There were a lot more port towns in this world than in the one I'd spent centuries living in. Due to the Great Disaster, there was a much greater emphasis on sea commerce, wheras the world I'd come from had needed only two ports in order to connect Ilias Continent and Sentora. There had also been Gold Port, but since the destruction of Remina, Gold Port hadn't been much of a port town.
Port Marle was one such newer port town founded in the wake of the Great Disaster. I was afraid for the city and its inhabitants, given the wanton destruction the three succubus sisters had engaged in at Luddite Village. Port Marle was also a place that shouldn't exist, and thus was a possible future target for the murderous sisters. Fortunately, it was bigger and had more powerful residents who could presumably resist a succubus invasion. Luddite Village had made itself uniquely vulnerable due to its hatred of both monsters and technology.
As usual, Alice, Ilias, and Sonya were present. Sara tagged along as well, seeming to assert herself as a member of our core group, not without good reason. She was a credible fighter and her fame and prestige could be a great asset. Not always, however.
"I'm afraid I can't get us on any ships," Sara said. "Most traffic between Safina and Noah has been banned due to the war. If I put my weight behind getting us a ship, at best it would be regarded as special treatment. At worst, it would seem that Sabasa was back in the war on Noah's side."
"Isn't that what we want?" I asked. "Isn't Grangold the aggressor here? Didn't you pull Sabasa out of the war because of undue influence by the succubus sisters?"
"I'm sure you understand politics better than that, Luka, given your history," Alice said. "I imagine Sabasa will rejoin the war effort, but they are a democracy now. That decision has to be made by their elected representatives. Sara can't be conducting her own diplomacy. At least not overtly."
That made sense to me, so I conceded the point. That still left the problem of getting a ship.
"We have more money than some national treasuries do," Alice pointed out. "I'm sure we can get somebody to take us."
That was an exaggeration based on Alice's very poor understanding of money, but the gist of it was correct. Port towns were full of rogues and scoundrels. Someone with a boat would certainly be willing to brave the blockade. We just had to find that someone. Our very own Han Solo.
"I sense that my femme fatale skills are needed once again!" Sonya said cheerfully. "I'm going to the pub. That's the most obvious place to find a ship captain."
"I'll go with you," Ilias said. "I wouldn't mind some drinks while we're at it."
"I'm thinking of the direct approach," I said. "On our original journey, we just went to the port and asked around. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Alice, Sara, shall we?"
"Actually," Alice said. "I want to find out more about the situation in this town. There's something weird going on here. It seems like all of the Navy personnel are monsters. I wonder why that is?"
Indeed, they all appeared to be seahorse girls, sea slug girls, and the occasional mermaid. I saw not a single human in a naval uniform. That was strange.
"I can answer at least part of that question for you," Sara said. "The Navy isn't affiliated with any human nation. After the Great Disaster, the Navy was formed as a neutral party to keep commerce flowing on the high seas. Due to the war, both sides are attacking each other's shipping, making it dangerous for passenger traffic. So the Navy is banning civilian traffic in order to concentrate on protecting the supply ships of each side. As for why they are all monsters, sea monsters gravitate towards the navy and most aren't citizens of any human kingdom. Thus their neutrality is unquestioned."
"Still, I get the feeling there's a lot we don't understand about this situation," Alice argued. "Luka, you go to the port and see if you can talk anyone into taking us to Noah. Stay out of trouble."
"Why do I have to be told to stay out of trouble?" I whined. I was more experienced than all of them!
Grumbling, I headed to the port. Now that I was a male walking around town alone, I got to listen to catcalls from sailors, some of whom made very lewd promises should I simply duck into an alley with them. Eventually I made it to the port, striking up a conversation with the first fellow I met standing in front of a ship.
"Sorry, my friend, no passenger traffic," the merchant sailor said to me. "You can ask around all you want, but the Navy is hardcore about it. Any cargo ship taking civilian passengers loses their license."
"This isn't exactly a tourist trip," I contended. "I'm on an important mission."
I expected sarcasm in return, but to my surprise he took my declaration at face value.
"Oh, an adventurer?" he said. "If you're on business, you might be able to tell your story to Naval Headquarters and they might let you travel."
"Excellent. Where is Naval Headquarters?"
"Not in Port Marle. You need a ship to get there."
"I need a ship?!" I exclaimed. "But I can't get a ship!"
"Yeah, sucks, don't it?!" the sailor guffawed. "But tell you what, you're in luck today. See over there by that crate of fish?"
I looked over to where the sailor was pointing. Standing next to the crates of fish, "inspecting" the product was a mermaid sailor.
"That uniform is a viceroy's uniform," the sailor explained. "She can give you a pass to get on a ship sailing to the headquarters."
