Chapter 49 – Slaves and a Fox Totem

Present Day, in the Lawless Lands...

Trey smiled triumphantly at Ashe, and she gave him another approving grin in return. Unlocking the girl’s shackles and helping Eeme to her feet, Trey motioned for her to leave the cell. She was rather pretty - not as pretty as Ashe or Rivia, but still quite attractive. Watching her nude form leave the room with Ashe leading her by the hand, Trey just chuckled to himself and followed them out of the ship’s holding cell.

Then he immediately saw what the commotion from earlier had been about. There were still well over three-fourths of the male slaves left chained to their benches, with Brae having let some of them out. One of them had apparently tried something funny and lay dead on the floor with Napoleon standing on his carcass. Eeme stopped fearfully at the sight of the imp, but as it waved at them in a friendly manner - and with Ashe’s urging - she continued to walk down the aisle with the chained men staring as she went.

“Why are you so bloody?” Trey asked as they walked up to where Napoleon arrogantly sat atop the slave’s carcass. “Did you kill him?”

The answer was an obvious one. Blood covered the claws of his imp and dripped from the jaws of his mouth, with bleeding wounds apparent on the slave’s neck.

Napoleon just snickered in satisfaction, burning away the blood with small ruptures of fire that puffed in and out of existence to leave a perfectly clean and tiny demon behind. “He attack attack Brae. I kill kill.”

Trey and Ashe turned questioningly to Brae who caught their gaze and stopped his conversation mid-way with the other slave he’d been talking to just a moment ago.

Brae blinked, then figured out what the topic of discussion was about. “Oh. He got angry after I let him out of his chains, said he was going to take what was his. I don’t know if he thought I was one of the pirates or if he was talking about the girls who walked by, but Napoleon made quick work of him.”

Trey raised an eyebrow. “I see. Are the other men who were chained here already upstairs?”

Brae nodded. “Only enough to get the ship moving and dislodge our cog. Don’t want to take chances with this lot, even if they are going to be set free by your request... we’d better do it when we get to Teretog and only in small amounts at a time so that they don’t overrun the ship. Are you sure you don’t want to sell them? You’d make a very pretty penny. Slaves aren’t cheap.”

The talking around them grew silent as they realized what was being said, and a sigh of relief was audible amongst many of them who called out their thanks or began weeping at Trey’s reply.

“Yeah I’m sure, we’ll let them go once we get to Teretog. From there it’ll be up to them to find their way. Thank you.”

The scarred captain threw up his hands and shook his head with a brief laugh. “My boy. You deserve far more than you realize. The haul we got with those relics and a new warship? Along with the loot we found on board, I consider myself a rich man. It is I who should be thanking you, not only for the profits but for saving our lives yet again. I’ll be sure to hire you on for the next time and I’ll put in a good word with the other groups I know.”

They shook hands firmly and nodded to one another. Ashe had already led Eeme up the stairs beyond where Trey stood and onto the deck. With Napoleon scampering up Trey’s side to hang onto Trey’s shoulder, he followed the girls out into the brighter daylight.

“Master smell like bird bird piss.”

“Shut up Napoleon.”

The ocean breeze felt cool on his skin as he walked out. The group of previously enslaved, shirtless men Brae had released were hard at work pulling on tight cords connecting the huge metal hooks that were embedded in the cog along the side of the larger galley. Taking in the fresh tropical air, Trey felt relieved that the fighting was finally done despite his near-death experience.

Brae’s crew had already been informed that this would be their new ship, and were debating on what to do with the cog now. Should they sell it? Should they keep it as a backup? Should they scrap it for parts to use in repairs of the galley? Who should they hire on for more hands to work the larger boat? Would it be some of the slaves, or their friends from back home?

Meanwhile Jason was angrily yelling at Ashe who continued to drunkenly laugh at the tall man while she fondled Eeme’s breasts in front of him. The Earthborn woman was openly taunting him, playing with her new sex toy as Jason berated her for being a bad person to even consider keeping a slave. Izumi was just standing nearby with a hand covering her mouth, and Trey wasn’t sure if she was in shock or, out of disgust, if she just thought it all hilarious, or maybe a combination of the three. Atharost certainly thought Jason’s anger to be hilarious, and to their right sat along a crate while mimicking his gestures. A mocking display that just pissed Jason off even more when he saw it. Rivia, however, just raised an eyebrow and stared blankly without opinion.

