54

* Writing a bit more on the series, so time for another update.

Think of this as Pirates of the Caribbean meets furry fantasy. :-p

*

52 - Trouble at Sea

'Indeed.' said Unsar when the party met up with him again at the Down by the Water tavern. 'You have to be either a pirate, or a pirate's unfortunate victim, to be able to set foot on that accursed place.' He drank his beer. 'Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if it were pirates who delivered that entangler to the family as a seedling. A creature like that is forbidden to possess by law.'

'Then they must have been in business together for a long time already.' said Valdys.

He nodded. 'So, unless you have something to show off that you're criminal enough to be a pirate, you won't come near that city fortress.'

'City fortress?' asked Elzbieta.

Unsar took another swig from his beer. 'Yep. Originally, it was a small rocky island, then over time they hollowed out the rock to live in it like great houses, and kept on adding to it until it became like a great building rising from the sea. The bay still exists inside of it and is known for the abundance of red flowers. They call them pirate flowers now.'

'What would be a good reason to be seen as pirates, apart from bloodshed?' asked Ulric. 'I'm not fond of a reputation as a killer.'

'Stealing, of course. Big treasure, special treasure, kidnapping for ransom. Anything involving lots of valuables is good.'

'We did bring down the most powerful family here, that must account for something.' said Iphigenia.

Unsar laughed. 'True. They like mayhem as well. And since they were broke already it's no wind out of the sails for Sharktail.'

'Sharktail?'

Unsar grinned. 'You haven't yet heard of the most vicious terror leading the pirates of Red Cove yet? Not many have stood against her and lived to tell. And those who did, didn't live long enough anyway.'

Ulric looked at the others. 'All the more important to not make ourselves stand out too much. Just enough to set foot on land there and not be bothered while we snoop around.'

'If we can find someone to take us there in the first place.' said Elzbieta.

Unsar put down his mug. 'Oh, I know the right person for that, and you're in luck, he's here today.' He gestured with a nod to another one of the old men present, who sat talking to the former guard they had met at the estate at the opposite wall. 'Short Joris. He's an old pirate who sails often between Red Cove and here with small cargo like mail and packages. Send a drink his way and he'll hear you out.'

Iphigenia had the host take two beers to the men with a message, and they soon joined the party with a toast to their gracious offer. Unsar hit his mug with Joris's. 'Short, these people are interested in acquiring your services to ferry them over to your place.'

Joris lifted his eye patch and looked over the girls and the hooded black canine. 'You don't exactly look like the right kind to take that trip.' he said, and pulled the patch down again.

'We were the ones to bring down the Drukkna family when we discovered their empty coffers.' said Iphigenia.

Joris gazed at her. 'Did you now.'

His friend, the old guard, nodded. 'They did. I found them when they broke into it at the estate.'

Joris hummed slowly. 'Well, if Theseus says so, then I'll believe it.' He took a swig from his mug and sat forward a little. 'Are you sure you want to go there? It's not a nice place, and certainly not for pretty lasses such as yourselves.'

Iphigenia smiled a little. 'We know how to not be nice ourselves.'

Joris chuckled. 'Good, good. You'll need it.' He gestured at Theseus next to him. 'Even he knows some very nasty tricks.'

Elzbieta raised an eyebrow at the old man, focussed on sipping his beer.

Joris grinned. 'You didn't think they let him guard the treasure room just to keep him occupied, did you?'

'Indeed.' said Elzbieta.

Joris leaned back. 'I'll take you, if you still want to go after I tell you about a few of the unwritten rules and the frequent events you'll witness there.'

Iphigenia nodded. 'Of course, go ahead.'

***

Kaui looked over the harbour and the wide ocean. 'Are you sure Isa will be all right, Master?'

Ulric kissed the side of her head. 'Don't worry, she's the type of person who can keep herself busy and enjoys time on her own, and Susi keeps an eye on her. And with Cat's ability to dig itself down into the ground, the only thing anyone who accidentally enters that piece of the forest will see is a stretched out heap of ground.' He took her hand. 'Did you charge your rings, or do I need to?'

She smiled up at him. 'I charged them from Cat's mana batteries, Master.'

He nodded. 'Good girl. We'll need you to take care of anything like that entangler thing if we come across it.'

She giggled and nodded.

Elzbieta gestured at one side of the harbour and a small cog near the end of a short pier. 'There's Joris's boat.'

He greeted them as he rolled a barrel on board when they walked up the pier. 'We're leaving as soon as the last of the cargo is on board.'

