Chapter 1

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 15 since arriving at Hidden Cove

“Who’d have thought making a secret base would be so damn hard?” my lover complained.

I stopped what I was doing, midway through sorting out yet another piece pf paperwork, to glare at the feisty wood elf in the corner of the room. Though Dew hadn’t done much to help us set up our new base, that hadn’t stopped her from complaining every step of the way.

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what annoyed her so much. She was used to a life of freedom and adventure, and ever since we’d met, she’d had just that.

But now here she was, trapped in a dark, dank cave watching me fill out forms, while we prepared for our new life together. Before that, she’d been stuffed into a corner of my room aboard my newly christened dreadnought, the Overkill.

But at least we had time to spend together.

Well, ‘together’ might be a bit of a stretch, as was ‘time’.

Freya spent most of her days assisting Smith with rebuilding the pirate fleets, bigger and better than before—Kaede worked right alongside her, as an assistant. After a few failed attempts to similarly be of assistance, Dew had been passed back in my direction, in the hope things might go smoother if she tried to help me, instead.

The answer in a word—No.

Thankfully, I already had someone who’d taken on the bulk of paper shuffling.

“This pile is already done.” Arianna gave me a faint smile as she dropped a large stack of papers onto the side of my new desk. “Keep your chin up, Wesley. We’re almost done!”

“No, we aren’t almost done. At all.” I sighed as I looked at the stacks and stacks of papers strewn about my ‘office’. The mere sight of paper stacks had come to make me want to vomit, and one more glance at the pile before me was enough to make me toss down my pen in frustration. “Fuck this mess, if I spend another minute on this today, my brain is going to melt.” I stood up and stretched mightily, my back popping an unhealthy number of times.

“Take a break, Ari. I’m going to go speak with Jean.”

“Just speak with her, huh?” Dew perked up as she joined me, striding toward the exit of this chamber. “You sure you don’t want it to go any further with her than just ‘speaking’, pretty boy?”

“Not right now, no.” I grinned and pulled my cute little troublemaker close to my chest the moment we stepped out into the corridor. “Why do I need her, when I already have you?”

Dew melted into my grasp with a giggle. She didn’t even bother to check if anyone could see her as she brushed her hand down my chest, lower and lower as she moved toward her target-

“At it again, are ya?”

Speak of the devil… the woman in question appeared as though she had been summoned. I knew full well, though, that she’d likely been hanging around outside my office, ready to strike when the opportunity presented itself.

“Jean. Long time no see.” Dew turned her head just enough to give the sultry Pirate Lord a nod, but even having an audience didn’t stop her hand from inching lower and lower. “And what is it you want with my pretty boy?”

“Believe it or not, it’s business rather than pleasure.” Jean raised her eyebrow quizzically as she watched Dew’s less than subtle flirtations. “If ya get him all hot and bothered now, I won’t see either of ya for hours.”

“Fine.” Dew pulled my head down for one last deep kiss before releasing me once more. “I expect him back in the same condition, Jean.” She winked at me. “Wes, I’ll be in our room. Don’t keep me waiting.”

Jean and I both watched as Dew sauntered away, her hips sashaying from side to side with an exaggerated swagger that couldn’t be accidental.

Even Jean seemed to have been affected by my companion’s seductive flirting, and she had to force herself to look away and back in my direction with difficulty.

“What’s wrong, Jean? Came to save me from the paperwork?” I thumbed back at my office with a disgruntled frown. “Bit too late, if so. You need to work on your timing.”

“Unfortunately, no, big boy.” Jean chuckled softly as she turned away. “Come on, Smith is waiting, along with yer friend from the Seventh Fleet.”

I noted the irritation in her tone when she mentioned our unnamed guest. Only after the elderly leader of the mysterious Seventh Fleet had agreed to it, had I revealed his identity to my fellow Pirate Lords. Neither had taken the revelation well.

The fact he’d already passed control of his fleet over to me —one of the largest, even before our less than casualty free escape from The Ridge—had annoyed them even more.

‘A bloody monopoly’, Smith had called it, not that his anger seemed to be genuine. Jean, on the other hand, had just gone on and on about keeping secrets from her for close to a quarter of an hour.

But after that initial awkwardness, the daily meetings of our new Pirate Lord High Council had gone on without a hitch. Two weeks had passed since our skirmish with the Elven Navy, and still our new home, code named Home base Alpha by an insistent Smith, had only just started coming together.

Our daily agenda had been chocked full since the day we first entered our new home.

First on the list, was supplies and housing. No point in having an army of pirates behind us if they all ended up dying of thirst. Or starvation. Or exposure.

But even those basic needs had been difficult to resolve.

The route up the cliff to Monster Isle far above was slow and arduous at the best of times, and deadly at the worst. Though we’d cannibalized the most damaged vessels remaining in the pirate fleet, housing was at a minimum.

After traveling for so long, only having to provide for myself and my companions, having such fundamental needs driving every decision had become a concern. It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered the logistics required to house, feed, and care for so many people, of course, but the extent of the problem far exceeded my inexperienced estimates.

Maybe we’d kept on too many of Daemon and Wraith’s followers.

Not many looked on the survivors fondly, after their masters had betrayed the Pirate Fleet. It had come out that Daemon had supported Wraith’s plan to abandon The Ridge in an attempt to join up with the Elven Navy.

Well, that may have been a rumor Jean spread amongst her followers, but I wouldn’t have put it past the little prick.

But we needed to get those issues sorted before we could move onto the overarching issue facing the fleet: the Elven Council’s plan to take over the world.

Sounds a bit melodramatic, even after having to explain it several times to Jean, Smith, and several others, but it was the best way to describe what I believed to be their objective. Bringing behemoths under their control, making power moves throughout the continent against other races, including the Desert Elves and Wood Elves—these things all pointed to some grand, nefarious scheme.

“There you are. I was getting worried young Jean had led you astray.” Smith gave me a friendly wave as Jean led me into a well-appointed meeting room. Though Franklin had technically renounced his command of the Seventh Fleet, I had persuaded the other two to invite him to the meetings we held.

“Young ones do like their fun.” The croaky voice of the elderly figurehead of the Seventh Fleet wheezed, as he tapped the head of his cane against the table. “But first, to the matter at hand. What is the plan for our new hideout? My people are getting restless, and I doubt me even another speech from our glorious leader would calm them down.”

It took me a moment to realize who Franklin meant.

I was the leader of the Seventh Fleet and, technically at least, a majority of the rest of the pirate fleets. It’d nearly been enough to break up the council.

Smith wouldn’t admit it, but the only reason he’d kept his seat was because of my repeated requests that he do so. Even Freya had stepped in to persuade the old fool that stepping aside would do more harm than good.

“Good news on that, though.” Smith didn’t respond to Franklin’s off-the-cuff quip as he pulled out a sheet of paper and flicked it across the table to me. “Our scouts have explored the length of the cliff and found a few promising tunnels. It’s still too early to tell, but they should be useful in the future. You never know, some might even loop back out to somewhere further along the cliff.”

“Possible secret escape routes, hmm.” I gave the roughly drawn map of the cave systems a quick look before I turned my gaze back to the still smiling Pirate Lord across from me. “What else? You’re looking way too full of yourself for this to be it.”

“Good eye, kid.” Smith finally lost his fight with his emotions as a huge smile broke out on his face. As we all watched, the old elf gestured for two large pirates to come in and help him pull out a large box from beneath the table. With some difficulty, the three of them slammed it down atop the table with a heavy thunk. “My finest creation… this week at least. It should sort most of our issues in one fell swoop!”

“A shiny box?” Jean asked in a neutral tone as she prodded the crate. She gave me a quick wink before adding, “sure you’re not getting senile in your old age, Smith?”

Smith had to take several long, deep breaths before he managed to get over Jean’s obvious attempt to get a rise out of him. Only after he’d cooled off did he proceed to pull the lid aside, revealing an odd-shaped device sitting inside the box with a grand flourish.

“The automated drilling apparatus. I call it the ADA!” He slowly and carefully lifted the object out of the crate, holding it high for us all to see. “This is what we needed! It’s perfect.”

I shared a look with Jean and Franklin before we all gave the device a comprehensive once over. Mostly crafted from metal, the central cylinder of the thing was about two feet wide in diameter, though most of its length came from a large, drill like protrusion at one end.

Easily four feet long, carved and curved to perfection. Its razor-sharp edges caught the light as Smith lovingly set it on the table before us.

“So…It’s a big hand drill?” Franklin muttered as he prodded the ADA with his cane. “What’s your plan, exactly?”

“No, I’m going to-”

Before Smith could reveal his plan, the door to our meeting space slammed open and a tall elf barged in. For a moment I thought to order him to leave, but then I saw his frantic expression as he turned to face me.

“I- I’m sorry, my Lord, but- but I needed to find you!” He stumbled over his words as he took a single, nervous step forward. “They’re challenging your- I mean, your friends are- They’re-”

“Spit it out, will ya?” Jean lost her temper as her fist slammed down onto the table so heavily the ADA jumped, and the wood crunched in protest. “We don’t have all day, ya know!”

“Some folks are challenging your… companions.” The elf gritted his teeth as he forced himself to speak clearly. “They’re saying Dew, Kaede, and Freya don’t deserve a place in the officers’ ranks, and-”

“Fuck. That.” I fought to keep myself calm as I slowly pushed myself to my feet. “Show me who these fuckers are. I’ll show the fucking fleet what will happen if they try to mess with my family!”

Chapter 2

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 15

My temper hadn’t cooled by the time we reached the hot spot of activity. A group of around thirty or so pirates were squaring up against my three companions. Somehow Dew had managed to join Freya and Kaede, but I decided to figure out how she’d managed to implicate herself in the shit storm later on.

First, I’d have to pull them out of it.

“What’s going on!?” I stormed toward the large, open area that had been chosen for the standoff. The slowly gathering crowd moved aside like flowing water as soon as they realized who was approaching from their rear. “Someone speak up, or I’ll have to decide myself what shit you’re pulling!”

The gang who’d cornered my three girls shrank back a little as I stepped up, before a few of them made a stand. If only their expressions had caught on to what the pirate’s brains wanted from them.

Worried fear wasn’t the best look, not when you were trying to intimidate someone.

“Wes-”

“That’s Pirate Lord Wes to ya!” Jean stomped up beside me, her arms folded angrily over her voluptuous breasts. “If ya want to forget our titles, then I’ll beat the shit out of ya before he even gets a chance.”

“Fair point.” Another pirate stepped forward and nodded calmly at Jean’s command. Despite how terrified the man’s companions looks, the newcomer seemed relatively in control as he turned to face me. “Pirate Lord Wes, all we ask is a fair comparison of skill and talent. Does that not sound fair?”

I knew what the bastard was insinuating, and I didn’t like it. But, on the other hand, it did make some sense.

While the captain of a vessel could promote and raise their followers as they saw fit, the same couldn’t be said for a Pirate Lord. The rest of the fleet would follow their command, obviously, but discontent would sprout faster than mushrooms in a pile of shit, if they believed their master could be corrupted by wealth or connection.

Or something more carnal, perhaps.

“So, you think these three aren’t up to the tasks I’ve given them?” I nodded in the direction of Dew, Kaede, and Freya. “And what kind of a ‘comparison’ were you wanting, exactly?”

“I won’t say we don’t believe in your skill, Pirate Lord Wes.” The man respectfully bowed his head in my direction, though I could see a few half-hidden glares from the gang behind him that said otherwise. “A duel, perhaps? If they beat whoever tries to pull them down, no one can say anything more for the time being, can they?”

It was difficult not to overreact to what was otherwise a reasonable request. The only reason I held back at all was because I could tell something was off about the short man who’d stepped forward to negotiate.

But still, that little- My followers wanted to fight the women I held dear, and they wanted me to nod my head and say it was okay?

Fuck that-

“Wes.” Jean leaned in close and gently laid a palm on my wrist before I could step forward. “Try to be calm when I say this, okay?”

“What?” I growled, swinging my head in Jean’s direction and giving her a glare. “You want me to step back from this, too?”

“Not at all. I think the anger ya feel is natural.” I could feel her grip tighten for a moment, as though she was worried her words would be enough encouragement to send me off on a rampage. “But why don’t we hear from the involved parties first, before ya wade into the deep end?”

I turned back to Dew, Kaede, and Freya, who’d made their way over to us. Freya, as always, looked calm and composed, while Kaede’s furtive glances at the distant group showed both aggression and irritation mingled.

Dew, on the other hand, looked like she was just out for a casual stroll through the park.

“Master, we should fight them.” Freya stepped forward before the other two could speak and fixed me with her warm gaze. “If we show our skills here, then the rest won’t be so eager to rise up in the future.”

“True. Cut the balls off a few and the rest will scatter.” Dew interjected with a pithy bit of forest wisdom before she turned her attention back to the distant group of pirates. “Issue is, who gets to fight first?”

“I’ll do it!” Kaede took the chance to move closer as she laid her hand over her heart. “You can trust me, Wes. I won’t let you down!”

I paused for a moment to look over my trio. None of them showed a single sign of worry about the challenge.

Or to be more accurate, the challenges.

“So, all three of you want to do this?” I couldn’t help the bit of a growl that came out as I spoke. “But it could be-”

“What, dangerous?” Dew’s eyebrow flicked upward dangerously as her eyes met mine. “I know you want to protect us, but sometimes you just need to loosen up, pretty boy.”

“I agree, Master.” Freya nodded in agreement with Dew’s outburst, which was the opposite of what I’d assumed she’d say. “You know we’re stronger than almost any of the warriors here. If we don’t prove it now, the issue with persist.”

“Okay, fine. Do what you want.” I threw my hands up in the air and moved away from the group. As I walked away, I noticed that the crowd’s gaze followed my every move, so I loudly added. “Just do it quickly, we don’t have all day to waste! Knock them down or knock them out, I don’t care!”

Mostly it was for our audience’s benefit, but I knew my three ladies would understand what I meant—incapacitate or kill, do whatever you feel is safest.

It would be best if my new officers didn’t slaughter several of their potential followers, but I wouldn’t hold it against them if they did. In fact, I would understand the logic behind it. Jean exited the makeshift arena to stand next to me, after she’d shared a short, whispered conversation with the three girls.

“They’ll be fine, Wes.” She moved next to me and nudged me in the ribs with her elbow. “Yer face better clear up, last thing a pirate wants to see is a storm!”

“It’s fine. Let’s just watch.” I turned my attention to the opponents who would be facing off against my companions.

Weak.

Cowardly.

Weak.

Weak.

Potentially dangerous.

Weak.

On average, they weren’t a threat to the girls, never mind me, but that didn’t mean things couldn’t go wrong. If they all attacked at once, for instance-

“Hey, the Pirate Lord wants this done quick, so come on up!” Dew strode into the middle of the arena space, a cocky grin on her face as she stood there in a casually open stance. “Whoever wants to go first, step on out!”

A large, burly man took up the challenge, stomping out onto the field with a large cleaver in his hand. He glared in Dew’s direction.

“I’ll show you what it means to be a-”

Before he could finish his sentence, Dew’s form blurred from view. In the blink of an eye, she appeared behind the pirate, dagger in hand.

“Wha-”

His last, confused gasp cut off as Dew smashed the pommel of her knife into his temple, knocking the brute out in a single blow. Turns out all his bravado and muscle counted for nothing when put up against overwhelmingly speed and technique. Dew gave me a sardonic wink before she strolled back over to the other two.

Freya and Kaede held a short, heated discussion before the redheaded runesmith stepped forward, spear in hand.

“Master asked for this to be completed quickly, so I’ll take on as many of you as care to dance.” The tip of her spear pointed unerringly at the crowd, without a single quiver or sign she had difficulty holding it in the slightest. “Come out and fight.”

Three pirates stepped up to meet her challenge. One woman and two men walked onto the field in a tight group, clearly spooked by their comrade’s rapid defeat at Dew’s hands.

“Three isn’t nearly enough.” I muttered under my breath, catching Jean’s attention.

She raised an eyebrow at me. “I thought ya were worried about the lasses.”

I shook my head. “She even gave them an open invitation. Are the rest so stupid they wouldn’t dare take advantage?”

“Well, I don’t think many of them thought it through, ya know?” Jean shrugged, as though the pirate’s actions were little more than a minor inconvenience. “The others probably didn’t think they’d need to fight. Maybe they figured they could just latch on to the winner’s leg and ride his wake to the top.”

I let out a low, irritable grunt, but it wasn’t easy to argue against her point. It seemed she was more than likely right, from what I could see.

The fight turned out as expected. All three pirates rushed Freya at the same time, in an attempt to overwhelm the harmless looking girl before them. Wrong tactic entirely, it turned out.

Freya’s spear easily tripped all three before she hopped to the side and finished them with a rapid-fire series of jabs to their heads. Fortunately, she’d used the blunt end of her spear.

They’d live, but the trio she’d taken out would have blinding headaches when they woke up. Served them right.

Last, but not least, Kaede took the field.

Not to be outdone by her friends, the young high elf took the opportunity to show off her runesmith created equipment. Her clunky looking boots flared up, launching the girl high into the air where she twirled and flipped before coming to a gentle, smooth stop in the center of the arena.

“Who’s next?”

“We surrender.” The man who’d stepped forward as a mediator held his hands up in defeat. Even though they’d lost the challenge, the man looked oddly happy with himself.

And why was he glancing off into the crowd behind me so much-

“Oh, for the love of-” I looked back over my shoulder to see the elderly leader of the Seventh Fleet standing next to Smith. When the old man saw that I’d spotted him, he gave me a cheery wave and a knowing wink. They’d set all this up.

I returned his cheer with a glare. I would have an explanation before I let them off the hook for this scheming bullshit.

Chapter 3

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 15

“Seriously?” I laid my hands atop my desk, despite the rampaging desire to slam them down with all my strength. “You two decided this was the best course of action, did you?”

The two culprits behind the shit show I’d just witnessed shared a self-assured look from their seats before they each nodded happily. Not only had the previous Seventh Fleet leader gone behind my back, but it also seems Smith had joined him in this chicanery.

If the situation had turned out differently, their actions would have to be counted as little more than betrayal. But I knew the pair and, despite my anger over the matter, it was obvious their intentions were clear.

“We didn’t have time to warn you.” Smith shrugged, then leaned back in his chair, scratching his cheek. “The murmurings were starting to interfere with our experiments, so -”

“- We decided to act.” Franklin leaned forward on his stick, a serene smile on his face. “Of course, we reached an agreement with the three ladies before we made the necessary arrangements.”

“You there were in on this as well?” I turned to the girls, who’d taken the time to sit down on the ground at the other end of the office for a quick chat. “Why didn’t you… Is this why Dew spent so much time in my office?”

“Not totally, Master.” Freya perked up quickly before Dew could defend herself. “She really is a terror if you let her get anywhere near runesmithing equipment, so it was best for everyone to send her to you.”

“Hey, I wasn’t that bad!” Dew pouted angrily as she threw an evil look in her friend’s direction. “You’re exaggerating!”

“Girl, you merely touched a smithing tool and the damn thing exploded.” Smith grumbled, though he didn’t turn to face the one he was accusing. “Each person should be assigned to the role they’re best suited for. That’s leadership one-oh-one.”

I remained silent as both groups started a heated back and forth. Dew had Kaede on her side, though likely only because the high elf felt sorry for her friend. The rest were unmovable when it came to Dew’s incompatibility with ship repairs and runesmith experiments.

When it came to those things, she was a complete failure.

But I didn’t mind. I was happy enough to keep the happy-go-lucky blonde out of trouble. Most of the pirates weren’t helping with the repairs, either. Too many weren’t suitably busy, to the point where a fair number had gathered to threaten my newly appointed officers. I’d known things would come to a head eventually, but the speed at which such issues arose caught me off guard.

“Are you sure they won’t try it again?” I turned to Jean, who shrugged noncommittally.

“What can we do about that, then? We can’t worry about challenges like that popping up every other day.”

The other Pirate Lord’s remained silent, either thinking over the issue, or deciding to leave the decision in my hands. Trust or laziness, it didn’t matter—the fact remained, I’d be the once who’d have to make the call.

“What about a rite of challenge?” I offered the suggestion up after I recalled my studies in the Elven Navy. “Some cultures have a system set up for these sorts of situations. As long as it’s a military position where power matters, a lower ranking member can challenge their superior.”

“I’ve heard about those. They can be pretty brutal.” Smith nodded sagely and glanced back at the three girls who’d been challenged not so long ago. “The challenge continues until one side is either dead or surrenders, then the victor has the choice of how to deal with them. The fatality rate is said to be quite high, even when the loser chooses to surrender.”

“Obviously, we won’t go that far. The loser can just fuck off.” I paused for a moment as I considered the options. “Let’s set some limits to the challenges. Only a certain number—say only one per week—are allowed, and anyone who loses a challenge can’t issue another one for a year. Oh, and no killing.”

“Hmm.” Jean clicked her tongue as she looked at the three elves sitting at the back of the room. “That seems a bit too shaky to me. Accidents happen, you know, and these events are likely to get quite emotional.”

“Master, a word if you would be so kind.” Freya pushed herself up from her seat on the ground before the other two followed suit a moment later. “We won’t take much of your time.”

I shrugged and, after ensuring the other Pirate Lords were happy to wait, followed my companions out of the office and a fair way down the corridor.

“Wes, I know the reasons for what you’re proposing.” Dew stepped forward, apparently happy to act as the group’s spokeswoman. “I just want to make sure you aren’t involving us in your decisions.”

“What?” I looked at each of the three in turn, hoping to spot some clue as to what they were thinking. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Master, we care about you, and you care about us.” Freya blushed cutely as she spoke, as though her words had warmed her heart by their mere utterance. “But the rules have to be the same for everyone—including us. That way, trust and respect are shown to all parties.”

Kaede didn’t add anything else, but I could see her give a slight nod as she listened to Freya’s statement.

“This about the ‘no killing’ thing? Hell, I’d worry more that you three would be more likely to depopulate my fleets.” I rolled my eyes. “Sure, you three were in my thoughts, but that wasn’t my only consideration.”

The trio stared at me with such confused looks that I felt forced to explain my reasoning.

I lifted three fingers and then slowly lowered each one as I ticked off my reasons, one by one “First off, killings invite revenge. Someone kills your friend, and you want to kill them, right? That’s a cycle we’d find hard to break, and it could quickly escalate outside of the dueling arena.” I lowered one finger.

“Next, emotion and logic aren’t usually compatible. People fall out and, if given the chance, they might believe they want to go as far as hurting or killing one another—but after the rush of adrenaline is gone, will they feel the same?” I let the comment tail off as the three nodded in agreement.

With only one finger left standing, I moved onto my final point.

“And finally, corruption. If there is a legal way to fight and kill someone, what happens when one pirate wants to get rid of another, but can’t do it themselves?” I let the question hang in the air, though I could tell they had already figured out the thrust of my point. “At that point, it’s just an assassination with extra steps.”

“I- I didn’t think of that.” Kaede murmured from the back of the group, an embarrassed look on her face. She avoided my gaze. “Maybe we shouldn’t be your officers-”

“No, I believe in you three. I wouldn’t have raised you up if I didn’t. Same with Lira.” I grinned as I mentioned the pirate captain who’d helped our merry band since Keria. “So, does that explain my reasoning sufficiently? If you have any extra points to add, though, I’m happy to listen.”

“Those do make sense, but so does Jean’s response.” Dew glanced back at my office door with a conflicted look. “Maybe we should put it off until later?”

“No, that would just let the issue fester. We’ll deal with it now.” I folded my arms as I considered the options once more. “I just want you three to know my reasons before I make a decision—I owe you that much, at least.”

“Thank you, Wes.” Dew pulled me into a rough hug. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“Me too.”

“And me, Master!”

The other two rushed forward, wrapping me in a cocoon of warm affection. The hug lasted for a few seconds before they pulled themselves together and released me. I turned back to the office.

“Okay, let’s get back in there.”

The Pirate Lords were quietly discussing something as we made our way back into the room. Jean gave me a suggestive wink as I walked around the desk and settled into my chair, but the other two merely waited patiently for me to speak.

“I’ve made my decision, but obviously we need to agree on the actions we take.” The three Pirate Lords nodded in unison, but no one interrupted me as I continued. “We’ll call them Challenge Duels. Any challenges that are requested need to be approved by at least two Pirate Lords, and then will need to be overseen by at least one of us who isn’t in direct command of those fighting.”

“That- Well-” Jean’s frown deepened as she considered my idea. It took a few moments before her expression cleared as a wide grin came into view once more. “I like it. The process should limit the number of challenges that are fielded and having another of us judging the duel should stop any foul play.”

“It’s not the most elegant solution, but I can’t think of anything better.” Smith shrugged, showing his concurrence with his usual amount of carelessness. “But what about killing?”

“It’ll be an unspoken rule that we do not want it to happen, but if it does-” I glanced at the three girls who waited by the door. “Then we’ll just have to deal with it. Investigate both sides, make sure nothing is going on behind the scenes, that sort of thing.”

“Then we’re in agreement?” Jean slapped the table enthusiastically. “Sounds great, don’t ya think? The perfect rule for a bunch of scumbag pirates! I love it!”

Chapter 4

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 15

Once the issue of potential challenges was sorted out, we moved on to the rest of the business at hand: our supply shortages, the cave exploration, as well as the initial steps for our eventual expansion up the cliff face.

Unlike back at The Ridge, we at least had an ambitious goal in sight—reclaiming Monster Isle, and all the secrets it contained.

But scaling the cliff without outside assistance made for a long and arduous trip, even with the guide ropes and handholds we’d set up already. Even the sturdiest pirates took far too long to clamber their way to the top.

But Smith, with Freya’s help, believed he’d found a solution.

“So how does this work, exactly?” I looked down at the clunky runesmith device the pair had created. “You said it was automatic, but I assume it needs somebody to operate it?”

“Several bodies, actually.” Smith gave me a toothy grin as he patted the automated drilling apparatus, which he’d lovingly nicknamed ADA. “And a team to clean out the debris it leaves behind it. But with a little luck, it shouldn’t take long to carve us out a path to the top of the cliff.”

“We have a few strong youngsters in our ranks.” Franklin, the elderly former leader of the Seventh Fleet, glanced in my direction. “As long as our Lord wishes it, of course.”

“Play nice, Franklin. Smith, work with the Seventh.” I pushed the task over to the old fools and brushed my hands clean of the whole thing. “While you arrange a more permanent solution to the issue, I’ll check into the cave exploration team.”

“Good idea.” Jean nodded from the side, where she’d been silently watching my back and forth with Franklin and Smith, as though it didn’t involve her in the slightest. “If you show your face, I imagine the odds of us getting some progress made on that front will increase exponentially.”

I didn’t know if she was serious, or joking at my expense, but it didn’t much matter. I’d already made the decision to check on the team’s progress, especially considering how tight things were, space wise.

That issue had likely been a contributing factor to the angry challenges I’d witnessed. But Franklin’s man had instigated the whole thing before it could boil over naturally. In the end I forgave him, seeing as it’d kept the situation under control, though I still made the elder promise to inform me—ahead of time, next time—whenever such issues arose.

Freya didn’t bother to stay in the office to back up her rune smith teacher. When I asked if she wanted to assist with the setup,  she let me know that although she’d assisted the old elf in creating the contraption, she didn’t care all that much for it. Seeing the device at work wasn’t much of a thrill, at least not when compared to a chance to explore the caves with me and the others.

Unfortunately, someone had to stay behind to oversee the ship repairs. It looked like Kaede had somehow drawn the short straw.

It didn’t take long for Dew, Freya and I to catch up with the exploration team. The marks and signs they’d left behind them led us to their location easily enough, though what I found as I rounded the final corner sent a wave of irritation through me.

They were sitting around, laughing and joking.

“Having fun, are you?” I moved out into the open, as much as I could in the narrow, winding caves, and loomed over the group. “I know your break times, and none of them are close. What’s going on here?”

I kept my voice calm and even, but the exploration team still shivered and shook in their boots as they scrambled to their feet. Everyone knew I’d caught them with their pants down, literally in the case of one of their members as he took a leak against the wall, but they were hoping I’d let the matter slide.

“Seeing as you’ve had a nice break, I imagine you won’t need the next one, right?” I waited for the whole team to nod miserably before I pointed down an unmarked, unexplored corridor. “Go on, then. The faster you work, the happier I’ll be. And don’t be hoping I’ll forget your faces; not going to happen.”

That less than subtle threat was enough to light a fire under their collective asses. The team’s leader rushed off first, followed just a moment later by his subordinates as they paired off to delve deeper into the cave system.

“I hope you didn’t frighten them so much they get lost.” Dew giggled as she poked my arm. “You really know how to turn on your ‘Mighty Leader Mode’, don’t you?”

“Master has always been a Mighty Leader.” Freya’s faint smile didn’t change as she stared up at me. “He just doesn’t let others see it enough.”

“Okay, enough of that, you two.” I looked down the tunnel once more, making sure none of the teams had doubled back before I turned to walk back toward the base. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

Before we’d even walked back into the relatively open chasm that had become our base, a loud, screeching roar drowned out all other noise. I could only speak to Freya and Dew if I placed my mouth right next to their ear.

It didn’t seem like an attack, but the sound grated on my nerves like nothing else.

Once we reached the base, the source of the noise became clear.

Smith had set the ADA up against the base of the cliff wall, and the machine’s heavy drill bit was mid-way into its journey into the solid rock wall. Obviously, the old elf had known about the sound issue since, when he saw me appear at the mouth of the cave system, he ordered the drilling to cease by waving a pair of red flags.

“If anyone sails by, they’ll hear that racket.” I bit back the urge to kick Smith’s ‘baby’ as I walked towards the grinning fool. “How long did you say this is going to take?”

“Oh, it’ll be far quieter once it chews through the outer layer. At that point, I’ll activate the secret weapon.” Smith slapped his hands together happily as he danced a little jig. “Anti-rotation, smoothing technology. As the drill digs through the stone, the other section will spin in the opposite direction, which will smooth out the path ahead. And then-”

“I’ll explain the specifics to Master, thank you.” Freya quieted the old elf with a single look as she stepped up beside me. “Remember to keep it active whenever anyone is in the tunnel. If you don’t, then-”

“I know, I know.” Smith huffed, like a child who’d been informed he wasn’t being allowed to go to the circus like he’d wanted. “I’ll be in there myself, so I won’t forget. It’s not like I want to deafen our workers, you know?”

“Make sure you get the switchback and pulley systems set up.” Freya’s usually cool tone took on a hard edge as she pointed at a distant set of crates near the cliff face. “The sooner the better. If our people have to wait when they reach the top, it’ll slow down the plan.”

“Fine! Anything else you need, ‘Master’?” Smith bitterly flung out Freya’s nickname for me, but she took it in stride, her cool and composed look returning once more.

“No, I think that’s everything.” She turned back to me, as though Smith had stopped existing the moment she’d passed on her orders. “Shall we go, Master?”

“No, not yet. I don’t think we are ready to get started on this, yet.”

After a quick back and forth, Smith capitulated and agreed to our request to hold off on digging the tunnel for another day. Even if it were quieter, I didn’t plan on being anywhere near the base while ADA slowly and painfully dug its way up to the top of the cliff.

Instead, I went to visit the old leader of the Seventh Fleet.

Franklin greeted me with a warm wave when I walked into his room. Not many in the fleet knew of the old man’s previous role, but those who did respected him enormously, which meant he’d been assigned a comfortable space far in excess of most any other person.

Any pirate who had a problem with it, had to face down a host of the man’s ardent followers, before they could even think of complaining about it.

“So, you’re going to explore the Monster Isle, are you?” He pulled out several old, crinkled rolls of parchment from a desk drawer and started to spread them out before me. “I’ll send a full squad to explore with you, they’re the best we have, and have trained just for this specific situation.”

“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that.” I spotted the odd glances Freya and Dew gave met when I accepted Franklin’s offer. Clearly, they’d expected that I’d refuse his assistance.

“Here are the maps we still have.” He unrolled the parchments across the tabletop to reveal worn and faded maps of a weirdly shaped continent. “Outdated and old—just like me—but hopefully we can still be of some use to you.”

“I won’t say no.” I gave the pages a once over before rolling them up and passing them over to Freya. “Can you please take a look at these and see what you can do to make a copy? You can help, Dew. See if you can repair them, or at least make a better copy.”

“Sure.” Dew took one of the maps and wrinkled her cute nose as she glanced at its contents. “No promises, but I have a few mixtures that might work.”

“And I can figure out a tracing method, Master.” Freya nodded as she took the scrawled drawings back.

Before we could leave, Franklin called out one last time.

“Wes, if you find anything, please let me know.” The old man’s gaze sharpened as he glanced at the maps in Freya’s hand. “This is our past, but it may be your future. Together, we can make it possible.”

“I promised you I’d help, Franklin.” I winked at the former Seventh Fleet’s leader before I turned to leave his home. “And I always keep my promises.”

Chapter 5

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 16

Drilling a tunnel up to the top of the cliff would take a long time. Even with the ADA Freya and Smith had created, based upon the weird path we’d taken along the edge of the Iklit Corridor, the whole thing sounded like a long and arduous process.

So, though Freya made the decision to stay behind, I decided that the rest of our group needed to make more productive use of our time.

Once I’d cleared the rush of paperwork up, Arianna could deal with the steady flow of forms and administrative duties by herself, especially with Smith around to assist, whenever he wasn’t overseeing the route to the cliff top path creation.

So, while our resident runesmiths prepared for their task, I took the team I’d arranged up the cliff using the climbing ropes and rough hand holds we’d created as a temporary measure.

“Are you two sure about this?” I turned to Kaede and Dew, giving the pair a crooked grin after we’d clambered our way to the top of the cliff. “You could always hang around to help with the paperwork, or maybe you could pull some shifts, digging the tunnel.”

Kaede seemed torn, likely thinking about the work Freya would be stuck doing in our absence, but Dew merely responded by folding her arms and giving a snort.

“You want to explore the Monster Isle, and now you’re talking about leaving us behind?” She gave the calm and friendly looking view we could see of the Monster Isle a once over before turning back to me, her expression set and resolute. “No way. What happens if you need my help with some weird creatures you find up here, huh?”

“And then we’d just have to climb down the same route we just came up. No thanks.” Kaede glanced down at the Home Base, little more than a collection of rooftops surrounded by pirates so small they looked like ants crawling over their exposed hill. She shuddered and pulled her gaze away a moment later, clearly disliking the feeling of being so high up, despite the fact we were still on solid ground. “No thanks.”

I found it odd, because her amazing runesmith device powered leaps didn’t cause the same reaction. Maybe it was because then, she felt in control? Peculiar, to say the least.

It wasn’t like I wanted to leave the pair behind, and they both knew it, but her point was still pertinent. Dew’s ability to communicate with beasts would come in handy, and Kaede could use her rune smith gadgets to assist with scouting and the like.

But then came the last members of my little exploration squad.

“This should be fun, don’t ya think?” Jean grinned as she watched our little back and forth. “Camping under the stars, rolling under the sheets. A nice distraction from the hustle and bustle of camp life.”

Kaede shrugged at Jean’s comments, but Dew gave the passionate Pirate Lord a hearty thumbs up and a wink. Though Dew didn’t have any issues with the brash human, I hoped Jean and Kaede somehow managed to get along on this trip.

All in all, our team was well laid out. But the careful balance of skills and abilities might be upended by the Seventh Fleet squad that Franklin had ordered to accompany us. Though the Seventh Fleet had accepted me as their leader, on the whole at least, they still respected the elderly former leader. Not many of them knew of his true identity, but the stern looking men and women who stood before me were clearly in his circle of trusted allies.

They’d climbed up the cliff with little difficulty and no complaints. Good signs for the adventure ahead, but I also knew it was their first time returning ‘home’ in who knows how many years. I knew I’d need to set the record straight before we started out, and Jean made it clear she had no intentions of stepping into my limelight.

“I don’t want to have to say this again, so listen closely.” I waited a second for the squad’s attention to be rigidly fixed on me before I continued on in the same strict and cold tone. “Our priority is to investigate the resources available, check the dangers posed by the creatures in our vicinity, and clear any potential threats for our eventual expansion to the top of the cliff. If you have anything else you think is more important, then you pass it by me, or you ignore it. Are we clear?”

The group nodded in unison, but I could still see a flame burning in some of their eyes. Respect and loyalty were hard to earn, but Franklin had been confident when he told me I’d have their obedience at least. And that would have to do for the time being.

Thankfully, if there were any underlying feelings of anger or resentment, the group hid it well. They hadn’t even commented on the fact we’d dragged Kiel up along with us, even when they’d been asked to help pull the stupidly large shadow panther up like an impossibly long anchor that threatened to drag them back down to the bottom of the sea—or the cliff, in this case.

“Okay, let’s head out!”

I led the group toward the distant tree line with Dew and Kaede flanking me on either side, Kiel rushed off to scout ahead, while Jean strolled along immediately behind us. Though Franklin’s troops were well trained and pretty strong, I still didn’t fully understand the extent of their abilities.

Could they take out a threat at long range better than me?

Impossible.

Was it possible some of them could detect danger with more accuracy than Dew?

Extremely unlikely.

Could any of them use rune smith devices with more skill than Kaede?

Potentially, but there was no way I’d lend them some of her gadgets so they could try.

Fortunately, Franklin’s followers were happy enough to trail along behind us. They quickly formed two disciplined lines, spaced out from each other with a moderate distance between the members of each line—close enough to be able to help their comrades, but far enough away that an ambush would struggle to catch more than one of them off guard.

Dew nodded as she looked over the formation. Clearly, she judged their actions by her own knowledge of traveling through the dangerous woodlands of her homeland, where a moment of inattention could end up being your last.

Her knowledge, my years of training within the Elven Navy; both agreed that our helpers were skilled enough to look after themselves in the harsh environments on Monster Isle.

“At least we won’t be short on wood.” Kaede landed a solid punch against a nearby tree before she nodded to herself happily. “Strong and thick, no deadwood.”

“Just how you like it.” Dew quipped, giving the now blushing high elf a nudge as she winked in my direction. “Pretty experienced, this one is-”

Before Dew could get any more digs in, Kiel rushed into view, his fur bristling as he dived next to Dew.

“What’s wrong?” I glanced over our surroundings, half expecting some ridiculous monster to burst from the undergrowth at any moment. “What could have spooked him this badly?”

“I- I don’t know.” Dew knelt down beside Kiel and rested her head against his. The shadow panthers frantic breathing calmed down as his favorite elf slowly cooed at him and scratched behind his ears. Even after she’d placated the huge beast, it was clear Kiel  wasn’t as calm and composed as he usually acted.

Something, or someone, had scared him.

“It’s something off that way.” Dew waved off in the direction Kiel had dashed in from as she kept her attention firmly on the panting cat. “Pretty fa off, but I can’t tell how long it will take us to cover the same ground. He only noticed a surge of emotion. Rage. Anger. Frustration. Nothing good, at least.”

A direction and a general thought that it was dangerous. Whatever could frighten Kiel so much had to be dangerous, more dangerous than anything we’d clashed with before. Even when we faced off against the behemoths on our way to Keria, he hadn’t gotten worked up to this degree.

