Perhaps to the surprise of no one, I woke up a bit later into the day than I normally would. I would have to blame the attention I gave to Ellen last night. Naturally, it be not her fault since I kind of sprung it on her, but I doubted she hated it as much as she claimed she did. Her curses that night didn't carry their usual fire. She merely walked back to her room after bidding me a good night. I think I should have been weirded out by that, but my sleepy brain must not have been up for figuring it out.
I bring this up because I think I would have slept for longer if Diane hadn't been making small movements and groans. I had surmised that my treatment of her last night had left her mightily uncomfortable through the night. That said, I didn't hear one word of complaint from her groaning lips. Whether that be because of her pride or her inner masochism, I held no idea. However, her bouts of discomfort had forced me to acknowledge that I wasn't getting any more sleep.
Ya might think this was the time where I would punish Diane by smacking her lovely ass for irritating me so. It was most unfortunate, but that wasn't the case. Instead, I had Burnwood on my bed, naked as a babe, with hot oils and smooth lotion on her skin, while I massaged and caressed her body.
Just as I had done for Ellen and Aesteal, I made sure to show Burnwood that there were two sides to punishment. First, was the fire and the passion. Last, was the cold and the tenderness. Aye, a pirate ain't much known for that whole tenderness shit, but I'm not every other pirate. This was how I did things. Perhaps this is how I would always do things as long as my soul was attached to this body of combined spit and earth.
I rubbed Diane's shoulders and trailed the oil and lotion down her back. Like the horny bastard I was, I spent some time kneading Burnwood's ass. Her quivering form beneath my touch drove my arousal to great heights. It certainly didn't help that, due to our position, her feet would raise and tickle my ass whenever I applied pressure to her sensitive areas.
"Mmmmm," She moaned as I pressed my thumbs into her back. Her well-toned muscles provided my fingers with apt stimulation. My cock was buried between the crevice of her cheeks as I received my own pleasure from this massage that had been taking place.
Neither of us spoke as I then moved to her shoulders. I heard some tense muscles crack and shift, but Burnwood offered no words of complaint so I moved on. I paid attention to every corner of her body and though there was pleasure to be had here, it was not the end goal of my desires for once.
There had always been an underlying tension between Diane and myself. Ever since we first met, well first for her, on Draegnar, we had remained professionally distant from each other due to my business with Liara. Perhaps our Draegnarian sass towards each other was the problem from our first meeting. In Diane's eyes, I was no more than a poor brat way in over my head. I had no doubts that she assumed I would be another in the long list of men who crossed Liara and lost their souls to their own hubris in response. I was sure I had broken down every failing expectation she had of me. That must have infuriated her all the more.
Plus, the witch had grown fascinated with me. How I bet it burned Diane to see my lips meet Ilzahold's whenever it was convenient for one of us. How could someone like me hold such a privilege?
As she tried to understand more of me, the more she noticed my activities with my mother, Ellen, Aesteal, and Liara. Strong women, powerful women submitted themselves to me in a manner she didn't get. The more she tried, the harder she fell until she submitted to me as well. I was more than just some lowly brat on a makeshift island of wrecked ships. I was a man with great power and ambition. She had no choice but to recognize that.
She also had to recognize that what I had with the others was not disconnected from anything else. I was the captain of this vessel. I was the one who gave the orders and plotted the courses of the ship. It was no different from my dealings with them. Aside from Ellen at the very start of our relationship, I had done nothing with anyone that they couldn't back out of. It was why I was careful in my dealings with Aesteal.
Nevertheless, I imagine that Burnwood and I now have an appropriate understanding between us. I do think she still desires to place a bullet in my head. The thought makes me laugh.
Once I'm done, I wipe my hands and sit in my chair. I sought no further stimulation with Liara's guard and I think she became aware of that. Hell, dare I say I saw disappointment upon her face when she leaned up? I'm not surprised someone like Diane can take a beating.
I allowed myself the wonderful sight of Burnwood getting dressed. She gathered up her clothes, placed on her black coat, and fastened her boots. Unsurprisingly, her eyes did not attempt to meet mine during that entire process. When she turned to leave, I spoke.
"Hmm, this voyage might come to an end when Liara learns of what I've done to you. If I am to die, should I not receive thanks for risking my life to punish an unruly member of my ship?" I asked. My fingers clasped together, and my left leg over my right knee, I watched Diane pause at the door.
"Thank you, sir," She replied.
My eyes narrowed. "Turn around and look me in the eye when you speak to me. I was gracious enough to ease your pain when we woke up. If you're going to continue with an attitude like that then you're welcome to leave and never enter my quarters again," I replied.
Granted, I think that wouldn't be too hard for Diane at first, but there was no doubt that within her mind she was thinking of all the depraved, dirty, sensual things I could do behind these doors. What I had done to her and more was within my means and never again would she experience the strong arm and harsh blow of a paddle against her skin. Her mind was full of excuses, but the bod of the guard of Liara could not withhold its honesty. She had cum. She had cum hard from my touch. Was there anyone on this ship who could do what I had done? Dare she take the chance?
The answers to these questions were made when Burnwood turned around and walked back to me. "Thank you, Sir. Thank you...for risking...your life to...punish me," She said, a tremble here and there between words. I'm not sure if those trembles were of rage or of nervousness, but either way, they made me quite satisfied.
"Come here," I ordered.
She came a little closer to me and I delighted in the kiss that I surprised her with. She tried to pull away, but I grabbed her head and firmly pressed her body against mine. A rush of stimulation ran through my body as her tongue tried to tackle mine before we pulled away.
"Very good. Be a good slut and maybe I'll decide to risk my life for another night. Now go before you worry Liara with your absence. You're dismissed," I said.
"Thank you, Sir," she growled out. She then turned around and groaned in a voice of pain and pleasure when I smacked her sore bottom cheeks. My eyes locked on to that tantalizing jiggle of her ass.
Burnwood fired off a glare at me, but I merely responded with a wink of my right eye. She then left as I heard the sounds of my crew working outside. I had given everyone enough rest and enough mirth to fill the entire ship. It would be time to continue soon. That would move us into the third trial. One more would remain after that trial, more terrifying than the others.
I turned my chair back to my desk. I had taken this time to work some of Liara's magic into my wisened head. With her magic, I walked the steps of my previous passage through the Graven Sea. After all, before I had landed on Delverhold, I had acquired rather sizable buried treasures and sunken riches. I would not leave them to collect dust or seaweed wherever they laid. They would still find their place aboard my ship along with all the other wealth I had collected.
I had to take out a separate map from the one I had been using to draw and mark the places that my memory had led me. It was a bit aggravating, but I persisted through this until I was satisfied. When I pushed myself away from my desk, I heard a knock on my door.
"Enter," I said.
The door opened and my beautiful mother appeared, her hair flowing like auburn leaves in the wind. "Glad to see you're finally awake. I had a feeling ever since I saw the results of your work when Diane left your room. What unholy things have you laid upon her?" My mother asked as I watched her lovely hips saunter down the steps until she stood before me.
"Why must you think me a devil, mother? I only gave what she wanted," I replied, a not so pure smile on my face.
"Aye, devils do give fuckers what they think they want. If I had not mistaken, then I would be sure I was bedded by an incubus rather than a human male," she claimed while I laughed. She shared a chuckle with me before she held up a piece of paper. From what I could tell, it seemed to be a report of sorts.
Before she could open her mouth, I held up a hand. She eyed me curiously only to roll her eyes when I patted her seating place. I didn't catch the full mumble under her breath, but I'm sure I heard 'hony bastard' in there somewhere.
Aye, she wasn't wrong in that regard.
So, my mother took her seat on my lap and my arms around her lovely body as she read me the report of the ship's structure, crew maintenance, food supply, treasure vault, and financial standing. It was a little boring to hear, but I figured the warmth of my mother was enough to keep me awake and listening.
It might have been because of the celebration last night, but the food had taken a notable dip. Of course, I still held more than enough. I would not need to go pulling fish, sharks, and other manner of creature from the sea for us to feed on, but it was a reminder that I would need to remain aware that there was no need for everyone to feast like weighted kings in a dining chamber.
"Hmmm, I wonder how many bones are swimming down the sea as we speak," I said.
"Not many I should say, since the Witch asked for all the bones to be given to her," My mother replied.
...I dared not ask. There are too many rituals and items involving bones for me to know what she needs them for.
"Is that so?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.
I allowed my mother to go back to her own duties while I decided now would be a good time to go outside and face the air.
I opened the door and I noticed that it there was a tighter breeze than what had been there last night. It wouldn't deny that it felt rather nice to feel the wind since all I had to feel yesterday was unease and tension.
My boots knocked against the wood as I saw Maeloson and Aesteal practicing archery with their warriors. I don't exactly recall where all those arrows came from, but I assume they must have been a part of this ship's arsenal before it had been loaned to me.
As I watched the men and women from Hilvir fire their arrows, some successful and others not so successful, I thought about what I would use their people for. Naturally, having them as part of my crew was an added bonus to the elves. I remember I had charged Maeloson and Aesteal with finding a suitable purpose for these former captives if I was to help them.
I couldn't deny that the idea they gave to me held some merit, and not for the reasons that they thought.
Since I had won Ellen, and by extension her business The Dead Tales, I could have these men and women aid in the management and expanse of that business. Now, one might be asking what the hell a pirate would need something like that for? Well, while I might be in the mood to dig up and scour for treasure, information was something different.
Ellen had great connections, definitely not as wide or spectacular as Liara's, but great connections nonetheless. While I sailed and spread my name, it would not be so bad to spread these trained warriors throughout the world of D'orn.
Even now, I still do not know who this great enemy is that orchestrated my death at the hands of my former beloved, Leah, and my crew. While I would not spare them their own destruction, I still needed answers to the questions I sought. These Hilverian warriors would be useful for that. I only hoped I could keep them alive for them to be of use to me. I was even considering sending some of them to learn of the situation in Alteria's nation.
Naturally, the only reason I was interested in playing a part in her little war was because she had promised me a supply of the empire's crystallized ash. To receive something as grand as that under these circumstances made returning to my reign over the seas a faster ambition.
I placed these thoughts in the back of my mind for later. I ordered that we continue. The sails were released and the anchor was pulled from the depths. The breeze of the wind, and my hand of the tides, carried us along as our journey into madness continued.
We sailed for about ten minutes or so before someone called out to me.
"Captain!" The person waved from the other side ship that led into the lower areas.
I pulled my eyes away from the map I had been reading to turn in that direction. The person who called out to me was a man with a scar over his top lip. "Sir, the Xhaluter calls for ya. Can't figure out shit nor spit of his tongue. He just yells 'Captain, Captain' to us. Makes it hard to play cards," he said to me.
Curiously, I gave Ellen control of the ship while I walked down the steps. It wasn't long until I reached the brig. I dismissed the guards as one of them tossed me the keys. I opened the door and stepped inside.
I paid no attention to Boreli. Instead, I kept my focus on the Xhaluter. The brown-skinned man bore fire into my eyes with his own gaze. I took a lone chair and sat in it in front of him.
"I hear ya cried for me?" I asked.
The Xhaluter did not respond to my question. Instead, he settled for glaring at me as if he was trying to weigh me down. I did not know why he was doing such a thing. I also had not the patience to care. So, I cast my magic spell and laid my hand on Nz'ia forehead like I had the last time.
"I'm busy. What do you want?" I asked.
Nz'ia stared at me for a bit longer before he finally decided to speak. "I shall sail beneath your flag, pirate. I will sail on your ship until my clansmen are secured and free to roam the hot desert lands of Gheaq once again," He said.
I looked him over and I found no lie in his words. Despite the Xhaluter's natural fear of the water, he was willing to sail under me to free his people. I did not ask for more. I had gotten what I needed from him.
I unlocked the Xhaluter's shackles and watched him stand to his feet. Once again, I found myself impressed with a Xhaluter's height. In contrast to myself. He stood at least seven feet tall. It could not be an exaggeration that he towered over me. Actually, he's about Goron's height, but not much for the giant's berth. Despite the obvious signs of malnutrition still prevalent in his body from his weeks of not eating, I'm still reminded that he is indeed a warrior fit to survive in the harsh and unforgiving waves of heat and sand.
"Farewell comrade. Tell stories of me!" Boreli said as I sought to lead Nzi'a from the brig. However, I stopped for a moment. I turned back to Astell and stared at him for a time. I can already feel the rage bubbling within me like a great volcano ready to release its wrath, but I keep it at bay.
I walked over to Boreli and picked him up. He nervously smiled at me. I could clearly see the fear in his eyes. No doubt he was worried I was going to sock him across the jaw like I had done when I got him on my ship the first time.
