The Vengeful Tide-Ch. 42 (Patreon)

Greetings patrons!

Glad I made it before the month was over, especially since there was some difficulty writing this chapter, but I had fun with it all the same. Enjoy as the Betrayed Captain learns more of Zevmar's plans and counteracts with his own, as well as helping a certain Knight not lose her nerve.

WttW

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The next few days passed slowly for Alteria, my mother, and I. Despite hours of watching the enemies of the empire trot around the town of Mapik like rouge chickens on a dirt road, they’d kept to their word about recovering their strength. The only solace we were given was that I could tell the mages were growing in strength. Traitorous soldiers got the mages on friendly terms with the rest of the loyal empire soldiers, either shaking hands or exchanging tankards.

I had no doubt it made Alteria angry because each interaction made the loyal soldiers weaker. I sensed the forceful pull of their mana into the bodies of the mages. The lot had grown lethargic, barely capable of standing on their legs. A few of them sat at their posts, taking brief naps here and there. Some stumbled up and down the streets, garnering concerns from the people as their mana was continuously sucked away through pleasant exchanges with the enemy.

Much to my irritation, Alteria pleaded that I help some of them. So I supplied a few with the mana that had been taken over the days that we waited so that Mapik wouldn’t be completely useless if any outside enemy forces should come against it. I supposed it was a surprise that the lot would be so tired with their mana being sucked away like that. While mana-draining spells would leave anyone feeling slow, I saw the runes crafting the spell used by the mages. It made the soldiers doubly exhausted and there was no way they wouldn’t have noticed if the mages were by themselves. However, they were always with one of the traitorous members, often commenting on how tired the victim was and how much rest they needed. It usually got a shrug or a wave of the hand, letting the mage suck away until they were satisfied.

With my considerable reserves, I alleviated this bleeding somewhat but I knew that this would only make the group more suspicious. Alteria knew that as well so she allowed things to take their course, even if she greatly despised it.

Luckily for her, the mages had stopped their feasting on the populace as I felt the gathering of great mana back at the inn.

“So how is this gonna work?” my mother asked, leaning to the side of the open window with a frown on her face while I sat in the middle of the room. Alteria stood by the door, observing me carefully.

“Once they’ve made contact, we’ll learn where the majority of their forces are hiding. The elves and our third agent will follow them back and we’ll send the word out to Crown Prince, Tainn, and Grand Elder, Lorentia. Once we’ve taken out every mage, then our forces can put their full might into stopping this war. I… am also prepared for what we must do,” she said.

I spoke not a word, instead choosing to perform the same actions as last time. Conjuring up my spirit, and detaching it from my body, I flew out over the town of Mapik. If I were to be surprised at anything, it’d be that they chose to do this in the morning. For such a scheming, sinister lot, I figured they’d enjoy pulling off their shit when the moon rested in the night sky. There was a rather distinct charm to weaving yourself through the shadows to get to your treasure. Over the course of my voyages at sea, I’d done it numerous times. Most times I got caught, but the others were a grand thrill unlike any other.

Either way, I entered the inn for what felt like the twentieth time in the last few days. At this point, I bet I could cook better shit on the wooden plates than the damn cook they hired. I flew through the walls, ignoring the usual wards the group set up until I found them all huddled around each other at the lowest part of the inn. The mages were seated around a circle with the other soldiers guarding the doors.

Like a squall at the edge of the sea, I saw the magical runes floating around in the air. While I could mess with the runes if I wished, there was no point currently. Instead, I took a seat behind one of the mages and placed my hand on his back. I watched him shiver for a moment or two, prompting one of his mates to question him.

“You’re losing focus. What’s the problem?”

“Nothing. Something felt cold is all.”

Smirking, I closed my eyes and aligned my mana with his. As expected, I felt the pull of my consciousness. It was like having my fucking brain pulled out of my skull through a small hole. Nevertheless, my consciousness went with them, likely crossing the vastness of the Hæňgaram Empire. I wasn’t sure how far I had traveled. There was only darkness all around me, deadening all of my senses. Hell, despite my spirit not needing air, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I was sinking further and further into a dark abyss, the pressure almost threatening to tear me apart.

Thankfully, my persistence paid off. The mana within me settled and I was granted my sight back. I opened my eyes and whistled. “Fuck, quite the army you’ve rounded up for yourself,” I thought as I saw at least two hundred mages and five hundred enemy soldiers gathered around a large underground sanctuary, all of them arguing and hurling insults at each other. They stood around a large magic matrix embedded on the ground. The hall they were in was fucking grand, I’d figured it to be a type of underground temple of sorts.

Pillars of burned ivory reached high to the top of the ceiling in a circle, twelve in total. In the distance, I recognized statues dedicated to various gods and goddesses of Hæňgaram to the left and right of the entrance to the building. However, one stood at the center of them all.

While the rest of the masses raged below me, their incorporeal forms moving about the ground like rats, I flew to the statue of Lumnina. When I looked upon her, I started to get a feeling that I might know where the hell these people were located. For being a damn statue, I wasn’t sure why this particular one seemed to cause me to worry. It was like it was alive and not alive at the same time. I saw the numerous magic runes swirling around it, almost as if keeping it sealed shut, but it was a magic I’d not been familiar with. Just floating next to it made my body tremble. I’d not known such a thing since Delverhold.

By the time I realized it, all the shouting had stopped. I turned my attention to the very top of the temple. Imagine my fucking surprise when I saw Zevmar walk out of the temple, glaring down at the forces for their unruly behavior.

To say I was stumped was a damn understatement. I’d been in the know on the bastard's movements across the battlefield, pushing back the enemy as the Hero of the Empire. Hell, even now he was supposed to be warring against the nation of Sairan with the Royal Chickenshit, Tainn. They should be fighting the fierce battle even as I flew around this group of warriors and mages. Yet, here the fucker stood, proud as ever. I knew it was him because I sensed the numerous blessings poured into his body. In fact, I dared not get too close lest he sensed my trail of mana. No clone or mana construction could hold so many blessings at once, no matter how minor unless it’d been given mana the quality of Liara. Not even I could do it.

I fired through as many theories as I could, ranging from the one on the battlefield being a mana construct to it being another in disguise. It pissed me off that all of my theories, though some more unreasonable than others, held water in one capacity or another. What I wouldn’t give to contact someone for more information. Unfortunately, that would require too much mana, mana that was already draining at an alarming rate just to keep my consciousness tethered to this group. In the end, I merely continued to observe.

It seemed that one individual wasn’t perturbed by his presence. He pushed himself through the crowd of men and women, his form considerable in strength and stature. How lucky for me, he was one of the men I’d come along with. “What is this meaning of this, Lightfeather? Was this all a plot to have us dwindle down our forces until there was no one left to contend with the Empire? You said that this would be easy. You said that the nation would fall before the Month of Harvest was over. Yet the only thing that seems to be falling is the bodies of our forces at every turn! They know where we are all the time. Another battalion has been wiped out an hour ago. We’re bleeding…”

I watched the warrior swiftly fall to silence when Zevmar held up a hand. With but one hand, the chaos of the room stilled. “It has been made known to me,” he said, his visage clearly displeased by the news presented to him. I watched the mana within him stir violently.

“It seems that I have underestimated my home and its determination to keep its flag standing amongst the people. It would appear that the young pirate, the Destroyer of C’ula, Eric Drakclaw, battles in the name of the Hæňgaram Empire,” Zevmar announced, sending a ripple of shock through the masses gathered around him.

As for me, I wasn’t surprised. I already knew this was gonna happen. You don’t survive as a pirate without a bit of forethought. Besides, it mattered not to me if he knew I was the one standing against him or not. His irritation was enough to tell me just what he thought of my presence.

No one said a word. I knew they all had trouble making sense of what they were hearing. Of course, it’d seem unlikely since Hæňgaram held such a strong stance against my kind. Even if their backs were against the wall, with their families and empire about to be burned to the ground, the lot would never seek the aid of a pirate. Well, at least the majority of them would. Hell, the lot who were working with me now continued to soak in their stewed mess of accepting their defiled flag so long as it remained blowing the empire’s strong winds.

“Not that we doubt you, Lord Zevmar, but if your words ring true, then this plan has failed. With the number of mages we have left, it will be impossible to summon the beast even with the materials in place. With the failed conquest of Nuluk, we’ve yet to establish a firm foothold in the empire. Some have even… speculated an early withdrawal,” another said while Zevmar’s frown deepened.

He closed his eyes, perhaps taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “Worry not. Eric Drakclaw shall not be a concern. I already have an idea who he’s allied with. Additionally, his interference will work in our favor. The seeds of dissension will flow through the waters of Hæňgaram’s seas. We shall emerge victorious. It has already been prophesied,” he said, opening his eyes once he was done.

“Well, ain’t you just the deepest barrel of whale shit on the stripping docks,” I thought to myself.

Finally, Zevmar turned away from the crowd. “However, you are correct. Our method of unleashing the beast has been lost to us for now. Gather your remaining forces and converge upon this location. While the greatest advantage has been lost to us, we will proceed without it. In the meantime, I shall take the extra measures to combat this thorn,” he stated, pretty sure of himself despite the puddle of shit I’d no doubt forced him to walk through. He raised his hand, an orb-like artifact meant for storing knowledge appearing in it.

I gazed upon it and immediately my mind was filled with the location that all these bastards would converge on. I just never thought it’d be the fucking catacombs of the Lightfeather estate. I’d never gotten the honor of seeing inside the Lightfeather estate nor the illustrious tombs of their dead, but I should have guessed they’d be the fucking sort to build up a temple to the Lumnina, one of the grandest light goddesses, in D’orn.

Once the light faded, another, a female captain from a separate kingdom, spoke. “And you’re confident that this pirate won’t be a concern? There are many aboard his ship that wield extraordinary power as well. It’s been claimed that even one of the Black Traders lies aboard his ship. The resources garnered him if such a thing is true could be of further concern,” the woman said, clearly not convinced.

I couldn’t resist the grin on my face, knowing the lass spoke of my Quartermaster. As a woman bathed in the realm of illegal trade, Ellen had a great many contacts throughout almost every kingdom. I’d made proper use of them since taking over the Dead Tales, though this was more with selling the rest of Ymrindle’s corpse. Unsurprisingly, there were few concerns from competitors. Ellen’s natural reputation took care of that load. Ain’t many lucky to have crossed her and lived. Were they that lucky, they sure as hell didn’t boast about it. One wrong word and Ellen would know about it.

I turned my attention back to Zevmar just in time to hear him speak. “They shall not be a concern either. While I was in a meeting with the Emperor, I’d heard about talented, yet unruly individuals. Some of them plunder and strip the battlefields bare, not the stance of Hæňgaram soldiers. They are even more unruly than the average mercenaries whom the empire has employed into its service,” he said.

“The pirate has his crew running around then,” another finished, pulling everyone’s thoughts together out.

“Indeed, but it shall not last. His interference shall come to an end,” Zevmar said, making sure all heard his voice.

I would have stayed for longer but I noticed the severe dip in my mana. For such a drop as this, I had to have traveled from one part of the Empire to the other. If I didn’t release this spell, my consciousness would be adrift in a sea of the void for all eternity. Aye, while it was a shame to part now, I’d gotten what I needed along with a few questions for the Balamar Knight.

