Chapter 39

‘Smitten’ felt like an understatement when describing Ikuno and Roka’s meeting aboard the Dauntless. Due to her size, Roka enjoyed the novelty of being tossed around. Most of her lovers were much smaller than her, so she usually did the tossing. Kal’s ability to dominate her with his magical strength was part of why she asked to join his harem. The thought of how he pinned her to the bed and made love to her long and slow until she begged him to let her climax sent shivers up her spine. Then, the mage returned with a blue monster of a woman and looked at her with eyes filled with desire. Roka had a hard time thinking straight for the rest of the day. When she finally retired to her cabin, Kal and Ikuno were waiting for her.

The mage sat at the Captain’s table, sipping ale, while Ikuno sat next to him on the floor since the seats were too small for someone her size. The oni smirked and crawled over to Roka, not like a housecat wanting to be petted but like a jaguar stalking its prey. Ikuno asked something about forming a bond with Kal, and Roka vaguely remembered answering before the oni pulled her into a deep kiss.

The bovine knew that despite her strength, the oni’s steely arms were impossible to escape, and the thought turned her pussy from damp to soaked. Ikuno pushed Roka back to her bed, being careful not to hit her head on the beams supporting the ceiling and deck above, then quickly stripped the cow-girl and pushed her on top of the soft mattress before burying her face in Roka’s sex. Normally, the heifer liked to take things a little slower, especially with a new lover. But at that moment, the oni’s tongue lapping at her pussy was exactly what she wanted and needed.

Roka lay back with her hand over her mouth to contain the lowing moans that would make it plain to her crew the activities happening in her cabin. She only looked up when Ikuno started moaning rhythmically into her sex and found Kal had flipped up the leather flap covering the oni’s bottom and begun fucking the large woman from behind.

The cow-girl came first, with Kal following close behind. His seed then triggered the oni’s climax. Ikuno’s body still trembled from her orgasm as she swapped positions with Roka, laying across the bed and guiding the bovine’s mouth to her freshly filled sex. As she started licking and sucking on the oni’s pussy, Kal’s seed on her tongue triggered another, smaller orgasm. The mage turned it into a much bigger climax when he slid his magic cock deep into her pussy.

The bovine thought she might have died and gone to heaven as Ikuno took hold of her ears and ground her sex against Roka’s face, filling her senses with the woman’s scent while Kal began slamming his cock into her pussy. Roka tried to give as well as she had gotten, but her senses were so overloaded the bovine’s tongue mostly just lolled out of her mouth and only occasionally took an active swipe across the blue pussy pressed against it.

Roka built quickly to her third climax in what felt like only a handful of minutes as the mage pounded into her, his cock lightly nudging her womb’s entrance with each stroke. Her belly tightened, and the bovine shoved her soft tongue as deep into the oni as it would go before wailing into the woman’s sex as she came.

Ikuno pulled Roka up and cradled her in her arms, something she had never experienced with any lover, even Kal.

Ikuno squeezed Roka and grinned at Kal. “I think she’s a keeper.”

For the next few days, the two could barely keep their hands off each other, sometimes to the point of making Kal feel like the helper in their lovemaking. Kal didn’t mind, though. Kashka was more than a little riled up from the prospect of seeing Ratt again, and there were a few crew members originally from The Scarlet Bitch who asked for some of his time.

Things aboard The Dauntless seemed to be going quite well. A small group of trainees boarded The Gazelle when it passed through, and a larger group would be joining The Scarlet Bitch. That Roka and her crew managed to train such a large group of monster girls into fairly competent sailors in less than a month was no small feat.

He got a clue as to her success when The Dauntless set sail on their second and third days aboard. The seasoned crew members sat back and watched their charges work, giving suggestions and corrections but making the recruits do most of the work with their hands.

But it wasn’t all smiles. There were a few women who gave sailing a solid try but decided that life at sea just wasn’t for them. How someone could choose to return to the city slums over a well-paying job as a sailor was beyond Kal’s comprehension. Kashka explained it as the women preferring a life they grew up in, knew, and understood over the unknown of boarding a ship and letting it take them over the horizon to ports and dangers unknown. Roka pointed out that their almost daily journeys out to sea were far enough that Soma and Azumbaho disappeared beyond the horizon. The trainers would bring this to the recruits’ attention, and that was often the deciding moment as to whether or not they would stay.