But what could, or even should, we do about it? If we went looking for trouble, hoping to clear up the threat, it might end up causing a chain reaction in the area. On the other hand, if we allowed ourselves to be spooked by every single thing, we’d never get any further than our first timid steps.

By the time we built ourselves up, the Council would have finished their schemes and destroyed everything worth saving.

“Do any of you have any ideas?” I turned to the Seventh Fleet group exasperatedly. “Even if it’s outdated, some information is better than none.”

“I might do, Sir.” One member stepped forward, his eyes bright and wide as he glanced in the direction Dew had indicated. “An old stronghold is in that direction, and there are some rumors about experiments having been done in the area. Might have something to do with the ‘dangerous’ feeling, Sir.”

“Experiments?” I growled, shaking my head as I tasted how that detestable word rolled off my tongue.

Just like what the Council were doing with the behemoths? Maybe the empire who’d once controlled Monster Isle had tried to tread the same path, or a portion of them might have looked into controlling the behemoths.

Those massive creatures had existed on this continent before its name had been changed to the ‘Monster isle’, after all.

“This is the plan, then.” I glanced at Jean, who merely shrugged and waved for me to go ahead, as though the whole situation was of no consequence to her. “We’re going to investigate this stronghold. If we can clear it out, then good. If the danger is too great, though, we’ll have to figure something out. But no one goes in without my approval, got it?”

“Sir, I feel like I need to say something.” The same one who’d mentioned the old base stepped forward. “We know what you’ve done for us, and for the old leader. I know it might be difficult, but please know you can trust us. Whatever you ask, we will do—even if we have to give up our lives.”

The others nodded without hesitation at the man’s bizarre suggestion. Franklin must have spiked their drinks with something pretty strong, for them to go that far.

I could tell from their eyes that they genuinely believed in what their spokesman had said. But it didn’t matter to me. Not like I was planning to sacrifice anyone on what should be a simple scouting trip.

“Fine, I’ll accept that.” I clapped my hand on the man’s shoulder and fixed him with a friendly gaze. “Until I give my permission, none of you are to die! Is that understood!”

“Yes Sir!” The group saluted and stamped their feet as Dew and Kaede looked on, bemused and concerned, respectively. They’d probably not let me hear the end of it once we got back to base, but I paid their expressions no mind as I raised my fist into the air.

“Then let’s get this done!”

Chapter 6

Monster Isle  - Day 16

The stronghold was our primary goal, but it would take us a while to reach it.

Kiel had adapted to whatever pressure he felt, though he still refused to leave Dew’s side. I couldn’t tell if he was seeking her support or was prepared to act as a guardian, protecting her against whatever it was we were about to face.

I shrugged. Either way, I struggled to see him as anything more than a big, overprotective house cat. Watching him grow from a cub to an adolescent shadow panther had given me a warped view of the dangerous beast stalking at my feisty wood elf’s side.

The further into Monster Isle we traveled, the more life we found. Creatures here ranged from harmless little scavengers and plant eating midgets, all the way up to monsters who could be classed as sub-behemoths, if anyone survived to categorize them.

For the smaller animals, our presence was enough to send them scurrying off, but the others took our mere existence as a threat. Most were content to hiss and growl from the depths of the thick underbrush, as we walked through their territories, but a select few took things a step too far, laying in careful ambush on the path ahead.

So, I struck first.

The first few died instantly without a clue as to what had happened. My arrows pierced their skulls with such power that the monsters' heads were ripped from their bodies. I hoped that would be a warning to others who might plan to waylay us.

Unfortunately, some were too stubborn, or too stupid, to take the hint.

I could destroy them all without much difficulty, but then I’d have to find the arrows, clean them off, and potentially repair any damage they’d taken. Without Freya around, it would be difficult to replace any I left behind.

Of course, I could create my own, but I was happy to admit that Freya’s crafting skills far exceeded mine. I’d gotten used to the extra power they lent my shots.

But I wasn’t traveling alone.

Dew and Kaede had slipped off after I’d scared off the first couple of beasts ahead. While the cheeky forest elf dashed through the trees, her daggers flashing with ruthless speed and efficiency, the spirited high elf used her runesmith boots to blast her way to the tops of the trees.

One cleared the forest floor, while the other cleared the skies.

“Those two make a good team, don’t they?” Jean took the chance while the others were away to walk beside me. “You never did tell me where you met them.”

“I met Dew in the Wiskas woods, but Kaede joined us just before we left Keria.” I kept my eyes peeled as I watched the pair annihilate the potential threats before us. “They practiced together a lot on the trip to join you lot, so maybe that’s when they managed to get so in sync with each other.”

“That short a time? I thought it would take years to acquire their level of synergy.” Jean grunted as she scratched at her cheek awkwardly. “Do ya know why Kaede doesn’t like me? The others seem fine, but she’s a wild one.”

“Ha ha. That’s rich.” I couldn’t help but chuckle as I heard her complain. How could anyone call a tame city elf ‘wild’ compared to someone like Dew? Impossible. “If you want to know that, you’ll have to ask her, not me.” I smirked. “It’s your problem, not mine.”

“Hah. Gonna make me work for it, are ya?” Jean grumbled and huffed angrily.

“Nothing worth your time is free.” I shrugged and turned back to watch the pair of beauties, who, having finished up clearing the immediate area of any threats, were making their way back to the group. “She’s usually quite friendly, but it can be hard to change her mind, once she’s got an idea fixed in her pretty little head. Good luck with that.”

It wasn’t like I was opposed to Jean’s attempts to join our little group, but every person involved had to agree. Dew had been up for it right from the start. Freya had come around to the sultry Pirate Lord’s side, eventually. But Kaede? The high elf had staunchly refused to even consider it.

Why? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care to ask. Busy with creating a new pirate base, my sister's sudden and explosive return back into my life, along with taking care of the three women already at my side, I hadn’t had much time even to think about it.

“Good job.” Jean gave the pair a friendly wave as they returned. “I know ya spent most of yer life in a dangerous place, Dew, so yer skill at this make sense.” She gave a nod to the blonde before turning to our silver-haired companion. “But I can’t believe how good ya are at this, Kaede.”

“Wes taught me, and Freya created some useful gadgets for me.” Kaede shrugged as she moved back to my side. “If I wasn’t at least this efficient, I’d not be pulling my own weight and put their names to shame, seeing as how I am their student.”

“Oh. Okay.” Jean nodded and moved back a few steps once more, clearly unhappy, but willing to give us space as we moved out once more.

“Kaede, what’s up with you?” I heard Dew whisper to her friend. “Jean’s just trying to be nice, and you’re still acting like a prickly rock badger.”

“She’s far too pushy. If we let her worm her way in with just a few nice comments, she’ll never change.” Kaede glanced up at me, a faint smile on her face. “Nothing worth your time is free, right?”

“You heard that, huh?” I gave the cheeky high elf a wink, showing I didn’t care if she’d overheard our conversation. “It’s up to you, anyway. If you keep Jean at the end of her tether for much longer, though, she might just snap.”

“Oh, I know.” Kaede wormed her way under my arm as she pushed herself into my side, fingers dancing across the front of my leather breeches. “You’ve taught me a lot, Wes. I know how to keep someone right on the edge, you know?”

The fact it was Kaede rather than Dew making a dirty joke caught me off guard for a moment, but I couldn’t hold back my laughter as the pair giggled beside me. But our happy walk was interrupted as Kiel, once again, froze in place.

The big cat stared off into the distance.

“What’s wrong now?” I grumbled as Dew moved over to calm the shadow panther. “Are we getting close?”

“No, this is something else.” Dew pushed herself up and stepped back toward us, a heavy frown replacing the warm smile that had been there only moments ago. “The place he sensed is still pretty far off. He’s found something else that may cause us a problem.”

“Oh, great. Thanks.” I lowered the impact of my sarcastic comments by giving the shadow panther a quick scratch behind one ear. “Do you think you could show us the way, Kiel?”

Kiel let out a low, rumbling growl, little more than a purr, before he turned to lead us from the path we’d been following. I hoped it wouldn’t be too far out of our way—I still had to keep track of the time we spent journeying on Monster Isle. Never mind getting back late, there was always the chance we could lose our way and never find the cliff and hidden route back down into Home Base.

With Kiel’s sharp nose guiding us, we walked on, not entirely sure what we were journeying towards. Kaede kept a hand on one of her sabers while Dew’s gaze flicked through the shadows.

Even with our group’s collective skill at detecting threats, it was good to know they hadn’t learned to just trust those abilities. Any lazy idiot traveling through a dangerous, unknown land might taunt death with every step. But what we found when we neared the edge of the forest we’d been walking through stunned the whole group into silence.

“Are those… Shogoliths?” Kaede muttered as she stared out into the enormous open plain that stretched out into the distance. “What are behemoths like that doing all the way out here? Aren’t they supposed to be nocturnal?”

She’d only ever seen two Behemoths: the Zekier which had rampaged through Keria, and the Nerker we’d hunted in the Lanoi sea. Of course, Kaede had taken the time to study up on the creatures after seeing the destruction they’d caused, but she was still the least knowledgeable of my ladies on their behaviors.

“Yeah, Shogoliths are massive, hairy, four-horned beasts.  They may look big, hairy cattle, but they have rows of razor-sharp teeth and most definitely eat meat. They aren’t normally out in the daytime but look over there.” I pointed to a large number of pitch-black rocks that jutted out of the ground near to where the behemoths gathered. “They want to attack something in those rocks, for some reason, but something is stopping them.”

“Is it the Elven Navy?” Dew gripped her daggers as she ground her teeth angrily. “If they’re here, maybe we should hunt them down. It shouldn’t take us long.”

“No, I don’t think so. The rods they used in Keria were carefully chiseled down, but these look almost… natural.” I stared at the seemingly random grouping of stones. “It might be related, but I bet getting too close would just end up with the behemoths fighting us.”

“And that’s too dangerous?” Jean nodded, as though she’d already accepted my logic. “There’s no way we could take all those monsters down, right?”

“Nah, it might be possible. We just don’t have the time.” I chuckled as Jean turned to face me, a confused look on her face. “I’ve fought worse in the past, but we’ll leave them as they are for now. Come on, let’s get out of here before they notice us.”

Chapter 7

Monster Isle / South Eastern Quadrant  - Day 16

We continued on toward the distant threat Kiel had felt without much more difficulty. The behemoths didn’t notice our presence, distracted as they were with the odd black rocks sticking up out of the earth, so at least we didn’t have any issues simply leaving them behind.

But the further we traveled, the more difficulty I found it to contain my curiosity. The Seventh Fleet had to know something about this place—maybe we just hadn’t been asking the right questions.

“Hey, there.” I waved for the rest of the group to continue on as I moved back beside the man who’d stepped forward earlier. “I have a few things I wanted to ask about. That okay with you?”

“You’re our leader, Sir.” He kept pace with me as he bowed his head respectfully. “Ask away, and I will answer to the best of my ability.”

“Do you really know nothing about this stronghold, other than its existence?” I jumped straight in with the most pertinent issue.

The officer merely sighed and shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Sir. Our members originated from all parts of this continent, so perhaps some of the others have stories of their own.” He paused for a moment to glance back at the other members of the Seventh Fleet trailing along behind us. “I’ve spoken to the others, though, and all we know is that it existed. Not many were given permission to enter it, and even fewer dared to speak of their work within its walls.”

His eyes, clear of anything other than sincerity and regret, showed he wasn’t lying. If he was withholding something, then I’d just have to chalk it up to my own ineptitude in reading people.

“What about those black rocks we saw?” I motioned back toward the field full of behemoths we’d left far behind us. “If something like that existed, surely some of you would know about it, right?”

“Nothing more than myths and hearsay, Sir.” The Seventh Fleet officer once more grimaced as he revealed his lack of information. “Some legends spoke of a mysterious force that could hold back any monster with ease, but no one really believed it. Maybe the stories were true?”

I nodded but stayed silent as we continued on towards our unknown destination. Myths, legends, and folk tales were usually rooted in some underlying message or truth. Some were clearly wishful thinking, likely thought up by some overly imaginative scribe, but the rest?

They likely had a nugget of truth buried deep within their tales.

“Tell me this story, then.” I finally pulled myself out of my thoughts, surprising the officer who’d walked along beside me without another word. “Maybe it’s unrelated, but I’ll not know unless I investigate it.”

“There isn’t much to tell, Sir.” The man shook himself without breaking stride. “The legend is that a creature exists who sits atop the world, and that nothing can withstand its pressure.”

“Like, its strength, the actual pressure of its body weight, or something else? How big is this thing, then?” I held in my amusement as I stared at the man with mock seriousness.

Apparently, he didn’t get the joke.

“It’s not really a physical thing, or at least that’s what I’ve heard.” He kept his gaze fixed to the front, scanning the forest for any threats as he spoke. “They say that any beast or monster who tries to approach is simply unable to fight its will. If it decides they should die?” He shrugged. “Then they’re dead.”

“Sounds rather farfetched, but I guess I’ve seen and heard worse.” I recalled the desert elves’ stories of the immense sand worms living beneath their feet. Though they wouldn’t give themselves up to the creatures that easily, their society as a whole accepted it as a natural thing—almost an act of the gods—if one of the behemoths decided to swallow one of their tribesmen whole.

It probably made it easier for the rest to keep on living, with such a threat hanging over their heads—or rather, under their feet.

“So, before the monster wave broke over the land, what was this place like?”

“I don’t really know. We only hear the stories of its past and not much beyond that.” The officer finally turned to me, a faint smile on his face. “But that’s enough for us. This is our home, even if we’d never set foot on it.  Before our people were forced off the continent, I’ve heard it was a peaceful land, filled with laughter, merriment, and enlightenment.”

“Hmm. Okay.” I shrugged and turned my attention back to the monster strewn forest around us. “It seems to have gone downhill, since then.”

“True, Sir, but maybe we can change that.”

I turned back to the man, confused as to why he was speaking with such optimism.

“Together, we can do anything. As long as we focus our efforts, nothing can stand in our way.”

Though it sounded like Franklin’s followers had been drinking the spiked punch a little too much, I couldn’t really say anything about their goals. They wanted to go home, back to THEIR home, and they knew how difficult that was going to be.

But still, they wanted to try.

Why had the Seventh Fleet’s forefathers been forced from their homes in the first place? From what I could tell, every man and woman working under Franklin had skills and abilities that far exceeded those of the other pirates, never mind the common folk I’d seen during my journeys.

They weren’t ‘Gifted’, per se, but some were pretty close to that level.

‘Enlightenment’, the officer had called it. I’d skimmed over his words at the time, but the odd connotation of the words he used kept coming back to bite me. I’d heard it before-

Then it hit me. I’d overheard a conversation about the experiments ran by the Elven Navy. Their forces were always on the cutting edge of any technological advancement, to the point where they’d sacrifice whatever was needed to reach their goals.

Resources, time.

Lives.

And what had they been seeking? What buzz words had the leaders of those projects used to justify their ruthless actions?

‘Seeking enlightenment’.

The officer beside me hadn’t shown any displeasure when he’d used the word, so it was possible he hadn’t made the connection. Those who’d told him the stories of their old home had likely sugar coated it to some extent, so it made sense that they would view it with such misty-eyed gazes.

As I considered possible links between the Seventh Fleet and the advancement of the rest of the world, the sun started to dip toward the distant horizon. There was no way we’d reach our destination before it had fully set and traveling at night through hostile and unknown lands wasn’t a good idea, even with such a talented group of people as I’d brought with me.

“Hold!” I called out to the group as I lifted my first into the air. “We’ll set up camp here, then move on at dawn. Pick a tree, make your beds, and decide on the guard shifts.”

The Seventh Fleet troops moved out without any complaints after acknowledging my command. Jean, Dew, and Kaede watched them scurry about, amused, but thankful I’d called a halt to our journey, at least for today.

“That means you, too.” I winked at the three of them and waved at a nearby tree. The trunk was so wide it would take at least three of us to encircle it with our arms, which I took as a good sign that it would take our combined weight. “Come on, let’s get up there.”

Kaede was the first to make it to the top, thanks to her rune smith boots, but I followed quickly on her heels. A beat behind me, Dew appeared. Jean scrambled up last, but I didn’t call her out on her tardiness. In fact, I was surprised she’d made the climb so easily, given the heavy battle axe on her back, and the bountiful bosom that strained at its cloth prison.

“Not much room up here.” She muttered to herself as she surveyed the treetop. “Maybe we should find another one?”

“It’ll be fine.” I waved away her concern after a quick glance at the area we had to work with. We had several thick branches, each one wide enough for one or two people to rest comfortably and safely.

But Dew wasn’t going to settle with a restful night’s sleep.

“What’re you doing!?” Kaede swung around to see Dew lowering herself into my lap and wrapping her legs around my waist. “This is no time for that-”

“I’m just making sure I don’t fall out of the tree, Kaede.” Dew leaned forward, resting herself against my chest as she pouted at her friend. “You’re just mad you didn’t think of it first.”

“Well- No!” Kaede cut herself off before she could reveal her true feelings, despite the fact everyone in the tree had already caught onto her desires with that one word. “But we need to rest! What happens if something happens?”

“We’ve got a guard, haven’t we?” Dew turned her head to look in Jean’s direction. “You don’t mind taking first watch, do you?”

Jean bit her lip as she watched us, her gaze dancing between mine and Dew’s bodies, and then over to the silently fuming Kaede. Obviously, Jean wanted to say something, but she managed to keep it to herself as she let out a low sigh.

“Fine. I’ll keep an eye out.” She shrugged and lowered herself onto one of the other branches. While she’d toned down her usual attempts at seduction, I noticed how she’d chosen a spot where she could watch as everything played out. “But I’ll need to swap with one of you, once you’re done.”

“Wait, what exactly do you mean by that?” Kaede fixed the Pirate Lord with a long, hard stare.

“I need sleep as much as you do.” Jean met Kaede’s gaze calmly, though I did notice a half-hidden grin on her face. “So, when you’re free, one of you three will need to pull guard while I rest. Is that okay with you?”

Obviously Kaede’s imagination had run wild. Either that, or she’d decided to step in between our group and the intruder, of her own accord.

It was cute, in a weird sort of way.

The silver-haired beauty grumbled something under her breath that not even my sharp ears could catch. “I’ll take the first watch, so-”.

“Don’t think I’ll let you get off that easy!” Dew’s hand shot out and closed around Kaede’s arm as she tried to step back. Before the shocked high elf could react, Dew had pulled her down beside us onto the now cramped branch.

“What’s your deal!” Kaede struggled to push herself back, but Dew’s arm had encircled her waist and locked the elf in place beside us.

“Oh, nothing much. It’s just that fun is more enjoyable when you share with your friends.” Dew pulled Kaede in close and laid a gentle kiss on her blushing cheek. “You don’t hate me, do you, Kaede?”

“Uh, no.” The girl mumbled, avoiding my gaze as her face burned hotter and hotter. “But what do you want to-”

Kaede’s question was answered before she could even finish it as Dew used her free hand to pull my pants down, revealing my already rock-hard shaft for the world to see. She only paused for a moment, her hot gaze fixed on it, before she repeated the same process with her skirt.

From Jean’s perspective, nothing would have changed, but from mine-

“Here we go.” My hands sank under her skirt, lifting the wood elf up so she hovered above me. The little minx must have been thinking about this for a while now. I could feel the heat and wetness as my head nuzzled between her netherlips. “Are you ready, Dew?”

“I aaaahhhhmmM!” She grunted in surprise as I firmly pulled her down, impaling the lovely maiden in one thrust. Kaede looked on, her wide eyes glued to my crotch as I buried myself in her friends warm, wet, and most importantly, tight folds.

“Mmm…” Kaede groaned and bit her lip cutely as her fingers dipped in between her legs. Obviously watching Dew get railed had triggered her enough that she’d forgotten about our, until that point at least, silent audience.

I gave Jean a quick look, warning her in that glance to hold her tongue, before I turned my attention back to the girls beside me.

Dew let out a series of seductive moans as I lifted her, gently but firmly, then let her slide back down until I filled her up, just like I knew she loved. Kaede knelt at my side, her gaze now hot and cloudy as she her hand disappeared beneath her skirt and between her legs.

Even with one arm wrapped around the wild wood elf, as Dew rode me with reckless abandon, I still had the strength to wrap my free arm around Kaede. Before she could ask what I was doing, my hand dove down, dipping under her skirt as I reached up to stroke inside her slick folds.

That was enough to set the pair of them off. One bouncing up and down on my crotch, the other shivering and moaning under my experienced fingers.

Jean’s hand shivered as she held herself back. I knew she wanted to join in, if only by extension, but she grit her teeth and turned her attention back to our surroundings.

“Wes, I-” Dew leaned her head on my shoulder, her hot breath brushing against my ear as she bit her lip, trying to hold in her moans. “I’m- Going- To-”

“Now!” I slammed balls deep one into her last time before letting myself explode. I simultaneously tweaked and played with Kaede’s clit, setting her off in her own series of orgasms.

It took us a bit to settle down, but Dew and I remained connected. The warmth constricting my dick writhed and clutched at me as waves of pleasure washed over her. And that was enough for me to be ready right away for another round.

“I thought it wouldn’t be so damn hard.” I heard Jean muttered as she watched the two elven maidens switch places. “This is going to be one long night.”

Chapter 8

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant  - Day 17

After a night in the treetops, we continued our journey toward the stronghold.

Jean had remained silent throughout the rest of our nightly activities. Afterwards, when I’d taken over for my guard shift, the sultry woman had seemed like she wanted to say something but again held herself back as she simply sat back against the tree trunk and drifted off.

It was then that I noticed how different Jean looked when she slept. Calm, vulnerable. Cute. Not the words I’d have ever thought I’d attribute to the boisterous and loud-mouthed Pirate Lord.

When we woke up, she wasted no time in asking me for the juicy details—right after the other two climbed down. I didn’t tell her much, instead choosing to leave her with the suggestion that she ‘speak to Kaede about it’, if she wanted to know anything more.

Though Kaede had been little more than a street urchin back in Keria not all that long ago, the mere mention of her name had become powerful enough to stun a full-blown Pirate Lord into silence.

Dew took the chance to communicate with her shadow panther companion as we made our way along the forest floor. From what she could gather from him, Kiel guessed that we still had around six more hours of traveling at our current pace. The stronghold wasn’t particularly close, but it would be difficult to investigate it and return to our little camp site in a single day.

Well, it wasn’t like we’d needed to put much effort into picking out a camping spot, at least. The Seventh Fleet members had found their own perches, two per tree, while we’d taken the largest tree out of all of them.

If worst came to worst, then we’d just need to sleep apart on the journey back. Maybe Kaede and Dew would draw straws or something to see who stayed with who.

When we reached the stronghold, however, it became clear we wouldn’t be heading back any time soon.

“This is- How did this place survive?” The Seventh Fleet officer stared at the towering construction before us, his jaw agape as he looked over its relatively pristine exterior. “It should have been a prime target, but there’s no sign of damage. This should be impossible.”

“What should be impossible and what actually happens are only linked inside your mind.” I patted the man’s shoulder, trying to bring his attention back to the here and now as I turned to survey the building in the distance. “Either way, we’re going to need to find a way in. I doubt the prior inhabitants left it unlocked.”

“Agreed,” the officer nodded as he pulled himself back to the task at hand. “Should we scout it out, Sir? Maybe we can find a side entrance.”

“That’s fine, though I have a better idea.” I glanced at our group once more before I turned my attention toward the willful high elf who stood nearby. “If what I have in mind doesn’t work, though, I might just take you up on your offer.”

The man nodded and moved back to the rest of the Seventh Fleet members. Though the others were similarly confused by the stronghold’s state, their superior calmed the rest of them down enough that they formed back into their disciplined ranks once more.

I couldn’t help but sigh as I compared them in my mind to the rowdy and aggressive pirates who made up the rest of the fleets.

“Kaede, how do you feel about a little scouting.” I moved up beside Kaede and gave her arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “I doubt there’s anything at the bottom, but maybe we can find a way in further up?”

“Of course.” She nodded happily, as though the dangerous task I’d asked her to complete was little more than a house chore. “But what will we do if I can’t find anything?”

“I’ll have to think of something else, then.” I stared up at the stronghold’s imposing walls with a thoughtful expression. “I’d prefer to avoid that, though. If we have to fall back on something more… direct, it might alert our friends back there.”

Kaede nodded in agreement as I waved back at the now distant behemoths. It would be best if we could avoid a confrontation, at least until we’d figured out the potential dangers hidden inside the stronghold’s walls.

“I’ll check out the ground level, then.” Dew stepped up beside me, a confident grin on her face as she winked at Kaede. “Many hands make light work, right?”

Her offer made sense. Though I’d be able to investigate the foundations or the walls myself, Dew was better suited to a stealthy operation. Kaede could use her gadgets to scale the building without much difficulty. And if I stayed behind, then it would be easier for me to keep an eye on each of them—in case either of them needed help at a moment’s notice.

“What about me?” Jean interjected from the side, cutting into our conversation with her usual clumsy nature. “I didn’t hear ya mention anything I could do. Don’t tell me ya want me to just stand around looking pretty?”

“I’ll need your help if we can’t find a way in.” I stepped forward, taking the chance to jump in before either of my companions could try to stir things up. “At that point, you’ll need to watch my back. Is that good enough for you?”

“It’ll have to do.” Jean shrugged and moved back, apparently happy to go along with my plan. “Just don’t expect me to sit on my ass all day, doing nothing.”

I gave Kaede and Dew a warning look, cutting off any rude comments before they could respond to Jean’s statement. We needed to act professional in front of the Seventh Fleet, at least.

Dew rushed off, followed a moment later by Kaede. The pair dashed toward the stronghold, keeping to the undergrowth where they could and sprinting across any open spaces they couldn’t avoid. Nothing noticed their approach, or at least I didn’t see or hear anything react to their presence.

I kept my gaze firmly locked on the stronghold itself. The large, dull gray structure rose into the sky, its walls pockmarked by windows set at seemingly random intervals. Hopefully one of those was open, or perhaps Dew would find a side entrance we could sneak our way in through.

The Seventh Fleet soldiers held their breaths as they watched my companions search the building’s exterior. Though the squad Franklin had assigned us were skilled in their own rights, each would struggle to equal either Kaede or Dew in direct combat.

Dew vanished for long stretches as she worked her way around the base of the stronghold, searching every nook and cranny for a potential entrance. Even from a distance, I could tell that she had yet to find anything useful.

Kaede, on the other hand, sprinted along the building’s vertical walls as though she was running on level ground. She darted from one opening to the next, pausing at each for a moment as she investigated them for possible flaws before she moved on, focused on her task as always.

It took a long time for them to search each wall, but I shifted around the edge of the clearing to keep them in sight as they made their way from one section to the next. Even though I had my bow half drawn, I still needed to keep them in sight, in case something terrible happened and they needed my assistance to escape.

But, after a long while had passed, the pair returned with grim looks on their faces. Together, we reunited with the rest of our group.

“Nothing.” Dew shook her head angrily as she stomped up next to me. “No doors, no gates, not even a secret passage.”

“All the windows are bolted shut and covered by heavy metal coverings.” Kaede reported her findings with a little more accuracy, though I could tell she was just as annoyed with the wasted trip as Dew. “The roof is made of a similar material. No matter how hard I hit it, I couldn’t break through.”

“It’s called a stronghold for a reason.” I muttered as I stared at the towering structure. “Well, I can only see one option from here.”

“Straight in through the front? I like it!” Jean grinned as she stared at the enormous stronghold’s doors.

The fact they were so big played on my mind. Why would those who worked in the building need an entrance that large? What could possibly be so big they’d require such an entrance to move it in and out?

No matter which way I turned the problem around in my head, I could only come up with one answer to the question—it had to be related to the behemoths.

“Okay, we tried playing nice, looks like we’ll have to do it the hard way.” I glared at the stronghold, half blaming the stubborn, inanimate building for standing in my way as I waved for the others to follow. “Everyone, come with me! Let’s kick that fucking door down!”

Chapter 9

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant - Outside the Eastern Experimental Stronghold  - Day 17

The stronghold’s defenses were on point, but that wasn’t exactly a surprise, given how pristine it looked despite the time it had stood, abandoned on a monster infested continent.

With every other option checked out and marked off, we only had one route left to take. We’d have to break in through the front entrance. Normally it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest to kick the door down, but the chance that our attempts to enter the enormous building might alert any nearby monsters to our presence set my teeth on edge.

We didn’t have the time to clear out the entire area, though. Freya and the others were expecting us back in a few days, a week at the most. So, I decided to try some of the more subtle methods to gain entry.

First, the simplest option: Prying the door open with brute strength. No matter what we tried, though, it proved impossible to budge the oversized metal plates of the entrance gate in the slightest. Pointless. Obviously, whatever device held the door closed was much stronger than a simple lock.

So, I ordered the team to move onto something a little less subtle: Directly attacking the huge hinges set into the frame itself. Some damage showed after a combined effort, but ripping the chunky metal bindings apart would take hours, perhaps days, and it wasn’t exactly a quiet process.

The longer we battered the unyielding stone and toughened metal, the more likely it was that something would overhear us.

With those two options pushed aside, I finally gave in and moved onto the most direct route. Blowing the hinges apart using the arrowheads Freya had prepared. I didn’t have many left, but each one had enough power to blow through a behemoths outer hide with ease.

Jamming a few into the gaps of each of the hinge’s potential weak spots took half of the runed arrowheads Freya had created. It would be worth the loss if the plan worked as well as I expected it to.

“Okay, everyone ready?” I glanced at the Seventh Fleet squad’s members, then back over to Jean, Dew, and Kaede, waiting for each to nod in turn before I pulled my bow back to its fullest draw. “Cover your ears, this is going to get loud!”

My shot pierced the air like lightning, slamming into the bottom corner of the door, right beside the first of the prepared caches of runesmithed arrowheads.

BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The explosions cascaded, accelerating exponentially as each new collection of primed rune-engraved arrowheads erupted under the insane pressure. The whole door was shrouded in a cloud of choking steam mixed with shards of metal and clumps of dirt thrown up by the continuous blasts.

When the dust and smoke cleared, I saw the results of the devastation I had wrought.

One whole leaf of the door was blown from its frame and had dropped into the inner hall of the stronghold. It hadn’t fully fallen, likely remaining propped up by something inside the structure, but the formerly solid door had been turned into a ramp into the building itself.

“Go!” I waved at our group before I dashed forward myself. The deafening waves of sound would likely attract monsters from an insane distance, so we had to get into the relative safety of the stronghold before the first beasts arrived.

Maybe whatever Kiel was terrified by would keep the others from entering. Dew half dragged the shadow panther along behind her as she sprinted into the hall just behind the Seventh Fleet squad. Kiel wasn’t happy in the slightest but, after Dew spent some time in direct communication with the agitated shadow panther, he calmed down a bit.

The interior of the stronghold surprised me a little in how elegant it was, compared to its stern and cold exterior. Though everything was covered in a layer of dust, we could still see paintings lining the walls, and even a few tapestries hanging from the ceiling far above our heads. A couple of them had been ripped off by the falling door, but it all still looked pretty fancy to my eyes.

“You lot, keep watch.” I waved at the Seventh Fleet officers, then pointed them to several elevated positions and balconies that surrounded the entrance hall. “If needed, retreat further inside and create a barricade. We shouldn’t be too long.”

The soldiers accepted my commands with a salute and moved to the spots I’d indicated without any hesitation. It was possible they’d have to face off against a large number of monsters and enraged beasts, maybe a behemoth or two.

I decided to give them a trump card.

“Here.” I called out to the Seventh Fleet squad’s leader and my second in command. He dashed over to me and took the bundle of arrows I offered him with a confused look. “Lay these around the door. If you need to escape, activate one and shoot it into the rest, that should cover your retreat.”

“I- Thank you, Sir.” The man nodded and set off to lay the trap as I’d advised.

Though they wouldn’t do much damage to the stronger behemoths, the combined power would at least inconvenience the lumbering monsters. That would have to be enough.

There was a side tunnel large enough for one of those enormous freaks to push their way through, but the rest of the exits from the hall were far too small. There were way too many for our team to scout out in the time we had.

But there was a factor that would make our search easier.

“What have you found out?” I moved next to Dew, who was still resting a comforting palm on her bestial companion’s side. “Even if Kiel can only point us in the right direction, that would be better than nothing.”

“He’s trying, but the presence is too strong, it’s like it is everywhere, all at once.” She winced, likely feeling some sort of backlash from the shadow panther’s attempt to scout out the location of our target. “It… it feels stronger toward the back of the stronghold, so the most direct path would be the best.”

“Okay, we’ll stick together, then.” I saw that Jean was about to speak up, so I quickly continued before she could interrupt. “We don’t know what we’ll find in here, so it’s not safe to split up. Let’s take that route.”

They turned toward the corridor I’d pointed to. The door itself was inset at the back of the hall, directly in the center of the rear wall. The destruction of the collapsing door had left the area mostly clear, though some debris had managed to make its way that far back.

“Fine. I said I’d follow ya, so this isn’t my show.” Jean sighed and then grinned at me direction. “Just tell me if ya need my help, I’ll be right behind ya.”

I decided to ignore her assumption that I’d be in the lead, seeing as that had been my plan in any case. Kaede would be best placed in the middle, where she’d have time to use her gadgets to their best effect, while Dew could work most efficiently as a rearguard against any potential sneak attacks. That left Jean and Kiel to guard the flanks of our diamond-shaped formation.

Not the best layout I’d ever thought up, but it would have to do. The others followed my suggestions without any complains, which showed at least that they didn’t have a better idea.

Journeying along the corridor took longer than expected. At regular intervals we ran into sturdy, bolted doors, but Jean’s heavy battle axe made short work of those barriers. I could have used my bow, but the power of my arrows wasn’t enough in the confined space.

I never thought I’d see the day where her axe was more useful than my bow for clearing obstacles. Instead of blasting the doors from their hinges, I’d instead need to blow whole chunks from its frame. That meant I’d need to shoot several arrows to create the same effect as one of Jean’s wild swings.

Other than that, we didn’t run into anything else to slow our steady progress. The corridor continued on without any side entrances, at least none I could see, which made me hopeful that I’d chosen the right passage. Whatever was causing Kiel’s reaction had to be important.

It made sense the stronghold would have a pathway specifically assigned to its area.

“We’re close.” Dew spoke up as we closed in on yet another door. “Whatever it is, I think it’s on the other side of that door.”

“Thanks for the warning.” I turned to Jean, who watched silently, apparently happy to follow my lead. “I have a bad feeling about this, so let me deal with this one.”

“What do ya mean?” Kaede stepped closer as she glanced around uncomfortably. “Is there something wrong?”

“Don’t be silly, girl!” Jean slapped the young high elf’s shoulder with a wide grin before she stepped toward the door. “We made it this far. What could possibly be so bad here that-”

Before she could even finish her attempt to calm Kaede down, a heavy crunching sound rang out through the corridor. And then the ceiling shattered, cracked, and rained down upon us.

“Shit!”

Chapter 10

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant - Inside the Eastern Experimental Stronghold  - Day 17

I jumped backward and to the side, kicking and punching at the chunks of stone and masonry raining down upon us. If the entire stronghold collapsed, then we were dead, but I had to believe this was just a trap designed to take out intruders in a single corridor.

Dew easily cleared the area, dragging Kiel along with her as they backtracked, but Kaede wasn’t so lucky. Though she’d tried to dodge, I could tell her rune smith boots weren’t working for some reason. Maybe a piece of debris had struck them, or perhaps they weren’t responding to her commands, but either way she was frozen in the middle of the corridor.

I couldn’t get to her, but there was one person who could reach the struggling girl.

Jean charged back from the door, catching Kaede in her arms as the pair rolled to the floor and out of the main danger zone. I saw a few rocks and stones bounce off the Pirate Lord’s back but, as they’d moved out of my field of view, there wasn’t anything else I could do to help them.

With no one left to save, I had to make good my own escape.

Fortunately, the collapse had been just the shattered remnants of this corridor’s ceiling. No single slabs had been large enough to overwhelm my strength. Once the raining debris had settled into a few scraps falling down from above, I darted around the wreckage and joined the rest of the ladies.

“Is everyone okay?” I glanced at Dew, who nodded as she nursed a battered and bruised Kiel. It seemed they’d gotten out relatively unscathed, given the circumstances.

Jean, however, hadn’t been so lucky.

After she’d knocked Kaede out of the way, at least a few of the falling rocks had caught her as the pair rolled across the floor. Even now, she still hadn’t stood up. Kaede lay still beneath her, dazed and confused.

“Jean, can you hear me?” I knelt down beside the pair and gently helped Kaede wriggle out from underneath the Pirate Lord’s bigger form. “Hey, no time to sleep. Wake up, Jean!”

No response.

Several ugly bruises had started to form on the backs of Jean’s arms, along with a few scratches and dents to her armor, but other than that, I couldn’t see any damage. Blunt force trauma could be deadly, though, even without any obvious external injuries.

“Dew, she needs treatment.” I called out to the wood elf, who left the shadow panther behind to recuperate as she dashed over to Jean’s side. “She’s unconscious, probably took a few hits to the head. Do you have anything that could-”

“I- I can hear ya-” Jean winced as she slowly turned her head in my direction before forcing an awkward grin once more. “That was close, wasn’t it?”

“Why did you do that!?” Kaede dropped to her knees beside the injured Pirate Lord. “You got hurt helping me! Why!?”

“It was my fault, ya know?” Jean tried to push herself up, but her strength failed before she raised herself more than an inch or so. “Ah, that hurts. Ya got any of those nice tonics yer famous for, Dew? I’m parched.”

“Wes, can you move her onto her back?” Dew ignored Jean’s query as she looked at me, her gaze focused yet worried, in equal measures. “Carefully, though. Take your time.”

“Sure.” I nodded and moved so I could lift Jean up, taking great care to ensure my grip was secure before we started the procedure. Kaede moved beside me, intense and driven to help out in any way she could.

“Oh, this isn’t how I imagined things turning out.” Jean tried to joke as we slowly levered her onto her back. “I always thought ya’d first take me into yer arms, all romantic like.”

“Save that for later.” Kaede muttered as she knelt down once more at Jean’s side. “And save your strength. You need to rest.”

Dew ignored the pair’s back and forth as she finished creating a curative mixture. It didn’t look very appetizing, but seeing Jean’s obvious pain, downing the mushed up gooey remnants of the wood elf’s herbs should be an easy choice.

“Ugh.” Jean retched as we tipped the concoction into her mouth. “Calm down, I’ll drink it!”

Dew ignored the big woman’s complains as she poured her potion down Jean’s throat. Some sticky plant fibers stuck to the glass, but Dew ensured even those were consumed as she tapped the base of the vial, forcing the last few soggy pieces to fall into Jean’s mouth.

“That- Was disgusting.” Jean grumbled as she swallowed the pulpy mixture with great difficulty. “What the fuck did you put in there? It tasted like rancid piss mixed with acid!”

“And how do you know what rancid piss tastes like?” I grinned at Jean’s displeasure, though she was too distracted to note my amusement. “Just lie down and let the tonic do its job. We’ll move on when you’re ready.”

“I’ll go check on the main hall.” Kaede glanced at Jean, then back up at me. “We didn’t hear anything, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Good idea.” Dew nodded as she tracked the effects of her mixture on Jean. “She’ll be out of action for at least an hour, so take your time.”