"Oh, okay, thank you," I said.
I walked over to the mermaid, who was gulping down fish the way Alice gulped down… well, everything. Some monsters were gluttonous in the extreme. I'd always found that endearing, . I took the mermaid by surprise.
"Hey, don't sneak up on people like that!" she exclaimed, hiding a fish behind her back. "I'm… inspecting here!"
"And doing a fantastic job of it," I said, showing her a thumbs up. "I was told that I could see you about getting a pass to the Naval HQ."
"Oh, yes, of course! What do you need that for?"
"I'm on a vital mission to save the world. Not an exaggeration, so don't give me that look. I need permission to travel to Noah."
"Well, you would need to state your case before the admiral, that's true," the viceroy said after some consideration. "Orrrrr…. You could just hire my ship to take you."
"You can do that?"
"Sure I can! Just follow me! My ship is this way!"
All too trusting, I followed the mermaid sailor to a ship at the far end of the port. The writing on the side of the ship stated that it was the MS Fish. The crew were entirely mermaids, and if I had been the suspicious type, I would have suspected that they weren't Navy. Some of them had uniforms, but most did not. Still, they must be all right, otherwise why would the Navy have let them use the port? This was me being sophisticated and knowledgeable.
I boarded the ship. As the mermaids on board caught my scent, the lewd stares began again, practically burning into my back as I was being undressed with their eyes. I didn't hold it against them. Sea monsters l had less access to semen than land monsters. That meant they were nearly always hungry. I'd never really considered the fact that for them, it wasn't even sexual. I'd never thought of that in a thousand years until Barbun had brought it to my attention. I wasn't being looked at as a sex object, but as a piece of meat. So much better! Wait…
I was taken below decks to the captain's office. As I entered, I saw a cat sat in the captain's chair.
"Um…. That's the captain?" I asked.
The viceroy sighed. "No, Bonnie's obviously eating right now. It's what she does. The cat just likes the chair. Come on, I know where she is. I'm Ashel, by the way. In case you hadn't figured it out, I'm not Navy."
"You're not?" I asked. "Then why do you and some of your crew wear the uniform?"
Ashel stopped and stared at me. I noticed for the first time that her appearance was rather humble for a mermaid. She didn't have a pretty face at all and her hair was unkempt. Her body was slammin', though. I then realized that I was treating her the way her crewmates were treating me. As an object My gaze returned to her face.
"You're delicious, but not all that bright," Ashel said. "We wear the uniforms to make it look like we're navy. Despite all their bureaucracy, they don't keep very good track of their ships. Easy to disguise the Fish long enough to fool them. We don't come to Port Marle often. We try to stay at sea as much as possible. But occasionally we need supplies that we can't plunder from other ships."
"Wait!" I said with realization. ."Are you saying you… you're pirates?!"
"Oh, so you do have a few brain cells!" Ashel laughed. "Anyway, the captain's in the storage room. After you…."
I noticed that many of the crew had also descended below deck and were following us. Their mouths were practically watering. It was hard for even me to miss. If there's one thing I knew, it was ravenous monsters. I wasn't worried. Mermaids weren't killers. And I wasn't without power. Despite the fact that I was probably walking into a trap, I entered the storage room, wary but confident.
Inside the storage room was a mermaid as lovely as Ashel was homely, although she was a little chubby. But she had a lovely face, a body even more curvy than Ashel's, and a pirate captain's hat that looked absolutely adorable on her.
"Bonnie!" Ashel said loudly, startling the captain. "M'lady, I've brought our dinner!"
"Oh, wow, and a scrumptious smelling man, too!" Bonnie cried with delight.
Other mermaids began filing into the room, ensuring that there would be no escape. I counted seven of them. I did the math. Just enough to drain a man without killing him, at least if he wasn't too weak. One shot for each mermaid. Assuming they didn't keep me. They were pirates, so I assumed it was likely that they would.
"I'm here to discuss passage to Noah," I said, unafraid. "Since you ladies obviously don't have respect for any laws, I'm assuming that for the right price you'll take me and my companions there."
"Interesting," Bonnie said. "When you wake up, we can discuss it. For now, we have more important matters to 'discuss'. Such as how you're going to feed our bellies."
"You'll have to excuse her, my friend," Ashel whispered. "She has a huge appetite. Some would say that she spends more time eating then captaining."
"What was that, first mate?!" Bonnie asked, offended.
"Nothing, m'lady. I said nothing."
The crew laughed derisively, whether at me or the captain, I wasn't sure. While being assaulted by seven mermaids didn't seem like a terrible day to me, it would definitely delay my mission. There was a time and place for everything. I decided to put up a bold front.
