Chapter 10

“If you are finished, though, we got something you need to deal with,” Hannah said to Liddy. She watched her boss clean off her blade and stick it back into the sheath in her hair.

“Not yet. I need Emma and Easy with me in the bath. Nobody else.” Liddy took a serious tone that stopped Hannah from making a joke.

Liddy went up the stairs and entered the bath where Foxy was setting the mermaid down in the water. She didn’t have to order Foxy to remove the collar; it was already coming off with a quick cut of her combat knife. The mermaid stared blankly at the water with her dull beige hair floating on the surface. Emma and Easy entered the room wearing their work clothing, but Liddy failed to be aroused as her mind was on other things.

“Nobody else comes in here. Just you three. They did horrible things to her at the slave market and the last thing she needs is humans. Feed her and try to help her.” Liddy choked on her words. “I don’t know how to help her.” She started to tear up as the emotions of the day caught up with her. “There were so many there that need help. I could only pick one.” Easy grabbed onto her as Liddy’s knees gave out and she started sobbing. “Only one. I could only save one and I don’t know how. I’m sorry I couldn’t save more. I’m sorry...”

Easy held Liddy tightly as she cried with uncontrollable grief. Emma knelt beside her to lend her support. Both Easy and Emma had been to the markets but never had a chance to help any of them. Only being allowed to help one was torture on Liddy and the others knew it.

Foxy watched with mixed feelings. She had never been to the market but had wanted to save enough money to buy someone’s freedom. However, slaves are expensive and soldiers make little. She had less than half than she would need to do so. Besides, paying for them would only endorse the whole trade. Yet, here was her employer, finally aware of the horrific reality of their plight. Also before her were the two other lives she had saved. Every Emberborn has some level of resentment for the humans born free and unaware of their suffering, but sometimes, some of them prove that not everyone deserves that resentment.

Liddy repeated herself as if the whole slave trade was her fault, and the guilt hers alone to bear, until she was interrupted.

“Are you fucking serious?” a voice asked.

Suddenly all eyes were on the woman in the bath with the soft pink hair. Her eyes were focused, looking between Liddy and the other women. Her features surprised and confused.

“You are actually crying because of the shit you saw?” the mermaid asked.

“Yes,” Liddy muttered with a sore throat and much confusion.

“Well, shit.” The mermaid relaxed back in the water and her hair turned a dark purple. “Here I was planning my escape. Got out of that fucking tank and thought ‘hey they might let their guard down at some point because they don’t know me’, but then I see this sexy beast come over to me,” she pointed at Foxy. “I’ve never seen one of us with a gun before. The uniform is pretty fucking drab but then I saw these two. Fairy and an elf dressed like that. Thought maybe I was in deep shit because of how much men want to fuck me, but they don’t have collars. Then you just fell apart -- and I have never seen a human so upset except when they lose an auction on one of us. This isn’t just some sick fucking joke to get me playing along, is it? Those tears seemed real enough to me. Sounded like the wails from the stocks when fresh meat is brought in, or someone’s family gets sold separately.”

“So what was with the blank twitchy act?” Easy asked, confused.

“Well, that’s just how some slaves get when they can’t take that shit anymore. So I figured if I acted broken, they would sell me off before doing something worse.”

“I think we might need a bit more than that.” Foxy leant against the wall trying to look relaxed but still at the ready.

“Okay, you wanna hear my sad fucking life story then? Fine.” She took a plunge underwater quickly and came up with her gills slightly opened as she had just passed water through them.

“So I was born and my parents were so happy, they bathed me in the river by tossing me into it. Course, knowing now I need to breathe water every several hours, that actually saved my fucking life. Most people don’t put their kids underwater so I’d have drowned in the air if they had tried to keep me.” Her hair turning red while talking about her parents.

“Ended up in a fisherman’s net downriver that was set to catch fish going up the river to spawn. Now, fishermen didn’t need a fucking hint to notice my gills or my webbed feet.” She showed off her feet that looked normal until she spread her toes.

“So they bundled me up and kept me in a warm tub instead of a crib. Got older and they started having me help catch fish. Pretty handy having someone who can check traps and repair nets while in the water. Pretty fucking lonely, though. The adults were all friendly like, but the kids called me names until I grew tits.” She grabbed her breasts, and they started to inflate from the size of Liddy’s to a size that would put Mari to shame.

