B6 Chapter 19: Small Trip

(Chapter 1 of 2 being released today. Next chapter will come out later.)

Galarion retracted his tentacles and settled into my head with a swirl of color. Rigger groaned as his head dropped forward and I released the disgusting man. When he landed face-first, he shot to his feet, reaching for a blade at his waist before my tail pressed against his chin. 

“Wha-aaagh! Please, not the–”

A single strand of hair from his beard floated downward. Rigger’s plea ended in a strangled yelp as I wagged my finger. 

“Alright. Frankly, I’m sick of rooting around your head. You are so insanely depraved.”

“I–”

“No talking,” I commanded. The man snapped his jaw shut as I jerked a thumb behind me. “Your blue balls aside, we’re ready to meet the captain. While I don’t need you to guide our way. I unfortunately know just how important you are to the ship. So get up, and don’t make a fuss and you and your beard will survive untouched. Understand?”

When he didn’t respond, I retracted my tail slightly.

Rigger nodded so hard I was afraid he’d crack his face against the ground a second time. There was no blood from the slightly scuffed bruise on his nose, but that wasn’t too surprising. He was technically tier two and, like many sailors, had a passive related to strength and constitution. 

I flipped the dagger toward Zog, who caught it with ease. Rigger stared wide-eyed as the orucan crushed it within a flaming fist, reducing it to slag.

“Cheap metal. Poor excuse for a weapon,” he commented.

Rigger gulped. He carefully hopped to his feet and hesitantly started leading us through the port. We passed many ships, from small four-man vessels to things that reminded me of galleons back on Earth. The fanciest ship by far was one decorated in shimmery silver, sporting a flag with three waves clashing against a sphere.

I could feel the enchantments coating the ship like paint. Every aspect was warping the light in some way, making the wood sparkle in the light even where there should have been shadows.

Rigger sniffed in the ship’s direction but quickly looked away when one of the men standing atop the prow glanced our way. 

His eyes lingered far past polite until we slipped between a crowd of wolven and some village guards. They were arguing about something between the two groups, creating a stand-off in the middle of the road. 

When we skipped past, Rigger finally slowed and stopped at a dinghy boat that looked like it’d barely survive a calm river ride, let alone a trip into the ocean. Even the wood looked like it was rotting in a few places.

He flashed an awkward smile and motioned to the poor excuse of craftsmanship. “Heh, all aboard. We’ll need to ride this out to get to where I can signal for the ship to pick us up.”

I shrugged and hopped on, making myself small as the much larger beastkin and orucan snuggled in. We managed to fit, with Teldrin resting on Sereza’s lap and with Khrem practically hugging me, but we did fit. Rigger flashed a cheeky smile that quickly disappeared as Sereza’s tail snaked over her shoulder with a glowing tip.

“Ehem! Right! I’ll row us out! Just uh, hold on, don’t want anyone slipping!” Rigger coughed.

He squeezed into the back, facing me as he unlatched two thick oars from the side of the boat. With a nervous chuckle, he started rowing us out to sea. To his credit, the thick, hairy man was built for rowing. He carried us far, even against the tide, powering through the waves to maneuver us away from the dock and around a bend. 

He wasn’t even breaking a sweat. 

The only problem was that I knew how long we’d have to row; even with him reaching Olympic-level standards of athleticism, it’d still take us a solid hour to get away from the village to safely signal to the ship.

I adjusted my head and stared at  Zog. “Do you mind giving us a boost?”

Zog chuckled and stood up, nearly capsizing the boat. 

“Hey! Sit down before you drown us!” Rigger shouted.

Zog stepped over me and I scooched back with Khrem as we grabbed onto the sides of the boat. Teldrin looked around, confused, but Sereza wrapped her tail around his waist and pulled him closer.

Rigger gulped as Zog stood atop him, and the orucan widened his legs. 

“Uhm, what are you doing?” he gulped. “I can assure you, I can keep rowing! I’ll get us there in no time. There’s no need for this!”

“Sorry, perverted man. Team leader’s orders,” Zog replied.

Rigger was smart enough to duck and cover his head as Zog pulled back a fast and sucked in a deep breath.

Flames raced down his arm and engulfed his fist. Then he punched forward in an explosive jab.

A cone of flames roared behind us as we rocketed forward. Before the flames died, a second punch came, followed by another and another. Soon, we were skipping along the waves as Rigger started praying between his legs.

***

Zog exhaled, smoke escaping his mouth as he lowered his arms. I nodded toward him.

“Thank you.” 

Zog shook his head. “No need. I havent performed such an exercise in many years. It was good to remember the feeling. I’ll have to encorporate such an exercise into my regimin, it’s an efficient way to strengthen my mana channels.”

Rigger finally raised his head like a skittery mouse. He saw the smoke continue to wisp off Zog’s arms and pressed himself away from the orucan as he took in his surroundings. 

I had guided us during the dozen or so minutes of using the brute as a living nitrous so we were well away from the port. Rigger doubled checked our surroundings before glancing at me wearily.

“You really can steal our memories, huh.”

“I only made a copy. I was being nice.” I tapped my temple and Galarion oozed out with a dozen chattering maws. “Is that a problem?”

“No! No! Uh, not at all!” he hurried. “Not a problem! Thank you, actually!”

“Activate the flare, already.”

“Right away!”

