“Why have we anchored?” Porco asked.

  It was dusk, the day shift of the crew just went below the main deck to rest when for some reason, all six ships have been suddenly stopped. Porco, Chio, Terry and Friska travelled on the same ship as Carlos, as well as Iesha and Fabio, and they all gathered on the deck now. Members of the night crew were present too, walking around, doing their things.

  “Carlos has something to say,” Iesha nodded towards the pirate captain.

  The tall man was assisting with setting up a pnk between his ship and the Golden Wind, on which Eric, Marcel and Sir Kleid were standing by the rails. On the other side, Goliath's vessel maneuvered next to theirs; the rge dwarf was also invited to this sudden meeting.

  “Is it just me, or does he look nervous?” asked Porco.

  Fabio gnced at Porco, then continued observing the captain silently.

  “I feel the same,” Chio said.

  “It's not just a hunch, he IS nervous,” Iesha stated. “When he came out his cabin a minute ago, he looked like he has seen a ghost.”

  “Interesting...” Porco said.

  As the Cesanitians walked over on the pnks, and Goliath too got on from the other side, they simply all stood in a circle on the main deck, the vessel gently swaying from side to side beneath them. One-eyed Owen and orange-cat Roy seamlessly joined them too. At first, there was an awkward silence. Everyone was waiting for Carlos to start speaking, but the man just stood there in thought, stroking his pointy beard.

  “What is it, Carlos?” Iesha asked at st.

  “Well... how should I put it... I talked about how Warren and I had shared a mentor. Both of us have magical abilities, as you know by now. But it's more than that. We are also sort of connected. It's complicated, but the point is, I just sensed something that he felt. He is not going to Pinewood Hill anymore, he is going back south. And so should we.”

  Several people began talking at once, confused looks were exchanged, multiple “why”s were heard.

  “Calm down, everyone!” Goliath bellowed, and everyone did quiet down. They looked at Carlos questioningly.

  “There is not much else I can tell you,” the pirate captain said. “You all have to trust me. Can you?”

  “You can't be serious,” said Fabio bluntly. “You just casually announce that you are connected to Warren Crown, and then you expect us to just blindly trust you?”

  “Dude, calm your tits!” Roy blurted, staring annoyedly at the half-eastern human. “You don't know a damn thing about Carlos!”

  “Oh, I know a damn thing about him...”

  “Who the hell do you think you are? You're walking around on our ship, on which we let you on out of good will, even though you were our enemy. You should show some respect!”

  “No, I'm with Fabio on this one,” said Iesha.

  “Heh. Of course you are...” the cat-man rolled his eyes.

  Iesha ignored him. “Carlos, you can't keep important secrets from us! Not now. If we are to fight Warren, we have to be all on the same page. Right?” she looked around at all the others.

  “Of course!” Chio said. Eric Goldman nodded in agreement.

  “Look,” Carlos said. “I do know some things about him none of you do, but trust me, it's better that way. There is a reason why I am secretive, let me assure you.”

  “That's saying nothing,” Friska stated, sitting on a chest. “People obviously have their reasons to be secretive.”

  “Right,” the captain admitted. “And I have mine too.”

  “My oh my, such ambiguity!” Marcel said excitedly. “How dramatic of you, Captain!”

  “Warren is your brother, isn't he?” Porco asked, staring at the pirate. “Cousin? Father, even?”

  “It doesn't matter who he is to me,” said Carlos. “He is my enemy, and yours.”

  Sir Kleid cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him. “Pinewood Hill is the domain of Cesanitia, my country. If it's in danger, it's my duty as a countryman to not sit idly and do what I can. That boy we found in the ruins of Newchance clearly stated that Warren intends to go there, and you too, Captain Carlos, seemed to believe it.”

  “Sir Kleid is right,” Eric nodded. “You surely understand that knowing about such lurking dangers targeting a pce in our country doesn't exactly sit well with us. It's not easy for us to turn around now for some unknown reason.”

  “I understand,” Carlos conceded. “And yet, that's all I can ask of you. If you want to continue to Pinewood Hill, I of course can't hold you back, but I'm telling you now, Warren won't be there.”

  “Just what is it that you sensed? Can you really not tell us?” Chio asked.

  “What I sensed is that he has business on the Scorched Lands after all. That's all that matters.”

  “If you can sense certain things he feels, can he do the same?” Porco asked. “Is that two-way?”

  “No,” the pirate captain said slowly. “It isn't.”

  “Convenient,” Friska snorted.

  “I suppose it is. That being said, he might expect to run into us anyway, so we better be careful.”