Jean opened her mouth to complain, likely intent on saying she’d be up and running in no time, but no words came out. She’d fainted.

“That was quick.” I glanced at the vial which had held the horrible looking mix of plants and liquids. “An hour, you said? Will she be fine after that?”

“Maybe. She was conscious and talking, so I doubt she was hurt too badly for it to help.” Dew leaned forward and tapped on the Pirate Lords forehead, which she responded to with a pained murmur. “I think her thick skull protected her from most of the damage.”

“I guess that’s that, then.” I glanced up at the ceiling, then back down the corridor. The chunk that had fallen down revealed a void above us, which proved the whole thing had been set up as a trap for those who tried to move along this corridor. “Any sounds of movement from the other side of the door? Has Kiel noticed anything dangerous?”

“No. Whatever is in there seems to have calmed down for some reason.” Dew gave the shivering shadow panther a quick scratch behind the ears. “Maybe the trap spooked it?”

“For some reason, I can’t believe that’s the case.” I sighed and leaned back against the wall. “Seriously, if this wasn’t likely something really big, I’d be mighty tempted just to knock down this entire fucking stronghold.”

“Ha ha! I don’t doubt you’d find a way.” Dew giggled as she lowered herself beside me and casually wiggled her way under my arm. “But wait until we’re out of it, first.”

Kaede returned after her reconnaissance and reported that the hall was still clear. Apparently, some creatures had investigated the opening in the stronghold’s door, but none had dared approach too closely. Whatever was hidden within the depths of the building still held sway over them, from what the Seventh Fleet soldiers reported.

After she passed the details on to us, Kaede spent the rest of her time at Jean’s side. She obviously felt guilty about what had happened, despite it being Jean who had set off the trap.

Fortunately, Dew’s estimates had been on point. An hour after Jean had been force fed the potion she awoke, grumbling and moaning as she pushed herself up from the cold, solid stone floor.

“What did ya put in that vile tonic?” She stretched out her back and, once she’d managed to do that without issue, moved on to testing her arms. “That crap did the trick, whatever it was. Everything seems as good as new.”

“Really?” Kaede carefully helped the Pirate Lord to her feet with a relieved expression on her face. “No other problems? You’re not dizzy? How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been kicked by a bull, but I’ve been through worse.” Jean’s wide grin showed up once more as she clapped a heavy palm onto Kaede’s shoulder. “Good to see yer worried about me. I thought ya hated my guts.”

“It’s not like that.” Kaede winced as she avoided Jean’s warm gaze. “I just- I mean, I-”

“What she means to say, is that we’re all happy you’re feeling better.” I pushed myself to my feet and approached the pair, who had yet to move apart after Kaede had helped her new friend up. “You ready to continue, or should we take another break?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Jean released Kaede’s shoulder and stretched once more. “What about you lot, anyone hurt?”

“We weren’t dull enough to let ourselves get hit.” Dew moved beside me, a cocky smile on her face, though she continued to look the Pirate Lord over carefully. “Next time, you might try dodging one or two—the big ones at least.”

“I’ll keep that in mind!” Jean waved off Dew’s attempt to rile her up. “Thanks for the help, though. I’d probably have been monster chow if you hadn’t stepped in.”

I watched as the three of them chatted back and forth. It was difficult to tell if Jean was happier about her recovery or that Kaede was no longer giving her the cold shoulder. Either way, we were ready to continue on with our exploration.

“Come on, then.” I called to the trio, pulling Jean’s attention back to the last door standing in our way. “You’re up. One last opponent. If you can still lift your axe, that is.”

Jean took me up on the challenge and hefted her huge battle axe. A single swing was all she needed to demolish the last obstacle between us and our target. Once I saw what was on the other side of the door, though, I couldn’t help but pause.

I froze as I tried to take in what I was seeing.

“Is that-” Kaede muttered from the side, her eyes wide in shock. “Is that… is that a behemoth emperor?”

Chapter 11

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant - Inside the Eastern Experimental Stronghold  - Day 17

I moved in front of the rest of our group, shielding them as best I could as I stepped over the threshold into the huge room Jean had revealed.

“How did they get that thing in there?” Jean leaned to the side to look into the huge space that housed the silent, unmoving behemoth. “I can’t see any other entrances. Did they simply build this place around it?”

“Wait.” Dew stepped up beside me, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she stared at the beast. “It’s not dead, but it’s also not asleep. I think… I think it’s… waiting for us?”

I turned to Dew and fixed her with a long, hard stare. A behemoth, waiting for us? As in, not trying to ambush the group, but waiting to… meet us?

How did that make any sense? I trusted Dew’s instincts when it came to the animal kingdom and that, from what I could tell, seemed to include the behemoths themselves.

Kiel refused even to approach the threshold into the slumbering monster’s room.

Dew held no such fears as she stepped forward.

I kept my bow half drawn and a close eye on Dew as she stepped toward the beast. If it tried to attack her, at the very least I’d be able to get a shot off as I sprinted in to pull her back. Thankfully, it turned out my concerns were unwarranted.

The behemoth didn’t move as Dew cautiously approached. In fact, it didn’t even look like it was alive, but I trusted Dew’s words when she’d told me otherwise.

“I think it wants to talk?” Dew spoke as though she was questioning herself as she stepped up beside the monstrous beast. “I’m going to try.”

“Be careful.” I nodded and tightened my grip on my bow as Dew slowly lifted her hand and placed it on the things body.

If that fucker tried anything, then I’d find a way to blow it into tiny fucking chunks.

Dew fell silent as she buried her fingers into the behemoths messy fur. Her eyes closed as she concentrated inward, listening to the silent communication from the beast. Only the occasional twitch and the wood elf’s involuntary gasp showed that anything was happening at all.

“It’s weak.” She finally lifted her hand clear and turned to face us once more. Her expression had darkened considerably as she glared up at the pitch-black roof far above our heads. “They managed to capture it as it hibernated. This place was built around it, like a tomb.”

“But why?” Kaede muttered.

Dew merely shrugged irritably.

Whatever the reason, it was clear she didn’t know why. I glanced at the behemoth once more. Though we could only see a small fraction of its body, it was easy to see that the thing was powerful, far beyond any of the other beasts we’d fought. And that included the Grand Zekier back in Keria.

Most of the things body was covered with thick, black fur, but I could see several large, dark spikes sticking out of its body. Several were chipped and scarred, but it looked like most of them were relatively undamaged. From a distance, they looked exactly like the black rocks we’d seen on the way to the stronghold.

How could that be possible?

“So why did it want to ‘meet’ us?” I looked back at Dew once I’d finished my inspection of the area. “Was the pulse something like a call, or were we just the unlucky group who caught one of its dying shouts?”

“It’s not strong enough to speak that much.” I could hear Dew’s teeth grind as she looked back at the behemoth once more. Despite the immense strength the beast held within its body, I could tell that she looked at it like an injured rabbit, left behind by callous hunters in the woods. “There’s something holding it here, stabbed into its body. They’re like the rods the Elven Navy are using, but far stronger. If we took those out, then-”

“It would eat us up.” Jean interjected as Dew paused to consider for a moment. “This doesn’t seem like a great idea to me. What do ya think, Wes?”

I glanced between Dew, the behemoth, and the corridor we’d just traveled through. There were only a few options, and it was tricky to figure out which one I hated more. First, we could finish off the behemoth while it was still weakened—not honorable or nice, but it was a logical response to such a situation.

Another possible reaction would be to simply leave the stronghold and act like we’d seen nothing. That felt weak to me, though, and I knew there was no way Dew would accept such a course of action, so I discounted it without any serious consideration. And last, but not least, we could go along with the request it had communicated to Dew.

If we managed to extract whatever had been placed into its body, then we might learn more about the whole situation. Or it might just rise up and try to make us its first meal in ages, once it was free of its bonds.

The possible results and repercussions of each option played back and forth as I considered my response. We wouldn’t just leave, and killing the behemoth, though logical, felt too much like the easy way out.

If worst came to worst, we could always kill the thing after we’d freed it.

“Okay, do you know where these rods are?” I sighed as I flicked my bow onto my back. “We’ll take them out, carefully, but if that thing turns violent-”

“Then I’ll help you to take it down.” Dew nodded confidently, though I could see a faint smile flicker across her face as she pointed out several areas on the behemoths body. “They’re set at regular intervals around its body. It knows we’ll be taking them out but please try to do so as gently as you can.”

“I doubt a rod designed to hold that thing down will be easy to remove, but sure.” I shrugged and moved toward the nearest road where Dew had indicated. “We’ll take the last few out together, just in case.”

The others nodded before they made their way toward the behemoth. It was difficult to believe what I was doing, but the truth was square in front of my face as I approached the first of the rods Dew had mentioned.

The black rod wasn’t as large as I’d imagined, but it would still be tricky to remove, even more so if I tried to do it as painlessly as possible. From what I could tell, the rod was about a foot in diameter and easily twice as tall as I was.

Heavy, sturdy, durable.

I tested my sword against it and found I couldn’t scratch its surface. Maybe a full-on strike would make a dent, but the impact would likely cause the behemoth some discomfort, so I tossed the idea aside and took a firm grip on the rod itself.

“Three. Two. One. Now!”

The whole thing came out smoothly, as though it hadn’t just been impaled through a behemoths flesh and into the rock-hard floor beneath its body. It was much lighter than I’d expected. I quickly tossed it aside before moving on to the next one.

Once we’d cleared up most of the rods, I joined the others back by the entrance. During out patrol around the behemoth, I’d noted that there weren’t any other exits from its prison.

Maybe the whole stronghold had been designed as a solid block, just to hold this thing in place. The idea made the whole thing even more intriguing. How much effort had gone into designing, building, and maintaining the structure? Why would they go that far just to trap a single behemoth, even one of the emperor class variants?

“This is the last one.” I stepped up to the final rod and gripped it firmly. “Dew, get ready to speak to your friend. If it tries anything, then let it know what will happen to it.”

“It’s fine.” Dew clenched her eyes closed as she laid a palm against the behemoth’s side again. “It’s getting stronger, and it knows we’re helping it. From what I can tell, its grateful.”

“As long as it’s not grateful for a free meal, we’re all good.” Jean quipped from the side in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

Unfortunately, it didn’t help.

Kaede had stepped back and dropped her hands to the hilts of her sabers. Out of all of us, she had the best chance of leaping up onto the behemoth’s weak points, so she’d taken the rear-guard role as I prepared to remove the final rod.

“Here we go then.” I tugged at the large stone pillar, gently pulling it up and out of the beast’s flesh bit by bit. “Just a little bit further. There!”

I tossed the rod aside and jumped back, in case the behemoth tried to land some sort of surprise blow the moment it was free. Instead, it flexed slightly as it let out a long, deep breath.

Dew remained in place, her expression finally calm and peaceful as she communicated with the beast we’d just rescued. “It says thanks.” She smiled softly as she kept her attention focused inward. “It knows we’ve traveled far to meet it, and it wants us to know it will do whatever it can to help us in return for freeing it.”

“Oh, really?” I raised an eyebrow as I looked up at the shivering behemoth’s form.

“That’s not- Really? How?” Dew shook her head, as though she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. It was only after several awkward, one-sided refusals, that she finally sighed and turned to face the group again.

“It says that it knows how to control the other behemoths.” She frowned as she glanced back up at the behemoth, then back to us. “And it’s willing to teach us how.”

Chapter 12

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant - Inside the Eastern Experimental Stronghold  - Day 17

“Oh really?” I looked up at the silent behemoth, contemplating its sudden, bizarre offer. I turned back to Dew. “So, it can show us the way to control the others, can it? By any chance did it teach this little trick to someone else, first?”

“No.” Dew shook her head firmly, clearly understanding which group I was suggesting. “The Elven Navy just picked up the scraps of prior experiments, like those shards we saw on the way here. Their methods are simpler and relatively unrefined.”

“It really told you a lot, huh?” I clicked my tongue as I glanced at the large, black shards we’d pulled from the behemoth’s body. “Would its way work better? How can we trust that it’s not planning to turn the whole swarm against us?”

“Because it’s going to show us the way… I think?” Dew titled her head, as though she was still trying to wrap her brain around whatever information the monstrous beast had provided her with. “And it requires another piece before we can use the technique it’s going to teach you.”

“Wait, teach… me? As in, me specifically?” I couldn’t help but feel surprised at the odd caveat in Dew’s translation of the beast’s words. “Why me, exactly? Wouldn’t it be easier for it to show you, seeing as you’re the one who can actually communicate with it.”

Before Dew could answer, a deep, rumbling sigh echoed through the room, so low in tone that I could feel my eardrums vibrating in response. For a moment I couldn’t tell where the sound had come from, but then the behemoth shifted slightly and turned its enormous, grizzled face toward our group.

‘That- may be true-’ The thing’s breath ruffled the matted fur of its beard as it spoke. Its words seemed to reverberate directly into my skull, as though the sound waves were jumping straight from its throat to my skeleton, bypassing the air between us. ‘But you are- The best suited- For this task.’

I paused and glanced at the rest of my group, but their complete lack of reaction to the behemoth’s words showed that they hadn’t heard its speech. More accurately, it was clear they’d felt its attempts to communicate, but obviously only I had understood it. The one question pulsing at the forefront of my mind before any of the thousand others that clamored for my attention, though, was... why was I ‘suited for this task’?

‘You share- The bloodline-’ The behemoth shivered as its old, wise eyes stared down at me unblinking. I could tell it struggled with each and every word, but that didn’t stop it from trying to explain itself. ‘You and I- Are- Connected. Not by choice- Nor- By birth. But it exists- Can you feel- It?’

“Feel it?” I frowned as I considered its odd comment. How would I be linked to a monstrous race like the enormous beast before me? What possible link could there be between us?

Then I realized what set me apart.

I was gifted. The origin of the chosen few in each generation was shrouded in mystery. Most were born to high-ranking families, closely linked with either the Elven Council, or other organizations who had direct links to those shadowy puppet masters.

What if the ‘gifted’ weren’t naturally produced, but instead created via some sort of experiment? That would explain some things, but not others. The remnants of the Monster Isle civilization, now named the Seventh Fleet, were on average stronger and fitter than most other races. Why?

Maybe they’d inherited those things from their ancestors who, like me, had been ‘gifted’ their abilities. That would explain why my father had tried to protect me so vehemently, especially after my sister showed the first signs of her illness-

“Fucking bastards!” I grit my teeth so hard I could actually hear them groan under the pressure. “They tried to experiment on her, didn’t they!? I’m going to fucking kill them!”

“Who experimented on whom? What’s wrong?” Dew darted forward and grabbed my arm, followed a moment later by the others as Kaede and Jean worriedly moved closer. “What happened, Wes? Tell us!”

“Give me a moment.” I waved them off as I tried to calm myself. “Just let me talk to the thing, elf to beast. I need to figure some things out.”

The trio shared a confused look before stepping back. They were all clearly conflicted, but chose to acquiesce to my request, despite that.

My theory was still just a vague guess, based on a rumor passed on by a behemoth who’d been imprisoned for who knows how many years. But it felt RIGHT.

‘You- understand-’ The beast slowly nodded its head, shocking the other three as they spun around to face the monster. ’It is not- Your choice- Nor mine- But we must make do-’

“Fine, I get it.” I rubbed my temples, trying to force back the rising headache as I contemplated the enormous truth that had just been revealed. “Do you have a name, by the way? It feels a bit weird thinking of you as ‘It’ constantly.”

‘My name? Lost- To the sands of time.’ I could sense a regretful tone to its communication before it spoke again. ‘You may call me- Gran.’

“Gran, huh? Fine. Let’s say I believe you, what then?” I called up to the behemoth as my fists tightened so much that my nails dug into my palms. “This method of yours, how does it work, exactly?”

‘I have part of the source- Within me.’ Gran’s tone brightened a little as it realized I was coming around to its request, but it still couldn’t get out a full sentence without a short pause between its phrases. ‘My shards can control- Weaker creatures- But it requires the bloodline- To force them to obey-’

“So that’s how Olea controlled the Zekier.” I spat out my aunt’s name angrily as I recalled how she’d sent the huge behemoth against me and the others back in Keria’s arena. “But you said their methods were simple? What’s different with the way you’re suggesting?”

‘It’s a- Pact.’ Gran shifted his body, lowering his head so he could face our group more comfortably. Even that small moment was enough to cause the floor to crack and crumble beneath the behemoth’s immense weight, but it didn’t seem the beast was injured all that badly. ‘You may use- My shards- And those of my mate.’

I considered its offer as I glanced back down the corridor. The former masters of Monster Isle had likely learned the behemoth’s secret technique to some degree. If that was the case, why had they been wiped out by a wave of monsters and beasts? Wouldn’t their allied behemoth army have trampled down any force that could pose a threat to their empire?

But clearly, their civilization had been ended so thoroughly that no one dared speak of them. Part of that could be fear of the empire itself, especially given how powerful they had become, but what other reason could exist to terrify the leaders of each surviving race so much that they classified the entire continent as a death zone?

We’d walked through it for several days without an issue. What was the deal?

Franklin didn’t know anything, and his followers were even more in the dark than their aged leader. Asking the Seventh Fleet for information wouldn’t work, so we’d have to figure it out for ourselves.

The former rulers of Monster Isle had been powerful, but they’d met their end at the hands of the creatures they’d experimented on. Something had stopped the monster wave from spreading, which ended up saving the rest of the world from a protracted, potentially unwinnable war.

Despite all that, the Elven Council were still following in the forgotten Empire’s footsteps. Even their initial trial runs had decimated the Elven nations’ capital. Keria. My old home.

What would happen if they continued along their suicidal path? Never mind the Pirate Fleets, they’d end up destroying every remaining race on the planet.

“You mentioned your mate?” I glanced around the room, looking once more for any potential exits. “Where is she, exactly? We only felt your call. Did they hide her somewhere close?”

‘Unfortunately- Not.’ Gran shook his huge head irritably. ‘She was taken- Long ago- To the other lands. I know where she is. I can- Show you. Will you save her?’

I paused to consider Gran’s request. If we had to travel to one of the other continents to save his mate, that meant we’d have less time to prepare for the Elven Navy’s inevitable vengeance. On the other hand, if we could find her, and the reunited pair gave us a secret technique to control the other behemoths...

That would be a game changer.

“Where is she, exactly?”

‘Far away- Under the sands.” Gran grunted as he forced himself up before he motioned in a direction with his huge, scarred paw. ‘As the crow flies- Several days will pass- Before you find her cage- Where the sand burrowers call their home.’

“Wait, don’t tell me.” I sighed and closed my eyes as I realized what area he was speaking about. “You’re telling me your mate is being kept in the Sendrin Desert? Really?”

Chapter 13

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant - Inside the Eastern Experimental Stronghold  - Day 17

With a new goal in mind, we returned to the front hall of the stronghold while Gran took the time to recover from his wounds.

The Seventh Fleet soldiers were still in position, surrounding the door on all sides to create a crossfire for any beasts or monsters who tried to invade. Once Gran had explained why the other creatures on the monster isle were so terrified of his species, the cautious looks on the others’ faces were almost amusing.

“Everyone, to me!” I called up to those hiding in the elevated positions. They moved instantly and without hesitation to follow my command, not even questioning why I was asking them to give up their tactical advantage.

“Sir.” The squad leader saluted as he came close, a steely calm look in his eyes as he looked over his comrades. “Some movement reported outside, no incursions while you were investigating the stronghold interior!”

“Thank you for the report.” I nodded to the man and forced my amused smile back down with difficulty. “So, we’ve found our target and confirmed it won’t be an issue. Unfortunately, we’ve also figured out where we need to go next!”

“Sir!” The officer stamped his foot and stood at attention, a move that was mirrored a moment later by the rest of the Seventh Fleet soldiers. “We follow at your command!”

“Good. You’ll need that confidence where we’re going.” I patted his shoulder gently, though I noticed his sharp, focused gaze didn’t flicker in the slightest. “I’ll be visiting the Sendrin Desert, so I need you to arrange a vessel and a crew when we return to the base. Nothing huge, this is a stealth mission, but we will need a similar sized squad just in case things don’t go as planned.”

“It would be my pleasure, Sir!” The squad leader gave me a sharp nod before he glanced at the other members of his team. “Everyone here would be willing to travel with you, if that is convenient.”

“Of course.” I accepted the offer without any hesitation. I’d seen how skilled and disciplined the group were, so I didn’t have any issues taking them along for the trip. “You’ll need to speak to Franklin, though.”

“Sir, you are the leader now. We’ve all accepted that.” The officer kept his unflinching gaze locked on the middle distance as he spoke, though I could see a faint glimmer of respect and admiration deep within his eyes. “We saw what you can do, and we want to follow you.  We respect our old leader, but he has backed your decisions.”

“So, you lot volunteered to come on this mission?” I watched as the group gave me a quick, confident nod in unison. There wasn’t a speck of hesitation or regret in any of their gazes, from what I could see. “Okay then, I accept. We’ll need a crew to man the ship, but you’ll form the main exploration squad.”

“Thank you, Sir!”

“I will warn you, though.” I stepped back and surveyed the soldiers who had given me their loyalty. “I don’t fully know what’s waiting for us in the desert, so we’ll all need to be on guard. This mission is vitally important to the future of every single fleet, including your own. Remember that.”

“Understood, Sir!” The group stamped their feet and called out as one. After they’d calmed down, I waved them back to their former positions and moved over to Jean, Kaede, and Dew.

Their amused looks were enough to guess what they thought of the little command act they’d just witnessed.

“More under ya banner, eh?” Jean chuckled as she nudged an elbow into my ribs. “Ya got three fleets, ya know? Going to make this whole thing a monopoly sooner or later.”

“Not surprising, though.” Dew glanced back at the Seventh Fleet soldiers, who had quickly and efficiently resumed their posts. “Are we going to tell them who passed us this information, Wes?”

“Maybe later.” I winced as I thought about withholding the truth from those who’d volunteered to follow me. “I don’t think they’d turn against us, but the less who know about it, the better.”

Jean nodded, agreeing with my decision, and Dew merely shrugged as though it was unimportant. Only Kaede looked conflicted, but she didn’t raise any concerns, so I decided to let it go without any further questions.

“You three stay in here and keep an eye on the door, just in case.” I turned back toward the corridor once more as I left the three behind. “Come on, Kiel. Let’s go check on our guest.”

The shadow panther huffed as I walked away, but he followed behind me as I made my way back toward Gran’s pen. Even though the fear inducing energy had calmed down, the presence of the emperor level behemoth seemed to set Kiel’s teeth on edge.

Still, a few of the other things I’d discussed with Gran might be relevant to the adolescent cat.

“Hey, how’s it going, Gran!?” I called up to the behemoth as we walked back into his room. Gran had shifted around into a more comfortable position where he could lean against the opposite wall, but there were many jagged scars from the restraining rods all around his body.

‘I am recovering. Thank you again, young one.’ Gran’s huge head turned in my direction. His aged eyes stared down in my direction, as though he was trying to peer through me into my very soul.

I gave a brief bow, acknowledging his gratitude.

‘I understand it was a hard decision to help me, given what you’ve likely faced throughout your life. Please know that I respect the courage it took to act as you did. Not many would have attempted to help one such as I, even more had they found my vulnerable body as you did deep within this monster infested continent. I believe many others would have ended my life on a whim, and my existence would have faded away into the ashes of time. So-”

“Okay, no need to get maudlin.” I waved Gran into silence as his murmuring communication threatened to go on forever.

Now that he’d recuperated to the point where he could easily speak, shutting him up had become a difficult task.

‘I apologize. What was it you needed, young one?’

The title he’d appointed me smarted a bit, but it was true. Compared to the ancient emperor behemoth sitting before me, any elf would be counted as little more than a sapling. Some other races might have longer life spans, but even their lifespans were but mayflies compared to the steadfast, ancient tree this behemoth had become.

Flickering embers, fast to rise, and quick to vanish.

“You mentioned something about the other pens in this place. That some of them may contain other beasts and monsters?” I glanced at Kiel, who was staring up at the elderly behemoth with rapt attention. “If I heard right, you said there might even be a shadow panther living down there?”

Kiel’s head snapped in my direction when he heard my words. Though he couldn’t understand Gran’s communication with me, that didn’t mean my own words were wasted on the cat.

And now he might have the chance to rescue another of his own species.

‘Indeed. An unlucky one.’ Gran sighed as he nodded back into the corridor behind us. ‘I’ll explain how to reach their section but be warned: They have lived within this prison for far too long. The female shadow panther is the last living specimen, and she herself had to fight and kill her siblings for survival. Food is scarce, and love is scarcer still. Be cautious, please.’

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on become a meal for a caged kitten.” I grinned and slapped Kiel’s side. “This one will do most of the heavy lifting. If worst comes to worst, we’ll just have to leave her behind.”

Kiel didn’t look happy with my last comment, but he didn’t growl at me. Clearly, he understood the situation must be dire if I’d even mention leaving a shadow panther behind.

After listening to Gran’s directions, I made my way back to the entrance hall and discussed the possible addition to our party with Jean, Dew, and Kaede. I decided to take Dew with me, just in case we needed her ability to communicate with the shadow panther.

But first we’d have to find her.

The pens spread out underground and were lit by sunlight filtered in through many vents set in the roof. Many species lived in that enclosed space, enough to keep the majority of them in a happy balance. Something must have happened relatively recently, though. Why else would the shadow panther population have dwindled to a single member?

I took the lead as we moved deeper into the stronghold. Most of the other corridors led to a small collection of rooms that had likely housed the workers who ran the facility before the monster waves scared them off. It seemed the rest of the building only existed to keep Gran contained.

That did worry me about how we’d get him out, but the aging behemoth had been confident when he said he had a way to escape his prison.

The lower enclosure had a few entrances, but Gran had pointed us toward the largest of them. Apparently, the idiots who’d experimented on him while he was captured never worked out that he could understand their words, which helped him figure out quite a bit about the stronghold, as well as the state of the empire who’d ruled the continent.

Self-important idiots, he’d called them.

When we reached the lower pens, I decided to let Dew and Kiel take the lead. One was a wood elf who’d spent most of her life in a dangerous, volatile forest, while the other was a beast who’d inherited his mother’s abilities to survive in such a harsh environment. I trailed behind them, an arrow knocked but not drawn.

With our squad line up in place, we set off.

“Time to find Kiel a girlfriend!” I grinned at the shadow panther, who seemed to be embarrassed by my shout, as he studiously avoided my gaze. “Come on, kiddo. Time waits for no cat!”

Chapter 14

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant - Beneath the Eastern Experimental Stronghold  - Day 17

Finding the female shadow panther turned out to be much more difficult than I’d anticipated. First of all, Kiel couldn’t sense her. To be more accurate, he could smell her trail, but it was so widely dispersed, he couldn’t figure out which way to go.

Dew couldn’t do much better. There were so many beast and monster tracks, that they’d started to cover each other up entirely. Guessing what species they were, though, was even a challenge, never mind figuring which one was traveling where.

I turned to the one thing that could help us.

Gran accepted my request to release his overpowering ‘energies’ once more. Though it only felt like a dull pressure to me, most of the other animals in the lower enclosure wouldn’t be able to do much more than to cower, wait and hope the enemy above had passed them by.

The behemoth warned us that there were a few individuals who’d managed to overcome their instinctual response to his presence, and that those beasts were truly monsters to fear. Unfortunately, the female shadow panther, despite her relative youth, was counted in that select group of apex predators.

At least our potential enemies had been reduced from an entire underground forest to a small number of beasts—powerful though they might be. I wanted to move fast, though. The monsters who could ignore Gran’s presence wouldn’t hold back as they hunted the now vulnerable portion of their fellow captives.

That set a definite time limit on our little adventure.

Eventually the strong would devour the weak and turn on their rivals. If that happened, I had a feeling the comparatively inexperienced shadow panther would lose out sooner than later.

Kiel had caught onto that fact as well as he dashed into the forest beside Dew. He’d adapted to Gran’s pressure faster than expected, likely due to his long companionship with Dew and I, but I still noticed there was a slight lethargy to his movements, compared to his usually lithe steps.

He wasn’t unaffected, he merely forced himself to ignore it.

The artificial forest spread out underneath the stronghold, with many areas hidden in pockets of darkness. The vents shining light down from above had likely been damaged or otherwise blocked in the years since the monster wave had scared off the caretakers, but there was still enough sunlight filtering in for us to see most of the area we had to search.

“Any movement, lock on and guide us.” I patted Kiel’s firm shoulder as I looked around at the deathly silent woods. “We’ll be right behind you, just be careful.”

Kiel let out a low growl to show he’d heard my suggestions. As the shadow panther darted off into the dimly lit undergrowth, the true nature of his species’ namesake became clear.

It was difficult to track him when he slipped into the shadows. I had better eyes than most, though, and Dew had her connection with her bestial companion. Even when he dashed far ahead, we could still follow his movements.

The search began as we swept the forest, sector by sector.

Our first find was a horned crocodile feasting on the carcasses in a rock badger nest. It had obliterated the creatures, slashing apart its victims with viciously curved horns, to the point that it was difficult to identify what species its victims had been for a moment. At least we’d stumbled across it while it was distracted.

Dew struck first, slashing at the beast’s eyes, while Kiel kept onto its back and ripped at its toughened scales.

The horned crocodile’s roar echoed through the cavern as it tried to throw the pair off, but the damage was already done. Blind and unable to dislodge the massive cat from its body, there was only one way the fight would end.

I could have left the others to finish it off, but I stepped in and delivered the killing blow myself. A single arrow, straight through the roof of its giant maw, easily pierced the monster’s brain. With a final, shuddering twitch, the life in its eyes faded away to nothing.

“Come on, let’s move.” I hissed at the others, motioning for them to follow as we made our way toward our next target.

The noise of our battle would attract more predators. We needed to clean up the other apex predators one by one before our actions accidentally forced a showdown with more foes than we were ready to handle.

Next, we ran across a Rhintra. The bursts of lightning zipping across its hide was almost nostalgic as I thought back to the first one of its kind I’d defeated back in the Waskis Woods.

“I’ll take this one.” I laid two arrows against my bow and gave the other two a quick look. “You two, keep me covered. If anything else shows up, distract it as best you can.”

Divvying up the work was the best strategy. Sure, we could all dog pile the Rhintra, but it would be hard for Dew or Kiel to land a significant blow on the lightning infused rhino stomping through the undergrowth toward us.

Fortunately, I planned to take it out before it could utilize its primary offensive abilities.

“Now!”

I loosed the dual shot just as the Rhintra moved into view. My two arrows sliced through the space between us, slamming into my target’s eyes with dull, messy thunks.

The Rhintra, shocked and blinded by the sudden ambush, did its best to protect itself. Vegetation, trees, unlucky animals who were too close to the enraged beast; all of those and more were smashed and crushed beneath its mad stomps.

It wasn’t a threat anymore, once I’d removed its primary sense, but I decided to put it out of its misery. In a method similar to how I’d killed the first Rhintra I’d faced, I drew my sword and carefully approached the beast.

Each wild stomp and frantic flick of its horn could spell the end of my life if I allowed it to connect, so I moved with forward carefully, exercising the utmost caution as I crept closer and closer-

“There!”

My sword lanced out, slamming up and into the roof of the Rhintra’s mouth. Like I’d done with my arrow to the horned crocodile, my main target was the beast’s brain and spinal column. This time, however, there was a deal more flesh, muscle, and cartilage between me and my objective.

Fortunately, Freya had enhanced my sword, which stabbed easily up through its sinuses into its brain. Unlike my first battle with such a creature, this time I snatched my weapon clear as I leaped away from the monster.

It was dead, but a body that size would take a few moments to realize there was no longer anyone at the helm—Boom!

It stumbled and then tripped, its body slamming into the ground as it lost all control of its muscles. A moment later, the Rhintra wheezed its final breath.

“Two down.” I waved at Dew and Kiel, who quickly dashed into the open to inspect the Rhinta and our surroundings. “How many are left? “

“Two, but they’re both in that direction.” Dew pointed off to match Kiel’s fixated stare. “They seem to be getting closer to each other.”

“Let’s go!” I pulled out the arrows I’d used to blind the Rhintra before we sprinted off once again. I spotted several terrified and quivering animals as we rushed toward the remaining two unaffected monsters, but we ignored them, our sights on our goal—saving the female shadow panther.

“They’re fighting!” Dew yelled as we closed in on the pair. “Kiel can smell it. It’s bad!”

I didn’t think it was possible for us to move any faster, but Kiel surprised me as he pulled out an insane burst of speed, rocketing ahead as he hurried to rescue the other shadow panther.

By the time we reached the showdown, the battle had devolved into a brutal, two versus one melee.

“Flame wolf!” Dew hissed as skidded to a stop and drew her own bow. “We need to take it down, now!”

The two shadow panthers were doing their best to dodge in and out of the wolf’s range, but the wavy cloak of fire that covered its body made it difficult for either of the massive cats to land a significant hit. They’d taken severe damage each attempt they made to dart in for a strike.

The area stank of singed fur, wet blood, and billowing smoke. The stench was appalling, but I didn’t let that distract me as I took careful aim at the flame wolf. My empowered bow and arrows did the trick, easily piercing its defensive field. Each shaft burrowed deep into the beast’s flesh as it tried to dodge and weave out of my range.

But Kiel and his new lady friend weren’t about to let it escape.

The pair slammed into the flame wolf’s flank, forcing it back into the clearing the battle had created. I could imagine the pain they endured, tackling the beasts flaming shell directly, so I quickly capitalized on their assistance.

Three shafts later and the wolf collapsed, hacking up bloody foam. One final shot in the neck, and its flaming coat drifted away, like fog brushed aside by a strong wind.

Dew rushed in to finish it off with a brutal slash along its throat.

“Kiel!” She darted to her friend’s and checked his wounds over before dipping a hand into the satchel at her side. “Hold still, I’ll help-”

“Dew!” I sprinted forward and blocked the female shadow panther’s sudden assault before she could attack the distracted wood elf.

Blood leaked from several still smoking gashes along the strange cat’s body, clear signs of the brutal fight it had been in, defending itself from the wolf. And now, it believe we were its enemies.

“Kiel, stop-” Dew tried to pull him back, but Kiel ignored her as he forced himself to his feet and turned to face the female shadow panther.

Silenced reigned as the two beasts stared at one another. Kiel’s focused, cool gaze met the unknown female’s ferocious rage in a battle of wills.

It was touch and go who’d win but, eventually, the injured female shadow panther backed down as she dropped to the floor. I didn’t know if it was the damage she’d taken, or Kiel’s calm stare, but either way, she submitted to Kiel. Hopefully, that meant she’d consent to Dew seeing to her wounds.

“What now?” I glanced over at the defeated flame wolf, then back to the two injured shadow panthers being treated by Dew. “This mess is going to take a while to clean up.”

“About that.” Dew turned to me, a worried look in her eyes as she glanced at Kiel. “He- Kiel wants to stay here. For now.”

“In this dump?” I waved at the enclosure, not able to understand her companion’s request. “Why would he want to stay caged up in a shit hole like this?”

“Not forever, just until-” Dew looked back at Kiel, who had started to clean the other shadow panther’s wounds with his tongue. “He wants to stay by her side and help her recover. When we come back, he’ll persuade her to join us.”

I looked at the two shadow panthers, who’d dropped to the floor beside one another. Now that we’d cleaned out the most dangerous beasts, leaving the pair behind wouldn’t pose much danger, but I didn’t like the idea of abandoning one of the few companions I’d found since being betrayed and abandoned myself.

But… it was his choice.

“Fine. If that’s what he wants.” I chuckled as I flipped my bow onto my back. “Make sure to tell him that I expect a big, happy family when we come back. No excuses!”

Kiel grumbled in response to my demand, but his new friend merely stared at me with a wild, contemptuous glare. Clearly, she’d accepted my challenge.

Chapter 15

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant - Inside the Eastern Experimental Stronghold  - Day 18

Leaving Kiel behind to care for and possibly recruit the other shadow panther was a difficult decision, but eventually Dew agreed to let him stay, after the pair had a long, tense back and forth argument on the subject. I decided we’d stay the night in the stronghold and check in on him in the morning before leaving, just in case something happened, and the little shadow panther change his mind.

Though calling the adolescent shadow panther ‘little’ was quite a stretch, to be honest.

When I confronted Gran after we woke up from a restful night’s sleep, he confirmed that he’d find his own way out of the stronghold.

Dew was worried the behemoth’s breaking out would cause some issues for the underground enclosure—inviting new monsters into the structure.

This was not a problem Gran said we’d have to worry about. In fact, he promised to leave behind a few of his shards, to ensure no monsters or other freaks of nature tried to invade the space while we were away.

There was one thing that he passed on that surprised me, though.

‘There is another group of your kind nearby.’ Gran’s grizzled muzzle shook irritably as he motioned out toward the front of the stronghold. ‘They are about a day’s travel in that direction, from what I can tell.’

“And you’ve only just realized they’re there?” I muttered angrily. “Really? You waited until now to tell me know about them?”

‘Perhaps it was my former weakness that hid these intruders from my senses. I apologize, young one.’ Gran bowed his head, or at least he dipped his huge face lower down to the ground. ‘I believe they are investigating a trap laid out by those who experimented on me. That place will be dangerous, so take care.’

“I think I know where you are talking about.” I groaned and rubbed my eyes as I recalled the group of black rocks we’d stumbled across on our way to the stronghold. “Any idea how many of them there are? Anyone with the same ‘bloodline’ as me?”

‘Unfortunately, I can only tell their existence as they are interacting with something related to me. I know nothing more than that.’ Gran’s claws tightened a little, crunching the toughened rock beneath our feet with relative ease as he showed a fraction of his anger, for once. ‘I would prefer you deal with them before they abuse my power, if you would be so kind.’

“Of course.” I pushed myself back up and moved to the corridor beyond Gran’s cell. “We’ll pick them up on the way back to our base. Just make sure you’re ready when we come back, Gran.”

‘I abide by my promises, young one. We are the same in this way, I think.’ I could hear Gran’s chuckles echoing through my brain as I walked out of his room. ‘Farewell. I hope we meet again under more fortunate circumstances!’

It was best to leave the old behemoth before he started going on about himself again. He might be emperor class, but the greatest danger he posed was to my sanity when he went on one of his long winded, rambling rants about the past, or his desires for the future.

In either case, I trusted him.

Only so far, of course, but I believed his words and his stated goals were sincere. The fact he’d also given me a way to destroy any of the shards we found helped as well, though we’d need someone like Freya to craft the material into something usable.

A thorough search of the upper rooms of the stronghold had yielded a satchel full of the stuff the former occupants had been researching and working with. Fortunately, we’d found a single prototype arrow the former denizens of the stronghold had created from the obsidian material. That would have to do for the journey back.

The walk back down the corridor didn’t take long. The Seventh Fleet officers, once they’d accepted the fact that no monsters would invade the newly opened stronghold, worked tirelessly to clear the collapsed section of the roof while the rest of us prepared for our journey home.

“There ya are!” Jean strode toward me, a cheeky grin on her face as she waved toward a large, gaping hole where once had stood the imposing entrance door to the stronghold. “We’re heading off soon, right? I might go insane if we have to wait around here much longer!”

