Chapter 9: Wings

Konstantin stared, completely frozen, unable to find it within himself to scream, to run away, to do anything other than stare up at the beast before him in a stunned silence.

The beast leaned forward. "I am no mere beast, human. I am Baphomet. Lord of all monsters."

Konstantin recoiled. Oh god. It could hear his thoughts.

…oh, god, he was standing in front of the Overlord!

In an instant, Konstantin aimed a hand at the shadow, holding his arm steady with his other hand, and quickly chanted, "O flickering flame, burn: Firebolt!"

Flames gathered around his hand, before shooting forth. The flame struck the massive shadow, illuminating it for a brief moment. The beast was massive, it's muscular body covered in dark, burgundy-colored fur. But its head… it was just a skull, with faint red lights glowing in empty sockets where its eyes should have been.

The skull-headed beast looked down at itself, where the fireball had struck, before looking back to Konstantin. "Your spells are too weak to harm your human classmates. What would possibly make you believe that they would harm me?" The beast didn't seem to be angry, or offended- if anything, it sounded… almost disappointed.

At that moment, the hammering of Konstantin's heart in his ears abruptly ceased, and all fear left him. He was going to die here. He was going to die, and he was powerless to stop it. Then again, his life had always been determined by the whims of others.

Why would his death be any different?

With its rumbling voice, Baphomet asked, "Please tell me how slaying a student mage from Deningrad on the cusp of expulsion would benefit my plans."

Konstantin recoiled. How did this b- Baphomet know that he was a student, much less that he was about to be expelled from the academy?

As if in response to his thoughts, the beast spoke again. "The moment your fingertips brushed against my Black Book, your mind touched with mine. There is no knowledge, no secret you possess that is not known to me."

Then that vision had been…

"You have very shallow reserves of mana," Baphomet said. "I can sense it. That you are able to use magic at all is nothing short of a miracle. But if things continue as they are now, you will lose that which you have fought so hard to attain."

The enormous creature stood. Seated, it already dwarfed Konstantin, but standing upright, the difference between him and Baphomet was akin to the difference between a human and an ant. "But I can change that. I can help you keep your place at your academy, if that is what you wish. I can help you achieve anything you desire."

Konstantin said nothing. If the being standing before him truly was the Overlord, he knew he should refuse whatever offer it made to him.

"I realize you have no reason to trust me. So as a show of my good will, I shall grant you a boon." Baphomet pointed a single clawed finger at Konstantin. "Syhy Mehg."

Konstantin was bathed in a red light for an instant, and his body was filled with a peculiar sensation, almost as if something were being… poured into him. He felt… energized. As if he could lift up a mountain with his bare hands. "I have linked your reserve of mana to my own," the lord of all monsters said. "It should be more than sufficient to fuel whatever spells you wish." The beast returned to its throne, its visage melding into the shadows. "I will return you to your academy. Do with my power what you will. And be sure to give my Black Book another read. I'm certain its contents will be most enlightening to you." Baphomet then pointed a flawed finger at Konstantin again. "Kyda."

Konstantin was swallowed by a red light, and suddenly dropped, hitting the ground. He was… in his dormitory room again. It didn't feel as though he had been gone for long, but golden light streamed into the window- sunset was quickly approaching.

He then felt a pull under his skin, as if there was an invisible fishing line tugging at him. He looked towards his bed, the direction the pull was coming from. The black book was resting there once again.

This time, Konstantin didn't resist as he reached out, took the book into his hands, and opened it. The strange diagram from before was gone, the page blank. But then, lines of strange lettering appeared, as if the page were a deep pond, and the words had floated up from its depths. He couldn't read the words- they didn't resemble any writing he had ever seen before, and merely looking at them made his eyes ache. But then the words sank into the page, replaced by writing in his own tongue.

After reading a few lines, Konstantin quickly deduced that the black book was, in fact, a spellbook. It was formatted as any other spellbook would be- each entry started with the name of the spell, followed by a description of its effect. But he quickly realized there were no incantations accompanying them. Almost every spell he knew of needed a spoken incantation, to direct the flow of mana and shape it to create the effect desired. Could it be that simply speaking the name of the spell was enough to invoke its effects?

He supposed he would have to find out for himself by trying to cast one of the spells, and began searching through the book. After a few pages, he found one that looked promising:

Ekheda - Ignite: creates a flame around the caster's hand. This flame can be used as a light source, ignites flammable objects and burns on contact.

That seemed simple enough. So Konstantin set the black book down, held up a hand, and spoke the name of the spell aloud: "Ekheda."

A blazing fire erupted around his hand the moment the word left his throat.

Konstantin stared at the flame in stunned silence. So he only needed the name of the spell? It was true that some mages could cast spells merely by speaking a spell's name without an incantation, but those were masters of their craft. But, there were several tongues that were specialized for magic use- perhaps the spells in this tome came from one such language. But more importantly…

Using magic had always been a draining experience for Konstantin. As soon as he cast a spell, he felt as though heavy weights had been tied to his limbs. But even now, with a flame blazing in his hand, he felt nothing. No strain on him whatsoever. Curiosity took hold of Konstantin, and he set the black book down. Holding up his other hand, he repeated, "Ekheda."

A second flame surrounded Konstantin's other hand.

If casting just one spell was a draining experience, casting two consecutively would have exhausted him entirely. But Konstantin still felt nothing. It seemed that Baphomet had kept his word, and opened his reserves of mana to him. Just how much mana would an Overlord have, anyway?

With a wave of his hands, Konstantin extinguished the flames. In spite of himself, he began to smile as he opened the black book once again. "Alright… let's see what else you have for me."

The world around Abel and Niel was nothing more than an endless sea, cloaked in a boundless sky that stretched as far as could possibly be imagined. There were no obstructions to block the young Hero's view, no distractions to catch his eye… and no dry land where he could rest his weary body.

Abel slowly drifted through the sky, the wings of light on his back keeping him aloft. His breaths heavy, he kept his eyes fixed on the horizon ahead of him- though he could no longer see the ship that had carried him this far, he knew that it was there.

…Somewhere.

Niel drifted lazily through the air next to Abel. "Better hurry up, Abel. The boat's gonna leave us behind."

In a strained voice, he replied, "I'm… trying…" as he willed himself to move faster. But he did no such thing. After many days of practice, he'd finally managed to move, but his flying speed was barely any faster than walking. And as the angel said, with every passing moment, the ship sailed further away from him.

Even worse, he was sinking. Slowly, but surely, the ocean was rising up to meet him. Abel focused, trying to will his wings to carry him upwards, away from the water, but instead, he continued his slow, steady descent. Something that the angel noticed. "Are you feeling alright? I can take over if you need me to."