Then Jason saw Trey, and he quickly looked extra pissed. “TREY! You can't take this girl as a slave! What the hell are you thinking dude?!”

Jason’s alchemy satchels bounced against one another as he promptly came up with his arms crossed to stare Trey down with a scowl, but Trey was unperturbed. He yawned, not on purpose but nevertheless pissing off Jason even further to deepen the blonde man’s scowl.

“Look man, I gave her the option and she took it.” Trey held up his hands out to either side with a helpless yet sly expression. “On top of that, it was really Ashe’s idea. The deal has been struck. Eeme has nowhere to go, and as long as I take care of her she’ll remain as our slave. I feel like it’s a fair agreement. How long do you think those other girls are going to last out here alone? You didn’t even appreciate that I’m setting everyone else free instead of selling them.”

Trey motioned over to where some of the other women who’d chosen to take the meager amount of money they were offered to try their luck in Teretog by themselves. Jason’s frown deepened but his stance did not waver.

Trey cleared his throat and brought Jason over to where Eeme and Ashe were standing beside Izumi, lowering his voice so people outside their circle couldn’t hear.

“You know full well that they have terrible chances. Maybe I would have taken that route too, maybe not. It’s highly likely that they’re going to end up right back where they started. Eeme here just decided to take the smarter route.”

“You’re taking advantage of their situation, asshole!” Jason snapped as his finger came up an inch in front of Trey’s face. His upper body was flushed red and it was probably the most angry Trey had ever seen the man. “I know all of that is true! But that doesn’t give you the right to… to keep one of them as a slave yourself! You’re hinging on her fears! So is Ashe!”

Trey grimaced. “Ashe was the one-”

“But YOU are the group leader! And Ashe said you were going to use Eeme too!” Jason hissed with a snarl. “If you tell Ashe no, she’ll listen to you! She won’t listen to me!”

Jason pointed to Eeme who’s eyes were downcast, the girl was trying not to be the center of attention and feeling small.

“She’s just barely of age Trey! 18?! That’s what Ashe said! Can’t you be a real man and get laid like a normal human being instead of being a dickhead? What the fuck is wrong with you? With BOTH of you!?”

A warm salty wind picked up and blew out across their clothes and hair. A seagull flew overhead, as did another and another. Blue skies with speckles of clouds dotting the horizon were out in all directions and the scene of serenity seemed out of place considering Jason’s rage… despite the piles of corpses along the deck. Trey remained calm, and Jason eventually joined him with his breathing slowing down and his facial color returning to normal. Taking in two deep breaths, Jason let out a long exhale.

“Trey… I appreciate all that you’ve done for us. Without you, we’d have all died along with Elise and her family.” Jason’s face contorted into a sad mopey expression but he fought back tears thinking about it as the others too became demoralized remembering what had happened.

They had all liked Elise. They had all liked her family. What had been done was horrible, and what made it worse is that they were powerless to do anything about it. The king’s champions were far more powerful than they had been, and he had far more soldiers.

Jason sniffed once and brushed the memories aside, returning to the present. “I appreciate it a lot, so don’t think that I don’t. You just have some major moral issues man. You’re a little fucked in the head, and I’m not trying to chide you but I’m saying it because I’m your friend. This isn’t right.”

Trey snorted. He felt bad for Jason, but he didn’t think that he’d done anything wrong. He’d given the girl an option and she’d chosen her path. Was that his fault? On top of all that, He was also improving his relationship with Ashe. Truthfully, he liked Ashe more than Jason - Ashe had even become what Trey would consider close to a best friend. There was definitely some preferential treatment going on here but Trey wasn’t too bothered by knowing it.

For Jason’s sake though, he would give Eeme one more out.

“I’ll ask you one more time.” Trey turned to Eeme, who still stood naked in Ashe’s drunken embrace. The freckled blonde girl looked up to him, and then to Jason, and then to the others.