"You all look so adorable in your pirate outfits!" I said.
"We are vicious pirates!" Bonnie replied indignantly. "While some of us, namely myself, might be absolutely gorgeous, don't let our looks fool you. We are not to be messed with!"
"I'm curious as to how you all stay upright carrying around those massive breasts," I shot back. Okay, not a good comeback, but holy crap why did everyone on the MS Fish have such ridiculously huge boobs? The ship should have been called the MS Rack.
"We'll see what you have to say when your dick disappears between them!" Bonnie replied.
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" I asked. "Because that sounds like the best day ever."
"You do realize that our breasts can kill you, right?" Ashel warned. "Oh, it's all fun and games for the first three orgasms, but then we keep going and you eventually die of ecstasy."
"I do realize that," I said. "I also know that mermaids don't kill."
"We're pirates!" Bonnie exclaimed. "We're vicious, merciless killers! We'll chew your bones after we've ripped the meat off them! While you're still alive!"
"You don't have the teeth for that," I said coolly.
"No we do not! That means it will hurt more!" Bonnie yelled, pulling a sword out from between her breasts. Was she using her bust as a sheath? That couldn't be safe.
"Okay," I said. "I've seen the real deal and this ain't it. So now we're going to get serious."
Turning on my power just a small amount, I began to glow and willed myself to float a couple of feet off the ground. I knew that pirates were a superstitious lot. Perhaps a small demonstration would cow them.
It definitely had a dramatic effect. Some of the crew ran out of the room screaming. Bonnie dropped her sword, her mouth agape. Ashel was the only one to keep her cool, looking at me with new eyes.
"You're a…. a wizard!" Bonnie exclaimed. "Ashel, you brought a wizard on board this ship! Why would you do that?!"
"I didn't exactly ask him for his resume!" Ashel said defensively. "All I knew is that he smelled good and was a dumbass. Easy prey."
"Well now that you know I'm not easy prey, how about we get serious?" I said, turning off my power and settling lightly onto the floor.
"You're not going to burn us alive with your magic?" Bonnie asked. "Even though I threatened to eat you alive?"
"Given your anatomy, I'd almost pay to see that," I chuckled. "I'm betting it would be even more unpleasant for you than for me."
"You were never even afraid of us, were you?" Bonnie asked.
"It's not as if he ever pretended to be scared, M'lady," Ashel pointed out.
"Like I said, I know mermaids," I said. "they aren't killers. Not even mermaid pirates."
Bonnie sighed. "All right, fine," she said. "We're not killers. But we are pirates! We just don't steal from civilians! That would be wrong! We're good pirates!"
"Didn't you just trick me into boarding this ship so you could rape me?"
"Yes, what of it?" Ashel asked. I facepalmed. Monsters, I thought. Stealing is wrong, but rape is just a meal. I decided it wasn't worth it to argue.
"Can you take me and my friends to Noah, or not?" I asked.
"That's a very complicated question," Ashel said. "It's not easy to transport civilians these days."
"Aren't you pirates?" I asked. "Aren't you doing illegal stuff all the time?"
"It's not the fact that it's illegal that gives us pause," Ashel explained. "It's the fact that we'd have to run the blockade twice. Normally we'd just break out into the open sea. But now you want us to go to another port, with more port security, and then run THAT blockade to get back out! That's not an easy job!"
I wasn't a total idiot, so I knew that I was being hustled. "So how much do you want?" I asked.
"Fifteen gold!" Bonnie exclaimed grandly.
"Done," I said, pleased that I was only being charged twice the rate of passage for such a trip.
"What M'lady meant to say was fifteen THOUSAND gold," Ashel corrected.
"Yes, that's what I meant!" Bonnie added.
"Fifteen th-!" I exclaimed. "That's highway robbery!"
"It's piracy, not highway robbery," Ashel explained patiently. "And if you want to leave now, it'll cost you an extra five thousand, because we'll be leaving port hungry."
"I'll feed you while we travel," I said, rationalizing that I was being thrifty, even though I was imagining my penis disappearing between all those sets of breasts….
"Fifteen thousand it is, then!" Ashel said, clapping me on the back.
"No! I didn't agree to that yet!"
"I'm afraid you'll have to pay for your passage another way, then," Ashel said gravely. "M'lady, can you imagine a way for this tasty male to pay us for the extremely dangerous passage to Noah?"
"Is he really so delicious that he's worth that?" Bonnie asked.
"No!" Ashel exclaimed. "Remember that other job you wanted done? The thing?"
"Oh! Yes, the thing! Ashel, if you would give me some privacy with our friend here… what is your name, by the way?"