Abel strained, trying to fly higher, to no avail. "I'm… fine…"

"Are you sure?" There was a shift in Niel's tone- before it had been playful, almost mocking. But now it was deathly serious. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"I can… I can…" The wings on Abel's back flickered, and went out, and he pitched forward, falling toward the sea below. He was so drained of energy he couldn't even cry out as he fell. Even the shock of falling into the freezing water wasn't enough to snap him out of his stupor. The world beneath the waves was dark- so dark, that the only way Abel knew that his eyes were still open was because of the saltwater stinging at them. But even that wasn't enough to rouse him. After the rush of bubbles that surrounded him when he broke the surface, his ears were filled with an absolute silence, and he shut his eyes as he sank, down, down, down…

Abel gasped. For a moment, all he could see was white, but he could hear. Specifically, he heard Holly cry out and fall back, before saying, "Ow… you surprised me, Abel."

"Where am I?" Abel's sight returned, and he glanced around, expecting to be surrounded by endless fields of golden grass. But instead, he was surrounded by his companions- a few of them, at least- and a handful of strange, burly men. Then, Abel remembered where he was- he was aboard a ship, named the Princess Louvia, sailing across the Arielian Sea from Lohan to Lescatie.

"Looks like he's finally come to," one of the men said, before standing fully and turning to the others. "Alright, that's enough gawking! We've got a ship to sail!" The rest of the men- sailors- quickly scattered, returning to their duties.

Abel sat up, or tried to- he raised himself only a small amount, before dropping back down. "How… did I get here?" He had no memory of coming back to the ship- his memory jumped suddenly from sinking into the sea to waking up on the deck of the Louvia.

"I brought you," a harsh voice said, as Niel came into view. "It wasn't easy, you know. You were so tapped out I had to use levitation to carry you back."

"What happened out there?" Lailah asked angrily. "You said you weren't going to push him past his limits."

Niel turned to the priestess, hands on her hips, "Hey, I saw that he was struggling and offered to bring him back. It's not my fault Abel won't accept help when he needs it."

"I-" Abel stammered. He had crawled to the railing at the edge of the deck, and tried to pull himself up. "I can… still…" But despite his efforts, his arms refused to lift him up, and his legs wouldn't move at all.

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about," Niel said, before looking to Lailah. "Priestess, can you take him from here before he hurts himself?"

"As you wish, Your Grace," Lailah said coldly, before she picked Abel up, carrying him in her arms.

Abel immediately tried to wriggle out of the priestess's grasp. "No, put me down! I need to-"

"What you need to do right now is rest, Abel," Lailah said, cutting off his protests.

"But I can't waste time like this! I need to get stronger! Niel said that people grow by pushing themselves past what they think they're capable of."

Lailah looked at Niel. Whatever her expression was, it was enough to make the angel begin stammering. "I… w-well I did say that…"

But before she could say any more, Lailah cut in: "Recuperation isn't wasting time, Abel. If you keep pushing yourself past your breaking point without any rest, all you'll end up doing is hurting yourself."

Lailah was right, of course. It seemed like she always was. Even so… "…I wish there was an easier way to do this."

"Our world is one filled with strife," Lailah intoned as she descended the steps leading below the main deck. Her eyes were strange, almost clouded, as if recalling a distant memory, "…and nothing in it with any value is ever given up willingly. If there is something you wish to have, you must be willing to fight every step of the way to claim it for yourself."

Abel looked up at the priestess, curious. "Is that a Church saying?" he asked. Her words wouldn't have sounded out of place if he imagined them in Sister Alexei or Sister Beatrix's voice.

Lailah tilted her head, eyes narrowing in thought. "I… suppose it is, technically. Though you won't find it in any scripture," she replied. "It was something my mentor told me, when I was still an initiate."

Initiate? Mentor? Did Lailah have to go through some sort of training before she became an apprentice? Almost the moment the thought came to him, Abel was struck by a realization: other than her name, and some very basic information, he didn't know anything about Lailah at all. The name of the town where she was raised, her favorite food… And not just her- he barely knew anything about Raine or Holly. Or Niel, for that matter. Ironically, the traveling companion he knew the most about, Seth, was the one who joined most recently.

Abel decided that at some point, preferably after mastering the use of his wings, he would change that.

The passageways below the main deck were cramped, and not well suited to someone attempting to pass through while carrying someone in their arms. So Lailah moved cautiously, so as not to hit Abel's head against anything. Though as they made their way down the passage, Abel heard a male voice say, "…you know, you seem like you've done a bit of traveling. That's something we have in common. We should swap stories over a drink once we make port."

"You know, I just might take you up on that…" Raine replied coyly. As Lailah passed an intersection, Abel spotted the witch and her companion- one of the ship's sailors- chatting in a small side hallway. Raine quickly spotted them in turn, and broke away from her new companion. "Oh, hold on a second. Hey Blue." After regarding them for a moment, she added, "…You know, it's usually the hero that's supposed to carry the beautiful maiden in his arms, not the other way around."

"I see you're busy making a nuisance of yourself," Niel replied.

"Hey, what I do in my free time is none of your business, Parrot," the witch replied, putting a hand on her hip as she narrowed her eyes at the angel. "So how's training?"

"Abel's making progress," Lailah replied. "But he's pushing himself too hard."

"Can't say I'm surprised. Guys always try to act tough when they know pretty girls are watching." Raine reached out, patting Abel's head. "But you don't have to try so hard to impress me, Blue. No matter what happens, I'll always love you."

Lailah pulled Abel back protectively. "I'm taking him back to our cabin to rest. Please don't disturb him."

"I'm sure Blue wouldn't mind the company," Raine said- her tone made Abel jolt, as if she had run a length of silk through his ears. "I can't promise he'll be getting any rest, but-

"I remind you that my warning about wandering hands still stands," Lailah said bluntly.

Raine quickly backed off. "Alright alright, I'll leave him alone. It was a joke." She turned away and muttered to herself, "Honestly, a little levity isn't going to hurt anyone…"

It didn't take long for Lailah to reach their cabin, a small space crammed with several bunk beds and not much else. Though Abel couldn't say he was comfortable sharing such close quarters with women, he was at least thankful they didn't have to share space with the crew, as Lailah gently laid Abel down on the bottom half of an empty bunk bed. "Here you are. Do you need me to get anything for you?"

"I'll be fine," Abel replied weakly. Unless she had some way of mending hurt pride, there was little she could do for him.

"I'm glad you're starting to take your role as a Hero seriously, Abel," Lailah said, laying a hand on Abel's shoulder. "But don't feel like you have to rush to become strong. Everyone grows at their own pace. You'll find yours. You'll see." She turned away. "And, please forgive me, Your Grace, but I'd like to speak to you for a moment." There was a hardness in Lailah's voice, one that Abel was very much not used to hearing. Niel instantly darted after the priestess as she left the cabin, leaving Abel with only his thoughts as company.

Abel laid in his cot, up at the bed frame above him, unable to move as much as he may have wanted to. He tried to take comfort in Lailah's words, to believe that all he needed was to find his own pace. But in the end, even if it was Lailah who said them, they were just words. And they would be wasted if he couldn't meet everyone's expectations. The representatives from the Church he'd met so far had all delivered the same message- the Overlord was coming. Maybe not at that moment, perhaps not tomorrow, or the day after that, but their meeting would be inevitable. He needed to gain as much strength as he could, as quickly as he could. If only he wasn't so weak. Then maybe-

A retching sound pulled Abel from his thoughts. He glanced over to its source- a figure lying in the adjacent cot. They were covered by a blanket, and their back was turned, so all Abel could see was the back of their head.