Ulric grabbed the last two barrels underneath his arms. 'We'll give you a hand then.'

Joris had seen strong beast folk before, but Ulric still impressed him. 'Thanks.' he said and gestured towards the front of the boat. 'You can put them with the others there.'

Ulric noted a feline sitting with her back towards him at the front, fixing a piece of clothing, and her scent was familiar. He set down the barrels next to the one Joris rolled there. The old man glanced at the feline. 'She's also coming with us.'

The feline turned her head and her eyes went wide. 'You?'

Ulric chuckled. 'So we meet again. Trying out your luck at Red Cove?'

Caylais nodded. 'I couldn't find any decent work or other party to work with, and then I sort of decided to try my hand at being bad instead.'

Joris shook his head while he secured the barrels by tying a rope around them. 'I told her it was no place for her, but she insisted hard.'

Caylais grinned a little in embarrassment. 'I showed off my unladylike claws and fangs.'

Ulric laughed. 'I'll bet that helped.'

'Are you sure you'll be all right over there?' asked Kaui.

Caylais nodded. 'I'm just taking the chance and hope for the best. If it doesn't work out there, Joris will take me back here and then I'm going home.'

***

The sea was calm and the wind just right to make the trip enjoyable and quick for everyone, and Valdys coached Iphigenia and Elzbieta on an enhancing spell they had the affinity for while Kaui went over her inventory, and Conchim tended to her wings. Ulric simply breathed the invigorating scent of salt water and air, and took the opportunity to relax because he hadn't been near the sea since he'd been a little kid. The sight of what Joris called the Shark's Teeth was another reminder of how fantasy-like his new world was. Jagged and pointy rocks with some vegetation bit through the water surface and up into the air. There was space enough between them for large ships to sail through, but only when they knew what they were doing, as many ship wrecks at the base of the rocks and masts protruding at shallower parts testified to. Joris wasn't worried about hitting anything with his flat bottomed cog and had used the shortcut for many years.

Until something hit the boat underneath and sent a tremble through it.

Ulric looked back at Joris, who let go of the steering wheel and came forward. 'Did we hit rock?'

The boatman stuck his head down the hatch of the cargo hold to listen for water rushing in. 'We shouldn't have. This is my normal route.'

The girls leaned over the side, peering into the water for signs of damage or the reason for the shock. 'I didn't hear any scraping against the hull either.' said Elzbieta. 'It must've been something loose in the water.'

Ulric went down and checked for leaks between the cargo. 'Maybe it was floating wreckage from one of those stranded ships.'

Joris hummed. 'Possibly. I've seen pieces adrift before after a storm but everything's been calm lately.'

Another hit shook the boat.

Conchim gripped the side when she spotted a dark mass moving through the water. 'There's something here! Something big!'

Joris rushed up to her and squinted into the water. 'What did it look like?'

'Hard to tell. It was almost black and it might be as big as the boat.'

'I found several descriptions of large sea creatures in my library, but it could be any of them without a better look at it.' said Valdys.

'Here!' said Caylais when she spotted a large shadow at her side.

Everyone hurried over just in time to see something glide further down, then grow big again as it rose fast and hit the hull hard. 'It's attacking us!' said Joris, went for the mast, and unfurled the main sail completely. The cog tilted slightly at the extra thrust. 'Secure yourselves and look out for any cargo shifting loose!'

Ulric gave him a hand and pulled on the rope. 'Anything we can do?'

Joris wound the rope around a hook and secured it with a knot. 'Nothing much. Hope that the wind will pick up and speed us along until we're safe.'

'Maybe I can help with that.' Conchim said and moved to the stern. She braced herself with her back at the outside of the short railing at the rear, spread her wings, and closed them with a boost from her wind magic.

The boat accelerated forward enough for the others to grab something to keep steady and Joris laughed as he took the wheel. 'Great going, lass. If you can keep that up we might be out in the clear real quick.'

'Hang on!' said Caylais as she looked down into the water. 'It's coming again!'

The shock rattled the boat harder this time and a crack sounded from below. 'Shit!' said Ulric as he rushed down. 'I'll check!' He groaned when he found water spreading out between two crates. 'We have a leak!'

Joris hurried over, cursed, and dove into the stern. 'Move those crates aside! I have to seal that leak!'

Ulric pushed the crates away quickly to clear the spot before Joris returned and nailed a short board with a layer of tar and hemp on top of the crack in the hull. It was barely in place when Kaui shouted. 'Here it comes again!'

