Gabrielle had mapped out where the next big source of corruption was located. It was on an island north of the shore, one known for its extremely hot, volcanic terrain, the mountain range being a series of active volcanos home to many fire using monster girls.

None were overly thrilled to be going there, but they knew there couldn't be much debate over it, and as soon as they got the go ahead from the Amazons to visit the docks, and Carver and Gabrielle were persuaded to leave the Jinko and Hakutaku behind at least until they were on their way back, headed out of the town and towards the docks to get a boat leading out. With the wealth they'd gathered so far, getting a ride there would be a simple matter.

Unfortunately though, their wealth also proved to make them a prime target for certain mamono who were drawn towards gold like moths to flame, able to sense the treasure even while it was in the pocket space created by their enchanted packs. As they walked, the party began developing a feeling of being watched that didn't fade until they saw a mamono standing on the side of the trail.

Seeing that not only was she not savage, but appeared to be a traveling seller of some kind, the sense of unease lifted from all but Oliver, who recognized her breed. She stood tall, her only inhuman features the fluffy brown fur over her legs and tail with ears to match, along with the slightly animalistic look of her eyes. It was clear that her breed was somehow connected to the raccoon, but only Oliver was able to identify her. She was dressed in a light green kimono and matching painted wooden shoes, carrying a massive pouch on her back full of the wares she intended to sell.

The party stopped to see what she had, but when she offered them fruits, Oliver immediately rejected them and refused to let anyone in the party purchase them. "She's a Gyoubu Danuki," Oliver said, "I trained with one during my time learning to be a rogue. They teach con artistry." The party looked to the merchant mamono, who'd begun to sweat slightly, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean sir.."

"Right, and I'm sure you didn't know at all that you were selling us Prisoner Fruits." Oliver said, taking one of the brightly colored fruit and handing it to Gabrielle. The white mage's eyes widened as she sensed it, realizing Oliver was right. Prisoner Fruit were cursed foods that turned any human who ate them into a random mamono, dropping their mental capacity to zero instantly so they were sent instantly into a savage state. The infernal energy in them had been masked by the Gyoubu's magical lies, but Gabrielle was able to sense it now that she was actually looking for it.

"My old instructor told me how this plays out," Oliver said, "We buy, we eat, we transform, and she makes off with all of our stuff." The raccoon monster girl sighed, "Alright, fair enough, I'm had." She said, holding up her hands, "Move on, I'll not try and get anything from you." The party did not move on, at least not until Gabrielle had purified the Prisoner Fruits, making them useless for the Gyoubu's cons.

"I'm impressed," She said as the party left, "Not many humans make it passed me without losing at least a little treasure. Maybe keep an eye out for me if you come back this way again? We could.. talk strategies." She said, Oliver smirking at this, "Maybe, maybe." He replied as the party walked off. Cassandra unable to help but chuckle at the grin the rogue wore the rest of the way to the docks.

It took them all of five minutes to find a large, sturdy boat willing to take them where they needed to go, their treasure practically driving the various sailors there to argue over which vessel the party should take. The party simply picked the boat that looked least likely to sink and drowned everyone, paying double the price for the crew to look the other way and not mention to any authorities the number of mamono traveling with them without any tamer or scholars in the party.

They party boarded and set out, happily not needing to help out with anything the crew was doing as wealthy paying passengers. Granted, the fact that they didn't need to do anything didn't stop some of them from doing so anyway. Carver had only had two days with the Jinko actively as his lover, during which they'd spent half their time training together and the other half rutting aggressively, usually immediately following said training.

So when the crew's on board combat mamono asked if he'd like to train with her below deck, he accepted immediately. She was an Undine, a water elemental monster girl. Her skin was a deep blue and semi-translucent as though literally composed of water. She was slim in appearance, not seeming at first glance to have much muscle to her, but Carver had learned by now not to underestimate any monster girl he came across.

The first hour of their training consisted mostly of Carver being thrown into the wall, floor, or ceiling. Unsurprisingly, being a water elemental meant she had actual, near perfect control over the water around her, and the section of ship they were on had more than enough water for her to fight with, as in addition to fighting off hostile mamono, the Undine was also tasked with gathering any water that leaked into the ship.

By the second hour however, Carver started to get a feel for how the Undine and her water moved, recognizing where to go and when what he could guard against, what he could counter, and what he just had to get out of the way of. She was powerful, to the point that Carver realized in the moment he finally did land a hit on her with his sword that she could probably kill him and everyone on the ship with little to no effort if she weren't so kind.

The Undine was of course going easy on the heavy knight, not wanting to discourage him, but the longer they went, the thinner the pretense of this being about training became. By the third hour, when Cassandra went to check on him for Alysha, the martial artist peaked her head in, saw what had become of their 'training' and rolled her eyes, reporting to the others that he'd evidently taken a note out of Gabrielle's book.