"Seth?" he asked. "Is that you?" From nearly the moment they'd set sail, Seth had become terribly ill, barely able to leave her bed. Lailah had been spending most of her time tending to her, explaining her sudden ailment as something called "motion sickness."

The figure's only reply was a pained, "Guuhhh…"

That didn't sound promising. So Abel held out his arm, and focused. His aim wavered, his arm feeling as though a heavy weight were tied to it, but he managed to stay on target as he muttered, "…Remedium."

The figure was bathed in a white light for a moment. Then, Seth pulled the blanket aside and sat up. "I'm not sure what you did," she began, putting a hand over her stomach. "But the dizziness is gone. Thanks for that."

Abel didn't answer.

"Abel?" She finally looked over.

He was asleep, his arm hanging over the edge of his cot. His spell had finally sapped the last wisps of strength he had left.

Seth sighed as she looked at Abel's sleeping form, before reaching over to stroke his face. "You really should listen to that priestess friend of yours, you know."

Holly laid the single card in her hand atop the pile in the center of the table. "I win again."

Raine threw the cards in her hand against the table. "Gah, dammit! I was sure you didn't have any reds!" She looked over at the mercenary. "How are you so good at this game, Jugs?"

"I played this game all the time with my sister, so I'm really good at it," Holly replied. "Playing it was how I earned money while I was traveling to Istar."

Niel hovered across the table from Holly, her cards shining with a faint golden light as they hung suspended in the air. "That's a surprise. You don't strike me as the gambling sort."

"Yeah I figured you'd be more like Blue over there," Raine added.

Unlike Holly, Raine, or Niel, Abel had over a dozen cards in his hands. As far as he could surmise, the goal of this game seemed to be for players to to get rid of all their cards, by laying out a card with the same color or number as the one the previous person put out. But some cards could stand in for any color or number, and other cards did other things, like forcing the next person to draw cards, or changing the order of everyone's turn.

Or, so he thought- neither Raine nor Holly had actually explained the rules before pulling him and Niel into the game, and what little he knew had been gleaned by watching the others. The spell he cast on Seth had long since worn off, confining her to her cot once more, and Lailah was preoccupied with tending to her, meaning there was no one else on hand to help him.

Abel would have preferred to be up on the deck, continuing his lessons, but at that moment, the Princess Louvia was sailing through an unexpected downpour, and both the captain and Niel advised that he not take to the skies again until the storm had passed. So he was confined below decks, playing a game he barely understood. Part of him knew this was a perfect chance to get to know his companions better… but another part of him knew that with his mind only able to focus on taking to the skies again, he would be too distracted to truly learn anything meaningful.

"Alright Abel, hand over your cards. We're starting the next round," Raine said.

Abel set his cards on the table before standing up. "I'm gonna step out for just a moment, if you don't mind."

"Where are you going?" Holly asked.

Raine shot up to her. "Yeah, don't go! It's not as fun with just three people!"

"I'm just gonna stretch my legs. I'm sure you can manage one game without me." It was true that his legs were tingling from so much sitting, but in truth, he just needed some time to himself.

"Well, I guess that's alright…" the witch replied as she sank back into her seat. She then pointed at Abel. "But just for one game, alright?"

"I won't be gone for long," Abel said, and departed from the table.

As he walked away, he couldn't help but overhear Niel say, "Sulking because he lost a game? I thought Abel was past that age."

" I don't think anyone would be happy to lose six games in a row, Parrot," Raine replied.

Although from the outside, the Princess Louvia appeared quite large, most of its interior was devoted to its two cargo holds, leaving little room for much else, even for the crew. Though without any cargo to carry, the sailors had converted one of the holds into a sort of living space with spare furniture they had aboard, where they could eat, play cards, and otherwise relax when not on watch. Raine decided they should take full advantage of the space, both because their own cabin was too small to accommodate any activities aside from sleeping, and to not disturb Seth. Though it seemed Raine at least had visited before, today was the first time Abel had been down here. In fact, since coming aboard, he hadn't strayed far from the path between his bed and the upper deck. Now, he had an excuse to change that.

Though in truth, there wasn't much to see. After climbing out of the hold, Abel wandered the passageways, peering into the various cabins. The first door he tried was locked- presumably, it belonged to the captain. The next door led to a cabin that was completely dark, with snoring coming from within- a crew cabin. The third was another cabin containing a sleeping crew member. The fourth led to his own cabin, so he skipped it. The fifth was another locked door.

But the sixth door was open, and it wasn't another cabin for the crew. Rather, it was a fairly sizable room, containing all manner of items. His curiosity piqued, Abel stepped inside for a better look. Some items were easily identified: wood, spools of rope, barrels of tar. But others were a bit more obscure- enormous squares made of thick cloth, metal rings large enough for Abel to fit his hand through, and metal fittings that resembled an animal's horns. Abel quickly realized the cabin was used to store items the sailors would need to make repairs to their ship. In retrospect, it was fairly obvious: replacement ropes, wood to patch holes, tar for waterproofing, and the cloth was presumably for mending tears in the sails, though he had no idea what the metal pieces were for.

But amid the clutter was something out of place. A space had been cleared around the wall across from the door. And set into this particular wall was a shelf, upon which sat a golden ornament of some sort. The ornament resembled a spearhead, but rather than a single point, the spearhead had three, each ending with a hooked barb.

"Huh…" Abel muttered as he looked at the strange ornament. "I wonder what this is." Curiosity got the better of him, and he began to reach toward it.

"I'd appreciate ya not touchin' that," a grizzled voice said from behind. Abel wheeled around, to see a man entering the cabin behind him. He had blonde hair, cropped short, dull grey eyes, and wore a heavy, dark blue coat. He wasn't old, though from the many lines and dark patches on his face, it was clear his experiences had weathered him greatly.

"Captain Baird, sir," Abel said, stepping away from the shelf. The captain of the Princess Louvia, Sister Beatrix had introduced them after hiring his crew to transport Abel and his companions to Lescatie. He didn't seem particularly upset to have the person who had Vargo arrested aboard his ship, although whether it was because he held no strong loyalty to his former employer, or because whatever price the Archbishop had paid for his services had been enough to smother any hard feelings, Abel couldn't say.

Abel glanced back at the strange spearhead. "What… is this thing, exactly?"

"That's an altar to Poseidon, god o' the sea. It's through her protection that ships can cross her domain, so every captain that plans on havin' a long life at sea gives her the respect she deserves." Baird looked at the trident, folding his arms over his chest. "Ya might not believe it, but that little altar's the only thing keepin' the monsters of the deep at bay. So I hope you can understand why we don't want just anyone messin' with it."

Hermes, Ilias, Bacchus, Poseidon… just how many gods were there?

