The Vengeful Tide-Ch. 40 (Patreon)

Greetings everyone!

Again, apologies that this came so late. It was definitely not my intention, but I'm glad I was able to get it out before the month of January was over. I pray my circumstances improve where I won't take so long as usual.

Anyway, here's chapter 40 where things begin to take their aggressive turn.

WttW

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Being a Draegnarian, I’d grown used to the smell of gunpowder and the terrified screams of the masses. Hell, it doesn’t take much for some to get involved in a damn fucking firefight. The sound of a fired round was usually more than enough. As for others, they’d begin with stalking the weak ones. If a bastard was unlucky enough to get shot and wounded, the ones hiding were usually the shitheads to finish him off, either by slitting his throat or thrusting a shiv right up his ass. As for the lasses unlucky enough to participate, some were dragged off, never to be seen again.

The blowouts could last for entire nights. I’d been in quite a few of them in my former life as well, and damn near lost my life in at least ten of them. I still remembered the days when the Draegnar houses burned in such a bright orange fire that they could be seen by a ship for miles over the roaring seas. The island’s militant forces tried their best to quell the violence, but sometimes I’d assumed they enjoyed it just as much as any other piece of shit that lived there.

I never thought that a pirate like I would undertake such a role for a nation whose city wasn’t even my own. The barrage of flaming boulders caked in hot oil continued to rain down upon the city of Jokllim. I ran down the hill of the streets, pushing civilian and military officer out of my way. The sounds of naval combat were heavy as two Hæňgaramian ships sank into the city’s waters. I sensed the men and women frantically moving through both a sea of water and a sea of flaming ship debris. Some of them don’t last too long. They are shot dead like fish in a barrel. However, others began casting magic. Spells blast through the air. My eyes bore witness to the language of the runes circulating about like a swarming pack of vultures in the sky.

One of the fireballs started to descend upon me and those around me. Usually, I’d not care of the fate which befell the lot, but I knew of one who would. She continued to run behind me, her annoying precious armor rattling behind me. A child screams in the street as a soldier picks him up and carries him off. The grunting of men and the bellowing of cart animals seemed like a buzzing of flies in my ears.

I held up my hand and gathered the water in the air that I could. The fireball crashed into the dense wall of water I’d made. Small stones would fall this way and that, but I ignored them. Instead, I kept running. I’d usually not bother with this, but Alteria warned me that I was indeed still a criminal, one that not many of Hæňgaram knew about. Of course, I had my disguise up, but it seemed that she wished to take no chances.

As expected, the Hæňgaram forces in the city weren’t idle either. They charge this way and that, trying to quench the flames of the scared, unruly masses. Mages of the city form large barriers of magic to block the shots. However, it seemed that the enemy ships had other mages of their own. They were quickly trying to dispel the erected magic barriers, and it quickly became a battle of trying to raise magic barriers and trying to break them down.

Alteria and I run past a Hæňgaram official. He screamed at me to get to safety, but it didn’t take much to tune the fucker out. I channeled magic to my feet and leaped through the air. Alteria wasn’t far behind me. I landed on one of the rooftops and she right next to me.

I spoke not a word and neither did she. Nevertheless, she stared at me with pleading eyes. While I wanted to groan, I figured there was no point in doing so since this was one of the things I’d been hired to take care of.

As the fireballs came down, I rose my hands into the air. One by one, tens of balls ready to rain down a fiery demise on the citizens of Jokllim were destroyed. Were I closer, I would have liked to see the faces of our enemies. They continue to sail through the air, but they don’t get very far anymore. Once they’re fired, they make it about halfway through the air until they explode, raining down fire and stone ash in the waters below.

One of them must have been distracted because a Hæňgaram ship sunk the damn vessel into the bottom of the seabed. The other enemy ships turned their attention to the rest of the Hæňgaram vessels. Unfortunately, I knew that without my aid, the Hæňgaram ships wouldn’t last to see the rise of the morn. No matter how sturdy they were, I doubted five Hæňgaram ships would be enough against the eighteen remaining enemy ships.

Speaking of those guys, under the light of the flames, I saw the insignia of one of the flags as it went down into the sea. The flag was made of red and gold, a symbol of four crowns and two crossed halberds etched into its woven skin. I faced Alteria. “And what have the lot of you done to earn the ire of the Xetia kingdom?” I questioned.

Xetia was a nation unlike any other. The entire kingdom was ruled by four kings, each of them in command over one of four of the kingdom’s quadrants. They lay to the farthest reaches of the north. Fgg’rial would only be about a month’s journey further up from there. As I knew, the kingdom wasn’t always like this. It was ruled by one king at one time and, fearing the greed of his sons, split the kingdom into four pieces. Each king would manage one part of the kingdom, but the nation’s treasures were all piled into the same vault, overseen by the four kings’ advisors. Only the four kings together could make an appeal to open the vault and make use of all the gold within it. The kingdom’s military was run through a network of complex organizations that the first king had set up to make sure no side had more than the others.

Being a nation more in line with the production of rich ore, I’d not thought them too caring about conflict with the Hæňgaram Empire.

“I wouldn’t know. We’ve not had conflicts with them before,” she said while I narrowed my eyes.

The sounds of battle started to become stronger. I noticed a few of Xetia’s military begin to lay siege to the harbor. Those civilians unlucky enough to not escape fast enough were cut down without mercy. I saw the anger on Alteria’s face as more soldiers stepped onto the sandy shores of Jokllim’s beaches.

“Best we go find out then,” I replied as I watched the enemy soldiers from one of the fallen Xetia ships make their way onto the sandy shoreline. Hæňgaram forces who had also survived by swimming to land resurfaced as well. Of course, when both sides spotted each other, they continued their vicious assault on each other. Fire, lightning, wind, offensive, defensive, and utility spells ranging from tier 1 through 2 were fired off in rapid succession. Whether inside or outside, Jokllim became wrought with the sounds of battle. However, that all seemed to be drowned out by the cannon fire as another barrage was sent flying through the and into the northmost section of the city.

“Please take out their ships quickly. I’ll head down to the shoreline and rally the men until the commander of the city arrives!” She said. I couldn’t even get a word in before she jumped off the rooftop. When she landed on the ground she cast a hasting spell upon herself. She then stormed off, her voice the cry like a damn battle angel as she brought the frantic men and women of her nation’s military under her command.

As I stood on the rooftop, I shook my head. “Make sure the lass doesn’t get herself killed. I ain’t gonna be the one to report her death to the Grand Elder,” I said as Truon, Rieth, and Daen ran past me through the streets. The former of the three firmly nodded his head, pulling a piece of cloth over his mouth to hide his face from his enemies. Rieth’s body was already laced with great magical pressure, a far cry from when she’d first gotten on my ship. Then there was Daen, reinforcing himself with defensive spells, his mind already giving way to combat just like that of a damn berserk beast.

I looked up and stared at the ships. Another Hæňgaram vessel had fallen and the Kingdom of Xetia slowly began to descend upon the last two ships. “A pirate saving Hæňgaramians. Ain’t no way I’d live the shit down if my former crew learned of this,” I thought before I clenched my right hand. The seas rumbled beneath my grip as I swung my arm to the right.

I imagined shock and confusion on the faces of the Xetians when the seas quickly rose up. The waves shoved them away from the Hæňgaram ships, a thick blast of water crashing into at least five ships. It was a simple matter to capsize them. One by one, the sailors fell into the sea until I lifted up my left hand. By my will, a large wall of water that no one could have not seen came up like a tidal wave. The fighting on land only briefly stopped for a moment to watch as I swung my hand down, the seas crashing their great pressure down on the invaders. I then wove my right hand, making sure that the waves wouldn’t threaten the Hæňgaram ships.

My assault didn’t stop a few other cannons from firing. I quickly rose up another piece of water, pulling enough up to block the shoots from raining down on the Hæňgaram vessels. The bastards must have realized that some god was protecting them because they swiftly began their counterattack.

Meanwhile, my hands were busy as I turned my gaze to the area with the most enemy ships. At least ten in total. With but one finger, I swirled it around and around, picking up the pace when the waters started spinning faster and faster. Beneath the hulls of their vessels, a great whirlpool began to ascend from below them. The helmsmen tried in vain to steer their ships, but I would not let them go. I spun the whirlpool faster, the ten ships crash into each other. Men and women scream as they’re torn apart by the swirling tied, their ships without nary a prayer to lean on. They fall into a watery grave, their bodies a feast for the sharks and creatures that live beneath my domain.

The spectacle must have been too much for the Xetians because those on land could only watch in shock before they were overrun. I watched Alteria stab a man right through his breastplate before swiftly moving to another target. Her sword clashed with hammers, spears, and iron-spiked shields. She tore through them all with Truon, Daen, and Rieth behind her. The latter absorbed the spells of numerous mages before she fired them back with double the force. Given her enhancements from Delverhold, I doubted there was any mage that could contest her so easily here.

On the other side, Daen tore through the Xetia forces. One full swing of his sword easily shattered the blade of a lesser man. Even when he was shot, the bullets refused to pierce his skin. They bounced off his hardened body as he charged the masses, even their strongest falling before his might. Should any of them live to tell the tale, I imagined that Daen’s name would spread far and wide for the brutality of his ways.

As for Truon, I doubted many would know his name if not for his adventuring group. After all, there’d be no one living long enough to spread the word. It became clear that my methods had demoralized the Xetia forces rather easily. They began to slink away by any means necessary. However, one by one, they were killed by slit throats or punctured heard from poison-tipped daggers. Truon weaved through the masses like a spirit upon the water, barely even touching anyone until they were ferried into the afterlife. It did a salt-scourged heart of a bastard to see his sleepless nights and hard work bear such sweet rewards.

As the first ten ships fell into the abyss. I turned my attention back to the other eight ships that were still standing. They’d all erected magic barriers around their vessels, obviously nothing to the standard of the Hæňgaram empire, but clearly, they assumed what so many assumed of my abilities. I’d enjoy educating the bastards.

I believe the lesson might have been learned when I forced a spear of water to pierce through one of their ships. I then flattened some of the water beneath the broken hull, lifting the ship and all of its invaders out of the sea. One by one, they too fell back into Jokllim’s waters, some of them attempting to cast protective barriers around themselves. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t allow that either.

With the Mark of Hoɖ, I rewrote the runes and the flow of mana for the spells. The soldiers were left helpless as they crashed into the sea. Their broken ship, overcome by its own weight, split into two halves. Both fell off my towering spear of water and back into the sea, blowing their devastating defeat through the ears of all those in range to hear it.

If the first ten hadn’t done the trick, then I believed the one I just destroyed did. The other ships immediately started to turn around, forsaking their land allies. However, I shook my head. I would not let any of them go. After all, there was good money to be had in pillaging Xetia equipment.

I waved my hands and moved my fingers. From my first water spear, another sprouted out of its side. It flew to one of the ships and I swung my arm down. The water blade pierced through the ship in one strike. I doubted anyone survived the explosion that followed after, but… perhaps someone would have the grace of the gods watching over them. I then proceeded after the other ships. They seemed to have a good defense as mages began casting lightning and earth spells, trying to thwart my attempts. Unfortunately, the bastards were fighting a losing battle.

While they focused on my water attacks from the air, I also attacked each of them from below. With but a swing of my fingers, the hulls of each ship were pierced enough to pull in more and more water. Before they could even prepare for it, I gathered the water together and tore each ship from the inside out. Splinters of water broke through in every direction, dismantling these proud designs of sculpted wood, magic, and metal. The mizzen mast of one ship fell over and bashed into its deck. Flaming torches lit the fuses of cannons. As people slammed into one another, the cannons tilted over, firing into the ground or into ally vessels.