Instead of doing that, though it would have made me happy, I undid the bounds that held him to the brig as well. He stared at me, confused. That dumb look on his face irritated me. I grabbed his arm and shoved him towards the door.
"Move," I said.
He stumbled out of the door. The Xhaluter was next to follow, and I was the last. I locked the brig door and grabbed Astell's arm. I then pulled him and guided Nz'ia to the upper floors.
"So my time has come? You're gonna make me walk the plank! I'm gonna die like a sewer rat!" He exclaimed as he told of his woes and his misfortune. It got to such a point that I knocked the back of his head.
"Keep spouting shit and I'll make ya walk the plank without your legs," I threatened.
Boreli wisely shut his mouth after that. I then led him and Nz'ia into a room that which had been formerly occupied by some of the sailors who had abandoned my ship before the first trial. I noticed a group of men playing some type of game involving their ration tickets. Once they all took notice of me, they scrambled to their feet.
"Captain, t-this...umm...we be just...," someone said before I waved them off.
"I don't care. Take your game somewhere else. I need this room," I said. The men collected their cards and scrambled out of the room. I then pushed Astell inside as I entered along with Nz'ia.
"This will be your room from now on. Aside from my quarters and Liara's quarters, you both have free rein of the ship. Nz'ia, you will come to me if you have questions. I doubt most could speak your tongue anyway,"
He wordlessly agreed which led me to Boreli.
"If ya like your dick where it is then I best not hear you causing trouble," I said. My former First Mate looked at me before he looked out the window. He stared into the vast openness of nothing but water. He then looked back at me.
"How do you know I won't try to escape? I might not look it, but I can swim," he said.
I walked over to the window and pushed it open. I then reached into my coat and pulled out a piece of dried meat that had been my breakfast for the better part of the afternoon. Aye, that isn't really breakfast, but...I sure as the frozen hells ain't counting it as lunch.
I threw the piece of meat into the ocean and walked back. Suddenly, what seemed like a great seaquake rocked my ship and threw everyone off balance. A heavy bellow came from beneath the waves. Through the ship, we could all feel something hard grazing the underside of my ship. I'd have to repair that when I got the chance. As big as this vessel was, it would be no different from floating planks in the waves of more crashes like that happened.
"Be my guest. There ain't no whale to swallow you from what's beneath those waves," I said. Astell swallowed nervously as he patted his bed.
"Swimming is best done in calmer waters," He replied.
...Indeed it is.
So I left Nz'ia and Boreli in their own room. I did think to have someone keep an eye on the latter, but I figured there was no need. If I had him chained up then with what was coming next it would be most likely that he would die. I couldn't have that. It would be too easy if he were devoured by some giant beast.
Anyway, I decided to head back to the Main Deck.
"Captain, what was that?!" Someone asked me.
That question seemed to resonate with the others as they all looked to me for answers. I couldn't help but silently chuckle at the thought of them so readily denying my captain's title before we had set sail from Draegnar. Now, they all look to me as my old crew had. It became quite clear to us all that my age was no longer a factor.
"Aye, ya drags, before that, get everyone up here," I said.
The crew shivered this time. I think they all knew what I was about to say. Nevertheless, Ellen ordered for everyone to be present. It wasn't long before everyone was present. No one made mention of Boreli and the Xhaluter who had come as well. It was rather appreciated since I didn't feel like answering questions.
I also spared a glance at Liara. That mysterious smile of hers still seems to try and pierce my body like I am unable to hide very much from her. I even fancy a stare at Diane. She tried to hold her gaze with mine, but she looked away clearly embarrassed. It made me laugh.
I cleared my chest. "I'm sure you bastards got enough brain in your skull to understand what I be about to say next. Ya felt that crash against our ship just a few moments ago. It means two things. One, we shall have no fear of meeting the Taker of Voices in this lifetime, unless ya be downright unlucky," I started.
The crew cheered for those words before I silenced them. "Two, that means we will now face a pirate's most beloved and treacherous mistress. That be treasure if ya lot were wondering," I explained as I pointed off the side of the ship.
"Most of you have come on this voyage because you heard of a large payout in treasure, coin, gold, and anything else that makes the eyes of a lass sparkle. Many of ya be on this voyage because ya have to settle debts or get out of your shithole for a home. I don't blame ya so I'm going to let you all decide what we do. Again, you've got two choices. If ya go with the second, I will further explain," I paused.
I noticed some hard swallows from the people around me, but they all hung onto my every word. Some muttered to themselves, but I didn't wait for them to try to comprehend whatever choices lay in their noggins.
"First, we continue sailing. I already promised you lot treasures from the shores of the Isles of Delverhold. If you survive, brothels will line up their best courtesans to tease you for many a night. So long as ya don't squander your shit like some lowly Dagugh slug, you will easily enjoy the life ya wish for," I said.
If I could take some kind of picture of the greedy, thirsty, and hopeful grins on the faces of these men and women, then I would. Those grins almost threatened to tear their faces into two separate pieces.
"However, I shall grant you the second option. Second, we all go swimming," I said.
I suppose by this point I should have gotten used to the fact that everyone looked at me like I was utterly insane. We had sailed for many weeks together. I should have been used to their unease by now, but here I stand still finding a chuckle as they look at me like I'm stupid. After all, why would they risk their lives for anything else if option one was safer?
"Beneath this part of the sea, there is rumored to be hundreds, perhaps even thousands of gold, jewels, shiny trinkets, powerful weapons, magic artifacts, and any other type of shit that would make you rival not only the noble families of Draegnar but help you even contend with the Lindengar estate," I said.
Now, perhaps I should explain just a moment about what this meant. I don't know jack shit about how nobles conduct themselves or whatever rankings they give themselves, but of all the nobles that I have met...or stolen from, the Lindengars are not that wealthy when compared to most noble houses outside of Draegnar. I know because Alteria doesn't seem like she knows the name. One thing I have learned is that nobles tend to remember those that they want to remember.
If the House of Balamar had never heard of the House of Lindengar then I think that can attest to how low on the scale the Lindengars actually are. However, for the citizens of Draegnar who have most likely never kept a single gold coin in their pockets, the Lindengars might as well be servants of Olympus in their eyes.
That obviously be the case since that hungry look in the eyes of my crew suddenly grew in strength. Hell, I bet they all would have jumped into a volcano if I told them to.
"This part of the Graven Sea is known as...the Sea of Greed. Below here, there are many unholy creatures that would try to take your lives the instant you touch the waves. Call it the Sea of Greed because you'd have to be greedy to throw away your own life trying to obtain the fortunes which lay below," I said.
My crew spoke not a word. I could see some contemplating what I was saying. Others looked over the side of the wooden rails. No doubt they were surveying just what they were dealing with. I could even see a glimmer of curiosity in Liara's eyes. As far as her memories allowed me, I don't think she had been beneath the waves in this particular spot.
Unfortunately, whatever the crew decided, I would still be diving down there. If I recall I had probably lost five to six men at this trial. Yet, I had come out of it with a grand amount of wealth. Of course, that wealth didn't mean too much at the time since I had lost most of it and my men to Delverhold. Not...one of my best moments.
"Now, ya be in luck. Whether you decide to sail or not, I still have some business here. But, since you're literally risking your own lives for your own fortune then...should you come back alive, whatever you find will be yours to keep. None on this shall lay claim to your booty but you. Dare you risk your life for greater fame? Dare you risk your life for greater glory? Dare you risk your life for greater treasures? Decide for yourselves," I said.
While my crew spoke amongst themselves, I decided to make my way towards Liara. "Tell me Liara, by the great mind that you possess, do you remember the conversation we had about crypts?" I asked.
The rather pleasant, yet confident smile that Liara normally wears faltered for a moment. She stared at me as the grin on my face widened. "Tis not so easy to forget. Why do you ask?" She questioned.
Her eyes stared into mine and my lips flew upwards. "If by chance I retrieve a clue to your ten dreams from beneath the waves, shall I gain more of your favor?" I asked.
Her wisened eyes continued to stare into mine. She smiled. "Was your time with my guard not enough to sate you?" she returned. I could tell that the way she asked this was in some way an attempt to trap me. Had I answered yes, then what would I have needed to ask the question for? If I answered no, then that would make it seem like I did not value what I had borrowed. Diane was Liara's possession after all.
"Were you sated when you opened three or four tomes?" I asked before I moved away. I could feel her immortal gaze upon me as I waited for the rest of my crew to speak amongst themselves.
My attention was diverted for a moment when I saw Aesteal already shedding off most of her attire. Of course, this little strip show wasn't lost on most of the men, and even some of the women, who openly fondled my bonded elf with their eyes. I even had to put my head down when some of those gazes directed themselves at Maeloson. Although I had to admit, his skin was pretty...well, I could see why some men would wish to bed him.
Anyway, I gritted my teeth. I need not worry for Aesteal. She was a capable elven warrior. Surely she had faced such dangers like these before.
Aside from that, I could feel the effects of my bonding with Aesteal corrupting my thoughts. I was aware of the dangers of the sea. No one was exempt from their rage, but...I found I did not wish for her to be a victim of their embrace. Her, my mother, Ellen, I would have preferred them all to stay on the boat as I watched them undress. I wondered if my age was turning me senile or sentimental.
Anyway, after ten minutes everyone voted. By the majority of the ship, we would be getting wet and diving into the sea for treasure, and through the jaws of ferocious beasts. I slowly nodded and exhaled. "Since you've all made your choice then I'll drive these few rules into your damn head. Forget them and consider your miserable lives forfeit!" I said.
You'd think a group of bastards and bitches couldn't hold a resolute glare like the ones I was seeing, but it impressed me that they could. I stabbed a knife into the side of the wooden railing. "You've got eight hours. Do as much or as little diving as you wish. Either way, you better be back on this ship by the time the moon clings to the sky. Next, no squabbling. If you touched it first then it be yours. You've got enough shit on your plate surviving the beasts without worrying about your own crewmates," I said.
Everyone agreed.
"Lastly, whatever you do, do not shed your blood. One drop falls from your body and you are a dead man. I will aid you as best I can, but I ain't Poseidon. I ain't all-seeing in the water. If you're not back on the ship by the time we're done then I will leave you. Understood?" I asked.
Ah, one might ask why all of this be necessary. One might question why there would even be a need to take such a gamble instead of merely sailing for Delverhold, but...that is where the true essence of a pirate lies. These men and women, all of them poor fuckers who might as well be walking skeletons desired the grandest riches and the privileges of life that most never get. This is not some pirate game that the ratbags play in the daylight of the Draegnar streets. This be a place wrought with danger. How could you be a pirate if you were not willing to do unreasonable shit?
"AYE AYE CAPTAIN!" they all said.
I jumped to the ship's railing. My mother, Ellen, Maeloson, and Aesteal, they were all getting ready to follow me. I exhaled. Heh, a mighty captain fearing for the lives of his crewmates. I see that even a salty dog like me hasn't changed.
I sucked in my legs and I...jumped.
As I landed in the water with a heavy crash, I took note that it was very cold. It was also very dark. It was like not even the rays of the sun could pierce through the void which laid beneath my ship.
I closed my eyes as the air began to fade from my body. I heard more muffled drops into the water. I noticed that my mother, Maeloson, Aesteal, and Ellen had joined me. Soon others of my crew joined me beneath these dark waves.
It didn't take long before I saw some swim off on their own while others formed groups. Some decided to swim with me. By the look in their eyes, I guess they figured their chances of survival were best if they swam with the man who could control the tides. Not a bad choice, and not one I wasn't annoyed about.
I swam off to the left. My three ladies and male elf followed after me and so did about ten to twelve other people after them. I dared not tell them that our crew...was already down two mates. I say that because I could feel the mishmash of body parts being dragged down into the depths by some tentacled beast that hid within the darkness.
I tried not to let this thought disturb me too much. I had already explained to the fuckers on the ship that this was not some idle fantasy tale that the tavern bards weave for a good ending. My kingdom was not a place that many might tread without losing their lives, not even me.
As we sailed further down the Sea of Greed, I came to notice that the further we went down, the heavier the water became.
Aye, now don't take me for an idiot. Of course, I am aware that is natural. However, the thing I have notice more of was that even though the water was heavier, it was much easier to breathe the further down we went. I felt tiny shimmers of magic within these depths. I had not swam down through here the previous time I had been here. All the treasure I had found had been from casting treasure sticks down into the water and then hoisting them back up.
Unfortunately, this ship didn't have the luxury of those which is also why I had to perform some of the grunt work, not that I minded. I had managed to snag some from some royal ship at the time of my somewhat early career as a captain which had allowed me to find a piece leading to another of the Ten Yalorian Crypts. Sadly, I had been a fool at the time and had lost that piece to Delverhold.
This would not be the same path that I had taken previously.