"It's Luka," I said.
"Ah, Luka, my boy, let's talk."
"I'll go to the kitchen and prepare tonight's other dinner, m'lady," Ashel said. "Assuming you haven't eaten my ingredients already."
Ashel left the storeroom, leaving me alone with the pirate captain. I observed the lovely mermaid more carefully since we were alone. Whereas most of the crew and Ashel were dressed practically, Bonnie seemed to come straight out of a classic pirate movie. She wore an eyepatch over one eye, although it was difficult to tell because her blonde hair was concealing most of her right eye. I doubted that she needed the eyepatch.She also had a life saver on her tail. That was strange. I asked her about it.
"Oh, it's just a fashion accessory!" Bonnie said, looking nervous. "Anyway, let's talk. Unless you'd like me to eat you first. I'm really hungry."
"If you give us passage, I'll be happy to feed you," I reiterated. "But obviously I can't do anything for you if I'm laid out on the ground unable to move for hours."
Bonnie sighed. "I suppose you're right," she said, shoulders sagging. "So here's what we need from you. On a deserted island west of here, there's a place called Grand Pirate's cave. The treasure of the famed pirate Roza lies there. Seeing as how I'm a descendant of Roza, don't you agree that I should have that treasure? Yet there's a reason we can't just walk into the cave. The navy has the place under strict supervision, and security is tight. It'd be difficult for us to enter alone. But YOU have power. You can cast spells or something to make it possible for us to get through!"
I decided that making a decision like that on my own, despite me technically being the leader, was a very bad idea. I'd already been naïve enough to get lured onto the ship to be raped. I could imagine all sorts of ways I could get in trouble agreeing to a mission to find treasure for pirates that could bring me into conflict with the Navy. Alice had specifically warned me to stay out of trouble. I promised Bonnie that I would return with my decision later that day.
"Pirates!?" Ilias asked in disbelief.
"We knew we were going to have to negotiate with shady characters to get passage," Sonya pointed out.
"You know, we can still find a real viceroy and go to Naval Headquarters! Have we tried that, yet?!"
I admitted that we had not, and it did sound as if that might be easier, assuming they would say yes. On the other hand, if they said no, we'd be on the Navy's radar. Alice pointed out sardonically that if we joined with a pirate band to get into a cave the Navy was guarding, we'd definitely be on their radar. Whatever radar was, as Alice scolded me once again to speak like a normal person.
"You're the leader," Sara said. "While my own instincts would favor going to Navy HQ, I also know that those ladies are sticklers for procedure. Even if they didn't deny your request out of hand, they might tie us up in beauracratic nonsense for weeks."
"Sara," I said. "Assuming that we did come into conflict with the Navy, wouldn't the problem be moot once we reached Grand Noah, anyway?"
"For the most part, yes," Sara replied. "They have agents on land, but not so much inland, mainly in the ports. I can still envision a lot of ways our situation could become complicated, however."
"Didn't you say they were willing to take us for fifteen thousand gold?" Alice asked. "That sounds like a lot, but we have it, don't we?"
"We do," I said. "But our mission is nowhere near over, and while I admit I haven't been hesitant to spend on a lot of little things to keep morale high with our group, fifteen thousand is a pretty significant chunk of our wealth."
"From the way you're talking, I'm not convinced the pirates would even take us if you gave them the money," Sonya said. "That sounds like a ridiculous offer that they know won't be accepted, because what they really want from you is help getting that treasure."
"Must be one heck of a treasure if they'd turn their backs on fifteen thousand gold," Sara noted.
"Your call, 'chief'," Alice said with a noticeable hint of sarcasm in her voice. Weren't we supposed to be skipping the tsundere stage the second time around? I decided it wasn't worth talking to Alice about it. She had already explained numerous times that she understood why I did what I did. She simply couldn't help being miffed. She would still maintain her professionalism when we had to work together. And just as importantly, show me proper affection when she was hungry.
"Ah, so you've returned!" Ashel said, greeting us on the bow of the MS Fish. I decided to bring some numbers for the return to the pirate ship. In addition to the core group, I brought Sunny, who had always wanted to be a pirate, Lime, who was utterly enchanted with the whole concept(and loved anything having to do with fish), along with Cindy(for her combat skills), and Meia, since she was a fellow mermaid who might have some influence if tensions arose between our group and the crew of the MS Fish.
"Allow me to welcome you as the newest members of the Fishy Pirates!" Ashel declared.
"Yay!" Lime cheered.
"Yes!" Sunny added, pumping her fist.
"Let's go report to the captain," Ashel said happily, thrilled with the reinforcements to her crew. Except I had not agreed to join the pirates and I told her so.