One by one, the seven ships who tried to get away were reduced to chaos as they fell into the sea, surrounded by both water and fire. I slowly exhaled and pushed the tide of the last remaining Hæňgaram ship toward the debris. I imagined the fuckers would want to capture some of those still alive.

In the meantime, I saw that Alteria had all but squashed the invasion of Xetia’s forces on her side of the city. No doubt the destruction of their ships had left them shit out of luck like a few homeless bastards on Draegnar that I knew. At this point, they were just oversized brats in fancy clothes, their hands shaking with their weapons in their hands.

“Surrender and be spared, or resist and share the same fate as the rest of your comrades!” Alteria exclaimed, my enhanced ears hearing her voice over the great distance. I knew why Lady Knight had tried this method instead of continuing the fight. There were still sounds of fighting all throughout the rest of the city in the other quadrants. She wished to see who else needed help and their surrender would only make it easier for her.

It sure as hell wasn’t my way of doing shit, but I cared not. It was her war, not mine.

Luckily for her, the invaders did just that. Despite still outnumbering the Hæňgaram forces, I believed they knew that without their ships they wouldn’t get very far. They sure as hell wouldn’t with Rieth, Daen, and Truon combating them. They dropped their weapons and allowed themselves to be captured.

Lady Knight quickly assigned someone to watch them and ran off to go help the others. I watched her go before I frowned and jumped off the rooftops. Grabbing a bit of water from the air, I splashed it over a few flaming buildings as soldiers continued to usher civilians out of the streets. In the midst of the chaos, it wasn’t hard to slip through the city. I felt Nei and Lei squirm in my pockets as I sensed Ellen and my mother’s mana. Since my decimation of the Xetia Kingdom’s invasion fleet, they’d gotten very far from the inn we’d been staying at. I pitied the invader forces should they come upon my quartermaster. She’d been very angry when her sleep was interrupted.

I made my way through Jokllim, putting out fires to buildings here and there as I closed in on my First Mate and Quartermaster. I also silently aided a few of the Hæňgaram forces with the assault from those Xetia forces who had made it on land. Just grabbing a hold of the water within them and slamming their heads into the ground was more than enough for the knights and soldiers of the empire to fell their enemies. It was a shame I’d left the majority of my crew scattered over Hæňgaram. I’d have tasked them to collect the weapons and armor of the fallen men and women in the streets. While these things weren’t the likes of Delverhold treasures, I sure as hell wasn’t gonna be picky.

My journey led me down a corridor and into an open street in the southwest part of the city. It seemed that the cannon fire had devastated this part of the Jokllim because buildings had long been reduced to ash and rubble. At least five squads of Hæňgaram soldiers lay dead in the streets, some of them with their bodies intact but most without. As I was sure the Truthseeker was viewing this through one of his many oracles, I could just imagine the sinister grin on his face.

That said, there was a smirk on my face as well. The beautiful boom of a gunshot and the fierce crack of a whip shoved all other sounds away as I saw my mother and Ellen dismantling the soldiers who had no doubt surrounded them in the streets. Some of the soldiers backed away, clearly afraid as ten of their comrades lay dead on the ground. Ellen snorted, reloading her pistol with ease.

“You’re ruthless tonight,” my mother said, flailing her snakeskin whip through the night air.

“If I was fucking ruthless, I’d shoot their fucking balls off instead of their heads! Waking me up for this dumb shit!” Ellen answered angrily.

I continued to hide my presence for a little while. I watched as a Xetia warrior, much larger and taller than the rest, push through the crowd. I assumed him to be a captain or commander of sorts by the insignia on his right arm. In his hands was a large broadsword. He charged at Ellen and my mother, but his forces were stunned when Ellen fired a bullet at him that tore through six layers of defensive spells surrounding him. The bullet easily blasted through his armor and straight into the head of one of the soldiers behind him. Poor fucker didn’t even have time to grunt before he fell backward.

My mother then flung her whip and wrapped it around the former commander’s neck. With strength no one would think someone like her could possess, she flung his body away as the cursed runes marked themselves on his skin. I imagined that An’raie had a brilliant view of his soul being sucked away into the Void Realm for all eternity.

One by one the rest of the soldiers start to run away, but I knew that Ellen wouldn’t let them go. It simply wasn’t in her nature to let anyone go who’d crossed her. She’d get her due no matter the cost. With great speed, my quartermaster flew past the soldiers and cut them off. My mother on one side, Ellen on the other, the soldiers found themselves cornered.

Like caged animals, the Xetia squads charged at either of them. I assume they hoped that they’d be able to take at least one of my lasses down to break away from the predicament they were in. Unfortunately, they’d have no such easy fate. One man charged Ellen, bolstering his body with defensive spells. However, he groaned in pain when his head after a kick from my Quartermaster. Ellen then grabbed his armor and shoved her gun in his mouth. He fell down fast as she charged into the rest.

A punch here, a kick there, the mages of the group weren’t even allowed to cast their spell before they were brought dead by her hand. One man, wielding a spiked club swung it at her with all his strength, shivering in shock when she stopped the strike with her open palm.

“W-What are you?” he questioned.

Ellen didn’t answer him, at least not with her mouth. Her guns did all the talking for her as her opponent splattered Xetia’s glory all over the ground. She kicked his lifeless body and turned to the others. Somehow, I wondered if the grin on her face was whether she enjoyed the battle or her enemies’ misery.

As for my mother, her past as a piratess continued to show itself. She grabbed one of the soldiers by his armor and buried her knee in his crotch. She then vaulted over his body and broke the nose of another. Another fired his rifle’s rounds at her, but she swung her arm and her whip pulled up one of the victims she’d used a makeshift springboard. His armor blocked the shots until she kicked him into the others. One of the mages managed to get a spell off, firing a piece of lightning at her while another attempted to catch her with a spell to slow down her movements.

My lips curved upwards when I saw my mother speak, her mana flowing easily to her fingertips. Both spells were blocked by a mana shield. Two soldiers, both of them highly adept at speed circled around her. They charged at with poison-tipped daggers. Yet, their blades never reached my mother. Instead, their bodies were torn in two pieces, split apart by the swift swing of her silk snakeskin whip.

My mother and Ellen continued to fight together until there wasn’t a single Xetia soldier left standing. One tried to get up, but he was quickly shot dead by Ellen. “Great. Now we gotta find out where those bastards went,” she said as she brushed the side of her cheek free of dust and dirt.

“Least we won’t have any more of the fuckers to deal with. Knowing Eric, they’re all probably fish shit by now,” my mother replied, strapping her whip back to the side of her hip.

I watched Ellen grumble something before I decided to make my presence known. “I imagine Xetia meat ain’t the worst they’ll ever have. The lot which roam the sea ought to be grateful that they won’t go hungry for the coming cold weeks,” I said as they spotted me.

Ellen huffed. “I see you weren’t among the bodies. What a shame,” she remarked while I noticed my mother glance away from me. Had it not been for the Essence of Vilinlith and her sudden increase in arousal, I might have been crestfallen at her stance.

“I doubt I taste so good,” I said before my ears continued to pick up on the sounds of battle. “Either of you seen anything?”

My mother stretched, her auburn hair shined against the light of the distant flames. “Turns out you were right. Can’t say he might be a summoner of this worm of yours, but he ran off like a Draegnar street rat who just nicked his first coin pouch,” she answered while Ellen holstered her pistols.

“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t care if these bastards kill each other from sun up to sun down. The guy ran right toward the Xetians in spite of the fact that they were gutting every Hæňgaramian like they were pigs in a butcher’s shop. They not only let him pass but blocked us off as well. I ordered Brant, Hannath, Raccaell, and Gurok after him. Better them than us. He’d probably end up like the rest of his group if I got my damn hands on him!” Ellen uttered, making sure to kick one of the poor bodies for good measure.

I grinned, amused by her fiery tone. “I love it when you’re angry,” I remarked.

“Lucky fucking me.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that my mother might have wanted to say something but she didn’t follow through with it. Instead, she cleared her throat. “Well, there’s no telling where the hell they went now. Been fighting these bastards for probably fifteen minutes now. They could be out of the city for all we know,” she alerted before we all saw Nei and Lei poke their heads out. The latter turned her nose up to the black smoke air and smelled it. She then pointed north, outside the city.

My mother blinked. “Something tells me she’s not pointing out there 'cause she wants to feast on the vibrant leaves,” she stated while Ellen rolled her eyes.

“Wow, we’d better sign you up for the Mage Association with those deduction skills,” my quartermaster replied before we ran off in that direction. The smell of smoke and fire continued to cover Jokllim’s streets as Hæňgaram mages persisted in casting water spells to put out the flames.

Even as we exited the city, staring upon its sea of orange from the hilltops, our ears could no doubt hear the sounds of combat. That said, it seemed like this little invasion of Xetia’s wouldn’t last too long. Whatever they hoped to achieve must have been handled since I’d taken out the heaviest part of their forces. In fact, I bet the fuckers had planned on making it onto Jokllim’s lands and pressing their assault further had I not been their ruination.

Nei grabbed my shirt flap and pointed out into the open woods. I became aware of the rest of Raven Shadow’s team. I beckoned Ellen and my mother to follow me. With the enhancements I’d made to our bodies, it didn’t take us long to travel the great distance. By ourselves, we might have reached Jokllim itself in as little as a day or two.

In time we came into a clearing. My mother stood amazed. “I bet no one’s gonna think they're a fucking C-rank adventurer’s team anymore,” she said as we stared at thirty dead soldiers, half Xetian and half Hæňgaramian. One was left alive, Raccaell’s heeled boots on his chest, her gun in his face.

“And then there was one. Seems you’re the odd man out. I’m tempted to blow your fucking kneecaps off just for making us run all the way out here,” she said with a growl before Hannath patted her shoulder. The man under her gritted his teeth, but even from where I stood I could see the fear wrapped around him like a damn coat.

“As much as I wouldn’t mind seeing that, we need him alive,” the archer said, her expression indifferent to his misery. The same could be said for Brant and Gurok, though I noticed the monk giving a few passages to those who’d been killed. The leader of the four brushed a hand through his hair and sheathed his broadsword.

“Then we take him to the captain and the others. Gurok, draw up a brief map so that we can return here. We’ll plunder the rest of them. Take anything useful and sell the rest. I’m sure bandits roam these parts so I won’t be suspicious if they’ve been picked. The captain did say we’d be able to keep whatever we found,” Brant said.

Gurok nodded, immediately reaching into his pouch for a piece of paper.

“Why wait? Best you do it now before any more fighting gets drawn out here. I doubt you’d be leaving Jokllim for a few days after this,” I said, alerting the four of them to my voice. They turned and spotted Ellen, my mother, and I walking over to them. I’d have to remember to treat Nei and Lei for their good work tonight.

Raccaell quickly grinned. “The night just keeps getting better and better,” she said before she grabbed the man on the ground by his robe. She dragged him over to us and dropped him down without much care.

“Apparently Hæňgaram and Xetia aren’t at each other’s throats as much as we thought. We followed this guy out of the city only to be surrounded by Hæňgaramians and Xetians. Seems more than a few of them were in the know about this little night raid. And get this captain, at least ten of the bodies and this guy are all proficient in the art of summoning magic. Looks like you were right that they might try to summon something big to need eleven of these guys,” she said, the smirk on her face widening.