Ulric looked up at Conchim. 'Can you muster more power!?'

Conchim groaned as she flapped her wings again and thrust the boat forward. 'I can't do more than this!'

The hit from below shook the boat and the new board sprung loose. Joris cursed at the water spraying out from underneath and hammered it down again. 'We won't survive like this! Someone steer us to the nearest rock!'

Iphigenia hurried towards the steering wheel. 'On it! Conchim, push us more to the left!'

The creature kept ramming the hull while Ulric cleared the cargo and Joris nailed tar boards as fast as he could to plug the cracks in the wood, but the damage and the water level increased with each hit.

'We're almost there!' said Elzbieta at the bow. 'I see a cave of sorts in the rock!'

'If it's large enough for the boat, head into it!' said Joris.

'The mast won't fit!'

'Doesn't matter! Steer into it!'

Iphigenia turned the steering wheel. 'Here we go.'

Kaui and Caylais lowered the sail fast and with another push from Conchim, the boat scraped its side along the edge of the cave as it entered. The top of the mast hit the top of the entrance, bent, then snapped under the force and tore off.

'Watch out!' said Caylais and ran away from the mast with Kaui before the top fell on the deck.

The hull and the mast scraped more along rock as it went further into the cave, until the boat hit the bottom as it sank further and rested motionless on the rock, halfway submerged into the water.

Joris and Ulric waded out of the cargo hold and climbed up on deck. 'At least the boat and cargo isn't lost for now.' the old man grumbled.

A loud splash of water startled them and the creature surfaced outside the cave. The flat, elongated body glimmered in the light, its black skin covered with a pattern of large, irregular dark green blobs. Its eyes at the side were pure black, its mouth, a slit underneath the front of its flat head was paired with two shorter tentacles, with a row of longer ones trailing along the middle of its body. 'What is that!?' asked Ulric.

'A sea vulture.' said Valdys. 'It's known to attack ships but not often. Only if there's not enough fish to feed itself on or if it's mating season.'

Joris sat down hard. 'Great. There's plenty of fish here, so that would mean they're breeding here now. I won't be able to use this route all year long when they're around.'

Ulric turned to Joris. 'Can we repair the boat?'

He thought for a moment. 'I think so. At least well enough to reach Red Cove. But not with that monster swimming around.'

Ulric turned to Valdys. 'Anything in the books on killing it or chasing it away?'

Valdys shook her head. 'Nothing.'

Ulric took a deep breath and looked at the creature swimming around just outside the entrance. 'So we might have to wait until it leaves on its own.'

'We'll need time to repair the boat anyway.' said Elzbieta. 'Maybe by then it'll have moved away.'

Joris stood up with a groan. 'Indeed. Might as well begin so we can leave as soon as it's gone.'

***

By the time the boat was patched up and drained well enough to be put to sea again, the creature still hadn't subsided. It swam casually around in front of the cave, sometimes far enough to make them think it had left, only to resurface nearby again a little later.

Elzbieta looked up at dark clouds gathering in the distance when rumbling rolled across the sky. 'And we're looking at a thunderstorm on top of this.'

Valdys checked the book of monsters again when she remembered something. 'Oh, that's not good. These creatures seem to go wild during thunderstorms.'

Elzbieta looked back at her. 'Wild?'

'Yes. It's noted in the description that sea vultures react to stormy weather and are quick to attack anything at that time.'

'That's definitely not good.' said Ulric. 'We'd better move as far away from the entrance as we can.'

At the first crack of lightning and thunder, the sea vulture swam more erratic, and when the sky darkened more with the thunder clouds, it jumped up from the water and dove more violently.

Ulric growled softly as he watched the creature become more agitated. 'I have a bad feeling about this.'

Iphigenia sat down beside him. 'It can't come in here, so maybe it'll tire itself out during the storm and leave after.'

Lightning struck a nearby rock and the creature shot forward. Ulric stood up at once. 'I wouldn't be so sure about that.'

It hit the entrance of the cave and whipped its tentacles towards the ship and everyone, hitting the side of the ship hard.

Ulric pulled Iphigenia to the side at the back of the cave. 'Everyone to the back!'

Joris grumbled loud. 'It'll damage the ship with its tentacles!'

The creature wriggled slowly forward into the cave and splashed wild, hitting the shield spells that Valdys had raised quickly.

'It's trying to enter all the way even if it might become stuck here and die.' said Elzbieta. 'We have to stop it.'

