Cat was advising Liddy about how level the new pictures were looking when they both heard Ving swearing on the bridge. Liddy sighed, knowing full well what that meant.

“We took off too early, didn't we?” she asked Cat.

“I suppose whoever sent the telegram was either being optimistic or stupid. Or both.”

Ving stormed out of the bridge to face Liddy and Cat. She paused, not having expected them to be there. Her eyes drifted over to the risque pictures already on the wall. They settled on the picture of Hannah. Liddy just waited until her foul mood was spoiled before talking.

“Looks like getting these pictures done was a good call,” she commented cheerfully.

“Yeah, she's still riled up but…”

“Okay, go work it out with her. Come back when you are done.”

Ving left to hunt down Hannah while Liddy went onto the bridge with Cat. Inside, Liddy withdrew a rolled-up map from a cabinet and spread it out on the floor.

“So, we going to invest in a table for this?” Cat asked, getting down on her knees to help flatten the map.

“I usually just use the lounge. Though this time, I'd rather nobody knew we don't have a plan until we have a plan.”

“That…” Cat paused, “makes sense I suppose.”

“If the capital is still closed we need to wait somewhere. Long way around the battle lines or turning around. Nothing big enough to find work in anywhere up the coast.”

Leira walked into the bridge and took a moment to check out Liddy, who was bent over the map, “So, I take it that Ving’s fucking angry hijacking of the redhead I was riding means we aren't going to the big ass city?”

Liddy looked up to see the confused and disappointed Leira standing in an open bathrobe with her hands on her hips.

“Seems like,” Cat replied. “Trying to decide where we should put down. Turning around seems like it would be the best call.”

Leira got down on her knees and looked at the map herself. She traced her finger along the coast until she stopped at an estuary. “Can this thing land on the water?”

“It's a boat, Leira,” Liddy responded with a good-natured tease before smiling. “Yes, it can land on the water. Why would it need to?”

“Hah, very fucking funny. This is where I grew up. If we don't want to turn around, we can drop in for a visit. I know it's not a working place for us but I would like some answers.”

“You know what? That sounds fantastic. Let’s do it. I think I can alter our course. I don't really want to interrupt Ving at the moment. Cat, go let everyone know what we are doing. Foxy, you as well.”

****

Downstairs in the lower deck, Foxy was laying in Mari’s bed. “I think I missed something,” Foxy gasped.

Easy mumbled something in a questioning tone, not bothering to withdraw her tongue.

“What was it?” Mari asked, keeping her teeth clamped on Foxy’s nipple as she did so.

“Liddy just said for me to do something like she assumed I had been listening the whole time. But I really wasn't paying attention until I heard my name.”

Foxy continued to move her hips as she held Easy in place with her legs, gripping Mari by her own magnificent breasts. Mari loved the feeling of the soft fur as her breasts were made to run over it. Her nipples being teased by every fibre that touched them. She rose up to press her breasts against Foxy’s and crushed them together.

“If it’s important, she will have asked who…” Mari got cut off.

“Oh, Cat is telling people. We’re heading to Leira’s old home. Capital is still closed and Liddy really didn't want to turn around.”

“Oh, well that should be… oh, fuck!” Mari screamed as Easy suddenly pushed her tongue inside.

Having both women in her face, available for penetration, was too much for Easy to resist tonguing her lover. A dainty hand began to push its way inside Foxy and the two of them thrust their hips into each other as the fairy penetrated them both. Easy, on the other hand, had the fluffy long tail of a Fox running just long enough to reach her own womanhood and used her free hand to tease herself with it. Soon she felt the familiar sensation of Mari clenching around her tongue as she climaxed. Keeping her going, she whipped her tongue around inside until suddenly her body went limp. Mari fell to the side of the bed, but Foxy kept her from falling off.

“Shit, she passed out?” Foxy asked with a note of concern.

“Yeah, a little trick I do inside her gets her like this all the time,” Easy responded after pulling her tongue out.

As Mari started to blink her eyes open again, Foxy relaxed and looked at Easy, “So.. um… please?”

