PreCursive

  Coughing, I sat up from the dirt as quickly as I could, if only to fix Venix with a gobsmacked look. “Excuse me?” I asked in plete disbelief.

  The Antium man finished shrugging his robe bato pce, from where it had fallen off his shoulders during our duel. He then crossed his arms and fixed me with aare, as the crowd in the background only started to react to Venix’s words.

  Mostly in the shock that I echoed.

  “I cede,” Venix repeated evenly, meeting my gaze. “You may now travel to Goryuen, and thus Mt. Gorenzan with my blessing. I shall even apany you.”

  I struggled back my feet, still gaping at the Antium man. “But…but…I lost?”

  “No you didn’t,” Venix immediately replied.

  I looked around desperately for a moment, meeting the gazes of some of the onlookers. They just shrugged at me. “Yes I did?”

  Venix actually rolled his eyes then, something I had never seen before. “No, you did not,” He said patiently. “I ceded, and thus you have won the duel.”

  His words were finally starting to pee the post-battle adrenaline I’d been swimming in, and when they did, my c pointed something out to me.

  I picked up my fallen spear aracted it, sheathing the dagger at the small of my back. As I did, I narrowed my eyes at the Antium samurai. “Was…this entire duel…just a way to get me to use Vis Exactoris Maledicta?”

  I couldn’t keep either the suspi, the indignation, or the irritation I felt out of my voice at that idea.

  Venix just shrugged and didn’t answer me. Still, I caught the fairace of a smirk on his ioid features.

  I scowled at him in response.

  So that had been his game. I’d thought it was odd that the normally agreeable Antium man had objected to the trip to the isle, despite the tragic story he told. It just wasn’t like him to stand in the way of adva.

  Venix sobered up, then, as the crowd began to whisper amongst themselves iement. I think the drama of it all ehem more thaual fight had. He met my eyes. “You were the only weak link, for an expedition to that hell,” He said seriously, causihten up in respohe Dwarf and the female Gnoll take care of themselves. They’re strong enough to brave Goryuen in a team, if only barely. The strength of the Healer is insequential. He ply his skillset safely to the rear of us and remain protected while he does. But it was you,” He said, unfolding one hand to point at me. “That did not have the strength to keep up upon the Isle of the Wyrm. Either in arm or in will. That is, if you refused to use the power of your transformation Skill. But with it?” Venix shook his head. “You will not be a burden, even if it only be maintained for short periods.”

  My scowl faded and I looked away from him, as my panions came to stand with us. “You couldn’t have just told me that?” I grumbled, with only a small measure of heat.

  “Nope,” Azarus said, smirking at me. “Ye’ve got a hard head, Nate. None ‘o us have been able ta get through ta ya, so Venix took it on himself.”

  Liora id a hand on my shoulder, drawing my gaze. There was a passionate look in the amethyst eyes of the normally taciturn Gnoll. “It is a hard lesson to learn,” She said seriously. “That strength is merely strength. It does not matter the source that it es from. Merely in how it is used. Remember that, Nathan.”

  Renauld just shrugged at me when my gaze wandered over to him. “I just think it’s too cool to never use,” He admitted freely. “I mean, an. You turn into some kind of…werebatlizard thing. That’s awesome.”

  I gave him the stink eye, while Azarus actually nodded along seriously. Liora just rolled her eyes.

  I don’t know what I was expeg. That was a very…Renauld thing to say.

  Still, I sighed and nodded. “Alright, alright,” I said tiredly, even though it was barely after sunrise. “I get the point. I’ll…use it, even if I don’t want to. It’s useful, at the very least.”

  “Good,” Venix cut in then, drawing our attention. There was a self-satisfied snt to his face. “Then if that is all, we leave for the isle at the soo opportunity.”

  Liora interrupted, coughing lightly into her fist. “Ah…Sir Venix, we were also waiting for Captain Isabel to return,” She said politely, causing him to blink in surprise. “You were not the only one we wished to apany us.”

  “I…see,” Venix said slowly. “Well. I have no objes to the pirate woman ing along. She is strong and ruthless enough to survive the dangers of Goryuen.”

  We all stood around in silence for a moment, I think mutually lost on how to proceed before Lady Saeko approached us.

  She actually flicked a hand our way. “Shoo, shoo,” She said dismissively. “I’m not ungrateful for the bit of m eai, but now my girls have to fix the yard. And we ’t do that if you five are just standing around awkwardly. I’m sure you all have better things to do.”

  I looked over her shoulder then, to see a small army of the inn’s wait and ing staff standing around politely for us to leave. The all teo be much more polite than the very forthwith Lady Saeko. The uests had all filtered away by that point, and it was just us out here.

  I flushed a little, straightened up, and then bowed to the proprietress. I noticed that all of my panions, including Renauld and Venix, copied me. “Apologies, Lady Saeko,” I murmured. “We’ll leave you be now.”

  At that, the five of us left the yard to the staff, who swarmed over the gouges in the earth my duel with Venix had created.

  …………………………….

  Eventually, roup decided to give Bel a week to e back before we left on our expedition. If she didn’t e back before then, we would just set out and catch up with her after we came back.