"Yeah, yeah," Ashel said, waving me off. "This is just for the treasure quest. We don't make anyone stay who doesn't want to. But there has to be a chain of command, and Bonnie is the captain. On this operation, you'll take orders from her."
"I don't take orders from monsters," Ilias said firmly.
"No, I imagine a bigoted angel wouldn't," Ashel retorted. "I'm sure we can work something out. Maybe Luka can be second in command and you can answer to him."
Ilias grumbled, cursing as we went down below decks to tell Bonnie that we were in. When we arrived at her office again, there was no Bonnie. Just that cat.
"That chair does not belong to you!" Ashel scolded the cat. "Fine, never mind. I'm sure you already know where she is, Luka."
"Food storeroom?" I guessed.
"That would be my bet."
We barged into the storeroom to once again find Bonnie devouring everything in sight.
"This isn't what it looks like!" the pirate captain said hastily.
"Sure it isn't, milady," Ashel said mildly. "All your overeating is only making your boobs bigger."
"They're emergency flotation devices," Bonnie replied.
Boobs, I sighed to myself. So many boobs.
"So many mermaids," Ilias sighed.
"I'm so glad you came back!" Bonnie exclaimed. "What odd friends you have! And even a lovely mermaid!"
"I'm Meia," Meia said sweetly. "So happy to meet you all. The famed Captain Roza is a legend in mermaid circles. Are you really a descendant of hers?"
"I am indeed!" Bonnie proclaimed with pride. "I'm so glad we can all be friends! Now I can finally get my hands on my ancestor's treasure! Let's go!"
Ashel shouted orders, as most of the crew were already below decks. The crew sprung into action, getting the ship underway for the journey to wherever this cave was.
"Excellent!" Bonnie said. "We should arrive at the cave by tomorrow! For today, let's seal that other deal we made."
"What other deal?" Alice asked suspiciously.
"The one where Luka feeds us!" Bonnie proclaimed happily. "You know how hard semen is to come by on the high seas!"
"Why am I not surprised?" Sonya groused.
I had to admit, I was beginning to feel a little guilty about all the monsters I was having sex with and wanted to cut back. But I kept on getting into situations where it was necessary to feed them, in order to grease the wheels of our ultra important adventure. Party balance was a delicate thing, as I was finding out, and clearly the members of the party closest to me were getting more than a little annoyed at my promiscuity. Still, what alternative was there? We needed to get to Noah, and a hungry crew would be an irritable crew.
"So if you would all leave me and my temporary second in command alone in here for a few minutes…." Bonnie said.
"Not so fast, milady," Ashel said. "It's time for your swimming lessons. You're the only member of the crew left who can't swim."
"A mermaid who can't swim?" Sonya asked, looking a lot less confident about the whole situation.
"It's all these milk bags' fault," Bonnie replied. "Thanks to them, my balance is out of whack."
"I might be able to help with that," I said. "You see, there's this new invention called a bra. I can get you one. It might help."
Indeed, Bonnie's breasts were covered about as badly as Rami's used to be, with a small strip of cloth holding them up. That couldn't be comfortable. Bonnie had more immediate concerns, however.
"I know I need to take my swimming lessons, but I'm so hungry!" Bonnie whined. "Just let me get a couple of shots of semen, and I'll be raring to go!"
"A captain never eats before her crew," Ashel scolded. "You'll eat later tonight. Crew gets first dibs."
"Oh, fine! Being a captain sucks sometimes!"
Bonnie sulked and trudged out of the storage room. My companions and I also began to leave, before Ashel stopped me.
"Whoa now!" Ashel said, putting her hand on my chest. "Tomorrow you're second in command, but today you're food. And food stays in the storeroom. Wait here, I'll send down crew in a moment."
I heard audible grumbling from some of my companions. Meia and Cindy on the other hand, thought it was quite funny. Cindy promised to be back to get me cleaned up when all the pirates were done feeding. Everyone left, leaving me alone in the storage room.
Being a little hungry myself, I browsed the various containers and grabbed some random fruit. Raw fish wasn't my thing, but the fruit was quite fresh and delicious. I heard the storeroom door open. A cute, short mermaid poked her head in.
"Luka!" she said happily. "Thanks for agreeing to feed us on this journey! The crew really appreciates it. You've made some friends today."
"Well, that's always good to hear," I replied sincerely. I liked having friends.
Apparently I had a lot of friends, as several more mermaids entered the storeroom. I dropped the piece of fruit I was holding. Oh, crap.
"Pirates! Shirts… off!" the first pirate, obviously some kind of noncommissioned officer, ordered.
Several pairs of breasts plopped out as each pirate removed their shirt or fake naval uniform. Gulp.