Easy gave a devilish smile as she ran her tongue over Foxy’s aching flesh in prelude to the penetration and whipcord effect of the tongue. Mari finally became aware of her surroundings again as Foxy dug her claws into the headboard to support herself. She laughed, knowing the feeling well, and pinched the fox by the nipples to tug them and send her over the edge. Although she didn't quite pass out from the climax, she wasn't aware of anything for a while. When she finally did regain awareness, Easy was on top of her, suckling at her breasts as Mari knelt behind the fairy. Foxy held the head to her breasts and gasped as she felt teeth biting into her breasts, thankful for the layer of fur protecting them.

****

Although Hannah had relaxed her quite a bit, Ving was now tense simply because water landings were tricky. Making sure to land well away from the coast to avoid shallow hazards, she had stronger currents to compete with. Everyone else had found some place secure to ride it out while she had strapped herself to the wheel. In the end, as The Lucky Harlot coasted through the water, Ving let out the breath she had been holding longer than she realised. The landing was smooth and soft. The ship rocked with the gentle swelling of the waves and she slowly turned to bring them closer to land.

“Well damn, I thought that was going to be difficult,” she muttered.

Down in the hold, Vile let Inky move again after keeping her pinned ‘safely’ against the wall. “Well, that was less trouble than I was expecting,” she commented.

“See? I didn't need your tails inside me ‘just to be safe’ now did I?” Inky asked somewhat rhetorically.

“No,” Vile responded, withdrawing her tails from under Ink’s combat skirt. “I suppose not.”

Vile smiled as Inky lifted her underwear back into position. She fixed her own clothing and put her breasts away as Astra came in with the rest of the girls, all loaded for combat. Hannah was cradling her trench gun and checking the drum mag, her skirt lined with extra shells instead of the bullets the rest of the girls used.

“Alright,” Inky started her briefing. “We are going to visit the fishing village that got shot up when Leira got sold off. We don't know if anyone is alive, dead, armed, or what. So while it is unlikely that this place is enemy territory, that doesn't mean it's friendly territory. You know the drill. Speak softly and carry your weapons openly.”

“And open fire at the first sign of trouble?” Astra asked in a tone between a joke and wishful thinking.

“No, break the face of the first sign of trouble. After that, any other signs will be too stupid to take the hint of the soft approach. Those you can shoot.”

“I love that breaking faces is your version of the soft approach,” Hannah said with a smile.

****

Leira waited eagerly on the bow of the ship looking for a familiar sight while Ving watched her for any directions on where to turn. The whole process made difficult due to a foggy haze on the shoreline that seemed to be getting worse as they moved in. Liddy leant against the rear wall as Cat came in wearing an elegant dress.

“I said fishing village and you put that on?” Liddy scoffed as she admired the cleavage being pushed up by the corset.

“Yes, I really don't think I want to step off the ship, but if I do it's because you need me, and I might as well look right for the only role you would need me for specifically.”

“Fair enough. Wearing anything under that?”

“Nothing that can't be removed quickly.” Cat smiled back.

“Okay, calm it you two. I need to focus so if you need to fuck, just do it elsewhere,” Ving scolded.

“I’m not trying to fuck Cat!” Liddy shouted back. “I mean, sure, later, but I just wondered in case it comes up later on for whatever reason.”

“Right, sure.” Ving sarcastically agreed a moment before Leira started waving her hands to turn and stop.

Ving spun the wheel and reversed the engines quickly, but not soon enough to avoid whatever they hit. The ship shook and stopped. Leira waived again after looking over the edge to have her shut everything off. Ving went out into the thick fog and looked over the edge. The only thing she could see was the tip of a wooden pier rubbing against the boat. All around them the grey fog blocked their vision. Ving returned to the bridge where, with the assistance of Leira, she brought the ship alongside the pier before dropping the anchor.

****

Cat watched from the window as the girls disappeared into the fog. First the soldiers, then everyone else. She was left alone on the ship, unable to see anything else, so she went into her room after retrieving the device. She tested a few of the vibration speeds on her hand before laying on her bed and putting it where she wanted.

****

Inky and her girls walked down the wooden pier first as the rest followed in the thick fog. Those in the back unable to see those in the front. Inky noticed Foxy was twitching her ears and getting frustrated.

“What's wrong?” Inky asked quietly.