"Anyway, I've been lookin' fer ya," Baird continued. "Weather's finally clearin' up. Figured you and yer fairy friend would wanna know."

That was the best news he'd heard all day. "Thank you, Captain!" And in what felt to him like a matter of moments, Abel returned to the cargo hold, to his companions's game. "Niel, I just got word from the Captain! He said the weather's clearing up!"

"I was wondering why you were in such a hurry." The angel sat her cards aside and fluttered up to his shoulder. "Alright, let's go."

"Aw, but we're in the middle of a game!" Raine complained. "Can't you wait till we're finished!?"

"Sorry, witch," Niel replied in an unimpressed tone. "But my duties to Abel come first."

The outside air was thick, heavy with moisture from the recent rain. Perhaps that was why Abel felt more sluggish than usual as he drifted through the sky, the Princess Louvia quickly outpacing him. He strained, trying to will himself to move faster, but as always, his pace remained at the same leisurely float he started with.

Niel drifted slowly through the air alongside him. "Abel, are you really trying?" she asked. "I can walk faster than this, and I'm only-" The angel abruptly stopped, squinting as if she saw something behind Abel. "…What the hell?" she muttered, before immediately diving into Abel's body. at once, his body began to fly back toward the ship of its own accord.

"Whoa- hey! What are you doing!?" Abel demanded. But the angel didn't answer. And as the boat drew closer, the air became filled with the frantic ringing of a bell. Abel wasn't naïve enough to think that the crew was simply keeping time- something was very wrong.

Abel stumbled as he landed on the deck, Niel finally returning control over his body. Sailors scrambled to untie various ropes tied around the deck, as Captain Baird shouted, "Get those sails fully opened! Helmsman, turn us to port by twelve degrees!"

"Abel!" All of a sudden, Lailah wrapped her arms around him from behind. She pulled back, turning him around to look at him. "Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?"

Before Abel could answer, Baird noticed him and approached. "There you are, lad. Some of the crew were worried ya wouldn't make it back."

"Why?" he asked. "What's going on?"

"I'll let you see for yourself." Baird led Abel to a raised section of the deck at the tail end of the ship, and handed him a spyglass. Abel looked through it, scanning the horizon, before finally spotting something: a ship. It resembled the Princess Louvia, but flew a black flag depicting an array of swords arranged in a half-circle. And furthermore, the other ship seemed to be headed directly toward them.

"Who are they?" Abel asked.

"Just about the last kind of folk you wanna meet on the seas," Baird replied grimly. "Pirates."

"Hold on! Hold on, I'm coming!" Raine shouted. She hopped up the steps to the raised section of the deck on one foot as she struggled to pull one of her boots on. After succeeding, she approached the edge of the deck, and looked out over the horizon. "So, is that them?" She stared intensely, her fingers pressed against her left temple.

"Judging from their flag…" she said after several moments, "…that ship belongs to the Silver Blades." The witch tilted her head. "But I heard they stick mostly to the coast of Cybele. I wonder what brought them all the way out here?"

Abel looked over to Raine, stunned. Even with Captain Baird's spyglass, he could barely make out the other ship's flag. But she wasn't using one at all. But now wasn't the time to be impressed by the witch's superior eyesight. He looked to Baird. "What do we do, Captain?"

"The only thing we can do," the captain said sternly. "Open up all our sails, and pray."

"What? That's it? Doesn't your ship have… cannons or anything like that?"

"Cannons!?" Baird replied incredulously. "The Louvia is a merchant vessel, lad, not a warship! Why would we have cannons!?"

Abel's mind raced. There must have been some way to defend the ship. But then a solution came to him with all the subtlety of a slap to the face: magic. He could use magic to sink the other ship. But which spell? Angel Fire didn't have enough range. And the spell Niel had used in Lohan, Aqua Vitae… he didn't know enough about it to use it. But there was one other spell. The spell Niel had used to destroy the first treant back in Hokes.

Abel pointed at the distant ship as he recalled the spell's name…

"Light of Judg- ghhh!" Pain surged through Abel's head, forcing him to one knee as bright spots danced across his vision. Even though it was cut short, Niel's lesson must have worn him out more than he expected.

Then, Raine said, "Captain, let me worry about the Silver Blades. Just focus on driving the ship."

"What are you planning to do?" Baird asked.

Raine's answer was directed more toward Abel than the captain: "I can see what you're trying to do, Blue. But you let me handle things." Her gaze turned toward the ship on the horizon, her tone dark and heavy as lead. "I'll show you what a real mage can do."

Raine traced a pattern in the air with her hand, one that was much larger and more complex than any Abel had seen her make before. The pattern appeared in the air, drawn with red lines- a six-pointed star- before a flurry of fireballs shot out of it. They shot out over the sea in a wide arc… but none of them reached the pirate's ship. Undaunted, Raine drew the sigil again, only to be met with the same results. "Too far away for the scattershot, huh? Well let's see how you handle this!" She drew a new sigil- two diamonds side-by-side. In response, a single fireball flew out of it, one much larger than any Raine had conjured before. The fireball raced over the ocean for a distance… before it began to pull to the left, and dive toward the sea. It struck the water- there was a flash, and the air shook as the fireball let out a tremendous explosion. It would have been impressive… had the fireball actually hit anything.

Raine doubled over, breathing heavily. "Shit!" she cursed. "The tailwind is pushing my shots off their mark!"

Lights flashed on the deck of the other ship, and the air filled with the sound of a shrill whistle. But not the sort of whistling a human could make. More like-

"Abel get down!" Raine suddenly threw herself at Abel, knocking both of them down. Just a moment later, the air was filled with a tremendous crashing, and the two were showered with chips of wood. Raine held him tightly until the rain of debris stopped, then looked down at him, still breathing heavily. "…You know Blue, I always thought I'd wind up with you underneath me one day."

Abel quickly climbed out from beneath Raine and stood up, looking around to survey the damage. There had been a tall post rising from the center of the ship, from which the sails were hung and ropes without number were tied- Lailah had called it "the mast." But now, the mast, the sails, the ropes… they were gone. All of it.

Sailors scrambled across the deck, gathering the debris and tossing it aside to keep the deck clear. As they did, Abel heard Baird shout, "Dammit! All hands, take up arms and prepare to repel boarders!"

"Captain, what about any men overboard!?" a sailor shouted.

"Cast lines over for them! But our focus is on engaging the enemy!"

Lailah turned, quickly racing toward the lower deck. "Bring anyone with injuries to me! I can treat them!"

"What… what just happened?" Abel stammered.

"Chain-shot," the witch replied. "They were aiming for the Louvia's rigging, trying to stop us from running away."

With the sails gone, the Princess Louvia began to slow, and the other ship quickly gained on them. As it drew closer, Abel could hear whoops and hollers from the men gathered on the deck, and they began throwing something at their ship. Most landed in the water, but one landed near Abel with a thud, and slid across the deck before getting caught on a gap between two boards. It was… some sort of hook with a rope tied to it. He followed it back to the other ship, seeing a line of men pulling on it, as if…

Instantly, Abel drew his sword and cut the rope, finally understanding what the hook was for- the pirates were trying to draw the Louvia alongside their own ship. The rest of the crew realized this long before Abel, already at work cutting the ropes of other hooks that had snagged on the deck. Another hook landed nearby, and Abel rushed to sever the rope tied to it. But all of a sudden, there was a deafening boom, one that made the very air shake and seemed to push the air right out of Abel's lungs. As his ears rang, he heard a harsh voice call out faintly, "That's enough!"