"Pirates! Charge!"
"Arrrrrrr!!!!!" the mermaid pirates yelled, mobbing me and forcing me to the ground, ripping my clothes off.
I was shaken awake. I stared into the face of a lovely woman with a massive chest.
"So… many… breasts," I said wistfully. How long had I been asleep?
"I think he might have gotten a bit too much booby love, Milady," I heard Ashel say.
"Good thing I know how to do other things," Bonnie laughed, grasping me with a webbed hand and stroking gently. "I really appreciate this, Luka. Just relax and we'll take care of everything."
I did more than relax. I fell back asleep. I assume Ashel and Bonnie got to eat anyway, because they were cheerful and I woke up in a comfortable bed. I was clean as well. I must have slept through even Cindy.
To my surprise, breakfast was outstanding. Ashel's skills as a cook were comparable with my own. Alice in particular was appreciative, which should come as no shock. I found that I had my energy back, thanks to being able to sleep in(it was early afternoon), and being served a wonderful late breakfast. I guess for everyone else it was lunch.
Despite their empty threats when I'd first boarded their ship alone, it was clear that this was an unusual group of pirates. They were friendly, had good camaraderie, and didn't even drink alcohol as far as I could tell. But lest one think they were merely cosplaying as pirates, the crew was very professional, except for Bonnie herself, who seemed to be a pirate only out of familial pride. Nevertheless, I was informed that she was by far the best fighter on the ship, which is why she earned so much respect despite being fairly clueless as a leader.
We arrived at the island with the cave shortly after our meal. Since me and my own team constituted more than sufficient muscle for the mission, the crew was ordered to remain on the ship and keep it ready for a quick escape. Ashel was confident that we would easily overwhelm the Navy's land forces guarding the cave, but if more ships were brought to duke it out with the MS Fish, we would be in big trouble. The plan was to get the raid done quickly and retrieve the valuable treasure that Bonnie craved.
Bonnie, Ashel, Ilias, Alice, Sonya, Cindy, Lime, and myself constituted the raiding party. Sara, for political reasons, stayed on the ship. It would not do for her to be seen participating in a raid against the Navy.
There was a squad of sea horse girl sailors with spears guarding the entrance. Bonnie judged them to be too numerous for anything sneaky to be effective, so without even consulting the rest of us, Ashel yelled a battle cry and charged at the squad alongside Bonnie. All the rest of us could do was follow. The sea horse girls were caught completely by surprise and easily subdued. Since this was monster vs. monster combat, it felt more like a bar brawl than war. No one from either side really wanted to kill anyone. I resolved that I would avoid using my power and stick to Angel Halo and my new spirits.
Inside the cave, we encountered several more sea horse girls, with some sea slugs mixed in. They had been marching to the cave entrance, having been alerted to the commotion by one of the original squad we'd attacked escaping into the cave to warn them. That made the second skirmish in our raid a little more drawn out. We were no less dominant. Bonnie and Ashel were far better warriors than any three Navy marines, and between Sylph and Gnome, none of them could even hurt me.
We ran into two more squads of marines at various points within the cave, each one overcome with little effort. No one on either side was seriously injured and I could tell that Lime and Cindy were having the time of their lives. The battles were so one sided, that Alice and Ilias had taken to simply standing around with their arms folded, only acting if one of the marines dared to attack them. Sonya even gave up fighting, concentrating on healing the minor wounds suffered by our opposition.
"This is too easy," I said, fearing that things were too good to be true.
"I didn't expect it to be this easy, but you and your friends are strong," Ashel said. "But there's a reason they are guarding this cave and not seeking the treasure for themselves."
"Oh?" Sonya asked. "I was wondering about that."
"There are some wild monsters that live here," Bonnie said. "Tougher than the marines, but nothing we can't handle. What really has me worried are the ghosts."
"G-g-g-ghosts!?" Alice stammered, halting in her tracks. Oh, no.
"Alice, if you want, you can go back to the ship," I said sympathetically.
"Alone?! Are you crazy?!" Alice said, beginning to get hysterical.
"I'll go back with you," Sonya offered.
"No, it's fine," Alice insisted. "I am the Monster Lord. I go bump in the night! The ghosts should be afraid of me!"
Alice sounded more as if she was trying to convince herself than the rumored ghosts, but we continued on.
After a few more minutes of exploring the cave, which was turning out to be much more complex and thus time consuming than we had hoped, a wispy form floated towards us and coalesced into a barely coherent form.
"Mannnnn..." the ghost moaned. "need…. Energy…."