“I can't hear a damn thing out there. If I didn't know better I'd say there were only half as many of us. This fog is also making my fur itch something fierce.”

“This, can't be natural,” Inky deduced. “Alright everyone, fix bayonets! If there is something hostile here I don't want to bump into it without being able to stab it.”

The soldiers all did as they were ordered and formed closer ranks as they got to the muddy ground of the shore. They moved passed a house of some kind, and after Juno cleared it with Astra, Leira took a look inside.

“This is definitely my village. This is where we mended the nets. Used them a lot for fucking as well.”

“Silk is better than fishnet I think, but I agree that it's fun to swing,” Hannah agreed with a smile as she placed a hand on Leira’s shoulder to help calm her nerves.

“Somewhat sex related,” Vile interrupted. “Hope is steaming.”

“You can have her back on the ship lovely,” Inky started, but paused as she turned to look.

“Holy balls, you are right!” Leira shouted.

Everyone looked at Hope who was examining her own outstretched hand to see steam rising off it unlike anyone else.

Hope then looked down at the holy symbol she wore around her neck and could see the fog stopping before touching it. She touched the medallion and suddenly the steam stopped rising from her hand. Moving it around, she could see the fog part around it. After seeming to realise something, she gripped it tightly with both hands and began to softly whisper a prayer. She moved her arms in what looked like a short range exercise as she did so. Then suddenly the fog blew away like a gust of wind emanating from Hope carried it off. The girls looked around at the Village unobstructed.

About fifty shambling corpses were almost on top of them.

****

Cat moaned in her room as she increased the vibration speed of the device and pushed it harder into herself. Her back arched as she spasmed in shock from the sensation. So close to climax, she struggled to breathe before she was suddenly interrupted by the sound of gunfire.

****

“Spread out and give yourself room to swing if they get too close!” Inky shouted to her soldiers. “Hannah right and Vile left, hang back and take out anything that gets too close! Nobody else fires unless one of us stops to reload! Girls, when you reload, load fire rounds!”

The girls sent volleys of shots into the walking corpses as they stumbled forward. Some that went down got up, and others didn't care much for the damage they sustained. The boom of the trench gun sounded as Hannah blasted apart one that had gotten close to Conna.

Hope, with her eyes, closed in concentration, remained where she was and continued her prayer. The fog was pushed back but not gone. The wall remained at a distance as more corpses came through it. Liddy grabbed Emma and put her behind Hope to hold her and guide her if she needed to be moved. Emma could hear Hope saying something in between the repeated prayers, and put her head close since the gunfire made it so difficult.

“Go for the head!” Emma shouted loudly as soon as she figured out what Hope had been saying.

The girls adjusted their aim and took the extra moments to make sure they had a headshot before firing. The impact was significant but most were reloading. Hannah had already been going for headshots mainly out of habit but found herself with too many targets to cover. Astra fended off one with her rifle until Vile heaved it off her and into a group of them after setting it ablaze. Ving fired her pistol at one coming over a rooftop, but failed to get a headshot before it leapt onto Kilty. It took her to the ground and Ving got in close to put her gun in its mouth to keep it from biting but also to ensure a kill shot. It slumped to the ground and Ving helped Kilty up only to be struck from behind by another corpse. This one, however, landed without a head and Ving could see Hannah flash a smile before finding a new target.

Inky knew the line was collapsing and was about to call for everyone to fall back when she noticed everyone getting back on their feet. The reprieve was welcome but noticed the reason they had stopped coming for them was because Vile had charged forward to tear into the throng of corpses herself. Leaving in her wake, a scattering of charred corpses. The line soon reformed but Vile was exposed.

“Vile, back into line now!” she shouted.

A burst of fire around her demon body cleared Vile enough room to sprint a short distance and leap out of the crowd. The moment she had gotten out of the way, but before she landed, a volley of fire shots tore through the undead. Any clothing worn that wasn't already on fire went up in flames and a firestorm consumed the huddled group. Vile landed and dashed behind the firing line. She felt ashamed to have to be yelled at by her lover when she thought she had done a good thing. If Inky was disappointed, she wasn't showing it.