Anyway, I noticed by now that I had no issues breathing despite water being inhaled by the nose. I'm sure the others noticed it too. They looked at me curiously as if for me to provide an explanation for this occurrence. Unfortunately, I was not sure why this was happening. At the very least, this would take care of resurfacing for air. Perhaps that great alchemist who had crafted the elixir to eternal youth had made this sea one of his study grounds. It then made sense why we could breathe.
As we continued swimming, I had to give pause because it was darker than I desired. I was careful to sense which beasts were around us and which were not. I grabbed my mother's hand and she grabbed Ellen's. This line grew longer and longer until the last person was linked. We all then swam through the piercing, overpowering, and heavy void of darkness and water.
Our line jerked for a moment in the darkness and I clenched my fist. I summoned a blade of water and fired it into the endless deep. I was rewarded with a heavy roar of pain that was mind-breakingly maddening.
Then came...the swarming sounds of teeth, claws, and even more damning screaming. Except, this voice was not the voice of a man or woman, but that of a dying beast as blood poured from its body and its gargling cries were silenced like the harsh snap and twist of a neck. I have no doubts that this must have been rather overwhelming for those with me. They couldn't even see the carnage taking place all around them, and it's probably for that benefit that they stay sane.
It was also for that reason, I decided not to tell them that our group of twelve...had been reduced to eleven. I just inhaled and exhaled slowly, water filling my nose and expelling the same. Though I was wary to start a fight with the shit that swam down in this blackness, I figured another way was optimal.
Now, someone would argue why I could not simply fight these beasts. Naturally, I have the means to. They do not scare me, but there is something down here that does. The rampage of these hidden beasts is not unusual noise to what lies below, but if I were to fight all these things then I have no doubt that it would move the curse that glides at the very bottom.
After about half an hour of swimming, I finally discovered a wrecked ship. It teemed with wild fish, seaweeds, and other shit that could survive a life down here. It was easily twice the size of my own ship and it bore the insignia of some forgotten symbol of celestial wings, dragon wings, and demon wings.
From what I garner from my Liara's memories, this was a ship from a kingdom about 300 years ago. The Kingdom of Qulx, if I read her memories correctly.
Apparently, this kingdom used to reside in what was now C'ula and expanding across both Evir and Callamum. It was a wealthy kingdom that specialized in the trade of ore, silver, and spices. It probably doesn't make me wonder anymore how the City of Merchants came to descend from that kingdom.
Unlike most kingdoms, that kingdom was one of special origin. Back when the kingdom was but a clump of dirt, rocks, and old homes, it was set to be overrun by the conquering forces of an earlier kingdom. When the hopes of these men and women were lost, the gods of Olympus must have intervened because a commoner by the name of Hul Ipl unearthed a rare magic stone. With that stone, he became imbued with the might of Hercules, the rage of Ares, and the battle mind of Athena.
Hul decimated the armies of kings seeking conquest. He used his knowledge of battle, given to Athena, to turn his home into a mighty fortress of rock. Those within his reach dug and struck precious jewels and unknown fragments fit for trade that quickly boosted the land's value. Though kingdoms, generals, and assassins tried to bring down Hul, he was not killed and his kingdom reigned for a lifetime.
Unfortunately, Hul still suffered as we all do. He aged and he weakened. His twelve sons took over his large kingdom and, as Liara had shown me, they clearly did not have the same mind that had been blessed to Hul. His sons had torn apart his kingdom in political conquest and war against each other before the bastards brought it all to the ground. Even to now, no one, not even Liara, knows where the supposed Stone of Olympus resides that gave Hul his power.
A fancy tale best told over ale, mead, and bread, I doubt the gods would give two shits about helping in a situation like that. Granted, what do I know about the minds of immortals anyway? I tried to see if Liara had been around during the stone's creation, but I was blocked by a veil of fog when I tried. Clearly, that was something she felt I shouldn't need to know yet.
Through the piercing darkness, we all spread out over the ship. My mother and I broke off from the others. I was quick to notice that though Aesteal was quite a ways from me, I could still feel her presence close to mine. To my eyes alone, the aura of her elven body was like a bright beacon in this harsh darkness. I'm not sure why her safety calmed me so much, but it did and it allowed me to focus on my own endeavors.
My mother and I floated down to the main deck of the ship. I pointed her towards the room that I figured would be the Captain's Quarters. She agreed with me and swam her beautiful, tight, and nurtured body to the ship's wooden door.
I grabbed the door handle, but there was no hope of it opening on its own. So, pushed my mother back as I knifed my hand and swung it sideways. A piece of the sea flew from my fingers in the shape of a crescent blade and slice the door into two pieces.
I smirked at my mother and she merely shook her head for a response. We swam inside and I wasn't too impressed with what I found. One can imagine what 300 years beneath the sea can do to a ship. All I saw was broken wood and deteriorating metal surrounding this room.
I had to admit, despite its decrepit state, I could only imagine that this ship would have been worth fine coin back in its time. Hell, the metal still holds value. If I could find an appropriate bastard to refine it, then I'm sure it could be useful.
While my mother explored some of the still-standing closets, I busied myself with checking what I assumed to be the wooden desk for the captain's study. I opened one of the drawers. Disappointment filled me as I took notice of some wet, damaged books that held no real use to me.
I moved to another drawer and opened it. This time, my disappointment was unwarranted because I grasped a small wooden box. When I opened the box I was thrilled at the sight of a ring forged in silver and glorious crystal.
"Not a bad find to start," I thought to myself.
Overcome with satisfaction, I showed the ring to my mother. When I looked into her eyes, I could not stop the kiss filled with saltwater that I planted on her lips. Her eyes sparkled like a young lass who had discovered the joy of freedom for the first time. Just as with the treasure back on Hilvir, her eyes glow like those of a pirate when they claim their booty. Hers be a wonderful one that I decided to keep forever.
I handed my mother the ring and she stuffed it into one of her pants' pockets.
Next, we investigated the closets that she had been rummaging through. There was not much to be found there except a captain's blade and some type of old coat with studded silver. Around the elbows and kneecap areas. Naturally, between the water and the passage of time, the coat didn't look that amazing, but that was more material I could use so I took that as well.
Of course, these items were beginning to pack quite the load. Plus, I could feel something watching us from outside the cracked, sunken windows. When I turned my eyes, all I could see was the empty blackness and the drifting fish and aquatic slugs that swim through the waters, but...I know this feeling well.
Something was out there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Grinning.
Though I was reluctant to leave so early, I figured my mother and I had collected enough so we swam back to the surface. As we swam further, I could feel my ability to breathe beneath the tide waning. It was almost as if all the breath I had been using while I was swimming suddenly shot through my body. My mother and I swam faster and we soon resurfaced for air. It was then that I noticed about five or six rowboats ready to be fulfilled with people's treasure. My mother and I placed what we had found in one boat and I signaled the men to hoist it up. I also gave them precise instructions that my stuff better be in my quarters or they wouldn't have to fear the monsters down in the depths anymore.
That point made, mother and I swam back down to the ship. As we swam, I still couldn't deny the eyes that lingered on me. Between the various bloodthirsty beasts that roam here and the people still swimming, I couldn't exactly pinpoint what shook me so, but it laid there at the corner of my mind.
I checked the captain's quarters some more and I was pleased to come across gold and silver coins tied in an old coin pouch. The silver and gold were beautiful to the eye and I bet they would shine brilliantly beneath the sting of the sun. I'm sure there be a good price for shiny antique things.
I stuffed the sizable pouch into my pocket and checked for anything else. There was nothing to be found so I turned my attention out of the captain's quarters.
I swam over to another room and I noticed my mother had snatched some lucky heirloom from the neck of a pile of bones. I'm not sure what material the necklace was made out of, but she liked it so I had nothing to say about it.
As I turned around, I took notice of one of the windows. As soon as my eyes landed there, I could have sworn that I something shapely swim off. I tried to make out its form, but it was too far gone. Whatever was watching me, it was fast.
I turned my attention back to something else. There was a box on top of one of the still-standing wooden closets. I grabbed the box and groaned as my mouth filled with water. The box was heavy, absurdly heavy. It was so heavy I think I was actually floating down to the floor with it in my hands.
I was surprised that when I let go of the box it sunk to the floor like a stone. Hell, it actually cracked the floorboards which only served to confuse me more about what could be inside it. Even more than that, how had the floor support it when it was on that cabinet, but not when it was removed from the wooden thing?
I swam down to the box. The wood was not going to hold it for long.
I formed a blade of water and sliced the box apart. Each side fell down with a harsh thud. My mother watched me curiously as I examined what was inside. When I took notice of it, I grinned. Aye, clearly the courses of history had blown a different path because I had not encountered this when I had previously sailed here.
In my hands, glowing with small, yet stimulating pulses, was a Sea Dragon's Eye.
Traveling rumors of these pearls often find their way to more epic tales that they are capable of holding. One of the rumors was that Hephaestus secretly aided cyclopses in forging Poseidon's trident with Sea Dragon Eyes material. Another was that if one burned these eyes beneath a harsh flame or soak in their essence through hot water, one could potentially live for over 500-700 years.
Naturally, I decided to figure out this rumor by wondering if that was how Liara had stayed alive for so long. Unfortunately, I was only met with more fog that led my mind nowhere. Either that or all the water was rushing through my skull. I could not fathom a better guess.
Anyway, more rumors than those float about with these pearls. However, there is no denying that they are extremely valuable. Perhaps it holds weight as to why it would be hidden in such a heavy casing. Clearly, this was not something the captain would have wanted anyone else finding.
As I and the others worked on this ship and the surrounding vessels, I had made at least six or seven trips with my mother, Ellen, Aesteal, and Maeloson. We carried crates and boxes filled with glorious wealth back to the ship. Like a proper business wench, Sothshore's eyes sparkled at the glimmering coin and jewels bestowed to her. It did make me laugh when she caught me eyeing her exuberant actions. She would clutch her treasures as if to tell me that I could not have them.
I did not mind. I did say that whatever anyone found was theirs to keep. I be a man of my word.
...most of the time.
Unfortunately, this little expedition wasn't all cheers and excitement. Some people I had seen resurface never came up for air again. Nevertheless, everyone tried not to let this fact disturb them too much. The eleven men and women who were still with me still drew breath. The only one I had lost was the twelfth at the beginning of my descend.
Armor, chests, blades from forgotten kingdoms, soaked and preserved maps, we must have looted three or four ships in the time that we had been down here. Yet, I was now aware of another plight. I would need to begin looking for an island or cavern to hold this considerable wealth. It was beginning to fill up the treasure room and the spare rooms.
Unfortunately, what would be my private island for storing treasure would not come to me for another few years. I say that because oddly enough it was on the other side of the world. Plus, it hadn't formed yet.
As we all continued to work, I still could not shake the feeling of someone watching us, more specifically me. It had not left my mind once. No matter where I went, no matter where I hid, no matter where I checked, something else kept its gaze on me.
Now yes, I did have quite a few eyes to be conscious of, but it was not the eyes of a giant squid, nor the teeth of an enlarged graven bone shark that egged me. Though I have no doubts that they had feasted on the skin of some of my crewmates, they were not the priority.
No, there be something else down here. It wasn't the curse which laid at the bottom of this sea, but it was no less malicious.
I decided to convey to my mother that her attentions were better suited elsewhere. So I reluctantly left her and swam further into the abyss. A man such as I has not thought to pray too often, but I offer one to any god that is listening that I still see my mother when I get back. If not, then whether I conquer this sea or not ain't up for debate. Be it the Taker of Voices, the curse beneath the seas, or Quwal, the Sightless, I would bury this entire unholy sea if my mother was taken from me.
I placed those foreboding thoughts away for another time. It would not do well for me to worry. My mother had been a pirate as well. She understood the risks just as well as I did.
During my swim, I floated down the side of a cliff that had separated the wrecked ships where my group was from some crushed crates, bodies, and other ship wreckage. The bodies I spotted couldn't even be labeled as such. Skulls, ribcages, crushed arms and legs, I saw them all as I paddled my legs and feet.
Fish, eels, and other aquatic life slithered through their bones before they ran away when I got close. One of the eels caught my attention when I saw the glimmer of shining metal coursing through its body.
"Ah, a bladed eel," I thought to myself.
A bladed eel was a type of undersea creature that got its name from feasting on metal fragments. These eels are coveted because, somehow, their bodies can grow accustomed to producing the metal if they are fed enough of it in particular. Say, for example, if I had a worn-out steel blade, I could feed that to this eel and with enough time its body could produce that steel all on its own.
Unfortunately, most eels die trying to attempt this. There were a few bladed eel producers back during my time, but there wasn't a lot of them. It shouldn't be surprising. I doubt this shit is good for eels anymore than it is for humans, but even rocks can turn into sunstones given the right conditions.
