The Vengeful Tide-Ch. 35 (Patreon)

Hello again!

Well, this one took longer than expected, but I finally got it for all of you. Eric and the ship land on Hæňgaram, reading to head into the Empire of Crystallized Ash and the city of Taptos. However, even the best laid plans... have stumbles in the road.

Enjoy!

WttW

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By the time my mother and I finished our conversation, the sun began to rise. More full than a fisherman’s boat of his catch were the questions she asked me. Each of them more stunned, amazed, and confused than the last. Nevertheless, I gathered up all my patience and answered them all. I spoke to her about Leah and Boreli, what the bastard meant to me and why I’d been so desperate to retrieve him despite the headaches he’d brought upon me.

I beguiled and wooed her with tales of my adventures before my betrayal at the hands of my crew. I told her of Delverhold and the numerous tests I’d passed and failed on its magical shores. I told her all that I could, except for one thing.

No matter how much she asked, I never told her of her fate. I would not allow her to know such a gruesome detail. As I had laid with her over the course of these months, I considered her death one of my greatest failures. However, my mother was a smart lass, stubborn too. Even without me telling her, I was sure she came to some conclusion that made her finally stop asking.

That said, above all that I told her, I was honest that when I returned, I hadn’t made plans to seduce her. I’d never considered the thought until I held her in my arms when she stood against me. The relationship which we’d built, while not what I’d planned, was one I came to enjoy fully. As a pirate, and a man, I’d not regretted the outcome. I hoped she’d not either, but as my mother, I’d respect her desire to continue forward. It sure as hell ain’t like me to offer such a choice, but she was owed that much.

By the time we were done, we were exhausted. When Ellen knocked on the door, I barely had enough strength to tell her that the crew was free to do as they pleased today. I would be going back to sleep. She spoke not a word and accepted my order, walking away as I closed the door.

When I returned to the bed, my mother was already turned over with her back to me. She must not have wanted to face me, but was too tired to leave. I pulled up the covers and faced away from her. I wasn’t sure about her, but the fucking drain on my salty spirit made me fall asleep fast.

I must have been more tired than I thought because the next morning came before I knew it. I didn’t think that I’d sleep the whole day, but perhaps my exhaustion was greater than I’d thought. When I turned over, I noticed the absence of my mother. Her side of the bed was cold so she must have left some time ago.

I closed my eyes, pondering the fucking deep shit I was forced to trudge through. I exhaled through my nose, turning over and reaching for my pitcher of water. I weaved the cool liquid into my mouth and crawled out of bed. I saw the light of the sun beyond the mouth of the cave we’d docked in. I opened my windows and smelled the musky, cavern air and water.

I was thankful that despite sleeping the whole of yesterday, that if there was any noise on the ship, then I sure as hell didn’t hear it. Ellen must have warned them all not to disturb me, which I appreciated.

I decided that it’d be best for me to not pursue my mother. Though unusual for me, I returned the power which she’d given me back to her. What she decided was what would be and I’d think myself a damned fool to convince her otherwise. However, I would not allow her to leave my ship, not yet. Though I love her, I wasn’t convinced that she wouldn’t fall back into her feeble state without me to look after her. She might bark and curse me to the ends of D’orn and back, but she’d not usurp me that easily.

As I sat down, staring into the emptiness of my quarters, a knock on the door came. I might not say it, but I was relieved for the company… whoever it was.

“Enter.”

The door opened and Aesteal came through. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised at the concern on her face. I quickly remembered that she felt what I felt and vice versa. No doubt she became aware of my melancholy mood, the wind taken out of my sails for the moment. It sure didn’t fucking feel like me though.

“You don’t have to gaze upon me as if I’ve keeled over, Aesteal,” I said as she stepped further in.

She quickly shook her head. “When Ellen told the crew that we all had a free day, a lot of us wondered what happened to you. She just explained that you were still sleeping, exhausted from the feat you displayed before. No one was permitted to enter your room unless they didn’t mind cleaning the lower quarters for five months. Most stayed in their rooms and others explored the caves. I think by now, everyone seems to think that I’m the only one who can enter your quarters and return alive without something horrendous happening to me. Ellen asked me to do it, though I would have done it voluntarily as well,” she explained.

I leaned back in my chair and grunted. Sometimes, I wondered if my crew thought I was some demon from the lower realms that dined on the blood of those who dare summon me. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone thought that of me, but it was ridiculous all the same.

“I see,” I said, mostly to myself before I noticed Aesteal was right next to me. She didn’t even have to look at me for me to know what she thought. She grabbed a chair and sat next to me. We both fell into a silence that I didn’t particularly enjoy. I’d never done well in it without something to occupy my thoughts. Silences such as this seemed to only make me angry, bringing me back to times in my life that made me angrier.

“You ain’t alone in knowing my past anymore,” I said, pulling my rapier out so that I might busy myself and make this sentimental shit easier for my fucking pride to handle.

Aesteal turned her head to me, brushing her silver hair out of the way with her hand. She remained quiet even though I was sure she knew who I was talking about. “And how did she take it?” she asked.

“Ain’t much I know about that. She wasn’t here when I woke up today so I haven’t seen her yet to know. Times like this, she’s either pissed, thinking, or both. Can never tell with her. Nevertheless, it be quite the story and not one told over a campfire with your bond-traveling companions. She had many questions and I answered what I could. Might not have been enough for her,” I remarked, as I pulled out some more notes from Delverhold and began reading.

Of all the things Aesteal could have done, I wasn’t expecting her to chuckle. I glanced at her and she had a wide smile on her face, one filled with mirth. When she finally settled down, she pulled my attention to her.

“It is not just where the mightiest tree seeds are planted that they grow so powerfully strong. It is not just how much they are watered, nor just how much sun they are given. It’s not just how much food they are given, nor is it how much they are protected. GIve them time and their roots shall bury deep into the earth, strong and unbreakable. When their roots have been planted, they shall grow and endure blows and scratches from animals, nature, and even the wrath of men, yet it will grow so tall that all those who abused it shall stare in awe of its great majesty for it shall become a home to many and a source of great strength. You’re many things, Sir. Patient isn’t one of them,” she said, smiling at me.

I sure as hell wasn’t going to refute that. Even I knew that about myself. Leah, though I despise her, was the first one to chastise me about my impatience and my greed for immediate results. That was also one of the reasons why I’d been so arrogant to bet against Diane and she left me without my clothes. Just that memory was humiliating enough. All this magic, rune sewing, and this fucking rapier, had been dreadful tests of patience as I made my return to the seas and plotted my revenge.

“She’ll come to you, Sir. One thing I’ve learned about you both is that you’re not the most expressive when it comes to the more… humble matters between yourselves. Then again, you’re Draegnarian. It certainly isn’t the type of place that fosters such sensitivities. Give her the time, Sir. Maeloson and I had to give you the time to believe that we would indeed sail upon your ship. Above all, she’s your mother. She’s not gonna devour you. That is, unless you want her to,” she replied with a smile.

I stopped my reading and chuckled. I put my notes down and turned to Aesteal. “A wise mouth, a treasured face, and a stable mind. I know not what circumstance would lead you aboard my ship, but I am grateful for it. What fool would release a treasure such as you?”

If Aesteal was going to answer that, she didn’t get the chance to. I quickly pulled her chin and her lips to mine. I kissed her and she kissed me back. Her lips were as soft as ever and shivers ran through her body.

We parted and my mood was notably lighter. “Aye, I’ll try your patience game. Though, don’t expect it to stick for very long. I’m a stubborn bastard after all,” I said.

“It’s one of your more endearing qualities,” she answered back to me before her face grew serious.

After a moment or two to think, she spoke. “So… what shall you do with the woman of fire you faced? The Liara of your time told you that you needed the help of not just her, but two others like her or else all of D’orn would be destroyed. It doesn’t seem like you’re on friendly terms. Even worse, she’s probably working for the enemy. What are you going to do?” she asked.

“Diplomacy ain’t my strongest suit, but I might be able to work something out if I can get her alone. Keep it mind it’s the first time I’ve met or faced her before. I don’t even know this enemy we’re supposed to be fighting, so it’ll be hard to convince her. However, I’ll know where she is. It won’t be too hard to find her should I figure all this shit out,” I reasoned as Aesteal kept her sharp gaze on me.

I patted her shoulder and urged her up. “Anyway, we’ll have to discuss her later. For now, we’ve wasted a day due to the circumstances with my mother. Tell Ellen to gather my crew together. This be a day that we should be entering the inner provinces of the Empire of Crystallized Ash,” I said.

Aesteal, accepting the task, stood up and walked away. Once she was gone, I stood up and tossed my clothes away in a dirty hamper. I noticed Nei and the other fairmaids observing me as I opened a cabinet that housed my other garments. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nei lick her lips, clearly aroused by me.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten around to getting myself a new captain’s coat to wear, nor a hat. My pursuit of alchemy and toying with the natural bonds of my body left my clothes a little tighter than before. Perhaps I’d find some time to shop for new clothes while we journeyed through the northern lands of Hæňgaram.

I picked up the fairmaids, the water slipping off their bodies and sliding through the crevices of my fingers. It didn’t take Nei long to settle on top of my head. I wondered why she preferred that spot, especially since she seemed territorial of it. Whenever Lei or the others tried to come near, she’d snarl at them until they backed down. This happened quite a few times until the others got the idea that only Nei was allowed to rest in my hair.

When the others were settled, I ventured outside.

Unsurprisingly, aside from the sun outside the cavern, the area was rather dark. However, I saw some of the crew on the deck of the ship. Most were coming up from the lower deck.

“Ah laddies, the captain boards the deck with us! Best you not sleep in too much captain, lest you find all your strength drained away in the arms and legs of beautiful lasses!” someone said as others laughed.

“Not much grants a man a better sleep than that,” I retorted before I noticed Ellen walking over to me.