Alice screamed and wrapped herself around Ilias, who had the misfortune of being the closest one to her. I had to laugh at how adorable that was, the Monster Lord clutching the goddess for safety. Ilias simply looked bored, raising her hand and firing a bolt of holy energy that instantly dissipated the spirit. The tendrils of wispy ectoplasm seeped back into the cracks in the rock, deciding to wait for an easier meal. Alice unwound herself from Ilias, no longer frightened.
"Oh…" Alice said, almost disappointed. "That was just a Hitodama girl."
"A what?" I asked, never having encountered one before.
"A Hitodama girl isn't a ghost, it's a ghost monster," Alice explained patiently. "Not much is known about how they form, but they combine spiritual and elemental forms. So unlike actual ghost girls, they can be harmed by normal weapons, but are highly resistant to elemental attacks. They're pretty nice as undead monsters go. Most won't kill a man."
Deeper into the cave, my heightened Sylph-assisted senses noticed several monsters in the cave. They would approach, but think better of attacking us. Again, the benefits of a large group were obvious.
Finally, we found a treasure chest at the end of a dead end passageway.
"At last!" Bonnie squealed in delight. "Captain Roza's sword is mine!"
I half expected a mimic to pop out of the chest, but the chest was apparently genuine, because it simply didn't open. Bonnie cursed and looked at Ashel questioningly. Ashel simply shrugged. Lime saw her moment, however.
"No treasure chests on quests, indeed!" Lime said to me with a playful, knowing smile. "Stand aside, fellow pirates! This looks like a job for Lime!"
Lime bent down and inserted her finger into the chest's lock. She grunted and cutely bit her tongue as she worked. It wasn't long before the chest popped open, revealing a sword that was black as night.
"It's finally mine!" Bonnie said happily, lifting the sword out of the chest. "This is the Dark Saber, Pirate Queen Roza's hidden treasure!"
"I'm not sensing any enchantment on that sword," Alice said. "I know this wasn't very difficult, but did we really go to all this trouble just to locate a pretty sword that doesn't do anything a normal sword already does?"
"It may not be magical, but I recognize that steel," Ilias said. "There's no other sword like that in the world. That dark steel is the strongest steel known to man or monster, and it can hold virtually any enchantment. It's not much as it is, but it has tremendous potential."
"It's value is more in the status it confers," Ashel said. "With that sword, Bonnie will be recognized by pirates everywhere as the true queen of all pirates!"
"Thank you so much, Luka!" Bonnie screamed, hugging me tightly against her ample chest. "This would not have been possible without you!"
"Since you were so helpful," Ashel said. "You'll get a discount on the trip to Grand Noah, as promised. Ninety percent off! Only 1500 gold!"
"Ashel…." Bonnie said disapprovingly.
"Sorry, milady. We do have expenses, you know. I had to try."
I teleported all of us back directly to the ship, which was already being chased by navy ships. We had arrived just in time. The MS Fish would have been within cannon range in minutes. Thankfully, the Fish was faster than the navy ships, and we outdistanced them without a shot being fired. I always liked the missions where no one got hurt the best. Great sex, a great meal, a fun fight, a nice treasure, and very grateful beautiful ladies, with no death. This was what being an adventurer was all about!
"As promised, we'll take you to Noah," Bonnie said once we had left the navy in our dust, so to speak. "What business do you have there, anyway?"
"The short version is that we're trying to save the world," I responded. "The long version… well, there's still a ton we don't understand yet."
"Milady!" Ashel exclaimed. "This could be a chance to make a name for the Fishy Pirates! If we were able to save the world with them…."
"Doesn't possessing that sword already firmly establish the Fishy Pirates?" Sonya asked, clearly not thrilled at a ship full of hungry, semen starved mermaids officially joining our quest.
"Don't fight it, Sonya," Alice said. "Besides, we need a ship. We've burned our bridges with the navy and I'm sure there will be a need for further sea travel at some point. We could do a lot worse. I actually like these girls."
"Why thank you, your majesty!" Bonnie replied. "We think you're a nifty Monster Lord as well! In addition, we declare our loyalty to you as the true Monster Lord!"
"This is an unexpected and welcome development," Alice said. "I thank you. Your loyalty will not be forgotten."
"Time to celebrate!" Ashel yelled to the hard working crew. "Let's set a course for Noah, and then report to the cafeteria for dinner!"