Abel looked to the pirate's ship- the men on the deck had parted to allow someone to pass. A woman. A woman with dark purple hair, dark, weathered skin, a black shirt without sleeves, and dark, loose trousers, a curved sword hanging from her belt. Her bare arms were covered in scars and strange-looking tattoos, among which were numbers that read, "167." What drew his attention most, however, was the length of black cloth tied over the woman's left eye. An eyepatch. He'd heard about them in stories, but in truth, Abel didn't think they actually existed.

"Vessel!" the woman called in a harsh voice. "You will stand down and allow us to board."

Baird approached the edge of the deck closest to the pirate's ship. "Why should we do that?"

The lady pirate raised up her arm- at that, men on the deck of the other ship turned two cannons- one at the front, and one at the rear- and aimed them at Baird. "Because we're only after one person. And we're not above sinking your whole ship to get to them. But I'm sure you wouldn't want to risk the lives of all your men, would you?"

Baird was silent. Seeming to take his lack of response as agreement, several pirates dropped a board to span the gap between their ship and the Princess Louvia. Several men boarded ahead of the woman- rough-looking, with matted hair and skin like old leather. The sailors backed off, but still surrounded them with their weapons drawn. Abel approached as well, staying just behind the ring of men.

Finally, the woman crossed, and looked around. Then, she pointed and said, "You there," before marching toward one of the crowd. The sailors hurriedly parted, to reveal Raine. "You were the one shooting at us earlier."

"And you must be Cinquedea," Raine replied. "A bit far from home, aren't we?"

The lady pirate looked at Raine, stone-faced. "A jester, eh?" Then, faster than Abel could blink, she slapped Raine across the face, before grabbing her by the throat and driving her to her knees. "I despise jesters. And that's Captain Cinqueadea to you."

A burst of heat flared in Abel's chest, and he stepped forward. "Let her go!"

The lady pirate looked Abel's way, and to his surprise, dropped Raine the moment she laid eyes on him. "Well, aren't we lucky?" she said with a hard edge in her voice. "You're just who we were looking for, Abel."

"How do you know my name?" Abel supposed it was inevitable that as a Hero and word of his deeds spread, people he'd never met would learn his name. But he couldn't say that he was especially fond of this kind of attention.

"Our… benefactor recently contacted us to offer us a special job- kill the individual who destroyed his business and saw him arrested. The information he provided told us she was in the company of a Hero named Abel, who recently departed from the city on a ship bound for Apollonia."

She never used a name, but even Abel could see who the pirate was referring to. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kidnapping, slavery, and now consorting with pirates? It seemed that every time he thought he couldn't think less of Kamash Vargo, the older man proved him wrong.

Cinquedea looked Abel up and down briefly. "I must say, the information he provided was very accurate. Blue hair, frail, weak-looking, yet inexplicably surrounded by women… his description matches you perfectly. Now then…" She rested a hand on the hilt of her sword. "Our job simply said to bring back the head of the girl named Seth. Hand her over, and no one else needs to die today."

So they weren't after him- unsurprising, since he was just a pawn in the grand scope of things. Still, Abel raised his sword, grip tight on the hilt. "No."

Cinquedea narrowed her eye at Abel. "We're taking her, boy- this isn't a matter of discussion. You can either hand her over to us, or we cut you down- along with anyone else foolhardy enough to get in our way- and we take her ourselves. There is no other way this ends."

"We'll see about that!" Abel charged. Perhaps not the most original retort, but it fit well enough.

The pirate let out a breath. "If that's the way it has to be…" Then, in seemingly the blink of an eye, Cinquedea had drawn her own sword and thrust it at Abel. His balance faltered as he steered to the side, and swung his sword, trying to knock the pirate's blade away. It didn't quite work- her sword cut into his bicep as it passed, leaving a burning sensation in its wake. She whirled around, preparing to strike with a wide horizontal swing. Abel raised his blade again, managing to block the strike, but just barely. And the blow had so much force behind it that Abel stumbled back. But the pirate wasted no time in exploiting Abel's opening, and rushed toward him.

She was so fast- he could barely keep track of her. Only now did Abel understand the mistake he'd made. Cinquedea wasn't some lowly bandit able to get by through simple shows of force, but a warrior who knew full well how to use the blade in her hands. In terms of swordplay, he could have fought her in a hundred duels and lost to her every single time.

But there was something he had that she didn't. He pulled back his free hand, trying to keep it out of her line of sight. "Angel-"

His words were cut off when she raised her leg and drove a knee directly into his stomach.

Abel instantly crumpled over, his sword falling from his hand. He felt as if someone had tied a rope around his chest, one that allowed him to breathe out, but not to take breaths in. The instant he hit the ground, Cinquedea drove her heel into his back, and crouched down over him. "I warned you, boy. You should've just handed her over."

"Abel!" Lailah turned her spear and raised her arm, poised to throw it at Cinquedea.

But in an instant, the pirate drew a short knife from her boot and held it over Abel's throat. "I wouldn't if I were you, Sister. I promise you, my arm's faster than yours." She turned her head slightly. "And my arm is definitely faster than your magic, mage."

Raine, who'd been midway through drawing another sigil, froze in place.

Cinquedea turned her attention back to Abel. "You know normally, when someone defies us, we hang their heads from the prow as an example to others. But I imagine our client would pay a handsome sum for-" There was the sound of a string whipping through the air. Cinquedea suddenly turned to her left, and swung her sword, which let out a loud clang, as if she'd struck something out of the air. Abel followed the pirate's gaze.

It was Seth. She'd climbed the narrow stairwell leading up from below decks with a bow in her hands, face set in a grimace. "I should've known this would happen…"

"Well well…" Cinquedea said. "Madame Bell. It seems you saved me the trouble of looking for you."

"I've seen you before. At the villa. Tell me. Did you carry demi-humans out of Lohan? Or were you just brought in to eliminate competition?" Seth's sentences were short, her words clipped. And she looked a bit pale. Even the rocking of the ship as it sat on the water must have been enough to set off her motion sickness- it was probably taking everything she had to keep from being sick.

Cinquedea slowly stood, taking pressure off Abel. "I don't answer to you, girl." She pointed her sword at Seth. "And your Ghost disguise might scare landfolk, but it won't work on me."

Seth said nothing more as she fired another arrow at the pirate. But again, Cinquedea deflected it with a swing of her sword, and rushed toward Seth. The thief shot, but the pirate deflected for a third time. The pirate had closed the distance, and swung her sword- there was no time for Seth to fire another arrow, so she raised her bow to block the strike. The blade sank partway into the wood of Seth's bow… but didn't cut through it entirely.