“Yeah, super fucking friendly after I got these. ‘Course, I had to actually let them touch me or else they got mean again, but it was kinda fun. All the boys loved me and one of the girls did as well. The rest of the girls didn’t though.” she laughed.

“Anyways, when I wasn’t making them into men, it was the adults who always found reasons to be near me and make suggestions. I liked that they were stronger and such, but still kinda felt fucking wrong, like they shouldn’t have been doing that to some girl they helped raise.” Her hair turned black as her breasts returned to their original size.

“Now can’t complain about that too loudly, because I really fucking loved it and they did end up on my side when one of the traders showed up and offered to buy me with the regular shipment of fish. ‘Course, they didn’t take no for an answer. So their muscle shows up and a shit tonne of shooting later, I’m being hauled off while my whole village starts to rot. Don’t know who might have survived, but they never came after me.” Her hair turned a pale green.

“So I was taken to a few places and then the market. Sold me off, but I was determined to make them fucking regret buying me. Picked fights, tried to escape, and made all sorts of fucking trouble. Then their big bad guy came and told me he would be breaking me like a fucking twig. But the sick fuck just wanted to stick it in me, and I almost ripped his balls off.” She laughed as her hair turned yellow.

“So six months of him pretending to torture me while trying to seduce me into thinking he was being kind to me by offering his cock -- like it was some kind of fucking gift. Then he gets frustrated, finally getting the fact he was being rejected by a slave. That’s when he started with that electrical shit. Shocking the fuck out of me in my tank.” Her hair turned white.

“I had to do something because he wasn’t taking my shit anymore, and I couldn’t get away. Either I had to give him what he wanted or go blank like I did. They talked about slaves that wouldn’t sell, who went to the farm. Don’t know what that is, but it would be better than constant torture. Of course, it would probably be just as hard to escape from, but I couldn’t get out of the shithole I was in, so anything would be better. Then you came along, literally the day I was being prepped for transport.” She went low in the water to blow small bubbles with her lips on the surface of the water while she looked at everyone.

“You have a foul mouth on you,” Liddy observed.

“Really. All that, and that’s your response? You try growing up with fishermen and not having a foul fucking mouth.”

“Fair enough. My turn.” Liddy having composed herself during the story began to speak. “My name is Liddy. I am captain of this ship of women who get paid to have sex with lots of rich men. The same men who would regularly buy and sell your kind. This is Easy and Emma. They work for me. I pay them ridiculously large amounts of money to have sex with those clients. That is Foxy. One of my security guards, who has expressed an interest in being paid to have sex as well. You are here because I had to pick someone to rescue and you seemed like you needed it most. You are welcome. You are free and can leave this ship at any time. I even offer to take you back to the town you grew up in after we leave port. The choice is yours to make. I will never force you to do anything or hold you against your will.”

“People pay money for sex? You are fucking kidding me. I should be super fucking rich now.”

“Lots of money. Assuming you are an adult.”

“How old is old enough? I turned eighteen seven days ago. Keeping track of time was kinda the thing I did to keep sane.”

“That’s old enough. With your inflatable breasts you...”

“Puffer tits.”

“What?”

“That’s what I call them. Like the puffer fish, that inflates to be super big. Puffertits.”

“Now that I know the name of your breasts, what is your name?”

“Oh, they called me M219 at the slave pens, but it’s Leira. So you went from bawling over me and the others to asking me to fuck people for money?”

“No, I didn’t ask you for anything. Just answered your questions and observed you have some interesting qualities. Though if I’m totally honest, that’s just what we do with women who are on the ship more than a few minutes. So far they all end up working for me.”

“Ving had a Lady client earlier. Not looking for work, though,” Foxy added.

“Oh, well. First time for everything. Anyways, you don’t have to decide anything now. Take some time. Relax. Enjoy yourself. Eat and drink. Just please keep your language civil while clients are on the ship and don’t disrupt the others from working.”

“Oh, I sooo wanna start fucking again. Please pay me to do that. For that shit, I can talk all lady like.”