I glanced down at the man she’d thrown. He continued to look at me, his eyes filled with fear. Nevertheless, I saw the swirling of his mana and the language of ancient runes begin to form on the tip of his tongue.

“AAAAARGH!” the man suddenly screamed as a gunshot rolled through the air. The Xetian grabbed his right hand, his fingers blown off while Ellen held out a smoking pistol.

“Cast any more shit and your balls are gonna be next,” she threatened as she pocketed her pistols. I heard her grumble something beneath her breath, but I remained impressed. Even the members of Raven’s Shadow hadn’t sensed his spell-casting just yet. I wondered how many hours, or even days, of training Ellen had done to gain such attuned senses.

The Xetian was reduced to a mess of whimpering, tears, and groaning. Brant called his three members to him and they quickly began rummaging through what they could find. In the meantime, I knelt down and pulled the man’s hood off his head. I was tired and didn’t feel like asking questions. Instead, my palm became lit with blue fire. I grabbed his head and he didn’t even have time to scream before all of his memories came flooding into me. His eyes rolled up into his head.

I saw at least five hundred summoners from various nations all standing in one room. They were given their orders by a mysterious figure hidden in the darkness of the grand hall they were in. Each of them was given some type of glass. He drank his glass and then he began the long journey to Taptos… led by Zevmar and a select group of his soldiers inside the renowned hero’s ship. When they came upon Taptos, the ground settled into an underground temple like the rats of Draegnar. They then summoned Sekria. Unfortunately, that was all I got of that because he passed out from the strain. Whatever was in that glass, it must have been the thing that allowed them to summon the Great Burrower.

Once he awoke, he was paid a generous sum for his work. It was only recently that he’d been summoned again to try and perform the same summoning of Sekria here as well. Supposedly, with no one remembering anything from these lands, that would give Zevmar’s bastards a way into Hæňgaram’s lands. Unfortunately, that was all I got out of a bastard like this. Still, they apparently needed at least five hundred mages to summon Sekria. This group only had eleven, including this shithead. I’d not sensed the others anywhere else.

I removed my hand from his head and he fell forward. I rubbed my eyes while my mother kicked him for a moment. “He kick the bucket?” she asked.

I shook my head. “I doubt that’d earn me any favors with Eressa or Alteria. We’ll hand him over to them and Lorentia. How long have I been here?” I questioned.

“And who the hell would know that? Probably an hour if I had to guess. The better question is, do you get anything out of his head before he slumped over like a crack whore in the street?” Ellen asked.

I stood up and nodded. “Aye, turns out Hæňgaram’s got more than a few disloyal bastards in its ranks. I should guess our little vacation time has come to an end,” I remarked.

“Good. The sooner we're done with this shit, the sooner we sail the hell outta here. I’ve had enough of this shithole to last a…”

Ellen’s rant was cut short when we all heard a thunderous explosion in the distance, back the way of Jokllim. We then heard the sound of rumble, almost like an avalanche of sorts. Far off, I could see smoke climbing high into the sky. “What the hell was that?” my mother asked. A question I sure as hell didn’t have the answer to.

I frowned and turned back to our prisoner. He’d long since passed out from the experience. “Brant, sort your shit later. We head back to Jokllim!” I ordered.

The older man glanced at me and firmly nodded. He assembled Gurok, Raccaell, and Hannath who had been busy packing up all that they had collected. They rejoined us and Gurok picked up our Xetia captive. We then made our way back toward the city. It was only when we arrived that I wondered if I should have stayed.

The Hæňgaram building where the commander of the city stayed atop the hill had been reduced to rubble. What was left standing seemed more like a smoking ashpit. The rest had toppled over, having slid down the destroyed hill and into the sea below. In its destruction, it took out several other buildings below it near the shoreline.

“My god, what happened?” Gurok asked.

“Clearly nothing good. Though it might have been Xetia’s last hurrah because it doesn’t look like there’s any more fighting going on,” Hannath answered, her bow at the ready in case of any attack. Of course, I wasn’t sure she needed it anymore. As she said, there didn’t seem to be any fighting left. All I heard and saw were the flames on buildings and the hastened steps of Hæňgaram soldiers through the streets. Most of them were converging at the fallen commander’s building.

“Brant, go search for the rest of your group. When you’ve rejoined, go back to the inn and gag the bastard you’ve got with you if it's still standing. If it ain’t, then head to the western shoreline. We’ll meet up with you there,” I said.

“Understood,” Brant answered as I ran down into the city with Ellen and my mother right behind me.

It was a lot harder than I’d thought to keep ourselves hidden from the soldiers’ view. Despite being attacked only moments ago, the soldiers had already begun creating patrols throughout the area. Their discipline and dutiful demeanors made it a bit of a chore to make it through the city. Nevertheless, with some time, Ellen, my mother, and I finally made it to where we could both see and hear what happened upon the Jokllim castle.

“Put out the fires! NOW!” a captain shouted as mages began pleading with the spirits of water. One by one, the flames that had danced high for almost ten minutes had been extinguished.

“Search the area for survivors and enemy units! For the blood of our citizens which has been spilled this night, we shall make the Kingdom of Xetia pay for this outrage!” the captain then said next, perhaps trying to rally the lot’s low morale. Given that he wasn’t a bad-looking shit, I’d say he had them right where he wanted them. The soldiers saluted him, showing their allegiance to their empire before they got to work.

Over twenty squads began to work, pushing through the wreckage surrounding the castle. As for the castle itself, only the upper half of it had been blown off. The bottom half continued to stand if only barely. The soldiers continued to work their hardest, being joined by Alteria with a separate group of men and women who ushered their captives forward with them.

As one might expect, the Hæňgaramians weren’t very happy with their invaders. Nonetheless, no one acted out their anger, though it was obvious that a majority of them which to hack the heads of their prisoners off their heads. Not even the captains were exempt from those thoughts.

“Send these damn Xetians to the stockades. The rest of you, back to work!” a separate captain, this one more big-boned than the others, ordered. A few soldiers saluted him and began to walk off before everyone tensed. My ears picked up on the sound of footsteps from the destroyed castle.

Ellen grabbed one of her pistols while my mother continued to observe. Wordlessly, the captain signaled five men to the entrance. The soldiers grabbed their weapons and stood in front of the castle’s entrance. On rooftops, riflemen readied their guns as the steps continued. Were the circumstances different, I might have chuckled when I saw Eressa appear out of the smoke.

“Fucking… shit! What happened to her?” Ellen asked.

Never mind walking, the right hand to the Grand Elder was all but limping out of the entrance. Her armor had been torn to pieces, barely held together by her arms to keep every eye from viewing her breasts. Her skin was marked by numerous cuts and swollen bruises. Her lip had been busted and one of her eyes had swelled considerably. Blood oozed out of her wounds in such quantities that I was amazed the lass hadn’t fucking passed out. Nothing remained of her sword save its handle. Her steel boots were also destroyed on one leg, and burn marks littered it.

One of the soldiers slowly approached her, cautious of anything out of the ordinary. It was only when she tripped on a stone and fell into his arms that he relaxed. She spoke to him, her voice barely a whisper. While others around them might not have been able to hear, I had no problems making her out.

“A-Alert the emperor, Knight-Commander Thorin of Jokllim has been slain by Xetia forces. They have also s-stolen… h… is… cor… pse,” she muttered. She then fell forward and blacked out.

The soldier brought Eressa back to the rest of the group. Once she was handed off to a healing mage, he ran over to three of the captains and gave them the news she’d given him. I watched their faces fall grim. One of them commanded at least three squads to watch the prisoners while the rest would tend to the city and its citizens. Out of the corner of her eye, Alteria must have seen us because she turned our way.

“We shall be by the far western shoreline. We’ve got quite the story for you,” I said, linking my mind to hers for that brief moment. Her eyes narrowed, but she nodded. We then decided to make ourselves scarce.

As expected, we weren’t lucky enough to have our inn standing. All that remained was a bunch of burnt stone and wood, the stench of ash and smoke stinging our noses. “Good thing we sealed our shit away. That’d be a lot to just go up in flames,” Ellen said while my mother folded her arms.

“Guess we’re headed to the sandy shores then?” she asked.

I wordlessly nodded. Nei and Lei popped their heads out of my pockets, watching the destruction with curious eyes. I glanced back at the castle where the commander of Jokllim had once resided. When that explosion had hit, I’d not sensed any magic left over from the spell. Of course, spells were hardly the only thing that could cause such destruction, but I wondered what sort of thing could leave burn marks on a member of the Silvermane family. One of the things that made them so formidable was their natural resistance to almost all forms of fire.

I immediately thought of Seraphina. If there was one who could do damage like that, then I could at least consider her, but it wasn’t possible. I still had a piece of my mana attached to her. She was far from Hæňgaram. It couldn’t have been her that would do such a thing.

I continued to ponder the problem for a little while before we traveled through Jokllim’s ravages shoreline. The walls of the city were trampled along the beach, some of them even sinking into the sea’s depths. Bodies of Xetians and Hæňgaramians littered the ground,, but we continued walking far enough that no more signs of battle were shown.

The air was cold and a swift chill ran through our bodies. Our journey continued until we spotted the members of Raven’s Shadow huddled around a large fire. They seemed to be boasting about some manner of spoils that they’d found along with the prisoner they’d caught. Truon had his lips around a bottle, chugging its contents with a satisfied grin on his face. Rieth and Raccaell looked like they were trading and swapping treasured items under the watchful gaze of Brant and Daen. Gurok sat in the sand, reading from some scroll he must have procured. As for Hannath, she stoked the flames with a stick, a few burning fish there for them all.

“Leave it to the fuckers to feast while we trudge our way here,” My mother said while I chuckled.

“I’d say the lot have earned it,” I returned.

Our presence was quickly noticed soon enough. Daen raised a hand to us. “Fancy you sleeping on the battle-torn beaches of Jokllim, Captain? It ain’t no inn, but it’s got fish aplenty!” he said as we walked over to them.

“Feast while you can then. The lot of us will be busy as the days grow longer, especially after tonight. I said as Ellen swiftly took a seat. I watched her grab her pistols and check her ammunition. Her beautiful golden hair glimmered beneath the glow of the fire.

I turned to my mother and she must have been looking at me because her eyes swiftly turned from mine in surprise. She then moved from me and sat down as well. A sigh escaped her lips even while she tiredly rubbed the back of her neck. I took off my coat and sat down as well. The smell of the fish entered my nose, and I swiftly became hungry.

I stared at all of us and smirked. I pulled my shirt over my head and threw it to the ground. Nei and Lei crawled out in surprise while everyone else watched me stand to my feet. “Ain’t the best place to rest, but least we’ll have full stomachs,” I said, aware that my mother gazed upon me lustfully. My body literally sucked her desire right out of her body. To her credit, she tried not to make it so obvious, but it would have been hard for her to sneak such a thing past me.

I turned around and headed to the beach. The water was very good on my feet before I fully submerged myself. As expected, it was very dark, but I had no trouble pointing out the various fish that lurked far beneath the water’s surface. How I missed the sea’s embrace as I had back on Draegnar.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d spent beneath the sea floor, but I walked out with a giant floating orb of water filled with enough fish to feed everyone’s stomach for not only this night but the day after.

“I’ll never get used to him fucking doing that,” Hannath said while Truon held out a wide blanket. No doubt the members of Raven’s Shadow had planned on using it to sleep on. Now, it’d become something to hold the fish to keep them from getting sandy.