“My offer still stands, but if you want to rethink things you can go with the other women and try it on your own.” Trey folded his arms, shifting his gaze from Eeme to Jason and then back to Eeme. “We’re not going to take care of you for free. We’re not rich enough nor strong enough to look after everyone here even if I wanted to. I’ll still give you a couple copper to get started on if you leave like the others, I know it’s not much but even that’s going to bleed us dry giving it away to each of the slaves we let out. So you can go, or you can remain as our slave like we discussed. There won’t be another chance to back out. We won’t ever hurt you if you stay with us, and we’ll take care of you, but you’ll be our property for life. It’s up to you.”

Jason began to speak again but was cut off with an angry glare from Ashe.

Timidly, Eeme began to speak. She didn’t look at anyone and kept her gaze low, fidgeting nervously while trying to find the right words to say. “...My family is dead, killed by the very men you took this ship from. I’ve already made my decision. I have nowhere to go, and I’m afraid to be on my own. Please accept me as your slave.”

Eeme knelt upon saying the words and prostrated herself before Trey as Ashe grinned victoriously for the second or third time that day. Jason on the other hand facepalmed and whirled around in anger to stomp away to the opposite end of the ship while muttering about ‘jackasses’ and ‘assholes.’

To this: Ashe just continued to wear that smug look... but didn’t bother saying anything as she eyed her new plaything.

There was an awkward silence thereafter while Eeme kept herself nervously prostrated on the deck, but it was Izumi who cleared the air with a happy clap.

“Who wants grapes!?”

Everyone looked over and stared at the Japanese woman. She was holding two pouches filled to the brim with the fruit. Trey didn’t know where she’d gotten them and it seemed like they’d appeared out of nowhere, but the sight was ridiculous and he began to laugh.

Leave it to Izumi to lighten the mood.

“ALRIGHT EVERYBODY LISTEN UP!” Brae waved his hands around calling out to those around him. Shortly thereafter his crew shut up and came to attention, as did the slaves and Trey’s group.

Satisfied that he had everyone’s attention, Brae crossed his arms and head bobbed towards the cog. “Looks like we’re going to have a rough time getting that off, if we even can. As of now we can expect to still sail in this condition, even without one of the masts and this galley carrying the cog along like deadweight… but it will take time. Usually it would only take the rest of today to make it. If we can’t get the cog dislodged, and it looks like we can’t, expect to be sailing at least another day on top of that if not two. So get comfy ladies, it’ll be a slow ride.”

***

Of all the places to stay in Teretog, the larger guild compounds were by far the safest. They rented out rooms to those they trusted at fair prices and in turn you wouldn’t have to worry about being stabbed in your sleep.

Usually.

The Fost were one of these guilds. They weren’t huge by any means but they still had a couple hundred people registered under their emblem, and their compound was rather well guarded with numerous high level fighters or casters of various sorts. They had carved a piece of the ruins that created Teretog out for themselves - from the wreckage of an old building, like many of the other groups here did, and it was a surprisingly nice claim at that. The two story building had been well repaired, having an ancient stone exterior with wooden floors. The second floor was supported by stone pillars and the entirety of the building was the equivalent of a large double-deck warehouse. Being on the outskirts of Teretog along the jungle’s edge, they kept mostly to themselves and Trey had grown to like the few he’d come to know.

Trey’s group was a new addition to the compound, though not technically part of the guild - they paid their way in via the jobs they got from mercenary work or selling Jason’s potions. The guild profited from allowing them to stay not only by collecting rent, but also because of the mutual understanding that if their home was attacked they would help each other. The Fost were also eyeing Trey and his companions for potential recruitment, having heard of their results in various trips to the mainland. Though few in number, each trip had been successful... which was quite the rarity.

Getting to the guild compound though, that could sometimes be a hassle. Making the trip in the middle of the night may also attract unwanted visitors, and Trey was seriously considering staying onboard until the sun rose to make the trip.

“Nightfall approaches…” Brae muttered as he and the crew awkwardly steered the damaged galley-cog combo through the shipyard, past two other boats and into the docks, coming to a slow halt and dropping anchor with a call from one of the men. The last rays of light from sunset still lingered along the horizon but it would be less than an hour before it all went dark.