“If that’s the case, then you should have fucked that succubus cunt back on that cursed island. She would have had you sleeping forever,” she fired back while I offered her a shrug of my shoulders.

The smile on my face lessened when I thought of Delverhold, and the new failures I’d experienced in addition to the old ones. “And have the lot of you try to sail back to Draegnar on your own? I be unsure of which fate is worse. Besides, be that any way to talk to the man who has captured your tempestuous heart?” I asked before the air was blown out of my lung when Ellen buried her elbow into my stomach.

“Yeah, I love you. I love you like I love the puke and shit that blows out of my drunk patrons mouth and asses in the afternoon. Can’t fucking get rid of it no matter how many times I try.”

I rubbed my stomach as a smile came upon my face, albeit with great pain. One of the fairmaids quickly saw Ellen and jumped on her shoulder. My Quartermaster glanced at the tiny woman and sucked her teeth. It seemed that Ellen settled for a begrudging acceptance of the fairmaid despite her numerous failed attempts to get rid of the small fairy-mermaid.

Soon, everyone was on the deck of the ship. They all looked at me, waiting for me to give my orders.

Even my mother was present, though she made sure that our eyes wouldn’t meet. When I turned to her, she just looked away, almost acting like I didn’t even exist. I’d not known so great a pain since my death at the hands of my crew. I’d rather face Delverhold and the trails it took to get there a thousand times over than see such unease in my mother’s eyes. I was so tempted to cast a spell and peer into her mind that I might know her thoughts about me, but I stayed my hand.

It wouldn’t matter whether I did or not. I vowed that she’d be allowed the time to form her own thoughts without my attention. Perhaps her weakened spirit at the hands of her disease made me a little more guarded of her than I needed to be. It wasn’t like my mother was a fucking child after all.

I turned back to the others and addressed them. “Hope you enjoyed your extra day off because now we’ll need to go over a few things. First, you lot best get this through your thick skulls. We ain’t on the island of Draegnar. We’ve docked at the southernmost lands of Hæňgaram. We are currently a few miles from the city of Taptos that is where the majority of you shall stay until I call for you. Take any job, fuck any wench, make any coin you want, but do not draw attention to yourselves. Even if Taptos is more lenient on unruly activity, the nation of Hæňgaram still abhors pirates, lawbreakers, bandits, and any other scum that society has spewn out. Dare you not test them. Steal a coin and they shall have you drawn and quartered. I ain’t gonna be there to bail you out, but don’t think I won’t make the nation of Hæňgaram my enemy for your sake,” I said as I walked to the other side of the ship.

“That said, I also have a reason to be here. There be a war coming that might make Hæňgaram fall to its knees. I’m here to see that such a fate ain’t gonna befall it. Aye, we shall be headed into war, but it shall be a pirate’s war, done the pirate’s way. Take what you will from the fallen for they won’t be needing it and surely you’ll have more gold to line your pockets provided you not waste this fucking opportunity. However, if I do find you causing trouble, you’ll wish it was Hæňgaram that pulled your spirit away from the realm of D’orn,” I warned greatly.

I would not see a grand collection of crystallized ash squandered because some of my crew had sun-baked brains in their damn skulls. I could already sense the sharp grin on Ellen’s face at the prospect of so much coin being found in one place. I could see the wheels turning in her mind on how to already turn a profit for what she’d gather.

Once I made sure everyone heard me, Ellen got into the usual task for forming groups out of everyone. The entire ship was assigned except for a few of us. I dismissed most of everyone, leaving Goron, Diane, Raven’s Shadow, Aesteal, Maeloson, Nz’ia, Naala, Ellen, and my mother present.

“Change of plans. We’re going to journey towards the Hæňgaram capital, Ynro. That’s where the empire rests and it’s also where most of the noble families and upper class merchants reside. The House of Balamar will be there as well. We’ll go under the guise of merchants, selling a trade of spices. It’s not unusual for merchants to travel through the city to marvel at its grandeur before moving across the mountains to the next part of the empire, especially considering its the center of these lands,” I said before Ellen stepped forward.

“We planned some of this before and I acquired the merchant license. Though, I’ll be damned if I give those Hæňgaramian bastards any of the supplies aboard our ship,” she answered, glaring at me to think otherwise.

Naala grinned and leaned against the portside ledge. “If there’s one thing our favorite quartermaster’s not gonna do, it’s give shit away for free. Anyone ever told you that a shared heart is worth its weight in gold, Ellen?” my dark powder monkey asked while Sothshore snorted.

“I’ll gladly rip the fucker’s heart out of his chest so I can sell the gold. Then I’ll find out how much it weighs exactly,” she returned, getting a hard laugh out of Naala.

Next, Diane spoke. “So then, what are we gonna do about their walls? It’s known by all that Hæňgaram’s notorious for stopping infiltrators. The walls are laced with a powerfully ancient magic that can sense the deep desires of all who pass under it. Very few talented mages have been able to fool it.”

“It’s happened before? I was under the impression that the empire had never been infiltrated. Tales of its defenses even reached the furthest northern lands of Fgg’rial,” Maeloson replied with an expression almost resembling surprise.

“It has.”

All eyes turned to Goron, the big lug’s folded, hairy arms covering his chest. “In fact, it was a pirate that first made it possible. It’s where Hæňgaram receives its great hatred of pirates. Our kind were the only ones who managed to breach their walls. Of course, the pirates were swiftly destroyed before they could leave with any wealth or treasure, but it was always marked as a stain on the empire. It’s something they’ve kept tight-lipped about,” he explained.

“Oh yeah? And just who was this ballsy pirate? You’d think those guys would have fucking gutted him and hung his body out of the empire’s gates to ward off anyone else from trying the same thing,” Naala said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Goron quickly answered. “His name was Gual Haelstrom. With a bounty of 20 Million, he wasn’t a well-known man. It’s why Hæňgaram was so insulted that such a no-name pirate could pierce through them as he had. He also went by another name…”

“The Son of Shadows,” I finished as everyone looked at me.

Aye, I knew the bastard or at least the small tales of him. As Goron said, the bastard wasn’t a well-known pirate. Most wouldn’t even call him a pirate because he hardly ever sailed, and hardly ever amassed anything resembling a crew. Nevertheless, he was an exceptional thief. He’d stolen from many underground organizations, kings, emperors, and any in-between. The only reason people even knew of him was because he left a marker by which to identify himself. A joker’s card with his name written on it.

Few liked to ponder if his stash was hidden somewhere on D’orn. Not even I’d found it. Hell, I started to wonder if it was real myself. Should one sail as a pirate for a great deal of their life, they shall hear tales of Gual, for he had done what so many of us could not, crack the walls of Hæňgaram. No one knew how the fucker did it, but many liked to state that he’d learned and studied under a powerful shadow mage, thus granting him his moniker.

“Watch the sun in the east, for Gual shall come for you in the west. It’s been over 300 years since a pirate’s managed to get in. Aye, mages and Liara have successfully done it, but definitely not a pirate,” I said while Naala grinned.

“So we’re making history then!” she exclaimed while Ellen snorted.

“Yeah, black history probably. The first group of pirates that worked with Hæňgaram. Can’t tell if the bastards are gonna thank us or hang us after we’re done,” Ellen grumbled before I patted her shoulder.

“Care not whether they thank us or not. If they don’t honor their part of the deal, then their mountains of crystallized ash will be the least of their concerns. As for the empire’s walls, I’ll handle it. Although, a captain could use some willing volunteers,” I said as the others stared at me with great skepticism.

“Dare you offer us any elven rites, Aesteal?” Hannath asked while my silver-haired archer sighed.

“I do not believe they’ll help,” she answered.

Truon sighed. “As if any elven god would bless a ship with a captain as cursed as this one,” he complained, getting a chuckle out of most of the group.

Once our business was concluded, Ellen barked orders to the rest of the crew. One by one, they pulled out at least twelve barrels full of grain, spices, and herbs. I quickly conjured up a cart with an identical number of barrels inside it. The crew then placed the real ones back inside. With this replica, even if an officer or guard sifted their hands through the fake grain, they’d be none the wiser. Unfortunately, this spell couldn’t hold for very long. At most a week before I’d have to make another one. I also couldn’t risk forging this on the road to the empire or in the cities and towns before it. It’d risk too much exposure.

Once that was finished, the crew followed me as we stepped into the mountain, leaving our ship behind. In less than an hour or two we made it through the mountain by way of earth magic. When we climbed out, the sun bore its piercing rays down upon us.

Each of the crew stretched as we pulled the wagon out. One of the mages of my crew sealed the entrance back up, marking it so that most of us would not lose our way to it.

Following that, our trek to Taptos began. Naturally, I had everyone change their attire from sweat-stained, torn shirt and pants to something more fitting for merchant-like travelers. While Taptos was more lenient, it wouldn’t serve me any good to antagonize them so openly.

The journey wasn’t anything difficult. Most of it was filled with either songs or stories, some good, most grating on the ears. Nevertheless, they filled up the two hours it took to descend the mountains. I wondered what some travelers might think when they saw a band of over sixty men and women traveling together with a massive cart of fake merchant products. Unfortunately, I wasn’t given an answer to my pondering because there were no travelers on the road.

In fact, there was no sound at all. There were no birds, no insects, no tiny creature forging anywhere. There was just nothing but the sound of the leaves in the trees, our marching footsteps, and the rolling cart. I found this strange since Taptos, though a bit out of the way from other Hæňgaramian cities, was still a place that had frequent traders and sailors. I knew this because all the lands of Hæňgaram were popular, both for countrymen and foreigners. Each city specialized in something different. Taptos, being close to the sea, was a natural hub for all things related to the ocean: seafood, undersea treasure, shipping routes and the like.

Our group continued onward, and I knew that soon we’d make it over the hill to see Taptos. However, what I saw when we crossed that hill, or what I was expecting to see, was not what neither I nor the crew, was given.