“No patience.” Kaede muttered, though I could see a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched Jean’s antics. “Haste makes waste, you know. What’s the point of rushing forward only to walk off a cliff?”

“Oh, calling me daft, are ya?” Jean tone took on a mock seriousness as she turned on the young high elf behind her. “Maybe we should have it out, right here, see who’s the foolish one!”

Dew casually strolled past the pair as they started yet another argument. While Jean and Kaede’s relationship had improved in some ways, in others it had worsened. I’d noticed the two of them verbally and physically sparring several times during our stay in the stronghold.

“They’re at it again, aren’t they?” She gave the pair a frown and rolled her eyes before pushing herself under my arm. “They kept me up all night with that crap.”

“It wasn’t just them, was it?” I grinned and pulled Dew’s warm body closer to mine. “It’s a shame we didn’t get much time to ourselves on this trip.”

“Hey!” Jean’s head snapped in our direction as she noticed Dew’s obvious attempt to snuggle against me. “We’re setting off soon, so ya can cut that out!”

“I hate to agree with her, but that is true.” Kaede turned around and gave us an unhappy look.

“I knew that would work.” Dew winked cheekily at the pair as she sneaked a quick kiss before we parted. “Let’s get going before they’re at each other’s throats again.”

Dew had played the pair like fiddles, but they hadn’t reacted to her obvious goading. Instead, Kaede and Jean both kept their focused gazes fixed firmly on Dew, as if they expected her to leap on me like a ravenous beast the moment they turned away. Not that I would mind being ravished by the feisty wood elf, but it was true we needed to set off sooner rather than later.

The Seventh Fleet soldiers were prepared and ready to start the journey back to home base. Kaede and Jean, despite their bickering, were both full of energy and raring to go. I was a little surprised by their spunk, but believed they’d calm down once our journey back to Home Base Alpha was under way.

They did cool off a little once we set out from the stronghold. Dew kept close to me, giving them both an enemy to unify against. Odd, I thought, because before Kaede had been firmly on Dew’s side against Jean. Their antics amused me, though, so I decided to let it slide as long as it didn’t interfere with our trip back to the base.

I did make them all calm down as we approached the field where we’d spotted the black rocks earlier. Everyone was aware that we’d likely encounter some enemies around that zone, though the Seventh Fleet squad didn’t understand how I’d figured it out so far in advance.

Fortunately, they accepted the information without any complaints. As we moved closer to the field, which had been a gathering spot for Shogoliths and other monstrous creatures, we heard the tell-tale sounds of people.

Most notably, we overheard shouted orders and commands.

“Careful with that!” One high pitched voice rang out furiously, as though the speaker either wasn’t aware there might be others here or simply didn’t give a fuck where she was. “If you break it, I’ll break you!”

“Sorry, madam!” Another, deeper voice answered quickly, though I could hear a quiver in their voice as they added. “Where are we taking these? There are too many for us to carry back to-”

“Too many for what!? You want to shirk your duties, you weaklings!” The crack of a whip sounded out from the distance as we crept through the forest undergrowth. “You will take them where I say, when I say! End of discussion!”

As the irate leader finished her speech, we reached the edge of the field. The behemoths were still there, but a squad of high elves had reached the group of black rocks and, under the furious gazes of the monstrous beasts surrounding them, proceeded to load the rocks onto several huge sleds.

I didn’t see any other mounts. Likely those creatures would have been far too terrified to be of any use on Monster Isle. All it would take was for one of the tamed beasts to break, and the rest would scatter to the four winds, taking their cargo along with them.

Instead, the sleds had large ropes tied to them, which would be dragged by teams of elves under the supervision of their superiors. When I saw the uniform of those in command, I had to struggle to keep myself calm and hidden.

“Elven Navy.” I hissed the words through gritted teeth as I watched the officers in command callously cajole and threaten the workers, as they struggled to load the black rocks onto the sleds. A few threatened to leave anyone behind who dared to refuse their duties.

Despite all that, I knew they’d most likely volunteered to come.

“What can we do?” Kaede stared at the team as they dragged yet another of the black shards onto a waiting sled. “There’s too many of them for us to take down easily. If some escape-”

“None of them are going to leave.” I gave the area another once over, confirming again exactly how many commanders there were, compared to the number of rank-and-file Navy recruits.

I gave my group a predatory grin. “We’re going to take them all. Alive.”

Chapter 16

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant  - Day 18

Everyone moved into the positions I’d assigned them once they heard my plan. Jean, Kaede, and Dew didn’t hesitate to remind me it was a risky endeavor.

Like I didn’t know that already. I knew it was a long shot but, ironically enough, long shots were easy for me.

“Hey!” I strode out of the forest, directly in the path that the Elven Navy group were planning to take. “You seem to be having a bit of trouble there!”

“It’s him!” The officer who seemed to be in charge pulled out her sword and pointed it in my direction. “Take him down-”

Before she could finish her command, an arrow streaked from the undergrowth and slammed into her head. It wasn’t as powerful as one of my shots, but it was more than enough to pierce her skull with ease.

The others looked on in horror as their leader stood for a ghastly moment before her leg twitched and she tumbled to the ground, dead.

“Anyone else want to try anything foolish?” I flipped my bow from my back and knocked an arrow. I half drew my bow as I  looked over the other commanders, most of whom still had their attention rigidly fixed on the shadows under the trees.

Several members of the Navy team stealthily sought to draw their weapons. Clearly, they thought they’d seen through our initial gambit given that we hadn’t shown ourselves openly.

But that wasn’t the only step of my plan.

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you.” I slowly lifted my bow and sighted on the nearest sled. More precisely, I took aim at the large, black behemoth horn shard strapped to the massive wooden transport. “Don’t test me.”

“Or what?” One of the other commanders stepped forward, his face twisted in rage as he thrust his finger angrily at me. “You want to scare us with just this? No more tricks, no more games! Show us what you’re made of, traitor!”

“Fine.” I added a little more draw to my bow and focused on the surface of the black horn shard. “If that’s how you want to play it.”

My shaft slice through the air, zipping past the infuriated officer before slamming into the solid chunk of behemoth bone. I knew how strong they were, but I’d also destroyed one before, back in Keria.

And now I had the perfect weapon do repeat that trick once more.

The prototype arrow crafted back in the stronghold cracked through the exterior of the shard, digging deep into the things core before resistance finally slowed it to a halt. The impact left a large crack in the horns surface, a fact that clearly shocked the Elven Navy workers who’d been standing close enough to see the damage.

“Is that it?” The officer shook himself a bit after seeing the results of my shot. “Is that the best you can-”

CRACK!

The huge hunk of behemoth bone shattered into thousands of pieces, turning from a solid rock into little more than a pile of debris which spread out to cover the sled. Those workers nearby had to dodge out of the way lest they be caught up in the sudden maelstrom of sharpened horn chunks.

Silence reigned as the officer tried to comprehend what he’d just seen. Though they still had a good number of behemoth horn shards from Gran’s species, that didn’t mean a thing if I could destroy them with a single shot.

And if they lost that protection, the Shogoliths surrounding them wouldn’t have a reason not to rush forward and rip the officer and his followers into tiny, screaming pieces.

“Wha- How!?” The commander shook his head, refusing to believe the evidence in front of his eyes. “No, you can’t- This isn’t-”

“Oh, it really is!” I drew another arrow and took aim at the next sled’s cargo. “So, how do you want to play this? Still think you can hold out?”

The rest of the Navy team were terrified by my actions. Some of the commanders started to call out, clearly struggling to hold themselves together. Only the officer who’d strode out to face me looked like he might still want to stand up against my demands.

“I’ll let you all decide!” I called out before the commander in question could pull himself together. “Toss your weapons aside and lie down, get down on your stomachs, on the ground with your hands out in front of you where I can see them, or die a pointless death. It’s your call!”

“Never-” The officer started to yell, but one of the workers nearby grabbed the man and dragged him to the ground. Another stepped forward, eying the struggling commander before he turned to me with a respectful look.

“Do you promise not to harm us?” He shivered as he spoke, but the worker’s words were still steady and his gaze confident. “We trust that you will treat us the same as we would treat you.”

“Some of you, sure.” I glanced at the officer, who had quietened down once a few of the other recruits had worked together to restrain and gag the idiot. “As long as you don’t make trouble for me, I won’t make trouble for you.”

“I-” The worker glanced back at the crowd of Elven Navy recruits and officers behind him, as though he wanted one of them to step up and reaffirm his decisions.

Not a single one moved an inch.

“What’s it going to be?” I pulled back the string on my bow enough that the wood creaked, which caused the self-appointed spokesman's gaze to shoot back my way. “It’s your call how this turns out.”

“I- We surrender!” The man pulled a knife from the sheath at his waist and tossed it to the ground. “Please, no more violence. We accept your terms!”

The others followed suit after a short, awkward pause. Even the commanders, those cowardly fools who should have been the ones to negotiate such an action, tossed their swords to the side and sprawled on the ground. Even though the angry officer who had stepped forward hadn’t been the brightest of the bunch, he’d at least had the courage to put himself into line of fire in an attempt to call my buff.

He, at least, I could respect a little. The other officers would be the first in line to become examples, should the others falter in their capitulation.

“Good.” I waved at the shadows, calling Dew and Kaede to my side. “Make a pile of their weapons at the front of the group.”

Though they clearly weren’t happy with being disarmed in such a dangerous location, the Navy team didn’t have much of a choice, at least from what they could see. The small gathering of weapons grew rapidly into a heap of knives, swords, axes, and bows.

The rangers even tossed their arrows into the pile after a simple, stern reminder.

“Take the weapons and load them onto a spare sled!” I waved my companions forward then turned to the others, still hidden in the shadows of the forest. “Keep the shards in sight. If anyone makes a move, destroy every single one!”

That threat was enough to hold the navy team in place as Dew and Freya loaded one of the sleds with their dangerous haul. They used several of the large boxes the recruits had brought along to safely store the weapons in, just in case the officers or their followers got any funny ideas about attempting a revolt on the way back to our base.

“Good!” I strode forward and pulled the worker who’d negotiated the surrender to his feet. “You’re their leader now. Form teams for each sled, get the last few shards loaded, and prepare for departure!”

“I- Others will be better qualified to-” He tried to refuse my offer, but I quietened him down with a wave of my hand.

“You were brave enough to step up when no one else would, so you are the one I want to lead them.” I leaned in close and whispered so those nearby couldn’t overhear. “You are the leader. They are the followers. Put whoever you think is best for each role in their place.”

The worker clearly understood what I meant as he tried, unsuccessfully, to contain his grin.

I’d just given him permission to get revenge on the overbearing commanders who had been acting like slave drivers to him and his fellow recruits not that long ago.

“Are you sure about this, Wes?” Dew stepped close as she eyed the Elven Navy team. “What’re we going to do with them when we get back?”

“The officers are in too deep. I’ll hand them over to Jean and Smith and they can deal with them.” I shrugged off the cowardly former leaders of the group and turned my attention to the recruits. “The others might be useful, though, if we keep an eye on them. As long as we tell them the truth, some might even come over to our side. I actually know a few of them from my time in the academy.”

“And the others?” Kaede’s gaze drifted over the group as they cleared off the remnants of the destroyed horn and pulled yet another shard of horn onto a spare sled. “What about those who refuse to comply?”

“Then they’ll be kept as prisoners of war.” I shrugged and turned to look over at Kaede, who seemed conflicted by my suggestion. Though she’d fought against the Elven Navy when we‘d escaped Keria, she clearly disliked the thought of mistreating unarmed recruits. “Though we didn’t start the war, we’re still in one. Best get used to it before it chews you up and spits you out whole.”

Chapter 17

Monster Isle / Eastern Quadrant  - Day 18

With our new prisoners acting as sled teams, the rest of our journey back to Home Base passed without much incident. A few of the officers tried to escape that evening, likely aware of what awaited them once we reached our headquarters, but their attempts were easily thwarted by the Seventh Fleet squad who guarded the perimeter.

I left the others behind and led the Shogoliths [J1]who had been intent on chasing us all the way back to the cliff on a merry chase through the woods. Despite their huge size, none of them were fast enough to catch me, so I led the enraged beasts away from the rest of my party, and eventually gave them the slip when I figured we were far enough away that they wouldn’t catch up, and then slipped away in the shadow to rejoin the procession as we made our way back to our base.

We had to camp for the night on the way back, but unfortunately the size of our group made it impossible for Dew or Kaede to find any time to spend with me, individually or together, during the overnight. That could always wait until we were safely back at Home Base Alpha, not that it stopped the pair from pouting as they set up in nearby branches for the night.

“Good to see ya up early!” Jean waved at me from her spot at the front of the crowd as I dropped down from the tree we’d spent the night in. “Come on, won’t be much longer now!”

Though the Pirate Lord had been irritated by my request, she’d complied and spent part of her night watching the prisoners, on a shift with some of the Seventh Fleet squad. That meant she hadn’t slept in the same tree with me, Dew, and Kaede, which seemed to have set her teeth on edge.

Kaede seemed to be thinking about a snarky reply, but she held her tongue after Dew shared a hurried, whispered conversation with her friend.

“How are things going?” I looked over the Elven navy recruits and former officers who had been press ganged into pulling the behemoth-horn laden sleds. “Any issues during your watch?”

“Nothing. Not even a single escape attempt.” Jean grumbled and shook her head irritably. “Waste of my time, ya know? Such a waste.”

I ignored her barbed comments and turned to the officer in charge of the Seventh Fleet soldiers.

“What about the behemoth shards.” I nodded at the sleds, which had been carefully checked over and secured once more by my new followers. “Any concerns?”

“These idiots couldn’t tie their laces even if they had three hands.” The officer glared at the Elven Navy officer for a moment before he turned back to me. “We’ve secured everything correctly, Sir. No issues with the cargo.”

“Great. Then let’s get this stuff back to the base.” I couldn’t help but grin at the thought of Smith’s expression when he learned about the ridiculously heavy shards he’d have to cart down the cliff face.

“You’re thinking of something mean again, aren’t you?” Dew sidled up and poked me in the side with a knowing look. “What’re you planning now, huh?”

“Oh, nothing.” I shook my head and cleared away such thoughts as I returned my focus back to the present. “Just thought of something funny, is all.”

The three women gave me confused looks but didn’t press for an explanation as we set out once more towards Home Base Alpha. Other than our uneventful night’s rest in the treetops, nothing else slowed our journey, which helped us reach the cliff top entrance to our base in record time.

Kaede dashed down the cliff first, using her rune smith boots to easily sprint along the sheer vertical cliff face without any issues. Her former dislike of heights had, once again, vanished the instant she was in control of her descent.

She looked like she enjoyed the trip, in an odd way.

Only after Dew’s repeated assurances that she’d be fine overseeing the prisoners and their cargo by herself did I follow in Kaede’s footsteps, Jean following a few beats behind me.

Not literally, of course. I still needed to use the climbing ropes to slow my descent, but it wasn’t that difficult to half-way run down the cliff using a securely fastened cable as a brake whenever necessary. Jean took a little longer, but I didn’t get a chance to look back up to see where she was before an irate voice called out from below.

“Seriously?” Smith didn’t even wait for my feet to touch the ground before he’d stormed over to me with a face like thunder. “The tunnel won’t be done for a week, and NOW is the time you decide to bring something like that? Why?!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re slow.” I chuckled and gestured at Smith’s autonomous drilling apparatus, which sat clinking and hissing as it cooled down in an opening about a quarter of the way up the cliff. “I assumed you’d be done by now. Maybe I overestimated how powerful your little gadget was.”

“Don’t you say anything about ADA! She’s doing a great job.” Smith held up one finger as his expression turned dark and threatening. “What are these horn things actually good for? Kaede here didn’t explain much beyond the fact that you wanted them brought down to the base as soon as possible. Seems that’s all she thought I needed to know.”

“Well, can you do it?” I watched the old elf grumble underneath his breath to himself for a full minute as he considered the problem I’d dumped on his doorstep. It seemed his internal monologue might go on for a while longer, so I decided to prod him a bit more. “If you can’t do it, that’s fine. I can always ask Freya if you aren’t up to -”

“I never said I couldn’t do it!” Smith spun on his heel and jabbed his still outstretched finger into my face. “I’ll have them down before you can blink! Just you wait.”

I gave him a long, look, clearly indicating my doubts about his abilities, before turning to walk toward my office.

“Alright, then.” I waved at him back over my shoulder as I strode away from the still fuming runesmith. “Do your best, Smith.”

I knew poking at him using Freya’s name in vain would work. The elderly elf had fully taken her on as his apprentice, but Freya’s insane talent and thirst for knowledge had quickly turned her from the perfect pupil into a threat for the wise old rune smith.

If he got lazy, for even a moment, the student would become the master.

Freya had joked about their back-and-forth banter repeatedly while they’d worked on repairing the ships. Though she didn’t much care at first who was the best between them, another hidden corner of her personality peeked out as she became more and more competitive.

“What now?” Kaede asked. She walked up beside me as I made my way back to my office slash quarters slash love nest. “I imagine it’ll take him a few days to move that lot down the cliff. Freya said she’d be overseeing the ship repairs until later tonight, so we’re all free for now.”

Jean strolled up beside her casually without a word, though I could see the smirk on her face as she looked back at the wildly gesticulating old elf I’d goaded into a rage behind us.

“I’m sure I’ll have some paperwork to catch up on.” I let out a long, irritated sigh as I pushed open the door to my office. “That shit just piles up like dust in a corner if-”

“It’s done!” Arianna stepped forward and gestured at my desk, whose surface was as clean and clearer than the day it had been moved into the chamber. “You need a break, Wesley, and I won’t take no for an answer!”

“Wesley?” Jean snorted from behind before quickly pulling herself together. She gave me a wide-eyed, somewhat contrite look when I glanced back over my shoulder as if nothing had happened, but my sister’s nickname for me obviously amused her.

“Ari, I have something I need to talk to you about.” I took her hand and guided her over to the guest chairs at the front of the office. “Jean, Kaede, I’ll see you in a minute.”

“Sure. Take all the time you need.” Kaede nodded, likely guessing the subject I was planning to discuss with my sister.

Jean, on the other hand, opened her mouth to speak, but instead of saying something, the oddest sound came from her lips.

“Be- HEERkk!”

Kaede had jammed an elbow into the Pirate Lord’s ribs. Hard.

The pair shared a silent, angry stare before they both strode off toward the rear of my office and into the bedroom at the end of a small, adjoining tunnel.

“So, what’s the problem, Wes?” Ari’s warm smile cheered me up as she fell back to her usual name for me. Clearly, she loved the effect her childish nicknames had on the others, but in private it was easier to default back to the usual flow between us. “It’s not like you to get so serious all of a sudden.”

“Yeah, well.” I scratched my cheek and leaned back in my chair. Everything I’d found out during our trip to the stronghold would be difficult to explain. Especially the parts that affected our family directly.

“Okay, I want you to try to stay calm.” I laid a hand on her arm and stared into her eyes[J2]. “What I’m about to say might sound strange, but from what I can tell, it’s all true. Let me start at the beginning.”

Chapter 18

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 19

I skimmed through most of the journey to the stronghold, because I knew Ari wouldn’t let me skip such an interesting story. It also gave a bit more context for the revelation I was about to hit her with.

“So… you broke into this ‘stronghold’, and found an ancient emperor ranked behemoth?” Arianna’s eyebrows had crept further and further upward with each twist and turn my long-winded tale took, to the point where it actually looked like they were threatening to disappear into her hairline.

“Not only that, but you also want me to believe you could actually speak to it… with your mind?”

“Yes.” I nodded seriously, though I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the absurdity of it all. “I didn’t want to believe it at first, either, but there it is.”

“I still don’t.” She rubbed her forehead as though what I’d told her had been enough to give her a headache. “You’re really telling me the truth? This isn’t another of your wild adventures and legendary tales, is it?”

“You know Dew can communicate with beasts, why not me?” I pulled myself together and gave my sister a serious look. “Trust me, we communicated. Gran even warned us about the Elven Navy team. If I’m just pulling your leg, then how did I figure that one out?”

“Gran? The ‘emperor behemoth’ you befriended had a name?” Arianna tried to hold in her laughter, but a giggle or two escaped at my genuinely sincere tone as I spoke of such an absurdity. “Okay, I believe you, but this still doesn’t explain why you are so worried about me. What are you hiding from me?”

“It’s about the reason I could communicate with him at all-” I paused to let myself cool down a little as another wave of indignation threatened to overcome me. “How we BOTH might be able to speak to him. It’s all related, as far as I can tell, though I don’t know how far it goes.”

“Wait… what?”

“You know they only find out about our ‘gifts’ when we are a year old or so, right?” I interrupted Arianna’s confused query with a question of my own.

She paused, clearly thrown by the bizarre question, but she nodded a moment later. “And your illness was first diagnosed when you were one as well, right?”

“I don’t understand-”

“From everything I’ve heard and seen in this recent trip, as well as the stuff I heard while I was in the Elven Navy, there’s only one explanation that makes sense.” I decided to stop beating around the bush as I revealed the truth, or at least my estimate as to what had to have happened to us.

“They must have experimented on us as infants. I gained my ‘gift’, while you rejected it… or maybe they just did it wrong. I don’t know-”

“How- No! That can’t be true, it-” My sister lifted a trembling hand, as if she were begging for me to take back what I’d just revealed. “Father never said anything about this. Why? He wouldn’t keep such a secret! He would never lie to me. To us!”

“What if he saw it as his only option? If the result of him revealing the truth to us would be our deaths, what do you think he would do?”

“You think- No, you can’t think they’d go that far, can you?” Arianna fell back into her chair as all the strength left her body. “No, it makes too much sense. All those vague hints, the meetings I’d heard rumors of, Olea’s horrible jokes about my condition… All of it.”

I snapped my teeth together with such force that I my jaw hurt as I ground them together. I tried to hold in my outrage. Olea, former Admiral of the Elven Navy, our aunt—she’d known the truth.

How could she not? Olea had been one of those ‘gifted’ few, and she’d been close to the council. There was no way they could have hidden the truth from her; those conniving old fucks had probably told her everything right from the start.

That’s why she’d hated me. That’s why she’d treated Ari like a worthless waste of space whenever she visited my father.

She’d seen me as the one who’d ruined her perfect record. I hadn’t known anything about the experiments, but still, I’d managed to adapt to the new powers I’d been given with even more skill and control than even she had shown. Right up until her last moments, she’d detested my very existence.

And she’d taken it out on the one member of our family still within her reach.

“I guess it makes sense why she went after you like that.” Arianna had managed to calm down a little, though there was still a slight tremor in her voice. That only lasted a moment before she continued, a darker, vindictive streak to her tone. “Thank the gods you blew her into fucking pieces. I always hated that bitch.”

Hearing my normally gentle mannered and polite sister swearing up a storm was enough of a shock to pull me out of my rage fueled recollection of our hate filled aunt. I grinned wildly at the new memory flooding my brain—Olea’s hate-filled screech as my arrow blasted her from the face of the planet.

“You should have seen her, though.” I made a rectangular picture frame shape with my fingers and held my hands out, as though I was imagining the image of her last moments as a piece of art, framed on my wall. “She shrieked like a banshee, just like always.”

“Seriously? Good riddance.” Ari picked up her pen and a notepad from the table beside the chair and looked up at me, one more totally businesslike and professional. “I’ve heard you brought back something useful. Spill.”

“Oh, nothing big. Just some chunks of emperor behemoth horn that we can use to corral and scare off monsters—up to and including behemoths.” I waved my hand like I was dismissing the whole thing as unimportant.

“Nothing to get worked up over. Standard stuff, really.”

“For you, yes.” My sister rolled her eyes as she scribbled down a long, complicated note on her pad. “Anything else?”

“We captured a squad of Elven Navy recruits, along with most of their officers.” I noted that Arianna quirked her eyebrow at the word ‘most’, but she didn’t question me any further as she continued to take a note. “And that’s it? Nothing else.”

“A profitable trip, then. A sentient emperor behemoth, possibly a way to thwart the Elven Council’s plans to use the behemoths as weapons, chunks of monster horn that we can use to secure a base atop the monster isle, and a full squad of Elven Navy members captured and ready for interrogation… or for integration?” She tapped her pad once for each point as she spoke, punctuating each staccato tap with a single click of her tongue. “Did I miss anything?”

“See, this is why I knew you’d be a great administrator.” I spread my arms wide and gave her a cocky grin. “Too much for you to handle?”

“No, of course not. I’ll keep handling all the boring stuff for you. Your friend, Lira Keelcracker, has been busy setting up the base, but she can take care of most of this stuff with the workforce she has at her disposal. Give her time, and I wager she could challenge you for a Pirate Lord title, herself.”

Ari tore off the page she’d written her notes on and set it aside. “But before that, I need to tell YOU something!”

“Oh, and what’s that?” I leaned forward and set my hands together as I ignored the comment about Lira’s desires. She’d made it clear multiple times that she detested the very idea of becoming a Pirate Lord. I’d had to force her to just step up to a sub-officer position under myself by promising she’d never have to go any further than that.

“I’m all ears, Ari.”

“Wes, thank you for telling me this.” She grabbed my hands and gripped them as hard as she could. Though she didn’t have the strength for it to be painful, I could still feel her emotions through her tightly clasped fingers. “I need to rest for a bit, but you do too!”

Arianna pulled my hands towards her and nodded toward the tunnel to my bedroom at the back of the office.

“You sure you’ll be okay?” I pushed myself up from the chair and stepped toward my bedroom before I looked back at Arianna cautiously. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”

“Go!” She picked up a pen and tossed it at me, a warm smile once more tugging at the corners of her lips as she shooed me away. “Don’t keep those two waiting! Their ears might burn off if they eavesdrop any longer!”

A dull thud and a few choice curses echoed from the bedroom as the pair in question jumped back from the door. The fact Arianna had guessed that the two would be listening in wasn’t surprising, I’d also assumed as much, but the subtle way she’d controlled the pair was a bit of a shock.

Compared to how timid and quiet she’d been in Keria, it seemed like in the wilds, my sister was coming into her own.

“Maybe it was a good thing after all.” I muttered to myself as I rested my hand on the door to my bedroom. “Eventually, we all need a change. Even me.”

Chapter 19

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 19

“You two were eavesdropping, weren’t you?” I strode into the bedroom and stared at the pair, who had both quickly taken up spots well back from the door to make it seem as though they hadn’t just been leaning against it and listening in on my conversation with my little sister. “Bit rude that, don’t you think?”

“Of course we weren’t!” Jean slapped her thigh and fixed me with an angry stare as she refused to admit the truth. “Who do ya think we are, a bunch of sneaking, no-good, little-”

“Sorry, Wes.” Kaede rose from her chair and took a single step toward me with a contrite look on her face. “At first I tried to persuade her it wasn’t right, but then I joined in, and-”

“Okay, hold up.” I waved the two of them quiet. One brooded and shot the other an irritated look, while the other did her best to avoid my gaze. “You’re saying this was all Jean’s idea, Kaede?”

“Now ya wait just a minute there-” Jean prepared to launch into a well thought out defense, but Kaede beat her to the punch.

“Initially, yes, but I take full responsibility.” Kaede bowed her head again as she once more spoke over her furious companion’s sputters. “I assumed it would be something about our journey, so I didn’t see the harm in, well… listening.”

Jean didn’t add anything to Kaede’s explanation, instead being content to sulk to herself in the corner. I stared at Kaede for a moment before I turned to Jean, fixing her with a long, hard glare.

Despite her apparent lack of shame, even the normally boisterous Pirate Lord had the good graces to look a little guilty as she took a sudden interest in one of the pillows.

“So? What do you think?” I lowered myself onto the edge of the bed and turned to face the pair. Kaede looked a little confused, so I snorted and turned to Jean, who was still trying to avoid my gaze.

“Any thoughts on my hypothesis, or are you going to keep pretending you didn’t listen in on my conversation like a drama hungry schoolgirl-”

“No need to go tha’ far!” Jean’s head snapped in my direction as, for the first time that I could remember when she was sober, a blush crept up her cheeks. “I am not drama hungry, ya know?!”

“Oh, so you’re just a schoolgirl?” I rose to my feet and took a step toward the faltering Pirate Lord. “Who secretly wants to eavesdrop on my private conversations?”

I paused and turned to Kaede. “That seems like something that should be punished, doesn’t it?”

“What? Oh!” Kaede blinked briefly in confusion before she realized what I meant. After a quick glance at Jean’s lost and worried look, a wicked grin popped onto her face. She managed to hide that mischievous smirk as she pretended to take my question seriously.

“Yes, I do think it deserves some form of penalty.” Kaede ignored Jean’s imploring stare as she continued, her tone unabashed and calm. “What kind of a punishment were you thinking of, Wes?”

Kaede’s breathing had quickened slightly as she spoke. Jean likely hadn’t noticed the change but, after my many, MANY, close encounters with the purple-eyed beauty, I’d learned to pick up on her tells and reactions.

“Uh, what does this ‘punishment’ entail, exactly?” Jean slowly lifted herself from the chair and, as quietly as she could, started to edge toward the door, her gaze never leaving my face as I stared blankly at the back wall of the bedroom, one foot tapping absently on the floor.

“Might be best that I leave ya alone, at the moment. I’m not needed here, right-”

She turned around to make a rush for the door, only to find Kaede blocking her path, a wide grin on her face. Before the Pirate Lord could respond, Kaede jumped forward and tackled her onto the bed.

Though it wasn’t the gentlest of moves I’d ever seen, I decided to let it slide. As the pair scuffled atop the sheets, I stepped past the bed and locked the door. The bolt clicked shut with a final, solid turn of the key.

Jean stopped struggling for a moment to watch as I pulled the key from the lock and, under her shocked gaze, tossed it under the chest of drawers.

“Now then.” I stepped forward with a confident smirk. “Where were we?”

“What exactly is going on here?” Jean glanced at Kaede, who had rolled aside to lay beside her on the bed, before returning her gaze to me. “I thought ya- I mean, it’s not like I’m against this, if it’s what I think it is, but-”

“You’re cute when you’re flustered.” Kaede grinned as she prodded Jean’s vulnerable, brightly blushing cheek. “After all that bawdy bravado, I thought you’d have more fire than this. How disappointing.”

“I thought, well-” Jean glanced awkwardly at Kaede. “I mean, ya made it clear ya didn’t want me to be involved with… him.”

Her final word held a slight edge to it as she shot a look my way. The slumbering fire in her gaze had sparked back to life, but it was clear she’d managed to temper her usual brassy and outspoken nature, at least when it came to her desires.

I let her question sit for a moment as I stared down at the pair. Kaede was prim and proper, or as much as she could be, given that she still wore the rather revealing outfit Dew had gifted her, but their short fight had rumpled a good deal of Jean’s casual outfit.

Her slightly muscled chest showed clearly, along with an amazing cleavage and tantalizing glimpses of the underside of her voluptuous breasts. She noticed my gaze and, instead of trying to hide her shame, instead shifted slightly to reveal even more to my sight.

“Naughty!” Kaede reached across and slapped her mostly exposed chest.

Her ill-timed whack had unintended consequences.

Jean’s shirt, which had been held together by a single, valiant silver button, pinged open like the doors of heaven before a saint.

“Ah!” She squealed in shock and quickly covered herself, though I’d already seen more than enough. Along with her dewy eyes, her cute, red faced embarrassment clashed so much with the normal veneer of cocky confidence with which she carried herself, that I couldn’t help but clap once in astonished praise.

Kaede winced as she saw what she’d wrought but, after a moment, she shifted along the bed until she was eye level with Jean. “You wanted this, right?” I heard the high elf girl mutter to the still silent Pirate Lord. “Why are you acting so scared, now of all times?”

“I- Ya aren’t gonna give me a choice, are ya?” Jean removed her palm from her face and looked between the two of us sheepishly. “Not that I’m complaining, but-”

“Of course you have a choice.” Kaede smiled, likely already expecting the answer she’d get as she asked. “What do you say?”

“Damn right!” Jean threw her arms wide and beckoned to me. “Come on then, big boy! Let’s see how good ya are!”

Kaede shook her head and rolled aside as I began to shed my clothes. As I removed my pants, I noticed that Kaede had moved quickly to pull the remainder of Jean’s clothes aside—though that didn’t include the jacket still looped around her arms and chest.

“Wha-” Jean glanced over at Kaede, who’d taken a hold of her coat, and tried to pull it from her grip.

She couldn’t.

“Uh, what’s this about?” She looked at me as I approached the bed, step by slow step. “I thought we were all friends, now. Yer not gonna just let me have him to myself-”

“Oh, that’s another thing, entirely.” Kaede gently turned Jean’s head until the pair were staring into each other’s eyes, though she didn’t loosen her grip on the woman’s clothes in the slightest as she did so. “And I have a feeling someone like you, so loud and boisterous… You prefer it this way, right?”

“Well, I-” Jean blinked and shifted her eyes away from Kaede’s intense gaze. “I mean, maybe- Ah!”

She tensed up as I hopped up onto the bed and, without a moment’s hesitation, took one of her perky, stiff nipples into my mouth.

Though the size of a woman’s breasts weren’t indicative of their sensitivity, I’d already noted Jean’s breasts as one of her weak spots from the times I’d spotted her playing with them as she watched me fool around with the others in the past.

“No- Ahhhh!” She moaned as I used one hand to tweak and pull at her other erect nipple while my other hand dipped lower and lower, sneaking ever closer to the warm, tight crease between her thighs. “Ya don’t need to- AAAHHHMMmmm!”

Kaede looked up at me and seductively licked her lips as she watched me play her new friend like a violin. Every moment that passed brought stronger and more intense surges of pleasure through Jean’s body as she drew closer and closer to a heavenly release.

And then I stopped.

“Wha-” Jean panted as I pulled back a little to look down on her sweaty, beautiful form. “Why did ya- OOoooohhh!”

She wasn’t prepared for me to shove myself deep inside of her with a single thrust, hilting her on my entire length in one fell swoop. That one thrust was enough to rock her over the edge, her entire vagina pulsated and clenched rhythmically around me.

“All the way?” Kaede glanced down at the point of our connection and bit her lip. “She’s really good, isn’t she? Maybe-”

“None of you are better than the others.” I opened my eyes and gave Kaede a warm smile as I slowly pulled myself back, ridge by glorious ridge. “I care about you all equally, you know that.”

“Ahhh. Yeah.” Kaede pushed herself up and planted her lips on mine as I shoved myself balls deep once more into Jean’s quivering pussy. She rocked her hips, matching my thrusts with her own as best she could, despite the fact that her arms were being held down by the jacket locked under Kaede’s legs.

“Wait, what?” Kaede broke off our deep, passionate kiss and pulled back to look down at Jean, whose face was flushed with ecstasy.

“You…” she began, then shook her head ruefully. “Seriously, what am I going to do with you?”

I watched, amused, as Kaede slowly slipped her skirt off, along with the lacy undergarments she wore to ensure no lucky fool managed to get a true glimpse of her while she fought.

Before Jean could respond, Kaede lowered herself onto the Pirate Lord’s face.

“Oh, she’s good!” Kaede kept one hand on her knee to keep herself steady as her other palm reached up and sneaked under her tight-fitting top to squeeze a perky breast.

“No way I’m letting that slide.” I grinned and unclipped the last bit of her outfit, though I did have to thrust myself deep into Jean to reach far enough forward.

“Ah! Fuck!” Kaede moaned as Jean shuddered beneath her. Even she looked shocked at the extent of her reaction as she looked up at me, blushing even brighter than Jean had before we’d initiated this encounter. “That was- AAHH!”

Every thrust into Jean produced a muffled yelp of pleasure, which was followed a moment later by a squeal from Kaede. Their cadence matched my movements.

I moved faster and they worked themselves into a frenzy.

I slowed down, they trembled on the precipice.

The rhythm was intoxicating, but I didn’t want to keep it going so long that either woman got frustrated. Instead, I waited for the pair to sync up once more before I started railing into Jean one last time.

“Mmmph.”

“Ohh.”

“MMMpph.”

“Oooh.”

“MMMph!”

“OOH!”

“MMMMMPPHH!”

“OOOOOHHHHH!”

The pair both rocketed over the edge into another tumultuous series of orgasms as I released my own pent-up lust deep within the still-shuddering Pirate Lord. Kaede collapsed forward into my chest as she twitched and moaned through her own waves of pleasure.

I let her rest against me for a moment before I gently laid her down in the bed beside a now comatose Jean.

“Well, that was fun.” I glanced at the two and, from a quick, experienced estimate, guessed they’d need a few minutes to recover. “I guess I’ll let her rest for a bit.”

I turned to Kaede and stroked a hand up her thigh. “We have a busy night ahead of us, after all!”

Chapter 20

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 20

I left Kaede and Jean to their restful sleep as I sneaked out of the room the next morning. Freya hadn’t returned last night, though I’d waited up to greet her, just in case. I decided to go and check in on her progress. I figured she’d gotten herself caught up in another frenzy of rune smithing and forging.

“Hey, Smith!” I strode through the construction site that was quickly transforming into an actual base as I made my way over to the elderly elf overseeing the whole project. “Where’s Freya? Hey, I asked-”

“Yeah, I heard you!” Smith huffed as he turned around, red faced and irritable as always. “I thought you’d have spoken to her last, seeing as I made sure she promised to actually go to your room to rest. Wait… you did let her rest, didn’t you?”

Smith’s narrowed eyes showed just how little he trusted me, but I wasn’t a complete lust filled moron. If Freya had come home to our room last night fatigued and listless, then I’d have known to let her sleep and recover, no matter what else was going on.

But she hadn’t come back to the room. At all.

“Fine, where was she when you last spoke to her?” I glanced off toward the temporary ship repair yard the pair of runesmiths had set up, where I could see a large, newly crafted mast being hoisted atop the hull of a carefully restored battleship. “Don’t tell me. She was still working on her little program, wasn’t she?”

“Ah, yeah.” Smith had the good manners to look away guiltily as he admitted the truth. Freya had persuaded the old fool to let her take over the ‘secret project’, as they liked to call it. Though the elderly rune smith had shared the basics with me, he’d refused to reveal any of the details—at Freya’s insistence, of course.

Apparently, she wanted it to be a surprise.

But he’d at least let me know how much time, effort, and resources she would need to complete her self-appointed task, whatever it was. The fact she might have accidentally stayed up all night toiling away on it didn’t surprise me, given how fixated and withdrawn she got when she started runesmithing. At least that is how it had been for any of the other items and gadgets she’d made.

As I strode into the temporary dry dock that had been constructed after our initial landing, I noticed that many of the workers stopped for a moment and a ripple of whispers spread across the area. Each of the pirates turned to their colleagues and listened to what they were saying before turning in my direction.

Eventually, every single worker in the yard had stopped working and was staring at me.

“What’s this? Never seen someone come to check on your work before, have you?” My bellow rang out across the docks, shocking those who’d stopped to gawk at my approach—so much so, that several of them dropped their tools.

Most of the workers snapped out of whatever spell had snared them and spun back around, each doing their best to at least appear busy. Some had to nurse an injured toe or foot first, before picking up their tool, but even those did what they could to appear as if they were hard at work.

A few stepped forward, however, and as a group, moved toward me.