As the man started pulling on a thin chain from inside his pants, I felt Khrem’s fingers squeeze down.

“Uh, Khrem? I enjoy a hug as much as anyone, but why are you trying to tickle me?” I asked.

Khrem lifted my hoodie and palmed the small of my back before humming. “Felkin anatomy is remarkably efficient for mortal races. Your body naturally regulates temperature in a way that doesn’t produce much heat despite the lack of sweating. Even so, Sereza generates some heat through the body’s thermogenesis. Yours, however, does not.”

“Are you calling me hot?” Sereza chuckled.

“Please, Sereza. You do not need to hunt for compliments. You are well aware of how most people see your beauty.”

Sereza snorted and gestured to me. “Is he cold then? Since he’s not producing heat.”

“Strangely, no. You feel like water that’s been resting at room temperature. Entirely neutral. It shouldn’t be concerning, but I distinctly remember noting your temperature the last time I examined you. It was decidedly lower then most mortals, but there was still a temperature to be felt. I am curious as to what has caused this change.”

I shrugged. “It could be Cal’s perk. I don’t really feel cold even in rain. I don’t feel much heat either unless I’m pressing myself against a flame, but even then? Eh.”

“Perhaps,” Khrem said as he finished scribbling in a journal. “It’ll be something to monitor. How is the medicine? Any tingling?”

“None.”

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t too surprising. Outside of threatening a pervert, I hadn’t really stressed my soul out. Whatever Ysanna did combined with Khrem’s paste, was helping. I wasn’t about to complain. The longer the itchiness was kept at bay, the better.

Commotion from in front drew my eyes to Rigger who awkwardly held up a silver chain with a small whistle at the end shaped like a bird.

My eyes narrowed. “You don’t need to blow the whistle right? The chain belongs to your captain, she’ll know when you activate the enchantment.”

Rigger raked his beard nervously. “Correct. So, may I go ahead?”

I sighed and closed my eyes. “Go on. Let’s get this done with. Zog, you ready?”

“I am,” he said, glancing my way.

Rigger swallowed and channeled a thin pulse of mana into the chain. It turned erect as a rod and the bird let off a green glow as it started to whistle. It was high pitch, but gentle, almost unheard amidst the lapping of the waves.

The bird released three chimes before the chain started to crumble into blackened dust. Rigger stared at his hands and reached for his waist, but my spear materialized, stabbing into his shoulder.

“Ack!”

I pinned his arm against his chest and reached forward, cutting into his right leg. Rigger tried to pull away, but Zog firmly pressed his foot against the man’s other arm and shook his head.

“You know, there are levels of stupid. You confirmed for yourself twice over that I’ve seen your memories. In fact, you know I am entirely capable of rooting deep inside your head, thanks to the last time we met. So what made you think I wouldn’t know about the second chain?” I asked.

Rigger snarled. “You branded our lady! She is no one’s slave!”

I adjusted the grip on my spear and slid it deeper, pushing through the durable muscles of his arm. “I didn’t hurt her. I had no intention to as long as she held up her end of the bargain. You know this. I saw the speech she gave to the crew.”

“She is our captain! The likes of you should have never touched her!” he roared. The blade slid further in as he moved, but the idiot didn’t care. “We have a curse breaker! She’ll escape you! By now they would have turned and sailed far away!”

I held up another chain, this one sporting a fish with wings at the end of the links. Rigger’s fury briefly fled as panic crept in. But he shook his head and spat.

“Once I used the warning whistle, it doesn’t matter if you activate the call. They won’t come. So go ahead and use it.”

I eyed the furry man. It was an impressive level of devotion from a would-be pirate. On the surface, one could almost believe he was willing to sacrifice himself for the captain through pure loyalty alone. 

If only.

In reality, he desired the captain for his own but was too much of a chicken-shit to try. Then again, maybe he was smarter than I gave him credit for. His captain would tear him to shreds before he so much as looked at her wrong. In the end, he was a love-sick puppy who longed for a bone he could never have. His only solution was to stay by her side, forever the second mate, just so long as he had a chance to be corrected by the captain.

Unfortunately for the idiot, I sensed what he didn’t. It was beyond my mana senses, although I picked up on that too. No, what I sensed came from within my soul, through a tether that stretched outward and toward the nearest cliff face.

Rigger glanced between me and Zog, confused at our inaction. He chuckled to himself. “Go ahead and kill me. I did what I needed to do.”

I nearly dumped the man overboard, almost did before I caught Teldrin twisting around to watch us, me.

I clicked my fangs and retracted my spear. 

Rigger’s confusion and elation lasted long enough until a horn sounded from a few meters out. 

Despair grew as he shook his head. “No. No, no, no! Why!”

I slowly stood up and waited for the arrival of the gilded ship sailing across the water. When it neared, it adjusted, circling so we were portside. 

Raising my head, I met eyes with the captain of the Chained Coffin. 

She raised a hand, and the ship came to an unnatural stop as if frozen in place. Not even the waves rocked the ship as the water around the vessel stilled.

“I kindly ask you not to kill the fool. He is one of my own,” came the captain’s voice clearly over the silence. 

I glanced at Rigger, then turned to Zog. He nodded and I extended my spear. Before anyone could react, or for Rigger to shout something stupid, the orucan launched himself skyward before a nova of flames sent him slamming atop the other ship in an explosion of flames.