by Daniel, Jake
Chapter Nineteen
I gave Gwen a smirk and motioned for everyone to leave the room. “Let’s talk about this up on deck.”
Isobel walked next to Alysain and she looked like a proud older sister. I knew Isobel respected Alysain as a fighter and would be just fine with me bonding with the griffon.
Actually, the most amazing thing about my bonding with other women, was that all of my current bonded were absolutely okay with it. I always thought I’d be the guy that would eventually settle down with a wife, and have a couple kids. Not the kind that would have seven beautiful and unique wives, all within a couple months, and no kids. As we walked through the ship it became apparent that all of my bonded had welcomed Alysain into our group long before I’d actually bonded with her.
The only one who showed any sort of aversion was Jun. I tried to thank her for helping to get us out of the room, but she wouldn’t even look at me. I knew it had to be a little of the tainted spirit left over in her core, I’d figure I’d talk to her about it later when I had a chance. I had a feeling the Queen of the Fairies was not exactly used to things not going her way.
On the way back to the top deck Dahlia stopped me. “I found something over here that may interest you.” She led me over to a small room that was obscured between bunks that had gone unnoticed when we first entered.
"How did you find this?” I asked.
“I may have been looking for some explosives earlier.” She had a devious smile on her face. I knew how much she enjoyed explosives, although after seeing what she did to the last ship, I wasn’t sure I completely trusted her around them.
I stepped inside the small storage room and looked around at several crates that had been stacked neatly along the walls. Each of the boxes had the Corlinius seal on them and looked like they had been placed there recently. "What is all of this?"
"I believe an extra present from the Capitol." She flipped open a crate and pulled a smaller box out. Inside, neatly organized were at least fifty rounds of ammunition.
I pulled one of the bullets out and held it in my hand. "A 30-30 round? Where the hell did you get this from?" On its base, the numbers '30-30’ were stamped neatly, just like several manufacturers do back home.
Alysain joined us inside the room and peered over my shoulder. "Striker had a whole room at the castle like this. You would've thought he was preparing for the world to end."
I grabbed a handful of rounds and shoved them in my pocket before returning back to the top deck. The goblins were busy running back and forth across the ship, tightening ropes and adjusting sails as we picked up speed and continued farther out into the sea.
Fapplejack ran up to me as I exited from below and gave me an awkward salute. "Logan sir, we are approaching Darkholm. We should be there by the time the sun hits its peak."
"Wow, that was fast. Thank you, FJ. Let me know if you or any of the others spot anything out of the ordinary along the way."
"Can do. Thank you, sir."
I walked across the deck and was taken aback by the fresh smell of the sea. It was invigorating. I headed up to the bow of the ship and joined the girls who were talking and looking out into the distance.
Gwen walked over and grabbed my arm and smiled as she snuggled into me. "Isn't this so romantic?"
"Other than the fact we're headed to an island that is controlled by dhampir that are holding my brother captive? Very." I kissed the top of her head.
"I missed you last night, but I’m glad that I can consider Alysain one of my sisters now.” She smiled contentedly. “I am going to see if I can find a little wine. I know Striker had to have some stashed around here somewhere."
Gwen always made me smile with her love of wine. Hell, she even got me to drink it every once in a while. Although, I was a long way from being able to distinguish between box wine, and Aurilon’s finest. I enjoyed it regardless. It was probably what drinking the wine led to more than anything, but I wasn't complaining. "Let me know if you have any luck."
"Don't worry, you'll know," Gwen said as she walked away and began searching every crate that was currently secured around the ship.
I turned toward Dahlia who was looking down into the water. "Is everything okay?”
She looked up at me shyly and smiled. "Well, yes, I think. I am just a little nervous is all."
"Nervous? About the dhampir?"
She let out a small chuckle. "Surprisingly, no. I'm not worried about them really at all." She looked back down into the water. "It's that." She pointed a hand toward the water.
I stepped to the edge and looked over. The water was crystal clear and you could see a long way down, but not all the way to the bottom. "Did you see something down there in the water?" I strained my eyes as I peered down into the depths but was unable to spot anything that she may have seen.
Dahlia shook her head lightly. "It's the water. I've always felt much safer on land."
I took a step back. I hadn't taken the time to even think about her intense connection with the land. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a reassuring hug. "Don't be nervous. I'm sure Fapplejack is a great swimmer. He should be able to save you if you fall in."
She gave me a small smile and rolled her eyes.
I pulled her in closer. "I definitely understand how you could be nervous, though." I paused and stepped back to the edge. "You know what the nice thing is?"
"What's that?" She looked up at me with her beautiful green eyes which were even more striking with the jade sea backdrop behind her.
"You’ve already left land a couple times now, so you’ve already experienced leaving and taking that first step. That is always hard for people. But now you get to actually experience it firsthand. Do you know how many people spend their entire lives talking about how one day they are going to do something that is completely out of their comfort zone?"
"Yes. I met many adventurers while at Ashnam’s shop. They were always talking about how they were going to go on amazing adventures one day."