“Captain, I don’t think a Hæňgaram city is supposed to be a massive hole of shit and rubble. You sure we ain’t land on Draegnar?” someone asked as I stared at the impossibly massive smoldering crater where a Hæňgaram city once laid. The hole was so large, I wondered if it even had an end.

Aesteal stepped forward, closing her eyes as if to listen to the wind. “The spirits have been greatly disturbed around here. Whatever happened here wasn’t too long ago,” she said as I continued to stare at the massive gutterball where Taptos should have been.

“Wherever you sail us, can you make sure it ain’t in the middle of some fucked up shit next time?”

“You picked the wrong bastard to make a bet with if you didn’t want to get your ass deep in fucked up shit, O Proprietor of the Dead Tales,” Diane said, though without too much mirth in her voice. I took it that even she was confused and surprised by what she was seeing.

However, amongst all of us, Nz’ia bore the greatest expression, anger. If the Xhaluter could look any more feral than usual, he did so now. His large, sharp teeth gritted together. His fingers bled from his powerful nails. He grabbed his spear and charged down into the city before anyone could call after him.

“Where the fuck’s he going?!” Naala asked frantically. Aye, that I wanted to know myself.

I quickly turned to everyone else. “We’re heading down. Maeloson, Aesteal, scout around the area of this… giant hole. The rest of us will be head down. Best none of you lose your head and fall in. Who knows, you might reach Sakonboth’s Lair,” I teased, which got some to shiver. Maeloson and Aesteal quickly agreed and ran off, their elven training showing itself when they took to the trees.

According to some legends, Sakonboth was a demon who lived in the center of the earth. Every 50,000 years, it comes to the surface and kidnaps 5,000 children to kindle the flames in its stomach. If those flames weren’t kindled then, the demon would burst and the earth would be destroyed.

“Aye, aye, Captain!” the crew resounded before we descended down to Taptos.

When we finally reached the bottom, I wondered if I’d ever felt a stillness so unyielding as this. There was just… nothing. It was like all life had been eradicated from this city. Nothing here but a fucking massive hole which led to nowhere.

“Betcha the prostitutes back on Draegnar don’t have holes this big,” someone said to another.

“Aye, reminds a man of his former wife. Looser than any pirate’s knot.”

Some of the crew busied themselves with trying to see if they could hear anything by throwing stones into the large hole. However, others, like the mages of the crew, took a vast interest in what could have happened. Clearly, their scholarly minds hadn’t been fried by the heat of the sun upon our long voyage.

Diane knelt down and touched the edge of the hole. She pulled up some dirt and watched the wind blow it out of her hand. “I’ve seen some wild shit from the places Lady Liara’s taken me to, but I can’t say I’ve seen anything like this, at least not in this realm. There’s not even a hint of mana in the air from a spell,” she said as she stared into the sky.

Naala kicked some dirt into the hole and hummed. “Definitely no ship’s cannon can do this. Unless that walking fur coat back on Delverhold had a ship for himself, I don’t see how anything can make something this big… barring a certain captain of ours,” she spoke, glancing toward me with a small grin on her face.

Unfortunately, I didn’t share much in her teasing. “This be the first time I’ve sailed to Taptos specifically. I’ve got no reason to do this,” I answered.

“What about that walking matchstick you fought two or three days ago? Fucking shit she pulled sure didn’t look like any spell I’d ever seen,” Ellen suggested, and that was my initial thought as well. However, there should have been a ton of burned up debris in the forests if such was the case.

Even more than that, there should have been burn marks around the edges of the crater. Yet, there was nothing like that here or anywhere. It couldn’t have been her.

“We could always jump down and see what we find,” Truon of Raven’s Shadow said before he was punched in the arm by Racaell.

“How about we tie a rope to your leg and push you down there? If there’s a bottom, then your broken corpse’ll be evidence of that. If not, then I guess it’s true that idiots get three lives,” she argued before Brant had to pull them apart.

I spotted Nz’ia at the other edge of the crater. How he’d gotten miles over there was beyond me, but I knew better than to question his powerful physique. He seemed to be staring out into the vastness of the crater, a thousand thoughts moving through his mind.

Feeling rather lazy, I wove some of the water in the air and flew myself over to him. When I got next to him, he made no move to look at me. Instead, he continued to stare down into the hole, his spear stabbed into the dirt.

I touched his shoulder. “What made you run off like that?”

For a while, he didn’t say anything. His body remained as still as the environment around us.

I was about to question him again, but he quickly spoke. “You and your crew have not lived as I have. None of you see, none of you feel the might that treads upon these lands. For I have felt this feeling before. I felt it when that mage of the earth trampled my tribesmen as if we were naught by small Xhins being tended to by nursemothers. That same feeling, I sense that it has come over this land. It shall also continue until the very end,” he said.

I pondered his words, trying to garner some form of explanation from his gaze, but he offered me none. “You know who did this?” I asked.

“I do not. I just know that I get the same feeling as the time my clan was beaten down. That is all.”

I left Nz’ia after that. He seemed to want to be alone anyway. When I returned to the others, I saw a few of them gathered around. Aesteal and Maeloson had returned. It also seemed like they hadn’t returned alone. On the ground sat a man, a guard with the empire’s national colors fitted into his robes.

Whoever this man was, I could tell he wasn’t with us despite being conscious. “The hell’s wrong with him? You’d think you guys brought back a damn corpse if the guy didn’t blink every little bit,” Naala asked, rocking the unknown man’s shoulders left and right.

“He’s gazing into the abyss,” Brant said as I walked over.

Aesteal and Maeloson noticed me quickly. “We searched the surroundings, Sir. Nothing stands out. None of the forest is disturbed and there’s no hints of a battle. It’s as if the city was pulled up by the Great Spirits themselves. The only thing we found was this man, lying next to a tree. He didn’t respond to anything we asked him. We decided to bring him back,” the latter said while Ellen kicked him gently.

“Like we’ll get anything from a guy who’s lost his shit. Lead warrior over there got it right. Poor shit’s gazing into the abyss, and he’s gazing into it hard,” she claimed while Naala sighed.

She stood up. “Great, and can one of you tell me what the hell that is?”

“Whatever happened here, the poor bastard finds gazing far into the distance, letting his mind rot away, as preferable to the traumatic experiences he survived. It’s actually fairly common for early adventurers. They’re not used to seeing the gory details of the job,” Gurok answered.

Diane sighed. “Yeah, Lady Liara’s actually treated quite a few noblemen who’ve fought in terrible wars from this thing. Some were able to work through them, but others were so bad they needed the memory erased completely. I don’t think we’re gonna get anything outta this guy without breaking the rest of his sanity to pieces.”

Once again, everyone looked to me for what to do next.

I stared at the traumatized man. While it wasn’t in my nature to care if he died one way or the other, having him around could prove useful to me. Should someone be able to help him, then maybe I could also learn about what happened to this city.

“Set the bastard on the cart. We’ll take him with us,” I ordered.

“Seriously? And what the hell do we need him for?” Ellen asked, irritated until she saw the smirk on my face.

“We need the fucker to verify our goodwill,” I answered back as the others stared at me, perplexed.

Nevertheless, Aesteal took charge of the man, helping him back to the cart. Once he was safely secured, I gathered the crew together and told them of our next course of action. Unfortunately, a lack of clues left us without too many answers to what happened to Taptos. However, we’d be escorting our guest back to the noble walls of the empire. I hoped that someone there might know him and might shed some light on this odd thing that we’d encountered.

Disappointed at the lack of adventure, the crew obeyed me without much mirth. While I didn’t blame them, I saw no need to risk their lives by heading down there when we had other able-bodied soldiers more than willing to do it for us. Besides, if there was something worthwhile down there, I’d get to it first. Of that I was sure.

With a little toiling, I managed to pull Nz’ia away from his scenic view of the Door to Hell. Aye, that would be my name for it until we ascertained its cause and its origin. I rather liked the name I came up with.

Once we were all gathered, we journeyed away from the fallen city of Taptos. Unfortunately, this left me with some problems. It’d not been in my plans to have my entire crew enter Ynro. The soldiers wouldn’t believe such a large group of bastards and bitches could only be merchants. Additionally, the other provinces of Hæňgaram wouldn’t be so welcoming to a group such as us.

During the night that we camped, Maeloson, Ellen, Aesteal, and I spoke about what to do next. Our guest still hadn’t made much movement. In fact, he’d fallen asleep with his eyes open according to Aesteal. At that point, I decided to cease his strange behavior. I tapped his forehead with my finger and he quickly fell unconscious. A simple mana draining spell was enough to handle him.

Normally, feeling the drain on one’s mana was normal the more they used it. However, when depleted at unnatural speeds, the body would shut down momentarily which caused unconsciousness. The bastard would be fine in a day or two. It wouldn’t serve me to kill him.

Our conversation continued until the dead of night. In the end, we decided to play it by ear. I didn’t like this plan, but to get past Ynro’s walls, my method would only work once. The Hæňgaram walls were known for being… adaptive.

We all soon went to sleep, pitching our tents under the moon and in the dry forest. Just before I went to sleep, I saw my mother. She’d set up her own tent. I thought to approach her, to at least wish her a warm night as her son. Yet, my tongue stayed in my mouth again. As I’d lived with my mother for numerous years, I knew the way her body told of her mood. I knew when she was pissed off, irritable, and less irritable. I’ve yet to find anything outside that range. She was definitely irritable right then, so I left her alone.

That night, I slept with Aesteal and Naala at my side. Their warm embrace brought me to pleasant dreams until the sun arose the next day. We all feasted together on the provisions we’d stored before we continued on our way.

Our journey through Hæňgaram continued for about five days and I noticed something strange once again.

I’d yet to see a single Hæňgaram patrol unit move through the roads. As I’d been to the lands of Hæňgaram before, I’d watched the loyal soldiers plenty of times. I had to evade their capture on more than one occasion. On almost any given day, a traveler encountered at least one squad of soldiers.