Suddenly, to the surprise of almost everyone, the horde was further savaged by the outburst of a machine gun. Cat sat in the mud, catching her breath with a belt of bullets around her neck. Laurel was feeding the belts as Foxy fired. With her fancy dress ruined, Cat handed the next belt to Laurel, still out of breath from hauling so much weight from the ship so quickly. Soon, nothing remained moving in front of them.

The girls slowly moved forward, most stabbing their bayonets into the skulls of the dead to make sure they stayed that way. Vile stomped them with her hooves. Emma lead Hope forward for a bit when suddenly all the fog swirled away. They could see the stream of it flow through the air, condensing into a black smog as it entered a large structure ahead.

“The town hall,” Leira mumbled.

Hope opened her eyes and felt faint, getting caught by Emma to keep herself upright. The eerie quiet was shattered by screams and shouting up ahead.

“Anyone injured, hang back and finish here! Everyone else forward to the hall!” Inky ordered.

They moved up quickly to the hall, but the front door was locked and the screaming inside intensified.

“Vile! Open the door!” Inky ordered, backing up.

Vile heaved her hoof into the wooden door and smashed the bar keeping it closed to splinters as it swung open. Hannah moved in first and fired quickly at the two corpses that turned to face her. They fell to the floor, burning from the special ammunition. Inside they could see a mass of people huddled against the far wall with a man in the middle who seemed to be protecting them with a pistol. Between them, however, was a black form made out of what looked like some kind of thick ink. It turned to look at them, the only reason they knew it ‘turned’ was because they could make out a face in the form of bubbling liquid.

“This really looks like a thing we should be shooting,” Hannah commented with her weapon aimed at it.

“Yes, kill it before it kills us all!” the man with the gun yelled in panic.

The only thing that kept Hannah from pulling the trigger was the tone in his voice. She had heard it before when someone wanted something done before anyone could ask questions. Usually by silencing a witness or political opponent. How that made sense at the moment she couldn't quite fathom, but the monster turned towards him and hissed angrily instead of regarding her.

“It’s accusing him,” Foxy said in stunned revelation. “It’s hissing, it's using words. Betrayer… murderer…”

“That’s nonsense!” he shouted in manic denial, a tone Hannah was certainly familiar with.

She turned her weapon on him, “So, what exactly is this thing's beef with you?”

He spluttered his words as he looked between the epitome of danger ready to kill him and the black oil monster. Vile moved in close to the monster in case she had to burn it quickly, thinking that no bullets would work very well on a liquid.

“I did nothing! Nothing wrong! I am a good man!” he shouted, finding some resolve.

“So then, that mean you sold me into slavery for my own good?!” Leira shouted as she walked in.

“You’re alive?!” his resolve fled him again.

“Yes, I am, and as it turns out, you really did improve my life for my own good,” Leira either ignored or failed to notice the monster watching the exchange. “I have a home now, a family, nobody telling me to shut up and be grateful that I was fuckable enough to keep around. How many times? Using me yourself or to seal a deal with some traders? Yeah, I admit I liked it. Maybe because I thought that was how I was supposed to think.”

Hannah figured either he was out of bullets or too stunned to react when Leira yanked the gun from his hands and slammed it into his face. Leira fired three shots into his groin before the gun clicked empty.

“Whatever you and everyone else here did to me made me who I am. I’m okay with that because I am fucking amazing! So you know what? I forgive you. For everything! I’ve had my revenge. I’d say you can fuck yourself from now on but… well… how about you just die as miserably as you lived. Alone and unloved. I am neither now.”

Leira left the hall and reached out to slap Easy in her open palm at the doorway as they exchanged smiles. Vile noticed steam rising off the monster but it didn't turn back into fog.

“This thing is melting, I think,” she stated.

Ignoring the moans from the man on the floor, they all looked at it as it regarded them. Hope arrived and gasped as she saw what was before her.

“Why are we looking at a necroform and why isn't it killing us?” she asked in surprised confusion.

“We don't seem to be its enemies, and it started to melt after Leira settled up with the bleeder on the floor over there,” Liddy explained.

“These things form when a lot of death happens and spirits of the betrayed remain unsettled. It is an engine of revenge. It should be killing us all the time, not just watching.”