Cinquedea pressed her blade against Seth's bow. Seth's arms shook as she strained to hold the attack at bay. The pirate brought her face close, before rearing back and slamming her forehead against Seth's The thief stumbled back, but Cinquedea grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her forward, sending her sprawling.

"You're the one who struck terror in the hearts of Lohan's citizens for months on end?" Cinquedea said, as Seth struggled to stand up. "I can't imagine how incompetent the forces Vargo hired must have been if you were able to slip through their fingers. But it's over now, girl. You won't be getting away from me."

Abel staggered to his feet, arm raised. "You stay away from her! Angel-"

The ship suddenly lurched violently, making Cinquedea stagger and knocking nearly everyone else off their feet. Everyone looked around- it felt as if another ship had just run into them. But there was nothing around them. At least… nothing on the surface. "What in the seven hells was that?" a sailor asked- whether part of the pirates or the Louvia's crew, Abel couldn't say.

Then, terrified cries rang out from the pirate's ship. It quickly became apparent why- ghostly white tendrils had emerged from beneath the water and coiled around the ship, wrapping around it like an enormous snake. Several pirates hacked at the tendrils with their weapons, while others tried to jump from their own ship to the Princess Louvia. But in just a matter of moments, the air filled with a deafening crack as the pirate ship was split in two, and violently pulled beneath the water, the Louvia tilting wildly on the waves. For a moment, the world was still, before there was a great sloshing, and more bone-white tendrils rose from the water, all around the ship.

"Kraken! Kraken! It's a damned kraken!" one of the pirates shouted.

"What the hell do we do now!?" another shouted.

"To arms!" Baird ordered. "Don't let it lay even a single damned tentacle on this ship!"

The sailors scattered, rushing to the edge of the deck wherever a tentacle had emerged. Though in truth, they couldn't do much- just wave their swords around to try to keep the tendrils at bay.

Abel rushed toward one of the tentacles, past Cinquedea, who stood utterly frozen, and pointed his hand at it. "Angel Fire!" White flames erupted from his palm- they washed over the tentacle, blackening its skin, and it convulsed, before withdrawing beneath the water. Abel rushed to the edge and looked down. The tentacles must have been connected to a main body- so long as that was intact, the beast would doubtlessly continue to attack. But he couldn't see anything from this side. It must have been at another part of the ship.

Abel turned, to see Raine facing another tentacle alone at the tail end of the ship. She fired her "scattershot" at it- several fireballs hit their mark, but the tentacle didn't seem to be affected. But as she traced a pattern in the air, another tentacle rose up from the water on the right side- Raine was so focused on the tentacle in front of her, she hadn't seen it at all. The second tentacle began to pull back, as if it were a coiled snake preparing to strike.

Abel raced up the stairs, and shouted, "Divine Armor!" Raine began to turn, just in time for Abel to push her out of the way, right before the second tentacle struck her.

The white tentacle smashed through Abel's magic shell and batted him aside. Pain surged through his back as he crashed through the railing at the opposite edge of the deck, before he plunged headfirst into the sea. The chaos on the surface was instantly silenced as water pressed against his ears. And the cold of the sea seemed to sap his strength, as if it were leaking out of him like blood. Bubbles escaped from Abel's throat as he groaned in pain, sinking deeper, and deeper into the sea's cold embrace…

The night air pricked at Abel's skin like needles. But he put up with it. This small discomfort was trivial compared to the pain he'd endured before… and it would pale in comparison to what Master Rachel would do to him if she were to find him like this.

Night had fallen over Seles, and while the rest of the villagers were asleep, Abel was awake. He had snuck out of his master's home, using the window next to the stove. Outside, shrouded in the quiet stillness of the dark, made Abel feel as though he were the only person in the entire world. It was one of the only times where he felt as if he were beyond the reach of his worries. It was a small comfort, but one of the precious few he had. And on most nights when Abel was able to safely sneak out, he was content to bask in his solitude.

But sometimes, like tonight, he was lucky.

Through the window of the house next door, Abel heard the voice of an older woman escape into the night: "Alright Mordy. What story did you want to hear tonight?"

The voice of a young boy, much younger than Abel, replied with a question of his own: "Do you know any Hero stories, Mum?"

He recognized the two voices. The woman's voice belonged to Leah; the boy's to Mordecai. They were the wife and youngest son of Joel the foreman, and the closest thing to a mayor that Seles had. Unlike the other boys in the village, Mordecai let him be, but that was probably because he was too young to work. Abel didn't doubt that when he grew, Mordecai would be just like Zechariah, his elder brother, and Abel's most frequent tormentor.

Abel crept closer to the window as Leah's voice answered. "I think I have something. And this story was from not too long ago. The Overlord had returned to terrorize the human kingdoms, and-"

But Mordecai interrupted: "Mum, these stories always start with the Overlord coming back. How does he keep coming back?"

"It's a punishment, Mordy," Leah replied. "Whenever humans forget the teachings of the Church and commit evil acts, their sins gather together, and eventually form a new Overlord. Anyway, one day, a Hero finally came to the Overlord's castle. His name was Dashar. He had come from a land far to the east, named Dimitra, and his weapon was a sword made from the rays of the sun…"

Abel's eyes snapped open. This wasn't the time or place to be resting. Raine, Seth, Lailah, Holly… they were still in danger. He had to do something. He was the only one who could.

He turned over and looked up, ignoring the pain as the seawater burned his eyes. The world beneath the waves was dark, but in the light breaking through the water's surface, he could see two shadows, one still, the other moving with many smaller shadows emerging from it. The still one must have been the Princess Louvia, and the other must have been the kraken.

I have to get back there, Abel thought.

And that was precisely what he did.

Abel shot through the water like an arrow, slamming into the smaller shadow's side. It must not have been expecting to be struck from that direction, because its grip on the boat loosened. Abel was momentarily stunned, both from the impact and from what he'd just done. He simply thought about going to the boat, and it happened. He hadn't needed to strain himself in the slightest. Was it… because of his wings? Could he finally control them?

Suddenly, a dark tendril attached to the kraken snaked toward Abel, trying to coil around him. As he dived deeper to evade the snare, he suddenly became keenly aware of his lungs burning. He was still underwater, in this creature's domain, putting him at a distinct disadvantage. He needed to get to the surface. But he needed to get the kraken away from the boat as well.

Then a thought occurred to him. Perhaps he could do both.

After weaving around another tentacle, Abel dived beneath the kraken, before rushing toward it with his arms outstretched. He slammed into the beast, his arms buckling as if he'd run into a wall. The beast was every bit as heavy as it looked. But he pushed, digging his fingers into the kraken's strange, slippery skin. The water under him began bubbling furiously, and he could feel a heat on his back- it must have been from his wings. And slowly, despite the beast pushing back against him, he felt himself rise. The darkness began to fade, and he rose higher, and higher, until…

Abel inhaled deeply as he broke the surface. He felt himself slow, as if the kraken had somehow become heavier out of the water, but he strained, willing himself to continue ascending. The kraken's tentacles shot out, trying to grab the Princess Louvia to stop its ascent, but Abel lifted it too quickly, and in moments, the ship was outside the monster's reach.