Yet, for these five days, I’d not seen a single Hæňgaram soldier. It was very strange.

I wanted to hurry and make for Ynro before the week’s end, but I quickly remembered that I’d not enhanced a lot of the members of my new crew. Aside from my mother, Ellen, Aesteal, Nz’ia, Goron, Diane, and Raven’s Shadow, no one was capable of walking such long distances in such a short amount of time. I realized then that I might have to put some time into performing some alchemy on Naala. I imagined my future nights would become very busy.

That said, luck finally shone down upon us when we exited a forested hill. “HOLY FUCKING SHIT!” someone in the crew shouted at the top of their lungs.

I’d allow them the outburst this once because we finally stared at the capital of Hæňgaram, Ynro. As expected, the capital was vast. Mountains of white ash laid in the distance, some of them with buildings of great prestige embedded into them. Though we could not see all of it, I knew that in this vast land the noble houses of Hæňgaram were seated somewhere. Lightfeather and Balamar, just to name a few, were ones with enough land to fit a small city on their own.

Ynro was guarded by a series of large walls, a beautiful river flowing through the water passages of each of them. The innermost parts of the city were filled with exquisite marble. Blue flags waved in the wind with the nation’s insignia. Gold and finely made buildings glimmered in the heat of the sun like a sea of sunken treasure. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers marched from the city and out through the various roads leading to the East, West, and North. Some of the more seasoned soldiers rode atop white steeds with forged Hæňgaram steel.

I noticed a few of these patrols had large merchant carts, some of them filled with powerful magic items. Well, powerful for people like these who’d never known Delverhold or the Witch of Draegnar.

“Captain, you be sure about this? If it’s known that we’re pirates…”

“How about you shut your mouth before something hears you if you’re so worried?!” Ellen answered to one of the concerned voices behind me.

“Fuckin’ place certainly hasn’t changed much from when I saw it last. Be sure to stay away from the fine Hæňgaramian ale this time, Goron,” Diane said teasingly while her partner turned a glare to her.

“And I told you to never bring that up again.”

“I didn’t bring up shit. If anyone brought up anything, it was you. You brought up a lot of things actually.”

I wondered how Liara might fare when she heard the bickering between her guard and her assistant. I imagined she’d chuckle before asking them why they seemed to enjoy tormenting each other so much.

“Alright, captain, there are the famous, or infamous, walls we’ve been concerned about all voyage. What’s our plan?” Naala asked as everyone straightened up, the fairmaids peering out of their respective guards to survey the land as well.

With Nei on top of my head, I stared at the open road. As expected, it was lined with numerous tradesmen. A few had even set up camp outside the first set of walls, their campfires burning hard over the green fields with sculpted firepit stones. It seemed strange that there was a type of peace here, almost as if no one knew what had befallen the city of Taptos.

“We move forward,” I said as I walked down. Everyone walked down with me.

A group as large as ours quickly began to gain attention. I wasn’t surprised. While Hæňgaram was used to getting a vast number of visitors, such people were usually in small groups. Ours definitely wasn’t the normal size. That said, we’d done nothing suspicious so most left us alone. It wasn’t until the soldiers started patrolling our group that I decided to begin my plan.

I spotted one of the soldiers, his armor clanking over the dusty, beaten road. I already knew it was a beastman. His mana felt different from a regular human’s and his eyes were slitted like those of a predatory beast. I asked for his attention. True to the Hæňgaramian way, his face remained stoic and disciplined. However, he walked over to me, his hand on his blade for even the slightest form of violence.

“What do you want?” he asked, his eyes glancing back to my group every five seconds or so.

I slowly exhaled for I was about to curse myself for this horrid act I was about to put on. “Greetings, soldier of Hæňgaram! We’ve traveled far to visit here. Sorry to take up your time, but we found one of your own in the city of Taptos… or what was left of it. We thought to return him back to the nation he’s pledged unyielding loyalty to. Do you recognize him?” I asked, glaring behind me when I saw a few men struggling to withhold their laughter at my act.

However, unperturbed by my performance, Aesteal slowly helped our survivor of Taptos off the cart. For seven days he hadn’t changed. He continued to stare forward like he was looking into the jaws of death itself.

The soldier carefully walked over to the man. Whatever he needed to identify the bastard, he found it. While his back was turned, I smirked. I quickly began silently chanting some words, weaving the Essence of Vilinlith into my spell. With the Mark of Hoɖ, I saw the spell swirling around his mind, ready to make my works just a bit more favorable to his ears.

The others watched him work for a little while before he stood up. “Indeed, this man is one of our own. I do not recognize him for he might be in a unit stationed different from myself. Explain yourself! What happened to Taptos?” He asked, facing me.

I tried to make myself woeful. I sure as hell doubted it worked, but I’d take what little I could get to further my goal. “If I may, allow me to use some mana. We are aware of the powers of Hæňgaramian steel, and we’re not here to deceive. However, I believe you won’t find my words truthful. My memories are different,” I said.

The man looked at me sternly. He looked back at my group, some more nervous than others. “Fine, but you alone shall come with me. If any of the others move out of line then they will all be detained!” he exclaimed.

While I thought that was rather extreme, I sought no argument. He led me out of the group and a few feet away. He took off his helmet and I discovered that he was a young half-breed lizardman, half-human half-lizard man. I knew not which of his parents was the human half, but clearly he was young. His skin hadn’t yet matured where it would grow scales just yet.

“You may begin, but if I sense anything wrong, I’ll cut you down before you have the chance to utter another spell,” he warned.

…I resisted the urge to laugh. “As you wish.”

I touched his forehead with the tip of my finger. Then, I fed him the memories of our time in Taptos, or what remained of it. Naturally, I was more than capable of excluding certain parts of my conversations between Taptos and here. By the time I was done, the half-breed Hæňgaram soldier nearly fell to his knees in shock, his armor rattling from shaking legs.

He stares at me, his eyes clearly alarmed. “You… you lie! What manner of witchcraft is this?! Hæňgaram would have known if such a fate had befallen one of its cities. Who are you? State your identity immediately!” He ordered, his visage no longer calm.

“Whether you believe it or not, it shall rest upon your own eyes. We’re just merchants, come to see the vast wealth of the Empire. We traveled this way by the southern seas. Would you have rathered us not to inform you, that you might wail in utter agony that the souls of your citizens and soldiers there were not laid to rest?” I asked, not at all concerned by him waving his sword in my face.

The lizardman's hands shook and the waves carried themselves all the way to his blade. If reptiles could sweat, then the bastard looked like he’d been dropping a river by now.

Suddenly, the soldier grabbed a warning horn that was strapped to his hip. He blew into it and the sound flew through the air, alerting all to our location. Immediately, those Hæňgaram soldiers which were destined to travel out of the city and into other parts of the empire’s great lands returned.

I then heard the galloping hooves of a horse headed our way. Turning my head, I saw another Hæňgaram soldier. However, unlike this lizardman, this man was another beastman. He had long ears and a slightly chubby face. On his back lay a large broadsword. Judging by his apparel, he was of higher rank than the soldier in front of me.

“I figured it was only a matter of time before a merchant group caused some type of trouble. What seems to be the problem that you would blow your Horn of Warning so loudly? If it was given to you, then you were told to use it only under strict orders!” the rabbit-looking beastman said, his voice not exactly matching his face. It was very deep and hard like gravel.

The soldier to my right quickly saluted. “Yes, Sir! I was aware of the horn and my intentions behind it. Sir, this merchant has brought with him very disturbing news that I believe warranted the use of the Horn of Warning!” he said, his chest all puffed out and firm. If not for appearances sake, I’d have rolled my eyes.

“What’s going on?”

I turned my head to the next person to join our little group. This Hæňgaram soldier wasn’t riding a horse, but his armor was no less that of the beastman riding on his. This soldier seemed to be a human this time, a face with neatly trimmed facial hair. Behind him, a few feet away, were at least twenty other soldiers. Each of them seemed to be dutifully waiting for orders.

“It seems it was too good to be true that the merchants could keep themselves out of trouble. Supposedly, this recruit just received some grave news from this young merchant here. Well, what is this news? Out with it!” the one of the horse said rather impatiently.

The young soldier eased himself for a moment. He looked between me and his superiors. “Sir, I’m not sure how to explain this, but… this group traveled from the southern lands near Taptos. I regret to inform you that it appears Taptos is no more.”

The two veterans stared at the young man in bewilderment. Anger quickly formed on one of their faces. “The horn is bellowed for an emergency, and all we get is a naive soldier listening to a merchant’s ridiculous fables. How could Taptos fall without our notice? A squad just reported from that very location two weeks ago!” the one standing said, his face clearly not amused.

“I’ve been a part of this army for two years, Sir! I’ve heard many tales from the merchants that travel along this road. Yet, none have chilled me more than what I saw from this merchant’s memories. I can only pray to Kalyek that it is a lie. If it’s not, then surely the gods have forsaken us,” the lizardman said as the one riding the horse jumped off.

“You saw his memories?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. Merchant knows a little bit of magic. I allowed him to use it on me. I’ve studied the craft myself for almost ten years. I would know if I was being tricked. If it’s a lie, then I’ll forsake my post and accept any punishment you deem fit,”  the young soldier replied strongly.

The two veteran soldiers stared at him before they turned their attention to me. One of them then looked at my band. “So many merchants. Where have you sailed from?” the rabbit beastman asked.

“We sail from Draegnar. The shift of coin drags one to many unsavory places,” I explained while another scrunched up his face in disgust.

“Clearly, it shows the type of fifth you’re willing to trade in if you’d deal in such lawless land. You’re lucky to even be alive. So what is the story here?” the human veteran asked.

Once again, much to my chagrin, I explained my story. I continued to use the Essence of Vilinlith, making my words all the more tantalizing in their ears. The poor bastards were hopelessly ensnared by them, but their discipline was still apparent.