Thankfully, there was no shortage of women to take their place. Soma’s monster girl slums lost a fair number of women to The Dauntless but were just as quickly refilled by those coming in from other cities. Whenever a trainee left the ship, it was a small matter to escort them back to the slums and return with their replacement.

Roka said that the Soma’s monster girl slums had changed since Kal’s visit. As women came back from the ship and told stories of how Kal and Roka were keeping their promise and not throwing them in cages, the entire slum now had an air of hope about it that felt a little out of place, considering it still looked as dirty and run-down as when they first laid eyes on it.

Kal inquired about the state of The Dauntless’s coffers, and Roka said there was little cause for concern. On its first pass around the Azum-Mainland trade route, The Gazelle hardly made any coin in Silvermoon thanks to penalties for late delivery because of Darrow’s ill-fated attempt to capture The Scarlet Bitch. Luckily, they picked up some lucrative cargo in Calfera and Kuji to make up for it. When The Gazelle offloaded in Soma, its Captain, Wonna, came to visit and brought a small boost to the coffers before taking back some of the better-trained recruits to fill out her crew. Things seemed to be going equally well for The Gazelle, but Wonna looked forward to taking on the new hands. Since leaving Soma the last time, they had been working with little more than a skeleton crew, and the trainees would give the men and women on her ship some much-needed rest.

On their fourth day aboard The Dauntless, The Scarlet Bitch arrived in Soma. Roka had Captain Ratt’s new sailors waiting at the pier as The Bitch came into port. The extra hands made quick work of unloading and loading cargo. Though they probably could have set sail that evening and been out of the harbor before sundown, Ratt and Scarlet let the new sailors have a last night with their families and loved ones before their month-long absence. It also gave Roka, Kal, and Ikuno a last, passionate night together. Kashka bid farewell to The Dauntless and its crew earlier that day and joined Ratt aboard The Scarlet Bitch.

Now, they were aboard The Bitch, sailing away from Soma, and Ikuno was decidedly unhappy. Not only was she being taken away from her new playmate, but The Scarlet Bitch was notably smaller than The Dauntless, with smaller rooms and lower ceilings, none of which she fit into with any degree of comfort. This left her sleeping on the floor in the cargo hold until the ship’s ropemaster could fashion a large and strong hammock to hold her. Already annoyed at being treated like cargo and having to crawl up and down stairs meant for people significantly smaller than her just to get to her ‘quarters,’ she sat on the steps to the forecastle and watched The Dauntless fade into the distance.

“You’re showing off to the crew,” said Kal, nodding toward her exposed sex as he approached from Scarlet and Tavorah’s cabin.

The oni frowned as her eyes shifted to her lover. “Let them look. Why didn’t you warn me we were switching ships?” She looked back at the Dauntless and sighed. “Damn, I’m going to miss that girl’s tongue.”

“And I’m sure she will miss yours,” said Kal as he used a bit of magic to leap onto the forecastle, then nudged her bottom with his foot to get her to make room. “Just so we’re clear. I mentioned many times that we were sailing to Silvermoon on the Scarlet Bitch, not the Dauntless. I was not expecting you and Roka to hit it off as well as you did.” He looked over at the Captain’s Cabin, where Ratt and Kashka continued their passionate reunion now that the ship was underway. “I’ll need to keep the rest of my women away from these ships at this rate.”

Ikuno rolled her eyes. “I’m not that bad. Besides, we were only aboard for four days.”

“Most of which you spent in Roka’s cabin.”

“But that wide, soft tongue. You should have bonded her for that alone.”

“I promised her I would next trip if she was still interested. But I’m not bonding a woman to me just because you are smitten by the girl’s tongue. Although I’ve experienced it enough to see the appeal.”

“Come on now, Kal. I was joking. I wouldn’t push you to form a bond on that alone.”

“Considering all the moaning from her cabin the past few days, I wonder.” The mage chuckled as Ikuno glared at him. “I understand. There are reasons I promised her a spot among my women on my next visit.”

Ikuno sighed as Soma disappeared beyond the horizon. “It’s awful to say, but I hope she’s still unattached when we return.”

“I think ‘awful’ is a strong word, but it’s definitely selfish.”

“That’s not better.”

