With an additional forty or so men on board, Annabelle became quite a bit more crowded. There were only a couple of backup hammocks, nowhere near enough for both the vessel's crew and the pirates, but Carlos Wayne was polite enough to let everyone on the ship keep their original spots and make his men rest in the lounge. As it turned out, the uncomfortable setup was only gonna st a single night anyway. The pirate captain announced that by next day, they will reach a nearby uninhabited isnd where he will pass Annabelle's passengers and crew to a trusted friend of his, who will bring them back to Midridge on his own ship. This already was their pn, except that they were gonna ransom the cruisers, but Carlos swore he will make sure that won't happen.

  Captain Kraus finally woke up, and he got reunited with his son – fortunately, the boy was brought over before Heartbreaker (or Heartseeker) got away. He was a 15 years old cat-person, grey just like his father, quiet and uneasy, but unharmed. As he noticed his dad, he perked up and happily jumped into his arms, making the captain burst into tears. The sight even made Porco feel like he can't really be mad at the drunkenly, secretive Kraus. The father and son then retreated to the captain's cabin together with Carlos, who wanted to discuss some things with them in private.

  While the ship's passengers and crew reluctantly went to bed, the pirates cooked themselves a big portion of porridge, and got ready to take control of the vessel. Iesha joined Arabel and Chio in their room, carrying a steaming bowl. She sat next to the angel.

  “What a day!” Arabel stretched her body, lying down on her bed.

  “It was... intense,” Chio nodded. She seemed kind of exhausted, but she still turned to the elf with a smile. “I did not expect to ever see you again.”

  “We have some things to catch up on, don't we? It's hard to believe that only a few months have passed since we've st seen each other.” Iesha blew on a spoonful of her porridge to cool it down.

  “Yea. A lot has changed,” the girl agreed.

  “So how on earth did you end up a pirate?” asked the redhead.

  “Well, mostly by pure chance. At first I stuck around in Cornertown for a few days, I wanted to figure out what really happened. The Maidens of Death simply let us go and left. You two were gone, Bashaq was found dead, my sister too, as well as Mia and Lo. I talked to my niece, Erleen, but she didn't seem to trust me all that much, and I'm not sure she really knew what her mother's pn was anyway. But at st, I met this wizard guy who told me that Neia was after Ariel's Gratitude. And that made a lot of sense.”

  “Old man Ron. I wonder how he is,” said Chio.

  “You knew him, huh? He did not say anything about you, but he assured me that a Chestnutian nun got the artifact in the end, and I figured that means it will be in good hands. And so I just sort of... went my own way. Again.” She ate a spoonful, then continued: “I had enough of managing a brothel, you know. I took the Rainbow House burning down as a sign for me to move on from that sort of thing. My sister was defeated too, revenge was had. It was over. So I set out south, cause why the heck not. I hung out a bit on a small independent isnd, it's a few days voyage from Midridge. Then Carlos Wayne came around, asking the vilgers there for some food. It wasn't so much of a pilge but more so an awkward forced transaction, he offered them some silk in exchange, which he stole from a merchant ship. He tends to be fair with commoners on his own way. Anyway, I heard about him before, and he seemed sort of interesting, so I joined his crew. That's basically it.”

  “Gotcha,” said Arabel.

  “How about you guys? Chio, what the hell! Last time an angel came down to dwell among us mortals was ages ago. I suppose that nun was able to summon Archangel Ariel, and she asked him to make you transcend. Is that it?”

  “Uhum,” Chio nodded. “She wanted to liberate me from the suffering of a futanari. She loved me.”

  “So you have been to heaven? For real?”

  “Yep. But my memories of it aren't the most clear now, I can't really tell you much about it. I just had to come back.”

  “For her, right?” Iesha gnced at the redhead.

  “Yep.”

  “That's... romantic.”

  “Hehe,” Arabel scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed.

  “Since when are you girls together again?” the elf inquired.

  “Just a few weeks ago,” replied the angel.

  “Oh by the way,” Arabel looked at her lover. “What's that with your healing ability? You never told me you can do that.”

  “It's not that I wanted to hide it from you!” the girl said apologetically. “It just... didn't really come up. I can't do anything about fatigue, for example. Or illness. Just injuries. Stopping bleeding, stabilizing wounds, things like that.”

  “That's good to know,” said the redhead.

  “What else can you do?” Iesha asked.