Cast one last look at Zevmar before I released my hold on the spell. Just as when I’d gone, the void surrounded my senses even faster when I’d left. I drifted until the darkness around me turned warm. When I opened my eyes, I saw the rest of the mages still huddled around the room. Taking my hand off the back of the one I was attached to, I left the inn and retreated back to my own body.

When I opened my eyes, my eyes blurred. I startled my mother and Alteria when I fell over. The experience had left my mind and body severely rattled. It’d be rather embarrassing, but I’d have to wait for my sea legs to return. At the moment, I wasn't confident that I could stand up without falling on my ass again.

“Eric, what the fuck happened to you?” my mother asked, kneeling at my side and pulling me back upright.

While her concern was unnecessary, I never thought my damned heart would appreciate it so. Seas knew I would have done anything for it back when I was a young boy. Well, younger than I was now.

“A lot of shit, Mother. Quite a lot. How much time has passed?” I questioned, turning my attention to Alteria. She gave a swift glance at the clock on the wall and faced me.

“Ten minutes, twenty perhaps. Have you discovered anything?” she asked.

I almost felt insulted that the lass would even ask that. “Aye, I found out quite a bit,” I said, reaching into my pouch and pulling out a vial of blue liquid. I drank the mixture, my face scrunching up from its sourness. Nevertheless, I felt my mana levels rise quickly. Nei and Lei eyed me from where they sat on my legs.

I soon tossed the vial away and grunted. “Best tell me now, Alteria. Does that hero of yours have some twin brother I ain’t know about?” I inquired, my throat rather dry from the drink I’d just consumed.

By Lady Knight’s expression, I could already tell the answer to my question was a resounding no. “You saw Zevmar?” she asked, clearly perplexed when I nodded my head.

“Aye, that I did. In all his heroic glory, he stood on the steps of some underground temple, its floors graced by the statutes of your empire’s gods. Suffice it to say, he’s aware of me and my crew. He also didn’t say it outright, but you best be on your guard as well,” I replied, glancing at Lady Knight. She firmly nodded before she grew worried.

“He’s supposed to be on the battlefield with Crown Prince Tainn. If he’s in this temple, then who is the one facing the enemy?” the ostracized female knight questioned, echoing my thoughts from earlier.

“No idea, but you’ve got good fortune going for you. When that lot of mages are done with whatever they need, I’ll message Aesteal and Maeloson the location of his little hideout,” I answered, turning to my mother at the same time. “Mother, send word to Ellen to recall my crew to the ship. Our time on the front has passed for now,”

Wordlessly, my mother agreed. She quickly stood up and began weaving the magics I’d taught her back on Delverhold and during our travels. I watched the ancient runes swirl around her as she no doubt communed with Ellen.

“And where is he located?” Alteria asked.

“The Lightfeather estate, or below it at the very least,” I said. I watched Alteria swiftly pull out a map of the Empire’s lands.

“Which one?” she asked.

Should I have been surprised that the fucker’s family had more than one estate?

Probably not considering all the knowledge Liara had pushed into my head about nearly every kingdom and empire that had come before. However, there was just something about hearing it for yourself that added to the damned grandiose air of it all.

“How many has the bastard got?” I asked, still wrapping my head around this shit. Not even the Balamar family had more than two.

“The Lightfeather family has a total of seven estates spread throughout Hæňgaram, four of them were awarded to Zevmar for his service to the empire,” Lady Knight answered.

…Fucking nobles, I swear.

Then again, that was quite a lot of wealth that a deadman might no longer need. While I couldn’t hit every estate, one or two didn’t seem unreasonable. I was sure Ellen and my mother wouldn’t mind robbing the Lightfeather estates of their money vaults.

I looked at the map and pointed to the far northeast of the map of the empire. “Somewhere in here,” I said.

Alteria frowned. “The Mountains of Kiv. Those are fairly treacherous with numerous steep curves and sharp caverns. One fall can spell one’s demise. No one knew what the Lightfeathers did in that area. Many believed it to be a special place to train the heirs and heiresses of the family head. If he’s sending enemy forces there, then there must be a way for them to traverse its deadly range,” she assumed.

Once I no longer felt so unsteady, I managed to get off the floor and reach the bed. “I be sure that such a place will have no difficulty for Maeloson and Aesteal. In fact, I bet the two of them would feel right at home there,” I said. Knowing Fgg’rial and its northernmost lands, there were plenty of ice-tipped mountains and densely populated forests that her people called home. Additionally, I’d not forgotten An’raie’s piqued interest into Alteria’s odd heritage. If her former Order knew of it, then I sure as hell had no idea where they sent her to train her so vigorously. Neither did I know why they’d wish to let go of such a fine warrior.

“We shall see when the time comes. Was there anything else you were able to gather?” she questioned.

“Aye. Best inform your superiors to prepare warding spells against fire and fire spells. Your hero seemed so assured that I’d no longer be a concern to him and the rest of his forces. If that be the case, there’s likely only one person he’s gonna send,” I replied.

I spotted concern on Alteria’s face but my mother asked before she could. “That fire bitch from before? You kicked her ass last time. How’ll this time be any different?” she asked.

“Probably cause I’ll be fending off the rest of the damn Hæňgaram forces on the front lines. If the lass is left alone she’ll decimate the rest of the Empire before they’ll even have a chance to counter. I bet Zevmar only planned to use her as a last resort. She was assigned a shitty detail as a guard to one of the nobles,” I uttered, which made me receive concerning looks.

Clearly, Alteria had no idea who we were talking about. She hadn’t been on my ship when I’d faced Seraphina. I was also willing to bet that her loss to me made her greatly upset and willing to do anything to stand against me. It was just as well to my benefit to meet her again. There were things I wished to talk with her about, things that the Liara of my time clearly warned me about. Still, there had to be a reason she’d ally with a bastard like Zevmar. Given her temperament, the lass didn’t seem the type to follow orders willingly. If something was going on here, I’d have to prepare for it to greater effect. In fact…

“Mother, inform Ellen that we shall converge at this town,” I said as my mother eyed the piece of the map I pointed to. She nodded and moved to contact Ellen again while Alteria observed. I knew that Lady Knight didn’t agree with my decision and she was about to tell me so but I managed to beat her to it.

“Your princess and her forces will be following Aesteal and Maeloson. I also trust them to handle anything Zevmar might have. Besides, if that one at the temple is fake then it’ll be better to confront the bastard on the front lines. Between all the fighting, should your crown prince fire an unlucky arrow or two, or ten, then who’s to say what happened? It be a bet that works out for almost everyone,” I stated, Alteria glaring at the map with a deep frown on her face.

“And it looks like you’ll be going with them,” My mother said, pointing to Alteria.

“What do you mean?” Lady Knight asked.

“By Ellen’s own words, you’re on the entire empire’s shit list for colluding with pirates and enemy forces. Apparently, Zevmar, or whoever the fuck’s on the battlefield, claimed that the losses sustained were because of a traitor. Turns out you couldn’t take the hatred of your brethren and decided to seek vengeance. It won’t be long before every soldier’s out for your head,” my mother announced.

I looked at Alteria. Surprisingly, she didn’t appear too concerned or troubled by the news. We’d expected such a thing and she was prepared for it. However, I wasn’t expecting the sad smile on her face. “I think they would have believed it even if there was no war,” she mumbled to herself, though it wasn’t impossible for my mother and I to hear her.

I pondered her loneliness for a while before she stood up. “By the Grand Elder’s orders, I am responsible for you, Eric Drakclaw. My punishment will already be severe when this is over, but were I to leave you alone I fear what shall become of me more.”

I shrugged, not caring one way or the other. It was clear that she knew it’d be almost impossible for her allies not to notice our relationship once we headed to the front lines. If she were prepared to hang herself for a nation that disavowed her so, then I’d not protest.

“So please tell me. Who is Seraphina Xhalbrun? By your words, she seems to be someone mighty,” Alteria asked.

A grin appeared on my face. I was prepared to grace her with the stories of the Bringer of Fire before our ears picked up on the toll of the town bell and the scrambling of soldiers. Chaos spread through the streets. Quick to her feet, Alteria grabbed her sword and looked out the window. I imagined her surprise when I saw a flaming boulder pass by our window. It crashed into the town square, men and women screaming while soldiers hollered commands left and right. A captain rode in on a horse and we heard the people in our inn scramble. Fists banged against doors.

“The enemy approaches! Evacuate the town! Evacuate immediately!” A soldier shouted, sprinting up and down the halls.

Another fireball flew through the skies and crashed into a house this time, spreading its burning wrath to all buildings close enough to it. “What the fuck’s going on out there?” My mother questioned.

Before I could even speak, I saw Alteria open the window. True to form, she dashed out and landed on the ground, sprinting through the people. When an elderly woman fell over, Lady Knight helped her up and moved her along. My mother and I watched her go before I grabbed my coat and readied my disguise. “Try not to get yourself killed,” my mother said.

“I died once, mother. I shall not go through it a second time,” I answered. I then kissed her fervently. She accepted my lips and rubbed my chest before we jumped out of the window as well.

When I landed, I heard Aesteal contact me. “Sir, what’s going on? The town suddenly devolved into war!” my beloved elf said within the depths of my mind.

“Looks like a force from one of Zevmar’s allies has come upon the town of Mapik. Worry not about it. Tell the royal princess I got her location. By Alteria’s words, you’re headed to the Mountains of Kiv. Make sure you do not lose sight of the mages and their damn cohorts. They’ll no doubt try to scurry off like rats amidst the chaos!” I fired back as I saw the gates to the town close. Arrows of fire flew through the air, raining down in rapid succession. Cursing, I drew water from the air, knocking what I could out of the air.

“Yes, sir! May the spirits protect you,” Aesteal said.

I would have chuckled had the situation been lighter than this. As soldiers scrambled, I doused the flames on buildings with more of the water supplied to me. My mother ran with me, ignoring the protests of the Hæňgaram soldiers.

“For the might of Hæňgaram! Let the gods judge their souls!” the captain hollered from atop the highest point of the town’s stone walls. Archers returned fire as best they could. Unfortunately, it seemed that their best wasn’t enough as two of them fell from their tower, the enemy’s arrows sending them to the afterlife.

The gates to the town shook like they were struck by a battering ram. The cry of the enemy moved through my ears. The clashing of swords, the brunt force ramming of shields, and the whipping air from flying arrows, all of these culminated in a mighty orchestra conducted by the leaders of both sides. One of the Hæňgaram soldiers screamed before he was pierced through the heart. He fell off the wall and succumbed to his injuries.

More balls of fire flung from the string of catapults. I sensed a vastness of magic beginning to come upon the city. An earth spell and a fire spell, each one bringing enough devastation to level Mapik into nothingness. Luckily for the town, I didn’t need to see the enemy mages to disrupt their plans. With the Mark of Hoɖ, I rewrote the runes in the air as my mother and I came upon the city gates.

“What are you two doing here? Evacuate the city at once!” One of the soldiers ordered as we walked past him.

My mother grabbed her whip. “Best you not take too long, Eric. I might clean up the bastards before you!” she boasted, using her considerable leg strength to hop onto the wall. Before the Empire’s soldiers could even judge her presence, she jumped into the air and over the wall. Then, I heard the screams outside. The battering against the town’s door stopped immediately. The ancient runes of the Wizened Owl moved through the other side of the battlefield.