Kal shrugged. “I tried.”

“Well, you can make it up to me by joining me in my ‘room’ tonight,” she said with a hint of bitterness about her lodgings.

“Don’t forget, that’s my room too.”

“What?”

“Did you think I would leave you to sleep by yourself down there? I’ll be in the hold with you until we get to Silvermoon.”

Ikuno stared at the mage for a long moment before chuckling, “I love you.”

Kal grinned. “I know.”

Kashka crawled up Ratt’s body as The Scarlet Bitch’s Captain caught her breath from the latest orgasm caused by the cat’s tongue. She could still taste her own juices from earlier as they shared a passionate kiss in each other’s arms.

“I hope you’re prepared, kitty-cat,” said Ratt as her panting breaths slowed to a normal pace, “I plan on doing that a lot before we get to Silvermoon. I’ll need to get my fill before you disappear with your mage again.”

Kashka squeezed her lover close before sighing heavily.

“What’s wrong, kitty-cat?” the Captain asked.

“Ikuno.”

“Is she coming between you and Kal?”

“No, it’s not that. Kal loves me the same as he ever did, but he loves Ikuno just as much. It makes things ... confusing.”

“How so?”

“Kal’s love and desire for Ikuno bleed over into me. It doesn’t help that because of the bond I know her more intimately than you or any of the girls on this ship I played around with. Ikuno is easy to love when seen through Kal’s eyes, and I want to love her the way he and Aradelle and all the other girls do.” She looked up at Ratt with tears forming in her eyes. “But letting myself love her that way feels like I’m betraying you.”

Ratt gathered the cat into her arms as she started to sob. “Please don’t cry, kitten. I forget that Kal was your first and only love until me. Listen, you will be traveling to the far side of the world at his side. Like your trip to Soma, he and you will likely end up bedding many women, some for fun, some for duty, and some because it’s necessary. If I were the only other person besides him you developed feelings for, I would be shocked. I understood when we parted that your heart might be pulled in different directions, especially considering the company you keep. All I ask is that you keep a little bit of your love reserved for me and come back and see me when you can. But don’t be afraid to love others while you are out adventuring in this big world.”

“Will you do the same? Save a little something that’s just for me?”

“I already have, Kashka. I may take other lovers while I’m waiting for you to return, but I had no idea when you crawled up into my crow’s nest how deeply you would worm your way into my heart in such a short time.”

The cat took a deep breath, but this time, she relaxed into Ratt’s arms as she slowly exhaled. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you had been upset with me.”

Ratt chuckled. “I feel bad. I thought we had agreed a month ago that we weren’t going to be exclusive with one another. Not that you could be with your bond to Kal, and if I’m being fair, I’m not going to pass up some human dick if the opportunity arises. I guess I didn’t express that clearly.”

“No, I think you did. I’ve just never done anything like this, and I think it got into my head. As you said, I don’t have a lot of experience outside Kal.”

“I’m not sure how much that experience would help, really. Your situation with the mage is unique.” It was Ratt’s turn to sigh. “Much as I want to stay here and snuggle, I have a ship to run and a bunch of trainees to keep tabs on. I may have Scarlet and Kolas’s experience to rely on, but I don’t want to use it unless necessary. This is my ship now, and the crew needs to understand that.” She kissed Kashka’s forehead. “Although, I think they’ll forgive me for wanting to spend some time with you since you are wandering off to the other side of the world.”

“Back to work then?” Kashka asked, giving Ratt a peck on the lips before slipping out of her arms and off the bed. Ratt watched with hungry eyes as the cat stretched. “Do you want me back in the rigging?”

“Only if you want to. This trip is different from the last. You don’t have to work to pay your way, and between the men and the swabbies from The Dauntless, we aren’t hurting for crew.”

“How are the men working out?” asked Kashka as she bent over to pick up her discarded clothing from the floor. She heard the rustle of sheets behind her and stayed in that position. The cat giggled as Ratt grasped her hips and took a long lick from her clit all the way up to her pucker.

“I needed one more taste before you covered that sweet pussy up. As for the men, each has a small group of women they take care of on a rotation. The younger men can manage two loads a day, but I think the girls have decided that draining them once a day is enough. The only complaint from the women has been that too much sex makes their cum thin and runny, and giving them a day to recover fixes that.