Once I was done, they moved to convene for a moment or two. They then returned. “There is a route that takes my unit and I around the edges of Taptos. It doesn’t sound like a lie, despite how unbelievable I think it is. Therefore, I will confirm this strange thing. Best you pray this is true, for if it’s not then you shall be punished to the fullest extent under the Hæňgaramian Empire,” the rabbit beastman said and I nodded.

“We shall await your report,” the human soldier said as they saluted each other. As the rabbit veteran rode away, the human bastard turned back to me.

“As for you and your group, you’ll be heading into the city. Your group is rather large, but we have some place for you to stay. That is where you shall reside until we can either confirm nor deny this little bard’s tale of yours. For your sake, I hope it’s the former.”

He walked away and the lizardman soldier saluted him. He then ushered me back to my group. I heard the Hæňgaram captain bark orders to the rest of his unit as they started spreading themselves out and over the rest of the roads.

A few of the soldiers took charge over the crowds, pushing them out of the way to make room for my crew. When I came back to them, I saw Ellen looking worried. “Care to tell us your ingenious plan now that we’re here?” she asked, a tad irritated and nervous. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Just think pleasant thoughts, Ellen. You ain’t got to do anymore than that,” I replied, which seemed to only make her angrier. Nevertheless, she wasn’t able to vent her rage to me before a soldier returned to us.

“Follow me.”

We followed him, ignoring the hostile glares of merchants sent our way. I imagined most of them had been standing in front of these damned walls all day, desperate to be allowed access. However, even with their anger, most couldn’t hide their appreciation for the appearance of my group.

Before coming here I’d used the Essence of Vilinlith to change the appearance of my crew. As I’d experimented with, this power of from the Mother of All Succubi was capable of doing almost anything if it was for a lust or sex-based purpose. My small orgy with Diane, Naala, and Aesteal proved held weight to that.

So, I’d changed the appearance of everyone on the crew to something that would entice the wandering gazes of the males and females around us. I sure as hell couldn’t show my face here without the entire Hæňgaram army descending down upon us. I’d rather not explain to Alteria why I’d had to massacre her fellow countrymen.

The closer we got to the walls, the higher they seemed to go. Truly, their brilliance couldn’t be underappreciated. I wondered how many pounds of crystallized ash went into those walls.

Once we were close enough, I latched the essence of Vilinlith onto each individual of my crew. I pushed its potent, lustful energy deep into their bodies. One by one, they all became breathless and aroused, their thoughts too preoccupied with lust and sex to ponder anything else.

Of everyone, Maeloson, Aesteal, Goron, and Nz’ia seemed to restrain themselves the easiest. I also tried not to look at my mother. I’d make this much easier if I didn’t have to wonder how she was faring.

Either way, with every fueled by the Essence of Vilinlith, we pressed onward. The guards looked at us strangely, but quickly inspected our wares. I had to admit that I found some amusement in the way my crew tried to remain as unsuspicious as possible. Wherever we stayed, I imagined it’d be thoroughly christened by my crew soon enough. For their sakes, I hoped it was somewhere far away.

“All clear, Sir!” one of the soldiers announced before they moved back.

“Papers?” one of them asked. I reached into my pocket, handing out the forged merchant papers Ellen and I made back on Draegnar. The guards looked them over for a few minutes and returned them back to us.

“Papers verified, Sir!”

“Open the gate!”

The five guards, each of them with spears in hand, stepped aside as the massive iron bars were pulled up from the levers behind the wall. The human captain who’d been talking with the rabbit beastman stood before us. He urged us to follow him and he passed through the gates.

I proceeded towards the gate and swiftly surge the powerful, lustful essence around myself as well. My breath became short and my cock immediately grew hard. I had to shift my pants to keep it from being too obvious. However, the feel of the fabric wasn’t doing it any favors. I could feel almost every sensation against my skin. It felt like my brain was on fire, pushing that tantalizing warmth through every crevice. It urged me to forgo this facade and just fuck the lasses who were faring no better than myself behind me.

Instead of that, I pushed forward. I passed beneath the gate and so did the others behind me until we were all inside. Through my haze of lust, I smirked. I surveyed the inner rim of the walls. Guards were stationed at secure locations, each of them as stern as the last.

Off the side, water flowed out from the second set of walls on each side of the bridge we were standing on. Despite their lust, some just couldn’t hold their curious looks. They stared off to the side and watched the waterfall’s pour the water into the deepest depths of the empire.

The captain didn’t wait for us to marvel at the Hæňgaram architecture. He was already at the other side of the bridge, the walls opening up for him. When we passed through them, we were all greeted with the glory of the Hæňgaram Empire. Miles upon miles of fresh green grass and mountains of white like the first week of snowfall. To the gaze of a pirate, it was a land just waiting to be plundered and pillaged.

I stared at some of the buildings embedded into the mountainside. No doubt some of those were entrances into the Hæňgaram mines where the crystallized ash was harvested. I then turned my gaze down to the lands themselves. Hundreds of miles of precious, resourceful land was before my eyes. I never thought that I might return here under such odd circumstances.

In the far distance, I spotted the emperor’s estate. It was connected through a vast network of bridges that led into other parts of the lands. Some might think it strange that the empire’s most well-guarded area was also its most accessible. However, I know not many that would attack such a place where most of the powerful knights, guards, and army were stationed. Supposedly, this was done to properly demonstrate the power of the empire’s military might. There the emperor lived, ate, slept, ruled, and governed. The lands far out were given to the nobles and members of royalty were housed.

Each of them granted this for helping bring the Empire of Crystallized Ash to prominence.

In spite of all this… wonder, I couldn’t properly appreciate it, nor congratulate myself on fooling the detection magic. I was too aroused, as was everyone else. Luckily, the Hæňgaram captain quickly led us across the vast bridge and towards the emperor’s palace. Though I was sure everyone wanted to marvel at the palace, they’d have to do it later.

We were led out of the palace, everyone trembling here and there. I wished I could ease their burdens but I’d filled them all with so much lust that if I took it, I’d ceaselessly ravage anyone, whether they be man or woman, in front of the guards.

We all seemed to hold our nerve long enough to leave the palace and exit through one of the minor city states. I barely registered the captain’s voice, my mind feeling every little thing with my cock being massaged by the wind.

“N-Nnnngh!” I heard Naala groan behind me. When I turned around, I saw her staring at me, great desire imbued in her eyes.

It wasn’t just her. Aesteal, Ellen, and Diane were looking at me like I was some type of prey in their eyes. I wasn’t sure how the hell they held out, but we soon found ourselves in a forested area. The captain seemed to be talking, and I had enough sense to listen to this part.

“Circumstances like yours aren’t dissimilar. In fact, we’ve had them occur a few times. So much so that we’ve constructed a dwelling place for those who require verification of crucial matters. This is where you shall stay until you’re permitted to traverse freely in the city. It’s a large space which shall have everything a group such as yours will need. However, none of you will be allowed out all at once. We can’t run the risk of having to track you all down. It’s graver than just a simple lie, as you might expect,” he said.

Even in my lust-crazed haze, I knew what he meant. Not many knew that Hæňgaram’s detection could be tricked. If it was found out to be a lie, then my crew would be in a lot of trouble naturally. “And what about our trade? Will this take long? I doubt our partners will wait,” I said.

“They will have to. Once we’ve verified the severity of this situation, you’ll be allowed to trade freely,” he responded as he and his unit escorted us to what I could only describe as a former noble’s estate.

The place was big, but it was obvious some leeway was taken with the care of it. There were a few broken windows and cracked pillars. Weeds grew in some of the pathways and rocks were scattered in other areas. It definitely wasn’t a place fit for prized guests.

“Use it how you see fit until we come for you again. I suggest you all stay out of trouble. I still don’t have confidence in this little merchant group of yours. Most of you walk as if you’re the scum of the seas,” he said as he continued to look at me.

I neither confirmed nor denied his statement as he opened the door. “If you’ll excuse us. The rest of you, we make our way back!” he said as he and his unit walked away until they were no longer in sight.

A pregnant pause soon came over my crew. No one ventured inside what would be our new abode for a little while. Instead, I felt the flames of lust growing stronger and stronger behind me. It kept twisting and roaring like the flames of a mighty campfire. I almost wondered how the city-states might fare if I released such a tidal wave of passion upon them. Hæňgaram might find its army with greater numbers than before.

“Ah, fuck!” a woman behind me shouted.

“Hey, what the fuck’s wrong with you, lass?! Have you taken leave of your s-s-sen… Nnnnnnnngh!”

“How about you shut the fuck up and enjoy your cock getting sucked off before I bite it off? Mmmmmmngh… fuck, I thought they’d never leave!”

I turned around and, as expected, the rest of the crew was stunned when one of my crewmates was on her knees blowing a male crewmate’s cock. She vigorously worked his shaft into her mouth as I watched his legs go weak. “O-Oh fuck! Dammit!” He groaned as she swallowed his cock until there was nothing left to see.

That action seemed to break everything down for my crew. Men and women swiftly partnered up, not caring who saw them or where they did it. Two lasses eagerly licked both sides of a man’s cock on the left. Another lass had her cunt stuffed with one cock and her mouth filled with a separate pussy.

As always, Raven’s Shadow enjoyed themselves together. Hannath quickly discarded her gear in front of Gurok while Racaell bit her lip, working her hands over the shafts of Brant and Daen. Truon threw his head back as his lover and Rieth licked every inch of his body.

Had the Hæňgaram soldiers returned, I wondered what they would think when they saw this scene of utter debauchery happening just after they left.

“That was your fucking ingenious plan? To get us all so itched for a fuck that we couldn’t think about anything else?” Ellen asked as she glared at me, though it was obvious that her gaze slipped down to my cock.

“You one to argue with the results, Ellen? Besides, you seem to be enjoying them yourself,” I said before Naala came up behind me.