Then, Abel stopped, his momentum passing to the kraken, which was flung high into the air. In the light of the sun, he could see the beast as it truly was: a hideous, bone-white thing so alien, he could hardly believe they were born of the same world. If someone had told him that the creature had come from a different world entirely, Abel would have readily believed it. A creature like this was truly deserving of the title of "monster." No other term could adequately describe it.

And as a Hero, slaying monsters was his duty.

But he had no weapon- his sword had been knocked from his hand in his duel with Cinquedea. But as if responding to his need, alight began to shine from his hand. It lengthened, and narrowed, shaping into the shape of a sword. It was a simple thing, unornamented, with only a blade and a handle to hold it. But it would work.

The kraken began to fall. Abel braced himself, gripping the sword of light in both hands. He felt the sword begin to heat up in his hands as the monster neared. Then, letting out a fearsome roar, Abel swung the blade with all his might.

The sword of light cut through the kraken as if the creature weren't there at all.

The two halves of the creature continued to fall, and there was a tremendous splash as one part plunged back into the sea. But there was also a crunch and splintering of wood as the kraken's other half landed on the deck of the Princess Louvia. Abel looked down- to his shock, the upper half of the kraken still had one of its tentacles, which was slithering across the deck toward the others. Before it could do any harm, Abel dove down, driving his blade into the center of the monster's body. The kraken seized, its flesh sizzling as Abel's sword burned it, before at long last, the monster's tentacle dropped, and it lay still.

For a moment, Abel stood- or rather- floated in front of the beast. The whole time, he felt as if he were nothing but a spectator inside his own body. He understood, all too well, what that feeling meant. In a low voice, he asked out loud, "What happened to beating the Overlord on my own?"

"Abel?" a scratchy voice in his head replied. "That… wasn't me." Niel emerged, staring at him wide-eyed. Despite no longer being in his body, Abel remained airborne, and the sword of light remained in his hand.

And in retrospect, the sensation he had felt before was different. When Niel was in control of his body, he jerked around wildly in response to her will, as if he were a puppet in the hands of a particularly unskilled puppeteer. But just now, his movements… they felt smooth. Natural. As if he had done them hundreds of times, and could perform them on nothing but pure instinct. He still felt like a passenger in his own body, but because his body knew what to do without him needing to consciously guide it, and not because some outside entity was forcibly directing his body to make the correct moves.

Abel then turned his attention back to Cinquedea.

She stood, staring directly at him with her one good eye wide. She twitched a few times, as if hesitating, before she charged, drawing her saber back for a powerful swing. Abel raised the sword of light in his hand, blocking the blow. There was a loud hiss as the pirate pressed her blade against his, before it suddenly sliced through the blade of light. The pirate swung her sword wildly as she lost her balance- Abel dived back outside the blade's reach, his wings propelling him off the Louvia's deck and over the water.

Cinquedea quickly retreated, and looked down at her sword. Half was… missing, as if something had cut through it, the end smoking slightly. Looking at where he'd been standing, Abel saw the other half of the pirate's sword. His sword must have burned right through hers. It was the only explanation he could think of.

With but a thought, Abel drifted through the air, until he was directly in front of Cinquedea, and pointed his burning sword at her- she flinched, as if realizing what a blade that could cut through metal could do to an ordinary human body. "You and the rest of your men should surrender," he said.

The pirate glanced around- at Abel, at her weapon, at her men… but she must have realized that there would be no escape for her. Letting out a long exhale, she let her broken sword slip through her fingers, striking the deck with a loud clatter, before sinking to her knees. "Fine then," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "Just kill me and be done with it."

The sudden shift in the pirate's demeanor caught Abel off-guard. "What?"

"Cybele, the Church, Vargo… if it wasn't you, it would've been someone else." Cinquedea looked up at him, her eye dull and empty. "It's the fate of anyone who lives by the sword, boy- to die upon another's blade."

Abel remembered the bandits at the oasis. Like Cinquedea, they tried to kill him. But unlike her, they fought, all the way up to their dying breaths. So for her to suddenly give up… Abel didn't know what to do. He hovered before her in an indecisive silence.

Until another voice broke it. "What are you waiting for, Abel?" Seth asked.

Abel looked back. "Seth?"

"The battle isn't over until your enemy is dead," she replied coldly.

"Seth, what are you saying?" Abel replied. "She was just following Vargo's orders!"

Seth's eyes narrowed. "So were the men who burned down the Farm. And the men who kidnapped Notte."

Abel wheeled around to face Seth. "Well, so was I! Are you saying I should kill myself, too?"

Seth gasped slightly, eyes widening… but she quickly returned to a cold glare. "Vargo was arrested, his crimes exposed for the whole world to see… but even after all that, she still chose to obey him." Seth glanced at Cinquedea. "I have no sympathy for anyone who chooses to work under that man now. Neither should you."

Abel gritted his teeth as he turned back to the pirate. She hadn't moved. His back had been wide open, and yet she hadn't tried to take advantage of it. She was simply waiting for him to deliver the fatal blow.

He knew he shouldn't be so reluctant. He had taken lives before. And no doubt he would have to take more lives in the future. But the stories… they made the act of killing seem so easy. It never seemed to weigh on the Heroes in them as it weighed on Abel now.

But… his armor had been heavy once. His sword had been heavy, once. But with time, with practice, their burden became lighter, until he barely felt them at all.

Perhaps killing was the same.

Abel raised the sword of light, the blade heating up in his hand as if it could sense his intent…

But before it could fall, a gruff voice ordered, "Hold it, lad."

Abel stopped and looked back. "Captain Baird?"

"You may be a Hero, but I'm the captain o' this ship," he replied. "And the fate of any prisoners is fer me to decide."

Abel could see Seth seething, but he had to admit, he was rather relieved. Killing an enemy after they'd surrendered to him, even if they had asked… it didn't feel like something a Hero would do. The wings on his back went out, and the sword of light faded from Abel's hand as he stepped aside.

Baird stepped forward. "Way I see it, lass, ya got two options. One, you and yer lot pay blood with blood, and join yer ship on the seabed. Or two… ya join my crew. Ya took a lot of good men away from me today, but you lost your fair share of men as well, and yer ship with 'em. We put together the men we have left, we might be able to make it to Lescatie alive. "

Seth huffed and turned her back on Baird, arms crossed over her chest. Raine and Lailah were less openly hostile, but still wary. Abel however, simply waited- Baird had taken control of the situation, and whatever choice the captain made, he would accept it.

Cinquedea looked up at Baird, dead-eyed. "What makes you think I won't just cut your throat the moment you turn your back on me?"

"Because yer in the same boat as me. Figuratively. And even though ya tried ta cover 'em up, I know what those numbers on yer arm mean."

Cinquedea gasped, and reached up, covering the 167 on her arm.