“Who the hell is that?” a soldier questioned.

“A welcome interloper. Follow the woman’s lead and push back the enemy! Let them know the fury of attacking our home and our people!” The Captain ordered.

His voice rallied his troops. Infantry soldiers jumped off the town’s walls and charged into battle. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few Hæňgaramians far down the street, guiding away the summoning mages and the remaining forces from the Siege of Nuluk. They ran the opposite way of the battle, no doubt the traitorous Hæňgaram men leading them out under the guise of protecting civilians. It mattered not where they ran, Aesteal and Maeloson would be upon them.

I turned my attention back to the battle ahead. A ball of fire flew through, but I swiftly stopped that one before it got too close. It broke apart in the air while spells and magic items ran across the ground.

I hopped onto the wall, finally seeing the battlefield before me. 700 enemy soldiers stood against the gates of Mapik with only 100 to 150 soldiers of the empire to protect it. I understood this enemy to be a force from the Nation of Borrahm, a united land in the business of ore mining. They were one of the few nations to have a dwarven king. The state of their armor was a testament to their blacksmithing heritage. That said, many would dismiss the notion of a nation like theirs having a dwarven king since their helmets were fashioned with the tips of wings resembling Hermes.

My mother ran over the dirt road, wood, and stone barriers doing nothing to halt her advance. She broke through them all. Some swung their swords at her or fire upon her with arrows, but she was too quick for most of them. One strike of her whip was enough to drag their souls into the ruined sands forevermore. Still, she just couldn’t help burying her leg into the crotch of an unfortunate bastard who crossed her path.

“Hey, what are you doing?! Get down from there!”

I decided to take the suggestion and jumped off the side of the wall, entering the battlefield as well. While my mother and I could have cleaned this up quickly, I’d rather not do it too fast. No doubt that lot were planning on this little invasion to sneak out of the city. While entering might be easy, leaving wouldn’t be even with the word of fellow soldiers.

I stared at the bodies littered before me, Hæňgaram and Borrahm alike. Alteria thrust her sword into her enemy, blood splattering across her armor. The arrows flew but none of them hit their mark. Neither did the flaming nor the magic spells. I stopped them all without much concern. In fact, I’d say the lads of Borrahm were the concerned ones when their comrades’ bodies exploded right next to them. I savagely pulled the water out of their bodies, anything else inside flowing with it. The Borrahmites stepped back in obvious shock, watching the blood of their friends stain their garbs.

If the Hæňgaramians had any concerns about what was happening, they didn’t show it. Instead, they charged at their enemies with Alteria leading them. However, their advance didn’t last for long. The ground beneath my feet trembled, splitting apart like an open crevice. Looking out, I saw my mother stumble back.

In front of her was a dwarf, clad in grey dragon bone armor. In his hand was a large battle hammer, dwarven runes etched into its silver surface dedicated to Ordrad, the dwarven god of mining and underground agriculture.

“‘Fraid that’s as far as you’re gonna go, girl! I got no hard feelings with you. Surrender now or face the Borhoth, the Sinker of Plains!” he said.

I absently remembered the dwarf in question. He was something of a man who’d supposedly discovered one of Ordrad’s mightiest creations, a hammer forged in divine silver. In proper hands, one swing was said to split an entire continent. Of course, I’d never seen this feat and Liara mentioned that Ordrad liked to boast of his damn achievements a tad too much to any willing ear.

Alteria glanced at me but I urged her onward. It’d be a mighty shame for Borrahm but they’d be losing both a mighty warrior and a mighty weapon.

“Don’t expect me to make the same counteroffer,” my mother said before she was quickly surrounded by Borrahm troops on all sides.

“Shame. I’ll make sure to give you a proper dwarven burial,” he said before horror rolled through his face when the forces surrounding my mother collapsed into puddles of mangled bodies, courtesy of my actions.

“What?!” the dwarf exclaimed, distracted by what he’d just seen. However, that distraction was more than enough. My mother struck the side of his face with her whip. Hæňgaram would remember his screams as the runes on my mother’s whip removed his soul from his body. His body fell to the ground with a hard thud.

The Borrahmites stepped back, a few favoring guns to close combat. My mother erected a magic barrier while the catapults fired. Hæňgaramians screamed when the balls of fire struck the ground. My mother danced out of the way, bullets laced with magic pushing against her shield. As she wasn’t too experienced with magic, her barrier didn’t last for too long. So, I stepped in and formed a wall of water around her.

My mother charged back into the advancing troops. Meanwhile, Alteria and the captain of the town roared the troops to life. Hæňgaram combat sorcerers unleashed volleys of third-tier spells while others supplied their allies with enhancement magic.

The battlefield came alive with the sounds of harsh combat. Unfortunately, I’d had to release my use of the Mark of Hoɖ. There were too many spells raging about for me to disable them all. Plus, the damned Mark used too much of my mana. My potions couldn’t keep up with it over such a prolonged period, especially not after numerous days of continued use.

Alteria leapt into the air, clashing swords with a warrior for off. The warrior’s blade became enflamed thanks to the fire runes embedded in its steel. Off to the side, I saw my mother grunt in pain when she was punched and kicked away. A fighter, skilled and disciplined stood in her way. My mother clutched her whip while the fighter glared at her.

“You are strong but unpolished. It is quite hard to get rid of the habits that men have cultivated for so many years of their lives. Your fists have not tasted the sun’s burning glory for many passings. So long as I stay away from that whip of yours, you will not overcome me,” he said.

I watched my mother pick herself up, pushing blood away from her lip. I thought to interfere but I stayed my hand. If there was one thing my mother never needed it was coddling. She’d sooner kick my ass than think she would need to be babied in the midst of battle. Besides, she didn’t seem put off by having her advances rebuffed. In fact, dare I say she enjoyed it?

“Good to know,” my mother replied, dust staining her auburn hair. She quickly found herself surrounded by another group of Borrahm soldiers. Nevertheless, she waved me onward, asking that I not intervene. She then cracked the air with her whip beckoning her enemies to come upon her.

Accepting her desires, I swung my hands left and right. Even without the Mark of Hoɖ, I still dispatched my enemies rather easily. Their heads were blown off when I punctured them with blades of water. The Hæňgaramians started to overrun them. Battle horns blew in my ears. Then came thundering hooves, rocking the ground like a series of earth spells.

“Hold the line! Remember your friends! Remember your families! Know what will befall them if your shield does not stand strong, if your sword does not strike true! FOR THE EMPEROR!” The Captain hollered.

“FOR THE EMPIRE!” the soldiers reverberated. Unfortunately, the cheers from one of them were cut short when an arrow went right through his throat. He fell dead on the ground while I turned my attention to the one hundred men charging down the hills to meet us.

My lips cracked a smile. “It almost be a shame to ruin such a charge,” I said as I singled out one of the horses and split off one of its hooves. That sent it tumbling down into the rest. Borrahm soldiers cried as they tried to control their horses on their descent down. I took out another ten more and the cavalry was brought down before it could even meet the Hæňgaram forces. Some of them fell and didn’t get back up. The soldiers of the empire stabbed through them without mercy, fire, lightning, and earth spells continuing to fly through the air.

Stepping forward, I quickly noticed the heat of fire to my left. I turned my head and a woman hollered, glaring at me hatefully. Five bodies of Alteria’s men lay at her feet, their corpses still burning. She swiftly came upon me. Intrigued, I pulled out my rapier. Ice clashed with fire, pushing those around us away.

“This feeling. You’re Eric Drakclaw, aren’t you? I sense the same mysterious energies in you that I feel in my mistress. I was told this was supposed to be a simple siege of a town. Only you would bring a headache to our forces like this,” she said, the metal between our swords bashing together,  burning and freezing the ground behind us respectively.

Amused, I spoke. “Now what pirate in his right mind would come into Hæňgaram? I think you’ve lost your mind in the heat of battle,” I replied to the woman. Taking the time to look at her, she sported hair even redder than my mother’s. Her eyes were colored like her hair and the flames of her blade made me sweat.

“Many have called Eric Drakclaw insane. I wouldn’t put it past him to do something like this. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I will kill you for the shame you’ve brought on my mistress. I’ll then personally deliver the men and women of your ship to my mistress! I look forward to seeing them turn to cinders for what you’ve done despite how young you are,” she fired back, trying to push me back. Nevertheless, I didn’t budge.

“Aye, your mistress thinks of me, does she? However, if she couldn’t best me, what makes you think you can, if I were Eric Drakclaw that is?” I asked.

The redhead scowled. “You will find out now!” She roared, swinging her blade. I parried her shots, hail of fire and ice spewing across the open road.

I jumped back and the woman was already upon me. Just one slash from her scarred the ground at my feet before I effortlessly pushed her away. That said, despite the fun I was having, I quickly discovered other things. Just as with Zevmar and Seraphina, I wasn’t able to kill this woman easily, well… not from the inside like I’d done with most of her force. The water inside her simply refused to bend to my will. In fact, it almost seemed like there was something prohibiting me from controlling it. Ever since returning to this life, I’d encountered this quite a few times. Yet, I had no explanation for it.

Focusing myself, the woman charged at me again. Her flaming sword blazing brightly. The chill of my rapier surrounded my arm. We clashed again, the ground tearing beneath our feet. Over and over, we danced around each other. Her movements were swift and her strikes precise. I moved my head out of the way of her sword. She nipped a few of the strands from my hair while my sword nicked the side of her face. We stepped back, the battle growing fiercer around us.

“For such a mighty blade, you wield it like an amateur. I feel sorry for the smith who forged such a mighty weapon for scum like you,” she chastised, poising herself for another assault.

“Aye, not so much forged for me as I plucked it from the ruins of his cold, dead lands. You’ve yet to make me wield it any better,” I retorted, clearly making her angrier. I cast a wink at her until she furiously swung her sword, an arc of flames roaring across the field.

I stabbed my rapier into the ground, unleashing a torrent of ice shards. Frost and flames collided with each other, pushings clouds of mist over the war-torn ground. The woman probably thought the clouds obstructed my vision, but I spotted her clearly. She danced from one side to the other, appearing overhead at the end.

We clashed again, mana coating our blades. She lightly panted, casting enhancement magic on herself to increase her power. I watched her, but I spotted my mother out of the corner of my eye. She was no longer surrounded, but her face was in the dirt, kicked away by the man standing in front of her.

“Do you have the time to look away from me?” the woman asked, appearing behind me. She swung at me. Her sword, mighty and inspiring, blasted toward me. I parried her blow with my rapier, sending a blast of fire screaming into the trees in the distance.

I eyed her, amused by her attacks assault. “A pirate’s attention is quite fickle, lass. What worth have you to all of my attention?” I asked as I faced another twenty Borrahm soldiers and slaughtered them with a wave of my hand, the water inside them tearing them apart. She seethed.

“Are you not taking me seriously?!” she inquired.

“You’ve yet to give me a reason to,” I said as I cast a hastening spell upon myself.

Before the woman could even move, I planted my foot in her back and kicked her away. She recovered fairly well, her shoes sliding across the dirt road. If looks could kill, I’d be a stain on her boots about now. Screaming like a banshee of the Forsaken Plains, she swung her sword again. The flames became so hot they burned even her own men. A few unlucky soldiers of the empire were swept away in the burning tides.