I pushed the fish out of the bubble, everyone watching them flop around. I then splash the water off somewhere. Raccaell licked her lips. “I fucking betcha no one else can say their captain’s their walking food supply,” she uttered, picking up one of the fish.

I weaved the water out of my soggy pants and took a seat. As we sat down and feasted on the ocean’s spoils, I noticed Rieth looking at me. “So what now?” she asked, none too concerned bout the fish she held in her hand.

All eyes were cast on me again. Even Nei and Lei looked at me with curious eyes.

“We prepare for Zevmar, and the bastard prepares for the end of our barrel. If this little invasion by Xetia was under his authority, then you’d best believe he’s gonna learn about its failure to take Jokllim. I imagine he’ll be returning sooner than expected. To that end, he’ll learn of how the city survived as well,” I answered.

“Indeed. He’s met you on Hilvir, then he and Hæňgaram learn of what you did to C’ula. Then we can guess that fire bitch you fought works under him or a power close to him. He’ll fucking know you’re the one who stopped this shitshow,” Ellen responded.

“Aye. He’ll be looking up and down for not only me but also Lady Knight. Especially since the lot of us were found on Hilvir together. He’ll move, and we’ll be there waiting for him,” I said, ripping off a piece of fish from the stick it was on.

Hannath hummed. “And just how are we gonna do that?” she asked.

“I would like to know that as well.”

We turned our heads and saw Alteria standing not too far away from us. I faced her. “Figured we wouldn’t see you until the rise of the morning. Should you not be back in Jokllim?” I asked.

“I am very much willing to aid my people, especially under such a dire circumstance as this, but I recognize that I can help them more by making sure a group of pirates haven’t left my sight. Now, who is this?” she asked, pointing to the bound man next to Raccaell.

“Why this, fair knight, is a prisoner of ours. Turns out the cult summoning your beast tried it this time during the invasion. Feel free to thank us any time,” the gunner of Raven’s Shadow uttered with a rather prideful grin on her face.

Alteria glared at the prisoner and quickly nodded. “You saw him?” she asked.

“Damn right we did. Also saw a bunch of your kind with him. Don’t think your people are as righteous as you might be led to believe,” Truon said next.

By the scrunch of her face, I could tell that this news hadn’t made Lady Knight very happy. She walked over and picked up the Xetian. “Then I’ll secure him. Once Eressa regains consciousness, I believe she’ll want a word with this one. And where are the others?”

“Let's just say the birds of the air, beasts of the field, and bugs in the dirt aren’t gonna go hungry for a little while,” Hannath then spoke.

Alteria looked at us for a bit, the prisoner groaning in her arms. “I look forward to hearing about it. I’ve already informed the Grand Elder about what’s transpired here. She didn’t seem surprised which leads me to believe… this wasn’t the only city hit,” she announced.

I frowned as I looked down at the fire. I’d toyed with the idea that this might not be the only city to get hit, but I’d thought this wouldn’t I figured Lady Knight would be more anxious if it wasn’t.

She spoke again. “We’ll turn this one over to the cells with the rest of the prisoners. As for you, there is a camp set up for the surviving civilians and military. Don’t expect to stay there very long though. I’ve no doubts that we’ll be called away soon.”

I leaned back. “And yet your sword stays sheathed with the drums of war upon us,” I remarked.

Alteria closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. “Rest assured, Eric Drakclaw. I am anything but calm at the moment. I believe it best that we move now,” she advised as she led the prisoner away.

The others looked to me and I nodded. Daen stamped out the fire while Brant picked up the group’s tarp. We followed Alteria back into the ruined streets of Jokllim. The barrage of cannons that weren’t stopped during the first assault revealed their cruel touch. Where this the sea, I’d reckon this to look more like a sunken ship’s graveyard, bits of wood and stone sticking out of piles of rubble. None of us commented on the dead bodies of Xetians or Hæňgaramians.

Alteria just walked by without a word, but I sensed the water within her rushing rapidly throughout her body. Even if I were fucking blind, I knew she was angry. In fact, I wondered if she might kill the captive here and now. I sure as hell wouldn’t care one way or the other, and neither would anyone else watching.

In the end, Alteria’s discipline won out. We exited the city and make it to the refugee camp set up by the remaining Hæňgaram forces. Civilian men and women sat around small fire pits with small blankets and loaves of bread in their hands.

“May I request that you share your meal with the people? There isn’t enough bread and many will go hungry. The officials will pay for it,” Alteria said, not looking at me for my reaction.

I stepped forward. “Aye, ‘tis good that you remember where we stand. Fine, take them. We shall settle that matter another time,” I answered.

“Thank you.”

I watched her approach the camp with us. With our disguises, we were easily passed off for civilians with Alteria’s approval. I ordered Daen and Gurok to give the fish to the soldiers providing the rations. I suppose we were lucky none of them asked where we’d gotten such a wealth of food. Instead, they thanked us, asking Lumnina to bless us and any other glorified shit that might appease them.

While we were brought to a campfire, the whimpering of the people a blight on the ears, I saw Alteria lead the prisoner inside one of the tents. We sat around the fire, the others glancing at me for our next move.

It wasn’t until three days passed that our move presented itself in the form of thundering hooves. Reinforcements of the Hæňgaram army came upon the refugee camp. Alteria and several captains appeared before the Knight-Commanders and those under them. By Alteria’s words to me, we would all be granted asylum in Ynro, by order of the Emperor. Naturally, that got all of the survivors excited. However, I was able to hear what one of the beastmen commanders was telling Alteria and the other soldiers.

Apparently, shit was happening near the outer reaches of Hæňgaram’s southern borders. Sairan ships had been found in that area and one of the provinces had already fallen to their control. I could tell Alteria wished to participate, but apparently, she was called back to Ynro by order of the Grand Elder. Eressa still hadn’t woken up on those three days to grant anyone a story of what happened in the Jokllim Commander’s castle. Alteria offered to take her back. She claimed she’d be faster if she used magic to enhance herself.

As she was going back alone while the other soldiers sorted out the civilians, no one saw fit to question her. Despite not waking up, Eressa had been listed in stable condition due to her Silvermane blood. Were Alteria to use magic, she’d make it back in time.

I suppose it only got suspicious when she ordered that my group and I be brought along. Ellen joked that she might be getting us killed, especially when one of the Knight-Commanders questioned why she’d need a group of civilians going with her. As I thought this might happen, I ushered Hannath forward.

“W-We owe our lives to the Knight-Captain. She gave us the word of her house that we would be taken care of. A-After the horrors of Jokllim, w-we’d feel it best to return with her, Sir!” she said, her voice like that of a young maiden who first joined the Lumnina Monastery’s embrace.

The soldiers had no chance against her. We gathered up our shit and walked off with Alteria.

“Please don’t make me do that again,” Hannath said as she rolled her shoulders, Raccaell laughing at her.

“My dearest soldiers, we seeketh the light of the Lady Knight who doth save us from a perilous fate. Though you fuckers are gallant, it is only she who warms our cold, cock-less knickers on a slow winter’s night. May we travel with her instead?” she mocked. Hannath shoved her to the side.

“That wasn’t what I sounded like,” she retorted which only added to Raccaell’s amusement.

While Raven’s Shadow made sport of Hannath’s embarrassment, Ellen, my mother, and I stood close to Alteria. “Alright, it’s been three nights that I’ve had fuck all to do. Wanna tell us what’s going on out there?” Ellen asked.

As we had no need to worry about anyone on our travels, we swiftly hid ran a short distance and hid behind a few trees. “If you mean about the prisoner, then I will have to disappoint you as I’ve received no information from him. I teleported him directly to Grand Elder Lorentia before any of the Jokllim soldiers could get their hands on him. The spell required drained me heavily. I’ve spent these last three days recovering,” Lady Knight answered back.

“That’s why you took the bastard into that tent. To make sure no one else knew about it?” My mother asked.

“Yes. The Jokllim soldiers wouldn’t have gotten much from him anyway with available resources. I’m sure the Grand Elder will have answers by the time we arrive back. We will also need our best to heal Eressa. If we take a night, would you be able to do anything for her?” she asked, looking at me.

“I ain’t a doctor. Magic’ll only get ya so far. I also ain’t got the shit for stuff like that until we get back. The enhancements will keep her alive, and in a day or two she’ll be glaring at you and the rest of us with the usual salt on her tongue,” I returned while Alteria sighed.

We all stood together as I draw a magic matrix on the ground. I then stood up and weaved my fingers, the flow of magic slowly following behind me. Light swiftly enveloped us all before we were teleported back to my room in Ynro.

“Never gonna get used to that,” My mother groaned while Ellen shook her head.

“Please remove that when our business has been concluded,” she pleaded. I waved her off before she opened the door and left, no doubt to have Lorentia’s soldiers and mages tend to her.

Rieth opened the door soon after. Aside from Alteria’s steps down the stairs, the building was utterly quiet. “You can tell everyone is gone. Nothing’s broken yet,” she said which got a snort from Ellen.

“It won’t fucking last,” she retorted.

I dismissed the members of Raven’s Shadow and they returned to their own quarters. “We didn’t get to meet those shithead nobles like we wanted,” Ellen said as the door closed, leaving only her, my mother, and I in my room. I spotted my mother giving me a glance, but I pretended not to notice.

“Aye. Though, in the end, it doesn’t matter. We got what we needed out of that ordeal. I don’t know how the lot would have summoned Sekria with so few people, but that doesn’t change the fact that they tried to do it. They’ll try again. A lot like that works like any rat’s hole, crawling out when it's most convenient for them. Both of you go rest. I imagine the war’s finally started,” I said.

“And why aren’t we just busting the ass of the one causing all these problems? Have Ellen blow his fucking brains out with her gun and we can leave these bastards to win this war themselves?” My mother questioned.

I chuckled. “Zevmar was a fucker who came into Liara’s store, fully expecting to see the Witch of Draegnar. Not only that, but the bastard had the stones to try and barter with her and her company to only sell him magic enchantments and materials. You’ve lived on Draegnar, mother. You know a fucking bastard when you see one. The backstabbers will always watch their own. Besides, I tried to kill the fucker quite a few times when we walked in the first time,” I said while Ellen hummed.

“What about that bitch your soul’s tied to? She should be able to do it,” Ellen returned.

“Even shouldest I deem such a task worthy of mine time, I wouldest not undertake it. Mine abilities revolve around the realm of the dead. ‘Tis not the fitting role of an assassin. Besides, I sense numerous blessings upon his soul. The manspawn shall not be felled so easily,” An’raie said before she went silent.

My mother looked at me. “Judging by the look on your face, I take it she ain’t about to help us?” she questioned.

“You’d take that news rather well,” I replied while Ellen grumbled.

“Dammit. It’s one damn headache after another. I need to lie down,” Ellen said as she pushed past Diane and disappeared down the hallway. That immediately left my mother and me alone.

The room was quiet save for Nei and Lei. I carefully picked them up and slipped them back into the barrel. They swam peacefully, perhaps happy to no longer have to reside in small cups of water that I’d used over the three days to sustain them.

I heard my mother get up. She then left without a word to me. I inhaled and exhaled slowly. I sat on my bed and shook my head. For all the fucking treasure upon the earth, I hoped Aesteal knew what she was talking about. The last three nights had been rather tense between my mother and I. For the first time in a while, I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to approach her.

Due to no one having any abodes to rest in, the Jokllim citizens and my crew were forced to sleep outside. Such a matter was hardly a problem, but on two of the three nights, I’d woken up with my mother in my arms. Of course, my cock couldn’t help its fascination and appreciation of her body, driving itself between the crevice of her ass. Yet, I was fucking sure I’d felt her groan in bliss, rubbing herself against my shaft and welcoming me further in. However, whenever she woke up, she’d hurriedly pry herself away from me, walking off before I might even get a word in.

