hooked her arm about Elena's waist. "You're looking tired, Elena. You should go back to Nadya, and rest a bit." She kissed her cheek.

"Master." Elena blushed and laid her head on Aila's shoulder, and was hugged gently.

"You did good, Elena. Nadya, take Elena back to bed and rest a bit." Nadya smiled, and guided Elena back to the bed, while Aila rolled her eyes. "This is so difficult! My girls are so attractive that all I want to do is eat them right up!"

* * *

Aila stacked twenty bricks in the new bathroom. Each one was a foot tall, a foot wide, and two feet long. She pursed her lips a bit, and frowned.

"I want to take advantage of some things I know, but I don't really know these things. I saw water drain from sinks, but I never saw the pipes. I've seen hand pumps, but never seen the insides." She groaned. "Maybe I'm making this too big a problem. If I put the tub up on a stand, it can drain into buckets that can be poured outside the walls. If I make a tank above, I can put a shower head on one end. We can fill the tank with heated water. I can make it complicated later, when I figure things out. For now, simple is better."

With that in mind, as she didn't have tons of time to work on the entire manor, Aila built a platform, stacked bricks and fused them together to make a basin that Nuri could sit down in. Once it was leak proof, she smoothed the sides.

"Now, the drain." At one end, she made a hole, and a tunnel through the stone. She absorbed the earth element in the soil, and made a pit lined with stone. Now that there was a pit, the soil couldn't flow into it, and they could place a bucket into it to drain the water from the tub.

"Now, for a tank, and a stair to climb up and fill it."

* * *

"Master! What is all this?" Nuri had brought Ellie with her to walk around, and peeked into the room Aila made lots of noise in. Aila smiled and walked out.

"This is a tub, and shower. Kaala? Can you heat a few pots of water on the stove? I want to show the girls how to use the new tub and shower." Kaala nodded, and grabbed her sister for assistance. It wasn't long before she brought out a pot filled with water that steam rose up off of it.

"I think that's a perfect temperature. Nuri, dip your finger and see if it's too warm, or not warm enough." Nuri obeyed, and frowned slightly.

"A little too hot for me." She said.

"Alright, we can add a bit more water. Let me pour it in, and I'll show you how it works." Aila took the pot and walked up a set of stairs, and poured the pot into a stone tank.

"Nuri, take off your clothes, and carefully walk up the stairs." Nuri blushed, but obeyed. Aila sucked in her breath as Nuri was stacked heavily up top. She really liked those massive breasts of hers. "Now, I'll help you here. Step in this tub." Nuri took that step with Aila's help. "See this lever?" Nuri nodded. "Slowly pull it down."

"Okay, Master." She slowly pulled the lever, and water ran out of several holes in a spout above her head.

"This is a shower. It coats you in water, and when we have soap, you can wash more easily this way. The spring water has a cleansing effect, so soap isn't as necessary, but it's still useful." Nuri gasped as the warm water cascaded over her flesh.

"Master! How do I stop the water?" Aila smiled, and pushed the lever up. "Oh. Master, this is amazing!" Shaala and Kaala nodded.

"I've cleaned just about every nook and cranny of a few different wealthy families, as has Kaala. We've never seen such a device, Master. Are you really letting us use this?" Shaala asked. Aila smiled.

"I can clean myself using life, water, and light elements. I can even sanitize my skin with flame essence. I made this so my people can feel clean, can be happy, and also be healthy. Good personal hygiene also promotes good health. A warm shower, a hot bath, or a cool rinse, can make you feel refreshed." Aila sighed happily.

"It's been a long time since I was healthy enough to have a bath." She lightly trailed a finger along Nuri's wet skin. "I want each of you to help each other to get clean. Even if you can't do it every day, as it's a lot of work, it's also important that you feel free to have a shower or a bath whenever you want." Aila blinked.

"Oh. I forgot towels. I'll have to get Rirn to get some sheets of cotton to dry our bodies." She looked at Nuri and smiled. "I'm going to fill the tank with pure water from the spring. Feel free to have a shower." She looked at the rest.

"Each of you. Have a shower to freshen up."