As the flames came upon me, I steadied my grip on my rapier. I chanted another movement spell, the battlefield became a bit of a blur around me until I appeared behind the woman with the flaming sword. She hadn’t even recognized my presence just yet. Her eyes remained focused on where I was.

“The realm of magic and swords be vaster than anything you’ve yet to experience, Lass. Not that I blame you, I was of the same sort none too long ago. Nevertheless, I shall offer you its first lesson,” I thought as I allowed her to sense my mana.

She turned around in shock, barely praying my blow as hordes of ice and fire flew back into the air. “You… How-” she questioned before I slipped past her again. Left and right she turned, only just blocking me once again.

“From what I can tell you’re definitely better than most of the Sairanians whom I’ve battled with. Be that the case, you’re incapable of stopping me, Lass. If I was Eric Drakclaw, that is,” I taunted.

It was a taunt she didn’t appreciate. The flames grew in response to her rage but that didn’t matter to me. In fact, it soon didn’t matter to her either. I drew upon the water in the air, pulling from every direction that I could. Our blades crossed hundreds, if not thousands of times, the only sight being the streaks of light moving across the area. By the time she recognized what I was doing, it was too late. The heads of over 500 Borrahm soldiers exploded over the battlefield, courtesy of the water I’d forced them all to inhale. What was once a mighty battlefield for the fate of a single town turned into a sea of white and blue Hæňgaramian armor. At the feet of the soldiers lay their enemies. Even Alteria was shocked by what she’d seen.

The woman facing me looked around, suddenly finding herself with not too many allies. Intense glorious combat, not even minutes passing had slowed to a dreaded silence on all sides. Still living Borrahm soldiers stepped back in utter shock, the cruel carnage almost sucking the very urge to scream out of their lungs.

Then came a gunshot. I turned my head and the fighter who’d given my mother so much trouble lay dead on the ground. In my mother’s hand was the pistol that killed him, still smoking from the fired round.

“Turns out a gun works just as well when you’re distracted,” my mother said to herself, walking over the fallen warrior’s corpse for emphasis.

The woman and I continued to look at each other, even as the enemy suddenly blew the horn to retreat. “This be the part where you scurry off,” I stated.

“Best you kill me now. For I swear, there shall not be a next time,” she retorted.

As a pirate I was very much tempted to end this mysterious woman’s life here and now. It sure as hell wasn’t in my nature to leave those alive who wronged me for too long, especially not with Borelli fresh in my mind. However, I chose to do so only because I supposedly needed Seraphina’s help. Again, for what, I had no fucking idea, but I doubted I’d be in her good graces if I were to kill the bootlicker in front of me.

“I’ve faced mightier foes than you, lass. You’ve a lot to learn,” I said as I turned around and walked away. The woman scowled but she quickly saw the approaching Hæňgaram soldiers. I heard her sheath her sword and head off with the rest of the Borrahm forces.

A few of the loyal soldiers of the empire chased after them on the orders of the captain. I didn’t care one way or the other as my mother rejoined me. “You sure this is a good idea? Letting those fuckers go?” she asked.

I snorted. “Aye. No matter how stubborn the Hæňgaram lot be, even they won’t defend shit that’s impossible to hold. I bet the only reason they even tried was to get their citizens out of town. It won’t be long before the enemy returns. They’ll take the town and Hæňgaram will have vacated it. Besides, that lass’ll send Seraphina a message I wish delivered. Knowing her temperament, she won’t let it go,” I answered.

I watched my mother grumble as she rubbed the side of her face. She was lined with bruises and wounded pride. I understood why. Despite my mother’s history as a pirate, we ain’t usually the lot to be fighting well-trained soldiers day in and day out. While her body was tempered and well-built, my mother’s prowess as a warrior still remained untested by the fires of actual combat. That was indeed something I’d have to address in the future.

For now, I brushed a piece of her hair from her face and rubbed the dirt off her cheek. Confused, she looked at me until her cheeks turned red.

Unfortunately, our moment was ruined when we heard the cocking of guns. We turned our heads, frowning when we saw Alteria surrounded on all sides. Her allies, her people, pointed their bayonets and poison-tipped arrows at her. She was stunned, almost in sheer disbelief. The sweat on her brow from the battle hadn’t even fallen off yet.

“Alteria Balamar, Knight-Captain of the Hæňgaram Empire, you are hereby charged with treason to His Majesty, the Emperor, and for conspiring with enemy forces to undermine Hæňgaramian rule. Do not resist and we shall treat you fairly!” the Captain said, his voice piercing through the crowd.

The frown on my face deepened while my mother grunted. “That fucker works fast,” she whispered to me.

I agreed. I’d not thought that Zevmar would already get the emperor to send out word about Alteria so soon. Even then, I wondered how he would have sent that information out. Unless the mages had sent the knowledge out through a complex spell for information transferring, I knew not how it’d be possible to reach this town so quickly.

After the gunners and archers, the rest of the soldiers surrounded Alteria. Not one of them, man or woman, was willing to come to her aid or second guess the command. Then again, I don’t know many Hæňgaram that openly question orders from their superiors. It was probably why the nation had ruined itself to such a pitiful state.

The soldiers made way for the captain to appear. “To think a traitor would rise through the ranks of the military and achieve such a rank. It just shows that we’ve grown lax during these times of peace. Though, I don’t think anyone would be surprised to learn that you would be the traitor. It’s in your blood after all,” he uttered ruthlessly.

Alteria eyed him carefully. “Captain Himil, I…”

Like a shot fired from my mother’s gun, the captain’s hand swung across Alteria’s face, shocking her and making her stumble back. “You no longer have the right to speak my name, traitor! Soiling the body of our beloved empress clearly wasn’t enough for you. You desired the Emperor’s throne, all for your inane vanity. Had I my way I’d have you executed right here. I pray that Lumnina guides the souls of those who fell to your plot to paradise,” he said.

I watched as the soldiers tremble with grief and rage, the war having taken its toll upon many of them. “As for you, pray you to do us all a favor and die in your cell. Our soil is too good to have a traitor’s blood spilled upon it. May the gods judge you and may you never find the peace that your rotten soul desires. With you gone, the stain, the blight upon Hæňgaram’s beautiful flag shall be made wiped clean. It was a stain that should not have happened, should not have been born, and… should not have been tolerated. Take this accursed spawn away!” he ordered.

While I would have intervened anyway, I was stunned when Alteria looked to me, a pirate, for aid. Despite her words from before, the burden of her duty was too heavy to carry. Her legs trembled, unwilling to push mana into them to aid in her escape. With enemies on the far side and enemies on her side, Alteria found herself without a single friend. Her white hair was stained by the dirt and blood of those she’d fought against, her armor covered in dents and punctured holes. Yet, her people saw neither that nor her passionate love for them or her country.

Where it anyone else, I might laugh at the irony of it all. Yet, Lady Knight reminded this old shit of himself. Well, she was a bit too… honest for my tastes but I knew the betrayal stung her more than the slap did. It had for me as well. The dining of the sharks upon my flesh, the pain of broken arms and fingers, busted eyes and lips, none of that stung more than the sight of my crew sailing across the open seas with my Beloved wantonly caressed in their embrace.

Just like me, Alteria would drown in this sea of people, each bastard ripping apart her flesh until there was nothing left. I exhaled. “An’raie, I have need of you,” I said within the depths of my mind.

“I have known thine thoughts before thou even darest to speak them. Though thine desire to help is rather unusual, it is not unwelcome,” An’raie said as I watched her float into the air. She swarmed the corpses of the dead soldiers, whether Hæňgaram or Borrahm, and coated her hand in vile green magic.

Uttering a long-dead language, her magic seeped into the bodies. One by one, they groaned, standing to their feet with their flesh melting off their bones. Skeleton rose to the air, alerting every Hæňgaramian that had surrounded Alteria.

“Necromancy!” someone hollered.

An’raie lifted up her arms and the skeletons descended upon the masses. In hindsight, I suppose we were lucky they didn’t think Lady Knight the cause of this, instead pinning the blame on the Borrahm forces.

While the battle ensued, I couldn’t believe I saw Alteria’s indecision between escape and fucking helping the people who were seconds away from tossing her noble ass into the lowest prison cell of the Empire’s dungeons.

“Don’t let the traitor escape!” the captain hollered, unsheathing his sword and charging into the mass

Alteria was grabbed by two soldiers, holding her in place despite her protests. Granted, they didn’t hold her for very long. Casting another speed spell, I knocked them out from behind and grabbed Alteria’s hand. Joining my mother, I teleported us out of Mapik, about seven or so miles to the east.

Once we landed, Alteria grabbed my arm. “Send me back! They won’t be able to face that horde without me! They’ll see that I’m not a threat. You must send me back! I-I’m not a threat. I’m not!” she said, her tone suddenly frantic. I wasn’t even sure I was looking at the same woman who’d sailed aboard my ship with such grand posture and diligence. Her hair was shaken and unkempt while her eyes bore into mine.

“Ease your concerns. They’ll leave. Surely, you should have gotten used to An’raie’s magic arts by now,” I replied.

Her eyes widened while she slowly released me. “That was you?” she questioned, her tone now devoid of emotion. Somehow, I could tell by her tone she might not have approved of An’raie manipulating her fallen comrades in such a manner.

“Aye, unless you prefer I knock them out by suffocating them with water. Either way, should you really look so shocked? You claimed you were prepared for this,” I said, confused about the nature of her outbursts. I’d never seen her like this, not even when faced with the ingratitude of Eressa. In fact, I remembered back when that Ivious bastard and the rest of his sea-faring soldiers met with Alteria after we’d captured them. I’d seen hate, but not in a lot like that for one of their own.

Alteria continued to look at me for a long while. She turned around and walked away, the clanking of her armor fading off until they disappeared. I looked at my mother who just shrugged her shoulders. After some time, I saw An’raie float over to me. “I have controlled the usage of my mana upon the vessels I’ve spawned, they shall not prove too much of a challenge for the soldiers of this backwater empire. Pray thee to have no more need of me unless urgent,” she said, as she merged her soul with mine and settled back to her own devices.

Meanwhile, my mother walked over to me. Nei and Lei popped their heads out curiously. “What the hell was that all about? In fact, why do the fuckers hate her so much? They act like she’d tried to fucking assassinate the emperor in his sleep,” she said.

Unable to resist myself, I spoke. “Perhaps she did. Who knows what that lass is capable of,” I replied. My mother slapped my shoulder, clearly not believing the shit I’d just spewed out of my mouth.

Aye, it was odd. Over the course of our stay within the empire’s lands, I’d gotten to see just how harsh the treatment of Alteria by the soldiers was. As I felt it wasn’t any of my business, I never bothered looking deeply into it. Yet, her gaze for my help from before now made me wonder if I had to go on protecting her from her own fucking people.

While my mother and I waited for Alteria to return, I decided to head back into Mapik under an appropriate disguise as a soldier of course. Soldiers were scrambling to find Alteria with Himil barking orders. They searched all through town, and I took the time to head back into the inn we stayed at. I gathered up the things we hadn’t bothered to collect in a hurry, then left the town as easily as I came. As a reward for keeping the town standing, I also partook of the inn’s stores of wine, ale, and other finely seasoned beverages by the barrelful. I suppose I was lucky to craft more storage scrolls. It was only a shame that I hadn’t the time to plunder the battlefield. I really wished I’d gotten that hammer from that dwarf my mother killed.