I sat on the bed, my thoughts jumbling around my head. At some point, I wondered if I should have even told her that this was my second life. Aye, perhaps not the best thing to be heard on the cold seas and in a warm bed, yet this was unlike any situation I’d encountered before. What was worse was this state of limbo I was in due to my mother’s worries. I knew not if we’d continue with our previous relationship, or if she’d no longer be my lover. I’d turn over all the damn treasure I could were she to remain at my side.

I continued to rest on my bed for about three or four hours before a knock came on my door. I opened my eyes. “Enter,” I said. The door opened and I watched Diane come in. My eyes lingered on her muscular frame.

I believe she saw me appreciating her, but she gave no comment. Instead, she grinned. As she walked, she seemed to enjoy causing my attention to focus on her toned stomach. “Back faster than I thought. It’s been quite around the place since the whole crew’s gone. What the matter with you?” she asked.

I laughed. “I sail the line between either the greatest riches or the poorest poverty. Worry not yourself about it. What is it?” I fired back.

Diane looked at me unconvinced, but she soon shrugged. “You’ve got a visitor waiting for you. The news of the battles is spreading like rotten teeth aboard the ship. Many are aware of what happened to Jokllim three days ago. It’s not hard to hear the soldier when they think you’re not paying attention. Some of the soldiers are even being stationed in other cities around the southern regions that are being attacked. I take it we’re gonna get called out soon?” she asked.

“If Jokllim be any indication, then you’d best believe it,” I said.

Try as she might, Diane couldn’t keep the flames of a warrior from her eyes. I knew that she’d been itching for combat since we’d come here. “I’ll try to leave some for the soldiers to pick off,” she said as I leaned up.

I kissed her and she kissed me back, her tongue firing into my mouth for a moment. When we parted, she bit and pulled my lower lip. “Behave yourself,” I mildly chastised while she laughed.

“You’ll have to fucking make me,” she responded, her eyes challenging me once again. My mood lightened a little from her jovial tone. I walked down the steps and she followed after me until we made it to the front door.

I opened the door and one of Lorentia’s soldiers was standing before us, a woman this time. “The Grand Elder wishes for your presence,” she said.

“Aye, sure she does. Why else would the lot of you make this journey up here?” I asked, not really expecting an answer. Diane and I walked past her, already knowing the way. Of course, she had to be the dutiful little soldier and accompany us to the Grand Elder’s office.

When we arrived, I saw Lorentia and Galadard. Both looked like they hadn’t slept in days. When our escort arrived behind us, she pushed past us and saluted the Grand Elder. “Thank you, Lina. May Lumnina watch over you,” Lorentia said.

“And may she watch over you as well, Grand Elder!” Lina replied. She shot the both of us one more glare before she walked off, completing her duty. Diane and I entered. We took a seat on the couch while Lorentia looked up at us.

“I do not enjoy it, but I believe first I must express my gratitude, Eric Drakclaw. Jokllim might not have survived were it not for you and your men,” she said.

I leaned back, putting one boot on my leg. “I did the job you lot paid me to do. That be all,” I returned.

It seemed that Lorentia wasn’t put off by my crude remark, despite the disapproval on her soldier’s face. In fact, I’d say she approved it above all else. “Indeed you did. Nevertheless, there is honor in showing appreciation for one’s efforts. In any case, I hope that you will get your rest because it is no longer a rumor or bard’s tale. We are indeed at war now,” she said.

“Aye. the Kingdom of Xetia invaded your northern lands and your southern provinces are being attacked by the Sairans and their allies. Though you’ll at least have no worry of your sea routes aside from the smell of cannons, gunfire, and magic. Aesteal took care of the one who’d bring disease into your lands,” I said.

Lorentia moved some papers on her desk to the side. I watched her rub her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. “Yes. Alteria had mentioned that in the report she sent me. I believe your elves should be back soon as Zevmar is also returning, conveniently from the northwest away from most of the conflict. He is set to arrive in a few hours. As you might expect, news of the war has many civilians scared, and rightly so. The treasures of the frozen beast, while reaping great harvest, have brought the greed of many to our doorstep. We are merely fortunate that we saw this coming. The Mage Association has also blessed us with their cooperation in return for being able to garner greater knowledge from the beast you’ve slain,” she uttered.

I processed that information for what it was worth before I continued on with the conversation. “And what of Eressa, or your prisoner? I assume you’ve garnered something from either of them,” I responded.

Lorentia turned to Galadard for this part. He nodded and stepped forward. He took out a folder from the pocket space next to him. “Eressa is still recovering and we will ask her what happened in the Jokllim castle. Alteria’s report covered most of the battle in the city. Due to the actions of… our aide we’ve gathered numerous prisoners from Xetia. They will be taken to the iron prisons and interrogated there. As for the other prisoner, we’ve gleaned what we could from him. The Xetia forces were able to assault Jokllim by taking over key outposts along the sea trail. We believe that this group of Hæňgaram mages killed were loyal to Zevmar and acted on his orders to make Jokllim an easy target,” he said.

“It would be hard to prove that,” she answered.

He firmly nodded. “Indeed. It is especially difficult since the prisoner informs us that his assignments with others were usually random and in secluded locations which not even he was aware of. However, we discovered a faint marking on his body. The marking exudes a special type of magic that makes it identifiable to those of its type. As such those with similar markings give off the same magic energy. This most likely makes it easy for them to tell who their allies are. We still don’t know why they’d choose to summon the beast… this burrower… there, but we are continuing to work on the matter. It seems that some magic is preventing him from speaking,” he said.

My lips thinned as I continued to listen. Lorentia got up and walked around her desk. “I’ve already heard from reports that the men we sent with some of your crew have met the resistance in the southern cities. They’ve already begun fighting. I would like you to join them, Eric Drakclaw,” she said.

“And where will you be?” Diane questioned, folding her arms beneath her bust.

Galadard seemed ready to speak out against her outburst, but Lorentia stopped him. “The emperor’s prime concern is the civilian people. We have already begun relocating men and women to the countries of our allies that we’ve gained over these few weeks. However, I shall be journeying with you to the southern front where the battles are fiercest. They stay skirmishes for now, but it would be unwise to believe it will stay that way forever,” she commented, the weight of her job seeming to finally weigh on her.

I turned my gaze to the window, staring out into the plains of the Hæňgaram lands. “You lot sure it be a good idea to let Zevmar into Ynro without anyone to watch him, especially where the Emperor is located?” I asked.

“Galadard will be here. I would also ask that you station one of your men with him. Though I am reluctant to praise the abilities of pirates, the reports of their contributions have been… noted. Of course, do not mistake our emperor. It was on his shoulders that the mighty empire of Hæňgaram was founded. Many have challenged him, both to witness his strength and learn under him. Though it is possible for Zevmar to fell him… it would take many days of battle. However, I do not believe our enemy would do something so readily. It’s in his favor if the battle prolongs itself further,” she said to me which got a chuckle out of Diane.

“He wants to make you use all of your resources so he can come in and take over without much confrontation. The people would side with him if he found them a way out of the depressing conflict,” Diane suggested.

Lorentia nodded as I stood to my feet. “Take me to that bastard that’s giving the lot of you so much trouble. I’ll get him to talk so you might take over. Once we’re done, we can watch your people stroke Zevmar’s fucking ego until his pants grow tight. Besides, I wanna see the son of a bitch for myself,” I said as Diane got up with me, rolling her shoulders this way and that.

Galadard quickly grabbed our attention. “Even with your… abilities, it will prove difficult. A curse has been placed on his tongue. Any mention of the topics we’ve tried to uncover will activate it. Our mages haven’t been able to cure its effects, even with the enhancements provided to us,” he responded before Diane snorted.

“Yeah well, this fucker’s a little different from your hoodied magisters and apprentice mages. If he can’t even do that, then I think I’m on the wrong ship,” she said, staring at me curiously.

“Aye, you wanna bet on that?” I fired back.

“The day I make a bet with your ass again is the day I sit on the throne of this righteous to realms empire!” She exclaimed while my lips curved upwards.

“And yet, I believe you enjoyed the reward from the last one we made,” I teased.

Diane rolled her eyes, but I was quick to notice a sudden spike in her lust. She stared at me sultrily. “Then again, don’t need a bet to do that again,” she whispered. She then walked past me and out the door.

Aye, by the Seas of Fingale, I fucking loved that bitch!

The journey to the prisoner wasn’t anything spectacular. Lorentia and I continued to swap information for a time. I spoke to her about Jokllim and the likely events concerning Alteria and myself. As expected of the Grand Elder, it didn’t take the lass long to understand where I might be going with this. She spoke to Galadard before we stepped on a magic circle. We were teleported to the Iron Prisons. Of course, Diane and I needed disguises for ourselves, but we quickly descended down until we came to the cell of the Xetia prisoner.

Despite what he and his allies had attempted to do, it seemed that Lorentia and the others hadn’t physically harmed him too much. Best I found was a swollen eye. Granted, he was giving them answers so perhaps the lot hadn’t needed to resort to drastic measures. Lorentia opened the cage and I walked inside. With the Mark of Hoɖ, I saw the flow of magic around his tongue and the ancient runes holding them all together. The language seemed so carefully interwoven in a way for the magic to flow without obstruction. It was almost like seeing a word and then being able to read it after.

There were at least three spells woven together: the curse magic upon the tongue, the spell that reacted to the curse, and a spell that would alert the bastard’s betters if he were destroyed. Aye, nothing complex. Even then the curse wasn’t that powerful, at least compared to the ones I had known such as the curse affecting the Father and Son back in the Coffin’s Mouth. A fourth-tier curse at most. Such spells were usually those implanted by bitter spirits who led an unfulfilled life or had some shit to protect. Of course, it also was of use to the living, normally in the case of broken intimate affairs.

I dispelled the curse and the spells behind it easily enough by rewriting the runic language that kept the magic together. Lorentia’s enemies would receive nothing and her prisoner could squeal like a pig until his throat ran as dry as the Xhaluter’s Desert Plains. When Galadard checked the prisoner’s tongue, his eyes widened when he saw the curse spell removed.

“H-How?!” He questioned.

I just waved him off and turned back to the Grand Elder. “Now, you said the fucker would be here in a little while? Let’s go see him strut his shit like a peacock to the butcher’s market,” I spoke. Yet, despite my words, Lorentia showed neither amusement, annoyance, nor disdain for my words. She merely continued to look at me solemnly.

Having left the Iron Prison gates and entering Ynro once more, one wouldn’t have thought that war was about to descend upon the empire. Men and women cheered in the streets, tossing flowers and beautiful sea leaves into the air. Colorful confetti flew through the air while trumpets blazed in the background.

“He certainly loves to strut his shit doesn’t he?” Diane asked, leaning against a wall of a building where we were residing.

“He is the Hero of Hæňgaram and a member of the Lightfeather Household. There are many who adore him,” Lorentia said as the four of us watched the bridge from the wall of the city become lined with people.

“Even the brightest light will cast the darkest shadow,” Galadard said, his fists tightening while we continued to look on. I spotted lasses in frilly dresses, eager to drop their panties if Zevmar gave the damn order. Hundreds of Guards lined the bridge and more than a handful of mages and riflemen lined the roofs of various houses.