But Baird wasn't done. "And you might think that just 'cause yer not in Cybele anymore that yer free. But yer not. Ya still got the eyes of a slave. Ya just traded one master fer another. But right now, you have a chance ta change that. A chance ta be yer own master. Far as Vargo and anyone else knows, you were still on that ship when that kraken pulled it under. Yer never gonna have a better chance ta wipe yer slate clean."

"How dare you…" Cinquedea growled through gritted teeth. "Talking down to me like you know a damn thing about me!? Who the hell do you think you are!?"

"You think you're the only one Vargo had under his thumb!?" Baird roared back. "Who d'you think had to bring his slaves outta Lohan, huh!? I was his slave just as much as you are now!"

"Wait. You…?" Abel stammered. What Baird said made sense- Vargo would need ships to carry slaves to his customers, but…

"Why are you here then?" Cinquedea asked. "You really think he'll let you get away?"

"Yes… why?" Seth asked, her voice hard as steel.

Baird turned to face Seth. "There's no forgivin' what I've done. I might not've plucked demis off the streets, but we all had our part in that business. So we share that guilt. I'll be carryin' the weight of my deeds for the rest of my days, and there's a good chance when I die, I'll burn in hell forever fer it. And maybe yer right. Maybe one day, one of Vargo's men'll catch up ta me. But if I can do at least some good in the world before that day comes, then I can face the fire with no regret. And doin' the Church a favor by bringin' their Hero to Lescatie?" His eyes briefly flicked to Abel. "Well, there're worse places to start."

The captain turned back to Cinquedea. "I can't force ya ta join. I can't force ya to make the change. If yer set on makin' today yer last, then I can't stop ya. Yer yer own woman. But don't be forgettin' the men ya leave behind. Ya should already know that when ya become a captain of a ship, yer life stops bein' yer own."

Cinquedea looked up at Baird in silence.

Baird folded his arms over his chest. "I still haven't heard your answer, lass. What'll it be?"

For several moments, the pirate didn't answer. Then… "A pair of runaway slaves. Huh. Well, I guess the least we can do is look out for each other, then." Cinquedea looked up at Baird. "Fine then. But just so we're clear, I might not have a ship, but I'm still the captain of my crew. I'm your equal, not your subordinate."

Baird's lip twisted into a faint smile. "Now there's a good lass. We'll make honest sailors outta you lot yet." He turned to the rest of the crew, both his and Cinquedea's. "Now first order of business: get this damn monster off my ship."

"Hey Captain, hold on a second!" Raine called. "Don't toss it over yet!"

"Why not?" Cinquedea asked.

"Parts from monsters like these are super rare! You can sell them to the Fighter's Guild for a whole lot of money!" the witch replied.

"Yeah, that's right!" one of the pirates said. "I used to run with the Guild. Made a killing selling warp rabbit horns. Well, till we ran out of warp rabbits to hunt."

"Alright then," Baird said reluctantly. "Strip this monster of anything of value. Then get it off my ship."

"So what are we looking for?" one asked.

"Let's find its beak. That's the most valuable part," another replied. "I hear kraken beaks can make blades that can cut through almost anything…"

As the combined crew of the Princess Louvia and the pirates set upon the kraken's carcass, Lailah approached Baird. "Excuse me, Captain Baird," she began. "Can you tell me how to get to the keel?"

"I can…" he began. "But why would ya wanna go there?"

"I'd like to commune with Lord Poseidon. If I do, I may be able to get your ship moving again."

"You can do that?" Abel asked.

Baird seemed equally incredulous. "Wouldn't it be easier ta… commune with Poseidon at her altar?"

Lailah rested a hand on her breastplate. "I may just be an apprentice, but I'm still a member of the Order. I have to try at the very least. And as god of the sea, communing with Poseidon should be easier if I go deeper into her domain."

Baird tilted his head. "Can't say that's how I would do things, but I suppose yer the expert here. I'll leave ya to it," he replied. "There's a trapdoor at the end of the hall below deck, toward the bow. Ladder under it goes straight down to the bilge. Ya can't miss it."

"Thank you." Lailah headed for the stairs leading to the ship's interior. As she descended, she heard a member of the crew say, "Seems like a shame to let all this go to waste. You think we can eat it?"

"Who would eat something that looks like that?" one of the other crewmen replied, before the deck muffled their words too much to be made out.

In truth, Lailah didn't know how to commune with Poseidon. Or, any gods, for that matter. She hadn't reached that stage of her training, and in any case, it was likely the gods had no interest in what she had to say. What she really needed was a moment of privacy. And hopefully, the keel would give her just that.

Lailah reached the trapdoor and climbed down in short order. She had always heard that the keel was like the spine of a ship- it certainly looked the part, with various beams jutting out from it, resembling enormous wooden ribs. Taking a few steps forward to ensure she would be out of sight, Lailah swung one leg over the keel to straddle it, laid her hands against the wooden beam, and spoke in a deep, guttural voice that no human should ever have been able to produce:

"Paycdc uv dra cay, mecdah famm. Ghuf dryd drec jaccam lynneac Andralaxia, tyikrdan uv Luxuria, uv Munt Baphomet'c Pmylg Ryht. Yddylg drec creb, yht oui femm vyla so cfevd yht ihnamahdehk fnydr."

With her warning in place, she then said, "Suja Vunfynt." The whole ship suddenly lurched, before its motion smoothed out as it began sailing over the sea once more.

Lailah sighed as she straddled the keel. She reached up, feeling the side of her head- thankfully, nothing was there. As she climbed the ladder out of the bilge, two words came to Lailah: Never again. Those were the very words she'd sworn to herself when she left Akheros. And now she'd broken that vow twice. How many more times would circumstances force her hand? She knew that every time she did, the risk of being exposed would only grow. She knew that. And yet…

Lailah emerged from the trapdoor and began walking down the passageway. She was still on edge from everything that had happened, so when something grabbed her forearm from behind, she pivoted and rammed into it with her shoulder. Her assailant let out a high-pitched cry, and Holly stumbled back, falling on her rear. "Ow… why is it always my butt?"

"Holly? Wh-" Lailah stammered. "…what are you doing?"

"The others sent me," she replied quickly. "R-Raine isn't sure where a kraken's beak is, and she thought that since you were a priestess, that you might… know?" Holly gave a wide, very awkward-looking smile.

The tension finally left Lailah. "Well, I do know a little about monster anatomy, but I'm not exactly an expert."

Holly slowly, and awkwardly climbed back to her feet. "Oh, and Seth got sick again as soon as the boat started moving."

Already? They'd only been moving for a few minutes at most. Lailah had seen motion sickness before, but Seth's seemed especially bad. "…Alright, I'll head up right away."

Lailah continued on. Holly, however, didn't follow, watching the priestess's back with trepidation. She hadn't meant to spy, but… had Lailah really been talking with Poseidon? Her voice sounded so… scary. Holly could barely make out the priestess's words, but there were some that stood out to her. They sounded like… names. And none of them sounded like "Poseidon."

In fact, they sounded like… Andralaxia, Luxuria…

…and Baphomet.