  “Let me just ask you one thing, Carlos,” Goliath said. “Do you have our best interest at heart?”

  “Of course. Always, my friends.”

  “Why can't you tell us more then? What could possibly be the reason for that?” Porco wondered.

  “It would only make things more complicated for you.”

  “More complicated?”

  “Let me put it another way,” Carlos took off his green tricorn hat, scratched his head, then put it back on. “Despite my secrets and my connection to him, I am the one who defeated Warren Crown once. I know him better than any of you, and I absolutely consider him to be my arch nemesis. He is the bane of my life, and I am his. Who else shall lead this mission against him than his greatest enemy? I'm telling you, I know where he is going next. That's more than any of you know. Still, the choice is yours.”

  “I've heard enough,” Goliath put his fists together. “My men will follow your lead!”

  Eric looked around at the others, feeling like Goliath's sudden decration means he has to quickly make a decision too. His eyes met Sir Kleid's, who seemed uncertain, but he gave the young lord a little nod, showing that he is ready for his command. He turned to Marcel on his other side, who's eyes were more curious than anything. She wonders what I'll say, Eric gulped. Lastly, he looked at Chio, their angelic companion. The girl noticed that she is being watched, hesitated for a moment, then spoke:

  “We trusted Carlos up until now. I do think he is a good person, so I suppose we should let him lead us to Warren. I don't see what else we could do.”

  “So be it,” Eric said. “Back to the Scorched Lands, then!”

  “Thank you,” Carlos bowed before the Cesanitians. “Warren will reach the southern continent ter than us, so it's our chance now to set up a warm welcome for him. Let's waste no time!”

  And so Goldman and his friends returned to their ship, and so did Goliath. They communicated their new pn to the other three vessels through yelling, and the fleet began to turn back around. As the meeting dispersed, Chio and Terry went below deck to their hammocks, followed by the buzzing wings of Friska. Fabio still stood by the rails alongside Iesha, watching as Carlos entered the ship's aftercastle. Porco walked up to them.

  “What do you guys think?”

  “He's the one who defeated Warren Crown,” said Fabio, “and yet, Warren is alive and well. After what, four years of being gone?”

  “Four years, yes,” nodded Iesha.

  “I get your point,” Porco said. “If he didn't kill Warren back then, what did he do to him? And how is it gonna go this time?”

  Cat-pirate Roy walked past them, going towards the back mast to help out some guys adjusting the sail. He gave Fabio a disapproving look, but he continued on without a word.

  “I agree with Chio though, I don't think Carlos is a bad person,” said Iesha.

  Fabio snorted.

  “For a pirate, I mean,” the elf added. “He is definitely the enemy of Warren, if not his por opposite, but... I suppose we should keep our eyes open.”

  “Secrets being dangled in front of my face are hard for me to ignore,” said Porco. “Feel free to keep me updated in case you guys notice anything.”

  “Carlos cannot be killed,” Fabio said suddenly. “At least not easily, not like other men. If he is connected to Warren, Warren too might be like him. That could be the reason why Carlos couldn't kill him in the first pce.”

  “Carlos can't be killed?” Porco repeated. “You found that out when you tried to assassinate him, right?”

  “He is sure that he stabbed him in the heart,” Iesha nodded. “And I think you may be onto something,” she said to Fabio.

  “But if Warren is basically immortal too, why would Carlos keep such a critical piece of information secret from us?” Porco wondered. “We are literally going to fight that guy, we should know about such a thing, surely.”

  “Exactly,” Fabio said, smiling in satisfaction.

  “Well, he did say that Warren is dangerous, and that he too has a regeneration ability,” said Iesha.

  “Regeneration is not the same as practical invincibility,” said Fabio. “It's all coming together slowly, doesn't it?”

  Iesha sighed. “I get it man, you really have a grudge against him.”

  “I do. But if it comes down to it, won't you help me stopping him?” asked Fabio.

  “If it comes down to it, sure,” the elf said.

  “Me too, of course,” added Porco. “Still, they surely aren't fully immortal, are they? I believe there is no such thing. Except maybe for God himself.”

  “I agree. They must have some sort of weakness or vulnerability,” said Fabio. “We just need to figure it out.”

  “Just please don't get hasty with turning against Carlos!” Iesha pleaded. “At the end of the day, we don't really know what's their deal, and having Carlos' help is still probably a good thing. We need to be careful.”

  “Right. If only we could get more information about him...”

  “Let's just keep our eyes open!”