“I sure as hell am. If I’m pissed about anything, it’s that we had to wait until those assholes left. I was mighty close to pulling your cock out and sucking it in the middle of the damn streets. Now hurry the hell up before I go mad!” she exclaimed. She then turned my head to her and kissed me. Her hand then immediately started working over my cock, rubbing it through the fabric of my pants.

“Mmmmm fuck! It’s so hard already! What do you plan on doing with this loaded cannon of yours?” Naala asked, not stopping her pleasing movements.

I smirked. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“Oh, I know a lot of things I plan to do with this,” she answered, groaning when Diane came up behind her while grabbing a handful of her breasts.

“Sharing better be in that fucking plan of yours. I know how greedy you can be sometimes,” the Guard of Liara spoke with a great smile on her face. I watched her nibble on Naala’s earlobe as she slipped hand into the powder monkey’s eager snatch.

“Nnnnnnnngh… ooooooooh fuck! Oooooooh shit! Yes, your fingers feel so good!” Naala wailed, her voice becoming one with the other sounds of the rapidly growing orgy around the mansion.

I barely had time to watch them any further before I felt my pants quickly pulled down. I then saw Ellen on her knees, still looking pissed off. However, her face was red and flushed. Beads of sweat poured down her head before she looked at me. “I’m kicking your ass later for this, but right now… fuck!” she said.

Ellen swallowed up my cock immediately. Driving her head back and forth. She quickly lifted off her shirt and threw it to the side, exposing her beautiful tits to the open world. Her other hand rubbed my balls a few times, cradling the sacs of cum between her fingers.

“Looks like someone beat you to it,” Diane teased while Naala smirked.

“Fuck off,” she retorted before she leaned over and kissed Diane.

While all of this happened, Aesteal came over to me and grabbed my hand. With half-lidded eyes, I watched her stick my finger in her mouth. She slowly slowly sucked on it, swirling her tongue around it like Ellen did with my cock. She then placed my hand under her shirt, urging me to rub her breasts and tease her body in the way that only I would know.

“S-Sir, please! Me as well” she moaned, squirming as her usually controlled demeanor lay broken by the waves of pleasure circulating through her.

I took my hand off Aesteal’s breast and moved it to her nipple. I pinched the left with between my fingers while Ellen’s sucking got even stronger. As we’d shared many intimate moments together, she knew precisely how to get me going. The lust within me certainly helped as well. Before long, I found myself cumming a thick load of my semen into her waiting throat.

“Hnnnnnmph!” Ellen groaned before I watched her swallow it all in a few gulps. However, even with my recent orgasm, my cock didn’t settle down inside her mouth. She didn’t seem surprised.

Ellen pulled her mouth off my cock and grumbled. “Can’t tell if I should be pissed off that this is becoming sort of normal for me now,” she said to herself as the blissful moans all around us became wails of pleasure and ecstasy.

“Please, you’re a fucking slut and you like it. Why else would you try and grab it first?” Diane asked, continuing to knead and press Naala’s breasts with her hands while my right hand fingers my ebony powder monkey’s swollen clit.

Sothshore sucked her teeth. “Like you’re any fucking better,” she retorted before she gasped when I picked her up in my arms. I then lined her cunt with my cock and shoved it deep into her in one thrust.

“MMMMMMNNGH! Fuck… yesssss!” she hissed as I grabbed a fistful of her ass and proceeded to fuck her with hard, deep strokes. Her slit wiggled and writhed, every bumping massaging the length of my mizzen mast. My balls slapped against her ass while her legs held tight to my waist.

I turned to Aesteal and she watched us in utter fascination and jealousy. Her fingers plunged into her snatch over and over. She bit her lip in sheer anticipation before I smirked.

“Come here, Aesteal. I have my doubts about your willingness. Let me see just how much you desire it,” I said as Ellen and I fell to the ground with her on top of me. Sothshore didn’t miss a fucking beat and started rocking her hips up and down, smashing her pelvis into mine.

Aesteal’s breath seemed hot and she meekly nodded, understanding what to do. She stood over me and then put her pussy right in my face. I licked my lips. “Aye, this looks like an eager cunt if ever I’ve seen one,” I said as I stuck my tongue out and plunged deep into her quivering snatch like a sailor dives into the salty ocean.

“Oooooh. Mmmngh… Rmnal!” Aesteal cried while I grabbed Ellen’s hips and took over for her. I slammed my cock upwards into her cunt while her hands rested on my chest. The two lasses panted in unison, loading my body down with the tempestuous fluids of their bodies.

With my cock buried in Ellen’s cunt, she grinded her pelvis into mine. Her walls pushed and rubbed, gently caving into the shape of my cock while Aesteal continued to hump my face and fuck my tongue. The pleasure fired through my breath in a wonderful symphony of sensations that most men would only imagine in their dreams.

I shoved my cock deep inside Ellen, her head rising to the sky as I came again, flooding her womb with my unfortunately impotent cum. While convenient, it left a bit of fun out of the risk for me. Though it was a risk I would have enjoyed wholeheartedly.

“Nnnnnngh! FUCK!” Ellen roared as her nails clawed at my chest, cumming for the third time since we began. The sea of her sticky arousal drowned my cock. After a few minutes, she then sighed. She slipped off my cock and the warm sun graced its shimmering length.

“This thing is the only redeeming feature for a piece of shit like you,” she said, though without any obvious malice.

I slowly stopped slurping Aesteal’s pussy. Aye, good thing too. She was close to releasing her flood over my face. She stood up and I stood up as well. She leaned against the mansion’s walls, spreading her ass with one of her hands. “Fuck me, Sir. Fuck me hard with your cock! Make me cum until I can’t stand,” she said.

Fuck, who the hell had corrupted my pure, earnest elf? Since when had she become so needy?

I stood behind her and slipped into her. Her body welcomed me with a great tightness, courtesy of her elven physique. She lifted one of her legs high in the air, moaning as she looked back at me. I bucked my hips, pushing my cock in and out of her. She must have been more aroused than I thought because she was already cumming and drenching my dick before I fully found my rhythm.

When she took a moment to catch her breath, she turned back to me. “Never shall another know my body as you do, Sir. For all your faults, I enjoy you and I love you,” she said.

For being as old as I was, Aesteal’s words always seemed to make my chest soar like that of a young bastard. I smiled. “Aye. And I you,” I said before I continued my motions.

Aesteal and I settled into a rather simple pace, oddly distanced from the rest of the rauncy sex going on around us. She touched my cheek while my balls slapped against her ass. The essence of Vilinlith bound our pleasure together. I felt her toes curl from each thrust of my cock. Her treasure cove constricted around me further when she kissed me. Neither of us kept track of the orgasm we had. One seemed to lead into the next, my cum flooding her womb while the bumps of her slit worked to pull out more and more.

I grabbed a handful of her breasts, making her head run wild. Her silver hair leaned off to the side as I pushed my cock all the way into her, cumming again with reckless abandon. Little by little a trail of it slipped out from her cunt… and into someone’s waiting mouth.

The fairmaids had gathered around us, licking and kissing each other as they bathed in the waterfall of our mixed sexual juices. Each of them in a warm, tender embrace as they lapped the drops falling on top of them. Nei currently had her face buried in the snatch of one of her sisters while Lei licked some my dripping cum off the cheek of another.

Finally, I came inside Aesteal. Her voice pushed into the void of my mind. I was graced with the sight of her eyes. They rolled into the back of her head as her cunt squeezed my cock dry, draining it of almost everything I had. Her legs trembled, almost giving out under her. The cum seeped out of her slit, just waiting for our guests below to catch it. “Mnnnnnngh! That was… amazing, Sir,” she panted while I took a moment to catch my breath, pleased by her words.

Unfortunately, I must have taken a breath too much because I was quickly pulled by Diane, her strength revealing itself very well. “Our turn!” she grinned as she and Naala came up to me. The latter engulfed my cock while the former threw her arms around my neck, kissing me passionately. Her greedy lips tried to overtake my own as I heard Aesteal squeal in delight. Ellen was standing behind Aesteal, nibbling on her long ears while she pinched the elf’s clit, stabbing one of her fingers into her cum-soaked pussy.

I then turned back to Diane. She looked at me with a devious grin before she stared at Naala. “Mmmmmngh! Ooooooh fuck! The reload rate on shit is insane,” she said, jerking me off with her finger-gloved hands.

“Give it a fucking shot then. See how many times it can go for. Go on, you bastard of a Captain. Fuck this powder monkey’s cunt until she passes out!” Diane challenged as she kissed me once more.

“That ain’t good enough!”

Both looked at me in surprise before I used my considerable strength to push Diane to the floor. I knew the act wouldn’t harm her. In fact, it seemed to turn her on more. The flames in her eyes burned with blazing arousal and curiosity. She must have figured out my plan when I pushed Naala on top of her. Their cunts were pushed together, one on top of the other. “You son of a bitch!” Diane said while Naala licked her lips.

“Not many bastards get their pick of a cunt, Captain. Better make it count,” Naala said before my lips curved upwards. I could already feel the lust swirling around me, bending my body to my whims.

“I be a pirate, lass. We don’t pick and choose. We take all that we see!” I proclaimed before I lined up my cock with Diane’s sleek, yet strangulating cunt. I shoved my dick inside and Naala screamed in surprise.

“Ooooooooh! I feel it inside me! Nnnnngh… a hard cock… deep inside me! Oooooh shit!” she wailed as she threw her arms around Burnwood. The latter grunted from my loud and heavy poundings. Her muscular legs wrapped around my waist.

“Mmmmmmn fuck yes! I feel it too! Goddammit! It’s going all the way up there. Yes! Fuck me! Fuck me harder dammit!” She cried, even though her voice was drowned out by the rest of the crew. The mansion that was our temporary home might as well have turned into an outside brothel, all of us of one accord.