Unfortunately, it was gone and I hadn’t the fullest desire to try and track it down. Instead, I rejoined my mother and Alteria, the latter joining back from wherever she went. The latter spoke not a word to me or my mother, instead keeping her head down. Such a deflated spirit from one such as her wasn’t what my mother and I were used to.

“So what now?” my mother asked, breaking the silence.

“We should have given that lot who ran away enough time to escape to set their minds at ease. Aesteal and Maeloson are tailing them close by. Little Princess and the rest of her men seem to be right behind them. They’ll head to those mountains where they’ll meet up with this Zevmar. As for us, we’re gonna make sure damn empire doesn’t go up in flames,” I replied.

Finally, Alteria seemed to find herself. She spoke, albeit in something of a whisper. “Even if it’s them, the Mountains of Kiv are very far. It will take days to get there. We’re not even sure if that’s the true Zevmar,” she said.

“Better to know when we arrive at the battlefield. Come. The magic put upon those soldiers won’t hold forever. Once the lot realize you’ve escaped, they’ll be searching for you like a thief who stole the king’s crown. ‘Twould be best to disguise yourself as well. We’ll be battling hordes of your allies should you not,” I added.

I’d not meant any harshness in my voice, yet I saw the crestfallen expression of Lady Knight. Her fingers brushed through her long, white hair. The look in her eyes told me that was remembering times long gone. I’d seen many a man with the same look, having it myself on more than one occasion. Even my mother had done it. When I was a young lad, I’d seen her stand in the broken mirror, anger and sadness at her formerly decrepit state while reminiscing of times when she looked as she did now. It wasn’t a look I enjoyed observing.

Either way, Alteria agreed with my decision and cast illusion magic on herself. Having been enchanted with Delverhold’s magic, her illusions would hold even against a talented mage. Of course, it was obvious she didn’t like it. She looked like a lass who’d had all that she owned stripped away from her without much to say about it.

We departed from Mapik, leaving the evidences of the war behind us. While we walked, Nei and Lei took the time to spring free from my pockets and smell the clean air, feasting on portions of its mana-rich substance. I’d known them to do this sometimes when food wasn’t readily available to them. Seeing as they didn’t do this all the time, I took that to mean this mana wasn’t pure enough to supply them with their needs like the enriched grasses, fruits, and vines that I’d typically prepared for them.

It took some time but we came across a road. However, we didn’t take it. Alteria reasoned that it’d be safer to travel through the woods and avoid the likelihood of enemy patrols. She added that it would also lessen the likelihood of confronting her own forces.

“You think we’ll have that much fucking trouble?” my mother questioned.

“I’m worried that you won’t. They… They are still my people. If you knock them out, that could leave them susceptible to any force that stumbles upon them, weakening what we already have. I also don’t wish more people hurt for my sake. Please,” she answered.

My mother and I glanced at each other. I rolled my eyes but agreed. My mother did so as well. We veered off the road and continued through the Empire’s luscious green forests until the sun fell from the sky. By the time we made camp, we’d come across at least two patrols, none of them Hæňgaramian. It was difficult besting them. The lot never even saw their killer before water puncutred their bodies like cannons in the hull of a ship.

As the night settled in the sky, we raised up our tents and started a fire. It would have been easy for me to procure us a meal, but Alteria volunteered instead. While I’d taken her for a warrior, I’d not thought her to be the hunting sort. Hell, I wondered if she even had the focus for it since all she’d done was gaze into the fire like she was under some sort of hypnotic trance.

Alteria left before we could reply, grabbing her sword and disappearing into the overgrowth.

“Never thought I’d see the day where you’d worry about a Hæňgaramian,” my mother said with a smirk on her face, one beautiful leg over the other. I eyed her for a moment, cautious to not drop Nei and Lei who were feasting on some grass I’d heavily enchanted.

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

“You might be from the future or wherever the hell you’ve come from, but you’re still my son, Eric. You’ve got that stupid look on your face when you’re worried. You also tap five times with your left finger when you think,” she said.

No sooner than her uttering those words did my knee feel the small jabs of my finger. I grunted and leaned myself up. “It ain’t worry. Ordinarily, I’d not give a shit for anything to do with Hæňgaramians. I’d sooner sink the lot were it not upsetting a few of the fuckers who watch over them,” I replied, staring at the crackling fire as I sensed Seraphina step into Hæňgaram’s lands. Over a thousand miles to the east.

“Then what the fuck is it?”

When I looked at her, the smirk on her face was gone. I cast my eyes back to the fire, now aware that Nei and Lei were focusing on me as well.

“It might split your sides to hear this, especially from a pirate, even more a Draegnarian, but ain’t no ship gonna run without trust. Ain’t no captain gonna sail the highest seas and the lowest lands without a crew to get him there,” I replied.

“I dunno. You could probably sail your vessel wherever you like if you wished,” she joked which indeed got a chuckle out of me. However, I continued on with my point.

“There best be trust between captain and crew, or the ship’ll sink faster than a gold coin into the bottom of the seabed. A captain should know who's aboard his fucking ship when he closes his eyes at night lest he end up as I did,” I said, hearing a small roll of thunder in the distance.

My mother took notice of it as well, putting her hand on top of mine. She didn’t speak. I grunted, my mood souring. I took out a switchblade.

“Trick a man, pay him ten silver coins for his forgiveness. Betray him, pay him three gallon bags,” I said as I thought of where the rest of my crew was. No doubt the lot of them were all living their silver-tongued lives without much of a care in the world. I’d already allowed one to get away. There wouldn’t be a second time.

Finally, I shook my head, leaving thoughts of them for later. “I ain’t one to take betrayal lightly. Besides, the Balamar bitch is a tenacious one. I’ve grown used to her grit as she stayed aboard my ship. She battles with the best of ‘em, even if she’s too selfless for my tastes. However, it was impossible for me not to see what every insult, glare, sneer, and salt-filled remark does to the lass. I sure as hell wouldn’t give so much of my own life to the pieces of shit who’d dare try to spit in my face. They’d be without tongues if they tried. Yet, she endures it and I know not why they despise her that much. Perhaps she has done some shit to them, but I see the look in her eyes. The lass ain’t that capable of it. Still, they treat her as my crew treated me that day that I was forced to walk the plank of my own ship!” I answered, watching the flaming cackle away into the night air.

“You and I have been birthed and smelled Draegnar’s shit and brine. The air of vengeance lays deep within its soil and we’ve grown used to it. For all her grit, that’s one thing the lass ain’t got the nose for,” I finished with my mood effectively being ruined.

That didn’t last long before my mother pulled my face to her. She kissed me slowly, pressing her lips against mine as her hands glossed over my unshaven beard. I kissed her back, pulling her into my arms and lap. Throwing her arms around me, she struck my lips with her tongue.

When we parted, she jabbed me in the chest. “You fucking see yourself in her, huh?” she asked.

“If I were the sort of bastard to grow up as a soldier, then perhaps,” I replied.

“Well, there be always one thing you could do if you be that invested,” my mother reasoned.

I saw the wicked glint in her eye and decided to humor her. “And what would that be?” I questioned.

She told me and all I could do was hoarsely laugh into the open air. Seas, I loved this woman. Were I to ever lay my eyes upon my father, the bastard could forget about rekindling anything with my mother. I’d never allow anyone to know her wicked mind or her piercing smile aside from myself.

When Alteria returned, she came with three ducks and a line of fish pierced through her sword. That said, she looked unfocused and I sensed the blood seeping from her right arm even though her armor gave nothing away.

My mother skinned the ducks and deboned the fish. I’d offered a hand, but she smack me away.

“Just let me gut something to get my mind off this morning!” she claimed.

I supposed she hadn’t gotten over her difficulty defeating that warrior from before. I’d observed them a few times before she ultimately just shot him in the head when he was distracted. Powerful though she was, I knew my mother wasn’t quite so adept in proper hand-to-hand combat. Aye, she could brawl with the best of them, the dancing and flailing her arms and legs about with a fighter in a rigorous dance probably wasn’t up her alley. It seemed I’d need to further her practice during our downtime.

Soon enough, the three of us were feasting on fish and wild birds. The meat was tough and needed a fucking knife to cut through, but we were satisfied in the end.

Well, at least two of us were.

Alteria ate her food in something of a daze, biting and chewing, but not actively swallowing unless necessary. She wore her misery like a coat and drank its bitter-tasting cup like she’d known it all her life. By the time, my mother and I were finished, she’d only gotten to her second fish. She stared into the fire, her hair as black as the night sky to cover its usual pristine white color. It seemed almost like a curse of sorts.

“I shall take the watch,” Alteria said.

My mother and I saw no need to argue with her so we went into our tent and got some rest. Of course, it ain’t my way to leave my fate in the hands of a Hæňgaramian, no matter how close we might be. So I woke up a few hours later and found her far off, swinging her sword in a few motions of Balamar stances. I took her from her post to which she was less than pleased. However, she walked back. I still sensed the bleeding in her right arm.

A few days passed for us as we made our way east. The breaks were few and far between, filled with mostly silence or my mother questioning me where we’d head once our business here was concluded. I figured I’d stop by Draegnar one more time to meet with Anastasia. Then, I’d chart a course for Charon’s Landing to the far southwest. I’d still not received word on that phoenix feather which was said to be in Karn, but I was willing to wait. Besides, even if someone did buy it, I’d just take it from them in return.

Thanks to my having enhanced the three of us, we’d passed by numerous Hæňgaram patrols and enemy patrols, the latter of which, at Lady Knight’s behest, we dealt with. They weren’t anything impressive, usually soldiers in groups of 10 to 20. I’d kill them and my mother would hastily loot their corpses. Nei and Lei would feast on their mana before it dispersed into the air. Nothing we’d collected was too exciting, but a pirate would love the word ‘free’ until his bones turned to dust.

Through our travels, our enchantments were put to the test. Some days we could walk or run from sun up to sun down without tiring. However, those times that we did stop, Alteria would also disappear somewhere, only returning with the faint smell of blood. When we walked, she’d rub her arm from time to time, discreetly casting healing magic on herself.

“So we should get there in two days?” my mother asked.

I opened the map and nodded. “Aye. Ellen and my men have already converged upon the Alladen Fortress in the Valkin Mountains. As you told me, they aren’t yet aware of my crew with how isolated they are due to the strange stones which disrupt magic and mana. There are only regular soldiers there so they also shouldn’t recognize Alteria’s circumstances yet. It won’t be difficult to get inside with just them,” I replied.

“Please don’t fucking tell me we’re walking into the air again,” she groaned when she saw the smirk on my face. Alteria offered neither word nor retort, instead choosing to remain like a bronze coin kicked across the dirty Draegnar streets.

Once again, Lady Knight offered to take watch. She walked off as my mother and I went into our tents, falling asleep with her head on my chest.

As usual, I woke up a few hours later. I kissed my mother and stepped out of my tent. The embers of our fire remained for a time, but we were short one Hæňgaram Knight-Captain. Grunting tiredly, I sensed her mana to the north.

