by Jez Cajiao
“What did you do to yourself?” I asked, and she shrugged, looking away. I couldn’t help but think of a petulant teenager in full swing, and just like that, the spell was broken. It started low at first, a shake in my chest, but inside of a few seconds, I was laughing openly.
At first, Oracle was clearly angry, but as I roared with laughter, she slowly began to see the funny side, until she was hitting me and shouting about how ‘it just wasn’t funny’ while giggling. After a few seconds, she grew in size and leaned in for a kiss.
“Ah, Oracle?” I stopped her, leaning back a bit.
“Yeah, Jax?” she asked, hesitant as I clearly felt differently about kissing her.
“Think you could change back?” She started, looking down at her hands, and then burst out laughing properly.
She gave herself a little shake, and she was back, growing to full size, seated atop my lap on the little sofa thingy. She was stunning again, long black hair down to her waist … and she was also still naked.
I coughed. Free of the emotions we’d been sharing, it was a lot easier to concentrate on things, but still… she was beautiful, naked, and straddling me.
We kissed slowly, but when she drew back, I realized our hands hand been a lot less busy than last time, and we gazed into each other’s eyes for a long moment before I broke the silence.
“I need to figure all this out, Oracle. We’re bonded, so it’s for life if we cross this line. I’m not ready for that, not until I know how I feel properly, so can we cool it a bit?” I was painfully aware that I was close to catapulting her across the room if my belt broke with the pressure it was under, ‘Mr. Happy’ desperate to ‘meet’ her as he was.
“I understand,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss me one last time. “But as you say, Jax, we’re bonded for life, so…”
“Oh, I know, this is a fucked-up situation in every way, and believe me, I want to. Damn I really, really, want to, but…”
“I can see your mind Jax, your past… and the rage you feel when the strong force the weak, but I’m neither. Just consider that I’m your bonded companion. I’m not really a woman; I can take any form, but I’m still me. I’m not going to change how I feel about you, and I won’t get jealous if you want to play with others… well, not much… and we could always…” She trailed off, looking anxiously at me.
“Seriously, Oracle, don’t finish that sentence.” I took a deep breath and sat up, which had the unfortunate effect of moving her until she was poised directly over the problem area. “And please, for the love of God, don’t start rocking. I’ll tear through these pants at this rate.” I whispered, closing my eyes as she immediately moved, and I felt it. “In fact, please, please, get off me and put some clothes on!”
Oracle let out a little laugh and I felt her shift, becoming her smaller foot-high form and taking off as I climbed to my feet. I was going to have to make ‘adjustments’ now, and that was dangerous with her about as well. I turned my back to her and started shifting myself around when a thought occurred to me. I paused, realizing just how much easier this was to control; well, not easy, but…
“I know, Jax, it’s a lot easier to think like this, but… I’m using a lot of mana to do THIS,” Oracle commented, and I turned, accidentally sweeping a book from the table as I spun too fast. Oracle laughed from where she hovered before me.
“Oh, for fuck’s…” I groaned spinning back around and putting myself right. When I turned back, Oracle was grinning, and I shook my head, knowing I’d been tricked.
“Right! So, care to explain what you’re using our mana for, then?” I asked, trying to move past her cheeky maneuver.
“Ah, ummm…okay.” Oracle said, still smiling. “I’ve suppressed my emotions, and dampened down our link, a bit like the reverse of the way I bypassed that slave collar.”
“I have no idea why that has anything to do with the slave collar, but no,” I said firmly, and Oracle blinked in surprise.
“But, Jax, this way you won’t have to feel…”
“Do you still feel your emotions properly?” I asked her, and she shrugged.
“Well, some of them. I…”
“And you’re using most of our mana to do this,” I interrupted her, checking the mana bar in my vision. We were hovering at less than a third of the usual total.
