Chio and Arabel were lying quietly in their cabin. It was early in the night, the sun just about disappeared below the horizon. Terry left their room minutes ago, and it wasn't his most harmonious visit: the eastern girl was visibly kind of scattered, and the boy could sense that, so he hesitated. But with Arabel's encouragement and the angel's dutiful verbal consent, he still ended up trying his best to perform. It was a short and underwhelming fuck for both Terry and Chio, they barely even talked afterwards.

  “Chio, I'm sorry,” Arabel broke the silence. “I shouldn't have pushed you into it after what happened today. We should have taken a break, right?”

  The girl slowly turned her head towards the redhead, and smiled faintly. “You are a succubus, you need your life-source.”

  “No, I can go without it for a day or two. I shouldn't be so selfish.”

  “It's no big deal. I agreed to it. I just...”

  Someone knocked on their door, or rather, banged on it. Two strong, sudden thuds. Chio and Arabel sat up at once.

  “What is it?” the succubus asked loudly, but there was no answer. She walked to the door, turned the key in the lock, and stepped outside, looking both ways, then down. “The fuck...”

  “Who is it?”

  “No idea, they are gone.”

  The redhead crouched down and picked something up, a piece of paper. She was staring at it as she walked back in, she pushed the door shut with her leg behind herself, and then a perplexed expression appeared on her face.

  “Arabel?”

  Chio got to her feet too, and the sex-demon handed her the paper. Only two words were written on it with rge, smudgy letters: Save Terry!

  “What? Why?” Chio turned a little pale. “This is... this is a prank, right?” she looked at Arabel with begging eyes, like she really wanted to be reassured.

  “I... I don't know. It seems to me like...”

  “Like what?”

  “Like this was written with blood.”

  The girl stared at the paper again, and her eyes widened. “Where did he go? He... he is below the main deck, right?” she walked past her lover and opened the door.

  “Wait! Are you sure this is a good idea?” asked the succubus. “What if it's a trap?”

  “I don't care! Come on, we need to go check on him, we have to! We are special, we can defend ourselves!”

  “Right...” Arabel quickly caught up to the angel, grabbing her hand. “Stay behind me, okay?”

  “Sure, just go!”

  They hurried through the corridor, and stepped out onto the main deck. As the succubus lifted the trapdoor that covered the staircase leading below, they heard a sailor yelling something above their heads, from the crow's nest. Neither of them paid him much attention at first, but two other crew members, who were carrying a basket of dirty dishes out of the aftercastle, stopped and yelled back up at him:

  “A ship, you say?”

  “Yea, from the west! I think it's coming towards us!” came the voice from above. “Let the captain know!”

  “Will do!”

  “What was that about?” Arabel gnced at Chio, but the girl just urged her to hurry downstairs.

  Meanwhile, Terry was cornered, pushed against the wall in a secluded passageway in a lower level of Annabelle. At the end of the corridor, there was a small, dusty chamber that was out of use, it once served as a bit of extra storage area. From the other end of the passage, a glimmer of warm light reached here, coming from the cargo hold. The source of the light was actually an enchanted item, one of the ever-lit nterns they used down here – a token of the wealth of Ike Lazarus. The fire of such a ntern was contained within the metal and gss structure by magic, making it a very convenient tool on a wooden ship, where fires would have normally been a risk. The cargo hold took up the middle part of the vessel's hull, and the sailors' room was past it, at the frontside of the ship.

  Terry was dragged back here by a burly, ill-tempered seaman named Connor, and two of his sailor friends. The boy found this bunch to be rather unpleasant, but he was fortunate to mostly avoid interacting with them up until now. They caught him as he walked down the stairs, Connor grabbed his wrist, pulling him rather forcefully, saying they need to talk. As it turned out, he knew Terry's secret, at least that he was visiting those women for sex. He did not like it, and neither did his friends.

  “My mate followed you tonight, put his ear on the door,” Connor grunted. “We know you are shagging them. You! The timid little pussy who begged his way onto the ship at the st minute. It's a fucking joke, boy!”