"See, you’re actually doing that. You’re on an adventure right now." I leaned down and kissed her soft lips. "I’m so proud of you, and honestly, you should be proud of yourself."
She straightened slightly and nodded. "I am." She lifted her palm and created a beautiful white flower. She handed it to me and gave me a kiss. "I'm lucky to have met you. If not for you, I'd probably still be in that old shop with that witch."
"Our adventures have only begun, and I’m thankful that you are by my side so we can experience them together. Hopefully, one day, I won’t have to put us in such dangerous situations and we will be able to enjoy ourselves.”
She shrugged. "What would be the fun in that?"
"Valid argument." I laughed and nodded. I scanned the calm sea for signs of anything before turning back to Dahlia. “I am going to check on the others to make sure everyone is okay before we reach Darkholm.
She gave me a kiss and nodded. “I will see if our satyress has found any wine yet.” Dahlia walked along the rail of the ship looking out at the water as she set off to find Gwen. I knew that she was still both nervous and excited about the sea.
After ensuring the goblins had everything they needed, I spotted Isobel on the port side of the ship with her back against the ship’s side. Danec crossed in front of me, mumbling something about the sails. After he passed, I sat next to the wolf-woman and pressed my shoulder up against hers. "Hey, are you doing all right?"
She shook her head lightly and blinked her eyes as if to clear away whatever moment she'd just been living in. "Hey, sorry. Yes, everything is fine. I was caught up in my head."
"I could tell." I wrapped my arm around her back and pulled her close. "It has been a bit of a blur lately." I took a deep breath and looked up to the brilliant display of colors that stretched across the sky brought on by sunrise. Isobel remained contemplative as she kept her eyes focused forward. "Is this your first trip on a ship as well?"
"First trip? No way. I used to sail
all around Aurilon with my father. He was one of the greatest fishermen this world has ever seen. We caught so many fish, more than I would've thought was possible if he had never taken me."
"How come you never told me you knew how to fish?! That would've been incredibly useful information."
She turned her eyes to the ground in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I should've told you. I know it would've been useful to help feed the visitors to the manor."
"Really? You think that's why I'm giving you a hard time about fishing? No way. If I would've known you knew how to fish, we would've been going regularly and having competitions. I don't know if you knew this, but I'm a bit of a fisherman myself."
Isobel let out a laugh. "Of women maybe. I know you're a good shot, but I just refuse to believe that you are as good a fisherman as you are at hunting."
"I promise you. When I was growing up I used to go to the lake with my grandfather. He would give me a length of fishing line and challenged me to bring him back a fish. I dug up worms and crawfish, carved a hook out of stick, and it wouldn't be but maybe five minutes before I'd have a small bluegill or sunfish dangling from the end of that line attached to my finger."
"Ah, see, you have to use a hook, that's cheating!"
"Oh? And you have a better method?"
She lifted her hand and sharp claws sprang to the ends of each of her fingers. "Absolutely."
"And that's not cheating?! If I had razor claws that I could Wolverine out of my fingers, I could spear fish all day long." I turned to face her. "That's it, we're going to do this. When we’re done with vampire island, and my brother is back home, you and I have a date."
"A date?" Her brow was furrowed as if she didn’t believe me.
"I'm serious, and whoever comes out on top gets to make the loser do whatever they want for an entire week."
"Whatever they want?"
"Absolutely." I held up a finger. "Now, just be prepared, I already have things going through my head of what I am going to ask you to do. So if you take me up on this challenge, you better be prepared to do it."
She leaned closer to my ear and whispered. "You don't have to win a challenge for me to do anything, and I mean anything, you want me to do."
Chapter Twenty
I gathered everyone together on the top deck as we closed in on Darkholm. Chloe brought out two bags of pastries that she’d brought with her, much to the delight of everyone on the ship. Alysain agreed to conduct reconnaissance flights regularly until we arrived.
I was hoping after I’d bonded with the griffon that I’d possibly grow wings to complete my transformation to badass superhero. While that didn’t happen, I did gain a new skill that was already Specialist Rank 3. It was called Aspect of the Griffon. From what I could tell, it enhanced my ability to see, at least by two or three times at my current rank. Alysain told me that as I increased my ranks I’d be able to control it better, instead of it just acting like a magnifying glass set at a predetermined magnification power.
Spirits were running high and I felt optimistic that we were going to find my brother. Although, I knew it would be a miracle if he managed to survive this long. We’d have to hurry before they realized that keeping him as a prisoner probably wasn’t their best option.
I retreated to the great cabin with the bed and started a fire in the stove. Dahlia and Isobel sat around the table and discussed where they’d grown up and how different their childhoods were. Isobel had seen so much more of the world already, but was eager to help Dahlia broaden her horizons.
Gwen carried a large tray with several glasses of wine perched on top. “A quick glass for each of us to have a bit of normal before things get interesting.” She sang a soft tune as she approached, her voice sent a wave of calm across the room. I realized that we’d been in so many dire situations recently that she’d not had many chances to sing.
I lifted a glass of wine off her tray and leaned back into one of the sturdy wooden chairs around the table. "Gwen, will you sing us a song?"