“Uh, Mas- I mean.” The leader stammered, cutting herself off as she started to call me by the nickname Freya had used since we’d met back in the Waskis Woods. “I mean, thank you for coming, Sir. This is- I mean, we know you’re busy, so- Um.”

“Anyone else want to take over here?” I glanced at the others who’d stepped forward to greet me, but every other member of the group avoided my gaze, trying to hide behind whoever stood beside them.

A weird sight, even by my standards.

“Uh… Pirate Lord, Sir.” The leader by right of refrain from the rest of the group bit her quivering lip, hard before she spoke again. “Thank you for coming. I don’t know what we could do if you didn’t visit us!”

“Okay. Explain, please. Now.” I pinched the bridge of my nose as I glanced at the others nearby who were doing their best to make it look like they were engrossed in their tasks, while actually straining their ears and their minds to listen in to our conversation. “The rest of you, scram. I’m sure you have better things to be doing that some idiotic interpretive dance routine. Shove off!”

The others froze for a moment before scattering, each rushing away as fast as they could sprint back to their assigned quarters. Before she could blink, the solitary woman was left alone and bereft of moral support before me.

“I came here to check in on Freya, not your work.” I held up a hand, cutting her off as she looked ready to apologize, yet again. “But if something is wrong, tell me now.”

“Yes Sir, Pirate Lord, Sir.” The overseer nodded furiously before she spun on her heel and pointed toward the large, dangerous looking ship at the back of the yard. “That’s the problem, Sir. I’m glad you’re here, because even we think it’s gone too far. The noises you hear coming from its hull-”

“You’re saying this ship is the problem?” I looked across at the imposing vessel resting in its own, solitary dry dock before the frothing waves. “If you don’t start making sense, and soon, I’m going to stop being so patient with you.”

“Sir! It’s Freya herself, Sir!” The lady turned back to me with a worried, frantic look. “She’s been working on that thing all day, every day with her team. No one can get a single word out of any of them that makes any sense. She just keeps speaking about you- I mean, her Master, and how disappointed she is with their progress, but- It’s not right!”

The overseer clenched her hands together as she yelled, clearly distraught about the whole situation. I didn’t know what Freya had done to the other workers, but maybe she’d taken things a step or three too far.

“Her work outstrips ours, in both results and efficiency. And all she speaks of is how terrible it is, how nothing is PERFECT!” The lady grabbed a spar from a nearby pile and snapped it over her knee in frustration. “Anything that doesn’t meet her standards, she destroys! If she merely tossed them aside, we could use them on the other ships. She is an artist, of that there is no doubt, but she destroys anything less than the masterpieces she creates! It’s not right, I tell you- Wait, where are you going?”

I strode past the rambling woman without another word. Her irritation made sense, given how involved and focused those working in certain fields could be, but I knew there wouldn’t be much else she could tell me that would be helpful. Instead, I decided to go straight to the main agent of chaos who’d brought the whole situation into being.

Freya herself.

“Hey! Anyone home?” I slammed my fist against the hull of the massive ship several times. No response came back, other than the rhythmic hammering of tools and a vague, murmuring, sea shanty. The words of the faint song were so low and dull, it was impossible to understand them, but the meaning and intent were clear.

Work. Work until the job is done.

Without any answer, there was only one option left to me. Muttering the whole while beneath my breath, I crouched down and with a quick leap, landed on the ship’s deck. There, I spotted a few bedraggled workers, hammering and sawing in various places. None of them spared me more than half a glance before turning back to their tasks, glassy eyed, and humming to themselves.

If I didn’t know better, I’d have had to assume they’d been cursed.

But I left them to their duties as I made my way to the lower decks. I wouldn’t be the best person to help them anyway, and the nearest therapist would be hundreds of miles away. It would be best if I addressed the source of the issue, rather than the symptoms.

“Freya!” I stomped into room after room, searching for the lithe form of my mixed-breed lover, but all I found were stockpiles of supplies, the shattered remains of various devices and gadgets, and more dead eyed workers.

It had been a while since I’d seen the red-headed beauty, but there was no chance I wouldn’t know her at a glance-

“There you are!” I finally found her in the main storage area of the ship, hunched over her rune smithing anvil, which had been carefully set atop a large, wrought iron desk. “Freya, what’s going on here?”

“No- It’s not finished!” She spun around, her eyes wide and full of life as she waved at the walls around us, which had been adorned with so many different rune smith devices that I couldn’t even guess at a number of their uses. “Master, you shouldn’t be here! Smith! Smith said he’d keep my secret, but he-”

“Now wait a minute.” I darted forward and plucked the small hammer from her grasp before pulling her into my arms. “Freya, listen to my voice. Just calm down and speak to me.”

“Wha- Master?” Freya blinked blearily as she looked up into my eyes. “I- Wait, where am I? What’s-”

Before she even finish her question, the cute mixed-breed’s head drooped against my chest as she fell asleep on her feet, secure and comfortable in my arms.

“What the hell?!” I muttered as I looked down at the peaceful girl in my grasp. “What am I going to do with you, huh?”

Chapter 21

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 20

I contacted one of the overseers to ensure the members of Freya’s little crew were given time to rest and recuperate before I carried their leader off to my room.

A few pirates gave me odd looks as I princess-carried the unconscious runesmith from the dry dock back to my office, but none were stupid enough to get in my way when they saw the irritable look on my face. Even Smith took the opportunity to make himself scarce the moment he saw me stomping towards his post.

Jean had woken from her stupor by the time I made it back to the room, though she hadn’t yet managed to get herself dressed. I found her sat on the edge of the bed, sharing a friendly conversation with Kaede, who—by way of comparison—was already fully clothed and ready for action.

Well, not the type of action she’d most recently taken an impressively active part in, but it wasn’t like I had time to think about that right now.

“Hey, Wes- Wait, is that?” Jean pushed herself up from the bed to look “What the hell did ya do to her? She’s out like a light!”

“She’ll be fine.” I waved Jean away as I lowered Freya gently onto the bed. Thankfully, the two of them had changed the sheets after our sweaty, lust filled night, so Freya was able to recover in a clean, warm, and cozy environment.

“Jean, do you have any of those energy potions? If we feed her some little by little, that might help her recover.”

“Of course!” Jean spun on her heel and prepared to rush over to her cabin.

I barred her path with an arm and grab her around the waist before she could kick the door open.

“Wha-”

“Clothes?” I pointedly glanced down at her curvy, seductive and, most importantly, naked form.

“Oh, yeah,” she muttered, a rosy blush coloring her cheeks as she looked around the room for her discarded clothing from the night before. “I don’t have anything-”

“Here.” Kaede opened the cupboard and pulled out a simple yet cute looking costume made of tight-fitting leather inlaid with mail and steel plate along the chest and hips. “This should fit. We had to guess at some of your measurements.”

“Uh, what? When did ya-” Jean shook her head and quickly accepted the outfit with one of the most genuine smiles I’d seen on her face—at least when she wasn’t on her back.

“Thanks. I thought ya hated me.”

“Not really. Well… not entirely.” Kaede shrugged as she lowered herself gently onto the bed beside Freya. “The others talked me into giving you a chance. Seems they were right, as usual.”

Jean merely nodded in response as she tightened the buckles of the tight-fitting outfit. It really did accentuate her figure and, unlike her former messy collection of armor pieces and loose clothing, didn’t seem like it had been cobbled together off a scrap heap.

Her huge battle axe didn’t quite match her new look, but the shocking contrast between her oversized weapon and the professional, understated outfit gave her a peculiarly cute look to my eyes. Not a term I’d have expected to use when describing the loud, brash, and unruly Pirate Lord.

She left the room shortly after to fetch the vitality mixtures she kept in her quarters. I knew she’d probably get waylaid on the way by subordinates taking advantage of a target of opportunity—most likely to resolve some personnel issues that had cropped up while we’d been gone—but Freya wasn’t in any danger and Jean wouldn’t be missed for a while.

Although using a vitality potion on her was most likely wasteful, if it eased her recovery at all, I didn’t give a flying fuck what anyone else might say about my decision.

“I think Dew will be down soon.” Kaede smiled and looked up as she gently stroked Freya’s hair. “Jean mentioned that they’ve started bringing down the Elven Navy prisoners. A few started spilling everything they knew, before anyone had a chance to ask them any specific questions.”

“Good.” I nodded with a grim smile as I remembered the cowardly officers and how poorly they had treated their recruits. “We know the basics, but some of them might be able to fill in the blanks.”

“That was your plan, wasn’t it?” Kaede frowned as she returned her gaze to Freya’s calm and composed face as she slept. “I didn’t notice, but this is why you behaved the way you did on the journey back, isn’t it? To make them act like this?”

“Partly.” I chuckled and looked at the pair on the bed. The sight of the two of them, so calm and quiet together warmed my heart, despite what we were discussing. “It was a risk, but I figured some of them would crack. I’d told the Seventh Fleet officers what information I needed, and a long wait at the top of a cliff seemed like it would be more than enough to get their imaginations flowing.”

“Ha! I was over thinking it, I guess.”

I didn’t answer Kaede’s unasked question as I stood up and moved back into my office. Freya would be fine with some rest; she would be safe with Kaede, one of my most trusted companions.

While they recovered, I needed to prepare for our upcoming voyage.

“Hey there pretty boy, long time no see!” The door slammed open, revealing a grinning Dew, framed by the dim light outside my office. “What’s up with that face? I thought you’d be happy, given the circumstances!”

“Keep your voice down a bit, Freya’s sleeping.” I pointed at the closed bedroom door with my thumb as I pulled a sheet of paper from the ‘in’ box on my desk. “It’s good to see you, though. How did everything go up top?”

“Oh, they’re singing like canaries in a mine. One of the officers even told me the exact location of this cave of yours in the Sendrin Desert.” Though she’d lowered the volume of her voice, Dew’s tone retained its usually perkiness as she slumped in the chair opposite mine. “On top of that, I’m told your new ship is nearly ready?”

I looked up, confused for a moment. “My new- Oh.” I figured out what she meant.

The vessel Freya had been working on. The project she’d refused to leave to anyone else.

My new ship.

Our new home.

“Yeah, that old idiot wouldn’t let me see it, though.” Dew’s expression soured as she glanced back out my still open office door. It didn’t take much thought to realize she was talking about Smith, especially considering the promise he’d given Freya to keep her little ‘surprise’ a secret.

Still, Dew had known about it. She’d probably managed to overhear some rumors on her way to the office.

“We can go check it out once Freya has recovered.” I raised my hand, stopping Dew as she was preparing to push herself up. “Kaede’s with her, and Jean’s fetching her a vitality potion. She’ll be fine.”

“Well, I could whip up something better than that.” Dew muttered as her hand dipped into the satchel at her side. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll mix something together.”

“Save your herbs. We might need them.” I pulled out a large, rolled up map and spread it out atop the desk. “We have a bit of a journey ahead of us.”

“Oh, great.” Dew muttered angrily as she looked at the destination I’d marked on the map. “Why us?”

“Why anyone else?” Jean answered Dew’s question as she strolled back into my office with several large vials of murky liquid in her hands. “I didn’t take ya for a coward, Dew. Interesting.”

Dew ignored Jean’s obvious attempt to bait her as she studied the chart, adding her own notes for the cavern system we’d be infiltrating once we’d crossed the Lanoi Sea to the Sendrin Desert.

Jean shrugged and walked past the desk and into the bedroom.

“I’ve told the others that I’ll be busy for a while.” She looked back in our direction and gave me a sultry wink. “I’ll let ya know when Freya wakes.”

She closed the door with a final, ringing click as she locked it behind herself.

“Is she coming with us?” Dew looked up at me, one eyebrow arched high. “Doesn’t she have things to do here? She is a Pirate Lord, right?”

“So am I, in case you forgot?” I chuckled as I looked over the marks Dew had laid across the map. “If she wants to come, I won’t say no.”

“Damn right you won’t,” Dew giggled as she reached across the table and poked me in the chest. “I’m not an idiot. How was she?”

“She was fine.” I glanced up at Dew, once more caught off guard by how open Dew was about our complicated relationship. I shook my head as I lowered myself back into the chair. “More than fine, actually. She’s getting on well with Kaede.”

“Good for them.” Dew darted around the table and slipped into my lap. “Looks like we’re going on another adventure. When are we heading out?”

“Tomorrow, probably.” I leaned around the wood elf to give the map another look as Dew wiggled suggestively in my lap, innocently acting as if she wasn’t acutely aware of what she was doing—or more to the point, what it was doing to me.

“But before that, I have something to say to you.” I lifted Dew from my lap, turned her around and laid her back across the table.

She followed me with her eyes, confused but definitely aroused, as I crossed over to the front door of my office and locked it.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” I grinned as I sauntered back to her, already working at my belt. “We set sail tomorrow, but I’m sure you’ll love the cruise you get today!”

Chapter 22

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 21

Freya didn’t wake until the following morning.

Kaede and Jean spent the night in the bedroom alongside the fatigued elf, keeping a watchful eye on her just in case something unexpected happened. Dew and I joined them after our long and tender reunion session drew to a close in the office.

It wasn’t easy, all five of us crowded into the same space, but I let the girls sleep together on the bed while I took a nap in the large, comfortable chair in my office. As the dull rays of the dawning sun filtered in through the hidden entrance far above, we finally stepped out of my office together, each of us ready for the adventure ahead. 

“Other than the Seventh Fleet squad who will be coming with us, who else is coming along for the ride? What about an actual crew?” Dew strolled along beside me with a casual smirk as she looked at the various pirates and workers who moved aside when they spotted us approaching. “Not that I doubt their capabilities, but I think we’ll need a few more bodies to run your new ship-”

“Hey!” I heard Freya hiss from the side as she rushed up to Dew. “I’ve sorted that. Just be patient and quiet!”

Freya admonishing her longtime friend wasn’t a common occurrence, but I could guess why she was so annoyed. Though she’d spent an inordinate amount of time preparing the new ship for our return, I’d accidentally ruined the ‘surprise’ when I came to check on her.

She thanked me for rescuing her from herself, of course, but the fact remained she wanted to reveal it to me on her own terms. Fortunately, she still had a chance to show off the results of her hard work.

My short foray into our new home had been brief—to the point that I barely remembered anything about it, as concerned as I’d been at the time about Freya and what she was doing to her helpers. That included my pointedly ignoring all the highly advanced devices and gadgets she’d prepared during our absence.

“Hey! Wait!” Smith waved off a small crowd of workers and rushed to our side with a worried frown as he glanced in Jean’s direction before turning his gaze to me. “I heard you’re setting off again, don’t tell me that you’re planning to-”

“Smith, ya gotta step up and take over while we’re gone.” Jean stepped forward and slapped a heavy hand on the worried elf’s shoulder. “We’ve got something important to see to, ya know?”

“Jean, don’t do this to me!” Smith grabbed her hand with both of his and stared at her pleadingly. “You know I don’t want to be a-”

“Well, want to or not, you are a Pirate Lord; now ya have ta act like one.” Jean’s expression turned serious as she tightened her grip in the old rune smith’s hands. “Ya have the skills and the know-how, ya just need to hold down the fort. Can ya do that?”

“Franklin will be around if you need him, and Lira is still overseeing the housing and supply side of things,” I injected soothingly, motioning toward the home of the Seventh Fleet’s former leader and part-time Pirate Lord. “Just keep things ticking over, finish off the path up the cliff, and start sending out hunting and foraging squads. Other than watching over the ship repairs, there isn’t much else you’ll need to do. Easy, right?”

“I- Fine. I owe you one anyway, I guess.” The unwilling ‘Pirate Lord’ Smith waved in my direction, though he kept muttering to himself under his breath angrily. He turned back and looked up to where his workers must be; it seemed they had finally reached the last series of switchbacks in their cliff tunnel project. “

Just a few more days, that’s all,” he grumbled. “How bad could it be? I’m patient. I really am-”

Jean waved at us to hurry along behind her as she stepped quickly toward the base’s dry docks. Though Smith might not have noticed the major flaw in her reasoning at a glance, we all knew it wouldn’t be long before the old fool would be out for blood.

After all, he was being left to look after the pirate fleets alone with the logic that a Pirate Lord should be able to do that. The reason he had to take over all of that work, though, was because the other two Pirate Lords were skipping out of the base together. Even if he had a former Pirate Lord and one of the most respected pirate captains turned officers at his back, it wouldn’t be easy keeping everything on track.

“Here it is, master!” Freya darted ahead as we entered the shipyard proper. Her smile widened as she rushed toward the ship she’d created, along with her workers while we’d been exploring Monster Isle. “

This is your new ship, master! What do you think?” She looked back, a hesitant smile on her face. She was clearly worried I’d dislike the vessel she’d designed and built just for me, but I couldn’t find the words to describe it as I looked it over properly for the first time.

Though it wasn’t the most overstated design I’d ever seen, the sheer size of the ship as it rolled gently just beyond the surf caught me off guard. Not a dreadnought by any means, I wouldn’t classify the boat before me as a battleship, either.

It seemed to fit neatly between those two categories.

The odd thing was that I could see no cannon ports anywhere along its extended, smooth hull. Normally, a covered opening was easy to spot on close inspection, but I couldn’t even identify a seam, never mind any points for our weapons to poke out into the open.

Another peculiar thing was the mast, or more particularly, masts. There were three in total, and their setup wasn’t standard by any stretch of the term, specifically the size of each canvas. Though not tiny, they seemed a bit undersized for the vessel, and the arrangement of their rigging didn’t look to be organized or controlled in any way that I could recognize. I had to trust that Freya had designed it that way purposefully.

There had to be some method to the madness.

Ignoring the odd design, someone had organized a team of painters to cover its smooth hull with a layer of faint, gray dye.

Overall, the ship looked deadly, if decidedly odd.

“It’s… interesting?” I turned to Freya, who didn’t look perturbed by my lukewarm response. Instead, she seemed rather thrilled that I hadn’t reacted even less enthusiastically as she grabbed a rope ladder hanging down the side of the ship.

“Come on, I’ll show you the command deck!” She scurried up the ladder easily, likely due to her life in the Waskis woods before we met, along with the advancement of her combat skills since then. Kaede used the ladder as well, forgoing her runesmith boots for a more mundane method of reaching the deck of our new ship.

“Go on, then.” Dew nudged me forward and winked in Jean’s direction. “I think Freya might go insane if she has to wait another minute to show off her hard work. Don’t keep her waiting!”

I chuckled before I used the rope ladder to zip up to the deck in a few smooth movements. It looked the same as my previous visit, sans the dazed and glassy eyed workers, but another chance to examine the deck itself revealed a host of details I’d ignored the first time around.

The complicated mast and rigging setup still seemed rather messy, but it all came down to a few adjustment stations. A single crew member would be able to make rapid adjustments to each of the sails without having to travel far, as long as they understood how the system itself worked.

But Freya’s attention wasn’t on something that simple. Instead, she was motioning for me to cross to a large, glass fronted structure at the rear of the ship.

A commander’s office, from what I could tell.

“Here, master!” Freya got bored waiting for me. She jumped forward and dragged me into the wide-open room by the arm. “Chart table, space for meetings, full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision, and best of all-”

Freya slammed her fist against the glass, hard. For a split second, I was worried the sheet might shatter and slice her hand, but it held up against the force of her blow without any issue. Never mind not breaking apart, I couldn’t see any damage on the window from her strike.

And I knew how much strength ran through Freya’s beautifully, slender arms.

“Not saying it could withstand a runesmith cannonball, but arrows or swords won’t do much to it.” She turned to me with a wide grin as she motioned at the rest of the windows. “We gave the hull the same treatment: impact resistance, fireproof and, as an added bonus, easy to clean.”

“So that’s what the gray coating is, then?” I looked at the deck, which had been painted a slightly lighter hue than the hull. “It’s tough, but what about speed?”

“I’m glad you asked, master!” Freya rushed past me like an excited schoolgirl. She sprinted to the front edge of the command room and picked up a large hand bell from the desk under the window. “If you could do the honors?”

“Sure, I can do that.” I smiled and took the proffered bell. A single swing sent a low, sonorous chime ringing across the deck. The sound seemed to reverberate through my body directly, as though it didn’t need to travel via my ears to be heard. It was an odd feeling, but the efficacy of the strange bell showed its utility as several groups of workers rushed up onto the deck a moment later.

“Are those-” I set the bell down carefully as I looked out across the perfectly arranged crew members before me. “Freya, what’s this?”

“As you’ve guessed, these are the ones who helped me build your new ship, master!” Freya waved a hand at the professional looking crew, who bowed their heads in unison at her gesture. “These are our crew, and they are ready to serve as you see fit!”

“Damn.” I carefully surveyed the worker’s faces but couldn’t see any signs of the fatigue or glazed expressions they’d shown the day before. “And what the hell did you do to get them like this?”

“Oh, nothing special, master.” Freya’s calm smile belied her words as she spoke with a happy tone. “I just told them about everything you’d done; they jumped at the chance to serve. That’s all it takes, you know?”

“So, you brainwashed them?” Jean’s attempt at cracking a joke was met with a cold, angry glare from the one who’d ‘persuaded’ her workers to crew the vessel they’d almost died to create.

“Are we ready to set off then?” I interrupted the muffled argument that had started up behind me as I turned to face Freya once more.

“Of course, master!” Freya flicked her fingers at the workers, who quickly jumped to attention as they rushed to their posts across or under the deck. “We just need to pick up your soldiers, and then we can begin our journey!”

“Finally,” Dew grumbled as she dropped into one of the chairs around the central desk. “I can’t wait to leave this dump behind!”

As the others all started to talk amongst themselves, I looked out across the deck of my new ship. The Seventh Fleet officers were likely already on their way over. Once they were onboard, we’d be once more be setting out upon the seas. Though I didn’t want to openly talk shit about the base we were setting up, a single day in the office had made my thoughts on the matter crystal clear.

Between a stuffy, safe, dull office and the dangerous, wild, and uncaring seas, my choice was obvious.

At least the seas weren’t boring.

Chapter 23

Lanoi Sea / Command Office aboard Master of the Seas - Advanced Pirate Warship - Day 21

After the Seventh Fleet squad had loaded up, we left the base without any further fanfare. Many pirates turned to stare at my odd ship as it drifted out into the open seas, but none of them knew who owned the peculiar vessel just yet. That was probably for the best, as the fact that—not just one, but two of—their Pirate Lords were sneaking off on another adventure while they were being left behind to finish building our new lair might unravel a few frayed tempers.

There were other pirate scouting vessels that had left to keep an eye on things in the Lanoi sea, so it wasn’t like we were alone out on the water. Though I had to admit that running across one of them was unlikely, unless something unexpected occurred.

“Remember our first trip after we left Keria?” I leaned against the desk of the commander’s office as I looked out across the deck to the choppy waters of the Lanoi Sea. “We had to loop and backtrack so much, it took a ridiculous amount of time to cross this strip of water.” I flicked a hand at the map. “Lira really is a master of the seas, isn’t she?”

“Yeah. She is.” Kaede smiled as she recalled the woman who’d helped us escape Keria and brought us to join the pirate fleets in the first place.

“Why didn’t she want to come along for this journey, by the way?” Dew wondered. “I’m sure she hates being cooped up just as much as we all do.”

“Lira told me she wanted to keep an eye on things while we were away.” Freya glanced up from her appointed rune smithing table at the back of the room. “We spoke a lot while you were outside the base. Apparently, the life of a Pirate Lord’s officer and administrator suits her.”

“Ha! No way I’m believing that.” I snorted as I turned my attention back to the charts laid out on the central desk. “Knowing her, she’s probably sticking around to ensure Smith doesn’t go off the rails.”

The ladies giggled before turning back to their own conversations. Our journey wouldn’t take nearly as long as our first crossing from Keria to The Ridge, but it was a trip fraught with peril.

Freya’s ship design made it difficult for anyone to spot us. Even though our vessel, named Master of the Seas by a four to one vote, was larger than most, its relatively sleek hull and the oddly hazy paint job would make it tough to see even on a clear day.

And we’d set off at the tail end of a large, brooding storm.

“How about we test out some of the things that make this an ‘advanced’ warship, shall we?” I chuckled to myself as I pulled out a schematic of the Master of the Seas and rolled it out on top of the sea charts before turning to Freya with a bow. I motioned for her to come forward. “What do you suggest first? Ladies’ choice.”

“We tested them before- I mean, I’m sure they’ll work-” Freya’s cheeks burned a little as she stepped up beside the desk to take another look at the design she’d penned not that long ago. “If we’re starting with the basics, then maybe the Weaponized Execution System.”

“Oh!” Dew’s grin widened as she watched her friend’s face redden even further. “The WES, you mean? Nice naming sense.”

I decided to let the very specifically chosen acronym slide as I looked over a short description of its usage.

Basically, the system permitted the hull to remain in place up until we needed to take a shot with the runesmith cannons loaded on the lower decks. At the moment their payloads were loosed, external shielding panels would shift aside and allow the cannonballs free reign to fly out to their targets before those same panels slammed back in place a moment later.

Offensive cannons without the usual weak spots on the side of the ship? An amazing idea, in principle, as long as the WES itself didn’t fail.

“What about this one?” Kaede stepped forward and tapped one of the other devices. “That sounds interesting.”

“Oh, yeah. I think ya picked a good one.” Jean kept her expression cool and professional as she slowly read out the gadget’s name. “The Motorized Accelerated Spin Traversal Engine Regulator.”

“Yeah, the MASTER.” Kaede tried to keep her cool, but she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as Jean. The corners of her mouth twitched as she turned to Freya, who had buried her red-hot face into her hands. “And what does that one do, exactly.”

“It- Uh- It allows the ship to move and turn without relying on the wind or the waves.” Freya’s voice was muffled as she spoke through her hands. “It’s just a prototype so- It doesn’t last- That long-”

“Okay, that’s enough.” I stepped between the cowering girl and the other three, cutting their jokes off with a wave of my hand. The three women had the decency to look properly chastised as I handed each of them a copy of the ship’s schematics. “We’ll try those two out. Dew, Kaede, go and check the inner bonds for the… WES. Jean, you go and check the MASTER, make sure it’s ready for a trial run.”

Dew, Kaede, and Jean nodded before turning to leave the office. Once they’d walked out onto the deck I turned back to Freya, who had yet to show her burning face to the world as she sank lower and lower into a chair across the central chart desk from me.

“Did you really get all of this done while we were out exploring Monster Isle?” I dropped down into the chair beside her and kicked my feet up onto the desktop. “Seriously, that’s amazing work. If we could get this stuff working for the rest of the ships, our fleets would be unstoppable.”

“It isn’t that easy.” Freya glanced up at me with a guilty look in her eye. “The parts are actually rare. Smith didn’t have many to start with, and now he has hardly any at all.”

“Wow. How did you get him to agree to lend you that much- Oh.” I barked out a loud, bellow of a laugh as I realized what Freya had done to her so-called teacher’s carefully collected pool of resources. “I guess that’s why you wanted to leave so quickly, right?”

Freya nodded slowly, a small smile peeking into view once more as she some. Though the others knew exactly how to press her buttons, I trusted Freya’s work, along with those she’d selected to crew this ship—despite their odd idol worship of the one who’d forced them to work until she’d literally fallen asleep on her feet.

We talked about her time designing and crafting the Master of the Seas as the others learned the basics of each device. The WES worked using some internal switches linked to each cannon, so Kaede and Dew would need to check over each of those, to make sure they were calibrated correctly. Not hard to do, but the number of runesmith cannon on the ship dwarfed those on even the most dangerous dreadnoughts I’d heard of.

As far as the MASTER system went, Jean would have a harder time making sure it was ready to function as desired. Three crewmen were assigned to the device around the clock to ensure it was operating at maximum efficiency, even when not activated. She’d have to get a full report from the engineers before she came back up to the command deck.

Even Freya thought those three were a bit too ‘involved’, as she called them. Not a great sign, though she credited their drive and dedication as the main factors behind the MASTER system being finished at all.

“Done!” Dew stomped back into the room with an angry glare as she tossed the schematics for the Master of the Seas back onto the desk. “Those things might look nice, but they’re really awkward if you have to check and alter the settings.”

“I thought they weren’t too bad.” Kaede gently laid her copy of the plans down on the desk before seating herself calmly beside Dew. “It’s not Freya’s fault you thought you’d finish your side faster than me.”

Dew grumbled to herself angrily as she avoided Kaede’s smirk. The pair turning my request to check the WES into a competition wasn’t exactly a surprise, nor was Dew’s response to losing. She’d always been one of the most competitive of my girls, both in and out of the bedroom.

“By the gods!” Jean walked in a moment later, brushing a healthy covering of soot from her fingers as she tossed the schematics I’d given her onto the desk. “Do those idiots not know when to shut up? I feel like ya chose them just to wind me up!”

I watched with a smirk as Dew, Kaede, and Jean complained incessantly about their appointed tasks. Though they were clearly overexaggerating their annoyance, I still felt it had been a fair request, asking them to check over the systems. Ultimately, it was karma for their many jokes at Freya’s expense.

“So, we’re ready?” I pushed myself up from my chair and moved to the front of the desk in the commander’s office overlooking the ship. “Let’s start with the-”

“Sir! Ship to the starboard side!” One of the crewmember’s yells rang down from the crow’s nest he pointed off into the distance. “It’s one of ours, and it doesn’t look good!”

Chapter 24

Lanoi Sea / Command Office aboard Master of the Seas - Advanced Pirate Warship - Day 21

We closed in on the vessel spotted in the distance, but what we found as we closed in made it tricky to decide how to approach the situation.

A single pirate scout was trying to outrun two Elven Navy vessels. The larger ships were faster than the Pirates, but their maneuverability was far outstripped by the nippy little boat they were trying to lock down. Even so, it was clear the pair had landed some good hits on their prey from the damage visible to its port side hull.

“This could be tricky.” I scratched my chin as I surveyed the battle taking place in the distance.

If we closed in, the Navy ships would try to escape. They could split up, meaning we’d have to pick one to chase down while the other escaped our clutches. And they would report what had happened.

The chances the Elven council might figure something out from that information were too high to be worth the risk.

On the other hand, though, we couldn’t just ignore the situation. Eventually the Elven Navy vessels would run down the pirate ship, and then they’d bring the survivors back to Keria for interrogation. No scouts had been captured recently, thanks to the wily captains in charge, but that lucky streak was about to be broken before my eyes.

“How do they have enough vessels to send out a pair to hunt down scouts?” Jean slammed her fist into the desk, glaring at the cat and mouse chase playing out in the distance. “This is ridiculous. Ya have to do something!”

“I know, just calm down and let me think.” I turned to Freya, whose gaze hadn’t left the Elven Navy vessels as they tried to pin down their target. “Freya, what are our chances of taking both Navy ships down if we use the WES and the MASTER?”

“Both at once?” She blinked, considering my question for a moment before she looked at me with a predatory grin splashed across her face. “One hundred percent.”

“… What?” Jean, likely the most experienced out of the women when it came to ship to ship battles, fixed Freya with a glare. “How can ya be so sure, girly?”

“If she says it is so, then I trust her.” I ignored Jean’s curt query as I made my way to the controls at the front of the Command Office. “Let’s get in there then.”

I rang the bell, giving the order to activate the MASTER and bring up full sail. The wind was at our rear, adding even more speed to our approach as we almost skimmed across the waves toward the rapidly deteriorating battle.

The deck beneath our feet jolted as Freya’s devices purred to life. The MASTER added additional speed above and beyond what the wind and the waves gave us, sending the ship skipping across the Lanoi sea like a rock flashing across the surface of a pond.

“Freya, you know the timing.” I passed her the bell to order our first assault on the Navy vessels. “Get ready. We’re coming in hot!”

Both our targets had noted our approach, but their ungainly craft didn’t permit them to react quick enough to avoid our charge. The Master of the Sea shot toward the pair like a bolt of lightning, sliding between their hulls as we slipped past.

“Now!” Freya flicked her bell with all the strength she could muster, sending the signal to the cannons below decks.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Our ship shuddered as every rune smith cannon on both the aft and starboard sides cut loose at once. The barrage of explosive ordinance shattered the enemy’s hulls, two shots smashing into one Navy ship, cracking its hull below the water line, while the other sustained enough hits to send it spinning through the waters.

“Come about!” I shouted, giving the signal for a tight turn with my yell.

The Master of the Sea heeled sharply to starboard and used its remaining forward momentum to turn around in a tight arc. It should have been difficult to bring the cannon to bear again on our target, tacking into the wind, but the MASTER system compensated for our speed, allowing us to get around the surviving Elven Navy vessel before it had recovered from the stunning blows it had taken moments ago.

“Prepare to fire again!” I yelled, pointing at the limping ship in the distance. “Take them- Stop!”

I caught Freya’s hand as she prepared to signal the final assault. She looked up at me in confusion as I quickly muffled the bell and signaled a full stop to the crew of the Master of the Sea.

“What the… Why?!” Jean shook her head, the shock from our rapid maneuvering falling away as she stalked up beside me. “Ya can’t just let ‘em get away!”

“I know that ship.” I stared at the Elven navy vessel as it wallowed forward in the choppy waters of the Lanoi sea. “Keep the cannon ready. We need to get closer for a better look.”

The others in the room were on edge as we drifted closer and closer to the stricken Navy vessel. Most of the boats in the navy were similar in design and look, but the more enterprising captains personalized their vessels. Some were altered for logical reasons but others, like the one before us, were changed on a whim.

“Do you see that design stenciled on the side?” I narrowed my eyes as I stared at our target’s hull. The pirate scout had moved in to flank the ship but, seeing that we’d stopped our assault, the captain in question decided to hold off launching any further attacks of their own.

“What about it?” Dew gave the flowing image of a fish riding a flash of lightning a closer inspection before she turned to me. “The captain would have to be a complete moron to do something like that, right?”

“Oh, don’t I know it.” I chuckled as I laid down the signal bells one final time. “Come on, let’s go and negotiate.”

The others followed me out onto the deck as I moved toward the bow. The crew watched nervously as the Navy ship rocked and swayed in front of us. We were well within the effective range of their cannon.

I had to trust that my old friend wouldn’t do anything stupid.

“Hey! I know you’re there, you moron!” I called out to the enemy ship as I leaned over the Master of the Sea’s railing. “Show your ugly mug, you prick!”

“That’s a horrible way to greet an old friend, don’t you think?” An old, grizzled face poked up above the edge of the Navy ship’s rail. “Seriously? You don’t expect me to add this shit to your tab, do you?”

“Is that- No, how is that even possible?” Kaede muttered to herself as she unconsciously took a step back. “Did he chase me all this way-”

“Calm down, Taerk isn’t that bad.” I grinned as I remembered why Kaede might be concerned. After all, the last time we’d seen the elf was back in Keria when he’d been running his bar in the Lower District.

Kaede’s almost successful effort to infiltrate his business and steal from his guests had probably annoyed my old friend immensely. Then again, he probably found the whole situation as amusing as it was irritating; she was likely in the clear.

“I see you keep good company still. Mighty fine line up you got there, kid!” Taerk waved at his crew as he spoke to me, probably signaling for them to calm down as he negotiated with the ‘enemy commander’ of the pirate vessel. “Look, we want to surrender. Quite a few of us, in fact. You up for that, or were you planning to blow us out of the water with that fancy looking ship of yours?”

“Surrender? What sort of Elven Navy captain would surrender willingly to a pirate vessel?” Jean stared at Taerk’s face angrily. “This is a trap; it has to be. There’s no way-”

“We accept. How many?” I ignored Jean’s muffled curses as I accepted Taerk’s offer. The other Pirate Lord glared at me but didn’t outright object to my decision, though we both knew I’d have to explain the whole thing to her—sooner rather than later.

“Oh, I’d say those who didn’t want to have been dealt with by now.” Taerk’s wicked grin lit up his face as he turned back to the crew aboard his ship. “Ain’t that right, boys and girls?”

“Yeaaaahh!” The loud shout echoed across the water as the crew behind Taerk pushed several of their comrades up against the railing of the Elven navy vessel.

“So, what do you think?” Taerk patted the head of the gagged, shivering officer beside him. “Be this enough to buy our way into your little crew?”

Chapter 25

Lanoi Sea / Command Office aboard Master of the Seas - Advanced Pirate Warship - Day 21

Everyone aboard the Elven Navy vessel, minus those who’d been bound and gagged, surrendered to our crew. Numerically, they still held the advantage but, after seeing how powerful the Master of the Seas was in combat, there was no way the few naysayers could postpone the inevitable.

Taerk was the first to cross over from the Elven navy battleship to our vessel.

“Pretty cozy.” He looked over the deck, giving our crew a short, friendly nod and a wave before he turned to me as he motioned back at the ship he’d been captaining not so long ago. “Seriously, those bastards forced me out of retirement and then they tossed that pile of shit my way? What a joke.”

“Retirement?” Jean’s sharp gaze had fixed on the former Elven Navy captain from the moment he’d appeared. She didn’t seem to want to blink as she watched the grizzled elf stride over to our group, as though she was expecting him to launch a surprise assault on us at any moment. “I’ve heard of ya. There’s no way the ‘Hero of the Lanoi Sea’ would turn his back on the Elven Navy. What are ya planning? What’s yer scheme?”

“Seems like your friend doesn’t like me, Wes.” Taerk winced as Jean’s glare turned icy and grim. “Look, Wes can explain things. Can you stop staring at me like that? I’m getting goosebumps, and not the good kind, either.”

I watched as the pair squared off before me; one cold and defensive, the other fractious and evasive. As much as I trusted Taerk, the fact he’d been drafted back into the Elven Navy indicated that the situation had gotten worse than I’d expected.

Why else would the Elven council drag back a disgraced former Vice Admiral?

“Taerk, my friend, you have some explaining to do.” I sighed as I stepped between Jean and my friend. “Are they really scraping the bottom of the barrel? What’s going on?”

“Not just scraping at the bottom, they’ve dug through it, near as I can tell.” Taerk spat the self-mocking insult without a care as he looked back at his crew aboard the Elven navy ship. “Most of them are good folk, but the council is bound and determined to put an end to the ‘terrorist traitor Weslilian  Yannisa’. Can you believe that? They tried to get us to believe that you brought that Grand Zekier into Keria and set it loose to cover your escape.”

“Well, about that…” I winced and scratched my cheek awkwardly as Taerk glanced at me in confusion. “They brought it in to show off their power, and then we kinda… let it out.”

“You know what? That actually makes sense.” Taerk grunted and then shrugged, as though the fact I’d loosed a behemoth onto the city was less important than the sea breeze. “Serves them right, I guess. Play with fire and you’re gonna get your ass burned sooner or later.”

Taerk taking the revelation that half of the Elven Council’s propaganda was true on the chin wasn’t that surprising, given his personality. I’m sure responses would differ if it were any other high-ranking officer in the Elven Navy. The truth was, we’d caused major devastation throughout Keria.

We’d been forced into it by the council and Olea, my not-so-dearly departed Aunt and Elven Navy admiral, but that wouldn’t matter to most elves. Thankfully, Taerk was different. He seen the truth behind the curtain, especially after he’d been stabbed in the back and betrayed by his commanding officers back when he still served.

He’d been one of the voices advising me not to go on the patrol arranged by Olea aboard the Orilious, though I doubted very much that he—or anyone else, really—could have foreseen the final outcome of that voyage for me, Keria, or the Elven council itself.