  That was the end of their discussion. While Porco considered telling Chio, Friska or even Terry about their suspicions, in the end he figured it's better not to spread such uncertain rumors. No need to stir emotions up with ideas of some immortality-conspiracy which they aren't at all sure about anyway. It's probably better if everyone simply stays focused on the challenge ahead.

  Carlos did not need the assistance of others to stir emotions up though. They reached the continent the very next day, and as per the pirate captain's suggestion, the fleet camped down atop a mound about halfway between Newchance and Murky bay, right about where Chio and her companions were first dropped off when they got here. Barren wastend, a few short trees here and there, grey grass as far as they could see. According to Carlos, Warren was going to be in a rush to the continent, so he wasn't gonna take too much of a detour, he was surely going to anchor around here. Where exactly he was rushing, Carlos still refused to say. And then he straight up disappeared that night, without notifying anyone. He was just gone.

  It was the next morning when the news of his absence spread around the camp. The camp consisted of a bunch of tents, but Chio and her friends slept in hammocks below the open sky, just as they used to. As the angel woke up, she found Terry sitting on the ground, watching the ocean in the waking sunlight, and their line of anchored ships. He seemed mencholic. She sat besides him and gently touched his hand, and he grabbed hers. They just sat like that for a few minutes when Chio noticed one-eyed Owen pacing back and forth behind them, looking nervous. The angel walked up to him and asked him what's up.

  “We can't find Carlos. I already couldn't find him st night, I thought maybe he was out for a walk or something. Have you guys seen him?”

  They haven't, and as it was soon confirmed by everyone in the waking camp, nobody else have. People weren't happy about it – the tents were soon engulfed in a wave of confusion and yelling.

  When Porco woke up, he seemed rather exhausted. He had another sweaty, restless, succubus-less night. Catching up to what happened, his first reaction was ughing. “I guess that's it for the leader of our mission.”

  “Damn the weirdo,” Friska yawned, sitting atop one of the poles on which Porco's hammock was hung up on.

  “He might come back!” said Chio. “Warren will reach these nds in about five days or so, he might be back before that.”

  “He better be!” said the fairy. “He better not ruin the morale of everyone for good.”

  “I just don't think he would be gone for no reason. He must be pnning something.”

  “We will see,” said Porco.

  To try to cheer everyone up, Chio took wings after breakfast, and did a bit of a moral-boosting speech while hovering in the air. She demonstrated her strength by raising multiple of their heavy chests up into the air alongside her, decring that she is still one of their alliance's most powerful assets, and that everyone can count on her. That did seem to work. The whole camp started cheering for her, and the atmosphere turned noticeably more optimistic after that. Carlos or not, they were ready and waiting.

  And so things seemed to settle down into a tense, but purposeful stand-by. They sent out some smaller groups to patrol the shores at all times, to the west and to the east. Chio and Friska, as their two nimble fliers, also did a fair bit of surveying throughout the days. Warren's looming threat was creeping closer and closer with every passing day (if Carlos was to be believed), so all they could do is be viginte.

  On the third day, Chio flew to the west all the way to Newchance, just to check out if anything is going on there. The abandoned settlement was ominous, but she found nothing unusual. She returned to their camp in the afternoon, and as she nded, Terry hurried to her. The alliance was in the middle of a te lunch – most ate salted beef with cooked potatoes – but the vilger boy was already done.

  “Chio, could ya come?” he asked.

  “Oh, where to?”

  “To the cabin.”

  The angel smiled. They found the cabin to the east, it was a lone, empty, long abandoned wooden house near the shore, a few hours of walking from here. She and Terry had sex there the previous day.

  “Let's go,” she nodded.

  They let the people know that they are going out for a bit. Everyone from the Fmingo Hearts to Goldman's knights knew by now that Terry has a thing going with the angel, and so there were no questions, just some winks and ughs to send them off. Terry grabbed a backpack, refusing to tell Chio what it contains, saying he wants it to be a surprise. Then they hugged each other, and Chio carried him through the air. The most comfortable and pleasant way of traveling that the boy ever knew. While their destination was a fair bit away on foot, for Chio, it was just a casual an outing. They were there in half an hour.

  As they went inside, Terry pulled out two bnkets, ying them on each other in the middle of the single room of the small cabin. He also had some lemon-water in a fsk, and st but not least, some rope.

  “Ahha!” Chio ughed, taking the ropes over. “We never really had the chance to freely py with these without being interrupted.” She suddenly blushed a little. “Uhm, don't you dislike the idea after st time?”

  Of course “st time” referred to when she tied Terry up and rolled him under that bed in the inn when Murky bay was attacked.