  He punched him in the stomach with full force. Terry almost colpsed, but he was held up from two sides by the two other goons.

  “We'll be watching you,” Connor said, and he punched him once more. “Don't ever touch those bitches again! We will know if you do, and then that's it for you.”

  “I'm... I'm doing nothing wrong,” Terry panted bravely, even though he was shaking and he could still hardly breath.

  “Oh yea?” Connor grabbed the boy's chin and looked him in the eyes. “I don't care if they even fuckin paid you to do it. It's a ship full of men, and you don't get to have the two best looking bitches on it for yourself. Not on our watch. Get it?”

  Terry did not reply, and he defiantly avoided the rough man's gaze. And then he was punched straight in the face.

  “Stay still, pussy!” ughed one of the other sailors who was holding him. Terry spit out some blood, and he was pretty sure he lost a tooth too.

  “Know your pce! Also, what do you know about them, huh? That redhead...”

  Connor fell silent as he noticed the footsteps and voices coming towards them.

  Up on the main deck, several sailors gathered by the handrails on the right side, watching the incoming dark ship. Captain Kraus walked out of the aftercastle, looking up at the starry sky, then at a compass. His men immediately surrounded him, pointing at the unknown vessel.

  “Quiet you all!” the cat-man snapped, but he walked to the rails, pulling out a spygss. “Uhum... I think it's a merchant ship, they probably need something. Drop anchor! We will talk to them.”

  “But Kraus, I'm not sure if they are merchants,” said the grey-bearded dwarf, who was second-in-command.

  “Who else could they be, hmm?”

  “Well...”

  “Just do as I said, drop that fucking anchor! I'll be in my cabin.”

  The captain stormed off, leaving his men in a kind of conflicted state. Some were saying it might be a pirate ship, some argued otherwise. Nevertheless, they followed their superior's command, and soon, Annabelle stopped moving.

  The cat-man went back inside his room. He closed the door behind himself, then walked to his cabinet, pouring a drink, murmuring something under his whiskers. Suddenly, he heard quick steps approaching him, from the direction of the balcony at the back. The captain still left its door open, the intruder must have been hiding out there. But before Kraus could turn towards them, he was grabbed from behind, and a dagger was pressed against his neck. He dropped his shot-gss.

  “Wha...”

  “Don't move!”

  “All right, all right...” As he gulped, he could feel the steel bde touch his Adam's apple. “Just... what do you want?”

  “I want the truth, captain.”

  “Porco?”

  “And Friska!” the faery dashed on the cabinet right in front of the cat-man, gring at him like she was offended.

  “Hah! Was it you two, then?” Kraus asked.

  “Was what us two?” the little woman asked back.

  “The ones who have been messing with my stuff. Sneaking in here... but of course, a fairy could fly in from the balcony!”

  “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

  “Look, man,” Porco said, “if you don't want your throat slit, it's time for you to spill your secrets. Tell us what kind of fucked up scenario you dragged us into!”

  “It's too te. They are right here. This was the time and pce we agreed on, and they are here. There is nothing anyone on this ship can do now.”

  “Who are they?” Friska asked.

  “Carlos Wayne. The current captain of Heartbreaker.”

  “They have your son, right?” Porco asked.

  “Yes... that's why I had to do it.”

  “Trading Lazarus' fancy ship and a bunch of rich folks from Midridge for your captured son? Is that it?”

  “Pretty much. Would you mind letting go of me? I promise I will forget all about this... this attempt. It doesn't matter now. Even if you kill me, it won't achieve anything for you.”

  “I'm not letting you go until...”

  But then there were footsteps and yelling coming from the corridor, it sounded like people were running towards here.

  “Captain!” a sailor smmed the door open, with about three others behind him. What the crew members saw was the cat-man awkwardly standing around in the company of Porco, who had his hands behind his own back. They didn't notice the fairy at first. “Captain, there is an angel on the ship! She is fighting some of our men below deck!”

  “Huh?”