“What about my father?” I pulled myself back to the present as I tossed aside memories of the past. “Have you seen him? Is he still serving on the council?”

“Technically, yes, but no one believes in technicalities.” Taerk’s grin faded a little as he shifted closer to me and planted a large, meaty palm on my shoulder. “Basically, he’s under house arrest. After little Ari went missing, they seized on the opportunity to take him out of the picture.”

“I thought so.” Despite my anger, I couldn’t help but feel relieved at the news. At least he was still alive.

Things could always be worse, after all.

“One more thing, Wes.” Taerk frowned as he looked off in the direction of the Elven nations’ home continent. “If you’re heading to the Sendrin, watch out. I’ve heard rumors that the council is intruding into their land, and you know how kindly the desert dwellers take to that. No blood in the sand yet, but it won’t be long from what I have heard.”

“Great.” I sighed angrily as I considering the implications of his warning.

The council had already made moves against the elves living in the Sendrin desert, before I’d even got back to Keria. Their anger at our attempt just to cross the desert had been clear evidence of that. Not like I was about to ignore the bizarre attack from the sand whale in the Iklit corridor.

No. Something was wrong, and I’d bet my bow that it was related to Gran’s mate, the other emperor behemoth secretly being kept under the Sendrin desert by the council’s lackeys.

“So, what now?” Taerk glanced back at his ship, and the crew standing awkwardly aboard its deck as it rocked back and forth on the choppy waters of the Lanoi sea. “Most of them see through the bullshit, Wes. If you’ll have us, then I’m sure they’ll make it up to you.”

“If you trust them, so do I.” I felt Jean’s glare burning a hole into the back of my skull, but I ignored her unspoken  criticism of my decision as I gestured toward the slowly sinking Elven navy ship across from us. “What about the other ship? They think the same as you?”

“Some yes, some no. I’ll filter them out for you.” Taerk turned away and started to make his way back to the edge of the Master of the Seas’ deck. “Any that are dead set against it can spend some time in the brig while they consider their life’s choices. Want to take us back to your secret base, Wes?”

“No, we have something to check out in the Sendrin, first. Don’t worry, we’ll be back before too long.” I chuckled to myself as my friend hopped back up onto his ship from the edge of our vessel. “Don’t get lost, you moron! You still owe me a drink!”

“You want it? Come and get it!” Taerk waved back at me as his ship started to drift toward its stricken comrade. “Don’t die! I’ve got good money riding on you making it out of this in one piece!”

I didn’t bother to respond to Taerk’s obvious bait as I turned back to the others who had quietly, if impatiently, watched our exchange. Kaede waited for my response, though she did keep glancing awkwardly at the departing Elven Navy vessel. Dew and Jean, on the other hand, didn’t have the same level of composure as their friend.

“Seriously? Why did ya let him go so easy?” Jean huffed angrily as she stared into my eyes. “Do ya know how dangerous he is? That elf-”

“You said it yourself, he’s the ‘Hero of the Lanoi Sea’.” I interrupted before Jean could finish her angry complaints and shook my head, amused. “Imagine what a coup it would be, getting that sort on our side? It’s a big win for us, Jean.”

“We met him before. He seemed alright to me.” Dew interjected smoothly, as though we were discussing something as inconsequential as the weather. She grinned wickedly as she motioned toward a concerned looked Kaede beside her. “He could have turned on us when missy here infiltrated his inn and attacked his guests, but he held back.”

“Hey, I apologized for that-”

“It’s fine, Kaede.” I quieted the high elf maiden before she could get worked up again. Clearly her attempt to steal from us back in Keria was a sore spot, and we didn’t have time for the girls to start arguing between themselves. “You three prepare the ship and ensure the WES and the MASTER are ready to go again. We’ll be setting off soon.”

Jean, Kaede, and Dew moved off to check on the ship and discuss its systems with the crew. Freya still hadn’t appeared on the deck, so I guessed she was still checking over the systems herself. Having a few helpers might speed up the process a little.

What would we find in the Sendrin desert? Would we have to fight the Elven Navy again? Who or what could they bring out to stop us? Those questions were difficult to answer, so I shrugged them aside and focused on the most important query bouncing around in my noggin.

What was the best way to turn the Elven council’s own actions against them?

Chapter 26

Lanoi Sea / Command Office aboard Master of the Seas - Advanced Pirate Warship - Day 43

Taerk had loaded the survivors from the sinking Elven Navy vessel aboard his ship and then, escorted by the pirate fleet scout, headed off toward Monster Isle.

It was a risk, to be sure, but a calculated one. I trusted Taerk, and his instincts when it came to his followers had always been top notch. If the grizzled elf believed most of his crew wouldn’t cause us any trouble, then I believed him.

The rest of our journey to the edge of the Sendrin desert passed without incident. We spotted a few Elven Navy scouts in the distance but, thanks to the advanced runesmith devices Freya had developed, we had more than enough warning to skirt their patrols as we made our way to the shore.

Though we didn’t have an exact location for the entrance to the secret holding facility, I had a good idea where we’d need to search. After finding a secluded cove to hide the Master of the Seas, I prepared to set off with Kaede, Jean, Dew, and half of the Seventh Fleet officers. I’d decided Freya should remain behind with the rest of the crew.

She pouted when I revealed my plans for the split, but there was no way she could argue against it. As she herself had said, the Master of the Seas still needed a fair bit of work, tweaking and improving upon the rune smith devices she’d built and installed throughout the ship.

Unfortunately, Freya had created the circumstances for being left behind, herself.

“This place is horrible.” Jean grumbled to herself as we walked into the Sendrin desert from the shore. Despite her apparent distaste for the desolate plains of the desert, she’d refused to remain behind on the Master of the Seas while we investigated the facility holding Gran’s mate.

Her anger at the Elven Navy far exceeded her aversion to the sandy wasteland before us.

“Come on then, let’s get going.” I waved at the rest to follow as I made my way up the first of many dunes. An entire tribe of the desert elves could remain hidden from sight up until the point where we stumbled into their camp, so we had to be cautious each time we crested a significant rise in the desert.

Obviously, though, no one lived right next to the Lanoi Sea. Though most of the effects from the storm season hit the other side of the stand the hardest, there was always some flooding and damage to the regions bordered by the sea.

Living here wasn’t worth the risk, from what I could tell.

“Should we spread out?” Kaede perked up after we crested yet another rise to survey the endless sands. “It should be around here, but it could take us days to find it, if we go about it like this.”

“Maybe in a while, but for now I’d rather we didn’t split the party.” I smiled at Kaede to soften the blow as I declined her recommendation. “It’s not just Elven Navy guards we have to be worried about, you know?”

“Who else would- Oh.” Dew frowned in irritation as she realized who I was talking about. She hadn’t been with us when we’d first tried to pass through the Sendrin desert, so she hadn’t witnessed the harsh welcome we’d received from the desert elves when we attempted to cross their lands.

“What should we do if they try to stop us?” the purple-eyed beauty asked.

“I’m hoping they will, actually.” I grinned as I looked across the span of the Sendrin desert we’d already crossed. The Lanoi sea was hidden behind a multitude of sandy mounds and scraggly clumps of thorny bushes, which made it feel like we’d gotten lost on the endless, dusty plain without no hope of rescue.

“It might help us find the entrance, but only if the tribes don’t show their faces can we safely split up and search the old-fashioned way.”

“Wait, ya want to keep us together to make it easier for them to spot us?” Jean stared at me, confused and worried at this revelation of my plan. She glanced around at our surroundings cautiously. “What if they decide they want us gone, permanently? This seems like too much of a risk to me.”

“Maybe, but I have a good feeling about it.” I stretched languidly and, without any hesitation, stomped my way to the top of the next dune before us, before stopping and calling back over my shoulder. “See, I told you it wouldn’t take long.”

The rest of the group followed me, though they all froze as soon as they spotted the thing that had made me stop.

Thirty desert elves stared up at us unblinkingly. Their eyes were fiery as they aimed their weapons in our direction but, as I’d expected, the desert elves’ leader had yet to give her troops the order to fire.

They knew WHO we were, but they clearly didn’t know WHY we’d come to the Sendrin desert.

“Hello!” I waved at the desert elves as I stepped over the top of the sandy ridge and started to make my way down toward them. “You’re the leader, right? I have something important to both our futures to discuss with you, if you have the time?”

The female elf standing at the forefront of the group waved at her followers, motioning for them to remain calm as she watched me approach without a care.

“We know who you are, Weslilian, and we know what you have done.” The desert elf acknowledged my guess had been on the mark as she took a single step forward toward me. “Your actions have set into motion a war of attrition that is killing our kind. Why are you here?”

I paused mid step when I heard the leader’s cool response. Despite her neutral tone, I could hear the simmering of furious anger in her words as she glared at me. If I made one wrong move, I didn’t doubt she’d order her followers to turn me into a pin cushion.

It was worth the risk, though. As the others had already noted, finding the Elven Navy facility on our own would take far too long. And the more we searched, the greater the chance the guardians of that sick place would realize we were looking for them.

“I know what I have done, as do you, but perhaps you do not yet know the full story.” I kept my tone calm and steady as I set my feet in the rolling sands of the dune. “It is not me or my folk who are moving against you, nor will it ever be. That is my promise to you.”

“A promise, is it?” The corner of the leader’s mouth twitched at the corner as she fought back the urge to smile at my comment before she continued in the same cold tone as before. “We are aware of your kinds approach to promises. Do you think we will believe your words again?”

“Not without proof, of course. We hope to make an equal trade, nothing more, nothing less.” I raised one hand, motioning for the archers below to keep their cool as I pulled a rolled-up parchment out from the satchel at my side. “Come, take a look at this, and I will explain why we are in your lands.”

The rest of my group watched from above as I explained our reasons for coming to the Sendrin desert. Of course, I skimmed over the fact that I’d been advised the Elven Council were holding an emperor behemoth beneath the sands of the Sendrin by that same emperor behemoth’s mate.

That might be a bit too big of a pill for the Desert elves to swallow.

But the rest of my story rang true, from what reactions I could see. Taerk had given me fair warning the Elven council was making moves on the Sendrin and the tribes that inhabited its sands. When I told them about the secret base hiding in plain sight, the leader of the desert elves couldn’t help but reveal some emotion at my words.

“We want to search for this facility. Once it is found, we will take the base down, end their experiments, and leave anything resulting from the work found within to your folk.” I stared at the leader and waited calmly for her response.

From my previous exchange with the desert elves, I knew they were an emotional people. The Elven Council saw them as lesser beings, merely because they refused to abide by the Council’s rule. Thus, they treated everyone living in the Sendrin as second-class citizens. That they’d built a base to contain a ridiculously dangerous emperor behemoth beneath their homes was proof enough of that.

“Suppose we believe you, what then?” The leader looked over her followers before turning back to face me. “We destroy this ‘facility’ of yours. You leave. The Elven Council finds out. Then we-”

“Don’t worry about the Council. I have a plan to deal with them.” I took out a letter I’d written previously and handed it over to the cautious elf. “This should work, don’t you think?”

She read over the short note several times before she looked up into my eyes once more. I could tell I hadn’t won her over but, despite that, her gaze registered a new emotion in the look she gave me.

Respect.

“I will take you to our home.” She spoke again as she folded up the letter and placed it in her own satchel. “You will receive guest right, but do not test us.”

“Same to you and yours.” I winked at the leader before turning to walk back to my group. After a few steps, I paused and turned back to the desert elf with a cocky grin. “Oh, and tell the ones hiding behind the dunes to come along. It’d be a shame to mess up our friendship accidentally, before it can even start, right?”

Chapter 27

Western edge of the Sendrin Desert - Day 43

The Seventh Fleet squad accepted my request that we accompany the Desert elves back to their camp without any complaints, but Jean didn’t have the patience to keep her gripes to herself.

“Wes, I trust ya, but this is a bit much, isn’t it?” Jean shifted closer to me as she shot a conspiratorial glance at the desert elves who were striding out ahead of us. “Do ya trust this lot?”

“Not completely, but more than most.” I couldn’t quite keep the grin of my face as I saw Jean try to act all stealthy about her concerns, despite the fact I’d already directly discussed them with the leader of the elves, myself. “

They might hate me for saying this, but they share a similar culture with the High Elves. Their leader said she’d take us to their camp and offered us guest rights, which is equivalent to them inviting us into their homes. If they turned around and attacked us after such an offer, things wouldn’t go well for them.”

“I’ll trust ya, Wes.” Jean huffed irritably as she leaned against me. “But try to give me some warning next time ya plan to pull something like this outta yer ass—fine ass though it be. This is my first time here, and I don’t really fancy the thought that it might be my last.”

“Sure.” I nodded and dropped an arm around Jean’s waist, pulling the pouting Pirate Lord into to my side. “When this is all over, I promise you that we’ll go on a little trip of our own. There are a few places I want to show all of you.”

“All of us, huh?” Dew darted in from my other side and poked me in the ribs jokingly. “You aren’t trying to sneak off with your new squeeze, are you?”

Kaede blushed as she overheard Dew’s crude attempt to get a reaction out of either me or Jean, but I laughed it off as the joke I knew it to be. Dew knew that I cared for each of them equally. Anyone who tried to say otherwise would face my wrath if they tried to make something of it.

“You aren’t what I expected.” The leader of the Desert Elves slowed to speak to me. Her gaze flicked over our little group, lingering especially long on our own personal huddle at the center of our party, before she turned away once more. “I have heard stories of how stuck up you High Elves can be, but you seem to be quite the opposite.”

“Wes is unique.” Dew answered before I could speak. The vixen turned and gave me a wink. “You wouldn’t know it, but he’s changed quite a bit since we met.”

“Indeed? Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot.” The desert elf closed her eyes for a moment, obviously thinking to herself before she stepped closer. “May this be seen as our first meeting. My name is Elaenor, it is a pleasure to see you atop warm sands.”

“The pleasure is mine, Elaenor.” I held out my free arm and took the proffered grip in mine. “May your wells run deep, and your travels wide.”

“Interesting. I didn’t believe a High Elf cared enough to learn our customs.” Eleanor blushed and let out a short, almost girlish giggle, before quickly pulling herself back together again.

“We’re almost there,” she said, shading her eyes with a hand. “Our elder is strict, but wise. Please be as polite as you can.”

“Of course.” I nodded and encouraged Dew and Jean to step away from me once more. I wasn’t such a prick that I wouldn’t give someone else a modicum of respect right off the bat. I hated with a passion the fools who believed they could treat others like crap because of their position, or some other inane factor, that they believed made them better than those they scorned.

Respect is a mirror to the soul, a wise elf once said. Giving respect to and acknowledging respect from those you met was one of the best ways to take their measure.

“Here we are.” Elaenor gestured as we crested another seemingly random dune. She pointed down at a set of roughshod looking tents in a gully between two large dunes. The tents were surrounded by several large pack beasts tied to posts near the center of the collection of dwelling. “The rest of the tribe out are hunting and scouting, but the elder is present. Follow me, please.”

Several Desert Elves came out of their tents to watch our approach, including one whose outfit made him stand out from the rest of the crowd. Colorful, tight fitting, and generally not well designed for life in the desert, his ridiculous outfit and the oversized staff he used to keep his balance as he tottered out to greet us, didn’t give me a good first impression of the Desert Elf elder.

The other desert elves were dressed in loose fitting robes designed to protect their skin from the unremitting, harsh rays from the sun above, while also keeping them cool during the day. They also had other items to fight off the intense chill of the long, icy nights in the desert.

“Elder Rand, these are the… intruders we spotted earlier.” Elaenor winced a little as she looked back over her shoulder in our direction. “I have spoken with their leader, and he has-”

“Don’t tell me. He persuaded you he could help us, didn’t he?” The elder’s expression darkened as he glared at Elaenor, completely ignoring my existence as he yelled at his subordinate. “You think now is the time to ignore your orders? I told you to remove the threat, no matter the cost, yet here it stands in front of me!”

“Elder Rand, it isn’t like that, he-” Elaenor started to speak, but the old leader of their camp huffed angrily and swiped his staff in her direction. If the old elf were quicker, he might have struck her in the face, but the quick-witted desert elf instinctively managed to dodge before the blow could land.

The other desert elves shifted awkwardly as the old elf waved his hand manically at the tribesmen surrounding our group. Elaenor seemed shocked at the elder’s harsh response, so much so, that she actually took several steps back. Not what I’d have expected from someone like her, but there must be more to her personality than what I’d already figured out.

“Okay, that’s enough.” I stepped forward and placed myself between Elaenor and the raging elder. Even if she weren’t yet a friend, Elaenor had taken a chance, offering to help us out and it turned out she’d done so in direct opposition to her orders.

“Your name is Elder Rand, right? We came here in good faith. I understand you might not want to listen to us, but do you also want to ignore your campmates offer of guest right? That doesn’t match what I’ve heard of the Desert Elves’ Elders, not at all.”

Elaenor nodded and bowed her head in my direction. She was smart enough to see the way the wind was blowing. An elf like that didn’t deserve to be treated like shit by their leader.

“And here you are, threatening me in my own home!” Rand slammed his staff down, sending a spray of dusty sand billowing into the air. “They told me you’d be like this! Kill him, now-”

“You can try.” A low voice rang out from behind the elder as a knife shimmered into view pressed up against his throat. “Go on, say another word. Let’s see who’s quicker, shall we?”

Dew had moved so quickly that none of the Desert elves could intervene as she’d darted from my side to behind the elder. I’d spotted her movement, of course, but it wasn’t like I was going to stop her.

Things had already devolved too far for us to resolve the situation peacefully.

“Wes, you promised-” Elaenor turned to glare at me as her hand dropped down to the sword sheathed at her hip. “Why did you- This isn’t-”

“I’m sorry, but it seems there is more at work here than either of us expected.” I glanced at Elaenor and sighed as she glared back at me angrily. Clearly, she hadn’t caught as much from the elder’s words as I had.

“What should we do with him?” Dew raised her other dagger and placed it against the Elder’s ribs. She dug it just deep enough into the old elf’s side that he could feel it through his thick outer layers of clothing. “Say the word, and I’ll-”

“Relax, Dew. I just want to ask him a few questions.” I smiled at Dew and gave her a nod as I stepped closer to the now silently fuming elder. “I have a few questions that you will answer with either a yes or a no. Do you understand?”

The Elder quivered with fury as he stared daggers at me but didn’t respond. I waited a moment, to give him the chance to speak, before nodding my head once.

“Ah!” The elder hissed in pain as Dew’s knife cut a thin, bloody streak across his neck. The wound wasn’t deep enough to threaten the old elf’s life, but it was enough to get my point across.

“I have some questions. You will answer with a yes or a no. Do you understand?”

“… Yes.” Rand spat the word out, as though he’d had to drag it from his mouth against his tongue’s will.

“Fine. Thank you for agreeing.” I winked at Dew as she pushed the blade of her knife up against the Elder’s neck once more. “Okay. You mentioned that someone spoke to you about me. Were they related to the Elven Council?”

“Wha- Ah!” The captured desert elf leader hissed as Dew slashed his cheek. The older elf shivered as he collected his wits before fixing me with a furious glare.

“Were they related to the-”

“Yes!” Elder Rand yelled his answer as he tried to struggle against Dew’s firm grip. “They told me everything about you! You betrayed your friends, your family, and now you’ve sneaked back here to turn us against ourselves. They already know you’re here! You’re dead already, you just don’t know it yet!”

Dew allowed the old elf to rant. She simply stared at me, waiting for my signal to take him down. Elaenor’s furious gaze froze as she watched her tribe’s leader rave about his dealings with the Elven council. The same Council who had been fighting the residents of the Sendrin desert for months, if not years.

“What do you think?” I turned back to Elaenor, who refused to look away as Elder Rand continued to mutter furiously to himself. “You know why we’re here, and it looks like your Elder is indisposed. How do you want to play this?”

Elaenor’s face grew pale as she looked around at the members of her tribe. Numerically, they had a distinct advantage, but if it came to a fight, it wasn’t clear who would win in the end.

What was clear, is that we’d both face some serious losses.

“I-” She bit her lip, glancing back and forth between me and the Elder, who had finally fallen silent as he realized just how deep he’d dug his own hole. “I- I think we can trust you, but I’ll have to see what the others believe. If they agree to back you, then we’ll help. If not…” She squared her shoulders, blowing out a heavy breath, “then we’ll see how things fall, won’t we?”

Chapter 28

Western edge of the Sendrin Desert / Desert Elf Camp - Day 43

“So, anyone want to step up and defend this one?” I pointed at Elder Rand, who had gone completely silent under the weight of the intense stares from the other members of his camp. “I think you’ve all heard what he had to say. Any volunteers?”

The crowd shifted awkwardly as a few hesitated, some even going so far as to take half a step forward before they fell back into the crowd of desert elves. Elaenor looked on, clearly unsure how to respond to the peculiar situation playing out before her.

“I’ll make it easy, then. How many of you believe the Elven Council is working for anything that benefits you?”

Silence met my query. Several elves glanced around at their neighbors in the crowd as they looked to see if anyone was going to step up and take a stand, but no one made a move. 

“Okay, so does anyone believe a single word that your ‘so called’ Elder actually said?”

“Hey, I am an Elder!” Rand’s head swung in my direction and he spat his words out with venomous force. “You come here, take me prisoner, and try to usurp my position? No one will-”

“I wouldn’t take the role, even if you begged me to.” I turned my back on the crowd and focused my glare on the Elder’s quivering face. “You are a coward and, by your own admission, a traitor. If I had my way, you’d be dead before your body hit the ground.”

“What? You dare threaten me?!” The Elder’s expression turned sinister as he looked up at Elaenor with a vindictive gaze. “You heard him! He wishes to depose me! Kill him, now!”

I looked at Elaenor and waited patiently as she contemplated her Elder’s demand. He was clearly in the wrong, especially if the clan considered all the Elven Council had done to stir up trouble in the Sendrin desert.

The Desert Elves had attempted to murder us merely for attempting to cross its sands not that long ago. Things had deteriorated rapidly since then. On the other hand, Rand was their Elder. Technically, Elaenor should have tried to remove my head from my shoulders.

But she hadn’t. Because she wasn’t a fucking moron. None of the clan were.

“Okay, let’s do it this way, instead.” I stepped forward and laid a hand on Elaenor’s shoulder as she stared off into the distance, stunned into silence by her own indecision. My touch shook her from her stupor, and she turned to face me, confused and lost amidst the bizarre revelations.

She turned her troubled gaze on me.

“You watch him, under guard, and we’ll search for the base I mentioned. If it’s here, then you’ll know we’re telling the truth. If not, then you can do whatever your rules require you do. How does that sound?”

A stifled shout rang out from behind us as Rand attempted to answer in Elaenor’s stead. The desert elf glanced over my shoulder at her former leader, then back to me, before sighing and dropping her shoulders in defeat.

“Take the El-“ She paused before continuing. “Take Rand to his quarters and confine him under guard. We will investigate his dealings with the Elven Council at a later time.” Elaenor’s words rang out over the camp, setting the crowd ablaze with murmurs before she followed them up with another shout.

“Take him, now! Hunting party, with me! We will scour our lands and drive out all intruders!”

I didn’t miss the fact that the ‘Intruders’ she wished to drive out included us, but that detail could wait until a later date. We’d lost enough time coming to the Desert Elf camp, which meant I had to make sure the rest of the search progressed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I pulled out our map and rolled it out on a large, flat rock in the middle of the camp. “We’ll split up into teams, four to a team.”

A crowd gathered around the rock.

I looked at Elaenor. “You know these lands better than me, so what do you think would be the best arrangement.”

“I believe we should arrange ourselves like this.” Elaenor took out a small feather quill that she dipped into a small bottle of ink to mark up the map, marking out several long, winding routes through the desert sands. Of course, the dunes and gulleys changed throughout the year, but the major landmarks could still be used to confirm each team’s location.

That, along with being able to quickly figure out the compass directions from the sun hanging far above our heads. As long as we didn’t run into trouble, then the routes Elaenor had laid out would enable us to cover the most territory with the limited number of troops that we had.

“Okay, I’ll set up my groups, and you do yours.” I nodded at the Seventh Fleet soldiers who stood at the entrance to the camp alongside Jean, Dew, and Kaede. “Once that’s done, I’ll let you decide which route each group takes. Give a shout when you’re ready to set off.”

I spotted Elaenor’s thoughtful look as I turned away. The fact I was letting her arrange each group’s path through the desert likely surprised the cautious desert elf, considering how close we’d come to an all-out brawl, less than an hour ago. But, despite all that, I trusted her.

She seemed, if not righteous, at least honest and true. That was even better, in my book.

“What’ve ya gone and done now?” Jean was the first to challenge me as I moved back to my group. “That lot seem jumpy as hell. Why didn’t ya just cut the fucker down to size?”

Kaede calmly stood there, waiting for me to speak. Dew stared at the distant Elaenor with a wicked grin on her face, though I didn’t see either anger or animosity in her gaze. It seemed my wood elf companion was sizing up the tanned desert elf, like a warrior in a gladiator pit coming face to face with their latest rival.

“After he so helpfully admitted to all the things he’s done in the shadows? Why would I let that chance slip through my fingers?” I grinned and quickly flicked my finger out to tap Jean on the nose.

The confused Pirate Lord blinked and covered her face before she gave me a cute, angry snort.

“He’s an idiot...” I chuckled and gave the brawny woman a shrug. “But a useful one. I doubt Rand will live all that long, judging from some of the nasty looks I saw his former campmates shooting his way.”

“Enemy of my enemy, huh?” Dew perked up as she finally pulled her attention off of Elaenor as the desert elf quickly formed her hunting party into several smaller teams.

The feisty wood elf turned to me with a sly grin on her face as she glanced back at the firm, toned desert elf in the distance. “You certainly know how to pick them, Wes.”

“Calm down, you minx.” I chuckled as I waved away Dew’s pointed comment, at least for the moment. “Look, we don’t have long. I want each of us to take a team of three, then the rest can split up. Elaenor will give us our routes, but I want us back here as quick as possible.”

“Elaenor… I like her name.” Kaede glanced at the new leader of the desert elf camp with a faint smile before she turned toward the Seventh Fleet soldiers. “What about them? We’ll need to arrange the teams, right?”

“Hey!” I turned to the officer who’d now official stepped up as my second in command over the Seventh Fleet troops at my command. “Four teams of three, the rest set up as their own team. One scout per group.”

“Yes  Sir!” The officer gave me a salute before the members of the Seventh Fleet squad quickly moved at his command.

Unlike the desert elf hunting party, who were still slowly forming themselves into smaller teams for our combined outing, the Seventh Fleet soldiers moved with trained efficiency and professional grace. It took them less than a minute to form up in the arrangement I needed. I waited for Elaenor’s side to finish their preparations.

She gave her hunting party another once over to confirm the set-up of their teams before she walked over to me, a slightly annoyed look on her face.

“We’re done, finally.” She grumbled irritably as she stepped closer, giving the other members of her camp another angry glance before she turned to face me, once more the picture of professional courtesy, before she continued. “Are you sure you’re okay with me arranging our routes? I would understand if-”

“Calm down, girl. If he says he trusts ya, then so do we.” Jean winked at Dew before she draped an arm over the shocked desert elf’s shoulders. “You’ve got it all laid out, right? Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Uh… okay.” Elaenor shifted uncomfortably, clearly showing how unfamiliar she was with such a direct approach as she handed me a more accurately marked up map. “Your routes are marked with the ‘H.E.’ notations. When each patrol is finished, we’ll meet back here to discuss what we’ve found.”

“All good by me.” I motioned for my team leaders to move forward to investigate the map, along with Dew, Jean, Kaede, and myself. “Looks like a fair arrangement, to me. Let’s get this done, shall we?”

Chapter 29

Western edge of the Sendrin Desert / Desert Elf Camp - Day 43

I took command of a team of three Seventh Fleet soldiers as we set off on our designated route through the desert. Each team leader had been given details on how the Elven Council would likely have hidden the entrance to their secret base. That information had come from my stint in the navy, plus Jean’s experience of investigating such things in the past.

All in all, I rated our chances of finding the facility as good, but not great.

Elaenor and her hunters were treating the matter seriously, though. As each squad left the desert elf camp, I could see the others were carefully investigating any and every possible clue, even those in close proximity to their home.

The fact that their Elder had been dealing with the Elven Council behind their backs had clearly shaken the elves who’d worked for that old fool for who knows how long.

Each route took their assigned team on a long, looping path through the Sendrin desert. Though we were covering the majority of the area marked as likely zones on the map as efficiently as possible, our constrained numbers meant it would take most of the rest of the day for every group to return.

Unfortunately, my team’s trip through the desert passed without incident.

Though we did find some signs of movement, it wasn’t possible to identify them as belonging to the Elven Council’s lackeys or their hidden base. Most of the footsteps or hoofprints we spotted had all but faded from view as the constantly shifting sands raced across the desert, pushed by the endlessly blowing winds.

We did our best to search, though, despite a lack of results. Though I had some skill in tracking and investigation, the Seventh Fleet squad leader had assigned an experienced tracker to my team. In fact, every single four-person team we’d sent out had at least one skilled tracker in it.

But even our experienced tracker couldn’t find much of note.

We returned back to camp in the late afternoon, irritated but optimistic to hear the results of the others’ searches. Other groups slowly filtered back in, some made up of Seventh Fleet soldiers, while others contained the hunting party members Elaenor had sent out.

My troops reported the results of their reconnaissance, or more precisely their lack of findings, directly to me upon their return. Not a single actionable clue had been found, despite the best efforts of the trackers involved. From the murmurs I overheard from the hunting party’s teams, they’d come up just as empty in their searches.

“Wes!” Jean strode back into the camp, a thunderous look on her face as she fanned herself with a hand. “Did ya find anything out in this blasted wasteland?”

“I think you can guess that already, can’t you.” I sighed and shook my head as the irritated Pirate Lord strode up beside me. “What about the others? They’re taking a bit longer to get back, aren’t they?”

Every other group had returned, except for the teams led by Dew and Kaede. The pair had been assigned routes close to one another, but they should have been among the first to arrive back at the camp, given their relatively short routes.

If they’d found something, then either of the pair would have sent a runner back to inform those who’d already arrived back at the camp. Unless…

Unless something had happened to them.

“Calm down.” Jean noted my narrowed eyes and slight frown as I stared out at the sands of the Sendrin Desert. “Ya trust ‘em, right? They’ll be fine.”

Elaenor walked back into the camp followed by the team she’d taken with her into the desert. After the desert elf leader conferred with her other team heads, she turned and walked over to us, a troubled look in her eyes.

“Nothing?” She asked as she approached, but no one responded to her query. Our own bitter looks were all she needed to answer her question. “We searched the most likely spots, so maybe we missed something?”

“We still have two squads out there.” I pulled out the map and tapped on the routes Elaenor had assigned Kaede’s and Dew’s teams. “Can you double check they haven’t arrived back yet? They should be here by now.”

Elaenor nodded as she took the map and went to confer with her fellow desert elves. As she spoke with her camp mates, I noted some odd movement by the edge of the village, near the Elder’s tent.

Someone was up to something, and I didn’t like it.

At all.

“Hey, come here.” I pulled the Seventh Fleet officer close so I could whisper in his ear.

The man’s expression turned from confusion, to shock, to outright anger before he calmed himself. A moment later and he’d vanished, taking a number of the Seventh Fleet soldiers along with him as he vanished into the camp itself. Thankfully, the move was lost in the general noise and hubbub of the hunting party’s discussion.

After a few minutes Elaenor returned, this time showing concern as she strode toward me.

“No one has seen them.”

She winced as I turned my gaze to the other members of her hunting party, who were recovering from their treks in the distance. “The others who could have passed their way didn’t spot any tracks, but they assumed the trackers in each team had hidden such things. Sometimes even an experience traveler can be led astray in the endless sea of sand.”

“I’m not going to accept that.” I shook my head and took the map back once more. The routes Kaede and Dew had been assigned clearly marked, but their locations could be anywhere along those long, winding paths. They could even have gone even further afield than that. “We’ll form four teams to follow each route until we find them.”

“No, you won’t!” A loud voice boomed out from behind them as the formerly disgraced Elder Rand strode into the open. Several armed warriors looked down from atop each of the dunes surrounding the camp. Fully armed and armored, they stared menacingly down at the surprised desert elves below them.

“What’s this!?” Elaenor was the first to react as she spun to face the triumphant looking Elder Rand. “Those are Elven Navy troops. What are they doing here? What’s the meaning of this?!”

“They are our friends and allies!” Rand waved his hand, silencing the murmur of dissent rising from the hunting party as they looked up at their new visitors. “They are here to see justice done.”

“That little rat.” Jean hissed as she stared up at the troops surrounding us on all sides. “How could he be so blatant. Ya should have just killed him, Wes.”

I just grunted, though I didn’t agree with her brutal. If I’d cut him down, the desert elves may have turned their blades our way. At the very least, they wouldn’t have helped us in our search.

Not long after Dew and Kaede failed to return, the camp happened to be surrounded by Elven navy troops. It was as though they’d known the area we intended to search and used our blind spot to sneak into range.

How had Rand communicated with them? It shouldn’t have been possible. Unless there was at least one more spy in the desert elf camp.

“What should we do?” Jean glanced at me as her hand drifted up ever so slowly toward the handle of her oversized battle axe. “If ya have any great plans, now would be a good time to share ‘em.”

“True.” I pushed myself up and slipped my bow into my hands. Though they clearly didn’t know our exact identities, the Navy troops glared at me as I took the overly aggressive action of arming myself. Every single one of them fixed their attention squarely on me.

Exactly as I planned.

“Die!” I knocked four arrows onto my bow and loosed my first barrage before the Elven Navy soldiers could respond.

One shot, four down.

The sickening crunch as my arrows blasted their comrades aside woke up the rest of our foes. Most drew swords as they prepared to charge down the dunes, while the remainder drew their own bows, most of which were quickly aimed in my direction.

Before they could exact vengeance upon me, though, the archers started dropping like flies as a rain of arrows flew out of the camp itself.

Though the Elven navy members had the tactical advantage of high ground, they didn’t outnumber the desert elves and our squad combined. Clearly, they’d been expecting a quick and easy brawl as they ambushed two factions who’d been forced to work together. Instead, my troops and the desert elves worked in perfect unison to fight off their assault.

Jean rushed up the dune to meet the enemy head on. Her huge axe swung through the air, easily smashing through any and all defenses put up against it. Even though those she fought were above her, Jean managed to cleanly cut them aside without missing a beat as she darted toward the surviving archers.

A new target had presented itself to the enemy’s ranged unit.

Unfortunately for them, I wouldn’t give them a chance to fire upon their target. With my first ambush strike completed, I switched to a rapid-fire technique as I picked off any visible archers with pinpoint precision.

One down. Two down. Four down. Eight down.

The enemies weren’t heavily armored, so even a half draw was more than enough power from my bow to blow each and every one of them away with a single shot. Panic set in quickly as they scrambled to retreat.

But they were too slow.

“Hey, don’t run now, ya hear? I was just gettin’ started.” Jean crested the rise as she turned from prey to predator.

I couldn’t hear anything but the crunch of her axe and the distant screams of her enemies. I knew none of them would escape, especially when the hidden Seventh Fleet archers I’d deployed earlier rushed up the dune to provide her with extra covering fire.

With that, the battle was over. We’d taken some fire, it looked like my forces had survived intact, though the desert elves looked like they had taken some casualties in the initial assault, despite my best efforts to attract the attention of our ambushers.

“What now?” I turned to Elder Rand, whose wild grin had frozen in place as he watched the Navy’s defeat at our hands right before his eyes. “Want to tell us where the hidden base is, or do you still require additional persuasion, you prick?”

Chapter 30

Western edge of the Sendrin Desert / Desert Elf Camp - Day 43

Rand didn’t last long under interrogation. In fact, he spilled every single bit of information he could think of, to save his shitty little life.

Of course, I didn’t take everything he’d said on faith. We’d captured a fair number of the Elven Navy troops during the battle, and it wasn’t hard to corroborate the weasily Elder’s information with theirs to confirm the validity of Rand’s rabid rambling attempts to keep his skin intact.

Unfortunately, judging from the expression on the faces of many of the desert as they glared in their former leader’s direction, I doubted he’d have a good time of it, even should he managed to survive.

Not that I gave a fuck about him after I heard what had happened.

Dew and Kaede hadn’t been captured, thankfully. The pair had found the entrance to the base and, after investigating it a little, had been forced to rush into the hidden elven navy facility when a patrol of their exterior guards returned.

I trusted they were still okay, but there was no way I was going to just stand around in the desert elves’ camp when I knew they were in danger.

Thankfully, Elaenor agreed with my suggestion that we raid the base without any further delay. Rand would be held, along with the captured prisoners, by other desert elves in the camp while we rushed off with the remainder of her hunting party and my Seventh Fleet troops. More than enough to slaughter our way through an Elven Navy experimental base.

The chances that anyone involved directly with the emperor behemoth wasn’t also aware of the Elven Council’s end goals were so low that they could be classified as nonexistent. Still, if anyone did try to surrender, I’d do what I could to take them alive. But if they stood in my way, they’d soon learn the meaning of the phrase ‘making a fatal mistake’.

Our trip through the Sendrin Desert to the disguised entrance Rand had revealed passed without incident. Our scouts were in top form as they scanned the area, looking for any signs of life or movement, but none of them spotted anything of note as we sped to our destination.

An uneven pit settled between two towering dunes.

Even if someone had spotted the place during their travels, they’d be more likely to avoid it than take the risk to investigate it more closely. Quicksand pits weren’t common but did exist out here. They were still classed as one of the worst ways to meet your end in the harsh, endless sands of the Sendrin Desert. But we knew the truth behind the crater in the sand.

“I’ll go first.” I pulled out my bow and knocked a single arrow. Though Rand had repeatedly assured us that no one was guarding the entrance, his vague recollections from the single time he’d visited the base weren’t reliable enough to trust my life to. Especially not if the base’s guardians had picked up on signs that outsiders had invaded their facility.

I prayed my girls hadn’t been caught.

“Follow me down after a minute. I’ll make sure it’s clear.” I took a deep breath and sprang forward, landing in the center of the deep impression before me. The sand beneath my feet swirled and dipped, pulling me beneath it in moments. Anyone else faced with such a rapid descent might experience fear or anxiety, but all I felt was rage.

Dew and Kaede were trapped within, along with the six Seventh Fleet soldiers who’d accompanied them. If anything had happened to them, I wouldn’t rest until every single elf in the base felt the full extent of my wrath.

“Wes!”

A voice rang out a second after I cleared the sand at the other end of the hidden entrance tunnel. Before I could clear my eyes, two pairs of arms grabbed me from each side, pulling me into a tight, two-way bear-hug.

It wasn’t painful, but warm.

“Hey, you two.” I grinned as I blinked the remnants of the sandy trip down into the base from my eyes. A weight I hadn’t noticed lifted from my shoulders when I saw Dew and Kaede smiling up at me from either side. “How did you get away? They said they’d chased you down here.”

“Those idiots couldn’t chase an old, barely conscious drunk out of an inn.” Dew giggled as she waved back at the members of the Seventh Fleet who were waiting awkwardly over by the far wall. “We took out the ones who followed us down here but couldn’t risk anyone else spotting us. I wanted to send you a message-”

“But we couldn’t figure out a way to leave.” Kaede used her free hand to slap the inner edge of the sandy tunnel.