“Maybe it knows we are on its side,” Vile offered. “That whatever it wants will get done by doing nothing. Foxy said it was saying words.”

“They don't speak,” Hope stated with less certainty than she would have a few minutes ago.

“I doubt anyone in your order has my ears,” Foxy countered. “Why would it ever say, ‘burn ship’?”

“We are not burning my ship,” Liddy stated with resolve.

“Excuse me,” one of the people huddled against the wall spoke up. “We bury our dead at sea by sending them out on their boat and burning it. Maybe it’s asking for that.”

The creature hissed at the person loudly but the tone seemed to lack the menace of its earlier hissing.

Despite not being certain, Liddy spoke up. “Alright then, if it wants justice and peace for those wronged. I say we arrange some mass funerals for the dead outside. As a licensed merchant captain, I am placing all of you people under arrest as conspirators. You will handle the dead and see to the proper funeral. Afterwards, I will take you all with me to the capital to face formal charges were the extent of your guilt will be determined. Will that settle you?”

Liddy wasn't sure if the thing would understand anything, but it quietly observed as the survivors were taken away. It followed but kept its distance as Hope and Vile stood near it to observe it. Hannah went to find Leira standing at the edge of the river that fed into the sea.

“Skipping the part where I stupidly ask how you are feeling,” she started. “What do you need right now? Some alone time?”

“I was always warned not to walk up the river and look for where I was tossed in. But fuck that. I am going. Someone to keep my ass out of trouble would be nice, though.”

“I would be happy to keep a careful eye on your ass.”

Leira smiled and started walking down the edge of the river with Hannah after she had waved to someone to let them know where they were going. Hannah did indeed take the time to admire Leira’s bum as it swayed while she walked.

****

Inky had her girls supervising the prisoners as they gathered up the dead. Aware that some might not have done anything wrong but that if they were behind the man who had, that was good enough. The man himself was being treated by Hope so that he could live to see justice later on. Vile approached her softly, still surprising Inky with how timid she could be sometimes.

“What's wrong, love?” she asked putting a hand on her arm.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Inky asked confused.

“For making you yell at me like that.”

The statement hit Inky in the gut like a hammer. She had been a slave so long that Vile thought every raised voice at her meant she had done something wrong. Inky broke into tears immediately and embraced Vile tightly enough to pull her face to face.

“You did nothing wrong. I yell at everyone in combat because I need to be heard. You gave us time to get back into line. I was going to order everyone to fall back, since sending you out was too risky. Also, I didn't quite realise how far you can jump. At most you got carried away and didn't notice we were back in position. Oh, girl, you don't ever have to feel sorry for trying to protect me.”

Vile held her lover in her arms and shed a few tears of her own. Neither noticed they had been watched by the creature that seemed to evaporate a bit more.

****

Conna escorted one of the prisoners past them, deciding to bother Liddy instead of interrupting the tender moment.

Liddy was in the lounge reading over her merchant's licence fine print when Conna walked in, “Yes, Conna? What is…”

Liddy trailed off as she realised the man walking behind her had the feathers of some exotic bird and Conna saw the spike in her arousal instantly. She left them together.

“Oh, well now, how did you end up here?” Liddy asked, getting to her feet and greeting the Emberborn with a soft handshake.

“When people started going missing, our village sent a group to go looking for them. I was the pack animal. Only one left when everyone else died. I really had nothing to do with any of that.”

“Oh, sir, I can understand that. Please, relax. We do not allow slavery on this ship so consider yourself a free person. Let me help with that collar.”

As she removed it, Liddy could see the bald ring around his neck where the feathers never grew due to the constant friction. Liddy opened a window and tossed the collar into the water.

“There, much better. How do you feel?”

“Confused, rather exposed actually.” He confessed as he felt his neck for the first time without the familiar binding of the collar.

“Then come, some place more private might be more comfortable,” Liddy explained, as she took his hands and lead him into her bedroom.

In the room, Liddy sat him down on the bed, “There was a farm where your people were bred. We took it over when my own girls were taken there. Now it is a free city and safe haven for your kind. When we get to the capital we can arrange passage for you. Nobody will come after you and you can find your own happiness there.”