It took me some time to reach her, but when I did I found her seated on a large stone by a still lake, huffing like a maddened beast. Her illusion had been dispelled, granting me a view of her luscious white hair. She’d inhale and exhale slowly, her body trembling like a harsh blizzard rolled over her entire body. My eyes narrowed, sensing the rush of blood and water within her.

Then, I heard her laugh. It was like one of those annoyed half-laughs she usually gave my crew or I. It also wasn’t one filled with any joy. In fact, it seemed more like a fucking wail than a laugh. She was so engrossed in her misery, she hadn’t sensed my approach.

“And part of the night has beckoned a Hæňgaram knight to wander so far from her campsite?” I asked.

True to form, Alteria hadn’t panicked when she heard me. Instead, I heard the shuffle of her armor. “What is it?” she asked, not turning around to face me.

“Head back to your tent. We shall arrive in the dead of night in two days. I doubt it’d do much for your pride as a knight-captain if you’ve got a pirate hauling your ass into your own city fortress if you pass from exhaustion,” I replied.

“I’ll be fine. I won’t collapse so much that I’ll need your help to keep my legs up,” she answered, shifting her body away from me when I got too close. For the sake of her pride, I glanced elsewhere.

“Aye, if that were the case then you’d not be making deals with my kind. Now, off with you. The road is hot and long,” I urged.

She continued to sit for a little while, almost as if stubbornly trying to find some reason to refute my words. In the end, I was victorious. She stood up, her armor clattering. She turned around and walked away, still never facing me. Despite her attempts, I still smelled the blood and my eyes lingered on the few drops that stained the moonlit grass.

I know not what moved my lips before my thoughts, but I found myself speaking. “This lot of yours. They be worth it?” I asked.

I heard her stop.

My question sat in the void of the air for a long while. I didn’t face her. She didn’t face me.

“It might sound foreign to one such as you, but it’s called duty. I shall pay its cost no matter the price. Not everyone can live aboard this world with such reckless and careless thought about the lives of others as you can, taking whatever you please, going wherever you desire. The world isn’t all about what you wish from it,” she said, her tone rather angry.

“Live long enough, lass and you’ll find that’s all the world shall be to any bastard or bitch who sits upon a throne of skulls, blood, and gold,” I said as I took a seat on the stone in front of me.

“I paid you to help my home. I don’t need lessons. Especially not from a Draegnarian! Good night! ” she fired back.

Just before she was out of reach of my voice, I spoke. My eyes narrowed. “A single gold coin may raise an entire treasure chest of bronze, but once that gold be lost there’ll still only be a pile of shit remaining,” I uttered, leaving her with that. She continued to walk off until I was alone.

As I sat at the lake, I spotted the place where Alteria once sat.

“What doth thee get out of this? She shall never share thine bed, nor shall she ever sail aboard thine ship,” An’raie said while I grunted. A pirate bedding a Hæňgaramian. I imagined the fucking Draegnar turning into a prim and proper pisspot before that ever occurred.

“Aye, well she dies then our deal goes up in shit and smoke. I don’t bet the masters of her leash will honor her deal if she passes away. I came and did all this for something at the end. Besides, even I’ll admit she’s capable of standing with the myths and legends that have come before upon this rock. She’ll be a perfect opponent for Diane, provided she’s not maggot food,” I answered, skipping a stone through the lake and disturbing anything within.

“...Thee might be able to bear these untruths before many, but not I. That thee would do this means that she remindeth thee of another. I shall not delve more, but thou art wasting thine time,” the Lonely Wail stated before she fell silent once more.

I was left alone as the cool wind blew across the open air. I then gave something of a chuckle. “It might be quite the laugh coming from me, An’raie, but there be more to a man’s mind than the conquest of a skirt,” I thought, making sure to separate my thoughts enough that she wouldn’t pick up on them. Even if she did, I wondered if she would have bothered to answer.

I sat there for quite some time before I finally decided to weave a spell. I honed in on Maeloson and Aesteal’s mana, connecting each of us together. “I take it your targets ain’t giving the two of you much rest. How goes your pursuit?” I asked.

“It hasn’t gone as terribly as we’d envisioned. It’s become quite clear that travel has taken its toll on our enemies. It’s not surprising since you’ve strengthened us to a considerable degree. We rest frequently thanks to them. In fact, we’ve already planned to kill them when the passage into the mountains has been revealed. The princess and her forces continue to trail behind us,” Maeloson answered.

“We’ve followed them to the Ujumi Road. The war grows stronger as we’ve spotted at least twelve separate incidents. Mages from the Association have clearly broken neutrality and support the Empire. It’s quite clear it pains the princess to not rush to the aid of her men, but she knows it would blow our pursuit. We have also heard of the situation regarding Alteria Balamar. In the midst of war, almost every nation has its soldiers looking for her. Cries for her execution ring throughout the land,” Aesteal said next.

Talk about fucking shit luck. The lass already seemed to have a hard time dealing with the cards drawn to her despite knowing this outcome would be upon her. For her own sake, I thought it best to not offer this information.

“Aye, we’re quite aware. We’ll head to meet up with Ellen soon. Once you’re done with your assignment, track down Diane and that stubborn Hæňgaramian following her. One way or the other, we’ll settle this war before our ship fills with spider webs!” I returned.

“Yes, sir!” They both answered.

I released the spell soon after, leaving them both to their rest while their pursued Hæňgaram’s enemies. I returned to my tent a few hours later, my mother grumbling sleepily when I took her into my arms. Nei and Lei settled back on top of my head before we went to sleep.

As expected, it took us only two days to enter the Valkin Mountains. The lands were steep and rip with magic-disrupting properties, not unlike the uerantite I’d encountered back on Delverhold. However, unlike that material, there wasn’t any mana-draining shit to be found here. Instead, there was only a harsh feeling of dizziness like I’d just drank ten tankards of Drunken Tongue. That bitch’ll fuck up your guts more feasting on any handful of gunpowder.

It didn’t take us long to find the Alladen Fortress. It was fucking hard to miss even with the jagged rocks trying to hide it. Unlike most other cities, there were only two ways in and out of the city. Both of them were in front of us. Two stone bridges almost side by side, a deep and treacherous ravine beneath them, connected the city to the rest of the mountains.

I knew not what this type of design hoped to achieve. Perhaps it made the city much harder to siege with its limited range. Perhaps the bastards in this land enjoyed a cheap thrill every now and then. Hell, perhaps the architects were fucking insane. I knew not which one, but it didn’t matter.

“I believe we should hurry. Though I’ve never been to the Alladen Fortress, I’ve heard tales of its patrol units. They are claimed to have some of the best archers, their ancestors trained by elven masters in the ways of the bow. While they have no specialty in magic, their eyes have been trained to even spot a piece of rock falling into the dark ravine,” Aesteal said.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they could. Maeloson and Aesteal would have been capable of that even before Delverhold. “Then I guess we’d best put them to the test then,” I said as I felt my mother grab my shoulder.

“I just want you to know how much I wanna knee you right in your fucking balls right now!” she growled out while the clouds began to gather and the skies darken.

Torrential rain, violent lightning, and booming thunder rolled through the skies. My mother hastily pulled me to her as I stepped into the air and her with me. Alteria stepped as well and, just like Mapik, we ascended into the air. Hell, thanks to the mountains, it was even higher this time.

As we landed in a dark alley in the city, I scratched my cheek from an arrow that nicked the side of my face. Well, it turned out that Alteria’s praise of the archers wasn’t misplaced. My mother leaned against the wall and rubbed her hands through her hair.

“We aren’t staying here long, right?” Alteria asked.

“No. Once I’ve settled accounts with Ellen, then we’ll be on our way. Seraphina has already arrived in your lands. That she hasn’t made it to the main battlefield tells me she’s cleaning up the rest of Zevmar’s mess. It’ll be a long day once we get there,” I replied as we walked. Alteria didn’t respond further.

Once we walked into the streets, we saw that there were notably a lot more citizens here than in Mapik. I suppose it was no surprise this would be one of the last strongholds against Hæňgaram’s enemies given its location. More than a few men littered the streets in drunken stupors, no doubt letting the alcohol numb their senses to the war just past the treacherous mountainous hills.

I absently heard a child crying in its mother’s arms as we made our way, soldiers dutifully patrolling almost every corner of the city.

It didn’t take me long to find the inn Ellen was staying at. If sensing her mana hadn’t done it, then the boisterousness behind the door would have. Typically, it was in one of the sleazier parts of the city. Well, sleazy by Hæňgaram standards. A lot of bars with a ton of stone-faced bastards drowning themselves in either the pleasure of food, drink, or sex.

I opened the door and I immediately spotted Daven Wolfkiss, the bastard of my ship I’d promised we’d get some a shot of Snake’s Kiss. He was already fucking gone, laughing as he swung his pint around and spilled its contents all over himself. Others joined him while serving wenches brought them more food and drink. A few of the more rowdy lot smacked the ass of one of the lasses, but he got a slap to the face for his troubles.

That said, the mood took a turn when more eyes rested on me and my mother. Even with the disguise, there was no disguising my manner from them. While I hadn’t enchanted them as heavily as my mother and the rest of my lovers, they’d still reaped numerous benefits from Delverhold, one of those being great mana sensitivity. No matter what form I took, they’d almost always recognize me.

Wisely, no one was too drunk to blow my fucking cover. I’d have shanked the lot who did and hung their damn corpse off the side of the plank for the sharks. Instead, I was offered a few nods or salutes before the men and women went back to their business, counting the spoils and riches that they’d gathered from their battles on the field.

I pierced through the tavern, taking a set at the bar counter.

“If it’s room you’re looking for, then get it line. We don’t have any more space, even if you’re a mercenary team that’s helped in the war. No slight against you, but it’s our current situation. A lot of refugees from neighboring cities have converged here, one of the most fortified cities of the empire. Now, if it's a drink or some food you need, then we’re happy to provide as best we can so long as you got the coin and keep the head-knocking to a minimum,” the bartender said, his underarms stained with sweat. The tavern’s lights reflected off his hairless head and his beard stunk of aged booze.

I leaned forward, a smirk on my face. “That won’t be a problem. We’ll just stay with her. Believe it or not, she favors me,” I said, thumbing over to the woman seated right next to me. I spotted the frown on her face and I heard a harsh suck of her teeth.

The bartender glanced at the woman and shivered. “Look here, lad. Listen to the words of an old man whose seen plenty walk through his doors. There’s more to being a man than war. I’m sure you’ve raked up quite the body count in the service to the empire, but it’s probably best that you stay within your range and hunt in… tamer fields. Navigating barren cliffs is liable to get you killed,” he warned.

“Ah, but the most barren of places produce the sweets meats, and fruits. Only insane bastards will ever dare taste them!” I said my mother and Alteria watched me cup the woman’s chin and shamelessly claim her lips.

“Nnnnngh!” she groaned, scrunching up her face in irritation. Nevertheless, I’d never miss the way her lips softened and pursed against mine even if it was just for a moment. Finally, she pushed me away and scowled. She then took out her gun and aimed it at my head.

Amused, I leaned my elbow on the counter. She continued to glare at me for a little while, the bar going rather quiet. After a while, the woman finally cursed. “I’m really gonna fucking do it one of these days,” she said, pulling her pistol back.