Despite the ease of my entrance, the wall didn’t react at all to her solid punch. Kaede ignored this as she waved down the warren of sandy tunnels leading into the base. “And there are way too many of them down there. From what We could tell, we’d need at least-”

Before Kaede could finish her thought, the sandy wall behind us broke apart as another person slid into the tunnel system. Elaenor brushed her eyes clear of sand before glancing around. Checking her surroundings, she noticed we were all staring in her direction.

“I’m glad you are okay.” She gave us a rare smile before stepping aside as another member of our crew broke through the entrance tunnel.

“I heard they’d sent out a ‘collection team’ to deal with an upstart camp.” Dew finally released me as she turned to face the Desert Elf leader  by our side. “That wouldn’t have been yours, would it? I didn’t think that would go too well for them.”

“Upstart, is it?” Elaenor’s eyes blazed as she turned to look down the tunnel laid out before us. “Our Elder must have been less important to his ‘friends’ than he thought. If that’s what they think of us, it seems we’ll have to show them the error of their ways.”

“My thoughts exactly.” I nodded as Elaenor turned to organize her hunting party. The Seventh Fleet soldiers made their way over to our side of the tunnel and got into formation, readying themselves for any orders I might decide to give. Their training really was first class.

I needed to thank Franklin for asking them to join me in the first place.

“Dew, you’ve scouted most of this sector, right? Any thoughts?” I turned to the cheeky wood elf, who gave a snort before following it up with a quick, sure nod in response to my question—as though my posing the question had been an insult to her skills.

“We’ll need to split into two parties.” Dew set a hand on her hip as she pointed at each entrance in turn. “More activity on the right-hand side than the left, but both are pretty dangerous.”

“Then we will take the right-hand side.” I noted Elaenor’s confused expression as she glanced in my direction, so I turned to speak to her directly. “You’ve already taken some losses, and we have more experience against this enemy. This division makes the most sense.”

“I- Yes, that does make sense.” Elaenor grumbled to herself as she turned away with an irritated frown. “He thinks I’m weak,” I heard her mutter. “No, that can’t be true.”

I decided to ignore the desert elf’s rambling as I led my troops deeper into the hidden base. Every time we reached an intersection, Dew indicated the direction we should go before we continued on our way. We could always clear it out completely, once the biggest collection of workers and guards had been dealt with.

As we moved closer to the hall Dew had scouted out, I started to hear the occasional words and clipped sentences from discussions. As we stealthily approached, it became clear our attempts to find the entrance to the facility hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“- but you said we’d be safe!” A high-pitched voice echoed down the tunnel, so loud and piercing that my eardrums trembled in protest. I figured the speaker was male, but it was clear he was on the verge of a mental breakdown as he carried on yelling at the top of his voice. “We have done EVERYTHING you asked. EVERYTHING!”

“No, you haven’t.” A low pitched, grim voice responded to the first, barely audible though we’d reached the edge of the hall itself.

Though I knew I’d not heard that voice before, for some reason I felt like I should know the person speaking. Before I could figure it out, the icy tones continued. “You fashioned rudimentary collars, but they are defective. They provide no more control than being able to send a rabid beast off in a specific direction before it goes insane. Useless.”

“You- You don’t know that!” The first man denied the cold statements as he shouted once more, this time with a little more confidence to his tone. “You’ve only been with us for, what, a few weeks? Now you’re here, acting all-”

The high-pitched voice cut off suddenly with a weird, rattling squeal.

“Shit!” I pulled out my bow as sprinted out into the hall, but I was too late. As expected, a spindly scientist-type dressed in a loose-fitting robe had been the owner of the screechy voice. The reason he’d stopped his bellowing became clear the instant I burst into the hall.

A heavily armed figure had thrust a large, vicious looking sword through the scientist’s chest. Only the blade impaling the gangly elf stopped his body from tumbling to the floor. I watched his feeble attempts to pull the blade from his bod, but it had been a fatal strike, straight and true.

Whoever he was, the stranger was dangerous.

“You!” Icy tones swung his head in my direction. “Interesting. You’re here, not there?”

His face was hidden by a mask that only had one slit from him to see through, but the covering was too thick for me to see the figure’s eye.

“Back the fuck off! Now!” I aimed directly at the masked man’s chest, but he didn’t bother to drag his weapon clear from the now deceased elf’s chest as he stared directly at my face.

“Unfortunate. I’d kill you now, but I can’t.” He didn’t even flinch as the rest of the Seventh Fleet troops filed in behind me. His head tilted to the side as he lifted his free hand to show a large, shining object that had been hidden behind his back. “We’ll meet again, Weslilian. Or not.”

“No!” Kaede rushed forward, grabbing my arm. “Wes, run! That’s a-”

Before she could even finish her warning, the man’s fingers crunched the orb into splinters—And the world turned white.

Chapter 31

Western edge of the Sendrin Desert / Beneath the Hidden Experimental Base - Day 43

My vision returned slowly, followed by the pounding of my own heartbeat ringing in my ears.

Darkness had flooded the cavern as I lay over Dew and Kaede, who I’d managed to grab onto as the trapped room exploded around us. They were unconscious but, after I pushed myself off the pair, it became clear they’d avoided anything more than a few cuts and bruises from the fall.

It only took a moment for me to prop up their heads with my rolled-up jacket before I gave our surroundings another once over.

Unfortunately, the rest of our team—including the boisterous Pirate Lord, Jean—were nowhere to be seen. At least, they weren’t within the small sphere I could barely make out in the dusty gloom of our new home. It was starting to clear up, a bit at least, but I decided not to do anything drastic to speed up the process, in case I caused another cave in of the already damaged roof.

I had to believe they were okay. Jean had to be, at least. It took a lot more than this to kill a Pirate Lord.

We’d fallen into a lower tunnel, from what I could tell, though part of it was blocked off by debris. That left us only one route to take. The darkened corridor glimmered slightly, as though the walls themselves pulsed with a faint energy.

Maybe rune smithing was somehow involved. Or it might just be a natural phenomenon. Either way, as my eyes grew accustomed to the dull glow, it enabled me to make out more of my surroundings. As the dust settled, I could see even further—far enough to spot a single figure slumped against the wall not too much further along the tunnel.

“Jean!”

I dashed forward, arriving at her side in a moment. Other than a moderately sized gash on her arm, it seemed she too had managed to avoid any life-threatening injuries. The rest of the team couldn’t have been so lucky. At least some of the Seventh Fleet soldiers had met their ends in the explosion, never mind Elaenor’s lightly armored hunting party.

I felt a slight shiver in my heart at the thought of her demise. I’d found myself coming to like the taciturn Desert Elf, despite our only having interacted a handful of times in the short time we’d been together.

“Wes?” Jean’s eyes slowly open and she looked up into my face. Even with the dust coating all our features, I could still tell that she was doing her best to ignore the pain she was in. “Ya- Look like shit.”

“Great. I guess you’re fine then.” I muttered to myself as I looked back at the two unconscious elves lying in the distance. Jean tried to push herself up, but I quickly reached down to hold her in place.

“Stay right there, young lady! When Dew wakes up, she’ll check you over, just to make sure you didn’t break anything.”

“I- Don’t break- Easily.” Jean grumbled softly, but she went along with my request, slumping back against the wall. “Long time since- Someone called me- A- Young lady.”

“Maybe you should stop drinking so much then.” I grinned when Jean glared up at me, but she didn’t say anything more as I tended to her wounded arm. After cleaning the gash with some water and sacrificing a sleeve from my shirt to serve as a bandage, the injured Pirate Lord perked up a bit as she looked past me down the tunnel.

I turned around to see what had got her so worked up, only to find that both Dew and Kaede had pushed themselves to a seated position on the floor.

“What happened?” Dew brushed her eyes clear as she took stock of the situation while Kaede tried and failed to get to her feet using the nearby wall as a support.

“Who- Ah! -was that?” Kaede turned to question me before interrupting herself with a sharp gasp, though she tried to play it off as if nothing had happened. Despite her best attempts, it was clear something was wrong. Her hand shot to her side as she leaned against the wall.

She almost collapsed before Dew and I rushed to offer her support, lowering her gently down to the floor.

Kaede was hurt, but I couldn’t see evidence of any external injuries. It was a miracle I’d avoided major injuries during the fall, especially since I’d used my own body to shield the girls.

At least Dew was up and about. She started to mix up one of her patented healing potions.

The image of the masked man rose in my mind once more. It felt like I knew him from somewhere, but it was impossible to place the feeling. His voice didn’t match any I’d heard in at least the past twenty years. What about the weird way he only had one eye hole in the mask he wore?

No. It couldn’t be him. Impossible.

“That masked freak…” Jean spoke up as I tried to gather my jumbled thoughts. “Are ya thinking… the same as me, Wes?”

“Maybe. But how could he have gotten out of there alive?” I scratched my cheek in irritation as my speculations solidified some. “Last time I saw him, he had an arrow sticking though his eye.”

“It had to be him, though.” Jean grit her teeth as she pushed herself to her feet, her back sliding up the wall. “I don’t know how or why, but it’s clear he already had a deal with the Elven Navy.”

“Who are you talking about?” Dew perked up as she finally finishing mixing together a vial of viscous liquid for Kaede, though the high elf seemed none too pleased with the results of her friend’s hard work.

Judging by Kaede’s pained expression as she forced herself to down the concoction, it was vile tasting in the extreme.

“We think the masked prick who activated the base’s trap might have been Wraith.” I sighed as I finally spoke the name out loud. “Seriously, if that fucker thinks he can betray me when he was a Pirate Lord, then just wander off to join the Elven Navy and I won’t take him down again… Fucking bastard, I’ll-”

“Wes, calm down!” Dew moved next to me and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. She knew the reason for my rage, despite the fact I hadn’t mentioned it.

I’d been the one to ‘kill’ Wraith before. I’d planted an arrow in his eye when he first betrayed the Pirate Fleets to the Elven Navy. That should have been enough to end his life. It was more than enough for most folk, after all.

But somehow, the vicious little dickwipe had managed to scuttle away. Alive.

“Wes, just look at this in a positive light, eh.” Jean chuckled from her spot up against the wall as she forced herself to grin up at my irritated face. “Now ya get to kill him again, yeah?”

“Sure.” I gently shrugged off Dew’s hand and motioned for her to check on Jean. Though Kaede seemed to be the more injured of the two, I wouldn’t let any of us to set off until everyone was ready for whatever trials lay before us. After all, Wraith had managed to activate one trap in the Elven Navy’s experimental base. What was to say there weren’t more surprises waiting for us ahead?

Dew forced Jean to glug down yet another mucky looking concoction before she checked me over, just to make sure there weren’t any injuries I’d neglected to mention. For some reason, it reminded me of the time shortly after we’d first met, before we’d even begun our journey through the Waskis Woods, and I’d been poisoned by a deadlock twig.

Thankfully, she didn’t find anything that would delay our journey, so I returned the courtesy, closely checking her body for any signs of injury. Nothing. Not that I didn’t enjoy running my hands gently over her deliciously tight form, of course.

Once we had all fully recovered, I led the ladies deeper into the hidden corridor system. We were below the main base itself, that much was clear. It appeared that the explosion in the hall above us had choked off a majority of the paths, leaving us only one route to take.

We traveled deeper into the base, step by arduous step. Only after we’d been walking for nearly half an hour did we find a potential exit from the seemingly endless tunnel.

“Well, that’s not foreboding at all,” Dew remarked as she looked at the heavy set, carved stone door before us. “What now-”

Before she could finish her question, I pulled out my bow, knocked an arrow against the string, kicked the door open and strode into the room beyond. But what I saw before me tempered the furious rage rolling through my body.

It was a behemoth, and a big one at that.

‘Ah. A new one. How strange.’

It was Gran, the behemoth trapped below stronghold on the monster isle. No, it wasn’t, but the similarities were remarkable.

“Do you know Gran?” I lowered my bow slowly, keeping the huge beast’s face in sight as I watched for any signs of aggression. “He sent us here to help you.”

‘That old fool. I thought he’d have forgotten about me, by now.’ I could almost hear the thing chuckle as it shook itself. ‘My name is Kimo, traveler. I think you and I have a lot to talk about.’

Chapter 32

Western edge of the Sendrin Desert / Beneath the Hidden Experimental Base - Day 43

Kimo informed me of the general layout of the underground layer around her holding cell. After we’d scouted it out to make sure no one was in the vicinity, I allowed the others to go lie down in one of the more comfortable adjoining spaces to recover while I discussed the situation with Kimo.

Our back and forth didn’t take nearly as long as I’d thought it would. Kimo wasn’t shocked by anything that had happened to Gran, which wasn’t surprising, since she’d experienced a similar capture herself. It seemed the Elven Navy’s attempts to reverse engineer the miracles accomplished by the former masters of Monster Isle had not been going well.

One thing Kimo mentioned early on, was that she had sensed us the moment the explosion had gone off in the chambers up above. Though it was only a guess, it made sense that the trap had somehow interfered with the runesmith array designed to hold the humongous beast captive.

Of course, the Navy had used the same rock-hard spikes on his mate that we’d found pinning Gran in place, as well. These I removed as carefully as I could as we continued our talk.

Kimo’s abilities caught me off guard yet again, though. When Dew brought over a map of the facility from the office they’d been using to recuperate, the huge behemoth marked out the areas where she’d sensed the others falling.

I wanted to go and investigate them myself, but Dew talked me down—successfully arguing that I should finish my conversation with Kimo, while she checked for survivors. Though it did make the most sense, it was still irritating to watch her dash off down the tunnel, alone.

‘You love that one, don’t you?’ Kimo’s deep grumbling speech blasted a wave of dusty sand into the air as she stared down at me with huge, emotion filled eyes.

“Yeah, I do.” I smiled and nodded, feeling no embarrassment at admitting the truth.

I did love her. I loved them all. And they loved me.

‘I feel the same for my Gran.’ Kimo sighed softly before perking up as she added. ‘Not trying to compare the two, of course. I miss Gran, but I appreciate you coming all this way to help me at his request.’

“It’s quite alright.” I couldn’t help but laugh as the huge behemoth shifted awkwardly before me. Despite her size, it was clear Kimo cared a great deal for her mate.

I swore I’d do whatever I could to reunite the two.

Everything she’d told me didn’t ease my mind, though. Most of the experimenters who staffed the hidden base had disappeared about a week ago. Ever since then, a skeleton crew had remained behind to keep the place ticking over once the others had destroyed any documentation or evidence about the experiments they’d conducted beneath the sands.

That was likely why we hadn’t run into much resistance. One burning question singed my fraying nerves: Why?

Why had they left? Why didn’t they try to take Kimo with them? Why had the Elven Council sent Wraith to clean up the survivors? There were too many question and not enough answers.

Kimo couldn’t give me any concrete information to explain their reasoning. That only annoyed me further, especially when I considered the Elven Council’s usual methods of conducting business. They only abandoned a resource when it no longer held any tactical advantage for them—having wrung all they could from it, first.

As our conversation drew to a close, Dew reappeared in one of the entrances to Kimo’s huge cell. Her warm smile as she strode out into the open proved that she’d been at least partly successful in her search.

First came Eleanor, along with a large number of her Desert Elf hunting party. The Seventh Fleet soldiers covered the rear, still marching in unison despite the battering they’d taken. Unfortunately, even my quick head count showed both sides had taken some losses.

The Seventh Fleet squad had lost four, while the hunting party seemed to have lost seven. Though the losses weren’t horrendous, given the deadly trap we’d walked into, it still rankled that Wraith had been the one to hit us so hard. Although he hadn’t killed them directly, I swore I’d exact an equally painful and deadly vengeance, when next we met.

“Is this-” Elaenor froze up for a moment before she shook herself and took a few steps toward Kimo. “Who did this to you? Why?”

The other members of the Desert Elf tribe were similarly affected, though they instead remained where they were, staring up at the behemoth before them like moths transfixed by the flame that would end their lives.

It was then that I recalled the reverence the Desert Elves had for the Behemoths who lived beneath the sands of the Sendrin Desert. I’d never thought about it, but it made sense that this veneration would include other members of the same category of beasts.

“Elaenor, it’s fine. We’re here to help her.” I smiled as I moved up beside the stunned Desert Elf and shook her shoulder, pulling her out of the dazed stupor she’d fallen into. “This is Kimo. Her mate, Gran, requested we come here to free her. That’s how we knew about this base in the first place.”

“You- You knew this, but you didn’t think to tell me?” Elaenor punched me in the shoulder, clearly vent her frustrations with the blow before turning back to Kimo. “I apologize for the treatment you have faced, great one. We will assist you in any way we can.”

The rest of the hunting party mumbled their approval of Elaenor’s offer, and I didn’t see any reason to refuse her assistance. Kimo would likely require their help to escape the confines of the Elven Navy base, after all, and we needed to return to the Home Base Alpha as soon as possible to prepare for whatever other tricks the Elven Council had up their sleeve.

If they’d moved the workers out of the hidden base over a week ago, it was clear they were preparing for something big. Something like an assault on the last great Pirate Base, for example.

Even if they weren’t, we now had all the keys we needed. With both Gran and Kimo on our side, the Elven Council couldn’t ignore us, especially given the fact that both behemoths would be more than happy to utilize their unique powers to aid us. In the unlikely event the Elven Council let us be, they’d eventually face a swarm of behemoths—all controlled by yours truly.

Although there was no way I’d simply let them escape judgment—not for their many crimes against me and mine.

Elaenor took over the process of helping Kimo break out from the hidden base. There were a few paths she could take, but the hunting party would scout out the best route before they made the attempt. That left me, Dew, Kaede, Jean, and the Seventh Fleet squad free to return home and report the successful rescue of his mate to Gran.

Thankfully, our trip the next morning back to the Master of the Seas passed without incident. No more Elven Navy troops had invaded the area, though that didn’t surprise me given that they’d mostly evacuated their experimental base in the desert. Given the Elven Council’s normal practices, the next time they’d return would be to wipe the area clean with an army of behemoths they controlled to do their bidding.

But, if the newly formed strategy percolating in the depths of my brain went according to plan, they’d never get the chance. I wanted to make sure I studied the problem out from every angle, though, before I communicated the plan to my team. It wouldn’t do to get them all spun up yet, not until we could set things in motion, at least.

The three-week long trip back across the Lanoi Sea was similarly event free. No Elven Navy scouts, no merchant vessels, not a single sighting of another ship on the whole route. Something was off, and it didn’t take a genius to link the lack of shipping back to the Elven Council’s twisted plans for the future.

It did help that, technically at least, I was a genius.

Our arrival back at the Home Base passed without much fanfare. Franklin and Smith were happy we’d returned, though I could tell that both had sensed something was amiss. They quickly led us back to my office for a celebratory meeting, rather than a party—though Freya’s warm greeting to the old runesmith lifted my spirits somewhat.

“Our scouts have noted no movements on the seas for nearly a month.” Franklin began, tapping his staff against the floor in irritation. “Nothing at all across the Lanoi seas and beyond for a good distance.”

“Other than finishing off the tunnel to the top of the cliff and completing the final touches to our new home, I’ve not heard a peep either.” Smith scratched at his chin as he glanced across the table at us. “But somethings off… I can feel it in my bones.”

“Okay, I have an idea, but I want everyone to do their best to remain calm.” I tapped the table once as I considered my strategy one last time. Everyone turned to stare at me, showing their agreement via quick nods or halfhearted shrugs, as if they expected something completely out of left field from me, as it was.

Though I found this a little annoying, it would at least dull the blow. A bit, maybe.

“Right, here it goes.” I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment before squaring my shoulders and explaining my new plan: “We should reveal that we have the emperor behemoths used for the Elven Council’s experiments into controlling other behemoths.”

A few around the table grumble, unhappy with my suggestion, but I waved them to silence quickly. I wasn’t done yet.

“And also…” I paused for dramatic effect as I snapped a wink at Jean, who’d likely already figured out my plan, from the stunned look on her face. “I think we should leak the location of our new base, directly to the Elven Council if possible.”

Chapter 33

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 65

The others took my crazy suggestion about as well as I’d expected they would.

Smith and Franklin, though they repeatedly expressed how much they usually trusted my judgment, argue vehemently against such a scheme. They laid out the risks of my plan, all of which I’d previously considered, in shocking detail for all to see.

Dew, Kaede, and Freya decided, as a group, to stay silent. Obviously, they believed I wouldn’t have offered up such a bizarre strategy without first weighing all the pros and cons. Most importantly, they knew I wouldn’t make the suggestion if I thought there were better alternatives available.

We’d likely be caught in the crossfire anyway, no matter how my gamble played out.

Jean was the wild card, here. Technically, she was the deciding vote in our back and forth, seeing as only myself and Smith were official Pirate Lords. Though Franklin’s words, as the old head of the Seventh Fleet, still held some sway, officially he’d stepped down.

I worried he might regret having turned the Seventh Fleet over to me once he heard the full extent of my goals involving the Elven Council and their lackies, the Elven Navy.

Surprisingly, Jean… didn’t say a word.

I’d expected her to speak up, either in defense of the plan or to tear it apart as too risky to even consider. Instead, she kept her mouth shut as she watched the elderly members of our impromptu ‘Pirate Council’ bicker and grumble themselves into an awkward silence.

“Jean, what do you think?” Smith shook his head irritably at my lack of response before turning his gaze from me to his sister-in-arms and current Pirate Lord. “This is insanity, right? There must be a better option than this!”

“Smith, use that mighty brain in yer head and come up with one, then.” Jean tutted as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “Is it risky? Sure. Do I like the idea of leaking our location? Not at all. But do I think it’s a strategy doomed to failure? Not really, no.”

Smith gave his expected ally in the argument an exasperated look. Jean took the opportunity to sneak a glance in my direction, giving me a quick, cheeky wink. She was up to something. As usual.

“We have to consider the gains and losses of the situation.” Franklin spoke up, bare seconds after Smith’s apparent defeat. His aged voice creaked a little as he leaned forward on his cane, giving him the look of a wise old elder passing on his sage wisdom to the youngsters below him. “If this goes wrong-”

“Then we lose. Everyone in the fleets will either be captured, have to flee the battle, or die trying,” I responded, laying out the cold hard truth of the matter. I didn’t try to sugarcoat the gravity of our situation in the slightest. “The only other option we have would be to escape, right now, before the Elven Council can track down the location of our base and pin us to the wall. I refuse to take that route, but if you insist, then-”

“Wait just a damn minute.” Smith held up a hand as I stared at the two old codgers, his eyes burning with a fire I hadn’t witnessed since we’d last discussed his rune smithing experiments. “No one said anything about running away, kid.”

“Then ya agree?” Jean leaned forward and rapped the table with her knuckle. “We fight for our freedom, and we do it on our own terms, yeah?”

“I… wait.” Smith glanced at Franklin, who simply shrugged, a resigned look on his face. With his final support collapsing before his eyes, Smith had only one response left he could give.

“We’ll go with your plan, Wes,” he grumbled irritably before dropping back into his seat. “I hate it, but I can’t say it’s suicide, unlike your last successful gambit. God damn it!”

It was a risk, we all knew that much, but there weren’t any better options available—not with the cards we’d been dealt.

My first thought had been to delay the inevitable. We could bring Gran and Kimo into the fold, attempting to replicate the results of the Elven Council’s experiments, which they themselves had only copied from research they’d stolen from the stronghold on the Monster Isle. It was a long shot. One even I wasn’t certain would be likely to succeed.

Secondly, we could go on the offensive. After the brutal showdown at the former Pirate Fleet Base, it was common knowledge the Elven Navy had yet to recover their lost ships and personnel. If we used our full numbers and launched an assault on Keria directly, we might be able to overwhelm the bay’s guardians and take over the council itself.

But that was probably what the Elven Council wanted. They’d pulled back their troops, after all. Keria had been specifically designed to repel assaults from the sea with relative ease.

There were other overland routes we might consider, but those were even more easily dismissed, given the lone pass the Council would have to defend. That left us with only the strategy I’d suggested, drawing the snake out of it hole, so we could strike off its head.

With the plan I’d suggested approved by the other leaders of the Pirate Fleets, if reluctantly, we could finally move on with preparations for the upcoming battle. As I laid out each step of my strategy, I noted various emotions raging rampantly across my fellow Pirate Lords’ faces: concern, irritation, anger, regret, and finally, resignation.

But no one tried to raise any complaints about their assigned roles. At last, we were ready to start.

Smith, Jean, and Franklin took over command of the Pirate Fleets’ forces, along with Kaede, who agreed to act as my temporary stand in for the battle ahead. Dew, on the other hand, had a more direct, if only a little less arduous task assigned to her—visiting the stronghold on Monster Isle, finding Kiel and Gran, and bringing them back here.

Only Freya would remain at my side, as she frantically worked on the tasks I’d assigned her. Though she had investigated the behemoth horn slabs we’d salvaged from Monster Isle with the unwilling help of the Elven Navy expeditionary team, the task of turning them into useful weapons was an almost impossible mountain for her to climb.

But I fully believed in her skills, so decided to let her do what she could while I completed my own preparations. The plan I’d pulled together needed one person to take on the most dangerous role and, despite the arguing from the girls, we all knew I was best suited to shoulder the potentially deadly duty.

No one else could offer what I could, with regard to the plan, and that was even ignoring my immense combat skills.

Even though we’d set the wheels in motion, it would take the Elven Council time to react, so I added a time limit to our threat, which we then broadcast as widely as possible. Our boats communicated the message to ever single city and village we could access, and I prepared a more personalized message for the scheming bastards on the Elven Council itself.

After I hand wrote the message and passed it on to the captain who’d be ferrying it to Keria, I allowed myself a moment to relax. All wheels were in motion. All I could do, was train and prepare for the battle ahead.

Hopefully, it would be enough.

Chapter 34

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 92

‘Dear Elven Council,

We know about your horrendous experimentation on the noble creatures of this land, along with the vile intentions planned for the results of your work.

You have tried to bend the behemoths to your will and, as is clear from the destruction wrought upon your shining capital not long ago, you have yet to gain the control you require.

But the Pirate Fleets will not stand idly by as you seek to force the world to kneel before you.

Unless you destroy all of your research materials regarding this project within the next thirty days, we will have no choice but to reveal the evidence we have discovered to the world.

The clock is ticking. Do not test us.

Yours Truly,

Weslilian Yannisa, Pirate Lord’

“My god, you actually sent them this?” Dew couldn’t hold in her laughter as she read through a copy of the note I’d passed to the Elven Council through Taerk’s contacts. “No way they’ll ignore this. You’ve kicked the hornet’s nest this time, Wes.”

The threatening letter had been taken over to the mainland directly, not long after we’d begun our preparations, which meant it should have arrived in Keria already. Unfortunately, the others had been so busy since then, that we’d barely had the chance to meet up, never mind letting them see the message I’d sent our enemies directly.

“This is perfect. Well done, Master.” Freya smiled up at me after she’d read the contents of the note and passed it on to Kaede, who was slowly stretching her neck to relieve some of the tension she’d built up over the past few days.

“What now?” Kaede scanned the contents of the message before she folded it up and tossed it onto the table. “We still have some time, right? Is there anything else we can do to prepare?”

I could tell that Kaede was concerned about the upcoming battle. Even though Freya and Dew hid their fears a little better, it was also clear to me that they weren’t confident about our chances in the pending showdown I’d forced with the Elven Navy.

“From what I can tell, no.” I dropped into the bed between Kaede and Dew with a wide grin on my face. “Freya has almost finished on our secret weapon, and you’ve already taken full command of your fleet. Everything is ready, we just need to keep an eye out to make sure nothing slips by us, is all.”

Kiel had returned, though he’d elected to stay up on Monster Isle rather than returning to Home Base itself. Dew reported that his new mate, the other Shadow Panther we’d found beneath the stronghold, had journeyed with him, though she was far less open to the concept of communicating with anyone outside her own race.

Thankfully, she seemed happy enough to listen to Kiel’s requests, according to Dew’s report. Gran, on the other hand, had promised to return by himself. He knew the rough time frame for the Elven Navy’s expected assault, so it was unlikely he’d miss the battle.

I trusted him to keep to his promise to help us, after all.

Even though her journey across Monster Isle was done, Dew’s tasks weren’t complete. She’d only just returned, though, so we’d all agreed to take a short break from our preparations. After that she’d join Kaede and take over the command of one of the divisions of the Pirate Fleets.

But before that, we had a day to ourselves. The Elven Navy wouldn’t arrive for at least another week or two, given how long it would take them to cross the Lanoi sea, so there was little risk in taking some time to relax.

Jean had picked up on our plan, though, and she’d made it clear just how irritated she was that we hadn’t included her in the whole deal. To be more precise, she had slumped into the chair against the far wall of my room and hadn’t done little more than glare in my direction since she’d arrived.

“I think she’s angry with you. Seems a bit pointless, to me.” Dew rolled over beside me and, without any hesitation, dropped herself into my lap. I could feel her firm behind grinding into me as she squirmed about, turning so she could look over her shoulder directly into my eyes with her cheeky, hot gaze. “This might be our last time together, so its best we make good use  of it.”

“And how do you propose we go about making the best use of our time then?” I grinned and pulled Dew back against my chest. She let out a low purr of satisfaction as my hands stroked along her seductive form, but she didn’t answer my question, forcing me to ask again. “What’s your plan, Dew. You’ll need to tell me, or I won’t be able to do what you want.”

Kaede and Freya were amused and aroused in equal measures as they watched from the sidelines as I played with Dew and Jean—one physically, and one mentally. Though the Pirate Lord clearly felt she needed to keep up her act to ‘punish’ me, it was clear from how she was biting her lip and fidgeting in her chair that she wasn’t having an easy time, keeping herself in check.

“I- Ah!” Dew couldn’t even finish her own sentences before she leaned in against me, panting slightly to contain herself. “What is it you want to do, pretty boy?”

Hearing her nickname for me fired me up more than I would have expected. What had once been an insult had turned into something seductive and almost otherworldly when it slipped out from between her luscious, wet lips.

“Mmmm!” I quietened her moans by turning her chin my way and locking my lips to hers. All sound, all feeling, everything besides the horny Wood Elf squirming in my lap faded away. I could still sense the others in the room, but they were little more than observers as I pulled Dew’s clothing away, piece by piece, revealing her perfect, curved body for all to see.

Without the usual preamble, I laid her down on the bed, mounted her firm, ready form, and thrust myself deep inside of her with a single, ardent push.

“AAHHHHNNN!” Dew’s loud moan rang out across the room as her warm, tight folds enveloped me. “AHH- Couldn’t- Ahhnn- Wait- OOH- For it- NNNHH- Could you!”

I increased my pace, the bed bouncing and rocking beneath us. After long, dull days of preparation and training, I needed this. She needed this.

We all needed this.

Kaede and Freya crept over the bed, lowering themselves down on to either side of me, their faces flushed with lust as they watched me pound their friend. The normal shyness the pair demonstrated in public vanished before my eyes as they each leaned forward to kiss Dew’s blushing face.

“Ah! I can- AHHH! Feel it!” Dew’s legs swung up to lock behind my back, pulling me even deeper into her hot embrace. “Do it! Give it to mmmmmeeee!”

Her back arched, her nails biting into my shoulders as I thrust deep within her one last time and released into her core, just like she wanted. The waves of pleasure crashing over Dew were too much for her to handle and she flopped back into the mattress, exhausted but fully satisfied.

“Wes?”

“Master?”

Kaede and Freya approached from either side, their gentle touches stroking my body as they moved in close. It was obvious that watching what had just happened to Dew had excited them, and I knew exactly what they wanted from me.

Fortunately, the bed was large enough for all of us.

Kaede’s shocked peal of laughter as I rolled her onto her back, fired me up. The situation was only enhanced when Freya crawled up beside us and slowly undressed her friend for me. Kaede didn’t know where to look but, after she began to calm herself, focused her gaze on my face.

Despite everything, she trusted me the most.

My cock, slick from the first round with Dew, slid into Kaede with surprising ease. She felt tight, like a vice—a warm and exceedingly wet vice. It was  perfect. She was perfect.

They all were.

Kaede’s eyes lost their focus as I slid into her slowly, again and again, just like I knew she loved. She gave herself to the pleasure, allowing it to wash over her, enjoying every ridge stretching her folds. She was blissfully unaware of anything else that was happening around her.

Freya took that chance to lean in and pull me into a long, deep kiss. It was tender and passionate at the same time. Our tongues didn’t duel one another but twirled around in a scintillating dance.

“Mas- ter.” She groaned, her breath hot against my cheek. “I… Please.”

She couldn’t wait, it seemed, but it wasn’t like I didn’t have a way to satisfy her. I kept up the tantalizing, slow rhythm as I made love to Kaede while I sneaked a hand down Freya’s body. My hand glided around the full swell of her breast, teased along her side, and the plunged below her belly button—

Until it found what it was looking for.

“Ahhn!” Freya hissed, unable to keep herself from making the sound as I grazed my fingers through her soaking wet bush and parted her lips. I knew exactly where to aim as slid two fingers inside her core and curled them. My fingers pressed up against that perfect spot, deep within her, eliciting another groan of pleasure as she clutched my steadily rocking body.

Freya and Kaede’s moans synced together as I began to increase my tempo within each of them. Slowly, I stoked the fires burning deep inside them until, tipping over the precipice together, the pair of beauties exploded with a series of ecstasy filled yells. Mewling happily, they cuddled together, stroking each other’s hair and basking in the warm afterglow of their orgasms.

I took a deep breath as they both dropped curled up on the bed. Though I hadn’t come a second time, I was satisfied—watching as they rode the warm aftershocks rocking their bodies. I noticed that my body and soul felt lighter, better prepared to face the day. So, I closed my eyes and lay across the foot of the bed.

Only to feel a firm, wet suction on my dick.

“Wha-” I opened my eyes and looked down, to find a glittering pair of narrowed eyes staring back up at me.

Jean had taken me deep into her mouth, and it looked like she wasn’t prepared to let go. “Finally.” She pulled back, my cock exiting her mouth with a light pop, as she licked her lips. “I thought you’d ignore me forever, ya know.”

I chuckled and shook my head. Of course, I’d known she was there, but it wasn’t going to force her to take part against her will. That wasn’t how I rolled. On the other hand, I’d known that watching our sexcapades, fornicating on the bed before her, would excite her so much it’d make it difficult for her to act in any other way.

I knew well the personality she tried to hide from everyone else in the pirate fleets.

A slight blush crept up her cheeks as I gently pulled her up, bit by bit, until her firm behind rested just above my once again erect penis.

“I do owe you an apology, though.” I grinned as I scooped up a handful of her muscular ass, lifting her up so she was resting on the tip, ready to impale herself at a moment’s notice. “Now then, what should we do about that, hmmm?”

“Ya can do whatever ya want to, as always.” Jean played along, huffing irritably to herself as she studiously avoided my gaze. “It’s not like ya UGGGGHH!”

I buried my entire length within her in a single thrust. She shuddered and came, letting out a long, guttural moan when I released her ass and pushed her hips down sharply, hilting my shaft deep inside her. Short of breath, she straddled my legs.

“Ya mighta warned me.” She slapped my chest in mock anger, though I could tell from both the red tinge on her cheeks and the wetness that trickled down my thigh, that she’d loved it at least as much as I did.

I did what any male would do, who found his cock buried deep inside a warm, wet, and willing pussy. I kept going.

Jean slapped down atop me, again and again, slowly building a rhythm and intensity that overwhelmed her body and soul with waves of pleasure. I could feel the tension leaking from her body as she reveled in the bliss of multiple orgasms.

As I’d guessed, she needed the release as much as we all did. But I couldn’t let her hog all the time with me. So, I sped up my thrusts, matching her downward, grinding hips point for point. The increased friction pushed her even further over the edge, her body bowing inward, as it prepared itself for her biggest orgasm yet.

“OOOOooooooOOOHHH!” Her back arched and her core locked me down as the surge of a tremendous orgasm possessed her body. She dropped breathlessly forward onto my chest, juddering and shaking as several aftershocks washed through her. I carried her even further along, with several more thrusts, before succumbing to my own pleasure. Releasing deep within her, I sent a final wave of pleasure pulsing through her .

“Well, that went well.” I sighed and leaned back into the bed. Dew, Kaede, and Freya were still out of it beside me. Jean hadn’t moved from her comfortable perch on top of my chest. Others might think five people on a bed—even a large bed—cramped and uncomfortable, but not me.

To me, this was perfect. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Chapter 35

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle – Day 117

The remaining time passed by in a flash. Dew, Kaede, Freya, and Jean each managed to sneak in some intimate time for us to hook up, but most of our day-to-day activities were taken up with preparations for the pending battle.

Even though we had weeks, it wasn’t easy getting fleets of ships and their crews ready for such a titanic show down. Everyone knew the Elven Council would send everything they could muster to crush the threat we posed, so it wasn’t like anyone felt the need to relax once we received word a massive armada was a few days sail to the east.

As the day of our long-awaited showdown finally dawned, I felt a new feeling rising up in my chest, one I hadn’t noticed in a long, long time. I sat atop the cliff above our base—my base—and carefully considered the emotion tugging at my thoughts.

Was that… doubt?

The plan was risky, not only to me and mine, but to the Pirate Fleets as a whole, and by extension, the rest of the world. If we failed, there’d be no one left to stand against the Elven Council once they completed their research into the process of controlling and ruling over the various behemoths within their reach.

My battle in the arena back in Keria had highlighted to them a major flaw in their methods, so I had little doubt they’d keep using the same design. That would be too easy, after all.

I’d played my hand as best I could. Thinking back over everything I’d done, though all of the situations I’d been forced into this past year, I couldn’t see a different way things could have ended. Those fuckers had forced my hand.

“Hey, what’s up? Why the long face?” Dew strolled over and punched my shoulder. She paused when I frowned, unable to dispel the tendril of hesitation rising up in my heart. “Seriously, are you okay, Wes?”

I shook away my doubts and gave her a shrug. “This fight, this battle… this is my problem.” I finally looked up into Dew’s eyes, though it was clear from her expression she didn’t understand what I meant. “I could have taken my fight to them, but I didn’t. Why?”

“Seriously? The others wagered you might be having second thoughts, but I never thought I’d see the day you regretted one of your decisions.” Dew chuckled to herself as she dropped down beside me. Her tanned, perfectly formed legs tapped against the cliff’s edge as she leaned back, propping herself up with her arms as she continued. “Wes, we’re all in this together—everyone agreed with the plan.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just annoying is all.” I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment. The cool sea breeze pushed my golden hair back from my face as I thought of my past. “If I’d have known what their plans were, I’d have put a stop to them before they sent me out on that fucking ship.”

“And then we’d have never met.” Dew’s response caught me off guard as she poked me in the ribs, just hard enough for it to smart a little. “Could have and should have are pointless. Just think about what you are going to do, like always, alright?”

I knew what she was trying to do, though I didn’t really need it. It wasn’t like me to be paralyzed by self-doubt, but the damage caused by the Elven Council’s selfish actions hadn’t truly hit me until I’d had time to consider them.

But now I had a purpose, a reason to defeat them. And there was no way I was going to back down from that.

Before either of us could say anything else, though, a deep, sonorous gong sounded from the base far below. We both knew what the signal meant, though neither one of us had been looking forward to hearing that tone.