Though I ain’t fond of the bastard, I understood Galadard’s frustration. Whether one be pirate or soldier, king or commoner, merchant or student, it was fucking hard to watch others flock to the one who instrumented your demise. I eased my thoughts of Leah and my former crew. It wouldn’t do well to cause suspicion by raining down a storm on the lot. Though, it would be rather funny.

As if she read my mind, Diane spoke. “Sure is a nice day. Best we pray the weather remains stable,” she jested, her arms behind her head while she leaned against the wall.

“You’d enjoy that, wouldn’t you?” I asked. She didn’t respond. Instead, she smiled as she breathed the empire’s clean air obviously satisfied with herself.

Soon the trumpets started flaring up even more. The doors to the Emperor’s Quarters opened. Exotic dancers raced out, twirling their garments and ribbons of fancy red, gold, and purple. Citizens cheered with such boisterousness that I was reminded of a Draegnar tavern when some unlucky bastard offered to treat everyone to all the booze they could stomach. Aye, the floors filled with vomit from fired stomachs were the hardest to clean.

We watched as the Emperor of Hæňgaram made his appearance, along with his queen and two grown children. Even for someone like me, I’d never seen or fought the emperor in my previous life. Tales of his battle prowess were known throughout nearly every nation. It was said that every soldier who has joined the Hæňgaram military has had to survive a bout with him. Tales have also said that he slew a dragon with one swing of his sword. He used the dragon’s scales to craft a black shield. The shield was apparently so powerful it could turn almost all fire magic fired at it into power for the wielder. Legend said that the shield could also expel the very flames of a dragon from its mouth if enough mana were poured into it.

In fact, the more I thought of that shield, the more I wanted it. It might be good to help complete my rapier what with its penchant for the flame arts.

Supposedly, he was of such renown that he even tried to wed a certain witch. Apparently, he was interesting enough that Liara granted him a night. One that I sure as hell wouldn’t search up willingly in her memories. Then again, I’d long since known that Liara had a long list of lovers before I’d joined in.

“LONG LIVE EMPEROR ALDWYN! LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR ALDWYN! LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR ALDWYN!”

The people shout over and over, their voices enough to roll through the entire city. Despite everything, I watched Galadard and Lorentia salute the emperor. I supposed it was no surprise why.

I turned my attention back to the emperor. As one might expect of a man whose been on the empire’s throne for over forty years since he became emperor in the midst of his young adult age, the bastard’s gaining up there in years. There were numerous shades of grey in the black hair on his head and face. Additionally, his face was marked with a few wrinkles.

Nevertheless, the best comment I might make for such a guy as this were his eyes. I suppose anyone who even a lass like Lorentia might bend the knee to had to be exceptional. His eyes glowed like diamonds of red. His gaze pierced through the crowds, exuding the presence of great strength and years of wisdom. He was a man loved by his people and in his strength they grew their comfort. His body was covered in military dress and ornaments that featured the empire’s colors. A single rifle was held in his hands and a long sword was strapped to his waist. I wouldn’t be surprised if some worshipped the guy. In spite of his old age, I could see the fierce stores of mana held within him, not enough to rival my own, but it was clear why he was one of the strongest magic swordsmen of this era.

His grey hair belied the strength of his body. It became clear that he wasn’t the sleazy shit to sit on the throne and grow rusty. His standing form was perfect, a body made to make women weak in their knees and men tremble like commoners. I saw why Lorentia said that even if Zevmar tried to stand against the emperor that it would not be an easy battle. He had the fucking build for it.

My eyes turned and I noticed Aldwyn’s wife, the Queen, or at the very least the main wife amongst his harem. Supposedly, the emperor had around thirty wives ranging from love to political marriages or alliances. She was quite beautiful with… white hair. Her eyes were a shade of green and she wore a white dress that any sane man might fantasize about taking off. I frowned as I stared at her. I wondered if this woman was from House Balamar, her hair seemed the same shade of white as Alteria’s. In fact, the Knight-Captain looked more like the queen than her own children did.

And speaking of the brats, or at least his brats by the Queen, a young man around my current age and an even younger woman stood behind them. From Liara’s memories, I knew them as Tainn and Quinn. The prince definitely received his mother’s hair while his sister received her father’s. Just like every member of the emperor’s house, they were made to join the military as well. Both were said to be talented, having risen through the ranks with the former becoming a Dragonguard Commander and the latter an Elite Sentinel-Knight Captain. Naturally, some believe this to be simply because they were the emperor’s children, but Liara had been given ample reports on their abilities. Just like Eressa, if the lot were guided properly they’d also become good opponents for Diane.

When I looked at the Guard of the Witch, I could tell that she thought the same thing. Her eyes were honed in the emperor’s family, the gazing of a fierce warrior longing for an opponent. I turned my attention back to the bridge just in time for the people’s cheering to grow louder.

The gates that led into Ynro opened and down their steps walked Zevmar, his entourage of soldiers marching behind him. Despite the cheers, he didn’t greet the masses. Neither did the soldiers behind him. That hadn’t dampened the crowd’s spirit though. The women continued to throw flowers and the men continued to ring words of Zevmar’s achievements through the air.

“He’s grown stronger since he was on Draegnar. I sense the blessings of at least thirty spirits upon him. I don’t know what he offered them, but it must be fucking something if he even got that stubborn bastard Limdalan to bless him. He’s not one to give those out to just anyone,” Diane said.

Indeed, I could see the numerous blessings cast upon him. Some of those even I’d have trouble getting for myself even with Liara’s knowledge. Though they seemed to be minor blessings, ones usually bestowed upon individuals of small interest. As many called Nz’ia’s people, the Xhaluters, the Children of Ares, it was believed that he greatly blessed them with strength, violence, brutality, and a body fit for battle with heightened instincts to match. A minor blessing from someone like him might give one increased strength for a fixed amount of time.

“So he has prepared for this war,” Galadard commented while Lorentia watched him saunter his way across the bridge. The soldiers on each corner raised their swords in the air across from each other, acknowledging him.

“You can see them?” the Grand Elder asked, a small amount of surprise in her voice.

“I’d be a failure as Lady Liara’s guard if I couldn’t recognize basic shit like that. Don’t worry. The only thing impressive is the number of them. They’re almost all worthless by themselves,” Diane said with a shrug of her shoulders.

In spite of Diane’s relaxed tone, I continued to watch Zevmar. Aye, it was true that those blessings weren’t a concern, but I also sensed another type of magic deep within him. I desired to think nothing of it since it seemed so attuned to his light magic as a member of the LIghtfeather House, but I grew intrigued. It seemed almost too attuned to him in a sense. Plus, it was rather bright, forming deep within the pit of his stomach. Yet, I’d not recognized it and Liara seemed to have hidden it from me behind a layer of usual fog. Was I not supposed to know what it was yet?

“You really know how to mess with a bastard even when you be dead, Liara,” I thought to myself before I watched Zevmar stand before the Emperor of Hæňgaram. He then knelt down, lowering his head before the mightiest man in the lands.

“May the emperor live forever and may our fair people find truth, justice, honor, and peace in his ever-strong embrace,” Zevmar said, our ears picking up his words even over the great distance from the bridge to the building we were in.

All suddenly became quiet for a time before Aldwyn grabbed his sword and touched Zevmar’s shoulder with it. “You have served the empire and the people well, Zevmar. Welcome home,” the emperor spoke, his voice a lot deeper than I’d thought.

I frowned as I watched Aldwyn’s expression. For an honored and beloved hero like Zevmar, there was no joy to be found on the emperor’s face at having his greatest soldier back in his lands. Not even the Queen nor his children seemed to respond favorably to the action, despite the shit smiles on their faces. I bet the lot had to put those on for many a bastard who had to stand in their presence.

“Shouldn’t you be over there, welcoming the Hero of Hæňgaram with rose-tipped smiles and wide arms?” I questioned Lorentia. I figured it’d make sense for the Grand Elder of this righteous lot to be there as well.

Rather than answer me, Lorentia just continued to stare at Zevmar as he made a spectacle of reciting the Hæňgaramian Oath in front of the people. I’d not known the Grand Elder to display such rage, but it was easy for me to see what she personally thought of this display behind her eyes. “We’re leaving,” she said as she turned around and walked back inside. Galadard followed behind her.

Diane and I watched them before we turned to leave as well. As I was ready to leave, I turned my head. My eyes met with Zevmar’s. Across the great distance, we stared at each other. He looked at me, almost confused about what he was seeing. Perhaps it was good of me that I had my disguise up. Still, I didn’t offer him the pleasure of too much acknowledgement. I walked away and rejoined Diane, Lorentia, and Galadard.

“I’ll say this much for the piece of shit, he’s got good eyes,” I commented, walking away through the streets with the others.

“And what makes you say that?” Diane asked.

“He’s got a Draegnarian’s heart,” I replied as we continued walking.

Once we made it back to Lorentia’s lands, we spotted Alteria coming toward us. “Grand Elder, Eressa has awoken. She wishes you to receive her, but the healers urge rest, much to her disdain,” she replied while Lorentia pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Her zeal can be both courageous and exhausting. Still, it is a great blessing that she remains with us. Alteria take your rest, but be prepared to be received,” she said.

Lady Knight quickly saluted the Grand Elder. She then proceeded to walk away, heading in the direction of our temporary estate. “Best you not forget my words, Grand Elder, especially if you want to keep her around,” I replied.

Galadard and Lorentia glanced at me for only a moment before the latter faced forward again. “Galadard, now that Zevmar has returned, I know that the Emperor shall call a meeting of all established high-ranking military personnel. Inform Eressa to hold her words for the meeting we shall have later once I’m done with this one,” she ordered.

“Understood, Grand Elder,” the taller man said with a bow of his head.

She quickly dismissed him and turned to face me. “I shall require your presence as well, Eric Drakclaw,” she uttered, her sharp gaze attempting to bore into my head.

“Aye, lucky me,” I replied before I walked off with Diane behind me.

Diane and I made it back to our temporary abode, watching Hannath leaning against a tree. With a sharp knife, she was crafting wooden arrows for herself before Diane spoke. “Something tells me they’re gonna be sending us right into the thick of shit,” she replied.

“Aye, well we’ve sat on our asses for long enough. Besides, I know you. You enjoy the idea of so many warriors gathered in one place. Pray you leave something for the empire’s men to combat,” I joked which got a small laugh out of her.

“Yeah, whatever. I make no fucking promises. What about Sekria? Who knows where the rest of the fuckers are. They probably already know that one of their groups was taken out. How’re you gonna find them now?” she asked.

“It pays to have another set of eyes. Besides, I had the chance to recognize the flow of their mana. Surprisingly, it was pretty damn similar across that prisoner and his dead mates. If that be the case, then I’ve almost no doubt the rest of them will feel the same way. Across such a wide battlefield, I’m sure we’ll run into some of them,” I responded, walking up the steps.

“And what of them in other areas? If they summon that damn thing again, it’s gonna be trouble, especially with some of the crew. Don’t need Hæňgaram forces attacking the lot because they forgot who they were,” she returned, walking behind me.

“The enchanted members of Lorentia’s little doghole will be enough to resist Sekria’s effects for a time. That was fucking why I’d stayed up for almost three nights working on the bastards. They’ll be fine. Besides, it’ll be good if a few of those summon fuckers get put down in the chaos,” I finished as we stepped inside.

She walked past me. “Knowing your luck, this whole thing goes to shit somehow. You owe me a damn drink when it happens,” she said, waving goodbye to me as she marched up the rest of the stairs. I watched her go with a small smile on my face, my eyes lingering on the bountiful shape of her ass. I could tell she noticed my gaze because she flipped me off before she disappeared.