“Fantastic...” Liddy said with a flat tone. “Just take some time to yourself. Figure things out. I’ll be back. Girls, you can stay or go at your leisure but Foxy, I want you nearby.”

Foxy nodded and as the others left, she kept station just outside the room. The new arrival started splashing around, giggling in the bath, and Foxy knew the sound freedom made when she heard it.

“That didn’t quite go the way I expected,” Liddy muttered.

“No kidding,” Easy replied. “But it’s better that she’s teenager crazy than broken-with-trauma crazy.”

“Fair enough, I suppose. Needed to be saved all the same. So what’s this thing that people have been trying to tell me?”

“Downstairs in the laundry room.”

Easy and Emma went back to entertain their clients as they passed through the lounge, and Liddy took the stairs. Liddy entered the laundry room to see one of the soldiers sitting on one machine with her feet on the other. Another guard had been waiting by the door.

“I already know we can use the machine for this but is now really the time? Also, you need to turn it on first.”

“No, Ma’am. I mean, yes, we can use it for that, but that’s not why we are here.”

“Sorry Miss...”

“Kilty, Ma’am. Miss Hannah told us to wait here.”

“And why would that be?”

Hannah walked in with her hair a little mussed up. “Sorry, I’m late. Quickie on the front deck. Thought you would take longer.”

“Didn’t think we did those. Thought we tried to give them time to appreciate it.”

“He was on his way to a meeting or something and needed to de-stress quick. But for the more important matter at hand.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“We don’t have to sit on the machine anymore. I brought home a device that vibrates way better, and can be held in your hand.”

“That’s not what ... wait ... it does?”

“Yes. Used it and it blew my mind. Ving got to use it on a client and made her leave happy. I’m thinking we’re gonna need more, but it’s a prototype.”

“Fascinating, but I’d still like to know why I’m in here then, if we have that magical device.”

“Oh, the girls caught an intruder, and I beat a lawman senseless when he reacted poorly to the news.”

Hannah nodded, and the girl hopped off the machine and opened the lid. Almost immediately the investigator’s head shot out gasping for air.

“Sweet merciful creator! What do you women wash in these things?! It smells terrible!”

“We have sex for money, that gets the sheets messy. Now hush up before we dump a dirty load right on you.”

He got quiet. The girls giggled at the pun. The dryer reverberated with a chuckle.

“Oh, looks like he’s awake, too.”

The lid of the dryer opened up and out came another man with a severe look on his boyish face. He smirked slightly at Hannah for her pun. Both males had bayonets held at their throats.

“So what’s the deal?”

“Mr. Poor-Poker-Face there came to the ship asking questions. While he was doing so, his friend came in below decks. Got a face full of a rifle’s butt when Foxy heard him coming. Conna brought up his mask, and this loser reacts like a bad actor. So I punched him out and hauled him down here. Tied up and naked in those, we told him to be quiet until you showed up or else we turned the machines on.”

“Today is just full of interesting stories. Go on, tell us yours. Why were you and your friend violating my ship?”

“Well, we just wanted to make sure there were not any children on board. You aren’t the first person to sell sex, you know. One of the girls looked quite young, and given the money of those on board, it was a possibility. So I asked questions and my friend was going to look around.”

“How noble,” Liddy said flatly. “How do I know you are telling the truth? The last group of men who tried to ‘inspect’ this ship, ended up having their corpses dumped on their own parade grounds.”

“And their commander, s head tossed at his lord’s feet,” Hannah added.

“And their commander, s head ... what!?” Liddy exclaimed.

“Didn’t I mention that part? Oops. Totally got away with it, though. Saved us hours of waiting around in line.”

“Hannah I...” Liddy pinched the bridge of her nose as she winced. “I can’t decide if I want you to tell me all of these things or never tell me them.”

“Well, if you want to leave and let me deal with these two, I understand.”

“No! Please!” The man shouted. “Look. We met years ago and made an arrangement! We really are just looking to protect children! Honest!”

“Start from the beginning then.”

“Okay. Well, I was doing a missing person’s case for a young girl. Lead to a noble, who I knew had her but couldn’t get to proving it. Made up a story about his house being the target of a thief only I could identify, and got permission to walk the grounds and check things out. Figured it would lead me to all the locked rooms there were. Then one night he comes in.” He gestured to his compatriot.