Brae’s scarred features furrowed as he looked out across the bay riddled with ships full of cutthroats and thieves, and then peered into the city. Teretog was the place where dreams came to die or fulfill themselves beyond their wildest imaginations, and everyone there was competing against one another to be of the latter group. Even now, groups of cloaked watchers peaked out from piles of old rubble or ram-shack houses further down the dirt streets while men playing dice or cards along the water’s edge stopped to evaluate the newcomers to see if they were easy prey.

They still hadn’t been able to disentangle the cog from the galley so they looked rather ridiculous and took up one of the larger spots still left open. It had been very apparent to everyone watching from shore or on other boats that a full on fight between the two ships had gone down, leading many of the onlookers to believe whoever had won the fight was weakened. That belief had certainly been a possibility, but when Brae ordered the smaller group of freed slaves to begin dumping the pirate corpses overboard to send a message… people thought better of trying their luck. As the scum of society around the docks watched the many dozens of limp bodies unceremoniously topple over the side to splash into the waters, most of them had second thoughts about trying anything and resumed the activities they’d been doing earlier. The message had effectively been sent.

The buildings here were mostly built up around the ancient ruins of the once prosperous port settlement now-turned pirate hangout, and as for what bits or pieces of the stone buildings or outcroppings that were missing: These gaps were mostly filled-in with sheets of metal, wooden boards, palm leaves or clay. Parrots and other brilliant birds of paradise intermixed with seagulls along the rooftops or overhead with calls that made the jungle paradise come alive, and unfortunately that also came with the occasional swarm of insects. Much of the plant-life was also dispersed throughout the makeshift city with palm trees and vines commonplace even before the outskirts of Teretog touched the island’s jungle.

Trey was sitting on deck and getting a back massage from his minion Rivia when he saw Brae motion him over. Sighing and not wanting to get up, he reluctantly stopped Rivia’s hands and lifted himself. With a brief stretch he passed by the others of his group discussing Eeme’s past and then through a small crowd of slaves standing nervously with their newfound clothes that they’d stripped off the dead pirates.

He cleared his throat and came to a stop in front of the captain. “Yes Brae? Can I help you?”

The sea breeze blew in a fresh gust of spray that wet the side of Trey’s face before he wiped it away.

Brae nodded and motioned for another sailor to come forward. The brawny raven-haired henchman was carrying an object wrapped in an old brown blanket and promptly lifted the cover to reveal one of the three relics they’d taken from Ornthas underneath. He was careful not to let it show to any of the nearby slaves though, only allowing a narrow window for Trey’s eyes to see.

Fox Totem of the Fae Mothers

Item Tier: (13) Relic

Bonuses: ???

Requirements: ???

Durability: 3001/3100

Special: ???

It was a silver figurine of a Fox, little bigger than a small terrier. Rubies for eyes and golden links for a collar adorned its body, and it had given off a deathly cold feel upon Trey’s touch when he’d picked it up the first time on the mainland. He didn’t dare take it out now though and quickly covered it back up with the blanket so that prying eyes wouldn’t see the value of what it was. Being a ‘Relic’ tier item alone was enough to get a target painted on its owner, and regardless of what it did - it was likely worth a small fortune.

“Thank you Brae.” Trey nodded and graciously accepted the gift, tucking the rolled up blanket and relic under his arm. Brae had always been a trustworthy man throughout the last month of knowing him but parting with such a valuable asset out of his own goodwill was something Trey wouldn’t forget.

“You know you don’t have to give this to me though… we struck a deal when you allowed the slaves to go free.”

Brae only smiled in appreciation, giving Trey a small bow. “No, my friend. Thank you. Without you, I’d already be dead along with all of my crew. Your services are more valued than you think, and even though the payment discussed was a lot less - I feel like I owe you a great deal more than even this.”

The captain then began barking orders to the crew and instructed the slaves to line up to receive their departing gifts. Brae had collected all of the weapons the pirates had before letting the slaves go so that there wouldn’t be an insurrection in case any of the chained men got funny ideas, but now that they were leaving the ship - Brae would have felt bad setting them off into Teretog without anything to defend themselves. Lining up and one by one, each former slave was given some sort of dagger, sword, spear or axe before setting off down the ramp to the docks below.