“Well, yes…” Oracle said, wringing her hands, “But…”
“No. Undo it please, Oracle. We need the mana, and I’m not having you stunt your emotions to make my life easier. We’ll both just have to watch it and try to control ourselves.” I took a deep breath and shrugged. “It’ll feel like being a teenager again, I guess. All I wanted to do was shag constantly, and I survived that. Guess I’ve got a lot of cold showers ahead of me until I figure this out.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, and I nodded, feeling a strange sensation inside as she released the weave she’d used to suppress my emotions. We both took an involuntary deep breath.
The world seemed different and I couldn’t even explain how. Brighter, the air crisper, and Oracle looked…I refocused my eyes with an act of will and saw her doing the same. Even though it had felt this way before, I had been exposed to it gradually, and I hadn’t noticed how much of our bond I’d taken for granted.
This would come to a head soon, I just knew it, but right now, I had a fuck-ton of other things I needed to sort first, and banging my companion senseless was not going to help… maybe just a quickie?
I drew in a deep breath and forced those thoughts aside as Oracle and I headed for the door. It had been an hour that we’d been up in the Hall, and the ship had to be ready by now. They were probably all waiting on me and placing bets on what, or who, I was doing!
I opened the door, and Oracle and I set off jogging, letting it seal the room behind us.
A handful of minutes later, I was on the ship and Oren was grinning at the pair of us. Cai and Isabella stood with a dozen others, watching as Jory slowly awoke the ship under Oren’s direction.
“Tha’s it! Bring ‘er to life again; warm ‘er up jus’ right now!” he called out, and I felt a deep ‘thrummm’ of energy run through the ship, causing it to shake slightly. The energy began to build, slowly at first, but after a few seconds, a faint blue glow began to build around the engines, and I moved closer to the nearest one.
I leaned over the side of the ship, watching as the cylindrical pod shook slightly, and the light began to grow stronger. As I continued to watch, a line of runes lit up, encircling the top half of the engine, and slowly pulsing with the energy that flowed through them.
“Tha’s it! Now th’ engines, bring ‘em up!” Oren called out, and I looked over my shoulder. He and Jory stood at the helm, hands flashing as they hit and adjusted levers and dials, two engineers standing watch over them nervously.
I turned back, watching as a second line of runes ignited on the lower half of the engine pod, and the entire pod shook like a bear awakening from slumber. The light grew, shifting from a deep indigo all the way to a pale blue that was almost impossible to see. As the engine flared fully to life, I felt the entire ship twist and tilt slightly as it lifted from the Tower’s balcony.
“There! Number three! Get ‘er up!” Oren shouted, and I saw three more of the engineers running to the far side of the ship to make some adjustments.
It only took a few minutes, but the bobbing and weaving of the ship evened out, and the slowly building seasickness I’d started to feel began to fade. I looked back over the side to the engine nearest to me, and I saw the steady deep blue color holding strong.
The warship ‘Agamemnon’s Wrath’ slowly began to turn, heading out and away from the Tower. I had a moment of vertigo as the point where I stood passed over the edge and out into the air, and I gripped the railing tight.
I scanned around, wide-eyed, as we flew forward. The flat-bottomed ship began unfurling sails to either side and above, sails that billowed and boomed as they filled with a fresh breeze. I was standing on
a ship, a ship of the sky, and it was magnificent!
I couldn’t help it. I let go of the railing and held both fists in the air, letting out a cry as we went.
“Whoooo, fuck yes! We’re flying…WE’RE FREE!”
Chapter Seven
I enjoyed the sights for a few minutes before tearing myself away and going into the captain’s cabin. It only took a few minutes to pull the rest of my gear on and make sure my weapons and various potions were in place. The three mana and two health I’d found could be life savers, after all.
In short order, I found myself outside again. I could have spent hours at the bow of the ship, but in just under five and a half hours, we entered the valley that held Decin’s crashed ship. We flew over trees for most of that time; the occasional river snaked through the verdant forest like a shining snake, but beyond the valleys and hills, the huge mountains stood silently at our back. Even with the cries of the flocks of birds that seemed to erupt from nowhere regularly, it was the most peace I’d had in days.