  “I can fly, of course, and I'm pretty strong physically. Also, I can still use this force to move things. Even from a distance. That's how I broke through the prison wall to get you out,” she gnced at Arabel. “I actually think it might be a remnant of my ability from when I was a futa, but I'm not entirely sure about that.”

  “Cool,” Iesha winked at the girl. “You are such a special character, Chio.”

  “She sure is.” Arabel stood up and walked towards the door.

  “Where are you going?” the angel asked.

  “I just remembered something. Don't worry, I'll be back soon.”

  Chio had the urge to object or to go with the redhead, but she took a deep breath and remained still. Iesha seemed to notice her reaction. She ate her porridge in silence for a few moments, then as the cabin's door closed behind the succubus, she asked: “How are things going with you two?”

  “Well... on one hand it's amazing,” the girl said. “I can finally be with her freely, and there is nothing I want more in this world. I love her so much. But of course it's not too easy.”

  “And you are no longer a futa, right?”

  “Right. When I turned into an angel, I became a girl again.”

  “So obtaining sperm for her to eat is the challenge. I see.”

  “Do you think beings like us could ever truly live in peace?”

  “I guess all you can do is try to achieve that. But you knew it will be difficult, didn't you?”

  “Of course! And I'm okay with that, overall. I'm just trying to do the right thing, whatever that means in our circumstances, but I'm uncertain. I'm in love, but I worry, then I try to accept it all, it is what it is, I say to myself. And then something happens. It's this constant back and forth, love and suffering, challenge and relief. Feeling thrilled and horny, and being afraid. It's just... a lot.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “And I'm being such a whiny baby right now, but for her, it's her entire life. It's not something she opted into, it's just the nature of her very existence. She is a succubus, a hated succubus. I feel so bad for her.”

  “I get that, but there is no reason to feel guilty about you being overwhelmed. I'm sure she would understand too.”

  “I just wish I was still a futanari. Then, we could have truly just went our own way together.”

  Iesha finished her meal and passed the bowl to the angel, who put it on the nightstand.

  “Remember the st time the two of us were hanging out alone?” asked the elf. “It was at the outskirts of Pnkwelle after the brothel was burnt down. We were hiding there, trying to figure out what happened and what to do next. Arabel left you locked in that chastity cage, to bring out your futa-power. You were so fucking horny and into me. I have to admit, it feels good to see you as you are now. I don't think it's entirely a bad thing that you won't ever have to carry that amount of lust. Even if it would have benefited her.”

  “Oh, I agree! It's not entirely a bad thing. I am grateful to Sister Mary for liberating me from that, at least a part of me is. It's just... a lot of mixed feelings.”

  “I think you two will be all right. You won't have to conceal yourselves among us pirates, Carlos is okay with you, and so am I. Soon, you will reach the Scorched Lands for real, and then you two will be able to more or less live your lives on your own terms. Although you would still need men. Are you certain you don't want to join us?”

  Chio shook her head. “I doubt that everyone in your crew would be okay with that after what happened, but even if they were, we might still cause trouble for you. Besides, we have a boy with us now. I met him back on Midridge, and I... well, used him. I had to, Arabel was starving. But he kind of... fell in love with me,” she blushed.

  “Daym. With you? Not the succubus he fucked?”

  “He never touched Arabel! He is already into me, I don't want Arabel's charm to mess with his head further. I'm always the one to take his sperm and transfer it over to her.”

  “Heh! That's nice of you.”

  “He followed us here in secret, even managed to join the ship's crew. By now, he knows everything about us. He might want to come with us to the Scorched Lands too.”

  “You see? There is your solution.”

  “He would sure help, but I kind of worry for him, he left his whole life behind for us. For me. Either way, Arabel still wants to have sex with some men in the future, and who am I to deny her that?”

  “I see.”

  The angel sighed. “I'm sorry, I can be more optimistic, but it's been a hard day.”

  “Look, it's okay for you to worry, Chio. It does not make you weak, it makes you human. Or a fallen angel, I guess.”

  “Yea.”

  “You know, I've been around for a while in this world. Us elves are quite long-lived, I'm 72 years old myself. The Rainbow House was not the first community that fell apart around me, and it probably won't be the st. Things don't st forever, and that's never easy. But ultimately, it's always worth it. Cherish the time you have with the people you mash with, so long as you can. That's life.”