I felt Diane and Naala’s pussies at the same time, even as I constantly alternated between the both of them. They in turn, felt my cock as well. Both of them cumming without end. Their walls, their bumps and curves, circulating and wrapping around my cock were a delightful feast for my senses. My brain sometimes failed to properly process this pleasure, releasing me of my own inhibitions as I fired cum into both of them without holding back.

Feeling a bit like my old self, I smacked Naala’s ass. Her body arching back. “Hnnnngh, shit D-Did you just-”

She wailed when I smacked her again, and again, and again. Her brown ass turned a soft red. “Fuck yeah, he did. Bad sluts like you deserve to get their ass smacked,” Diane said as she slapped Naala’s tits. Now that seemed to get the lass going, hugging my cock even more than before with her mast-stuffed cavern.

“Nnnnnnnngh! Fuck! If anyone deserves to get their ass spanked, it’s you. You’re badder than anyone on this damn ship!” she scowled.

“And she’ll get hers later,” I interrupted as I took my cock out and shoved it back into Diane.

“Mmmmmmm… fucking… promises! Fuck, it’s throbbing inside me!”

I lost myself in the euphoria, pumping load after load of cum into Diane and Naala’s cunts as they orgasmed one after the other. As promised, I covered them both in my cum. They huffed against each other before I saw Ellen and Aesteal come up behind me.

“We ain’t done!” the former said as my lips curved upwards.

Over and over I alternated between Diane, Naala, Ellen, and Aesteal. Sometimes I got different combinations of the lasses, but I made sure that all of them got at least five loads of my cum inside them. Ellen rode with fire and fury, slamming her hips into mine. Diane stared into my eyes as I pinned her to the floor, smirking and kissing me. Naala wailed when I pulled her hair, slamming into her from behind as one of her hands rubbed my chest. Aesteal was lifted up into my arms, throwing her arms around me and my shoulders as I pistoned in and out of her.

I came and came and came some more. By this point, my arms and legs were sore as was my cock. Hell, I even think everyone else around me was feeling exhausted, yet we were all slaves to this pleasure. The members of Raven Shadow thoroughly enjoyed themselves as others continued in their own ways. A woman had her cunt, ass, and mouth corked by cocks while a man had two lasses rubbing his cock with their tits.

When I saw the purple aura of the essence of Vilinlith, I wondered if we’d created such a density of it that it might spread over the nation of Hæňgaram, itself. Unfortunately, I wasn’t to know as my vision grew blurry. I came one more time, Diane, Naala, Ellen, and Aesteal accepting my load on their faces before the lust finally dissipated not only from me, but from everyone else as well.

“Mmmmmm! Damn, we gotta do that shit again!”

I was too exhausted to hear who said those words, but I knew it was from someone far off.

“Dammit, my jaw hurts!” another said as some people laughed.

“That’ll teach your greedy ass to try and inhale three cocks like a damn blue whale on krill.”

As I laid on the ground, I received two more kisses. One from Nei and one from Lei. The both of them were covered in cum, but I’d never seen brighter smiles on their faces.

However, despite my exhaustion, I had the feeling we were being watched. I glanced off into the trees and saw someone slink away. Unfortunately, my sight hadn’t returned enough to where I’d guess if it was man or woman.

Not particularly concerned, I allowed everyone to rest for a few minutes. It’d only need to be a few since I’d rather no one fall asleep out here.

In the meantime, I took stock of everything. We were actually in Hæňgaram, and we’d entered it… by overloading ourselves with lust. Maybe those fuckers finally saw what I went through back on Delverhold during our stay on the second island.

With our lust abated, everyone grabbed their clothes and got dressed. The stench of sex and our states of dress made it impossible to not know what we’d all been up to. Unfortunately, fucking on the ground had its downsides. We were all dirty like mud trolls.

Well, almost all of us.

I looked around for my mother, but I didn’t see her amongst the group. My thoughts went to places I wished they wouldn’t, thinking that she might find pleasure in another man’s arms… the same as Leah. All I’d done and worked for, just to have her in the arms of another filled me with great jealousy. I chuckled.

“You’ve changed, you old shit,” I thought to myself. In my former life, I wouldn’t have minded sharing Leah. I’d done so on numerous occasions. She had as many male lovers as I did female ones. Yet, the thought of sharing what I have in these tumultuous lasses right in front of me made my scourged heart flare in rage. Were they to have other lovers, I doubt I could stand it.

Aye, a bit hypocritical coming from me, but what can an old bastard do?

That said, I took a breath to calm myself lest I bring a flood down on the empire. I figured my mother would show up if she needed me for something.

I led us inside and as expected, the mansion was just as neat as it was outside. It was messy. Spacious, but messy. A few of the couches had dust on them along with a host of creaky floorboards. Some of the stairs looked like they were about to give way. All in all, to a pirate this might as well be the best damned house to ever have.

“We shoulda told the fuckers to spruce the place up. Ain’t much to destroy and wreck if it’s already like ‘is.”

My lips curved upwards before Ellen and I tiredly organized everyone again. Though the mansion wasn’t the best, it indeed had space enough for all of us. No one complained about the state of their rooms and I imagined that was because they were eager to sleep after having fucked their brains out.

Once everyone was assigned, I gathered them all one more time. “Alright you lot. Listen up and listen good. We’re in Hæňgaram. We’re in the very center of it. I told you this before we landed near Taptos, but there be no mercy to pirates here. You don’t screw shit up and we all stand to make fat load of coin before we leave. That’s all I’m gonna tell you. You’re dismissed,” I said as everyone parted ways.

Naturally, I took the master bedroom of the house, though even that was a bit of a tight fit. I had four extra bodies to share it with.

“Move over, dammit!” Diane snarled while Ellen flipped her off.

“There’d probably be more space if the mountains of your arms were smaller,” she fired back while Aesteal rested her head on my chest. Naala held one of my hands with a smile on her face.

The bickering soon quieted down as we found ourselves utterly exhausted. The fairmaids attached themselves to each of us. Nei licked my cheek once before she fell asleep as well. I thought that next time I’d have to take care of her and Lei as well. Though it’d be rather awkward to fuck a half-fairy half-mermaid on land. I knew not a body of water big enough to do so.

My thoughts slowly took me to sleep and my bed became a soft chorus of slumber.

When I woke up next, the moon had replaced the sun. The lasses around me continued to remain peaceful, sleepy away without much concern. I managed to wiggle my way out from all of them without disturbing them too much.

I walked over to one of the windows with its unkempt curtains. I pushed them aside and stared at the lands of Hæňgaram struck by the light of the moon. Even from here, I could see the mountains in the distance. Their white ash sparkled like fine jewels of fire beneath the glow of the light of the night. I found it rather odd. As a pirate I’d loved the sight of the moon over the sea more than any piece of land, but I understood that Hæňgaram deserved its title as an Empire of Beauty.

I moved my hand from the curtains and walked out of the bedroom. I found myself on top of the mansion, a beautiful view of Hæňgaram’s night capital. A sea of orange was before my eyes, miles away from this area. I wondered what such a place might become if it became drowned in war. While I didn’t care one way or the other, I wondered what this event would have to do with my death years later.

My death…

“Leah, what path has fate led you down right now?” I thought as I stared into Hæňgaram. I remembered when I boldly told her that if she desired it, I could even give her the Empire of Crystallized Ash. She laughed at the thought, telling me we’d make almost the entire world my enemy if we did that.

I grunted, moving my lips to the side. I wondered what she might think when she learned that I’d nearly drowned C’ula beneath the tide a few months ago. She’d probably call me fucking insane. Then she’d say that she found it sexy.

I knocked one of the roof tiles off and it crashed to the ground. I was irritated, at myself or Leah I wasn’t sure. However, I hated this feeling.

As I stewed in my own confused disgust, I felt the presence of someone watching me. I already knew who it was, but there was no point addressing her. Clearly, she didn’t want to come over to me so I didn’t call for her.

Instead, I stared into the forest. My ears picked up on the sound of footsteps. Some of them were human, most of them were not. However, there were a lot of them. Small orange flames and the galloping of hooves pushed across the dirt road that led to our temporary residence.

I jumped off the roof and floated myself down with a wind spell. It was dark so I imagined no one saw me do this. When I landed, I sat on the steps to the mansion. Out of the forest trail came the squad in question. The group was composed of ten soldiers. Four of them seemed to be beastman from varying race families: Bird, Horse, Rabbit, and Cat. The other five seemed to be humans as far as I could tell. All nine seemed like regular soldiers, the kind one would see frequent a tavern and toast themselves to being off-duty from their shitty captains or whoever they took their fucking orders from.

As for the one obviously leading them, she was riding a horse. When compared to Zevmar, her armor was notably less extravagant. A few Hæňgaram medals adorned the shoulder plate of her armor. However, on the left shoulder was the rank burned into its steel.

“Defender of Knights. Hmmm, you don’t see too many of that lot roaming around at night. Taptos should have been flooded with people like her after that giant hole we found a few days ago. No doubt they’d be chanting their Hæňgaramian code to the highest heavens,” I said to myself.

The Defenders of Knights were supposedly a group of soldiers tasked with investigating the conduct of the Hæňgaram military. They made sure there was no chance of corruption in its walls. They must have sucked at their jobs since Alteria would make a deal with a pirate against one of the empire’s own men. Supposedly they were handpicked by the emperor himself. There was also no requirement for this position. One didn’t even have to serve in the military. If the emperor, who was known to be an excellent judge of character, found you worthy of the title, then you were granted it. Even Hæňgaram civilians weren’t exempt from this. Supposedly, this made it so that no one outside of that group knew who was inspecting them or not.

That said, I didn’t know they commanded their own units. The men and women I’d usually seen worked alone more often than not. Perhaps that was another thing that changed due to my tampering.

The woman rode up to me, her face stern and unyielding. She oddly reminded me of Alteria. Though I couldn’t recall the Balamar knight having short brown hair.

“Arin Havros?” she asked, staring down at me.