Trey warily eyed the vagabonds around the docks, and felt Rivia’s light touch brush his shoulder. He glanced her way and received a nod of acknowledgement.

“Many of them will die here.” Rivia said as a matter of fact, with her nose raising in disgust when she caught one of the former slaves oggling her.

Trey cocked his head to one side and sadly nodded. “Yeah. But at least they have a chance.”

It was a weird sight for many of the spectators that didn’t understand what was going on at first - with people coming out of the ship onto the docs in a steady stream, one by one. But after 20 or so people had been let off, many of them began to guess at what was happening.

The reaction was very fast, thought subtle. Shuffling behind hoods and veils to speak to one another, there were some that slunk away into the shadows of the rubble and buildings around the docks. Then even more followed.

Trey grimaced and folded his arms, noticing the shift and subtle commotion amongst the city’s scumbag residents nearby. It was obvious from the way that weapons were being handed to the recently freed slaves and the way they were sent down one by one to the dock under careful watch that they weren’t part of the crew.

Three things were likely going through the minds of those watching these newly armed slaves leave the ship. The first was that these people were being released from captivity, be it slaves or prisoners from the fight that had broken out evident from the cog still attached at the galley’s hull via large metal hooks. The second was that there was a chance these freed men didn’t know how to fight well, because they’d either lost their battle and were deemed harmless enough to keep alive or had been taken as slaves in the first place. The third was that the people leaving the ship didn’t have a group to protect them and were easy pickings to kill or capture.

He watched as one of the freed men ran off into the dark alleys of the city by himself, not bothering to wait for anyone else or get a group. Some of the others had been smarter and waited for a couple of their comrades before trying their luck, but not this guy. No, instead he was too eager to experience his newfound freedom and relished the happiness he felt having no chains any longer. Unfortunately the foolish man had three hooded figures promptly follow him and turn the corner at a quick pace after he passed by.

Trey sighed loudly and shook his head as a muffled scream sounded out from the alley the slave had gone down. “So it begins.”

Brae took note of it too and as he instructed his sailors to go get more of the prisoners from down below, he took the women aside and presented them all with cloaks. They were easier targets and were more valuable than any of the men on the slave-trading market here, so keeping a low profile about their gender was a smart move until they got further into the city. He answered a few questions about where they could find work at brothels if they got that far - or where the guild halls were that they could work at as a servant, while the couple women who’d had male companions they’d known from their homes were already gone.

“Stay in groups and watch your backs, the dock watchers have already noticed and there’ll likely be more comin to pick ya off.”

Those were the last parting words from the scarred captain as he sent another group off, this time letting three of them go at one time and pre-arranging groups for safety purposes. Most of the slaves didn’t know each other very well but they trusted each other more than they trusted the bastards residing in this city. Trey really wished that they could let these people go all at once, but experience had taught him that arming these people all at once wouldn’t be wise while they were still abord - so he had to agree with Brae’s plan without putting himself or the people he cared about at risk.

One of the other freed men snarled at the idea of needing someone’s protection, taking the axe and pouch of coins he’d been given with a snort. He was a huge man and had many years of hard labor backing the rolling muscles of his body, giving him a confidence many of the others didn’t have. “I don’t need no group. Leave me be and good luck to ya.”

Trey didn’t object, and neither didn’t anyone else as the huge cocky guy lumbered off the ship with a confident strut and then walked the wooden planks of the rickety dock onto the shore. Coming off the beach and onto one of the dirt streets a little ways away from where the ship was docked, he strode through a more densely populated street as if daring any one of those smaller men to attack him.

Which is what they did. It was a stupid move, and as he passed by he received a dagger to the back to let out a scream as his spine was impaled, just before a crossbow bolt lodged itself in his head. His corpse was quickly looted by the brazen attackers who immediately disappeared after having made their kill just in case any repercussions were to be had by the galley’s occupants. Other denizens nearby watched unphased or resumed their activities, but the act made many of the onlooking slaves pale. Most of them were much more cautious as they left the ship after that.