  “Uhum.”

  “I think you two should create your own little community down south. Where there are no ws, no rules, and there's plenty of space. Having that one boy with you is a good start, and I'm sure you will be able to meet some other men too who wouldn't mind following you girls. Perhaps you could visit Murky Bay in search for some daring outcasts.”

  “I suppose that's kind of the idea. Something like that.”

  “Picture that! A little vilge of lust lead by a fallen angel and a succubus. Or a nomadic caravan? A ship of your own? I think it could work out pretty well, there is a good chance you could actually create the peace you want. Your new life just barely started, isn't that right? I'm rooting for you, whatever you girls chose.”

  “Thanks, Iesha! It's nice that I can talk to you about all this stuff.”

  “Of course.”

  Chio suddenly hugged the elf, who smiled, and pat her head.

  “I'm gd you are here,” the girl sighed. “If you weren't, God knows what would have happened.”

  The hammocks were slightly swaying in the sailors' room to the rhythm of the ocean waves. The ship was creaking, someone coughed or snored in their sleep from time to time, and a few guys were still discussing the day's events in whispers. At one end of the spacious room, through a cased opening, the ever-lit nterns of the cargo hold let through some dim yellow light. A woman's figure appeared in the frame. She took a few steps inside and cleared her throat.

  “Where is that though guy from earlier?”

  “Shit, it's the succubus!” someone said, and perhaps as a foolish reaction to such a warning, but many faces turned towards her.

  “Yes, and I'm looking for that burly fellow. He knows I'm talking about him.”

  A few moments of awkward silence.

  “Come on, boys, don't make me lose my temper!”

  “Connor, she is looking for you!” a sailor said, and now many faces turned to a hammock at the other end of the room.

  Whoever was inside seemed to py dead, but the redhead walked right up to him and dragged him out of his nest. While the man was panicking and resisting at first, the sex-demon's touch made him stop struggling, and he became somewhat subservient.

  “Come on, buddy, we have some unfinished business!”

  “We... we do?” Connor mumbled.

  “Terry, where are you?” asked Arabel. “You should come too!”

  The vilger boy got up and followed the redhead reluctantly. They walked to the other end of the ship, to that secluded corridor behind the cargo hold where Terry was cornered by Connor and his friends earlier. Arabel gnced at the boy, as if to make sure he is paying attention, then she suddenly grabbed the sturdy sailor by his colr.

  “Tell me everything you know about Goldman, shithead!”

  “Oh... he is... uhm...”

  “How did you become buddies with him?”

  “He overheard us talking. About... women. And he joined us. He agreed with us.”

  “About what?”

  “That women are...” Connor grimaced, and a vein started to pulse on his forehead. He gred at Arabel with the st bit of resistance he had in himself, concentrating it in this sh-out: “Women are stupid fucking bitches who just leech on men. Jumping on the next best dick when they can while acting innocent and shit. Mindless fucks! They know nothing.”

  “Hmmm and Goldman liked that, didn't he?”

  “Yes. He knows what's up. Who knew a fuckin noble can get it, but he really does. Goldman is a beast.”

  The succubus put her palm on the man's face, as if she was wiping something on him. Connor's face muscles loosened, and he stuck his tongue out. The redhead spped him.

  “Get on your knees for me!”

  The man did so. Terry took a step back.

  “Just watch, Terry!” Arabel said, then she turned to the burly sailor again. “Do you know what Goldman did? Tell me honestly!”

  “He... he killed Madam Birch. He was the one.”

  “How? How did he get in and out of the locked room?”

  “I'm not sure. He didn't tell me. He never told me much. About himself... and stuff.”

  I can believe that. He surely just pyed you for his own benefit.

  “But I know he did it cause he hated how in love she was,” the man continued. “With her long dead husband. He thought... it's pathetic. And annoying.”

  “You are a huge piece of shit, you know that?”

  Connor bowed down and grasped at Arabel's ankle. “I don't care anymore. I'm sorry, I'm weaker than you, I get it. I was wrong... it doesn't matter. I'll do anything for you. Anything, just please...”

  “Get away from me,” the succubus said quietly, but threateningly.

  Connor inched back and sat down with his back against the wall, staring up at the woman before him, drooling. Arabel leaned forward and caught his neck. “Nobody fucks with my food source... I mean, my friend! Nobody!”

  “Sohhy...” the man hissed.