Once Diane was gone, I decided to make my way back to my own room. As soon as I stood in front of the door, I suddenly felt my whole body relax. A stupid ass grin formed on my lips as the aura behind the door eagerly sought out my own. I slowly shook my head and entered my room, my eyes filled with a wondrous sea of silver hair. Eyes as beautiful as the pearls of the sea faced me.

Aesteal sat on my bed, the fairmaids in her lap while Maeloson stood on the other side of the room. “And from where have the winds blown such mighty sails that two elves would enter a captain’s quarters?” I questioned.

“From faraway lands that he no doubt sent us to. We arrived back a few minutes before Zevmar did,” he said. I chuckled and nodded. I then closed the door and stretched.

“Aye, that you have. Upon your success, I’ll have to properly reward both of you for your work. It couldn’t have been easy,” I said as I sat in my desk chair and faced them.

Aesteal leaned back and brushed a piece of her hair from her face. “If the empire’s lands are to become corrupted and diseased it won’t be by the eliminated target. I believe we’ve also severed any good relations Zevmar’s allies in the north have with him. News of the chieftain’s son’s death spread through the lands, some even believe that Zevmar performed the assassination himself. We couldn’t stop him from gathering a few beastman tribes, but he won’t have nearly the force that he was no doubt expecting,” my bonded elf said. She seemed pleased, yet I saw the way her face contorted in worry.

I turned my head and I saw the same expression on Maeloson’s face as well. “I take it something hadn’t gone to plan?” I asked. Aesteal’s aura reached out for mine. Mine swiftly enveloped hers and I watched her face visibly relax.

“We believe he’s somehow acquired a moonstone, Sir,” Aesteal answered.

I wished I had a mirror so I could see what kind of face I made upon this knowledge, but I knew that I wasn’t pleased. “You believe so? And what makes you think that?” I asked carefully.

“We spotted the woman of fire you fought in the northern lands. As expected, she’s a part of his forces. We suspected this since the lands of Ninshil weren’t offering enchanting materials to anyone just like Zevmar tried to do in Draegnar. They were talking about you and Zevmar pulled something out of his pocket. The woman jerked back like she’d seen the face of death itself. Judging by your reaction back on Delverhold, that was the best… or worst guess we could fathom. Of course, we couldn’t see what it was. It could also have been a weapon forged out of the moonstones that you’ve claimed before. Whatever it is, even that witch of flames dared not boast against it,” Maeloson answered.

I leaned back in my chair and thought this over for a moment. I had no reason to doubt their report. A man like Zevmar ought to have many who would bring him strange and mysterious trinkets. It wasn’t too much of a shock if he’d come across a moonstone. I also supposed it wasn’t impossible for something to be forged from one. Whether in armor or weapons, it was a piece of material like any other. And, if the bastard did have one, then clearly I’d have to worry if he had more. If he did, then I’d need to be even more careful than that lest he grant its power to his forces. I sure as hell wasn’t going to let Hæňgaram know of such a weakness of mine, a risk that might already be too late if Alteria told them. She was an astute lass at that.

“Also…”

I glanced up. Aesteal looked at me.

“He seems to have nullification magic arts. Maeloson and I… thought we’d found an opportunity to take him out. Under the cover of the night, we tried to kill him. He was out of his hiding spots for once and we managed to get close enough to him. We fired our arrows and… they struck but there was no injury on his body. The arrows disappeared. Had it not been so dark, I thought he would have spotted us. His entire camp was searching for days,” Aesteal answered.

“The manspawn hath quite the art for ingenuity,” An’raie said within the depths of my mind.

I chuckled. “Aye. Sounds like a shitstorm of good times.”

That said, with this knowledge given to me. I suddenly had a rather proper idea. “Thank you both. Play our cards right at the gambling table, and the piece of info’s gonna be worth its weight in gold coins. Both of you, but prepare to leave at any moment. You both shall accompany me when I’m called,” I stated.

“Yes, Sir!” they said.

Once they relaxed, Maeloson cleared his throat. “I shall remove my presence now. I believe I’m… no longer required,” the male elf of Fgg’rial uttered. He left which granted me privacy with Aesteal. We sat there in silence, letting the silence fill the void that had come between us for so long. The only thing heard was the sound of Nei and her sisters hugging each other.

Without a word, I held up my hand, beckoning her to come to me. I noticed she seemed a little embarrassed, but she stood up and walked over to me. I pulled her arm and placed her in my lap. “I have missed you,” I stated truthfully.

“And my spirit calms in your presence, Sir,” she answered.

I pulled her lips to mine and she kissed me with great passion. I enjoyed the way her smooth, elven fingers touched my cheek while her tongue caressed my own. I never thought that a bastard such as I would miss a warm touch like this so much. It seemed to resonate with my greatest core that left my salted heart washed of the sea’s cold embrace.

I continued to watch Aesteal as she glided her fingers from my chin and down to my chest. “I desire you, Sir. I desire your touch right now. The many nights gone I have dreamt about you, and I fear that I might lose myself where I to leave now,” she said.

Aesteal’s voice was like sweet honey to my ears, driving and stimulating my slowly growing need for her. “Be that the case? Then show me this unruly desire of yours. Let me feast upon it,” I said to her.

She kissed me again and playfully wiggled her ass on my crotch. My cock was already beginning to rise from her provocations before she removed herself. She stepped back and slowly undressed. My eyes were stuck on her when she removed her long, leather boots, revealing her beautifully sculpted legs to me. There was no sultry grin on her face like my mother, Diane, or even Naala would have done. Instead, there was a sexual purity upon her face, her eyes caked with lust, yet her body in submissive desire.

She took off her shirt, revealing her puffy nipples. My throat grew dry like the desert sands in my dream back in C’ula. How I wondered how those mountainous globes would feel sliding up and down the length of my hardened cock. Just the thought left me aroused beyond measure.

“You’ve become quite the slutty elf, Aesteal,” I teased. I was reminded of how she might appear ashamed of my words when we’d first started this relationship. Now, she seemed to revel in my words, the lust steadily rising within her.

“I… I shall be whatever you desire, Sir. However, it is only for you that I would reveal such a wanton state. My body wants your cock. I want it inside me right now. I wish it buried to the sword hilt until you cum inside me,” she said, her voice almost like a shiver. Her face was red like a blood rose, but she refused to have her words silenced.

She grabbed the belt buckle of her pants and slid them off, leaving her skin bare. Then, she leaned back, spreading the lips of her pussy to me. “See this, Sir? Every night I was allowed sleep, I’d think of your hard cock. I imagine you’d pin me down and f-fuck me as you’ve always done. Like I want you to do right now,” she urged, panting slowly. Her eyes remained trained on mine.

What aroused me more was the circumstances surrounding it. I felt like a fucking soldier’s bastard, his beloved asking for one more pleasant night before he went off into the pits of Ares’ fire. Aesteal’s lust poured into my body, fueling me with vigor and energy. My blood began to boil. My chest grew tight and my nerves were frayed with ecstasy.

Without a word, I stood up. I walked over to my bed, but I disregarded Aesteal’s pussy, no matter how sopping wet and inviting it was. I stood at the side, her head turned to mine. “Then take the first of your many rewards. Show me what you’d like to do,” I said.

Aesteal panted, reaching out for my pants. She swiftly undid the belt and pulled them down, revealing my cock. I’d absorbed so much lust the veins upon its length started becoming noticeable. “Mmmmm, so big and hard, Sir. The cock of the man I love,” she said, reaching out her hand to touch it.

I closed my eyes, tilting my head back from the warmth of her palm. She slowly stroked me up and down, our senses already mixing together. My breath was shaky as I sensed her other hand grope her breast and tease her nipples.

“Mmmmmngh!” she moaned before she opened her mouth and swallowed my dick. I hissed through my teeth in rapture, her head bobbing up and down. Her tongue stroked every inch of my cock while her throat opened its pathway for me.

“Mmmmmmh… yesssshhhh… I love… this cock!” she praised, sucking on it faster and deeper. While she blew me, her hand caressed my balls, clawing at them gently and coaxing the cum out of them. Her other hand had left her breast and made its way down to her cunt.

“Nnnnnngh! Fuck!” She cried as I felt her stab her fingers into her snatch. I even felt her legs shake as the walls of her slippery slit clung to her long fingers. She vigorously drove them in and out, matching pace with her blowjob. Her mouth created little vibrations from the heat of her breath that made my legs go weak.

I was already on the verge of my first climax before I held her head. She looked at me as I slipped my cock out of her mouth. It was finely coated in her spit and saliva, glistening in the room’s natural light. The fairmaids watched us, eagerly licking their lips.

I wished to wait no longer. I grabbed Aesteal’s legs and pulled her to the side of the bed. Looming over her, I lined my cock with her cunt and slowly pushed it inside, making sure she felt every stimulating piece of it. “Nnnnnnnngh! Ooooooh… yessssssss! I want your cock, Sir! Only your cock!” she groaned.

I already knew that we’d have the time to enjoy this. However, if I was gonna cum anywhere then it’d be inside her and nowhere else. “Has your dreams come to fruition?” I asked.

“O-One of them. T-There are a few more,” she admitted, already making sure I couldn’t escape by locking her legs around me. Her insides were hot, somehow massaging and strangling the full length of my cock with her hips. Eagerly, she started rotating her hips, driving my dick further and further into her, caressing and tending to every piece of its form.

“Ooooooh spirits, fuck me, Sir! Give me your strong cock!” she pleaded.

“Aye, very well,” I said as I pulled my hips back and drove them into her. Her entire body shook and she held onto me like her life depended on it.

“Ooooooh spirits, yessssss! Please take your fill of me, Sir!”

Rather than reply with words, I allowed my hips to do the talking. I buried myself so damn deep that I hoped I’d never get out. The Essence of Vilinlith poured out through our bodies, its energy coated her walls and my cock, fueling our desires to their limit. Every sensation was wrapped together in a blanket of pleasure and lust. My balls slapped on her ass while her nails dug into my back.

“I never tire of your body, Aesteal. ‘Tis a great treasure only fit for one man!” I exclaimed, not even giving her the chance to respond. I grabbed her cheek and took her lips in mine. She panted wildly, not even attempting to battle my tongue with hers. Instead, she allowed mine to invade and tend to her care.

“Mmmmm… hmmmmmmngh… ungh… yuuuushshshshssss… ooooooooh!” Aesteal cried, wiggling her hips and matching my movements with her own. The bed shook and the scent of sex filled the room.

The pleasure coursed through my body, every thrust into her seemed to rip her sensations back into me. I felt everything. Her stiff nipples against mine, her tongue against my own, the slap of her calves on my ass, and the orgasm ripping through her body that stained my sheets, all of them I felt at the same fucking time. It was no surprise to me that I soon buried my cock deep inside her and flooded her womb with my impotent seed. I knew that one day, were my vision of her pregnant belly to be a reality, I’d need to give up the Mark of Hoɖ.

“Mmmmmmmm… your essence is so warm, Sir. I… nnnnnnnnngh!”

Whatever Aesteal was gonna say next, I bothered not to let her finish. Instead, I started thrusting into her again. “Ooooh… hahaaaaa… oooooooh my god! GnnnnnnnnnnngH! Hilstele! Ramdalla! Kristalek! Yes, Sir!” she wailed, my cock slamming down into her so hard our hips smacked violently against each other. My balls ached and my cock was harder than stone, piercing through her hilt like an enemy’s battering ram.