I resisted the urge to chuckle. Never was I gonna let Naala and Ellen come up with a fake name for me again. Clearly, the lasses enjoyed their fun at my expense.

“Aye, that be me. How shall I help the empire’s soldiers tonight?” I asked, a not so tired smile on my face.

The woman looked at me strangely, almost suspiciously. However, she continued on. “Good to see you cooperative. The best way you can help us is by keeping quiet and coming with us,” she said.

Confused, but not particularly concerned, I hummed. “Am I being arrested?” I asked.

Her gaze tightened. “I’d prefer it not come down to that. Though something about your posture makes me want to. You don’t give off the air of a merchant, but this is not a night for baseless assumptions. We have some things to inquire about from you. It was also told that your group would be receiving the necessary food and provisions during your stay here. That will be given to you when we return,” she said.

I stared at her for a little while before I relented and allowed myself to be surrounded by Hæňgaram soldiers. Just before we headed off, I heard the door open.

“Where are you taking my son?”

I smirked, hearing my mother’s voice. I turned around. She leaned against the door with an unhappy look on her face.

The woman on the horse bowed her head. “Nowhere dangerous, ma’am. We just have some questions for him. We promise to have him back before the sun’s light reaches the Aniian East. You have my word.”

My mother didn’t seem convinced, but I dismissed her worries. “I’ll be fine, mother. Go back to sleep,” I said as I winked at her. I then turned around as the soldiers led me away.

Despite my attempt at some talk, no one said a word to me. They just continued to escort me through the streets of the empire. The roads they took me through seemed less populated than others. Only a handful of men and women walked the streets, and most of them were soldiers.

We crossed over a long bridge made of Hæňgaram crystal ash, from one part of the lands to the other. Large ships sailed by slowly over the vast, pure rivers that flowed through the fields of golden barley and green grass.

My destination seemed to be a large building fashioned of white stone and burned gold. The woman got off her horse and one of her soldiers took the halter. “Good work, men. I shall take it from here. You’re all dismissed. I expect you all in the Mallian Quarter before first light!” she said.

The nine soldiers swiftly saluted her. “Yes, Ma’am!”

She saluted them back. “May Hæňgaram stand firm!”

“And may she reign forevermore!” they said back. I didn’t roll my eyes despite the intense desire to. Well, the fuckers were patriotic of nothing else.

They quickly departed, leaving me with the Defender of Knights. I noticed her slowly reach for her blade. “Come with me,” she said as she opened the door.

I followed after her and was greeted with a large hallway carved into the side of the mountain. A beautifully crafted carpet stretched out so far I couldn’t even see the end of it. On both its sides were dozens of arched doors, each of them leading somewhere else. Behind more than one of them, I sensed the presence of great magicks. I also smelled the fragrant aroma of smoothed crystal ash.

“So what brings a group such as yours to Hæňgaram?” she asked.

Given that she never bothered to make smalltalk with me before this, I already knew there was more to her question than simple curiosity. As a pirate, especially one with a higher bounty than what I had currently, I knew when people tried to get information out of me. Something also told me that she knew I wasn’t a merchant. Her hand was still on the handle of her blade.

Nevertheless, I continued to follow her. She opened the fifth door on the right, beckoning me to follow. We entered a stone hallway, the wall lit with white fire. The sound of my boots, and her steel plates echoed through the chambers.

“We’re here to trade spices,” I said, keeping the answer relatively short.

She slowly nodded. “I see, and I’m told you traveled by way of Taptos. Strange that no ship ever reported seeing yours on your voyage here. Hæňgaram ships are used to seeing vessels ever since the Mage Association started landing at the empire’s borders. It seemed something has riled up the nations since we’re getting offers from all over D’orn,” she replied.

“The gods must favor you then.”

She laughed. “I don’t believe in things I don’t see, much less these so-called powerful beings who manifest their will by toying with our lives. However, I didn’t bring you here to discuss religion and philosophy,” she said as we came up to a dead end in the hallway.

“No, I didn’t think you would,” I replied, standing a few feet from her.

She faced me. “No. I want to know why I shouldn’t gut Eric Drakclaw, native of Draegnar, young pirate captain, and destroyer of C’ula, a nation allied with Hæňgaram? You also seem to be quite lost. In case you’ve forgotten, Hæňgaram detests pirates and bandits.”

She drew her sword at me and I found myself a little surprised that somewhere my plan had failed. That said, I had no real reason to panic. Despite her posture, she didn’t seem ready to attack me. I also felt no shift in her mana, so she wasn’t preparing a spell. I would have destroyed the spell matrix of it anyway.

Additionally, her eyes didn’t appear threatening to me.

That said, I decided to drop the disguise I made from using the Essence of Vilinlith.

“Gut me? Shouldn’t I at least be arrested?”

“Your wanted poster said ‘Dead or Alive.’ I don’t think C’ula will care one way or the other. Personally, I don’t either. Filth such as yours deserves to be cleaned up and disposed of,” she replied before I hummed.

“Best take care then lass, I be a bigger trash bag than you can hope to carry on your own, especially if no one else is coming to help. Besides, believe it or not, I ain’t here to make trouble for your empire. Your enemies are another story,” I said.

Her eyes narrowed. “And what does that mean?”

“Would you believe me if I said I had a deal to aid your empire in its coming war?” I asked.

“Hæňgaram doesn’t need the help of pirates, especially those such as yourself. The honor upon which we’ve upheld the very walls of our empire would be sullied if we allowed such a disease like you into our ranks,” she answered as my lips curved upwards.

“Well, that be your own fault, lass. What reason would I need to be here if you kept your shit in order? It’s not like I want to be here either, but the rewards were worth the price of having to deal with you all.”

“And what rewards would those be?”

“That ain’t your business. Just know that your next actions decide whether I be helping you or I be helping your enemies. I’d prefer the former. My dealer would be pretty damn upset if I suddenly go around slaughtering Hæňgaramians,” I returned as the woman slowly lowered her blade.

“Your dealer sounds like an utter fool,” she said.

“Perhaps, but fools are the ones who make for the best adventures. Now, have I passed this little test of yours?” I asked.

“Not quite,” she said as she immediately charged at me. She raised her sword over her head and swung it down at me.

I lifted up my right forefinger. Her sword stopped in front of me as her eyes widened. I felt her hands tremble from the water in her body. Her sword handle clanked while she looked at me.

“Rwrelle!” She cast as I watched her body glow for a moment. She then tried to move, but found herself still unable. The spell she used as a typical cleansing spell that removed mind control, illusions, blindness by magic, and solidifying spells. Clearly, she must have assumed that’s what I used to stop her.

“Try again, Lass,” I said as she glared at me.

“I can’t believe she was actually telling the truth,” the woman said as she finally relented.

“Very well, you’ve passed. Now release me. Being under the control of a pirate is a continued stain on my honor as a Hæňgaram soldier the longer this goes on.”

I released her and she lowered her sword. “Aye, now then. Tell me, how you knew it was me. It seemed my plan wasn’t as good as I thought if I’m to be caught before the night is even over.”

The woman took a step back and exhaled slowly. “Two reasons. One was pure coincidence. The other was because you pirates almost always fail to mask your true intentions. Though I loathe to speak of our defenses to a pirate, there are always three talented mages who monitor the different entrances into the walls through the various sections of Hæňgaram. You’re just lucky the one you passed under was monitored by one who shares close ties with your… dealer,” she responded as I raised an eyebrow.

While I did know that part, I didn’t think that this mage knew Alteria. “Is that right?” I asked, a smirk on my face.

She didn’t match it. “Indeed. Your little eros trick was actually pretty good. The mage had to take some time off since she was flooded with the lustful thoughts of more than fifty men and women at the same time. However, you were the one who gave your group away. I don’t know your past, nor do I care, but… there’s a lot of anger inside you, pirate. So much that it even surprised the overseer.”

The smile on my face quickly fell. It seemed that I wasn’t able to control my anger at my former crew, the thoughts of betrayal and revenge still at the forefront of my mind. No matter how hard I tried, I doubted that I’d ever be able to purge those until I hung every last traitor from the side of my ship.

“And I take it that since I be not swarmed by Hæňgaram soldiers that you’re a part of this mysterious dealer?” I asked.

“Perhaps. Though, knowing who you are, I’m tempted to forgo this insanity. To work with a pirate of all people only boasts how unfavorable this situation is for the empire,” she uttered, staring off to the side with an agitated look on her face.

“Aye. Had quite the run in your mountain of problems back on Draegnar. Though shouldn’t you lot be getting quite the handful of requests and pleas for alliances since you procured a rather interesting prize a few weeks ago?” I asked.

She looked at me strangely. “What do you mean?”

A little surprised that she wouldn’t know about it, I dismissed my question. She must have taken it as a pirate’s senseless rambling because she thought nothing of it. I supposed I shouldn’t have been surprised that she was unaware of the Delverhold treasure that the empire had received. It was an underground auction after all, not the type of place most Hæňgaramians enjoyed sitting in. Perhaps only certain officials of the empire knew about it and why so many visitors were coming to the capital.

“So I take it you didn’t send us down this hallway with a deadend to simply interrogate a pirate. Why don’t you hurry and introduce me to the rest of the fuckers I’ll be begrudginly working with?”

She looked back at me, clearly unamused by my words. “I believe she undersold just how quick to the tongue you were. It is wrought with arrogance and disrespect, but I’d expect no less from your kind. Have no worries, Eric Drakclaw. We’re going to meet them all right now.”

Once she said those words, a magic matrix that I’d sensed when entering the hallway appeared beneath our feet. The harsh glow of magic surrounded the both of us before I was brought to a pirate’s worst nightmare.

As the light faded, I stood in front of a large table made of finely crafted wood. Surrounding the table were eight members of the Hæňgaram military, each of them sporting impressive clothing befitting their prestigious ranks. One by one, they all glared at me, one angry and most in great disapproval.

A smirk came onto my face. “So who’s mess am I cleaning up first?”