Chapter 115: Chapter 17

The following few days on the ship were… strenuous, the sudden spike in hormones caused by Hecatolite along with the cramped quarters caused, along with the lack of outlet for most of the crew, a strange tension to build throughout the crew. Thankfully taking after their father, Amethyst had a solution for this, surprising everyone when Eryl agreed that it was the “perfect solution”.

    Watching Amethyst nearly toss one of the older men over the edge of the ship, Eryl called out to the man. “You can’t just rush in like that,” she exclaimed as Amethyst parried another strike from behind her. “Good, take advantage of the situation but you need to move faster into position!” She barked orders from the upper deck, watching over the impromptu battle taking place in the makeshift arena that had been formed in the middle of the ship.

    “Captain,” one of the men called out, panting as he stumbled back to the edge of the ring. “There has to be a faster way.”

    “There is,” Eryl smirked as she looked down at the man, “but it is significantly more dangerous. The fastest way to gain strength is to battle someone of equal strength or stronger than yourself, actual battle experience is invaluable but hard to come by given the dangers. But if you would like to speed the process up there are several ways we could achieve this.” She paused, bringing a finger to her chin, “For instance, we could give Amethyst her actual sword, though allowing her to use her magic would be counterproductive given the likelihood of running into another space mage. Or maybe you would rather have Hecatolite substitute for her?”

    The man frantically shook his head, remembering that they had opted to not include Hecatolite given her inability to control herself. She wouldn’t kill the men but simply being alive left a lot of room for, as Hecatolite called it “interpretation”. 

    Amethyst couldn’t help but shake her head as she swatted another man on the shoulder with her wooden sword. She appreciated the practice since Eryl had pointed out her over reliance on her magic in fighting. It was not a bad thing, but if she was ever caught in a situation where she couldn’t use her power it would help. Not only that, but she did really need practice fighting, especially against multiple opponents. She hated to admit it, but she was a bit overwhelmed on the heroes’ ship, forced to focus her entirety on dodging and taking a few opportune slashes. This fighting style was not necessarily bad, it was the way her mother fought actually; Hecatolite had stated Taaffeite was more of a duelist than a fighter, more focused on one-on-one fighting instead of group battles. This however meant the moment there was more than one adversary they would immediately be put on their back foot, having to focus on “trick fighting”, utilizing their magic to protect themselves until they essentially got lucky. As opposed to her father who was a warrior who excelled on battling overwhelming forces, using his magic as more of an area denial tactic and simply overpowering anyone who could withstand the heat.

Amethyst herself couldn’t master either of these fighting styles, she could imitate their mother if she was so inclined; though being forced to constantly teleport around was… disorientating. And unlike their father her magic was not exactly suited for large area spells. But if she could master defending from multiple angles at once she might be able to create enough breathing room for herself to plan more, instead of running every time something came at her she could block it and plan out a better placed teleportation.

     She watched as Eryl sighed, the woman’s shoulders slumping as she clapped her hands. “Not bad, but you all are still too disorganized. You need to work together, remember you're going to be fighting entire crews, not one girl with a stick. Coordinate with one another, remember it doesn’t matter who gets the last strike in as long as it's someone on your side.”

    The men all nodded warily as they drug themselves off into the ship.  “And you, Amethyst. You’re doing better defending your blind spot, but you need to be faster to attack. You always hesitate after blocking; I understand your concern for the crew but none of them are so fragile that you’ll kill them with a single strike with a broom handle.”

    Amethyst couldn’t hold back her slight chuckle as she moved to fix the stick she had been using back into the head of the deck brush she had stolen it from. “Of course,” she said, stretching her arms. she knew it was a weakness she would need to address, even after all this time she was still hesitant to attack a person. But that was not what pulled the edges of her mouth into a slight smirk as she looked up at Eryl. “So… Has my sister said anything to you?” 

    Eryl’s face shifted for a moment, her large blue eyes seeming too dull as a very faint frown tugged the corners of her mouth, as she contemplated the question.