The Elven Navy had been spotted; they’d be on us within the hour.

“Go on, I’ll see you later.” I pushed myself to my feet and pulled Dew into a quick, rough hug before we separated. “Just be careful, alright? If you manage to get yourself hurt, I’ll have to punish you later.”

“Oh, is that a threat or a promise?” Dew giggled seductively as she ducked back in to sneak a quick kiss on my cheek before dashing away. “Same to you, pretty boy! Show them what your made of!”

I waved to her as she sprinted back down the tunnel and then turned to look out across the choppy waters of the Lanoi Sea. It wasn’t long before the first sails of the Elven Navy scouts appeared in the distance.

First, I saw a lone mast, poking up above the horizon. It was soon joined by another, and then a third. With each passing minute, the number of masts increased significantly to the point that it seemed the entire sea before me had sprouted a tall forest. The waters from horizon to horizon were choked with Elven Navy vessels.

“More than the others guessed, but not by much I think.” I grinned as I pulled out the device Freya had created for me after she’d finished her other preparations for the battle. Though she didn’t see it as her best work, the awkward, tube like contraption looked surprisingly good, I thought, considering how rushed its construction had been.

As the Elven Navy closed to surround the base, I raised the device to my lips, took a deep breath—and pressed the activation switch.

“Welcome, travelers!” I spoke normally, but the tube enhanced the volume of my words exponentially, so that they blasted across the sea to the ships waiting far below. “I assume you’re here to surrender, no?”

About a minute passed after my query rang out across the waters before I saw a lone figure step forward on the biggest ship, a device in his hand much like the one I held in my own.

“Weslilian, I take it? You dare threaten us? If you jump off that cliff right now, perhaps we’ll grant your followers a painless death!”

I knew who was speaking, though it surprised me the Elven Council had permitted him to command the armada facing us directly.

“Wraith? Long time, no see! How nice to meet another Pirate Lord.” I upped the volume of my own speech as I pointed my device down to face the stick figure far below. “How did it feel pulling my arrow out of your skull? I bet that messed up your crazed brain even more, am I right?” Though it wouldn’t be enough to turn the Elven Navy against him, it might make some of their Captains doubt the orders of the leader who’d been assigned over them.

But our negotiations would never go any further, of course. The Elven Council knew that they needed to end me; there was no way they’d offer anything but lies and deceit. And they clearly understood I’d never fall for such a shallow ploy.

“This is my last warning! Surrender now!” I called out, giving the crew aboard each of the ships one final chance to give up, though I didn’t expect any of them to take advantage of the opportunity.

“That’s enough!” Wraith’s mad shout echoed up from below. Though I obviously couldn’t see his facial expression, the way he was madly gesticulating made it clear how furious my taunting calls for surrender had made him. “Everyone, battle stations! We’ll take these fuckers down, right now-”

“Fine.” I dropped the voice enhancement device from my lips as I raised the other, less conspicuous object Freya had prepared for me. Wraith’s mad ranting continued unabated as he berated the Elven Navy crews. I ignored his noise without much difficulty as I admired the gadget in my hand.

It was a simple, small, carved cube, inset with a single button, ready and waiting to be pressed.

“Then let’s get this show on the road, then.” I chuckled and shook my head as I pressed down on the button. “No backing out now.”

It started with a dull, shuddering boom. The ground below my feet cracked and splintered as additional explosions rang out.

And then, under the terrified eyes of the Elven Navy directly below me, the entire cliff crumbled and collapsed on top of them in a brutal rain of stone and rock.

Chapter 36

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 117

Time, or at least my perception of it, slowed to a crawl as the ground beneath my feet crumbled and began to break apart. The bombs we’d planted deep within the cliff face blasted apart rock and stone with ease, the precise series of detonations launching showers of debris onto the Elven Navy armada far below.

That was just the beginning of their troubles. Their biggest concern would soon be massive boulders and rubble large enough to smash right a battleship in half if they took a direct hit. I could have jumped back from the crumbling cliff with ease, but instead I chose to allow the crumbling rockslide to pull me along with it.

It was the quickest way to reach my enemies, after all.

Thankfully, despite the terrible nature of my footing, I had just enough control over my descent to aim my bow at the primary target of my wrath, the cloaked figure who still stood atop the forecastle of biggest dreadnought in the Elven Navy armada.

The former Pirate Lord and all-around dick head, Wraith.

One arrow, two arrows, three arrows. My shafts pierced the air, easily crossing the ever-decreasing distance between me and my opponent. Against a normal foe, I’d have only needed a single volley to finish them off, given the height advantage I held, never mind the panic the crumbling cliff face had caused.

But Wraith was too powerful for it to be that easy.

I kept shooting off additional arrows as I watched the masked elf below me block and dodge my shots with his brutal, oversized great sword.

It wasn’t clear why he’d switched from his slight rapier to such a clumsy weapon, but the speed of Wraith’s attacks weren’t slow enough to give me an easy opening. Still, I had to close the distance. If I let the fucker get away, he’d cut a bloody swathe through the forces of the Pirate Fleets.

Even though the most ardent of the Elven Council’s followers would have been at the front of the armada, and thus most likely to have been smashed by our rockslide ambush, that wouldn’t matter if we ended up losing in the showdown I’d forced between our fleets.

On that note, I noted the second stage of our ambush had started.

A motley collection of vessels poked out from various hidden caves and bays along the cliff’s face. Each hidden cove only held a few ships, not a great concern to the fully deployed Elven Navy squadrons arrayed in line of battle before them.

Despite the fact that the Elven Council had apparently deployed every single vessel available to crush the Pirate Fleets, the number of ships rushing out onto the Lanoi Sea was still enough to pose a real threat to the distracted and confused Elven Navy armada.

It would be a close fight.

“Fuck you, Wraith!” I put as much power as I could into my battle-cry as I rode a large rock down the cliff face to the roiling waters of the Lanoi Sea.

Though I couldn’t hear his response, it was clear the fucker had accepted my challenge as he readied himself for my assault, yet again.

Unfortunately for him, he hadn’t planned for my final move.

“Dodge this, fucker.” I grinned as I used the runesmith boots Freya had created for me to leap into the air as I pressed the runesmith device clipped to my belt once more, activating a final explosive device—which shattered the massive boulder I’d been riding upon just moments before.

What would have been a single, great impact directly into the choppy waters instead became a scatter shot blast of razor-sharp rock and stone splinters. The smaller ships at the front of the fleet were simply swallowed up in the rain of debris. Some ships managed to limp away, barely, while several were hit so badly that they became little more than unsteerable chunks of wood, barely able to remain afloat as their crews abandoned ship with as much speed as their panicked limbs could muster.

Wraith did his best to duck and weave his way back through the deadly onslaught, even going to far as using nearby Elven navy crew members as living shields as he made his way to the aft section of his ship.

I wasn’t about to let him escape that easily, though.

“Wraith!” My bellow rang out as I blasted my way to the dreadnought’s severely damaged main mast. The sails had been shredded by the rock shrapnel, but there was enough of a yard arm left for me to secure a foothold and take aim at the fleeing figure below me. “I’ll kill you, here and now!”

I expected Wraith to continue to further his escape attempt, but instead, he stopped… And turned to face me.

The mask, which had previously hidden his face from the world, tumbled to the deck, revealing his twisted, ugly expression for all to see. One eye glared at me, burning with fury and rage, but the other hung empty and black. No. I looked again. Not empty, something had been placed in his empty eye socket, directly into the gaping void my arrow had created when last we’d fought.

“What in the seven hells?” I blinked, for once at a loss for words as I looked upon the abomination before me.

He’d implanted a shard of the emperor behemoth’s horn… directly into his head.

“You think you’re all high and mighty!” Wraith spat his words, not caring in the slightest about his crew, who at first had moved to support him but now backed away in disgust and revulsion. The elf’s voice, which had before not been at all hard on the ear, had dulled to a grating, gravelly roar since the last time we fought face to face.

“Everything was going fine, according to plan, in fact, then you showed up! Did you think I’d come here empty handed? Did you?!”

I wanted to kill him, then and there, but the chances that my arrows would reach him were slim to none. The Pirate Fleets were closing in, bit by bit, but it was clear the Elven Navy was starting to collect themselves and their brighter Captains had repositioned their ships in a defensive formation.

We needed to break them, and fast.

Before I could say another word, Wraith waved his hand back at the officer’s deck of the dreadnought. Though the superstructure had taken some damage, most of it still stood, a testament to the extraordinary skills of the craftsmen who toiled away on Keria’s military dry docks.

The slight figure who was pulled out into the open at Wraith’s command, however, cut all such thoughts off. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach and I felt a dead, cold sensation begin to twist and writhe in my gut.

“Weslilian.”

My father shivered as he was dragged before me. He didn’t pay any attention to the knife that was held to his throat, or the confused and worried looks he was getting from the Elven Navy crew who looked on from the sidelines. “I thought I told you to leave.”

Various plans and strategies raged through my mind as I looked down upon the tableau below me.

Could I kill Wraith?

No, not before the prick’s underling slit my father’s throat.

Maybe I could land a shot on my father’s captor?

Not much chance, given how cautious the man was being about revealing any part of his body as a target.

Then what could I do? Sacrificing my father wasn’t an option, but there was no way I’d stand around and watch the forces under my command fight and die while I dithered away, unable to make a single decision.

I needed to kill Wraith before anything else could happen.

There was only one option, though I didn’t like the thought of it at all.

“Father.” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment before looking down once more at the one who’d done everything he could to raise me. “Do you trust me?”

“Ha ha! I know you, ‘Wes’.” Wraith’s grating laughter rang out as he lifted his great sword and pointed it up at me. “ You may act the vicious scoundrel, but you have standards. You have your ‘promises’, don’t you? There’s no way you’d-”

“Of course I do.” My father’s peaceful smile as he stared into my eyes hurt my soul a little. “You know I do, as always.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Wraith spun around, raising his weapon up into the air in my father’s direction. Only to watch as an arrow pierced the man’s chest, easily spearing through his body and into Wraith’s underling with a dull, wet thud.

“Wha-” Wraith’s single remaining eye blinked in confusion as he watched my father slump to the deck.

“Vicious scoundrel, is it?” I called out, taking a shaky breath, trying to calm the rage coursing through my veins as I took aim once more at the dazed former Pirate Lord. “You don’t fucking know the meaning of the word ‘vicious’, you fucking bastard! Let me teach you, right here and right now!”

Chapter 37

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 117

My first shot skimmed past Wraith’s head as he dodged away, but the second was only barely deflected as he wildly swung his gigantic great sword.

The distance between us was too great. I needed to close in.

I engaged my boots and surged across the rigging, cross over to the next set of sails as I made my way closer to my target. Wraith continued to dodge, avoiding or deflecting each my arrows, using the smallest motions he could to keep, in order to keep himself from harm.

The analytical side of my mind fired back that he had to be doing such a weird thing for a reason. Despite the fact Wraith knew I was the most dangerous target, he was trying to conserve his strength.

Why?

I didn’t think he had any tricks left to pull out and turn our duel around, but perhaps the Elven Council had given him a trump card—one that would be dangerous to the Pirate Fleets.

And if they were wiped out, it would only be a matter of time before I met my end.

No matter how skilled and powerful I was, there wasn’t a chance I’d be able to defeat an entire armada of Elven navy vessels and their crews, each ship filled with heavily armed and expertly trained warriors.

Eventually, they’d wear me down. I wasn’t about to let it get to that point, though.

“Being a fucking coward again, aren’t you?” I leaped forward and landed atop the last of the dreadnought’s ragged and torn masts. “You and me, Swordsman’s Duel. Right here, right now!”

Wraith froze in place as he heard my challenge. He knew what it meant, and how much of an advantage he’d have. A Swordsman’s Duel was quite strict about the weapons that could be used, after all. The clue was in the name.

“You- Think I give a fuck what you want?” Wraith’s scarred face twisted horribly into a vicious grin. “Promises? Duels? Fuck that and fuck you! I’ll kill all of you, and I don’t give a flying fuck what you any of you think about me!”

Before I could launch another shot, Wraith reached up to his face and firmly grabbed the shard of black monster horn embedded in his eye socket—and twisted it.

A deep, shuddering wave of pressure blasted out across the bay. The others nearby weren’t all that affected, but I could feel it, and I knew what it meant. Wraith was using the emperor behemoth shard to summon… something.

Something big.

Panicked screams rang out in the distance as several ships rocked and swayed with ever increasing power. The waves of the Lanoi Sea rose up, higher and higher with every passing moment until a massive beast broke out into the open.

Then another one appeared. And another. Three Grand Zekiers.

Each was a larger specimen than the one I’d fought in Keria’s Arena.

A trio of disaster classed monsters, and they were all bearing down on the Elven navy and the Pirate Fleets—and their target was firmly set.

Me.

“Fuck.” I glanced down at Wraith, who was keeping up his guard as he started at me with gleeful, vindictive rage.

“What will you do now? Nothing can stop them!” Wraith hopped from one foot to the other, not caring in the slightest as the behemoths rammed and shattered Elven Navy ships who were unlucky enough to be between them and their primary objective.

He clearly thought he’d won the battle already. What else could he think, given the cards we’d both shown? But I still had a few tricks up my sleeve.

“You’re not the only one with big friends.” I shook my head and glanced back up the destroyed cliff behind me. “You’re up, Gran.”

A thundering bellow rang out across the land, over the sea, around the world it seemed. The noise was so loud, I felt a physical force pushing against me. I watched several of the dreadnought’s Elven Navy crew fall to their knees in terror.

And that was before Gran’s enormous figure appeared at the top of the cliff face.

The forces arrayed below him only had a brief moment of shock and terror before the unthinkable happened. Gran, the towering emperor behemoth, whose size dwarfed even the largest dreadnought class ships in the Elven Navy, lunged forward—

And jumped off the cliff.

Even though I’d half expected it, seeing Gran’s huge form sailing through the air far above my head sent a chill down my spine. He was so big, his body caused a shadow to be cast over the whole area of the naval engagement as his forward momentum quickly fell away, turning the lumbering behemoth into a huge, deadly mass, falling directly down into the mess below him.

Fortunately, Gran’s aim was true.

Even though their size difference wasn’t too far off, the Grand Zekier Gran landed on couldn’t do little more than let out a single, terrified squawk before he smashed it into the waves of the Lanoi Sea.

At that speed, I knew the water would feel as stolid as a rock to the unfortunate beast crushed beneath Gran’s enormous bulk.

“One down.” I turned my gaze to the other two Grand Zekiers. Even though Gran was an emperor behemoth, I knew the old fool was still recovering from his long imprisonment down in the stronghold’s subbasement, whilst his opponents seemed fresh and young in comparison.

Two black shadows leapt from Gran’s back, landing atop the Grand Zekier closer to him before they began to rip and tear into the behemoth’s flesh with reckless abandon. Kiel and his new mate had joined the fray, but it would still be a tricky fight for Gran to win.

With their help, maybe he could win defeat one of the beasts, but two?

Fortunately for Gran, only one of the Grand Zekiers turned to face him. Unfortunately for me, the other ignored the impending death of its comrade and continued on its previous path—directly towards me.

“You think I give a fuck?!” Wraith’s mad cackle echoed across the deck as he pointed his great sword wildly in my direction. “You’ll die, one way or the other. I’ll make sure everyone you care about-”

I cut Wraith off with another arrow. My shaft, as expected, was blocked at the last second. It wasn’t difficult to keep up a steady stream of shots on the evasive prick, but I knew I didn’t have long to take him out directly.

The Grand Zekier was closing in far too quickly for that to be feasible—and there was no way I could let that monster crash into the ship.

“Fuck!” I grit my teeth angrily as I fired one last, furious shot down toward Wraith. “Fuck this shit to the seventh hell!”

I needed to focus on the Grand Zekier, and that meant Wraith would seize upon the chance to get away. But what else could I do? Alone, I couldn’t—

“Wes!”

I heard a chorus of voices, calling my name in the distance, pulling my attention away to a distant vessel, closing the gap between us with each passing second. I knew who it was who’d yelled, and there was no way I’d forget the shape of the ship hurtling toward us.

Freya had found me, and she’d brought the Master of the Seas with her. But she wasn’t sailing it directly toward the dreadnought whose decks I stood upon. Instead, the advanced pirate ship took one last, arcing turn—and slammed into the side of the approaching Grand Zekier.

I could hear the crunching of flesh, bone, and hardened wood as unstoppable force met the immovable object. Neither fared well from the impact, but it was clear the Master of the Seas wouldn’t be able to escape, as it had impaled itself deep into the behemoths flank.

But the Grand Zekier wasn’t finished, not just yet.

Either from its own survival instincts, or thanks to the mental conditioning and control Wraith had used on it, the behemoth struggled forward despite the fatal blow it had taken. One huge limb slammed down on the deck of the Master of the Seas, snapping the mast like a dry twig and smashing through the stricken vessel’s top deck into the waters below.

The strike flung the ship to the side, wrenching it free from the Grand Zekier’s flesh. The behemoth ignored the fountain of blood gushing from its flank as it closed in to deal the finishing blow.

“No!” I pulled back on my bow once more, taking aim toward the weakened Grand Zekier. But before I could loose the shot, yet another player joined the battle.

Kimo, Gran’s mate, finally made her appearance.

Chapter 38

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 117

The wounded Grand Zekier roared furiously as Kimo’s claws dug deep into its flesh. Despite the fact she was considerably smaller than her mate, Gran, Kimo was still an emperor behemoth. She didn’t lack much in size, compared to her opponent.

But still, the possessed beast didn’t give in. Despite the blood gushing from its various wounds, the Grand Zekier pushed onward in its single-minded desire to land a final, fatal blow on the stricken Master of the Seas. It was as if it knew how dangerous the ship could be if it was allowed to retreat from the battle.

Kimo did her best to hold the creature back, but it wasn’t easy for her to land enough damage in a single blow to incapacitate the enraged behemoth. And that was before a number of nearby Elven Navy vessels joined the fray. Likely captained by followers loyal to Wraith, several ships moved into range and opened fire on Kimo’s flank.

Though their runesmith cannonballs weren’t strong enough to pierce her thick hide, it was clear their explosive payloads weren’t easy for the emperor behemoth to ignore, pelting her, as they were, with such ferocity.

“Defend the empress!” A loud yell rang out from above as a crowd of figures rushed into view across Kimo’s back. It took me a moment to realize who they were. When I did, I couldn’t help but stand there, mouth agape, in shock at their appearance. Elaenor, along with her hunting party, had ridden Kimo all the way over the Lanoi Sea to assist in our battle.

The Desert Elf tribe, seemingly enraged by the cowardly attack on the beast they revered, leaped from Kimo’s back down toward the ships crowding the behemoth’s flank. For a moment I thought they might have taken a suicidal leap, but each member of the hunting party skillfully stabbed their knives into the sails of their targets to slow their descent.

Even if the bastards still working under Wraith’s orders wanted to continue their assault, they’d have to deal with the furious onslaught of Elaenor and the band of trained warriors who had rained down on them from the skies above.

Not the easiest of tasks.

But still, the Grand Zekier continued on its single-minded mission, unfazed by the commotion going on around it. It seemed like Kimo and Gran, despite the fact they were emperor behemoth royalty, weren’t able to exercise their unique abilities to control the Grand Zekiers—at least not after they’d already been through the Elven Council’s experiments and preparations.

If I didn’t do something soon, though, then Freya and the rest of the crew aboard the advanced warship she’d created for me would meet their grizzly ends at the bottom of the Lanoi sea, crushed beneath the Grand Zekier’s final, vindictive strike.

Before it could reach the Master of the Sea, however, another vessel blasted through the Elven navy encirclement and cut loose with a barrage of runesmith shot directly into the behemoth’s face.

“Lira!” I recognized the ginger haired pirate at the wheel of the brave ship that had intervened. Only one person could be brave enough to place herself between an enraged behemoth and its prey. “Took you long enough!”

“Kill that fucker already!” Lira shouted back as she swung her relatively small vessel alongside the Master of the Sea. “We’ll deal with this.”

Even with her timely intervention, it would be a close thing for the Master of the Sea’s crew to escape. I wanted to leap out and stop the behemoth from reaching the Master of the Seas, but there was no way I could cross that distance in time, and that was even if I ignored the rapid deterioration of the battle going on all around me.

Explosions and screams rent the air all around as the three-way battle between Wraith’s loyal followers and controlled behemoths, the remnants of the Elven Navy, and my own Pirate Fleets continued on unabated.

I noted the ships captained by Dew, Kaede, and Jean at different points across the huge mess of splintered ships and burning wreckage that littered the sea. Though they were still active in the ongoing battle, it was clear the superior numbers of the Elven Navy were causing them issues as they valiantly sought to come to my aid.

“Fuck!” I shot off another arrow in Wraith’s direction, mostly in an attempt to break his concentration, but the agile fucker dodged it at the last second yet again. “Fuck you!”

I needed to do something to pull his attention firmly back my way. Clearly, Wraith was forcing the Grand Zekier toward the Master of the Seas against its natural instincts—instincts that should have sent the creature fleeing for its life—likely because he’d somehow learned it was my personal vessel and knew it would most likely be crewed by people I cared deeply about.

There was no way I’d let that go on. So, out of other options, I stowed my bow, drew my sword, and leaped from my perch, directly down onto Wraith’s cloaked form.

“Finally!” Wraith hissed as he met my blow head on. The momentum of my fall added extra force to my strike, knocking the gifted swordsman back a step, but he quickly recovered as he used the immense weight of his weapon to push me aside. “No more tricks, you said! Let’s see who has the last laugh, now?”

The Elven Navy crew still standing on the deck looked unsure of how to react. Some were on the verge of stepping forward to reinforce their ‘commander’, while others were clearly torn after the vicious comments Wraith had yelled about how little he cared for his new ‘comrades’.

Either way, I doubted any would have the skills to help or hinder me in my battle.

It looked like Wraith wanted the pleasure of defeating me one on one—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Die!” Wraith took the opportunity to launch the first strike as he leapt toward me, his huge great sword held aloft. The downward strike had more than enough power to cut me in half, had I tried to block it.

I didn’t make an effort to block the blow. Instead, I slipped a step to the side and used my smaller blade’s superior speed to thrust at the rapidly approaching elf’s chest.

But then, despite his dire situation, a vicious grin popped onto Wraith’s face.

“Shit!” I forced as much power as I could into my legs as I dove to the side with all my strength.

Just in time.

Wraith spun like a top in midair, cleaving a massive gash from the ship’s deck where I had stood a moment before. Black flames flared along the edge of his blade as he hefted it once more, a vindictive glint to his single eye.

“Good dodge. Let’s see how you do with this one!”

The maddened elf’s assault raged on as he swung his great sword with reckless abandon. Though we were both gifted, my own powers were mostly related to the bow, though I had undergone years of harsh practice and training to force my body to fully utilize the enhanced reflexes and strength at my disposal to their fullest extent.

It was far from a fair fight, and Wraith knew that; he counted on that. But clearly, he didn’t care in the slightest. Blocking the massive sword’s sweeping cuts was out of the question, but I could still dodge or deflect his blows. Where not so long ago I’d been the predator, hunting my prey from above, now it seemed Wraith was the hungry lion, doing everything it could to pin down the wily wolf before it.

Fortunately, my plan had worked.

While Wraith focused all of his rage and spite in my direction, his control over the Grand Zekier waned. The behemoth’s formerly single-minded desire to destroy the Master of the Seas had faded, being replaced instead by a clear and unhesitating instinct to escape the battle.

And that had given Lira more than enough room to drag the severely damaged Master of the Seas away from the behemoths’ tussle, back toward the waiting Pirate Fleet’s forces in the distance.

I couldn’t afford to give them any more than a quick glance, though, as Wraith’s sword came within inches of separating my head from my shoulders. I backed quickly away, moving step by step to the center of the deck. It was clear Wraith thought he had me against the ropes. He did all he could to force me closer to the still unmoving body of my father.

“If only dear old dad could have seen you now, trapped like a rat!” Wraith let out a shrill cackle that barely registered in my mind as a demented laugh. “Run, Wes, Run!”

“Enough.” I took a stand as Wraith pulled back his blade for one final thrust. “I’m done with your shit. Come at me, Wraith.”

The sudden declaration of intent caught my opponent off guard, but he quickly recovered, and a huge grin threatened to split his scarred and ragged visage in two.

“Defiant to the end!” He took up a stance, more akin to an executioner’s than a warrior’s, preparing himself for our final exchange. “You should have run. Ending it like this… it’s too easy!”

I focused on his blade as it approached my chest. Wraith was a vindictive prick, but he had been extremely intelligent. There was no way he’d have made it to the rank of Pirate Lord, otherwise.

But he’d let his rage and ego overcome him at the last moment, as most villains were want to do.

“Hah!” I planted my feet and raised my sword. No dodging, no evading.

We’d meet, edge to edge, blade to blade.

An ear-piercing screech rang through the air as our weapons connected. Wraith’s blade felt like it weighed more than a battleship as it crushed down upon me, pushing my sword back toward my chest as he tried to cut me in half, from shoulder to waist.

But… I blocked it.

Wraith’s great sword crashed into my shoulder, slamming into and breaking my collar bone before coming to a stop against my upper ribs.

Somehow, I’d survived.

“Wha-” Wraith blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing as he prepared to wrench his sword free once more, obviously missing the fact that I’d reached around to the quiver at my back with my uninjured arm.

But he was too slow.

“Die you fucking bastard!” I used my free hand to thrust the arrowhead into Wraith’s face.

He tried to dodge, but the distance between us was too small. Still, Wraith was skilled, and he knew the advantages he held.

As my arrow pierced forward, he turned his face to the side—and blocked it with the shard of monster horn stuck into his skull.

“Ha ha ha!” Wraith roared with twisted laughter as he stepped back, leaving the great sword embedded deep in my shoulder as he waved madly through the air. “Is that the best you can do? Weak and pathetic last-ditch effort, I tell you-”

But then he paused as he noticed the odd thing protruding from his face.

My arrowhead had buried itself deep within the rock-hard mass of horn wedged into his unseeing eye socket.

“What is this? How the hell…” He reached up and grabbed ahold of the arrow’s shaft but, try as he might, he couldn’t pull it free. His anger turned to panic as lines of pulsing energy lit up along the shard of monster horn in his eye socket.

He paused, taking a step toward me as he pointed wildly in my direction. “You fucker! I’ll kill-”

BOOM!

Before he could finish his threat, the shard of monster horn exploded, turning the gifted elf’s head into a red mist of blood and brain matter. His outstretched finger, pointing accusingly at me, twitched once before Wraith’s headless corpse tumbled to the deck.

“Now that’s what I call vicious, you bastard.”

I grunted as I pulled Wraith’s blade free from my shoulder and turned to face the terrified Elven Navy crew who stood, wide eyed all around me. “So, do you want to surrender now, or should we carry on with this shitshow?”

It only took them a few seconds for one of the few remaining officers to make a decision and a few more before the signal bell rang clearly from the dreadnought’s upper deck. The Elven Navy armada, after losing their commander and nearly half their ships, surrendered to the Pirate Fleets without any further aggression.

Chapter 39

Pirate Hideout: Home base Alpha / Monster Isle - Day 117

We accepted their surrender without too many ‘incidents’. A few officers of the Elven Navy didn’t want to give in until the last man fell, but they were quickly disarmed and restrained by their own crews. After everything they’d seen and heard during the battle, it was clear the vague orders they’d received to capture the ‘traitor’ Weslilian Yannisa weren’t the whole, complete story.

Kimo and Gran shared a few words with me, thanking us for reuniting the pair and wishing us well before they left to find a new home. They made sure to let me know they planned to keep in contact, once they’d settled down, so it wasn’t likely I’d not get the chance to repay the favor after all they’d done to help us win the ‘Battle of the Monster Lords’, as it came to be called.

No matter what they named it, my main priority remained on those I counted as family. Not until I knew the fate of my girls and my father, did I let them carry me down to the captain’s cabin to wash and bind my wounds.

Freya had been injured when she’d steered the Master of the Seas into the Grand Zekier’s flank, but she would make a full recovery after a few days of rest, along with the most of her dedicated crew.

Kaede, Jean, and Dew each sported minor wounds, but nothing life threatening, especially since Dew had prepared several cauldrons worth of her vile concoctions for the wounded to share between them.

But the luckiest of all, was my father. My arrow had pierced the old elf’s body with ease, sliding between his upper ribs before it threaded its way out his back—missing all major organs along the way.

It had been a risky shot, but there hadn’t been any other way I could save him. Not that my father blamed me in the slightest. In fact, for the first time I could remember, he actually seemed… proud of me.

I recuperated on the dreadnought for nearly a weak—when the adrenaline finally wore off, my body crashed, hard. I woke after gagging down one of Dew’s vile concoctions two days later. I was surprised to find Elaenor sitting in a chair beside my bed when I awoke.

“Oh, you are finally awake.” The desert elf’s words sounded hesitant, shy almost.

I gestured weakly at the wooden tankard at her elbow and she hurried to help me sit up and take a drink of water. Once my throat didn’t feel like her race’s namesake, I gave the tanned huntress a smile.

“I was surprised when you and your hunting party leaped up to defend Kimo from the Elven Navy.” I chuckled. “Not as surprised, I bet, as they were when you launched yourselves from on high into their sails.”

She smiled, nodding shyly at my praise.

This was the first time I’d seen the desert elf without a loose robe and hood. Her light brown hair was done up in a number of tight, intricate braids bound in gold clasps. It looked lovely, matching her hazel eyes and tawny skin.

“You look amazing, by the way.”

She ducked her head, embarrassed, then raised it defiantly to stare at me. “I’m glad to hear you think so. It’s not often a desert elf clan leader cleans up to present herself to a high elf warrior.”

My eyes might have gotten a bit wide at this declaration. ‘Presenting’ oneself in desert elf culture was the equivalent of courting in high elf society. I’d come to respect, appreciate, and liked being around the quiet huntress, but I didn’t know her feelings for me ran so deep.

I hesitated only a moment before taking her tanned fingers between mine. I brushed my lips to her knuckles, then lifted her hand to the corner of each of my eyes. “May we enjoy the shade together. When next I find an oasis, you will be the first one I tell.”

The hazel-eyed beauty threw back her braids and laughed. It was a light, joyful sound I could listen to all day. Clearly my knowing the culturally appropriate words to say at such an occasion came as a pleasant surprise. I chuckled with her before growing serious once more.

“My acceptance of your courting pledge…” I hesitated and then frowned. “My acceptance has to be conditional until you obtain the approval of my four companions: Dew, Freya, Kaede, and Jean.” I shrugged, then winced as pain shot through my shoulder.

“It is alright,” Elaenor said. “I suspected such might be the case. I have already sought and secured the approval of three of your ladies.”

My eyebrow arched. “Kaede didn’t put up a fuss, did she? I thought we were past that when she finally accepted Jean.”

“No.” The tanned beauty at my side shook her head. “I was surprised when Dew said I’d first have to spar with before I could ‘have access’ to you.”

It sounded like my feisty wood elf was up to her usual tricks. “Did you have to best her in order to come see me?” 

“No,” Elaenor dipped her head, hiding behind her braids. “I lost, every time, no matter how hard I fought. She said I could meet with you, regardless of whether or not I won or lost, though.”

“What?” I asked, confused.

When the desert elf raised her head, I noted she was blushing so hard her dusky cheeks had nearly turned purple.

“If I won, my first time with you—assuming you agreed to my courtship—would be just us two. Since I lost…” she ducked her head again and hid behind her braids. “Since I lost, we will be joined by all four of them—and… and I can’t be with you until after I accept my punishment.”

Her head snapped up and she glared at me when I burst out laughing. Knowing Dew, Elaenor’s punishment would most likely be the same one she and Freya had administered to Kaede after they’d accepted her into our little group. Between chuckles, I explained it wasn’t something to worry overly much about—just Dew’s way of welcoming new friends and sisters into our unusual family.

After that, we talked for another hour before my eyes grew heavy once more. I kissed Elaenor’s knuckles again before she departed and I sank back into the mattress, exhausted. I heard faint voices at the door before sleep claimed me. I hope Dew hadn’t been too hard on the girl.

Smith came by a day or so after that. He gave me a succinct report on the engagement with the Elven Navy; while we’d taken a number of losses, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d feared it would be.

I can’t imagine the amount of crap Jean likely had to put up with while I was unconscious. I owed her for that, and she knew it. She wasn’t shy about declaring how I’d have to give her some special one-on-one attention to clear the debt.

My sister, Arianna, gave me the evil eye when she came to see me, though she spent most of her time tending to our father. Clearly, she was angry I’d hurt him, though that didn’t stop her from giving me a rough and ready hug before returning to his side once more. As ever, she knew what I’d done was for the best—even if she disproved of my methods.

Kiel and his mate came through the battle unharmed. Gran credited the pair with landing several fatal blows to the Grand Zekier during the fight, though the behemoth had ignored the ghastly wounds as it raged against the world, right to the end.

The shadow panther cub, or—stated more accurately—the fully grown shadow panther alpha, shared a short bonding session with me, Dew, and the others before returning to the wilds of Monster Isle.

According to Dew, Kiel would still be around, but he needed his space. Though it was natural for a child to leave the nest eventually, it was obvious Dew still took the parting hard. I guess every mother finds it tough to cut the apron strings.

I wasn’t allowed much time to recover in the chaos that followed the aftermath of the battle. Dew dosed me with her vile medicines daily and I’d need to keep my arm in a sling for at least another month for my clavicle to mend, but the ripped muscle and ligament in my shoulder healed nicely thanks to those nasty potions Dew kept pushing on me.

Once the details of their surrender had been worked out, Jean, along with Franklin and Smith, took me to meet an interesting group of passengers who they’d found aboard Wraith’s vessel after the fight and who now shared a communal stateroom… in the brig.

“You lot!” I glared at the quivering, pale-faced figures huddling at the back of their cell. After everything that had happened, the world conspired to surprise me one last time when I recognized the elves Jean had taken prisoner.

They were the Elven Council. Every single one of them.

“What the fuck are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be hiding away in your offices, sipping wine while you send better elves out to die for you?”

“I- You- Can’t do this to us,” one of their number mumbled as he started to step forward. The old coward tried to push himself back into the crowd of lily-livered cretins behind him the instant my gaze turned his way. “This is- We surrendered. We’re prisoners of war- You can’t- You wouldn’t-”

“What do ya want to do with ‘em, Wes?” Jean ignored the councils’ disjointed attempts to talk their way out of the situation as she winked at me. “They could just, ya know, go missing... No one would know the difference, right?”

“No.” I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “We’ll take them back to Keria.” I saw the relieved looks on a few of the councilors faces, but their expressions dropped as I added. “I’m sure their victims want to see justice served for the many crimes these fuckers committed. Whatever the outcome of the trial, that will be their punishment.”

The finality of my tone brooked no argument. The council members were too distraught to beg for forgiveness. They knew what the judgment would be delivered for each and every single one of them—Death. But only if they were lucky.

[NEED TO INSERT A PAGE OR TWO HERE FOR WES TO RECOVER A BIT—HE DID HAVE A GREAT SWORD EMBEDDED INTO HIS SHOULDER—BEFORE HE MEETS ANYONE ELSE]

After a week to recover, I finally agreed to my father’s request to meet up with the remnants of the Elven Navy’s command structure.

Most had been loyal servants of the elven nations. Strong willed men and women, every single one, it was clear what their responses had been once they realized what the Elven Council was planning. But they’d been rounded up and imprisoned before they could do anything to change the orders of their beloved navy.

Fortunately, Wraith, in his never-ending ego trip, had decided to drag them along for the journey aboard his ship. Taerk, a former high-ranking officer of the Elven navy, had been the one to find and rescue his comrades in arms, which probably rankled their spirits more than a little, given how wide my old friend’s grin had remained throughout the meeting.

And now, they would be the bridge between myself, a Pirate Lord, and the rest of the Elven Navy in which I had once served.

But there weren’t any admirals remaining to oversee the Elven Navy. Given the battles we’d been through, along with the ‘untimely’ end of their former Grand Admiral, Olea Yannisa, and the unfortunate demise of her stand in, Drake (NAME CHECK AS NOT SURE IF YOU CHANGED THIS DUTCH), the navy had yet to promote anyone back up to that rank.

The one suggested to take on that mantle did surprise me a little when they first mentioned it.

Under my father’s calm gaze, the collected leaders of the Elven Navy turned in my direction.

And begged me to take over as Grand Admiral of the Elven Navy. At first, I tried to refuse, but the positives of the new title they dangled before me far outweighed the negatives: all my former ‘crimes’ washed away, my record clean and spotless; the Pirate fleets, fully integrated into the Elven Navy, if they wished it; my father and sister, taken back to Keria and given their old lives back, along with enough wealth to permit them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

I decided to accept their proposal—on one condition. I demanded my father be the one to head the new council, along with affording him the right to select new council members to oversee the Elven Nations. Despite all that had happened, the high elves needed a leader, someone they could trust to look out for their best interest.

Fortunately, my request wasn’t all that hard for the Elven Navy leadership to accept. After the former Elven Council’s deeds were made public knowledge, the Navy were the only ones who had any real power, so their backing ensured the transition would be relatively painless.

Dew, Freya, Kaede, and Jean made it clear that wherever I went, they would follow. I felt the same, of course, but it was heartening to know I had people I could trust with my life at every turn, beside me on whatever path I chose to take.

Elaenor stepped up at that point to act as the liaison between the Desert Elves and the new Elven Council. Though the relationship between the two sides had been worn thin, Elaenor was confident she’d be able to persuade the other clan heads to at least listen to our proposal for a truce.

And that had the added benefit that she’d be able to visit Keria at any point. Or, more precisely, she’d be able to come see me whenever she wanted. Desert Elves are incredibly open and straightforward in expressing their desires. Thankfully, my girls didn’t have any real complaints when Elaenor had come to them to make her intentions clear—though Dew did take the opportunity to play her little prank on the desert elf.

Hearing the story from the wood elf, apparently for the first time, Jean threw her hands in the air and stomped out of the room. Kaede couldn’t stop laughing, though, and Dew’s grin stretched ear to ear. After that was all sorted, Elaenor departed with a kiss on my cheek.

“Pirate Lord and Grand Admiral.” Dew giggled as she poked my good shoulder. “Any other titles you plan on picking up, pretty boy?”

“Master is master, after all.” Freya smiled gently as looked out across the finally empty meeting table. “Maybe we should improve your ship? Extra power, enhanced engines... Hmm-”

“Seriously. I think all this has made me immune to being shocked anymore.” Kaede sighed softly as she leaned back in the overstuffed chair beside mine. “I’m glad I joined you, though. I wanted an adventure. This was certainly enough of one to last me a lifetime.”

“Well, it isn’t over yet, ya know.” Jean grinned as she came back into the room, waving a hand at the intricate drawing of the world inscribed in the top of the massive table before us. “Where to next, Wes? The world’s open to ya, it seems.”

“Anything is possible.” I looked at each of the beautiful maidens before me before I turned my attention back to the map. “But I think we should start… here!”

[J1]You still haven't told us what KIND of behemoths these are. 

[J2]What color are Ari's eyes? Blue, green, or gold?