“We managed to take on two more men in Calfera. The other sailors in port gave them a hard time, but Kolas had them get blowjobs from a couple of the girls right there on the maindeck, and that shut down most of the harassment. Scarlet was pissed at Kolas for not clearing the stunt with her or me beforehand, but he thinks that we may have some more sailors interested in joining the crew. If what Scarlet has planned actually works, we’ll need them.”

“Care to share?”

“You can probably ask Kal through your mind magic by now. But the short story is that The Perdition is scheduled to arrive in Silvermoon a few days after we do. The plan is to split The Bitch’s crew and take over The Perdition. Unlike The Dauntless, we won’t be offering the existing crew the chance to stay aboard.”

“Who will captain The Perdition?”

“I will. Though it won’t have that name for long. Scarlet agreed to look after Kal’s affairs in Silvermoon. She expects to use The Scarlet Bitch as a headquarters of sorts until she gets established.”

“Port fees will get expensive.”

“Aye, but the alternative is leaving The Scarlet Bitch to Kolas, and Red isn’t ready to give him a ship, if Kal would even allow it. He’s played nice while he’s been aboard, and he’s certainly become an asset, but none of us can forget he was a slaver.”

Kashka’s eyes lost focus for a moment as she had a quick conversation with Kal. “What do you think he would need to do for Kal and Scarlet to trust him?”

Ratt shrugged. “Swear an oath? But oaths are just words and easily broken.”

“Not when magic is involved. Magic can make an oath powerfully binding. Another of Kal’s women, Perra, had to deal with just how strong they could be when dealing with an enemy of his family.

“That might convince Red to trust him, but I wouldn’t count on it. I’ll bring up the idea to her later,” she said, standing up and starting to dress since Kashka was clothed and waiting for her. “Will I see you tonight, or are you spending it with the oni?”

“I’ll be here,” said the cat. “I need a few more days to think about the situation with Ikuno.”

Kolas entered the Captain’s cabin as requested later that night. The Dauntless’s former Captain closed the door behind him with more than a little trepidation. His men were keeping out of trouble, and the crew seemed happier than he ever remembered on his own ship. But the mage was back, and he worried that something had changed in Kal’s absence that might ruin the good thing he appeared to have fallen into.

His fears felt justified when he saw the stern and somber looks of Commandant Scarlet, Navigator Tavorah, Captain Ratt, and Kal. With them were the mage’s two women, the demon cat with whom the mage wreaked havoc on the mercenaries during The Dauntless’s battle with The Scarlet Bitch sat on Kal’s side closest to Captain Ratt, and the giant blue-skinned woman who boarded with them knelt beside him on the other.

“Have a seat, Kolas,” said Captain Ratt, pointing at one of the empty chairs, “and relax a little. We have serious matters to discuss, but there’s no need to look like you are walking to the gallows.”

“Before we begin,” said Kal as the man took the seat next to the blue woman, “Kolas, how are you feeling about your stay aboard The Scarlet Bitch?”

“The time since we last left Soma’s been some of the best sailin’ I can remember. The crew is happy and working hard. The men aren’t scared for their lives and enjoyin’ takin’ care o’ the womenfolk. Aside from the occasional spat, there hasn’t been much for me to do. I’ve taken to grabbin’ a rope and haulin’ on it just so the Captain and Commandant don’t throw me overboard. O’ course, the new sailors are still a little green and need some help. I imagine they’ll be keepin’ me busy.”

“And what about your love life?” asked Tavorah.

Kolas chuckled. “I shouldn’t have figured I’d keep that a secret for long. I’ll admit I’ve grown a little attached to the girl. She was the first to give me a chance after you captured The Dauntless, and the only one to keep coming back to see me. All the rest of my bedmates wandered off to the younger men.”

Tavorah nodded with a grin before looking at Kal and his companions. “Kolas and one of our cooks, the sheep-girl, have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

“I’ve made it clear that I won’t tell another of the girls no if she comes to me for relief.”

“Aye, but I believe your lover has been asking the girls to leave you to her. As the former Captain of a slaving ship, she didn’t get much resistance,” the elf explained.

“I didn’t know...”

“I don’t think she wanted you to know.”

Kolas sighed. “I thought they’d mostly forgiven me.”