We broke our kiss, allowing our voices to fly through the air. One of my hands locked with hers while the other sailed down her body. Her free fingers roamed my arms while mine came to her clit. I rubbed it with my thumb, making her grit her teeth.

A second orgasm rolled through Aesteal’s body and into my own. I slowed my movements, choosing strong, deep, yet passionate movements. She hummed in bliss, staring at me with great love in her eyes. Her walls soaked my cock, her breaths a small whisper. “I love you, Sir. I shall always love you,” Aesteal said.

“And I shall grant you the greatest things your heart desires should you desire to stay at my side, Aesteal. It be the word of the Son of Poseidon,” I replied.

“Haaaa… oh fuck! You feel so good, Sir! You make me feel so good as well. The doors of…huuuuuuummmm… my order’s words are pushed open by your thrusts. They seem so far away now, and I realize… what I’ve missed. If one day, I am to bear your children, then I shall do it with the greatest joy,” Aesteal answered.

I stopped my movements for a moment. “Then show me,” I said as I dislodged myself. I grabbed Aesteal and pulled her over me while I lay on the bed. Understanding, she grabbed my cock and placed it back inside her body. Her hands on my chest, she started rocking her hips, grinding her pelvis against me. I was fully buried inside her with her ass resting on my nutsack. Every turn and curve, like a winding tunnel, took the breath out of my body. Her body was fucking incredible. Were she a succubus, I’d have no chance of keeping my soul intact.

“Nnnnnnngh! Hnnaaaaaah! Oh spirits! It feels so good!” Aesteal groaned. I reached out my hands and grabbed a fistful of her tits. Her nipples jutted out between my fingers. I toyed with them, suckling and pulling on them with my teeth. Her legs jerked and her body shook until she fell on top of me. She grabbed my head, crashing her pelvis down onto me. Our flesh made slopping, wet, hard noises. Her juices seeped out of her snatch, bathing my bed in our combined fluids.

“Sir, I’m going to cum! Ooooooooh spirits, I’m gonna cum from your strong cock inside me!” she wailed. Her pussy was so hot, her sensations pounding into me just like her cunt was on my dick. I wrapped her in my arms and she screamed my name, draining my man cannon of its fully loaded rounds. Her body trembled before we finally settled down.

As we both came down from our combined ecstasy. Aesteal looked at me. She leaned down for a kiss until a sea of black hair came into our view.

“Mate so mighty! Cannot wait!” I heard within my mind. I saw Lei turn Aesteal’s head to her and she kissed my bonded elf, her size already changed to match ours.

I felt Nei touch my chest while her tongue licked my lips. It seemed we also weren’t alone still. Aesteal’s fairmaid suckled on her breast, the lust spilling throughout all of us. “Pleasure her, my mate. Reward her deeds!” Nei said as I started to buck my hips again.

Aesteal and I continued as she and Lei kissed each other. Nei pulled my head away and kissed me as well, her way much more aggressive than that of Aesteal’s. “Mighty impatient, aren’t ya?” I asked as I slipped my finger into Nei’s snatch.

“Knnnnnnnnngh! Mmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh!” Nei cried, her fairy wings flapping away.

With so many different sensations flooded into me, I came in Aesteal at least three more times, cum spilling out of her slit which her fairmaid was more than happy to lap up with glee. I then slipped out of my bonded elf, her falling to the side of the bed in utter bliss before her voice moved through the air when her silver-haired fairmaid latched her tongue on her pussy. I grabbed Nei and threw her under me. She stared at me cockiness in her eyes.  “I believe I’ve been too lenient with you, Nei. Especially if you have the gall to interrupt me,” I said.

She smirked at me before I pushed my cock into her as well. I worked my hips, sweat pouring from the side of my face. Nei’s pussy was a virtual treasure trove of sensations and ecstasy. I closed my eyes so tight I saw different colors. Lei sure wasn’t fucking help what with her hands fondling my ballsack.

“Hahaaaaaaaa… ooooooooh yessssssssssss! Right there! F-Fuck me faster! Nnnnnnngh s-so hard… and goooooooooood! Grant me your cum! Let… me… suck it all… out of your balls!” Nei wailed in my mind, making me wonder if I had influenced her vocabulary a little too much.

Soon enough, Aesteal loomed over her.“Nei, you must learn patience. The captain has more than enough to satisfy you. Never fret that you might not get your turn,” Aesteal said before she kissed Nei. I watched my fairmaid moan into my bonded elf’s mouth, and I groaned, pumping her cunt full of my spunk.

Just as with Aesteal, I fired four shots of cum into Nei’s body, the Essence of Vilinlith keeping me going long enough to fuck Lei and Aesteal’s fairmaid next. “S-So… strong! Sister’s… mate… wonderful! Hnuuuuugugugugh! Cum! Cum inside me!” Lei hollered, her tail slapping the side of the bed repeatedly until I kissed her, her throwing her arms around my neck.

Over and over, the time went by for us all. I had to admit it was rather arousing to fuck an almost identical-looking Aesteal in the form of her fairmaid. The only way to tell the difference was the wings and the mermaid tail, but the lass took cock just like my beloved elf, if not even more greedily.

The essence poured out in such thick strength I wouldn’t be surprised if I left my room and found the rest of the building’s inhabitants slaves to their lust as well. The lustful power was pouring out of me in such force that I wondered if it even reached the base of the hill and entered the Hæňgaram camp.

“FUCK!” I groaned slamming and forcing my hips down as Aesteal hugged me, my cock now buried deep within her as her feet pointed at the ceiling. Nei, Lei, and her sister watched amused and satisfied. I groaned like a savage beast, my hips and legs giving out on me as I poured my final load into my elven archer’s tight, welcoming hole. Her snatch squeezed every drop out like a constricting serpent, keeping me in place with no room to maneuver. Not that I’d wanted to.

Finally, we fell to the bed, the lustful essence unable to keep us going anymore. I panted, my throat in desperate need of water. However, for my efforts, four ladies were sprawled out over my bed, satisfying grins etched on their faces.

“Nnnnngh! Haaaa… haaa… haaa… mmmmmngh! Gnnngh!”

I was much too tired to comment on An’raie’s admittedly pleasant voice. I stumbled over to my pitcher and quenched my thirst, turning around to see Nei, Lei, and their sister had returned to their original sizes. I climbed into bed and allowed myself some rest, preparing myself for the trials ahead. Which, unfortunately, would come sooner than I’d anticipated.

A knock came on my door which woke me up. I grabbed my pocket watch from my coat and noticed only two hours had passed. The others were still asleep and I begrudgingly got up to answer it. In hindsight, perhaps it would’ve been best if I allowed them to enter on their own. When I opened the door, I heard a sharp gasp courtesy of my mother. Her eyes sailed up and down my form before I remembered that I hadn’t gotten dressed yet.

“Have I still… caught you at a bad… time?” my mother asked, her eyes roaming every corner of my body despite her strong desire to remain focused.

“Not exactly. Let me guess, there’s a soldier out there ready to take me to Lorentia’s table?” I asked.

“I umm… yeah, they’re downstairs to…”

Despite our odd relationship at the moment, I couldn’t help smiling when I saw her eyes continuously go back to my cock. Her nose had to also be aware of the smell of sex that came from my quarters. My mother probably thought she was quick, but I caught the barest of glimpses of her licking her lips.

“Aye, thank you, mother. Be that all?” I asked.

She managed to tear her eyes away from me, her face more angry than anything. “Ummm, yeah. Enjoy your shit or w-whatever you’re doing. I… I’m gonna… go,” she replied slowly, turning around and walking away. How I wished to peer into the mind of my mother. I sensed her lust for me, for what we’d had, yet she wouldn’t bring herself back to my embrace.

I slowly exhaled. “Patience, you fucking bastard. Patience!” I grumbled to myself. I then entered my room and got dressed. I washed my face and left my room. When I came downstairs, I spotted Maeloson waiting for me.

“Enjoy yourself?” he asked, his face never giving away his thoughts.

“As I always do,” I replied. I then opened the door and spotted the Hæňgaramian waiting for us.

“You’ve been summoned, Pirate. The Grand Elder wishes you’re…”

“Yeah, yeah, the lot of you wouldn’t even be within a city’s length of me were it not for her orders. Start kicking up the dirt with your heels in her direction. I be sure the lot of you are already praying that my men meet their demise on the battlefield,” I interrupted, not in the mood to have my good times done away with at the expense of appeasing Hæňgaramians.

The soldier growled but urged us to follow.

“Maeloson…” I said, getting his attention.

“Steel yourself. We’ll be in thick shit soon enough.”

He looked at me but didn’t respond. Instead, he continued to look forward seemingly unfazed by my words. However, I saw the way he tightened his gloves and casually checked his gear. He took this as seriously as a studious elf like him might.

We arrived at Lorentia’s office building, but we weren’t taken to her room. Instead, we were taken to the first floor down a long hallway. We were then guided into a room guarded by two soldiers. We entered and nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first glance. Were I not studied in the mystic arts, I’d have thought this as nothing more than another office build, desk, cabinets, and a small carpet for all of it.

The soldier went to one of the cabinets and pulled out a book. They opened it and I saw a magic matrix inside it just like the one that had taken me to Lorentia’s little table group before. The soldier activated the seal and the three of us were quickly teleported away.

Maeloson and I landed in a long, stone hallway with our guide. “Straight ahead,” they said.

“As if it weren’t obvious enough,” Maeloson replied, earning a smirk out of me. He might deny it until his throat grew dry, but the elf truly started coming into his own as a pirate. While I doubted I’d ever see him chugging ale until he passed out on the poop deck, I knew that he’d started enjoying his sea life.

Walking the length of the hallway, we soon stepped out to see the Grand Elder and the rest of her cohorts. My eyes however briefly drifted to a piece of the wall where I sensed two figures standing next to it. “To even involve those two. You must have had quite the talk in that meeting room of yours,” I thought to myself as we were quickly greeted by Lorentia.

Unsurprisingly, Alteria and Eressa were there as well, though the latter in a fresh set of bandages. Hell, even the female Beast Mage who’d fallen to Sekria’s magic had returned to consciousness.

“Glad you could make it, Eric Drakclaw,” Lorentia said, giving everyone the excuse to look my way.

I snorted. “Lesser men than you have told better lies than that, Lass. Where are you sending me?” I questioned, not in the mood to play this subtle game with the others.

“And what makes you think we’re sending you anywhere?” The Lion Beastman questioned, a deep growl reverberating through his throat.

I glanced at him. “Be you stupid enough to expect an answer to that question?” I asked.

He snarled at me, but a glare from the Grand Elder quickly silenced him. “Olin,” she called. One of the mages of the group swiftly stood to his feet. He then opened a large map on the table, revealing all of the lands and provinces of Hæňgaram.

“Take your men and head for the Kushnin province. Three battalions have been wiped out near the Kushnin seas and we’ve received reports that the enemy is advancing in large numbers. You will take care of them,” she said.

“Just me? You lot have a lot more faith in me than I’d thought,” I retorted.

“It’s not just the matter of these enemies that we’re concerned about. Reports of mysterious mages in not just that area, but in all the invading lands have been given. While you and men of your choosing, alongside Bridge-General Ragni and his unit, combat the enemy, we will have a second team dealing with and apprehending the mages set about summoning this Burrower,” Lorentia announced, making sure I spotted where we’d be positioned.

“So I take it those two brats behind me are your second team?” I questioned, glancing back to see Crown Prince Tainn and Princess Quinn of the Hæňgaram Empire standing behind me.