That said, I wasn't about to let this one go! I quickly formed a bubble of water around it and condensed its walls preventing the eel's escape. All it could do was swim helplessly in the world I had boxed it in until I could decide on a place to put it.
With my new unwilling companion next to me, I busied myself with rummaging through the dusty sand and dirt. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to get. I did collect a couple of trinkets for myself. I some apprentice mage's staff that might sell for some fine coin on the market. I saw some torn leather armor plates, some broken cheap steel blades, and even cheaper shields. Some of this shit made me wonder how anyone carved a path through these waters with such feeble weaponry.
A captain such as I should be ashamed when I say that I had lost track of the hours I had been down here. A large surface of materials had been stored inside a large bubble of water that I had created separately from my bladed eel. Treasure boxes, shields, swords, and crates, I cared not for what was in them. I would sort it out later in my own time.
I carried my prizes with me as I opened a chest filled to the brim with an assortment of silver and bronze coins. I noticed a few gold ones here and there which led me to believe that I had just snatched up the chest from some unfortunate merchant's vessel. It would certainly explain the crates of spices, herbs, and wasted food that I had discovered.
I was ready to head back with what I had before I stopped.
I turned my head into the void. I could feel it coming. That gaze that seemed to linger on me ever since I came into this sea, I had finally locked in on its form. However, in the back of my mind, I wonder if it only allowed me to do that.
I chuckled. That was good. It was time to see who I be sending to Haganthar this day!
Out from the void, I raised an eyebrow when I spotted a C'ula Hagulia Shark dashing through the void. That type of sealife isn't usually found this far out. Then again, I suppose a lot of things aren't found this far out.
C'ula Hagulia sharks were usually found further out from the City of Merchants. Many be wary of them due to their ferocity and naturally tough skin. If ye think that my title of Shark Hunter in Draegnar was impressive then next to hunting these things, what I had wasn't so great an accomplishment.
Unfortunately, I knew that this was not who had been stalking me. The shark was not hunting me. It was running from what laid beyond the black void. It swam past me before I heard the sounds of a long, rough chain in my ears. Then, from the waters, an anchor that seemed like it had been forged in black crystal and green gollorun magic was hurried towards the shark. The edges of the anchor seemed sharper than any blade. Hell, one could mistake it for a double-edged scythe if it were not attached to a chain.
The anchor stabbed into the back of the shark drawing blood as the beast thrashed and shook violently. I worried that more beasts would come to claim this shark for a meal, but...I remember now that even these beasts and unholy creatures have thoughts of survival. They won't contest a meal...from a stronger enemy.
If sharks could scream, then I have no doubt that this one would be doing that because I watched the tough skin on its body melt away like it was being eaten by a thousand flies. The chain was then pulled as the shark writhed and squirmed. Flesh and muscle became not but open cartilage as the predator was pulled back into the void. The last thing I saw of it was the way its eyes turned red and then green like the aura surrounding the chain that had taken it away.
In this sea, the water muffling my hearing, I'm not sure what sounds I expected to hear, but I could still make out the noise of that chain. It was like it pierced through the very forefront of my brain.
I watched my stalker exit the dark sea. My eyes narrowed and my mouth curved upwards. Ah, I had not encountered this thing in my previous life.
What I saw, one could not even call it a creature. It was more of just a walking, groaning, pulsing amalgamation of flesh, bones, and dirt all slung together into one walking body. I could make out the soulless eyes of a human skull sitting atop this...thing's body. Long tentacles of some squids or octopuses wiggled from almost every unnatural angle of its body. It's boned legs stepped through the undersea sand. Its weight was clearly supported by the low pressure that resides within the waters naturally.
As I took in more of this thing's appearance, the smile that had been on my face slowly fell downwards when I realized I could see the gurgling, drowning, and horror-stricken faces of some of my crew mates who had been unluckily captured by this abomination. Though I wish I could, perhaps it was Liara's knowledge that told me saving them was impossible. They had already merged with this thing and I had not the means to separate them.
The demise of my mates aside, there was something to be joyous about. I could feel the immense magic swirling from the center of this thing's body. It made the hairs on my neck stand on end. Aye, I could feel it. That was what I had desired. In that thing's stomach or what it took for a stomach was the piece of one of the Ten Yalorian Crypts. I knew this because I could sense the magic in there from what I remember of my past life. That same aura back in the crypt I had found long ago was of the same force now.
I decided to place my treasures to the side. I then swam down to the seafloor. The sand stuck to my feet as I watched my adversary continue to come before me. As it walked towards me, its stumbling, rumbling, tower of mass like some unorthodox cual cow, I rapidly searched through Liara's memories of this beast.
It didn't take too long for me to find.
This was a Ẅḥň, a type of demon that lays in desolate and dark areas of water like this one. Liara identified them as parasitic demons, much like soul leeches. This type of demon finds dead flesh and strings it together. As it collects more and more dead flesh, its tendrils and its body feast on the magical aura that permeates from the flesh thus corrupting it. Once it gets to a strong enough phase, the Ẅḥň can use its malformed body to attack living things and assimilate them into its body as well. For those still unfortunate to be left alive, they can only scream as the tendrils crawl through their innards and corrupt them leaving as only maddening husk demons gargling on fits of water before they die.
Fortunately, these things don't survive for very long. Instead, they die after about five or six days. However, once they die, all it takes is a bite from a wayward animal to become a newly corrupted demon leech.
As is clear to me, this one must have been doing a lot of work on the creatures and people down here.
"I offer your praise for your body, demon leech. Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to tear it apart," I said as I held up my left palm. The demon continued towards me, but its steps stopped when a swirling mass of the sea appeared in my open palm.
I then swung my hand up and the Ẅḥň screamed as a blade of water pierced its body from below where it was standing. Aye, to hunt me within my own kingdom. Could ye think of anything more arrogant?
Puss and blood seeped into the water as the amalgamation of skin, flesh, bone, and wails. It stagged and its gurgly bellows fired at me. However, that did not prevent me from waving my right hand and forming another blade of water. I swung my arm and the blade punctured another side of the Ẅḥň.
The demon rolled its arm back and fired the sharp anchor at me. Unfortunately, I doubt it had any idea who it had just encountered. I pulled up two fingers and the anchor was blasted away from me by an invisible wall of condensed water that I had created.
The beast swam for me despite the pikes I had made protruding from its hideous form. Its speed truly was something to be admired. It screeched at me angrily as it reared back its anchor. I could tell it was ready to slice my head from my shoulders and drag my body into becoming a part of its being.
Unfortunately, I would have to disappoint my demonic stalker. I could hear the tides of the sea sloshing around with its body. How much water had it accumulated during its trudge down here? For someone like me, it might as well have been offering itself like a simple target.
I held out my hand and seized control of the water within its own body. The creature stopped, but I felt my teeth grit. Seas, how many piles of bones and flesh laid within this thing? It was rather annoying to keep still.
I clenched my hand into a fist and swung it to my chest. The Ẅḥň screamed as a myriad of water blades of varying size stabbed outward from its body. I grimaced at the grotesque display of wailing forms trying hard to break free from the demon's hold. Yet, I could also see tiny tendrils clasping to keep each piece of flesh and bone tethered to its body.
It tried to pull itself together, but I took my other hand and, with both rows of fingers clenched, shivved through each piece of flesh that tried to keep the demon together. It screamed without ceasing, and my attack continued without mercy. An arm, a leg, a head, a gill, body parts of various humans and creatures fell off while I was its strands search them out.
Tentacles from the upper part of its body tried to strike me down and pierce through my chest, but the only thing it met was a hard wall of the sea that I had constructed between it and myself. I could feel the sweat pour down my head as I swung my legs in the sand. I wove my hands around my head as the wall I had made quickly began o encase the creature in a bubble not so dissimilar from what I used to hold my things.
The Ẅḥň screamed and wailed more as the orb of fluids I had begun encasing it in became more and more visible. I could see its baser instincts kicking in. It needed to escape. It needed to live. It needed to survive. It needed...to get away from me.
The demon charged up, but its body crashed into the roof of the dome which I had crafted. My feet kicked up dirt and sand as I swirled my body, my fingers, and my arms. The Ẅḥň charged for the left side but crashed into another part of the orb as well.
"It's no use, creature! You're mine. Take solace in the fact that it was the Son of Poseidon to end your miserable existence!" I thought to myself as the demon leech crashed and bashed against the water prison I had confined it to.
I then stopped swirling and slowly brought my clenched fingers together. Slowly, yet surely, the demon leech felt fear coursing through its body as the prison I made condensed and shrunk in size with each force of my hands. Its gargled roars made the strain on my body well forth the pain as my hands got closer and closer. The sides of the orb pushed and crushed the Ẅḥň. All of its grotesque contents spilled over each other. Its arm pushed into its stomach and the bladed anchor which it seemed to enjoy using had punctured its own flesh.
With one of my arms, I hoisted the orb a bit higher through the waves.
I willed my mind to concentrate as I commanded the tides to form numerous spears of water. Such blades had been crafted with the magical essence of this sea and its black void. Though I loathed how much effort I felt I needed to take with some demon shit, it was still fresh in my mind that it too had hunted my crewmates.
So many blades were there that some bumped into each other. I swung my hand and the blades fired into the orb of water. I heard no garbled screams. All I could see was an ocean sky covered by thousand of flying sea spears that crashed into the orb prison I had crafted. Due to its density and the works of concentrated magic, I watched small bubbles rupture the orb inside its body as each spear flew with increased speed.
Soon, I stared in silent appreciation as the spears, like hundreds of gluttonous sharks, swirled around the orb like it was the perfect meal I had given to them. The ocean floor beneath my feet rumbled and I did wonder if I had awoken the curse which laid below, but if I could get that clue to one of the crypts then it was worth it.
I allowed the assault to cease. The amalgamation of flesh slowly drifted down to the sandy waters in front of me. I stared at the unmoving mass of bodies and treasures that it had taken into itself.
I approached the myriad of carcasses. I also took some time to properly send off those of my crew who had been taken. I picked some of the bones from the bone shark that I had encountered earlier. Now before ye correct me, I'm aware that sharks do not actually have bones. If ya wish to know, it's called a bone shark because it might as well be a floating skeleton with how it looks. Plus, if snap it in pieces, it breaks just like any real bone ye would find down here in the deep.
That would be good for my alchemy down the line. There were also plenty of other things I was pleased to find. For my prize, I had received a golden crown filled with jewels of some kingdom I didn't feel like remembering.
I picked up a box that contained some noble's necklace. It looked very pleasing to the eye so I tossed it into the bubble of all the other shit I had collected. Clearly, this demon leech had been taking the carcasses of animals and people who still had treasures with them. I even managed to find some heavy-grade magical stones that had fallen from some animal it had assimilated.
As i continued to collect and sort through my spoils, I took notice of the chain and anchor that the demon had left. It still glowed with ominous, yet magical energy. I also took the time to notice just how beautifully crafted the anchor was. Based off its size, it couldn't have been the anchor to a large boat. It was barely larger than my own body.
I cautiously picked up the anchor. The green magic wrapped around my hand like a glove and I found myself staring at it for a very long time. I could see something swirling within it, something primal, something not of the demon that I had vanquished.
I decided to store the anchor in a large wooden chest and deal with it later. Once that was done, I finally allowed myself to turn to my true prize. How could I miss it after all? It's frame was like a bright beacon atop a lighthouse. My feet trudged through the wet sand and I knelt before my treasure. In the dirt, glowing with radiant magic laid a black ring with numerous archaic symbols and characters from a time long before I was born.
Though I knew not what the words meant, I held no disbeliefs that this was a clue to one of the Yalorian Crypts. I say that because the same magic around it was the same as the one I had been to before. This was the ring I had collected and lost in my trials at Delverhold. That would not have a recurrence.
I reached out my hand for the black ring and picked it up. It was warm to my touch. Hell,it was actually borderline hot. Despite the coolness of the water, it felt like my hand was getting thoroughly singed from the heat of the ring. I clenched the ring and soaked in the vast magical essences that expelled from its body and into my very own. Random images flowed through my mind even faster than when Liara had given me her memories.
I do not know by what will I managed to let go of the ring, but I did and it dropped to the ground. I panted, water filling my lungs but not drowning me due to the nature of the enchanted seas. I wish I could say that I knew what these images meant, but I could not. Towns and cities, religious and political powers, swords and pens, the passage of tomes and stones, I knew not what any of them meant, but the lone image I could remember was a man laughing as he stood upon the remains of a large mountain.
My feet wobbled back and my head hurt. I massaged my temples and eased my breaths. I looked at the ring again. It laid there in the sand, pulsing and radiating with magical essence. That had definitely not happened when I had held the ring the last time. Perhaps it was because I had become attuned to the world of mystics due to Liara's aura and mine having a constant merging due to our memories.