    Hecatolite had taken to avoiding Eryl since the night of the party. A truly impressive feat given the size of the ship, yet somehow, she managed. As far as Amethyst knew, Hecatolite and Eryl haven’t even been within arm’s length of each other since then. Though, there were clearly… side effects. Hecatolite has not left Saris’s side, appointing herself as the pregnant woman’s protector; spending all her time doting over the woman as if she herself was the child. Himari has tried to explain to Hecatolite that the woman hadn’t even begun showing signs of pregnancy yet, and she would still need to exercise regularly not only for her health but the baby as well. Finally, Amethyst had to step in earlier today and push the care for the woman onto Wolf, surprisingly Hecatolite valued his opinion when it came to the baby; though given she had appointed him the “father” of the child maybe it wasn’t too surprising. Regardless, she had conceded when Amethyst prompted Wolf to tell Hecatolite that he wished for his “wife” to be healthy for his “child’s” sake.

    Though Wolf protested originally, Amethyst couldn’t help but notice the care the man took when around Saris. It could have been fear of Hecatolite but when he looked at Saris, there was a glint in his eye that reminded her of Hans. She wouldn’t say he had fallen for the woman, but she was sure he would protect her and the unborn child.

    Aside from her sister’s sudden infatuation with the woman, a strange obsession that was clearly a way to distract herself, Eryl herself was different. Not obviously so, but enough to be noticed. She seemed more… expressive, her normally stoic face seeming softer; where before her ears would be the only tell of her emotion now if one looked closely, they could see the corners of her mouth rise and fall with her mood. And then there was the strange distracted look she wore on occasion, more than once Amethyst had accidently snuck up on the woman, always soliciting a surprised gasp from her that seemed to shock Eryl as much as it did Amethyst. 

    Amethyst wouldn’t tell anyone, but she did enjoy surprising Eryl, not for any reason other than knowing Hecatolite could never manage to do it. She had seen Hecatolite try several times to sneak up on Eryl, always ending in failure, making it seem like Eryl had some sixth sense telling her whenever someone got close. Though now she knew that wasn’t true, another surprised gasp was proof enough of that as she appeared beside Eryl who’s eyes snapped to her.

    “No.” She finally answered, her face falling into her usual neutral expression as her ears drooped. “I have not seen Hecatolite in nearly a week now, I am starting to think she’s avoiding me.”

    Amethyst fought to not roll her eyes. Eryl was probably the only person on the ship that had not realized that yet. “Have you tried talking to her?”

    Eryl actually raised an eyebrow, though Amethyst had to hold back a giggle as one of her ears rose with motion. “I have nothing I wish to speak with her about currently, if Hecatolite wishes to speak or ask a question, I am sure she will come to me as she has done in the past.”

    Amethyst rolled her eyes at that. If it was not for years of dealing with Hecatolite, Amethyst would think it was impossible for someone to be that dense. Though it was odd how Eryl’s mood shifted the same way Hecatolite’s did. One moment she would be smirking, the next everything shifts to the monotone almost robotic movements… 

    Amethyst's thoughts were cut short as a raindrop fell on the crown of her head. “What?” she said, looking up at the sky. “What?” She repeated as her eyes went wide. It had been a bright sunny day, but now there were dark clouds forming in the sky. “I’m no expert but that can't be natural.” She spoke with a slight tremor as she watched the clouds move with unnatural speed, as if battling the once blue sky.

    “It’s not.” Eryl replied bluntly, turning to the helm of the ship. to say Eryl was yelling out orders would have been a lie, though her voice carried to be heard by the entire crew it was not louder than if she had been standing directly beside you. “Everyone to their stations, furl the sails and prepare for rough waters.”

   

“Inutil what the hell is going on!?” Hecatolite yelled, holding onto the bed as the entire room tilted to the side. Having heard the warning she quickly rushed to the room that housed Saris and all but tied the woman down with her tail just before the first wave hit them.