  Terry shook his head. “Uhm, I'm thinking I could use them on ya first. If ya don't mind.”

  “Oh. Gdly!”

  Chio handed the ropes back to the boy, stepped out of her sandals, and threw off her white toga with a single effortless motion. She had nothing on but her white panties now.

  Terry gulped, staring at the beautiful girl. In moments like these, he still had kind of a hard time believing that he was blessed with the lusty company of such a wonderful being. After a long moment of btant staring, he looked at the ropes in his hands. How did Arabel do it again?

  Seeing the boy's hesitation, Chio kneeled, then bowed down before him. “Master, I am yours! Please, use me!”

  And so Terry began his work. It took him a surprisingly little amount of time to get into it, although he did fumble a bit with the ropes at first, he became confidently forceful and commanding quickly. Of course he did nothing too extreme, and Chio could feel his care in every one of his touches, but he really was in a mode of “I'll take what I want.” The st time when he was called “master” by Chio, he and Arabel were dominating her together, and he didn't get to climax. This time, he intended to.

  Just like back then, Chio ended up with her legs tied together, her arms tied to her sides, and her boobs bound up separately.

  “You're so pretty,” Terry said, looking at his sve lying on the bnkets like he was mesmerised.

  “Thank you, master,” Chio replied. Her breathing was a little quicker now.

  Terry blushed, and he was shaking a little in excitement. Chio was always so nice to him, always quick to please him sexually, but now, she really was all his, in the most direct sense of the word. And her calling him master, something about that was so hot. Someone who a girl submits to in such a manner surely isn't just a boy anymore. Not that Terry thought that rationally, but on some instinctive-emotional level, he still wanted to act like a confident man, prove that he has grown. And it just felt right.

  He kneeled besides the angel and pushed up her legs. He grabbed her round ass, embraced her softness, even spped her, but not too strongly (Chio let out a cute little voice somewhere between a shriek and a moan). He then spread her cheeks and took a good sniff at her familiar, hairless pink pussy. He licked it, tasting her flowing nectar.

  “It feels so good...” Chio muttered.

  Terry couldn't wait long, he pulled out his cock and entered her, going slowly at first. She had her legs on his shoulder, while he leaned forward, leaning on one hand and feeling out her body with the other. The ropes cut into her flesh so delightfully. “Ain't they too tight?” he asked.

  Chio shook her head. “No, master, I like them.”

  Terry suddenly backed off and quickly pulled her up into a kneeling position while he stood before her.

  “Suck it!” he said.

  Chio looked up at him with an expression that was kind of new – it was like she was surprised, but impressed as well. She leaned forward and tched onto the cockhead.

  “Good girl,” Terry murmured. He only ever said those words to animals, such as their poor donkey that ran away in the manticore attack. Yet, it was so satisfying to call Chio that in this situation.

  The angel sucked him for a little, and it was so nice that he almost came, but he snapped out of it. No, he still wanted to enjoy this tension, he wanted to fuck her again...

  This time, he went really fast, as fast as he could. The erotic body of the girl was his, and she moaned more intensely than ever before. It didn't st long, Terry couldn't hold back anymore, but he continued almost straight away. The second time really went on for a while. It was an intense, almost animalistic fucking. At st, he y down besides her on the bnkets, feeling exhausted. Chio too was sweating, panting. She tried to inch closer to him for a kiss; Terry grabbed her and pulled her on top of himself, their lips tched onto each other, her chest pressed against his.

  “It's getting kind of uncomfortable now...” Chio panted. “Master, please...”

  Terry did not have to be told twice, he quickly kneeled up and untied the girl. They then just snuggled.

  “Can we stay here til night?” he asked.

  “We can,” Chio replied. It was just the third day, Warren was very unlikely to arrive just yet. It was going to be okay.

  “I love you so much,” the boy said, tearing up.

  “I love you too. I think you are really cool.”

  “I will always remember you!”

  “Oh, Terry...”

  They silently cried together for a while, then Chio suggested that she could take the dominant role now, Terry nodded. It was his turn to be tied up, but Chio was as gentle with him as... an angel. She called him a good boy plenty, and Terry called her master. She edged him and kissed him and pampered him, and she really drew it out, so much so that despite cumming two times already, Terry got really worked up, and eventually still had a very intense orgasm. At the comedown of that, it was back to cuddling.

  “If you just close your eyes and focus on the present,” the girl whispered, “it's as if this moment is sting forever.”

  Terry didn't fully get what she meant, but it sounded nice.