Within the hour: all of the slaves who hadn’t signed on to Brae’s new crew had disappeared, leaving Trey’s mercenary group and Brae’s old crew exchanging pleasantries with the new additions of their adventuring family to dwell on the blood-soaked deck of the galley. The ramp had been pulled up, two sentries had been posted, and Brae had gone down to inspect the mechanisms the galley had for using the hooks that were still implanted in his cog.

Leaning against the rails and smoking out of a pipe supplied to him from one of the sailors, Trey began puffing on what he could only assume to be a tobacco variant in the dim light of the sunset. Giving himself a light buzz and looking over into the crystal clear water in the shallows beneath him, he was amused at how the fish and crabs below were swarming the corpses they’d dumped not all that long ago. The blood had attracted many sea creatures and it was a feeding frenzy down there.

“Feeling good? You look happy!” Izumi brushed by him to lean along the railing with the same happy expression she always wore. She was so uplifting, and Trey was always glad to have her around.

Keeping his eyes on the last light of day over the western horizon, Trey gave a sideways smile. He tapped the pipe twice sideways to rid himself of ashes and passed it to her. “Yeah. This was the biggest payout we’ve had yet. Got ourselves one of the relics, did the others tell you?”

Izumi nodded excitedly, brushing back her medium-length black hair and taking a long pull on the pipe. Coughing loudly after inhaling too quickly she passed it back and continued to choke as Trey chuckled.

“That’s not funny!” Izumi finally said after she stopped sputtering. She gave him a disapproving yet still friendly frown and pointed an accusing finger his way. “I could have died!”

Trey raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure you could have, though it would have been very anticlimactic considering all the shit we’ve been through recently.”

This bought him a smirk from his companion.

Izumi adjusted her traveler’s outfit, moving the linen shirt about until she found a more comfortable position and then lightly hiccupped. “Oh damn it.”

“What? The hiccups?”

Izumi nodded sourly and hiccupped again. “Yes, I hate hiccupping. So tell me Trey, how are you liking our new home?”

The woman spread her arms all about her and turned around once before stopping to plant her elbows on the ship’s side railing again. She gave him an inquisitive look.

Trey blinked, thinking for a bit about what he really did think of their situation. Eventually he hung his head lower and snorted indifferently. “The magic is cool. The scenery is nice. But it’s all a little brutal. Very unforgiving. You and I have both died many times now, I know you know what I’m talking about. Thank god it wasn’t during one of these ‘OFF’ cycles the All Spirit talks about, otherwise we may have stayed dead.”

“All the more reason to stay careful! We’re in an OFF cycle right now!” Izumi replied cheerily, still keeping an optimistic outlook on thing. “Do you ever miss your family?”

Trey’s eyes saddened. “Of course I do. Thankfully I have a good group of friends to share my time with now though. I can only hope that my family made it out of that nuclear apocalypse. It’s just a lot to wrap my head around… what about you? Do you miss your family, Izumi?”

Izumi nodded. “Yeah. I cried about it a lot when I first got to this world, but I know my mom wouldn’t want me to stay sad. So every day I wake up and list the positive things I’ve got going for me or things I’m thankful for before getting out of bed!”

“Oh really?!” Trey chuckled at the enthusiasm in her voice. With passing clouds obscuring the sunset - the sky had finally turned dark, and lanterns and torches were being lit all across the city. Even their own crew members were already lighting a couple lanterns along the ship’s deck. “Maybe I should have an outlook like that. Sounds uplifting, I’ll give it a try tomorrow when I wake up. What are some of the things you’re thankful for?”

Izumi beamed, taking the pipe back from Trey when he offered it and puffing. This time she didn’t cough or sputter and took it like a champ. Letting the smoke out through her mouth and proudly wiggling her eyebrows up and down, she tapped her finger on her chin.