Ulric turned to Kaui. 'Kaui, we'll have to see if you can repel this thing as well.'

Kaui looked at him with large eyes full of fear, but she clenched her teeth and nodded. 'I will try, Master.'

He focussed on his wings and grew them large enough to embrace her for their protection. 'We'll move just close enough to hit it with a blast from your rings, all right?'

Kaui trembled slightly but his arms and wings around him gave her enough reassurance to do it, and she nodded. 'Yes, Master.'

They stepped forward carefully, estimating the reach of the sea vulture's tentacles while they swept left and right. When Ulric thought they were close enough, he threw a rock at the creature to taunt it.

It lashed out a tentacle at the pair.

'Now!' said Ulric and Kaui pressed her ring trigger on her outstretched hand. An arc of lightning shot from between her rings and lashed out at the tentacle.

The tentacle jerked back with a frantic spray of water from the creature's mouth, but it swiped at its attackers again.

'I'll add more mana to the rings.' said Ulric and took Kaui's hand in his paw, steering some of his mana towards her rings.

The creature whipped its tentacle at them again.

Kaui took another shot and again the creature reacted with a violent jerk and spray of water.

For a moment it seemed to work, but the sea vulture continued wriggling forward and kept on attacking.

Valdys looked at Caylais. 'Isn't your ability lightning magic?'

Caylais clenched her fists as she watched the sea demon. 'Yes, but I don't have enough mana to attack a demon this big.'

'What if we channel mana through you?'

Caylais looked at Valdys. 'I never tried that before, but that might work. But it'll take a lot of mana.'

Valdys grinned slightly. 'Don't worry about that. He has plenty.' She turned to Ulric and Kaui. 'Love, I think Cay can do it when you give her your mana!'

Ulric pulled back with Kaui. 'What!? Right here and now!? I don't think I could do that even if she agrees to do that with me!'

She let out a quick laugh. 'I mean like how you charge mana stones.'

Ulric cleared his throat. 'Oh! All right, we can try that.'

Caylais raised an eyebrow. 'What did he mean?'

Valdys shook her head. 'It's an alternative method us girls have to increase our mana tally permanently. Never mind that now, go and hit that thing with all the power you're given.'

53 - Red Cove

Valdys swiftly directed Ulric on how to best hold Caylais in front of him and steer his mana flow through her. He cleared his throat. 'I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable.' he said softly into the feline's ear.

Caylais gave a quick nod while her heart pounded as she stood with her back against his front. 'It's all right, don't worry about me. We have to try this.'

He wrapped his arms around her upper body and pressed his paws against her stomach with some hesitation. She tensed for a moment, then took a deep breath to relax and focus on her abilities. 'I'm ready.'

Ulric directed a little of his mana through his arms and into his paws, and the sensation of warmth and the pounding of her heart increased against his chest. 'How's this?'

Caylais almost gasped at the strength of his mana entering her body, even if it was only this much to begin with. It made his presence even more real than it already was, and she thought she understood just how close his girls were to him.

Water sprayed through the cave from the sea vulture trashing its tentacles around. 'Can you handle this?' asked Valdys and glanced quickly back at the creature.

Caylais concentrated on her own flow of mana mixing with his and steering the new flow, and nodded. 'Yes. I can handle more.' she said, and her heart skipped a beat at the next surge from the strangest demon she'd ever met. Another moment was needed to stabilise the flow. It was not enough yet according to her estimation. 'More.'

She gasped at the next surge of mana induced heat rushing through her whole body.

'Are you all right?' asked Valdys while the sea vulture flailed harder.

Caylais nodded quickly. 'I still need more.'

'Hurry!' said Elzbieta. 'It's coming further inside!'

Ulric released more mana, sending electrical surges through Caylais's body along with the heat. She puffed as she tried to breath normally but nodded at Valdys when she looked worried. 'More. I need about half more mana.'

Valdys nodded at Ulric and he slowly increased his flow. 'Tell me when it's too much.'

Caylais nodded quickly again and concentrated hard on keeping the wild new power inside her under control. She never imagined this much mana at her disposal and she needed to control the thrill of the moment before losing herself to both that and the sudden arousal when she felt one with his embrace holding her tight against his strong body. The question whether this was also caused by his mana would have to wait until later. She squinted at the sea vulture creeping closer and its tentacles lashing at the water close to them. 'Out of the way.' she breathed and built up the most powerful charge of lightning inside her, imagining she could explode at any moment.