    “It would appear that the ship has been caught in a rather violent storm.” Inutil replied, appearing beside her as she held onto the now screaming woman. 

    “How did we get “caught” in a storm? Why didn’t we avoid it!” Hecatolite growled as they were violently flung to the other side, using her tail to catch them just barely keeping the woman from being flung from the bed. 

    “There are several possibilities,” Inutil flashed as one of the few loose chairs slammed into it. “Given how quickly the storm formed it is safe to assume it is unnatural. This could be caused by residual mana in the area, or a large-scale spell. there are several creatures that can affect the weather on this scale as well, though it is unlikely that any would approach the ship with both you and Amethyst aboard.”

    “What can cause a hurricane?” 

    “This is not a hurricane. However, some older dragons can cause a storm of this size, though they would not be this far out at sea. It is possible that a Leviathan could cause a storm though they are rarely spotted this close to the surface.”

    “A Leviathan?!” The terrified woman screamed in Hecatolite’s ear causing her to roll her eyes.

    “I’ll be damned if I am going to get killed by an oversized fish.” Hecatolite growled, catching the woman again as the room shifted.  

    “Again, it is unlikely that a Leviathan is the cause. Please note that a Leviathan is not a fish, it would be closer to a squid from your previous world though the comparison is still inadequate.”

    “Is there anything I can do?” Hecatolite asked, her annoyance clear as she wrapped Saris in a tight hug. Her tail shot out, wrapping around one of the rafters in the room just as the ship lurched to the side. The two of them swung to the side, suspended in the air before falling back into the bed.

    “Unlikely, with the lack of powerful wind or water magic there is no choice but to attempt to navigate the storm. Please note that Mother Eryl is currently doing all she can to keep the ship from capsizing, you would likely cause more…`` The terminal paused when Hecatolite glared at it, and decided quickly to change its approach. “You would be best served keeping Saris safe during this time. The ship will be fine.”

    Hecatolite would have clawed the terminal if she wasn’t using both her arms to hold the now limp Saris onto the bed. “Please don’t puke on me.” She said rolling to the side as Saris did exactly that. She let out a groan as she caught the woman again to keep her from falling. “How long until we are out of this?” 

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    “Unknown. It could be hours, or it could be…” the entire ship lurched as a thunderous sound shook the walls. The entire ship going still even though Hecatolite could still hear the storm battering the ship…

    “Did… did we crash?” Slowly standing she laid the now unconscious Saris onto the bed. 

    Inutil replied with a message from Amethyst. “Hecatolite, please come here… quickly.”

    “That… can’t be good.” She said looking at Saris, the woman looked as if she would not wake up for a while. “Stay here,” She had contemplated taking the woman with her but if the ship suddenly started tossing again while they were above deck, she could be thrown into the sea. And Hecatolite had to accept the woman was much safer down here in the room if there was a giant tentacle monster attacking the ship. Not that Hecatolite couldn’t defend her and fight at the same time, just who would bring a pregnant lady to a battle? But could she just leave her here? 

    Hecatolite chewed the inside of her lip looking around the small cabin before coming to a decision. She quickly threw everything that wasn’t nailed down out into the hall and quickly wrapped the woman in anything “soft” she could find. Not much, just any spare cloth and a blanket or two before nodding to herself. “I’ll come back if the ship starts rocking again.” She said before rushing out of the room, being sure to latch the door on her way out.

    It had only taken a minute before she flew out of the door leading to the deck of the ship. Skidding to a stop she barely had enough time to take in the brilliant blue sky above the ship before she was grabbed and pulled aside.

    “What…” a hand slammed over her mouth. 

    “Shh.” Amethyst held a finger up to her mouth before pointing to a tall man who was… bowing to Eryl. A very confused looking Wolf standing beside her.

    So that’s where he was! Why was he not with Saris… Hecatolite glared at Wolf causing the man to shiver… Oh, he has a sword this time! He must be trying to protect the ship! look at that, proper father like. Good, good. I can forgive him then. She smiled as he looked around, their eyes meeting and she gave him a thumbs up.