“Well, I’m thankful for making such good friends first of all! You, Jason and Ashe are all so nice to me. Your minions are really nice too! I especially like Napoleon, he’s so funny!” Izumi laughed loudly and for a while at a recent memory in which she’d been teaching Napoleon how to dance. It took her a minute to calm but she retained a huge grin nevertheless as she thought about the little imp and how ridiculous he often was.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to live freely again, instead of rotting in that cell back in Yosemar. I’m thankful that I have food to eat every day and am not starving. I’m thankful that I have a career set out for me as a blacksmith as long as I keep taking lessons. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to experience such a beautiful world. Even if it isn’t real, and I really do think it is, it looks and feels real. What even is the definition of ‘real’? Do you have to see it? Taste or touch it? Smell it? Does it have to be experienced through a physical body? You know, there was a physicist back on Earth that had a theory about how the universe worked a lot like a supercomputer. Other physicists had similar theories where they believed life as we knew it was a simulation or hologram. I’m not sure how all of that works, but to me this is just as real as it was when I lived back home. What if the All Spirit is telling the truth? Even if this is a simulation, so what? It said the NPC’s were just as alive as you and I, right? And if it was telling the truth, our physical bodies don’t even exist anymore back there. If it is true, then all we have is code. We are code. The NPC’s are code. So they are just as real as you or I. This has been on my mind a lot lately, but regardless of what the truth of the matter is… I am truly happy I met all of you.”

The girl’s smile pulled at Trey’s heartstrings and he found himself enjoying her company even more than he usually did, which was saying a lot. She was a genuine, kind and caring person, and she always found ways to uplift everyone else. If he had ever met someone pure of heart and soul, Izumi was it.

He cleared his throat after realizing his mouth was hanging down somewhat and rubbed his temple. “You never cease to amaze me with your attitude on life, Izumi. Never change. As for your opinion on the matter of what is real or not… I choose to believe it’s real. Napoleon is real to me. So is Atharost, so is Rivia. Sithis, Talshy… all of you. I one hundred percent agree with what you just said. This… is my life now.”

Izumi was happy to find out he shared her opinion, and widely smiled while giving him a firm pat on the shoulder. Taking another final puff on the pipe, she handed it to Trey and patted him on the back. “Thanks for looking out for us. It means a lot to everyone, especially Ashe and I but even to Jason. Jason and you may butt heads occasionally, but he really likes you even if he doesn’t say it to you directly. We owe you our lives. Thanks again.”

The eyes of the two friends locked and Trey tried not to tear up. Truth be told he was under a lot of stress and almost all of the time. Hearing those words from Izumi made his jaded mental barrier begin to crack, and all he could manage was an appreciating smile so that his voice wouldn’t quiver when he talked.

Izumi caught the hint and for him to save face, she changed the subject. “Are we staying on the ship tonight? Or are we going back to the Fost compound?”

Trey took a minute to calm himself down and let out a couple long yet silent exhales while staring out over the dock and to the beach where two groups of men were sitting at campfires further down. Then he cleared his throat again to reply. “We’ll stay on the ship. We should probably wait to travel to the guild compound when it’s light out, Teretog can be dangerous and we don’t have our permanence right now. I’ll keep first watch, go ahead and tell the others so y’all can catch some rest.”

Izumi nodded in appreciation and agreed with his assessment before walking off towards where the others were still talking about Eeme’s old life before she’d gotten here. Rivia was the only one not participating, and the demoness had strolled off to the end of the ship where she sat underneath a lantern to read out of Alkir’s First Writ. She held the small black book close to her face and inbetween reading would utter prayers to Alkir, the dark goddess she worshipped. Catching his glance, Rivia gave him a polite smile and turned her attention back to her unholy book.

Well, at least Rivia didn’t hate him anymore. Just as her minion status page indicated – she was subservient. She now did everything and anything he asked of her without question and it made dealing with her a lot easier. He looked her over again, appreciating her gorgeous features and thinking about what he was going to do to her later that night just as a flash of purple light erupted from not far down the beach.

Turning his head abruptly at the sound of screaming, he immediately saw what the commotion was about. Just exiting the docks off a smaller pier two spaces away was a small group of three red-robed men. Two of them were half-way through casting spells and the first frontmost man still had sparks of purple lightning trickling out from his outstretched hands from whence he’d cast his own spell. Trey knew enough from the color of mana to assume they were arcanists, mages that used the arcane type magics. It was a pretty common choice for those wanting battle magic and was well rounded with the types of spells one could learn from that attribute.

In front of the red-robed men was another group of five men and women standing on the sand of the beach, with a sixth man lying dead on the ground. The recently made corpse was utterly fried. And a moment later - all hell broke loose.