  “You gotta see it for yourself!”

  “An angel?” Friska asked. “A real, actual angel? On this ship?”

  “Let's go, captain!” Porco walked towards the cabin's entrance. “Let's see if there are people on this ship who can still do something!”

  Kraus was visibly confused, but he nodded slowly. Just as he promised, he acted like nothing happened – it really didn't matter to him at this point, he knew that Porco and Friska won't have another chance to stay alone with him. On the other hand, a freaking angel appearing on this ship, now of all times... that, he had to see.

  As they walked out of the aftercastle, hurrying towards the trapdoor, the group gnced at the oncoming bck ship. It was definitely quite a bit closer now, they could see something red on its bck sails (a pierced heart, surely), and its men standing on the vessel's front, gring at them, shouting battle cries and threats. They didn't look the most friendly, but as the concerned dwarf second-in-command approached Kraus, the cat-man simply waved him off.

  “What the fuck is this about an angel, Porco?” Friska whispered as she hovered behind the young man. “You knew something about it, didn't you?”

  “Who do you think this angel is?” Porco asked.

  “Who? Oh...”

  Chio was in her white toga and with her wings out – she didn't even realise she materialized them. She was quite angry and charged with adrenaline, which somehow instinctively made her reveal her true form. The goons barely had any time to think as she stormed in and attacked them, but they did try to fight back. Arabel hurried to her lover's aid too, she herself still stayed in her human form, only manifesting her cws. It was a swift and overwhelming victory, it all happened in a blur. Two out of the three bullies were now lying on the ground unconsciously, while Connor was on his side, trying to catch his breath after the angel smmed him down on the ground.

  A group of other sailors were standing a bit further down the corridor, they followed the two women here after they hurriedly asked them about Terry's whereabouts. They spectated the quick fight in disbelief, and so did Terry, who was curled up on the floor. Once the csh was over, the panting angel walked up to the boy and extended a hand to him, which he gdly accepted with awe in his eyes.

  “Are you okay?” asked the girl.

  “I... think so. Thanks.”

  “Help!” Connor moaned as he was stumbling to his feet. Arabel kicked him, pushing him down and stepping on his back with one leg.

  “Your mouth is bleeding,” Chio noted. She was gazing at Terry intently, their faces were quite close. The boy blushed and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his uniform. The angel hugged him.

  “God damn...” one of the spectating sailors said.

  “Shit, I might have overdone it,” Arabel said as she examined the bodies of their defeated enemies. “Chio, this one is bleeding a lot,” she nodded towards one of the knocked out men. “I think I sliced his arm open.”

  “Bloody monsters!” Connor groaned.

  “Shut the fuck up!” the succubus replied, putting more of her weight on the man's back. Although she was barefoot, her skin did not directly touch him, just through his shirt. It crossed her mind to touch him skin to skin, to get him affected by her power. Maybe that would make him quiet, she thought. But she decided against it for now.

  The angel stepped away from Terry and kneeled down next to the unconscious bodies. “Yea... we shouldn't be killing them...” she muttered. “That's too much. I'll heal him.”

  “You can?” Arabel did not know. Then again, it wasn't the most surprising ability for an angel.

  Chio found the open wound on the arm of that one guy, and she put her palms above it, starting to radiate a warm, yellow light at it. Meanwhile, footsteps were heard from the end of the corridor, and the spectators gave way to their captain.

  “What's the meaning of this?” Kraus asked.

  “Captain, Help! They are monsters!” Connor whined.

  “That's right, we are,” Arabel procimed, showing her cws to the newcomers. “I'm a succubus, so you all better fucking behave!”

  Kraus and Porco averted their gazes at once, and so did most of the other sailors – one even ran away.

  “They were torturing Terry!” Chio stopped her healing and stood up, facing the group of seamen. “They were punching him! We just rescued him, that's all. We are no danger to anyone else, I promise! Please, just... let us be!”

  “Throw them in the ocean!” Connor still didn't shut up. “They are degenerates, Goldman was right!”