  I ’t deny being a bit relieved about it, after the…awkward way arted. Besides, it gave me some time to catch up on preparations for the trip, including the brewing I still o do. I essentially spent the hree days deep in a rented b not far from the inn, cooking up enough potions and pills for everyone.

  I finished up just in time.

  Because on the fourth day, the Thorny Reef sailed into port.

  ………………………………

  I didn’t know immediately, obviously. I’d just had another session with Elder Jinshin, and was walking back to the inn to rest up for the day. But the path that led back passed by the port of Hinaga, and I happeo cast my gaze over the sprawling plex from the upper tier of the city. I stopped in pce when the familiar sight of the pirate ship greeted my eyes, far off down below me. I could see a number of people scurrying about in the distance, loading and unloading the ship. Bel had a tendency to accept cargo, legitimate or otherwise, on her voyages. The crew were probably hawking whatever they had in the hold in this port.

  The sight of the Thorny Reef filled me with…mixed feelings. I almost, almost wao hop down a few levels and go greet the crew. I knew plenty of people who sailed with Bel by now, and was overall a weled sight among them.

  But oher, I could run into Bel. And that was…awkward.

  Oh, screw it. She robably already back at the inn, by now. The woman and most of her crew teo hole up in the same inn we frequented, here in Hinaga.

  I couldn’t put this off forever.

  ……………………………….

  I was right, of course. In an almost mirror of the initial frontation with Venix from the other day, Bel was catg up with Liora down in the dining room of the inn. It was about midday by now, and the two women were enjoying a cup of tea together. The two of them had hit up a surprisingly fast friendship, in the days after the tragedy at Elderwyck. I hadn’t initially realized quite how much they had in on at the time, but they sure had.

  Holy, I think Bel might be Liora’s closest friend, at this point.

  I was happy for her.

  Truly.

  Said pirate Captain looked…good, holy. She didn’t have to pretend to be ‘Captain Nicollette of the Coral Squall’, her Blueback cover persona, here in Hinaga. Kawamara was generally permissive of Herztalian pirates hawking their ill-gotten goods in their ports, as long as they weren’t ‘operating’ in their waters, so to speak. It oint of tentioweewo tries, as I uood it.

  For being the only twe Human nations, there wasn’t much love lost between them.

  As such, she was ba her old blue coat and bck leathers, cutss at her side. Her hat was resting oable o her cup, while her long, curly, salt-kissed raven hair hung around her sharp features.

  Liora noticed me immediately, of course, and it only took Bel a moment to turn and follow her gaze.

  The smile that had been on the pirate’s face immediately smoothed away at the sight of me, leaving only a bnk expression behind. Somehow, that was more intimidating than a scowl would have been.

  I internally ged but didn’t allow it to show on my face or affect my stride. Instead, I just kept walking towards their table as nontly as I could. “Liora, Bel,” I said, with a smile fixed on my face. “Good to see you’re ba tow-”

  Bel interrupted me abruptly by shooting to her feet, almost rocketing up from the pillow she’d been sitting on. Arouhing form, I could see Liora trying and failing to suppress an amused smile on her vulpiures from around a teacup.

  Eye to eye now with Bel, I saw her own blue eyes narrow at me. This time, I allowed a ge to slip through my ag.

  Abruptly, she raised her right arm, and I braced myself. I almost expected the woman to sp, or hell, even punch me. It wouldn’t be out of character, sidering how we’d parted.

  Instead, she seized me by the colr of my robe, and started bodily dragging me across the dining room, and up the stairs to the rooms above. I yelped like a struck dog, but didn’t try to stop her. If anything, I was relieved.

  At least we weren’t going to have this versation in public.

  Behind me, I heard Liora speak, her words floating up to us as Bel dragged me up to the sed flood luck,” She said, amusement thi her tone.

  Yeah, I’d probably .

  Wait, she was talking to me…right?

  Bel dragged me all the way to the room that was reserved for her use, yanking open the sliding door when we reached it. She all but tossed me inside o en, causio stagger through the opening. I caught my footing just in time to watch as the door slid closed with a click, ahumbed an activation ruo an array I’d yered over the room at her request.

  A sileng one.

  I gulped when the woman narrowed her stormy blue eyes at me once again. Still silent, I held up my hands to ward her off, as the pirate stalked towards me. “Look, Bel,” I began, trying to speak calmly. “About st time-”

  She interrupted me by pg one hand on my chest and shoving me. I let out an oof as I staggered backward, my back impag the wall of the room. I didn’t get another ce to speak before Bel got up close and personal with me. I was struck silent, then, as only inches remained iweewo of us.

  We were close enough that I could feel her breath on my lips.

  After staring into my eyes for a silent moment, Bel let out a slight sigh. “Fuck it,” I thought I heard her murmur under her breath.

  Before I could react, her hand shot up, grasped the bay head, and pulled me forward.

  Directly onto her lips.

  Oh…

  I see.

  So she wasn’t mad, then.

  I rexed into the kiss with Bel, threading my arms around her waist as she did the same with her free hand.

  Things…evolved from there.