The air was clear, and with the sun shining down on us, despite the breeze, it was warm enough that I could have made a fortune selling tickets. Something like this would have made me a billionaire back home, I reflected as I watched the river below us. I lost myself for a few seconds, imagining a fleet of these flying through the sky in the Mediterranean or exploring the Alps.
It was a wonderful fantasy, especially alongside the thought of being absolutely insanely wealthy and never having to fight for my life again, but after a few seconds more, I dismissed it. I’d be bored inside a week, and without the chance to fight, I’d never level again. AND I DAMN WELL LOVED LEVELING UP!
I grinned to myself, noticing a creature that looked like a crocodile crossed with a Pitbull as it came stomping out of the shallows and bit down hard on some kind of deer. I winced in sympathy at the prey’s cry, but shrugged and dismissed it, as I realized the croc needed to eat as well. Fuck it.
The river emptied out soon into a small lake, and on the far shore, listing to one side, was Decin’s ship.
As we approached, I grimaced and jogged back to Oren, who stood squinting at the ship ahead.
“Dude, sorry, I meant to give this to you earlier.” I pulled the ring from my bag, passing it to him.
Ring of Farseeing
Further Description Yes/No
Details:
The Ring of Farseeing is part of the standard equipment given to warship captains by the City of Himnel. This ring forms part of a set and grants +1 mile to visibility in ideal conditions. Once per 24 hours, a single charge may be used to focus the wearer or another’s vision for 30 seconds.
Rarity
Magical
Durability
Charge:
Unusual
Yes
79/100
8/100
Oren took it, then grinned as he realized what it was. He slipped it onto his finger and frowned, his eyes turning silver as he used the ring’s ability.
“Thanks, Jax, but did ye no see any other gear like it?” he asked, his eyes unclouding thirty seconds later as the ability wore off and he turned back to me.
“Not really; the prick of a captain had some magic boots, but I kinda ignored them. I think they improved your grip, and that was it?” I said, but I gestured to the Captain’s cabin below. “I guess if he had any more, it’d be in there. Feel free to check; if it’s for the ship, you can have it.” I said, thinking ‘need before greed’ as a loot rule had always steered me right before.
Oren chucked me the ring and set off running towards the cabin while shouting to me.
“Use it! They’re no’ there!” I blinked, then slipped the ring on my finger and concentrated, feeling the magic of the ring flow into me and focus my eyes in on the ship.
It took a few seconds to get it right, and it zoomed in and out of focus, the scene unidentifiable as though I was staring through a blurry telescope.
Suddenly, it came into focus.
It was still too distant to make things out clearly, but even at this distance, I could see a huge difference from a few days back when they’d landed. The ship looked deserted, and to add freakiness to the whole thing, it was definitely listing to one side. The entire ship looked like it’d been pulled down hard on one side by something, and the ground was churned up on that side by the passage of many feet. I took a deep breath and called out to the squad that stood close by.
“Lydia!” she came running over, sliding to a stop next to me and saluting. “Do you have a rank structure yet?” I asked her, and when she looked confused, I explained. “Did Barrett name one of you to take the lead out of your group?” I clarified, and she nodded quickly.
“Aye, sir, I were to stick close to you, and make sure you get back to th’ Tower, no matter what; the rest are to do what I say.”
“Good enough!” I said and passed her the ring. She blinked in surprise but quickly slipped it onto her finger, and I pointed at the ship. She frowned and activated the ring, staring at the ship, and with each passing second, what had happened there grew clearer.
“Looks like they were attacked.” she muttered, and then shook her head as her vision returned to normal. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted, and she met my questioning gaze. “It looks like they were attacked, Lord Jax. Somethin’ big came out of the forest and took ’em.”