He was stunned, to say the least, either because he couldn't keep his gaze into Liddy’s eyes or because her chest was being pushed out and his glance shifted downwards. Liddy smiled as he did so.

“Of course, if you are looking for some short-term happiness, then I am happy to satisfy you.”

The man's feathers ruffled a bit in confusion, “But you are human. Why would you even want… do I even have a choice?”

“Of course you can choose! Choose to have some fun or relax on your own. Whatever you want is yours to have. I am simply saying that you can have me if you want.”

The door opened and Cat walked in, stripping out of her muddy dress. “Liddy, I need a dress. Mine all reek of sex and this…” She paused, having gotten the top part off and was about to push it the rest of the way off. “Or, I can come back later,” Cat stood there, bare breasts with a tad of mud on them, still unsure if she should finish pushing down her dress.

“You can have her if you prefer. Or, if you still aren't interested, I can show you out and I will have some fun with her. Maybe make her earn whatever dress she ends up borrowing.”

“I…” he paused. “Both?” he asked in the tone of a man going for broke.

Cat pushed her dress down all the way, with only a thin white lace hugging her hips and covering her womanhood. She walked over to the man and took his hands to place them on her breasts. He felt them and gripped softly as he marveled at the experience. Liddy leant forward and turned his head to kiss him, thankful he lacked a beak or other inconvenient bird trait to keep her tongue out of his mouth. Catherine helped him take off his shirt and trousers as Liddy stripped off her dress and pulled him onto the bed. They could both see he was plenty hard and Liddy greedily took him in her mouth. He moaned deeply as the expert tongue teased his shaft as it slid deep inside. His own tongue began to find work on the breasts in his face, and received a pleased noise from Cat as he put his feathered hand between her legs to explore.

“How long has it been since you have seeded a woman?” Cat asked, since Liddy was busy taking a quick breath before refilling her throat with the man.

“Never, not quite,” he mumbled, “I mean, always had to avoid that. Our kind needs to be careful about that. A long while, regardless.”

“You can seed us both if you want,” Liddy stated, desperate to speak after a few hard gasps.

He took that to mean immediately and he pulled Cat down, his fingers moving the lace out of the way, and impaled her with his shaft, slick from the saliva Liddy put on it. She didn't let up and kept her tongue busy on him as it plunged into Cat over and over. A strange squawk sounded and Cat felt him burst inside her while Liddy cleaned up anything that leaked out.

“Sorry I, it's been so long since…”

“No worries. Enjoy the joy freedom brings. This isn't over.” Cat smiled as she got off him.

As she did so, Liddy took him down her throat a few more times quickly before moving over to Cat and licking hungrily between her legs. Cat motioned for him to straddle her chest so she could take a turn with him in her mouth. Although softening, he positioned himself so that he could feel the noble woman's lips close around him and taste herself. Cat used one hand on his ass to help control his thrusts in her mouth, while the other played with her own breasts as Liddy worked her mouth all over between Cat’s legs. She felt Liddy taking small breaks to bite her thighs and tease before getting back to work, bringing Cat to the edge of climax again. However, she went too far and Cat moaned deeply, unable to arch her back with the man on top, and clasped her hands on her breasts.

Her work done, Liddy climbed up and pulled him back to slide his shaft between Cat’s breasts and pressed her own to his back, feeling his feathers tickle her. Liddy thrust her hips against him so that he would thrust between the lovely breasts in rhythm with her. Satisfied he was hard enough, Liddy rolled onto the bed beside Cat and spread her legs. Putting one on his shoulder and pulling him towards her.

He shifted over to Liddy, where she put her other foot on his shoulder. Taking himself into his hand, he aimed right where Liddy was wet to receive and slowly pushed inside. With her legs up high on his shoulders and close together the push inside needed more force, much to the pleasure of Liddy.

Cat straddled Liddy’s face and grabbed her feet to bring his head to her breasts. As he picked up the pace of the thrusts into Liddy, he bit and licked the breasts in front of him. His increased speed had Liddy gasping while being smothered between Cat’s legs.

“Oh, so close again… where…” he struggled to even attempt to ask.

“Inside her, deep as you can, don't hold back one drop,” Cat encouraged.