I reached out and picked up the ring, but didn't hold it for too long this time. Instead, I stuffed it into one of the pockets of my shorts and swam off with my bladed eel and the rest of the things I had found.
When I returned from my ventures, I offered the crew a show of the large bubble of water that I had used to collect everything. I did not see anyone else who had gone down with me so I figured they were still exploring. With the order for some aid, my men shuffled the things I had collected into my room which...made it a lot less movable once it was all in.
As I walked to my room, I took notice of Liara's curious gaze on me. Despite how unsure of was of the things going through my mind, I still had retrieved what she desired and I let her know with a wink. The door to my quarters was closed and I grabbed a towel to dry myself off.
I found a rather medium-sized bowl and placed my bladed eel inside it. The tiny creature swam around its new home while I sat on my bed. I don't exactly remember when I fell asleep or how long I slept. All I knew was that when I woke up, the sun had been replaced with the moon.
I pushed the covers off me and walked outside. I noticed men and women laughing and speaking about what they had managed to find. Some had found shining blades and gloriously crafted rings.
I noticed the size of my crew had dipped slightly. I'm sure everyone knew as well, but no one wanted to admit to this fact.
As I walked through the main deck, I noticed some others handing out food and drink for dinner. I also noticed that neither my mother, Ellen, Maeloson, nor Aesteal had surfaced. I clenched my fists, but I did not let the worry spread across my features. They were all grown, capable, and strong. I had no need to baby them. They could take care of themselves just as I could.
When I had spoken with someone for the time, I realized that I had fallen asleep for four hours. Given that I had spent three hours searching for treasure previously, that only left...one more hour.
That hour, how I dreaded that hour. Each person who surfaced that was not from the four I had mentioned only made me more anxious. I don't think the face of worry suits me well, but I found myself standing over the railing, glaring at the sea angrily. If it did not produce those I decided then all that dealt below would feel the full force of my anger.
It don't need mentioning again, but I'll say it anyway. I ain't a patient man. My nails bled as I stared off the side of the ship and clenched the wooden railing. The sounds of the crew had grown unsurprisingly silent. I think my mood had oozed its way over the ship. As each minute passed, I got angrier and angrier.
If need be I would go back in and attempt to fetch them all. However, could they be members of my crew if I had to save them at every point? Aesteal was claimed by Maeloson to be one of the most talented and fierce elven warriors from their kingdom. He was also no less in combat than her. Ellen was a tough bitch and so was my mother.
Thirty minutes passed and I was not happy. I was most definitely unhappy.
I took off my captain's attire which left me in just a white shirt and undergarments. I faced the crew who stiffened from my gaze. The sharp sounds of thunder and lightning evident in the sky must have told them all how I was feeling.
"Prepare to sail! I'll be back!" I said.
They all quietly nodded and scrambled to prepare the ship to sail. I, on the other hand, proceeded to climb on top of the wooden railing. I was perhaps one swift motion away from reentering the waves before I noticed Aesteal pop out of the sea. She coughed up water from her mouth and I noticed that there was a strange onyx stone-forged bow slung across her shoulder.
She was pulled onto the ship.
"Sir, I...mmmmmph!"
Before she even finished that thought, I embarrassed her, and myself, by rapidly taking her into my embrace. She didn't even get the chance to voice her confusion before I kissed her in front of everyone. Dammit Aesteal, it might not be this night. It might not be the next, but I would surely punish you for worrying me so.
I think she received the answer to her unknown question when someone directed her to the sky. I watched her body shiver as we heard the harsh roars of thunder. Luckily for her, she quickly offered me an apologetic expression.
"I'm glad you were not taken by the sea," I said, my chest notably lighter than it had been before.
"I shall always be at your side, Sir. Not even death shall stop me," she replied. I don't know how many of those words I could believe, but was I one to speak about the chains of Hades not stopping someone? Surely not. Still, the declarations be an appreciation amidst my worry.
Five minutes after Aesteal came Maeloson. He was pulled up as well and I noticed two blades with sheaths strapped to his back. It felt rather odd that I could feel something radiating from those weapons, but I knew not what.
After Maeloson, Ellen emerged as well. I raised an eyebrow when I saw her shuffle in about five to eight crates and chests. Never had I seen her face glow with such pride and joy as this moment. One thing I noticed was that these chests were very heavy. It took quite a few men to hoist them up which made me wonder how she had dragged them all.
When Ellen got back on the ship, she also noticed my mood. "What?" she asked. I did not reply to her question and instead kissed her as well. She tried to fight back, but soon she settled for amiable affection as well.
Once we separated, I pinched her ass. "Scare me like that again and I'll make sure you know what a real punishment is," I said, no fire in my voice to make her wary of this threat.
Sothshore glared at me, but I dared not mistake that look of embarrassment on her face. "Like I would die in some unknown waters in the belly of some beasts," she retorted. That wasn't the answer I wanted to hear so I pinched her harder.
"UGHHHH! S-Sorry, Sir," She then said as I released her. I then kissed the top of her head.
"That's better, ya fiery bitch," I replied. I then received a punch to my arm for my troubles.
Next, with only five minutes to spare, my mother coughed and appeared from below. I placed my head in my hands and chuckled. I swore I was going to tear into their asses for this when I got the chance.
When my mother boarded the ship, I noticed she had also not come without anything. I saw a rather delicate whip forged from silk snakeskin and a handle forged in mountain bone. I grabbed her into my arms and kissed her with no less passion than I had with the others. It did not take her very long either to understand the cause of my...enthused vigor.
Soon enough, she too gave me an apology for my worrying. Even as the rain fell down and the lightning rolled across the sky, I could not stay too angry at any of them. I'm sure I would have done the same thing if I had not been so drained from the ring I had picked up.
As the time slipped away, I noticed no one else resurfacing. It was at this time that I had broken my word from earlier. I waited for at least a half-hour longer than I had mentioned before. Wisely, no one questioned me on this, but once those thirty minutes were over, I held my head down.
I faced my crew. "We set sail for Delverhold! We shall sail these seas for the next five or six hours. During that time, silently mourn those that have had their souls ferried into the River of Hades. Raise the sails!" I commanded.
"Aye Captain!" Everyone called as they scrambled to work. The anchor was pulled out and the sails were released. Under this mild storm, we sailed away from the monsters that laid below. While we sailed Ellen gave me an account of...what remained.
...I had lost a total of thirty men and women to this trial. Of all that I had left and gathered from this trip, that now left me with perhaps just over a hundred left.
We sailed away from the Sea of Greed.
"Zaha. Oh Zaha. Guideth my soul down to that withering place. I see the grand sky. I see the parting clouds.
My soul be weary! Weary I say! Come find me in that lonely place! I know there I have done my kal, I have done my ixval, I have worked my homal.
Ooooh Zeus! Ooooh mighty gods! Pray my soul to find my land on high!
My soul to lie. My soul to die. Where shall I go? Oh Hera, Oh Hades! Hanaaaaaaal, ooooooooh hanaaaal.
The land of my peace come to me now. Ferry my soul! Pray oh my soul! Seeketh doth mine eyes and mine body. Wound and blade, I find what may!
Keep me now. Ooooh keep me now. Cast me not down to the dark place.
Droooooooow, moooooouan! Jafhoooooooooooop imganwe golllavorooooooooo.
Shall I fade? Shall I die? That place I find. Find me peace and ferry my soul. Hashioaovaoooooo asgihalvikoooooooor!
Now ferry mine sooooooooooooul! Ferry my soul for my kaghiv hath sunk and died by glorious time and passions. Ooooooooh, here I come to sing the songs and sound the praise.
Casteth me not. Down into the City of the Dead. Casteth my body for I am laid to reeeeeeest,"
My crew sang in melancholy as we sailed. It seemed like that party from before was a distant memory where we had all survived before. Mirth and joyful shanties had been replaced with Draegnar odes to respect the dead. On my ears, the only sounds I heard were from the rain and thunder, sad shanties, and the rolling sea.
Once we had sailed for long enough, I dismissed everyone. I gave them time to count their treasures and take pride in the fact that they still drew breath. Meanwhile, I retired to my room with Aesteal, my mother, and Ellen, with some coaxing for the latter.
I spoke not a word and I don't think they did either. My mind was in too many different places to tell. Instead, I took off my clothes and went into bed. Thankfully, my bed was just big enough to accommodate all four of us. Aye it be strange coming from me, but for once I had no thoughts of lust and passion.
Though I did enjoy their warm, soft bodies next to mine, aside from the occasional sift of my fingers through their hair, I made no move that would make them think I desired sexual intimacy. My salty heart was eased by the sounds of their breaths as they laid with me. I could smell the sting of saltwater on their bodies amidst the cool breeze which flowed into my quarters. The sounds of thunder and rain were oddly calming.
As they continued to sleep, I chuckled to myself. Aye, though the mind might not desire so, the body is wayward. My mother slowly rubbed my chest with her fingers while Ellen's hair tickled my arms. Aesteal's breath tickled the nipples on my chest and my cock shamelessly showed its appreciation for the efforts that were unknown to them.
My erection aside, I willed myself to fall asleep as well. It was a tad difficult, but my exhaustion had replaced my body's lust and I fell asleep as well. Upon the chill waves, I dreamed good dreams with these sexy lasses upon my shoulder.
Next morning came easy enough and with it came what one might call 'petty satisfaction' for me. "Next," I said as I finished writing down the contents of a chest I had collected. I laughed when another chest was slammed on my desk courtesy of Ellen. She looked at me with that glare that could drive any man mad.
"I hate you," Sothshore said as I swiped a blade of water through the rusted chain of the chest in front of me.
"I hate you, Sir," I corrected her. She stomped away in reply as my lips curled in a smile.
Ever since we had woken up, which had been about two hours ago, I had punished my mother, Ellen, and Aesteal with helping me sort through my treasures. Naturally, this was their penance for worrying me. I think my mother and my elf took this in better stride than Sothshore did. I'm sure they were just as eager to look over what they had found as well, but they did not question my method of their punishment. I'm sure they all knew I could do worse if I desired.
Since Ellen was preoccupied, someone else came in to fetch us our breakfast. Nz'ia came to me for his own breakfast. Once that was given to him, these unlucky lasses were left with me to continue my endeavors.
Though I was a bit annoyed to do this type of work so early, I did not enjoy seeing my quarters become a pig's den. Plus, it would help me if I enlisted aid from them as well.
I had decided to place my treasures in three groups: the shit I really wanted, the shit I wanted for the ship, and the shit I could care less about.
Most of the shit that I wanted had fallen into some strange vials and jars filled with unknown essences that would help my alchemy down the line. There was also an assortment of diamonds, jewelry, and studded weapons. Those would do well for my personal funds apart from the ship. These findings had long settled my losses back in C'ula for Kavtha's Urn.
By the time we were done, we had reached the mid-afternoon. Everything I had was sorted and the things that I didn't need in my quarters were taken to be thrown into the treasure room. I then dismissed them all so that they might take in their profits from last night.
Meanwhile, I decided that a good bath was in order since I had not taken one previously. I stepped out of my cabin and noticed how little the line for Liara's bath was. That also seemed to cement the fact that I had lost able-bodied men and women.
The line seemed to move fast enough and it wasn't long before I took brief residence in Liara's quarters. I noticed Goron and Diane were already gone as I discarded my close and dropped a bronze coin in the witch's little collection bag. She then provided me with a hot bath and dry rag to scrub my body free from the dirt around me.
Then, as usual, Liara took a chair next to me and busied herself with some tome that she had been studying. I don't quite know the contexts of this one since it's written in a language I'm not too keen on translating. However, it seemed that Liara wasn't too keen on perusing through its vast pages of wisdom either for she closed the book and placed it on her lap. She then turned to me, the scent of her hair on my nose.
"My collection of coin has recently dropped," she said.
I scooped some water from the bath and splashed my face. "The blessings and curses of the sea be tied to many a man. To search for glory is to bet your very soul against Olympus," I replied.
I heard the distinct sound of Liara's nails tapping her tome. She then chuckled. "Much like Icarus, they reach for the sun only to be burned by its brilliance. So too it might be with fame and glory," she replied.
I smiled and leaned my arms on the bath's edge. "Some tales claim that Icarus coveted the power of Helios and attempted to duel him. Thus, the god of the Sun struck him down forever to live his life chained in the darkest corners where not even sunlight might tread. Nevertheless, there is always an Icarus out there, ready to lay claim to the world of mortals and gods. There are worse ways to die than attempting to achieve your desires," I answered.
We both fell into silence for a while before she fully turned to me. Liara rubbed my wet cheek with her palm and my body was eager to show her just how appreciating it was of this action. I could feel the waters tickling my now erect cock which made me shudder.