“Perhaps you might, but you can’t deny the benefits you’ve received since you decided to join me,” I answered back.

“Decided? I don’t remember such a pleasure getting awarded to me. Still, you’re lucky it’s those benefits that have kept your head on your shoulders!” she fired back before she stood up out of her seat. She beckoned the three of us to follow her.

I turned to the bartender and dropped him a silver coin, turning to follow after the woman I’d kissed. My mother and Alteria swiftly walked after me as we made our way up the flight of stairs to the next floor. “So what’s got you so irritable? Figured you’d be in a rather pleasant mood given all the bulletholes you’ve no doubt filled the empire’s enemies with,” my mother inquired, the creak of the steps moving through our ears.

“It might if I weren’t put in charge of this fucker’s men who seem to almost do a better job of giving me a damn headache than even he does,” she replied.

Making it into her room, and closing the door, the three of us watched as the woman rolled her neck and dropped her gun. “You really piss me off, you know that?” she asked.

“I’ve heard it once or twice. Yet, you still love this scourge of the seas, Ellen,” I answered, watching my Quartermaster snarl.

“Yeah, fucking love you like a shitty hangover,” she replied.

Nei and Lei popped out of my coat and squealed into the air. From a pot filled with enchanted water, another of the fairmaids popped out, happily waving her arms and slapping her fins. Dropping the two fairmaids into the pot, I watched the three young women greet each other warmly. Then, I shifted my attention back to Ellen.

“How goes the battle?” I questioned.

We watched Ellen lean up. She opened the window and sat on its sill. “Shit was going pretty well when the lot had us with them. Suffice it to say, the Empire’s having their teeth pushed in from the countless assaults of multiple nations. Definitely worse than anything Draegnar blowout. From sun up to sun down, there’s just more fighting. In the day the soldiers fight, in the night the mages light up the sky for the soldiers to fight some more. Whole damn fields a slaughter. It was hard, but we actually started making up some ground. I’ll give you Hæňgaramians some credit, you’ve got a damn fine emperor. Cut down over five hundred men on his own with a sword forged out of the spine of a dragon, or so they claim. Certainly looks like one from what I saw,” she replied.

“The Sword of Iathyss. It’s a national treasure handed down to every emperor of the Empire. Supposedly it too was forged by the first emperor from the bones of a dragon. No one knows for sure though,” Alteria commented.

Well, most might not know, but I did. I got to witness it through Liara’s memories. It was quite the battle and it was indeed a sword forged from that ancient dragon’s bones. Though most didn’t know that the dragon placed a curse upon the blade. Any who wield it were not destined for a peaceful life… or death. Come to think of it, that sword vanished when Hæňgaram began its war back in my time. No one had ever recovered it.

Ellen waved her off. “Sure, that thing. Either way, we were winning after a while. Tales of Nz’ia, the Violent Spear, surge through the Empire. Your shithead, Zevmar continued to give nothing away. He commands the troops and they listen, no doubt licking his boots in their free time. However, he’s fucking hard to kill I’ll tell you that. Stray bullet, stray arrow, magic spell, nothing seems to work on the fucker. Then one day, the battle started to shift. Even with us helping out, the emperor lost, and fucking badly at that. Pirates ain’t exactly made for wars with soldiers and the like. When you contact me, it was probably fucking luck because I’d just moved all of us out of the camp before the guards started searching every tent for traitors. I gathered us all up and we made it here. Don’t know how the battle on the front’s going anymore. Since everyone’s suspecting everyone else, I’d assume not well,” she answered, taking a breath and letting the cool air fill the room. The rain continued to fall outside.

“Aye, well, apparently either the bastard’s really good at casting clones or he’s got some brother no one knew about. I’ll head to that front myself and the rest of you will join me. When you get to the ship, go into my room and grab the third book in my drawer. Write the runes from the 24th page on the four corners of the ship. Best you be prepared for a battle. There’ll be a lot of it,” I advised which made Ellen nod.

“And what of this second guy?” she questioned.

“Aesteal, Maeloson, and the loyal princess of the empire are tracking that guy. I’ve no doubts we’ll see what we’re dealing with here. Unless Lady Knight would like to offer her opinion,” I said, which got a look from the Balamar Knight.

“What will you do when the entire empire turns against you? Ally or not, they will not accept help from a pirate. You’ll have enemies on all sides,” the white-haired knight-captain warned. I wasn’t entirely sure if there was concern in her voice but I imagined there was. Then again, her reputation was further in the dirt because of me. It wasn’t a stretch to imagine her life was entirely riding on my success.

“As you said, Lass. I be a pirate. I also be Draegnarian. I’m used to having enemies on all sides. All you need to worry about is taking down Zevmar. Rest assured, ain’t no one gonna interfere with the two of you. All the anger you’ve saved up for him, be sure to make him taste it. When the battlefield turns into a desolated land of fire and water, he’ll reveal his secrets and the empire shall have its victor.”

The smirk on my face widened when Alteria gave me the fiercest look I’d ever seen. “It would be my pleasure!” she said.

Ellen leaned forward. “You sure you can beat this guy? He had all that fancy magic shit and those blessings from those spirits right and he’s also some hero who loves getting his cock sucked by the people, right?”

Despite herself, we all heard Alteria chuckle. A welcome contrast to her mood over our travels here. However, I noticed her hesitance. “I shall perform my best as a soldier of the empire,” Alteria answered.

Neither a yes nor a no answer. Ellen, my mother, and I knew that but we didn’t press the matter. Instead, we further discussed our plans and movements. A map laid over the bed in Ellen’s room.

“And you’re sure this is a good idea?” Ellen asked.

“Dare you to not trust me? I be full of good ideas,” I replied.

My mother rolled her eyes while Ellen seemed less than amused, but I soldiered on through their criticism. I continued to observe Alteria for a little while. She contributed to the conversation abundantly, but I saw the way her hand rubbed her arm. Every talk of Zevmar sent a shiver down her spine. When we were done, it seemed like she couldn’t get out of the room fast enough.

My mother and Ellen looked at me skeptically, clearly doubting that Lady Knight was up to the task assigned to her. Taking a moment to gather myself, I stood up and followed her out. One of the inn’s workers pointed her off somewhere and she went forth in that direction.

I followed after her and my travels took me to the basement. I watched Alteria grab some old tarps and fashion them into a makeshift bed. She then grabbed another tarp and rolled it up like a pillow of sorts.

“Can I help you, Eric Drakclaw?” she questioned.

“Draegnar be a mindless place, Alteria. A place where the weak be taken advantage of and snuffed out. If you ain’t got the grit and the guts to survive, then you’ll lose them through a slit throat. You sure you’re up to this task? From where I be standing, you seem like one of those prepared for such a cruel fate” I commented.

Of the many things I accepted, a beautiful laugh wasn’t one of them. “A cruel fate, is it? Perhaps that’s the case. Tell me, Eric Drakclaw, is it crueler to live knowing nothing shall change, or is it crueler dying in vain but knowing no one shall honor your sacrifice?” she asked, stripping herself of her a majority of her armor. It was quick, but I spotted her right arm. It was laden with numerous healed cuts.

I didn’t answer her question, preferring to watch as she faced me. “If you fear my battle with him so much, then leave me to my rest. It will prepare me for the trials ahead. Good night, pirate,” she said. She swiftly laid down and turned over, the distant sound of my boisterous crew above filling the ambiance.

“Without a crew, a captain is just a man. Without people, a king is just a man. Without a life, a person be just a husk, Knight-Captain,” I returned. I then walked away and headed back up the stairs.

When I made it back to Ellen’s quarters, I opened the door. Of the many things I was expecting, my beautiful mother and my quartermaster dressed down to their undergarments with eyes full of need and lust weren’t one of them.

A smile graced my face as I entered the room and closed the door behind me, lest any other wandering eyes lay their sight upon the treasure in front of me. “And what sort of thing have I done to gaze upon such beauty as this?” I questioned.

“Figured we’re allowed to get one more fuck in before the Curse of Eric Drakclaw falls upon us and everything goes to shit. Isn’t that right, Ellen?” my mother asked.

My quartermaster grunted. “I liked it better when the two of you were at each other’s throats and outta my damn hair,” she fired back, her hands moving down her beautiful legs while her arms pushed up her breasts.

Though her words were fierce, I sensed the way her heart pounded. I also felt the way her eyes stared upon me with increasing need. My throat suddenly felt dry and the lustful energies were already starting to fill my being. For once, I was a little surprised since I hadn’t actually planned on such an encounter. Still, I sure as hell wouldn’t be one to turn it down. Aye, what be life without a bit of living?

I grabbed my shirt and threw it over my head and somewhere to the floor. I hadn’t really cared where. Instead, I focused on Ellen. By the time I made it to the bed, I was already naked. My cock rose in appreciation of their bodies.

“Say that after you take your eyes off my son’s cock,” my mother returned, smirking when Ellen sucked her teeth. She tried to turn her head away but I had already closed in on her. I kissed her and pulled her into my embrace.

“Nnnnnngh! Mmnnnnngh!” Ellen grunted, mixing her tongue with mine. Despite her apparent refusal, I’d never mistake the way her tongue wrapped around mine. Her lips eagerly pushed against my own while her hands rubbed my shoulders. When we separated, she looked at me completely dazed with desire.

Before I could properly appreciate her reddened face, I noticed my mother right next to us. I grabbed her as well and kissed her neck. “Mmmmmmmngh Eric,” she groaned into my mouth. I sensed the shivers running up and down her body while her hands messed with my hair. The tenderness of her lips was a piece of hot passion against the harsh, cold rain falling outside.

“Nnnnngh! Mnhaaaaaa! Ooooooomnph!” my mother continued to groan when I lifted my hand and grabbed a handful of her breast. She placed her hand on top of my own, encouraging me to gently knead her flesh. I wished to kiss her forever if I were able. Her lips were always so sweet and her tongue danced with mine.

Soon, we too separated and my mother panted. I brushed a piece of her hair from her face. “I shall never tire of kissing you, mother,” I said.

She licked her lips. “This certainly seems to fucking think so,” she said, grabbing a hold of my cock. Her hands were warm and her fingers tender to the touch. Jolts of pleasure rolled from my shaft through the rest of my body. I inhaled deeply and blissfully for I’d never tire of her hand caressing my manhood.

“Mmmmmm you never fell to get hard for me. Feelsl ike I’ve got a damn stone in my hands. A pulsingly hot and hard stone,” she teased, tickling the underside of my cock while my hands pawed at her succulent globes. Had I allowed, she would have thrown her head back with a heavy moan but I’d captured her sweet lips again.

We kissed over and over before we were forcefully separated. “Don’t start this shit and then forget about me. I think I’m owed something for all the work I’ve put in,” Ellen said from behind me. Her voice, filling with want and need, teased my ears.

Amused, I faced her. “‘Twould be criminal to forget someone of your caliber, Ellen Sothshore,” I said as I kissed her as well, one of my hands leaving my mother’s breasts to toy with Ellen’s. Her nails rubbed the length of my shoulders, hissing and trembling when I rolled her nipples between my fingertips.

“Nnnnnngh! Ooooooh fuck! Yesssssss! Fucking shit that feels nnnnghhhaaaa good!” Ellen claimed.