  “You guys knocked out Terry's teeth right here. I want you to make up for it.”

  “Huh?”

  Arabel let go of him and looked him up and down with contempt. “A teeth of yours! Give it to me, or I'm slicing your fucking throat!”

  “Arabel,” Terry muttered. “It's okay, there's no need.”

  The woman gnced at the boy, then back at Connor. The rge sailor was reaching inside his own mouth, awkwardly trying to get a teeth out, somehow.

  “You see, Terry, this is why you should never, ever touch me,” Arabel said. “There are men who can take my touch better than this spineless fucker, don't get me wrong. But as you mainly have a thing going on with Chio... you don't want this kind of influence, do you?”

  Terry shook his head.

  “Enough, pig!” The succubus shoved the man back with her leg, his head knocked against the wall. “No need to do that. Lie down on your stomach!”

  Connor haltingly got down, and rolled over.

  “This is what it means to be a succubus,” the redhead stepped on the sailor's back and looked at Terry kind of theatrically. “This is the power I have. It's in my nature. But I would only ever hurt a man with it if I had to. For example, to put scum like him in his pce. At least that is how I'm trying to be now, since I met Chio, I want to be responsible. But you, shithead,” she looked at the grovelling Connor beneath her, “you certainly deserve it. What kind of psycho celebrates the ruthless murder of a poor old widow, huh? I'm not trusting you. Not you, nor those two friends of yours. I won't let you back on Midridge, not in the company of everyone else. You don't belong on a voyage with normal people. I'll make sure this Carlos Wayne does something else with you. Whether he throws you in the ocean or leaves you on the isnd where we will stop tomorrow, I don't care.”

  “But please, please just let me...”

  “Jerk yourself off if you want to, but this is the end of our interactions, pig! And if I learn you even so much as looked at Terry wrong while we still have to share a ship, I'll fuck you over for life!”

  “I won't... I' won't...” the man panted.

  “Come, Terry!” Arabel smiled at the boy reassuringly. “Let's go to sleep.”

  Terry carefully gave way to the redhead, letting her pass him. Before he followed her, he looked back at Connor. The sight of the rge sailor in this state was kind of scary: he remained on the floor behind them, and began to touch himself manically. Terry turned away and hurried after the woman. He understood that she was standing up for him, and that did feel good, it was even kind of hot. This woman is a beast, he though.

  Truth be told, Terry was quite wary of Connor still. He was afraid that the brute might want to let his anger out on him after the earlier events. Maybe he would even attack him in his sleep, he feared. But now, after witnessing this interaction, that was much harder to imagine.

  Terry's heart definitely belonged to Chio, but this succubus was a part of their dynamic too, and somehow, that started to make more and more sense. To think that he would end up in the favor of such a powerful and dangerously attractive being! It wasn't a bad feeling. By now, Terry felt like he can trust her.

  “Arabel, how about me?” he asked.

  “Huh?” the redhead looked back over her shoulder.

  “Can I really stay with you and Chio, still? After tomorrow?”

  “Yea, for sure. We talked about it before, you are good with us.”

  They reached the stairs leading up, and the opening to the sailors' room next to it. Arabel winked at the boy suggestively, and even sucked on her own finger, making him cutely embarrassed.

  “See you tomorrow!”

  “Uhum! G-good night!”

  The succubus watched as Terry walked back towards his hammock, then she turned around and began to go upwards, but then she heard a male voice from the cargo hold: “That was quite the show.”

  The woman took a few steps back and faced Porco.

  “You are that Porco guy, right?” she asked. “Were you spying on us?”

  “I was.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I might be an utter fool, but I made up my mind, succubus. You and Chio are just way too intriguing. Let this Carlos captain know that I don't want to go back to Midridge either, would you?”

  “Ah, I see, we are intriguing. Do you fancy my touch? You think you have what it takes?” The sex-demon grabbed one of her own boobs provocatively.

  “I had friends who slept with succubi before,” the man said, seemingly unfazed. “In brothels. Maybe some of them even had you.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “A strong mind can take an occasional dip in something as potent as a night with a succubus. I know it can be fine.”

  “You're not one to back away from a challenge, I see. Well, it's quite te... how about we just touch the tip of our pinkies for now? Just a little dip, as you put it.”

  Porco recoiled very slightly, but then he reached forward with his left hand. “Sure.”