I held Liara's hand and kissed it. "And what do you desire at the end of all this?" she asked.
I released her hand and felt slide through my tongue like fire and ice. "Come to my quarters tonight and perhaps I shall have an answer for you," I replied, my voice almost like a whisper.
I noticed that Liara didn't have a way or the other in response to my forward statement. That said, I could not mistake the familiar feeling of her aura intertwining with mine. I'm sure if a man and a woman ventured into the witch's living space at this moment, they might have forgone any sense of foreplay and just fucked each other right on the floor.
"Tis most unusual, fair captain. Has thou plans of seducing me?" she asked.
I grinned. "That depends, fair witch. Is it working?" I returned her question with my own.
She removed her hand from my own and her long legs swung around so that she might stand up. "Perhaps. You have held my intrigue for longer than most of anyone. Though before I make this decision, I wish to know something. Did you undersea trials bear the fruit which you have desired?" she questioned.
"Perhaps they have, Liara. Perhaps they have," I answered. I then stepped out of the bath and dressed myself. I walked out of Liara's room and back into my own. I didn't stay in there for long because I soon returned.
As I stared across the grand road of the Main Deck, I honed in on my target. I spotted Maeloson. A sharp grin on my face, I walked towards him. He stopped me and gave me his full attention. Then, to his confusion, I handed him a deck mop. He took it slowly as if trying to inspect it for some sort of hidden trap, but how I enjoyed his face when I spoke my next words.
"All ya assigned to swabbing the decks, more fortune be upon you! Maeloson has dutifully charged himself with this laborious duty that you might rest and enjoy the open air! Give yer thanks to Maeloson as he holds duty over the decks for today!" I announced.
Maeloson looked at me with bewilderment. The sounds of the cheers of those who had been assigned this duty rung over the ship. "YAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAR! Gods bless you, Maeloson! May the Fates grant you the strength of Hercules and the speed of Hermes! May the seas fare thee well, Maeloson!" someone said joyously as he threw his mop down and ran into the lower decks. Others expressed their joy as they placed their mops a bit more neatly on the walls before they ran off as well.
All of this left, Maeloson as the sole wielder of the mighty mop of my ship. I patted his shoulder. "Consider it punishment for last night. Enjoy your duties," I said as the confused look on the male elf's face only got more profound. For one who keeps his emotions so close to his chest, I be delighted in this minimal amount of angst on his face.
Maeloson looked towards Aesteal for an answer, but all she could give him was a look of sympathy that told him she knew what he was going through. My male elf looked at her and then he looked back at me. What followed was a sigh of defeat as he watered the hairs of the mop and began scrubbing the main deck.
I wish I could say that as we sailed this sea something else exciting happened. Unfortunately, I could not do so. The day was long and my thoughts were preoccupied with running over the list of what I had collected. I decided to spend some time going over the map with my mother, Ellen, and the helmsman. I made sure to speak with them about any rising concerns such as the state of the crew, the food supply, and the ship. Unsurprisingly, The Taker of Voices had damaged my vessel somewhat. I would need to watch that in the coming days.
My ship also seemed to pass the time in joyous combat. I watched Diane and Ellen beat the hell out of each other again, for what reason I don't know. Lady Knight and I had our fair share of combat as she seemed quite heated with me since our last bout. I don't know where or how she had gotten her training, but my body would be sore for days from the assault she had placed on me that day.
Even Nz'ia held combat against Aesteal and Maeloson. By the way he combated them both, I be sure there was no thought in anyone's mind that he was someone to mess with. The Xhaluter had obviously proven himself to my crew. Granted, I doubt they needed much convincing since he had cost me quite a bit of coin to pay Liara to heal the wounded when he awoke last time.
Anyway, I noticed that the further we sailed, the stronger the waves got. Powerful bodies of water threatened to tear this vessel apart had I not diverted the waves back into each other. Over the setting sun, I narrowed my eyes. I could smell it in the air. Any pirate worth his salt knows when a storm is coming. No, this be not one of my creation this time!
No, this type of storm is one that can only come from this type of place. I turned around and headed back to my room. After about six or seven hours, I relieved Maeloson from swabbing the deck. I say the elf is known for his patience because I think he was quite close to snapping the mob into two different pieces.
As I retired to my room, I slowly took off my clothes.
"If the House of Balamar held everyone with as much zeal as Lady Knight, I fear none would be safe," I said with pained grunts as I hung up my coat, took off my boots, and discarded my shirt. My bruised body ached with fierce fire as I struggled to my chair. I could cast some healing magic on myself, but there be a saying that the 'trials of men must hurt for the bones of destiny to forge the body.'
...Aye, I don't really know what that means either, but I assume it to mean that I ought to just take this pain. I had taken worse later in my life anyway.
As I sat in my chair, I turned to the pile of things that I wanted. I grabbed one of the chests and opened it. Inside was a bunch of jars holding the type of shit that any alchemist would desire having. Clearly, one of the ships that had fallen prey to the deep was one sailing for the Alchemist Union. By Liara's knowledge, these vials contained materials that no ordinary man would set his eyes on.
"Flame Bear Tongue, Coral Bones, Orc Teeth," I said to myself as I counted the contents within the chest. I placed the vials back and began cataloging more of what I had been given. Once the fourth trial ended, there should be nothing short of Quwal standing between me and Delverhold. It could begin more time-demanding work.
That said, it wasn't like I couldn't start doing it now. Aside from the pain in my arms, my legs, and my stomach, there wasn't anything holding me back from completing my task. I had already made plans to aid Alteria in exchange for the crystal ash she had promised me. However, I'm also aware of certain outside factors potentially denying her from fulfilling that promise.
Anyway, I searched through some of the other crates and found some pieces of dwarven steel. I took a sharp stone and began shaving the steel into my bladed eel's bowl. I watched it swim around as it gobbled up the steel like a common man unfit for the king's court. I then picked up my cauldron and placed it on my table.
Putting aside some space, I took out some spare vials and the two pistols I had purchased from Draegnar. I took the guns apart and dropped laid them on the table. As I headed to one of my cabinets and opened it, I heard a knock at my door.
"Enter," I said.
The door opened and I noticed Liara glide through its opening like a blissful breeze of the wind. I also noticed that she had changed some of her attire. Now, she stood in some type of long black dress which clung to her body rather well. I could make out of her wonderful legs behind its veil. The upper area of her corset revealed a fair amount of her skin and cleavage. I imagine this to be the type of dress that those nobles cunts of high society wear to masquerade balls or what would have their fancy.
That said, was I one to turn up my nose to the sight of a beautiful woman in a beautiful dress that entered my chambers? Not hardly.
"You're early," I said.
Liara closed the door behind her and looked around my room. "Tis quite fortunate that I choose now of many times to be with you, Drakclaw. Have I perhaps come upon an inopportune time? I see that you have taken many steps in the pursuit of alchemy," she said. She then walked over to my bed and sat on it. Her eyes stared at my cauldron and then at the guns I had disassembled.
I grabbed a book from my shelf and walked back to my desk. "Perhaps it all awakened in me while I dreamed," I answered as I opened my book. The words, diagrams, and other shit that makes alchemy complicated were written inside of it.
"Yes, perhaps this is indeed the case," she said before she fell silent.
I fell into silence as well as I began to work. One might think that Liara's tone concerned me, but it did not. It should be no surprise that she was close to figuring out the truth or some form of it. No one kept things hidden from the Witch of Draegnar for very long.
Under the watchful eye of Ilzahold, I continued my work. The harsh sounds of a blunt knife banging on my wooden desk rung through my quarters. I had just finished grinding some spice leaves and had begun pouring them into the cauldron. I then poured in some green liquid that began to make snapping and cracking sounds in the cauldron.
Around and around I swung my finger while I glanced back at my journal. "Liara, be a fair, sexy witch and hand me that vial on top of my cabinet," I said.
I heard the shuffle of the sheets of my bed and the clattering of heels on my floorboards. The Witch then handed me a vial filled with crushed shark's teeth. She leaned over my shoulder, granting me a welcoming smell of her mystifying scent. She handed the vial to me and I took it, allowing my fingers to slowly cling to her for a moment.
I opened the vial and poured about a quarter of the contents into the cauldron.
"So, now that I have offered my presence to you and your quarters, shall you entertain me with your answer to my previous question?" Liara asked, her lips close to my ears. Her voice made me shiver and I could tell that she knew that.
"Are you tempting me, witch? I asked.
"Tis not so much temptation. Diane has been rather forthcoming about her time under your care. I merely wish to form my own thoughts upon this matter. However, you still have not answered my question," Liara said as her hands landed on my shoulders. I continued working.
Despite the soreness in my body, I could feel the way Liara's magic coursed through my body. For some reason, it was like the sun was wrapping me in a thick blanket of warmth that seemed to take me away from what I was doing.
I slowly stopped my swirling finger. I then stood to my feet and turned to face the mighty witch.
"Freedom, Liara,"
Those two words were all I said before I took the Witch of Draegnar into my arms and kissed her with no less fervor than I would have had it been my mother, Ellen, Aesteal, or Diane. She was a bit taller than me so I had to move my head up a bit to properly seek her out. Nevertheless, when I had her, she quickly reciprocated. Her warm lips upon my own, I was quick to notice that unlike the previous times we had shared our lips, this time seemed to engulf her magic with my own.
I slowly rubbed her long arms and she rubbed my shoulders. I could not deny it. It took all my strength to keep me from falling into her arms. Her lips were like some foreign drug. The tips of her fingers seemed to ignite the corners of my being.
As Liara and I continued to kiss each other, I noticed that what she and I had was very close to what I would have with my past lovers. There was no need to guide, restrain, or control her. Ilzahold was a woman who had enough knowledge to fully realize what she was doing. I could tell from the way our tongues rolled around with each other as our hot breath tickled the hairs on each other's lips.
One of Liara's hands rubbed my shoulders before it slowly trailed down my chest and stomach. Seas, my cock had already risen to full mast as the combined lustful aura of our bodies began to seep into the air of my cabin. Her wonderful fingers lingered on my erection through my pants and, though I was stiff...both in my cock and from pain, made my legs tremble. Each stroke was a grand sensation of fired nerves. As one might expect from a woman like Liara, she knew the body more than any mortal that roams this orb of water and earth.
Liara and I parted. I brushed a piece of hair from the side of her face. "Truly witch, you bring all manner of men to madness," I said as she continued to rub my erection.
"Tis a humbling fact. Shall I take responsibility then for your madness?" she asked, a smile upon her face as if to somehow toy with me for my folly in thinking that I couldn't grant her pleasure the same way she could me.
Unfortunately for her, I also had my ways. "Aye, I shall feel honored that the mighty Witch of Draegnar, who kings and princes, nobles and merchants have sold their very souls to, shall now rest in bed with a lowly bilgerat," I said.
Ilzahold stared at me for a moment. "Is that all a moment such as this might mean to you, boy? You desire me as another body to warm your bed?" she asked.
I kissed her again, but I noticed that she did not kiss me back. Her eyes remained rather resolute for an answer. "I've already told ya, Liara. I'm not some complex man fit for the hidden politics which govern the lands. I ain't gonna walk ya around in circles either. Should we reach Delverhold, I'm gonna ask you to join my crew and sail with me for as long as I desire. Of course, I'd like you to share my bed as well, but should that not appeal to you then I'm not so petty I won't respect your wishes," I answered.
I then pulled myself out of Liara's arms and walked over to my bed. There could and would be no mistaking of my intentions. For this moment, anything that was to be would come from Liara's own actions. This was much different than I had been used to such as in the way I dealt with Ellen, Aesteal, Diane, and even my mother.
Liara was not some woman who was testing the waters or felt unsure of herself. She had more than likely played a game like this with many men and women. Even now, I was aware that she held more cards in her hand than I did. I might have her memories, but I didn't have all of them. My Ilzahold had locked many of them away and though I still had this Liara by a couple of years since my death, I doubt it be too much of a canyon of comparison.
Though I did not tell Liara this, if she refused, I wouldn't take any of the others to my bed this night either. If she did refuse, then I at least believe that she would take note of my sincerity, well sincerity for a pirate, in what we both assumed this was. As much as I wished to fuck Liara just as any man or woman would, that was not all I desired per our relationship. I rather enjoy her elderly wit. As I'm sure this mysterious woman is used to, I left her in control of what happened next.
Ilzahold continued to stare at me for a little while longer. I'm not sure what information she be trying to extract from me, but I don't think I tried to hide anything. I say that because if my Liara placed barriers within her memories that this Liara couldn't get to then I think that would be a pain.
Hmm, I will never understand the complexities of time magic.