“Mmmmmmmmgnh! Fuck yeah, they do! Ooooooooh gods! Eric!” my mother howled next, her workings on my cock growing in strength and speed. Her forefinger gently rubbed the crevice between the crown of my dick for a moment or two, precum gliding along its surface.

The lustful energies swiftly started to abound throughout the room and make their way through the inn. Intentionally, I drove the aura deep into the lower floors of the tavern, enough that they’d even reach the depths of the basement. Perhaps it might do well for Lad Knight to forget the world for just one night.

I swapped my lips with Ellen and my mother multiple times. I fucking enjoyed kissing them so much. I sensed their enjoyment as well. They took looked forward to the intimacy in our embrace just as much as I did. I certainly thought so when they started jerking my cock together. Ellen cradled and fondled my nutsack, enticing the cum to explode right out of my shaft.

I might have actually done that had my mother not slipped her lips away from mine. She touched my chest with her finger. “Mmmmm fuck. I’m sick of waiting. I wanna suck this cock, my son’s cock, my captain’s cock! That’d get you going wouldn’t it, your mother’s lips around your dick, swallowing the load of it until you fire down my throat? I bet that turns on a horny bastard like you,” my mother said.

Ellen and I released our lips with a smack. “Don’t fucking kid yourself, Ira. You’re a bigger slut for the fucker’s cock than anyone else on the ship.”

My mother smirked. “Like you aren’t,” she replied before she lay on the bed, kicking her feet against the wall. She was at eye level with my shaft as she gave it a few hard strokes.

“Mmmmmmngh! Can’t even take my eyes off it. Thought about this damn thing too many nights. Imagine having to wake up with this thing buried deep in your ass and you can’t even enjoy it yet,” she murmured, almost mesmerized by the length of my men’s mast.

Her breaths grew shorter, and I watched her lick her lips. She then lifted my cock up and licked up its length, her tongue a warm whip that drove my lust wild. Each strike was a thundering shock of pleasure that made me desire for me. “Haaaaa! Oooooooh! It’s so hot against my tongue! Mmmmmmmngh!” my mother panted, losing herself further in our engagement.

On the other side, I was busy nibbling on Ellen’s nipples. Biting and pulling them into the cold air. Her arms strangled my head. “Shit! Shit! Shit! Yessssssss! Oh yes, you son of a bitch! Oh fuck!” she roared, pulling me further and further in. Of course, I obliged her desires eager to please her in every way that I could, feeding off my mother's own actions.

My mouth shook in Ellen’s bosom when my mother inhaled my cock until I felt her nose hit my crotch. My balls rested against her chin only for a moment. Her head then started to bob, blowing me and slathering my member with her spit and saliva. Her pleasure coursed from me into Ellen, both of us feeling her stuff her fingers in her cunt, driving them agonizingly in and out.

Unable to take it, I grabbed my mother’s head and shoved her further into my dick, deepthroating me without much care. By the explosion of lust I absorbed from her, I knew she loved it. The gagging and slobbering of her beautiful, gorgeous, hot mouth were enough to send me over the edge. I fired a load of cum into her gullet, her tongue and cheeks welcoming every thick rope of sperm.

That said, despite my orgasm, I never stopped tending to Ellen. With one of my hands occupied with my mother’s head, the other left my quartermaster’s breast, tickling her stomach and waist. Finally, I came to my prize which was a literal oven of womanly lust. Just one touch and Ellen’s cunt released a fountain of restrained juices into my palm.

“SHIT! OH FUCK!” She cried as she came, succumbing to the pleasure before I could even properly work her slit. Her voice was so loud I thought it a wonder that no one heard her. Perhaps everyone else in the tavern was lost to their own passions. The building became little more than a makeshift whorehouse.

While Ellen leaned back on the bed and panted, her pussy quivering, I felt my cock grow inside my mother’s mouth. She popped me out and gave me a wink. “Weird to say that I’ve gotten used to you doing that. Though I’m not disappointed. Now come on and fuck me, I’ve needed this for a long while,” my mother said as she stood up.

“Aye, have you now?” I asked. My breath was equally just as short as my mother’s, the same thrilling urge coursing within me to mate with this beautiful woman as intense as before.

“Aye, that I have. Now shut up and lean back. We’re gonna break this bed or die in bliss trying,” she said as I watched her slip out of her drenched undergarments.

She laid before me in all her beauty until she I got an eyeful of my beautiful mother straddling me. One hand on my chest, the other on my cock, she sighed. “Why can’t I ever get enough of you? It feels so good. Every. Single. Time. NNNnnnnnnnngh!” my mother gasped as she pierced herself with my dick.

Her insides, warm and slimy, were always a delight. My eyes rolled into my head and I closed them briefly, feeling her pussy clench around my cock. “Mmmmmmm fuck! S-So gooood!” my mother hissed, clenching her teeth until her pelvis met mine. She leaned down and kissed me. I returned her affection swiftly as we lay there, enjoying this feeling of being inside each other.

Then, I proceeded to fuck her. I grabbed her ass and shoved my cock in, the slap of our flesh like a drum moving through the room. “OH fuck! Yesssss! Fucvk me. Fuck me with your cock! Your s-strong nnnnngh, hard mmnnnnnnnnnngh, cock!” my mother pleaded, matching my pace with her own.

“As you wish, mother. You shall never be without,” I grunted out like a beast, set on affirming this pact until the end of time itself.

We fucked together, lost in our passions. Sweat staining the sheets, I drilled her deepest core, each squeeze of her inner muscles an electrifying shock through my cock. Her tongue and mind danced together just like our hips, pounding and thrusting relentlessly like two animals in the woods. On more than one occasion, she slammed her hips down, keeping me as deep as possible inside her cunt. Expertly flexing her honeycomb, I was already on the verge of cumming as was she.

Of course, it didn’t stay that way for long.

“As expected of you two, fucking away like dogs in heat. Can’t believe I’m even joining in this shit,” Ellen said as she appeared behind my mother and grabbed a handful of her breasts, massaging them and fondling them without care.

“Give… it a… moment! You’ll be the fucking same soon,” my mother returned before the two shared a passionate kiss. Ellen continued to caress and tease my mother’s nipples, their tongues dancing while I struck my mother’s clit. Her pussy choked my length each time that happened.

“Ooooooh! Ohhhhh, fuck! I’m gonna fucking cum! I’m gonna cum on my son’s cock!” she announced. I too felt the cum start to leave my ball, traveling the entirety of my shaft.

I shut my eyes and forced her hips down, snarling as I fired a stream of hot cum into her snatch. “MMMMMMMMMMMNGH!” She trembled, drenching my cock in turn.

We stayed still for a little while until my mother finally lifted herself up. My cum streamed out of her and onto the bed. “Mmmmmmm. That felt good,” my mother said.

“Clearly,” Ellen said, gazing back at my cock already rising to attention. She thought she was sneaky, but I saw the way she licked her lips. I didn’t even have to speak a word, I just grabbed her hips and plunged into her neck.

“Nnnnnnnnnnngh! Fuck! This definitely is one of the few good things about your ass. Come on! Fuck me harder! Bury that damn dig all the way inside me! Hnnnnnnnngh shit!” Ellen panted, her hair waving wildly as I did as she wished. Her ass jiggled in front of my face while my mother watched.

“How about you do the same, but with your tongue!” my mother asserted as she grabbed Ellen’s head. Sothshore barely had time to respond before she got a face full of my mother’s cum-soaked pussy. Of course, that didn’t slow her down. She shoved her tongue inside, not bothered with licking my seed out of my mother’s hole.

“Mmmmnnnngh! Hnnnnnaaaaaaah! Ooooooooooomnghg! Gnnnnnnnnngh!” my two beautiful ladies moaned together while I fucked Ellen from behind. Her pussy squeezed me something fierce, her body already shaping itself to my cock for my own pleasure. There’d never be another man or woman that would know the glorious depths of her body as I would.

Deciding for me, I dropped Ellen on her back. My mother sat back on her mouth, facing me. In some odd way, I found it rather funny that Ellen had become a welcome fuck for the Drakclaw house in spite of her refusals. By the way she was slurping my mother’s slit and accepting my cock, I doubt she minded anymore.

The lust linked all of our thoughts and sensations together. My mother leaned up from Ellen’s mouth and my quartermaster looked at me. I descended upon her and her legs wrapped around my waist, accepting my deep thrusts.

“Are you gonna cum, Eric? Gonna fill up your quartermaster slut just like you did your mother? Pump her so fucking hard you’ll try to get her pregnant? Make her give birth to your spawn?” my mother asked.

“Oh, FUCK! Do it! Cum inside me dammit!” Ellen voiced until I kissed her again, throwing my arms around her body and drawing her so close there was no escape. We matched the last few thrust before my hips locked. I grunted, pouring more of my cum into Ellen’s receiving body.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaa shiiiiiiit!” she cried as she came, squeezing the fucking life out of my man meat.

My mind was dizzy with the aura of the Mother of all Succubi. I slipped out of Ellen and watched her cunt quiver in delight. Off to the side, I saw the fairmaids enjoying our spectacle, Nei, in particular, shoving her tongue in Lei’s cunt while their sister fondled Lei’s breasts.

When I turned my attention back to my mother, I saw her leaning against the wall, spreading her ass to give me a clear view of her cunt. She gave me a challenging smirk, one I wouldn’t take lying down. I lodged myself in her again and we were soon cumming our brains out.

For whatever reason, this was actually a session that tired me out. Ellen and my mother were insatiable. No matter how many times I fucked them, they still seemed hellbent on draining me of every piece of my cum. Once, my mother rode me to an orgasm while I savored the taste of Ellen’s cunt, her walls tugging on my tongue like she was trying to pull it out. I came inside my mother again without care.

Ellen was twice as fierce, crying out in joy and lust. We settled on harsh, rough thrusts. My hands all but mauled her tits while she kissed me. Each thrust seemed like she was cumming to me, her body a shivering mess of nerves before I blew my load into her as well.

Over and over, I came inside and on both of them. The tavern became loud with brothel-like cries before I came one final time, exploding briefly into the air from having been sandwiched by their pussies. They came as well, spraying me down with their female wine until we fell to the bed, utterly exhausted.

It was about an hour or so before everything started to quiet down. People started heading to sleep and I lay in bed with Ellen and my mother. “Eric, you see it in her eyes. She’s not confident she can beat him. She’s like a fucking poor thief trying to break into the Lindengar Estate. You sure this be a good idea?” my mother asked as she lay next to me. Ellen had turned over, facing the window.

I frowned as I stared at the ceiling. “There’s something I wanna see for myself. If I’m wrong, then I’m at least confident the lass won’t die. I gain nothing if she does. However, if I be right, then I might have found something even greater than that promised Crystallized Ash. Rest now, mother. We shall see where the seas sail us in these coming days,” I told her.

She didn’t need any more convincing. She fell asleep and I stared out into the stormy distance. Releasing my senses, I felt Alteria’s blissful presence. Bits of her lust had been heightened and flew into me. I just knew the lass wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation forever.

As night filled the room, I honed in on Seraphina’s presence. The smell of battle roused my nerves. I closed my eyes. While my body slept, I peered through Liara’s memories as the night drew long.