Liddy squealed in delight at being seeded again by an Emberborn, and felt her body clench down on the man sliding in and out of her. She made the penetration slide smoothly in with her flowing juices and moaned hard the instant she felt the burst inside her as the man squawked again. Although less than his first load, Liddy was happy to have it inside her as his thrusts slowed and Cat got off her face to lay beside her. He felt Liddy taking her legs off his shoulders and wrapping around his hips to pull him closer. Collapsing on top of her, with Cat right beside him stroking the feathers on his head, he was at a total loss for words as he tried to speak.

“Hush now, relax. You were wonderful,” soothed Liddy as she felt him softening inside her.

****

Foxy rolled her eyes after she heard things finish in Liddy’s room. The fascination Liddy had with Emberborn was odd to her, but she found herself wishing she had been there to enjoy it. Her body tingled with desire, lamenting having to keep guard instead. Of course, she knew how important it was to keep her weapon ready to use on the monster on the pier. The bubbling mess of blackness watched as small fishing boats, full of as many corpses could be loaded on them, were sent out onto the water. Juno stood at the edge and would fire at the ship after the current took it out. The Emberround ignited the lamp oil they had poured on the bodies and the whole thing went up in flames. It took hours for the prisoners to complete their work, and the whole time the monster continued to evaporate until it was a blob of blackness floating at eye level. As the last ship burnt to ash on the water it was almost gone. Before anyone could ask why it wasn't gone, Hope came up from behind it and closed a metal lock box around it.

“What’s that?” Laurel asked, slinging her rifle over her shoulder.

“It’s a reliquary box. It used to contain sacred artifacts, but those were lost when the old empire looted the temple. I was using it for some other things but it’s warded and airtight. So I figure I can contain what's left of that thing in here for a while now.”

“I see…”

“Well, we didn't have anything else left to do to appease this thing, so it’s best to not let it wander and latch onto some other betrayal. I will turn it over to the church after we offload the prisoners so maybe it will be gone by then.”

Inky rounded up the prisoners onto the ship as they carried the man Leira had shot and Hope had saved. Hope took the box to place under her bed until they arrived at the capital. Liddy was on deck resting, keeping an eye out over the abandoned fishing village, waiting for Leira and Hannah to return.

****

“So what's your plan?” Hannah asked as they approached what looked like a small village straddling the river. “I’m following your lead on this.”

“Wait, does that mean I am in command? Because I have no fucking idea what I am doing beyond getting here and… well, I don't know…”

“No worries, Leira. That's pretty much every officer in every military ever. You are really good at this command thing.”

“Aren't you and Inky officers? What about Liddy?” Leira smiled at the reassuring joke.

“She and I started in the common ranks, so we don't count. Also, Liddy is a civilian.”

“So what do proper officers do when they don't know what to do?”

“Order someone to do it for them and take credit for the hard work. At least that’s been my experience.”

“Alright then, consider yourself under orders to find my parents.”

Hannah gave a simple salute, and once they arrived in the village she approached a man in his later years who would likely be too old to be Leira’s father himself.

“Excuse me, sir, a word,” Hannah greeted politely.

“Oh my…” the man mumbled as he looked at the woman in the sexy dress and cradling a trench gun under her breasts.

“I’m right here, you old goat!” the man's wife shouted as she drove an elbow into his side.

“Blast woman, I know you are. The young lady has a very big gun and I noticed it,” he replied, trying to defend himself. “Yes, miss, what can I do you… for you…”

His wife huffed at his fumble.

“I’m looking for some people, may have lost a child eighteen years ago. I know it was a long time ago, but I had hoped a man in his prime might recall.”

The wife fixed a wide-eyed look on Hannah.

“Oh, hmmm… well, I am not sure. Some of our folk were little ones back then, but lost? I can't recall any childless…

“They wouldn't be childless,” the wife interjected. “Memory and mind like a rusty trap. Miss, if it stops you from fogging his mind with your improper appearance, you want to see that house there.” The older lady pointed out a home across the river, over a stone bridge. “They had twins, but said they lost one in the river trying to bathe it. Never were quite right after that day. Some say it was grief but I have my doubts.”

“Thank you kindly. Exactly what we were looking for.” Hannah bowed, showing off some cleavage and offering a wink to the old man.