I assisted Ashel and Sunny, who had decided that she wanted to stay permanently on the MS Fish rather than return to the castle, with dinner. Ashel complimented my culinary skills as we worked. We even taught each other a few new tricks. It was clear that Ashel was the backbone of the MS Fish. Bonnie's name and fighting ability, not to mention her beauty and kindness, created loyalty among her crew. But she was not a natural leader and didn't seem to know much about anything having to do with water, whether that was swimming or sailing. That left Ashel to do most of the actual work of running the ship. Talking with Ashel as we worked, she revealed to me that she was substantially older than Bonnie, who was a mere twenty-five years old. Ashel was pushing seventy, although in human years that would have had Ashel just approaching middle age. Ashel had worked on ships her entire life, first in the Navy, then later joining random pirate crews. She proudly showed me her scars from various battles. I showed her my most treasured scars from my battles with Granberia, which Ashel hadn't noticed due to the darkness of the storage room.
Later that night, I retired to the same bed I'd been deposited in after feeding Ashel and Bonnie, assuming that it was my assigned room. You know what they say about assumptions.
Just a I was about to drift off to sleep, the door opened and Bonnie entered. Seeing me in bed, she laughed and used her tail to propel herself into the air and leap into the bed with me.
"So you liked me so much that you wanted to be with me again, tonight?" Bonnie teased. "And I thought you slept through my hand job."
"I did!" I replied. "Not that I'm sure it wasn't amazing, I was just exhausted and I assumed this was my assigned room and…"
"No need to apologize, I'm just teasing you. I'm glad you're here. I like to cuddle and don't often get the chance except with my cat. And right now, she's nowhere to be found. Probably raiding the storeroom if not sleeping on my captain's chair."
"I like to cuddle too, so that sounds good to me. Good night, Bonnie."
I rolled over and prepared to go to sleep. Bonnie touched my shoulder, however, getting my attention.
"Luka?" she said quietly. "I need another favor from you. I'd be VERY grateful."
I knew what that meant. "Do you need to feed again?" I asked.
"Okay, I need TWO favors from you! Have you noticed that our mast is empty?"
"Not really," I said. "It's a mast. It has a sail."
"Don't you know anything about pirates?! There's supposed to be a flag on top of the sail!"
"Oh yeah….. Skull and crossbones?"
"That's not our flag. Our flag is fish bones. You've probably seen the insignia on some of my crew's shirts and hats."
I had noticed, actually, although mainly because Lime had commented on it. In her opinion, fish bones were not a great idea. Why not use a whole fish?
"Anyway, our flag got taken during a battle with the navy that didn't go our way," Bonnie explained. "It's currently being kept at Navy HQ as a trophy. I don't suppose you'd mind helping us get it back?"
Her slick, webbed hand reached into my pants, trying to encourage the answer she wanted. I didn't have much experience with webbed fish hands, but I was a believer after feeling Bonnie's. I moaned in appreciation as she lightly touched me.
"That's a really big operation," I said. "Raiding Navy HQ itself?"
"I know you're on a mission to save the world, so you don't have to decide now. I admit it's a low priority, but it is a matter of reputation for us. Getting the sword is a big help, but we're still without our flag, which constitutes a loss of face for a pirate captain. So if you could help, I'd be very much in your debt."
She squeezed my penis in that wonderful, surprisingly warm hand. I promised that I would try to make time for it, but stressed that we already had a ton to do and there always seemed to be more on our plate. For every mystery we solved, every crisis we abated, more would fall into our laps. Bonnie seemed to understand. She was grateful that I was willing to help, even though I couldn't promise that we'd ever get around to it.
Sliding down, she removed my pants and placed my penis between her massive breasts, causing it to completely disappear into her soft, fleshy heaven.
As she began to move up and down, she asked me another question. "So you say you can get me something that will help with these funbags?"
"Yeah," I said in between moans. "It's called a bra. It provides amazing support and might help you with your swimming. I have an imp friend who wants to fly, but her wings are too small and her breasts too large. The bra hasn't enabled her to fly, but at least now when she jumps around trying to get airborne her boobs don't keep on falling out."
"That sounds amazing!" Bonnie said appreciatively. "You're doing so many nice things for me. I might have to do something for you that I don't do for anyone."
"What's that?" I asked, a little suspicious. I hadn't had too many experiences with mermaids and they'd been utterly conventional. Still, monsters sometimes had weird anatomy that did weird things. Cindy had always threatened to use her cloaca on me, an idea that I didn't find very appealing, but wasn't willing to say so directly.
"Did you notice how easily I swallow a whole fish?" Bonnie asked. Oh my.
Removing her breasts from me, she swallowed my penis down to the root. I thought I would ascend to heaven on the spot. I made sure to stay awake for the entirety of her oral ministrations. She wasn't skilled, having not done It very often for whatever reason, but she had zero gag reflex. She simply swallowed me over and over again as if she was a sword swallower, causing me to ejaculate into the depths of her throat again and again. Finally satisfied just before I passed out, she moved back up and held me close. It had been an amazing twenty four hours.