“I think so, too. Whatever it was, it looks to have pulled the ship half over to get to them, so it’s either big, or heavy, or both."
"I couldn’t see any bodies, so we need to check for that first. If they’re alive, then we’re going to go get some practice in!” I said, grinning at her. She grinned right back, clearly up for testing her new skills. “Did you level when we fought at the Tower?” I asked, and she nodded enthusiastically.
“Twice; I put half my points into Stamina, and the rest into Strength.” It was a solid tank’s choice there, and I hoped that it’d help in the fight. We’d barely had time to train together as we’d prepared for the fight for the Tower, and since then, well, Barrett had given them all some help, but it was very little. I’d be carrying the majority of the upcoming fight, I already knew.
“Gather round, team!” I called to the others, and went to meet them, waiting until we were all together, and ignoring Oren as he came flying out of the captain’s cabin, wearing pants that were far too long and carrying a load of other gear.
“From what we can tell, something attacked Decin and his ship,” I said, looking from one to another. “Whatever it was, it’s probably big, and it likely came from, and returned to, the forest. We’re going to check it out, but I want to cover some tactics before we get any closer.” I pointed to myself and Bob. “We’re the tanks for the party; we take the hits and deal them out, which means we’re the front line. Lydia, you’re going to be to the right of me at all times, but far enough aside that I don’t gut you. Remember, this isn’t exactly a precision instrument.” I banged the base of my naginata down once, hard. “It’s basically a giant stick with a damn sharp knife on the end, and I don’t want to hit you with it.”
“Isn’t that a spear, Lord?” A voice came from my left, and I turned my head to look at Arrin, who grinned at me. “A stick with a knife on the end, I mean?”
“Okay, point. This is more like a staff with a sword on the end, but…”
“So, a swordstaff? Or a polearm?” Lydia interjected, and I glared at her.
“Okay, fuck you all; this is a NAGINATA, and I don’t want to hurt you with it. Or at least I didn’t until now. You all got that out of your system?” I asked, and Arrin opened his mouth, but shut it quickly at a glare from me. I could hear snickering from the rest of the group, and I had to work to hide my smile as well. Cheeky bastards. “So, moving on: Jian, you’re on Bob’s left. Stephanos and Miren, you’re behind them; keep back a bit so you’ve got space to use your bows. Cam, you’ve got fuck-all armor. Even Miren has some, so why is that?” I asked the big dark-haired elf, garb
ed in a rough tunic and pants, but he held that bloody enormous wood axe in one hand. He’d blatantly piled all his stat points into strength, and I just had to know what he was thinking with not wearing armor, I mean, I knew we had some…
“Don’t like it.” That was it. That was all I was going to get, clearly.
“You don’t like it?” I asked, getting a nod in return. “You don’t like the armor, or that it protects you, and you know, could keep you alive?!”
“Yup.”
“Well, fuck me. Thanks for explaining that so well. I feel much better about things now!” I said, facepalming. “Okay…”
“You’re welcome, Lord.” He muttered, interrupting me. I looked up at him and glared.
“Right, clearly you’re either more batshit crazy than you were, which I didn’t think was possible, or you’re trying to wind me up. Congratulations, you get to be ass end, Charlie.”
“I’m Cam.”
“You’re annoying, is what you are. It means you’re staying at the back of the group, and you’re going to protect the archers until you prove that you’re stable enough to trust by my side.” I retorted, turning back to Miren and Stephanos. “Take shots when you can, but not until I say so, or unless we get spotted. If you think there’s a chance you’ll hit one of us, move, or hold your fire. We don’t need an arrow in the knee to fuck our day up further, okay?”
Once everyone knew their roles, I told Miren and Stephanos to take up places on either side of the ship and watch for anything that might be dangerous until we landed.
Then I pulled out the robes and Staff I’d looted from the mage that had attacked the Tower. “Arrin!” I chucked them to him. “Put these on and use the staff; consider them a loan until you prove yourself.”