The two of them left the married couple as the wife smacked the husband upside the head. They walked over the bridge and found a man chopping wood out front.

“Think maybe they didn't mean to drop you in the river?” Hannah asked before they got too close to be noticed.

“Doubt it, but maybe. Either way, it's what happened. I owe them for either being fucking stupid or trying to kill me.”

Leira trotted softly towards the man, trying to keep behind him, and picked up a hefty piece of wood. Hannah watched as the mermaid brought it down on his head. The man landed with a thump and swearing. She wasn't strong enough to kill him with just one hit or even knock him out. Though, when she picked up the axe he had been using, she became a threat.

“What the bloody blasted fuck was that for?!” he shouted, angrily turning over to look up at who struck him.

“Ever throw a baby in the river?” Leira asked with venom. “Maybe because it wasn’t normal? Gills and scales and all that!”

His skin turned ghostly pale as he finally saw Leira. Although she wasn't dressed particularly provocatively, none of the girls really owned anything ‘modest’ and she was showing enough skin that her scales reflected a lot of light. Her hair turned midnight black and streaks of red would shift in and out.

“It was an accident!” he yelled with his hands up to defend himself and surrender.

“Liar!” Leira shouted as she swung the axe, taking a chunk out of his left hand. “You couldn't handle having an Emberborn so you threw me in the fucking river!”

He howled in pain and grabbed his bleeding hand. Someone, who may have been the sheriff, ran towards the commotion and screamed. Hannah didn't bother asking as she slammed the butt of her gun into his gut as he tried to run past her. He tumbled over coughing and looked to see Hannah warning him not to get involved, using the other end of the gun.

“Stop!” A woman yelled, approaching from the other direction.

The young woman moved slowly as a man tried to stop her but she persisted, protectively holding onto her large belly. Leira stared at the pregnant woman as she approached. They paused to stare at each other while the man tried to put himself between the two.

“I think…” she started, “I’m your twin sister.”

Leira dropped the axe and walked closer while Hannah moved to make sure the axe stayed out of anyone else's hands.

“Do you know what happened?” Leira asked, her hair shifting into several colours as she struggled to find the right feeling.

“Mother told me before she died, neither of them knew what to do with… with you. Father took you out and came back alone. I don't know what really happened. I asked but he never said. I don't think he even really knows.”

Leira sneered and turned around, “That’s not good enough. Hannah, make him tell you.”

Hannah knelt over the man and drew out her bayonet. The sudden realisation of her intentions sent him into a screaming fit as he begged her to not hurt him. His pleas of ignorance sputtered out until she placed the blade between his legs. At this, he relented.

“Please, no! Alright!” he shouted, earning a pause from Hannah. “I did it! I didn't want us to be seen as freaks because we had a monster. It looked like a wailing fish so I threw it in the river. I saved us all the suffering of raising one of those!”

Everyone was silent at his confession. The crowd that had drawn to watch, the sheriff, everyone. Leira shook her head and walked away. Hannah got up and followed, slowing as she passed the sheriff.

“He needs to be arrested for attempted murder,” she ordered as she passed by.

“Not a crime if it’s one of those.”

Hannah stopped, turned around, and gut shot the sheriff. Then, walked back over to Leira’s father.

“It may not be official law now, but it is best if everyone just started considering the Emberborn to be people!” she explained for everyone to hear. “So, for the crimes of attempted murder and accessory after the fact, I am summarily executing these men!”

Her second shot took the prone man’s head off. She paused and searched the crowd for anyone who might take issue. Then she settled on Leira’s sister.

“I will come back here someday. If I find out that child you are carrying is Emberborn and you aren't the most loving parents possible for it, I will kill you both and take it someplace safe.”

Hannah turned away after her warning to rejoin Leira, who had stopped on the bridge when she heard the shots. It wasn't until they were well on their way back to the coast that Leira spoke up.

“Why did you do that?”

“Because they deserved to be punished. And because people need to know what they did was wrong and that there are consequences to their hate. Maybe they didn't deserve to die, but you can’t change people with messages of tolerance. Also, you deserved to have justice without the guilt of doing it yourself.”

“I don't know what to feel about all this.”

“Take your time, deal with it as you go.”