    “So, what’s going on?” She whispered, sizing the bowing man up.

    He would have been as tall as Eryl had he not been on his knees, with long brown hair he had tied back to show off his angular features and large brown eyes. Though he was wearing some kind of strange angular armor that seemed to pad out his chest and arms it did little to hide his thin wiry frame, a long-curved sword hung from his hip looking to Hecatolite as if it had been made of glass. Though out of all that what stood out most about the man was his long ears solidifying him as an elf in her mind. Jutting out from each side of his head, though it looked as if the left one had been clipped off, were two longish ears. About half the length of Eryl’s own…

    “Apparently they are apologizing for attacking us.” Amethyst whispered.

    “What? They attacked us?” 

    “Yes, a bunch of them jumped aboard right before I called you, but when they saw Eryl they tried to surround her then… well she said something to them in elven and now they are apologizing.” Amethyst didn’t exactly know what to make of the situation either. It had all happened too fast for her to follow, though she was sure there would be questions about the Elven man she had disarmed…

    After a tense minute Wolf came over to the two of them as Eryl ushered the Elven man off the ship. “What’s up plague, your wife is safe by the way. Good job protecting the ship and all, but you should really keep an eye on her more. Let the crew fight next time, ok?” Hecatolite patted his arm soliciting an eye roll from Wolf.

    He sighed, looking rather haggard as he looked to Amethyst for help. She simply shook her head, “She has a point you know, what if she got captured? Or worse?” 

    Clearing his throat, “I will keep that in mind.”

    “Good, now what’s the deal with clipped ear over there?” Hecatolite asked gesturing to the Elven man who was still bowing profusely to Eryl.

    Wolf smirked, he briefly thought of a joke before thinking better of it. if Hecatolite took him seriously she would likely kill that man, and if Eryl found out… well he was not sure what would be worse. “Well, they thought we were a slave ship or a Algamir patrol that had fought its way through their barrier.”

    “Barrier?” Hecatolite cocked her head to the side looking out to see a rather ominous looking wall of black clouds behind the ship, craning her neck to look to both sides. The wall seemed to stretch out in both directions as far as she could see… “Thats a fucked up storm cloud.” she noticed it was perfectly straight, reminding her of the divide in their soul space… “Hey, I haven't been to the soul space in a while… Did it change when we split?”

    Amethyst shrugged, since separating neither of them had a reason to go to their soul space. But she opted not to comment as it would just distract Hecatolite if they started talking about it now. “That explains why they suddenly attacked us.” Amethyst glanced at the man that finally left their ship, though it looked more like Eryl pushed him overboard than him leaving on his own.

    “Yea well apparently having an Elven woman on the deck did not pacify their worries. And now…” Wolf’s face scrunched as if trying to think of a way to explain the situation. His elven was passable at best, but either that man was trying very hard to court Eryl or… “Well, they think she’s a goddess… maybe. Something about a pure elf. Could have been prime elf…”

    “They believe I am what’s known as a “Chekutanga”.” Eryl called out her ears twitching as she muttered something to herself before turning to face them. “They have agreed to escort us to Felnnor.”

    “Really, he didn’t seem keen on letting a human ship into their lands.” Wolf quipped.

    “They weren’t,” Eryl sighed, before making her way to the helm of their ship. “It should be fine, they have promised the ship's safety, even going as far as to allow us to resupply, though most of the crew will not be allowed ashore. Mainly any humans.”

    “Well, that’s going to be a problem our crew is like…” Hecatolite paused and counted her fingers, though Amethyst could help but be curious as she only counted to six before yelling, “Half human!”

    “Hecatolite… the crew is… all humans.” Amethyst replied looking at her sister who shook her head.

    “What? really?”

    “Who did you count just now?” she asked.

    “Well, you, me, Eryl, Calamari, Plague, and Saris.”

    “Why does Saris get a name, and I don’t!?” Wolf blurted out causing Hecatolite to shrug only to stop when Amethyst shook her head.