"I shall inform you of something, boy. It was not the offer of Delverhold that made me decide to sail with you. One of the reasons I accepted was because of the familiarity I feel with your aura. I have been on Draegnar for many seasons and I have felt the magic veins of almost every living thing that has set foot on the island. Yet, I have been constantly intrigued by you. No matter how closely related family and even animals might be, there are veins and aura that make them different. Even the Twins of Honhar who have been known to share everything down to their very bone structure contain different magic veins," she explained.
Liara then slowly began walking towards me. "Yet, there is you. Only a few hours before you sought an audience with me, did I feel the veins of magic and aura so similar to my own that I figured one of my previous incantations had channeled the spirits within my body to increase the energy within me. It was only when I met you did I realize that you were the cause of this odd occurrence," she paused and stood in front of me.
"A young boy, a poor boy with a sick mother, suddenly gained my attention and curiosity. Even before the blood oath, I knew you were not deceitful. The aura inside you, my aura, claimed that I should take your words as truth. I, who only trust very select individuals, was being told that a boy who should not even be aware of my existence is worthy of keeping words and oaths between him and I. Why do you think that is?" she asked.
A smile, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring I had found beneath the Sea of Greed. I then presented it to Liara. "Need I repeat myself, Liara? Stick around and ya might find the answer to that question," I said.
She eyed the ring and took it from me. "Careful, boy. Is the Tale of Icarus still not fresh in your mind? Mortals aren't meant to open Pandora's Box," she said, her voice full of lust.
I thumbed Liara's chin. "Great trouble is worth having you at my side," I said before I kissed her again.
This time, there didn't seem to be any need for Liara to search me for anything. She kissed me and her weight pushed me down onto my bed. As she had done previously, her hand found its way to my cock and she began rubbing it once again. "Now, I shall see this mighty thing that has women screaming behind your closed doors. I pray thee not disappoint," she said, that smile on her face enticing me so well.
I kissed with Ilzahold once again. If the previous kisses I had shared with her were any indication, then I could swear that this was one of the greatest I have ever received. My body was filled with magical power as her tongue licked up and down the sides of my teeth. I wrapped my arms around her body and held her close to me. A swirling of her tongue and mine fueled the growing flames of our lust as her body started to grind against mine.
I was not one to be idle as I moved my hands up and down, massaging her back while I groaned from her fingers rubbing tenderly over my pants. Her fingers found my belt and she quickly unfurled it. With the added space, her hands reached inside and my body almost seemed to explode from sexual stimulation from the softness of her palm on the head of my cock.
"Hmmm, a bit more impressive than most I've seen. It burns with the fires of Helios," she said as I felt her fingers rub my slit and slide down the length of my flesh until she rested on my balls. She fondled them expertly and I could now see that to deal with her was not something a man did lightly.
I rolled my hands over her back until my fingers rested on the zipper of her corset. I slowly began sliding it down as she continued to kiss me. "It longs to know the body of the world's most powerful woman," I said. Her eyes seemed to glow with a silent appreciation of my acknowledgment of her status. Her bountiful lips suckled on my tongue while her voice hummed in pleasure as I slide her dress off her arms. For the first time, I was blessed to see the body of Liara Ilzahold as the dress fell from her chest and onto my stomach.
If I can be honest, I was not sure how I could perfectly describe her. The witch has a perform form that noblewomen would sell their souls for. Her skin is clear as crystal, and her body has a fullness to it that shows the centuries of magic she's worked into it. Many tattoos of ancient civilizations cover her body, but this does not distract from her beauty. Instead, it seemed to further add to her profound beauty.
My cock lurched when she rubbed my chest. "By your gaze, I see that I have garnered your approval?" she asked.
"That and so much more," I said as I leaned up with her on my lap. Her knees climbed onto the bed as I held her. My hands touched her breasts and she moaned lowly in appreciation. I then leaned up and kissed her once again. Seas, I could kiss her forever if that was what we both desired.
My tongue was restless and my breath was hot. "Mmmmm," she said as she rubbed my shoulders and her fingers clawed at my chest. From her lips, I trailed down my tongue to her neck. Her head leaned back and her hair sprawled over my arms to grant me a better area to play with. I wasted no effort in kissing her and lathering her with my attention. She was a jewel of the sea that none have the opportunity to hold in their arms except for those that truly value what she is.
"Hmmm, very good. You work your tongue...mmmm...well," she complimented as her hands cradled my head. I continued to press on as I shuffled her body further. I took my other hand and rested it on her left breast. I quickly began rotating and kneading her lovely tits between the crevices of my fingers. Seas, I could feel my fingers slide into her flesh like it was a baker's yeast dough.
The combined aura of our lust quickly filled my room as her hand continued to work my cock within my pants. Her labored breaths tickled my ears which made my cock lurch. "Will you turn me into a mad beast when we're done?" I asked as I kissed and sucked her neckline.
"Tis dependent on your performance, dear captain! A case has been held for you however...," she breathed. Her other hand cradled my head and toyed with my hair. I made sure that there was no area upon her that I did not touch. The unattainable treasure that was Liara had finally laid in my arms. Hundreds, if not thousands, of dreams and fantasies now seemed to culminate themselves together for me.
So turned on, so full of lust for Liara was I that I could already feel the cum rushing through my balls and into my cock. The drips from my slit made her palm all the softer as she continued to roll and hold it between her fingers.
Finally, I looked down at her nipples. They looked so puffy, swollen, and pointed. Like some hypnotic spell, my mouth watered for them. So, I quenched my thirst for them by taking one in my mouth.
"Mmmmmm! I shall admit you are among the top five lovers I've had as I've walked this earth," she said, her voice hoarse with ecstasy. I showed my appreciation for her words by lavishly swirling my tongue over her swollen flesh. It was odd. Every time my teeth sucked on her nipples or my tongue flicked across her areolae, I could feel something wet constantly sliding down my thought. I have tasted babe's milk before, but this didn't seem like the type. Instead, the more I drank the more I felt a surge of energy rushing through my head. The foggy recesses of my mind seemed so clear all of a sudden as I lapped at more of Liara's body.
"Mmmm...oooooooh...yessssss...suck my breasts! Oooooooooooh, that feels wonderful," Liara said as she pushed my head deeper into her chest. My mouth and nose pushed up against her tit. How could I deny such a proclamation?
I attacked Ilzahold's breasts with all the passion and frustration that I could. While my tongue swirled, licked, and sucked one of her nipples, my other hand was busy at work with her other breast. Between my thumb and forefinger laid the pointed tip of her mammary. Her breaths and her voice were like a siren's song in my ears. It drove me to perform for her and sate her lust to the best of my mortal being. My reward was her touch and her compliments of me as a lover.
The fog in my mind kept clearing and clearing however the images which laid behind them had not come. I think this to be because my mind was too preoccupied with the pleasure to focus on anything still stuck in my head. So enraptured was I that I felt my legs weaken and my cock lurch as cum fired from my cock and through her wiggling fingers.
I detached my tongue from her tits and my breath became short. She held up her hands and the evidence of my unstoppable lust revealed itself in the sticky residue on her fingers. She stared at my semen before she licked it up. It might have been because I was delirious from the pleasure, but I think I saw her shiver.
"Mmmm, most surprising. Perhaps I shall sail with you, Eric Drakclaw. There is an unusual element I taste from your seed. Such a quantity shall be useful for many elixirs," she said before she continued to suck and lick her fingers until all my cum was gone.
A bit annoyed that a handjob had conquered me so easily, I spoke. "Perhaps my bastard of a father was an incubus after all," I replied. As if to exemplify that statement, my cock rose once again.
Liara chuckled. "Then I shall thank your father for allowing me this chance to partake of such an intriguing specimen. Your vitality is to be admired," she responded back.
I decided to show Liara just how much my vitality was actually worth by quickly switching our positions. She gasped when she found her back on my mattress while I feasted upon her sweaty body. Despite so much lust in the air, I could see Liara was still in control of herself. Though her eyes were covered by the haze of lust, she still had complete knowledge of her senses.
I grabbed the rest of Ilzahold's corset and pulled it down. Aye, she or I could have woven some spell that removed it, but I desired to savor this. Liara had presented herself to me and I wanted to gaze upon her entire body in such a way that I might never forget the first time I was granted the honor of undressing her.
I heard her heels clatter on the floor as I fully pulled her dress off. A pair of dripping wet female undergarments were my prize. "I'm not the only one who shall flood this room with lust juice, witch!" I said.
Liara merely smiled and pulled her panties to the side revealing a lovely, shaven pussy rich with a flowing sea of female desire. She then used her other finger and parted her lower lips to grant me a better view. "I prefer to see your actions instead of hear your words, dear captain. I await you," she answered back.
I groaned from the way her voice seemed to pull me to her. I quickly latched my tongue onto her pussy and began slurping up the juice that had been falling to my floor. "Mmmmmm...ooooooooooooh...auuuuuuuuuaaaa that feels good, Drakclaw. That feels...sooooooo good!" she moaned, her voice hot with need.
As I vigorously attacked Liara's snatch, I was aware that there had to be something unusual about her body because the heat running from her body seemed to be transferred to me and back again. Its deadly flames kept heating my brain and releasing the surges of lust through my cock as I licked her thighs and held her legs over my shoulder.
"Oooooooooh. Oooooooooooooh fuck yesssssssss!" she hissed. Her cunt walls clung to my tongue while my hands massaged her legs. I could feel her fingers rubbing my hair as I vigorously attacked her. I then groaned as I felt something wet slathering my cock.
When I looked up at Liara, I was rather surprised to see my cock floating through a tiny portal as she licked and sucked it between her teeth and tongue. I tried hard to resist from cumming at the thought that magic, one of the most powerful forces of the arcane, was being used by one of the world's most powerful people to get me off.
"Mmmmmmph! Fuck!" I groaned into Liara's pussy as I felt what seemed like multiple tongues working up and down the nerves of my cock. I struggled to maintain my focus as my tongue slithered through Ilzahold's insides. My fingers worked on spreading her folds as more of her nourishing fluids rushed into my mouth. One might think that my lust should have waned from my first ejaculation, but I can attest to the fact that I think Liara's juice must be some kind of intense aphrodisiac because instead of going down, my lust was increasing.
I could hear the small gags from Liara on my cock as the soothing feel of her bobbing head drove me wild. I could even feel my hips thrusting forward, taking in as much of her mouth as they could. "Mmmmmm...yesssss...Mwuuuuuuuuaaaaaaa...," The mighty witch gasped. I plunged three fingers into her dripping snatch while my tongue fondled and massaged her clit. The pleasure was firing through my brain and into the very core of my being.
Her hips rocked and undulated against my face while one of her hands clung to my head painfully. The other hand, I could clearly feel it through my pants stroking and milking my cock into her sucking mouth from the magic portal next to her lips.
Then her pussy. Oh seas, her pussy was unlike any I had ever eaten or pleasured before. Her cunt seemed to move like a living creature, all part seemed to stretch and grind independent of the others. My fingers felt like they were being gripped by a sleek and slimy, yet narrowly tightly cavern of soft edges. The fountain which poured out from her was everflowing. The more I drank, the more my lust never seemed to abate. The rushing tide through my body and hers seemed to culminate our shared aura until it wrapped around the entire ship. I wouldn't have been surprised if I heard moans outside, but I was too far gone to realize it.
"Mmmmmmm! MMMMMMMMMMMMMHMMMM! OOoOOOOOOOoooOOH!" Liara groaned, her lips vibrating my cock. Her legs wrapped around my neck and a torrent of lust rushed into my mouth so fast that I couldn't even swallow it all before it filled my lips and crashed against my nose.
I held Liara for a time as her twitching legs continued to slide up and down the back of my neck. Her feet slowly massaged my back while my cock fell against the material of my pants. This beautiful witch then leaned up her head and untangled her legs. Just as she had done for me, I offered her a view of me licking the sweet contents that had expelled from her body into my lips.
"Compared to having my cock sucked, I much prefer dining on you if that's what shall be in store for me," I said.
Liara laughed, the sweat flowing down her body. "Unfortunately for you, I as well enjoy the taste and feel of your cock. I see the tales from Diane were not exaggerated," she replied.
In response, I grabbed my pants and pulled them down. My cock sprang into the open air. So glistened with saliva and cum was it that I could see the flickering the setting sun from my window on it. It bobbed up and down like some jumping fish. "And I see the tales of your beauty were not understated. I would have almost taken you for a child of Aphrodite," I said.
Liara leaned up and patted the bed. "Then allow me to continue bewitching you with my charms," she said, gesturing for me to sit on my mattress. With as much curiosity as a cat, I followed her silent desire and did just that. She then stood up, got between my legs, and bent her knees to the floor.
"Perhaps one so attuned to the mystic arts such as yourself should know that there was once a time where a female mage could increase her proficiency to the magic arts by absorbing the sexual essence of a male if his aura complimented her own. I have tested this theory over many centuries. Tis most fortunate if you shall become another subject," she said.