“Absolution is not in everyone’s hearts, Kolas,” said Scarlet. “I’ll be cordial to you, even nice, but we will never be friends, and I will never forgive you for your past.”

“Better to forgive and be a bitch toward him for the rest of your life than let that hatred fester in your heart,” said Ikuno.

“I’ve told her the same thing,” said Tavorah. “But Red needs this right now. She’ll forgive him in a few years.”

“Hush, you,” hissed Scarlet, elbowing the elf in the ribs. “Now, I’m going to ask you something, and you need to understand there is no punishment for saying no.”

“The look on yer face is a little frightenin’, but ask your question.”

“Will you swear an oath of fealty to Kal?”

“An oath of fealty? What in the world would you need that for?”

“For me,” said Scarlet. “In the near future, I will need captains for Kal’s ships. You’ve proven your worth this past journey, but you were still a slaver, and I can’t let that go.”

“Understand that this will not be just any oath, but one made in the presence of magic. It will be binding until released by myself or Scarlet,” Kal added.

“Sounds serious, but if I take this oath, then you’ll make me captain of one of Darrow’s other ships?”

Scarlet began to answer when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!” called Ratt.

Three of The Scarlet Bitch’s four cooks entered, each bearing a tray of food, which they slotted into depressions on the table. Two of the cooks left, but Kolas caught the wrist of the sheep-girl.

“I have one condition,” said the former Captain. “If you give me my own command, she comes with me.” Nobody at the table missed the softness that crept into Kolas’s expression as he looked up at the woman. Despite her nervousness at being held back in a room full of the most important people on the ship, the sheep-girl returned the soft smile. “Promise me that, and I’ll take your oath.”

After the meal, Ratt dismissed Kolas with assurances that Kal and Scarlet would have a written copy of the oath to him in the next few days for him to look over so there would be no surprises when the time came.

Once the door closed behind the former Captain, Ikuno’s head swiveled around and locked eyes with Tavorah. “You conniving little bitch,” said the oni, her words at odds with her grin. “I saw the look when they knocked to bring in the food. You planned that.”

The elf returned the grin. “Almost down to the second.”

Without taking her eyes off Tavorah, Ikuno leaned toward Kal. “I like this one.”

“If you like her now, wait until you see her with her clothes off,” the mage chuckled.

“And you will be seeing me with my clothes off,” the elf quipped with a seductive smirk.

“Though this would normally be fun to watch, could you keep the flirting to a minimum,” Red sighed. “Not everyone at this table is happy with Kolas’s outcome.”

“I’ll second that,” said Kal. “Perra struggled with taking away Elta’s free will, and she did it for the sake of protecting our family. While not as severe as the restrictions put on Elta, I’m about to do the same for the sake of maintaining a business, not protecting my family.”

“Then why did you offer?” asked Ratt.

“Because it makes the most sense, and I plan to word this oath in a manner that will restrict him as little as possible while still giving Scarlet the peace of mind she needs to let him command his own ship. There is also the hope that Kolas has truly changed and that the oath will be inconsequential.”

“From the look he was giving our cook, I think that might be a very real possibility,” said Ratt before turning a look of annoyance toward Tavorah. “You may be my Commandant’s lover, but you are still my navigator. I’d appreciate not being surprised by any similar developments in the future.”

“My sincerest apologies, Captain. Maybe I need to come to your cabin tonight for punishment?” The elf blinked as if realizing what she had just said. “I’m so sorry, everybody. I’ve been unusually aroused most of the day—”

“Ever since Kal visited us earlier,” Scarlet interrupted.

Tavorah blushed prettily while batting her eyes at the mage. “His presence did bring up some very pleasant memories.”

“While normally I’d suggest you leave for a little while and come back when you are more relieved, your opinion and experience are too valuable for this conversation to continue without you,” said Scarlet. “Likewise, I can’t ask Kal to take you someplace and fuck you for the same reasons.”

“Let her suck him off,” Ikuno suggested. “His seed should clear her mind.”

Kashka was shaking her head. “Then we’ll have the same problem but with him. You haven’t experienced what an elf’s body does to Kal’s head yet.”

Ikuno thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. “You’re right. I have never shared a bed with an elf and any of the lovers I bonded with in the past. I know they have an interesting power over men. Is it really that different?”