  “Goldman?” Arabel stepped on his face with her feet. “Goldman told you about us?”

  The man's eyes widened, and he began to breath faster.

  “I asked you a fucking question!” the succubus fumed.

  “He... he suspected you... he said an eastern girl and a ginger may be... that you two may be some... some....”

  “Yea-yea, I got it.”

  “Chio, what the fuck?” Friska blurted at st. “You are a literal angel!”

  Captain Kraus was speechless, but Porco was half-smiling. And then someone else approached them: the grey-bearded dwarf. He entered the packed cargo hold, and hurried towards the group on the other end of it furiously.

  “Kraus, they are fucking pirates! They almost reached us, you bloody bastard! Even the passengers are starting to go apeshit about it, what is wrong with you?! Snap out of it already!”

  The cat-man turned to his underling, and cleared his throat. “Everyone, calm the fuck down! Just calm the fuck down, we...”

  A gss vase nded on the captain's head, making him pass out and colpse. After a moment of shock, people turned their gazes up in search of the source of the object. They saw Friska sitting on a beam.

  “Yea, it was me,” she shrugged. “The impact wasn't that bad by the way, he passed out because of the sleeping powder I put inside.”

  “What?” asked the bewildered Porco.

  “You damn fairy!” One of the bystander sailors got angry, and he shook his fist.

  “He is an idiot, you primate!” the little woman retorted. “He won't do a thing. Someone else should take command, it's that simple.”

  Porco stepped forward. “Chio, Arabel, you guys will have to fight. That's easily our best bet. Our dwarf friend should gather up the sailors, get them ready to fight. Grab some chef's knives or whatever you have, and also, tell the passengers to hide down here. But you two, especially Arabel... if our enemies are mostly male, and pirates probably are, you can just fuck them up alone. You're our trump card. So. Will you do what you have to?”

  The redhead nodded. “Fine with me.”

  “Oh my,” Chio sighed.

  “Hang on a minute. Is she... a succubus?” the dwarf asked hesitantly.

  As Heartbreaker gradually closed up on Annabelle, it manoeuvred itself side by side with her. The main deck of the somewhat smaller pirate vessel was a meter or so below the main deck of Annabelle, but an invasion was still definitely possible. The pirates were fired up, yelling, taunting those on the other ship, raising their weapons: swords, daggers, bows, even some halberds. Once their ship got in position next to the idle purple-sailed one, they threw grappling hooks at it. Then pnks were set up between the two vessels, and the first pirate stepped on one – a tall, pale man with a pointy beard wearing a green tricorn hat, Carlos Wayne himself.

  Annabelle's main deck was empty, people have retreated inside. But before Captain Wayne could set foot on it, something burst out of an open trapdoor before him. Two things, actually, a red and a white thing: Arabel and Chio, both in their true form, flying up above.

  “Succubus! Don't look!” Wayne shouted, while he himself dashed forward and nded on the other ship with a side roll.

  “Don't move!” a demonic, feminine voice echoed loudly from up above.

  The pirate captain set his gaze down and remained still, crouching on the floor. Over on Heartbreaker, the crew suddenly quieted down. Most turned their backs to the ship they intended to invade, cursing under their breaths, but five of them were affected – they began to climb over the pnks mindlessly, groaning and drooling, their gazes fixed on the demon above. One fell into the water.

  “I'm a succubus all right, so get away from us, scum!” Arabel was holding onto the rope-dder about five meters up on one of the masts, side by side with her lover.

  “And I'm fallen angel Chio! Turn away at once! This ship will not be your victim tonight!”

  Spsh, another of the succubus-sick pirates fell.

  “Hey, Chio! And Arabel, what the hell!” came a female voice from Heartbreaker. “It really is you girls! What are you doing here?”

  The tall elf woman who the voice belonged to stepped on the pnk-bridge. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt and loose brown shorts. Her legs and arms were tattooed, her nose and ears pierced, and she wore a simir hat as her captain, but a brown one.

  “Iesha?” Arabel wondered.