I grinned. "Oh? And where do I fall in this line of recent subjects?" I asked.
I shivered as she stroked my cock a few times, her thumb rubbing over my open slit as she did so. "You shall be the first of...proactive research. Do not hold back your desires. Unleash them when you will," she said and the breath left my lungs when my cock was engulfed by her wonderful breasts. Her hands kept them sandwiched on my rod before she stared jerking her chest for my pleasure.
"Nnnnnhhhg," I groaned. I watched my cock poke in and out of her glorious tits while her tongue licked and folded the crown. The squishy, pillowy feeling of her breasts combined with the warm passage of her lips aroused me so much that the blood flowing into my flesh pistol was borderline painful. Yet, her saliva liked through her tits and onto my cock which made loads of lewd noises that were pleasant to our ears.
"Mmmm, your cock is truly a marvel. Ares might be jealous should Aphrodite get a hold of you," She panted as she continued fucking me with her breasts and her lips. The precum that had been oozing from my eye of my dick was gulped down her throat greedily. I couldn't hold back and began thrusting my hips into her chest. She accepted my vigor and watched me with that all-knowing look in her eyes as I lost myself in the rapture of her body.
"My, your aura is quite delectable. Perhaps it excites you to release your desires upon my body like this?" She asked. I stopped for one moment to quickly bend over and kiss her. My tongue licked the upper reaches of her teeth.
"Aye, I pray this be the first of many,"
"As do I,"
Sweat poured down from my body and Liara's soothing, yet sexy moans and grunts pushed me over the edge as the minutes rolled by. "UUUUUUUUUUGH!" I growled as my seed blasted like cannon fire over Liara's breasts and face. I staggered back to my bed on my back while Liara savored my cum. I watched her soak its white essence into her body until it was completely gone.
She then grabbed my cock. "A vigorous amount, dear captain. I pray you have more. We've only just begun," she replied.
How could I not have more? The combined aura of lust between us both would have kept me hard for at least four or five more hours. "So long as you can keep up with me, Liara," I replied.
She responded by stroking my cock. She then climbed onto the bed over me. I stared into her eyes as she lined my cock with her cunt. "I shall endeavor to do my best. I hope it is everything you dreamed of, Son of Poseidon," Ilzahold said before the most divine sensations on this husk of rock and water filled my brain when I felt my cock slide through the pussy of the Witch of Draegnar. I thank Olympus that I had already cum because I surely would have blown my load now if I hadn't then.
"Hmmmmmm, a fine cock. A mighty fine...mmmmm...cock you have! I now see why your mother walks with a stagger. She must never want to...huuuuuu...let go of this male piece," Liara breathed as her pussy slowly clung to every inch of my cock while I slid deeper and deeper into her soaked cavern.
Dammit, I felt like all I could do was clench the sheets of the bed as Liara continued to take me in until her ass rested on my pelvis. Her mouth and her breasts, though delectable and worthy of the highest praise, were nothing compared to her pussy. I could feel surges of luscious fire and electric shocks run from my cock through my body and into my head. I was drowning in a sea of wonderful ecstasy and rapture.
"You're beautiful, Liara. Your body is beyond words," I said.
"Your compliments do my heart joy. Now partake of my body as I shall of yours this moonfall. Fill my body with your young, virile semen. Continue to intrigue me, dear captain," She said and she raised her hips up. I saw my cock slathered in glorious pussy juice before the flames of Aphrodite's perfume filled my room with moans from Liara and I. My cock disappeared into her body and she began to fuck me with surprising eagerness.
"Ahhhhhhhhh. Oooooooooooooh," I heard Liara as she continued to bounce wantonly on my meat pole. The sweat from her forehead dripped down onto my chest as I raised my hands and grabbed her globes. Her hands caressed my chest and my bed began to make creaking sounds of our lust. Shock after shock rushed through my mind as her cunt engulfed me and pleasured me. It was like a thousand tongues were rolling over my dick. By now, I could hear the lewd moans going on outside our door. No doubt the entire ship had fallen into debauchery.
My labored breaths or Liara's, I had no idea which I was focusing on, but I knew I could feel the magic veins within me repairing and shattering themselves as if to accommodate the spring's well of power Liara was forcing into my body. I continued to roll her breasts and nipples between my fingers.
"Oooooooh yesssssss! Play with my breasts! Your cock is wonderful! Soooooooo wonderful!" Liara exclaimed. I admit my ego inflated a bit from her words, but I knew that it was nothing compared to her body. She was the wonderful one. Her black hair sprawled over her face and I saw her tattoos glowing as they soaked up the energy between our bodies.
Not one to let a woman do all the work, I grabbed her hips and shoved my cock inside her body. "Oooooooooaaaauuuuu. Yes, boy! Fuck me! Enjoy the breaking down the tethers of rapture with me!" Liara said with labored breaths. My cock lurched and clung to the caressing folds of her glorious snatch. My hips drove my pelvis into hers. She leaned down and took hold of my lips with her own.
I then swung our bodies. Her eyes widened, but surprise was quickly taken over by lust when she saw that I had pinned her down. My cock still connected with her divine-felt pussy, I clenched my ass and continued to thrust into her. Her legs locked around my waist and her arms wrapped around my neck.
"Mmmmmmmm...auuuuuugh...had I thought differently, boy, I would assume you were trying to make me carry your child," Liara teased, but those were the wrong words to say to me. My cock hardened and the vivid images of me breeding the Witch of Draegnar were almost too much to handle. I think she must have noticed my resolve to her statement because I lifted her legs and fucked her cunt with so much passion and fire that I'm a bit surprised the floorboards beneath my bed didn't break.
"OooooooooooH! Did that turn you on, boy? Did that excite you, dear captain? The thought of making me carry and nurture your children? Would you wish to flood my chamber with the wells of new life from your virile essence? Mmmmmmmmaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh! You wish to make a mother out of me?" she questioned.
I did!
Seas, I fuckin' did!
"MmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnNNNNNNNNNN!!" Liara bit her lip as her circulating and undulating walls gripped my cock like a thunderous vice. My cock was drenched in the passionate flames of a wet tide from Ilzahold. My body grew tired and my legs grew sore, but I pressed on. My mother, Aesteal, Ellen, Diane, Liara, the thought of all of them carrying my descendants drove the sexual aura into my entire body. Liara's irises began to glow in some transcending way as her hands caressed my neck.
"Yesssssssss! OOooOOOOOOOoooOH Yes, Eric Drakclaw! I can see the threads of desire in your....aaaaaauuuuaauauugh eyes!" Liara exclaimed and when I stared into her eyes. It felt like all the pleasure in my cock had pushed into every piece of my body. I felt like I was stuck in one body with Liara, the feeling of the union granting as much pleasure from a single touch and a fucking of the minds. I cared for her pleasure. I cared for mine. We cared for the other's.
When I was aware of myself again, I noticed that I was behind Liara, slamming into her bountiful ass while she cradled my head with one of her hands. Her head was turned to mine as our lips and tongues clashed with each other. Liara was wailing some archaic words that I could not understand. I think I did hear something about the Kaashavalian god of fertility, Doranian, but nothing else beyond that.
Liara's lips nibbled on my lower lip as my cock stretched. "F-FUCK!" I think I shouted as I felt a flood of cum explode from my cock and into Liara's body.
"Hhaaauauauauauaa!" She said with me, but the lust in the air continued to rejuvenate my body and my desire to fuck the great witch. My cock just would not go flaccid no matter how much I think I came.
The next time I became aware of anything, we weren't on my bed. Instead, Liara was standing on one leg against the wall while I plowed into her like a Dwarven pickaxe through stone. Her other leg rested on my left shoulder as I stared at her swaying breasts. I bent down and took one of my mouth. More of her essence filled my nostrils.
"Yesssssss! Yesssss, boy! Bind your aura with mine! Uto hil ro hag van SHALORA!" she said, but I silenced her with a kiss while my hands grab her breasts and twisted her nipples. The glow in her eyes seemed to get even stronger. When I stared into her eyes I lost all restraint of my cock once again. With a groan, I flooded her womb with more cum from my balls.
"Haaaaaaaa...oooooooooOooooOOOOOOH...MAHAAAAAAAAAAAAL!"
This time when I was aware of myself, we were back on my bed with Liara straddling me. Her body glistened with wondrous rain of the body as I sensed her coming orgasm. Soon my rod was bathed in her fluids once again. By this point, my sheets were soaked and slippery with our combined euphoria.
The sheets stuck to my back, but that didn't bother me. What oddly bothered me was that I was still not satisfied. How long Liara and I had fucked did not register to me. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days, but my lust just would not die. Neither would Liara's. She had far outlasted any woman I had ever been with. I think I came more times this day than I ever have in this life or my last one, but...I can still keep doing it. I grab her hips and slam her down as she shouts the words of some forgotten language. My drive to fuck her, own her, possess her, breed her, love her were all being driven into my body.
I grabbed her and pulled her down to me. Her breasts pushed against my chest as she nibbled my earlobe. "Yesss, Eric Drakclaw! Does it not feel good? To challenge the very...haaaaaa limits of...the physical form...you are truly a one of a kind. None of my former partners lasted this long. Perhaps fate has truly shown me that I am to sail beneath your...aauuuguguguh flag!" Liara breathed as she bit into my shoulder. I didn't know why she did that. Do not blame me, the blood in my brain was already fired into my cock. I couldn't decipher her motives even if I wanted to. As her body rocked against mine, I think we both lost ourselves to our act again.
Now, we were back with how we had started. I was on top of her, driving my cock in and out of her soaked and stretched heavenly walls. She still felt as intense as ever. Her legs wrapped around my waist, preventing my escape, but I don't my body would even allow me to give way to the thought. All I could do was move out and shove back in until my cock rubbed against the entrance to her womb.
Her lips upon mine, her heels on my ass, her lips caressing my lips, we both stared into each other's eyes. Ilzahold's usually cleaned up hair had been disheveled and her eyes seemed like she had perceived something unexplainable. My balls ached and now I could feel how tired my body actually was. All the fucking we had done seemed to culminate within us both, but still she caressed my cheek.
"Don't stop, Eric Drakclaw! Keep fucking meeeeee! Fuck me until you release your seed deep inside me once more! Show me the true worth of the Son of Poseidon! Oooooooooooooooh! Yesss! Just like that! Eaaaaauaauauhaah! Let your cock rest within my body. Share your essence, your aura, your yol with mine!" she said.
Seas, I couldn't deny her. I couldn't deny myself. I'd fuck her for all eternity if it were within my ability.
Thrust after thrust after thrust, the cavern of Liara's body took my lust and all I had to offer. Her hands moved from my cheek and grabbed my neck. My mouth on her shoulder, I couldn't resist biting her neck as she had done to me. That seemed to be the trigger for her.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooOOoOAAAHH!" She ruptured as she exploded from a powerful orgasm once again. Her fountain was so hot, so needy, so stimulating that one more shove was all it took for me to grit my teeth and lock my hips.
'UUUUUUUUUGGGGH!" I groaned as I fired rope after rope of hot, sticky, potent cum through her pussy, past the wall of her chamber, and directly into her womb. I am actually unsure of Liara is able to have children, but damn if I wasn't going to fucking find out!
The witch and I fell down to the bed. We both panted and released hot wisps of breath from our lips. I smiled as I heard the many moans and cries of ecstasy from outside. Sigh, if some woman wasn't pregnant on this ship before then she definitely was now. Great, I just had to find Delverhold and return to Draegnar in about nine more months before my crew increased to an unwanted size of however many little brats would be crying aboard my ship. Then again, I doubt I should be one to complain since I had a hand in that.
After some time, Liara removed herself from my bed. "Where are you going?" I asked.
"Is there a need for me to stay longer?" she asked.
I responded by grabbing her arm and pulling her towards me. "Aye. I enjoy the sounds of a sleeping woman next to me. Since you've driven everyone else on this ship into senseless lust then I think you're the only candidate I've got," I returned.
She stared at me with neither a smile nor a frown. "You truly are an interesting young man, Eric Drakclaw," she said as she slipped into my bed sheets. Thankfully, the mattress wasn't too wet like the sheets were. I opened the window and we were quite fortunate that warm air blew over the sea. It would dry the sheets as we slept.
As I fell asleep, I already knew that this would be the last trial and then in perhaps five or six days...we would see Delverhold. I wrapped Liara in my arms as we fell asleep, my cock nuzzled between her thighs. As sounds lulled us to sleep, I heard a voice on the wind calling out for his son.
Though the voice was there, I held no cause for concern. It would not be yet, but now I knew tomorrow, or the day after, the fourth trial...would begin.