“You, Tavorah, and Kashka could all be naked and bent over in front of me, and I guarantee I would choose Tavorah over the two of you,” Kal explained. “And my enchantment doesn’t seem to dull the attraction. I think I could pull myself away from her, but it would take a severe force of will. But after being with her once, it becomes trivial.”

“I feel like I should be horrified and filled with jealousy that you have so much power over my man, but instead, I’m intrigued to see this from Kal’s point of view,” said Ikuno.

“The power is fleeting,” said Tavorah, “and I prefer him afterward when he can think straighter. But with men aboard, it puts me in a curious position where I need the cum of each one about once a month to keep them from fixating on me. Luckily, I don’t need to fuck them all. Kissing or going down on one of the girls after they’ve had some fun with the boys is enough.”

“If I didn’t have Kal, that would sound like a fun day,” Ikuno chuckled.

“Not for me,” Scarlet grumped.

The elf rolled her eyes. “I only do it once a month because she refuses to make love or even kiss me that day.”

“I just don’t have a monster girl’s obsession with a man’s cum, is all. We need to get back on topic. Kal, do you think you could take Tavorah into the washroom for a quickie?”

“Probably. I think Kashka anticipated this and has been stroking me as we talked.”

“We’ve all been with Kal. Why not just do it out here?” Ikuno asked.

“The scent of her sex would quickly turn this meeting into an orgy. It already has me feeling randy as hell just sitting next to her. They need to do it elsewhere,” said Red.

“No, it’s fine,” said Tavorah, “As much as that sounds like fun, I can control myself and focus on the issues at hand. In fact, I’ll start. Since you’ve been gone, Scarlet, Ratt, and I have gotten as much information as possible out of Kolas and his crew about Silvermoon. For the sake of our new guest, I feel the need to remind you that while we have traded with Silvermoon, The Scarlet Bitch has never docked there. That will change this trip. Kolas and Scarlet will need to vouch for your ownership of Darrow’s holdings for the city’s official records. There is a possibility that they may require some proof, but I believe going to his offices in the city and doing your trick with Ria will be enough. To my knowledge, there is no known way to tamper with a bag of holding’s rules.

“We expect that Darrow’s men will try to commandeer The Bitch as soon as she docks, so be prepared for an altercation. Knowing you, unless they come in with a company of soldiers, I have faith you can defuse the situation with a small show of power.”

“I’ll just cast a strength spell on Ikuno and have her kick a few into the next kingdom,” Kal chuckled, jerking a thumb at the oni.

“Defuse the situation WITHOUT BLOODSHED,” said Scarlet.

“I was joking, Commandant. I prefer not fighting unless necessary.”

“Good, because things will be tense enough already,” Tavorah continued. “Being a ship of free monster girls docked in the port of a slaver-friendly city will have all of us girls on edge.

“Now, rules for you. Drink nothing you did not take with you. Droosa is a powerful drug that can quickly incapacitate a person. Also, beware of anyone pushing something into your face. Inhaling Droosa powder can be just as effective.” The elf wrapped her fingers around her thumb and held up the loose fist in front of her. “If you see people with green-stained skin, here,” she pointed at the valley made by her thumb and pointer finger. “That’s a sign of a user. They put a little bit of the powder in there and...” She brought her fist up to her nose and took a long sniff.

“Should I check people’s hands before dealing with them?”

“Droosa is so common throughout the city that people don’t hide their use. And despite Kolas’s justifiable hatred of the drug, in small quantities, it’s not as bad as he makes it out to be. It has also been a part of Silvermoon’s culture for generations at this point, and people in the last few generations are being born with a natural resistance to its effects.”

“What about my Cure Poison spell?” Kal asked.

“I don’t know if the toxic portion of the drug and its mind-altering capabilities are directly related,” the elf replied. “You may cure the toxin but still be incapacitated.”

“Once we’re on land and have the tent set up, I can run some tests and maybe figure out a way to cancel its effects,” Kashka offered.

“You must be far beyond making simple sleeping potions if you think you can do that,” said the elf.

“I was far beyond sleeping potions when we first met. Unfortunately, my knowledge was mostly aimed toward poisons. However, I now have access to a large amount of knowledge and experience making potions of all sorts,” said Kashka, nodding toward Ikuno. “I just need some Droosa and the alchemy lab to do my research and testing.”