“We both walked into the room at the same time and drew iron on each other. Dressed in black and masked, I knew he was a killer. He didn’t want to shoot and make noise and I wasn’t supposed to be in that room at all. If I got caught, I could have just apologised and gotten shown out but I was looking for hidden doors in the rooms they didn’t want me to find.”

“Anyways, we kept ready at each other, when I decided to ask who his target was. He just gave the family name, thinking I might let him go. I asked if it was anyone specific or if it could be anyone. He said anyone, and I told him who I thought was a child molester. He lowered his gun slightly and I did the same. Let him pass, and about an hour later he comes back giving me a nod and mentions a bookcase. I go in after another hour when someone raised an alarm. Tell everyone we need to search for hidden ways into the bedroom, and I find a door behind the bookcase that nobody else seemed to know about, like I had some intuitive skill. Sick fucker had two girls in there.” He took a moment to calm himself down.

“So after getting them back to their families and promptly exposing the noble’s family to the scandal, I got a drink. He finds me and sits next to me. Tells me how strange it felt to actually do something good while getting paid to kill someone. So I tell him there are a lot of bad people out there with enemies who pay well to kill them. So now we find bad people and the rich people who want them dead. Get a contract, and he goes and kills them.”

“When your ship arrived we knew we had to at least take a look.”

“Alright. You seem to be telling the truth. Hannah?”

“Not the worst way to make a living I’ve ever heard. Want me to dump them naked in the street?”

“No, the girls here can do that.”

“What?!” The investigator asked, but Liddy ignored him.

“I need you fucking someone rich while I de-stress. This storytime crap has been going on for too long.”

Liddy sighed with a huff, rubbing her eyes, when she felt an arm slide around her hips and looked at Hannah getting close and winking at her.

“So hot stuff. I hear you own your own airship.” Hannah spoke smoothly.

Liddy rolled her eyes, but stopped herself from correcting her instructions as she thought about it for a moment.

“Fine,” she said, leaving the room quickly with Hannah trying to keep up and keep her hand on Liddy.

They burst into Hannah’s room to see Ving on the bed with her bare bum in the air and the vibrating tool between her legs. Ving took her face out of the pillow to look at them in surprise, but not quite interrupting her moaning.

“Finished?” Liddy asked and partially ordered.

“A few times. Looked so fun using it on the client. Had to test it,” she said, switching it off and getting off the bed, leaving the tool to the side.

“Get upstairs and fuck someone rich...” Liddy ordered, stripping herself while Hannah did the same. “ ... and male.”

Hannah kissed Ving on the cheek as she left and mounted Liddy the moment they were naked. They kissed deeply as Liddy grabbed Hannah by the hand and pushing it between her legs. Hannah didn’t have to wait long for Liddy to return the favour. She slowly moved her body over her boss, letting her breasts glide over the surface of her skin. Matching her movements to the thrusts of her hands and feeling Liddy pump her hips into her own hand. Hannah broke the kiss to bite down lightly on Liddy’s neck, eliciting a pleased gasp. Moving her one free hand, Hannah picked up the tool and put it between Liddy’s legs, just above where fingers entered her.

“Is that really going to help any...” Liddy squealed and squirmed like she was being electrocuted as Hannah turned the dial.

Hannah held it to her and forced Liddy to endure it as she put her hand over her mouth to keep the noise down. Liddy climaxed after only a few moments, but Hanna had no intentions of stopping. She moved it back and forth while giving more and less pressure so Liddy wouldn’t get used to it. Even letting it slide inside her before taking it out again to place it directly on her clit. Hannah loved listening to Liddy gasp, but decided to gag her differently. So leaning forward, she placed her breasts over her mouth to feel the wide open mouth bite down on her. The tool was long enough that she could use it on herself and Liddy, so Hannah pressed her own face into the pillow to keep herself quiet as the vibrating shiver went through her body. She could feel Liddy climax again below her as well as a harder bite on her breast. Switching what one she used to gag Liddy, she loved the sound of desperate breaths before silencing them. Hannah climaxed herself as Liddy dug her nails into her back for her third climax.