She looked at me and immediately blushed. "Are you sure you're prepared for me to sing? Your pants may fall off midway through."
I smirked and gave her a shrug. "Then, so be it."
She set the tray down on the long table while everyone grabbed their glasses of wine and settled in. After taking one last long swig of wine she set her glass down and began to move gracefully around the room humming a beautiful tune.
"Come to the forest, to the meadow in the grove.
Listen to the song of a maiden once told.
Strong and brave without a care at all.
‘Twas her beauty and passion that’d be her downfall
Oh, dance through the lilies and the tall grass of Jade.
Give chase to the memories, oh never to fade.
Find within you a strength most desire
Come before her, with eyes made from fire.
Trials and challenges, nothing to bear.
For the power found within you is surely still there.
For the power found within you is surely still there."
She twirled around the room, with all of us locked on her every word. Feeling calm and content I wished we had more time to enjoy at sea.
Gwen sat in my lap and moved her head next to mine. The slightly sweet and intoxicating smell of her breath wafted over my lips as she began to kiss me. My pleasure was cut short as the door to the room flung open.
Everyone spun toward the commotion.
"Logan sir, I’m incredibly sorry to interrupt. I wouldn't unless it was absolutely necessary," Fapplejack said, trying to cover his eyes with a hand as if he were trying to prevent himself from seeing something he wasn’t supposed to see. "It's Alysain, she spotted something in the distance, she asked me to fetch you, sir."
When I exited out onto the deck of the ship I didn't immediately see anyone. As I turned, though, I noticed the entire crew was assembled at the bow. I knew something wasn't right. A thick layer of fog had moved in and was already hindering our visibility. Even with my new Aspect of the Griffon skill, it was nearly impossible to see more than a few feet through the dense fog. I made my way up to the bow and looked out where the others were focused.
Fapplejack pointed over the edge of the ship. "There, Logan sir, the water, it's as thick as mud."
I leaned over the rail and looked down into the water. I felt a rush of cool air pass my face as Alysain dropped down next to me.
She joined my side and peered over the edge of the ship. "It gets worse. Darkholm isn't far from here, but it's going to be impossible to take this ship any farther. I spotted a safe place that should provide cover once we reach land, but getting there could be an issue."
I didn't exactly feel like trying to figure out a way through the sludge, but I knew that we wouldn't have time to make our way around to find a possible docking point. "FJ, get the ship out of this shit and back into clean seas. The last thing I want is for us to get stuck here.”
The goblin nodded and yelled out to the rest of the crew. "Bring her around, we need to get back into clean waters."
The crew scrambled across the deck, taking up their positions and quickly turned the sails and caught what little breeze was left to start the return back to clear water. I left the edge of the ship and stopped in front of Alysain. "I need you to take me to Darkholm."
She furrowed her brow curiously. "You mean, we are going to Darkholm, right?"
I knew there was no way she was just going to let me wander around an island unknown to me without any sort of support. As I glanced past her, I saw the looks on the faces of my four other bonded women, and it was apparent they had no plans of allowing that either.
Gwen crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the wooden planks under her feet. "Don't think you are going to get out of taking us on this one. I don't care if Matt's your brother or not."
I scanned the girls’ faces and it became immediately clear they all felt the same.
Chloe w
as the first to speak after an extended awkward silence. “I won’t make you take me with you to the island. If the entire island is covered in this fog, I will only slow us down. Holstaur eyesight leaves a lot to be desired.”
I laughed and raised my eyebrows. “Now I know why you bonded with me! You can’t actually see what I look like.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Oh, you’re very handsome, don’t get me wrong. The truth? I’d be able to see that incredible cock of yours while blindfolded, buried under ten feet of stone, on the other side of Aurilon. Get your facts straight.”
The others and I laughed along with her. I was thankful for her charisma. Chloe always knew how to lighten the mood, no matter what. She gave me a tight hug, pressing her massive breasts up against me. “As much as I’d love to go with you, I just have a feeling I need to stay here on the boat. I will have FJ and the others to keep me company, and there are enough supplies on board that I’ll be able to make some healing pastries while you rescue your brother.”
Dahlia grabbed a large bag and fished out several vials of pink liquid. “Here, take these. I have been saving as much of my nectar as possible. It’s a hundred times more effective when paired with your milk.”
Chloe smiled and accepted the vials. She placed them in her substantial cleavage and picked up one of the bags she arrived with. She looked inside and handed the bag to me. “There are only a few left, but use them if you need to.”
I looked inside the bag and saw approximately ten pastries. They would definitely be beneficial should we need to use them. I nodded and looked at the crew. "I believe the best course of action is to have Alysain take me over first. It will be easier and safer for me to scout ahead. Then, once I have a chance to make sure it is safe, I will have Alysain bring the rest of you over.”
Jun fluttered down onto my shoulder. “I’m coming with you. I realize I’m not one of your bonded, but the lives of my fairies are at risk just as much as the others back at the manor.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay? There’s probably a great amount of tainted spirit on their island.” I looked her body up and down. “Am I going to have to put you back in my pocket?”