Rayo stares down Jessica’s dragon clutching onto the opposite side of the ship. Mateo emerges from the captain’s quarters in a pair of dark pants and an open chest blouse. Zenara steps up beside him wrapped in her loose open chest robe. Her robe seems like it has been fashioned from both the skin of a lizard and the fur of a leopard. Jessica approaches Mateo smiling.

  “Is that monitor leopard skin?” Jessica asks turning her gaze toward Zenara.

  “Depends on who’s asking,” Zenara replies.

  “How rude of me,” she smiles menacingly without giving a bow, “I am Jessica Coldthorne, first dragon knight of god dragon lady Dios.”

  Mateo turns his gaze away from her beholding the astral around them. A massive dragon the size of two football fields looms over them ominously dwarfing Jessica’s dragon and the entire ship in size. The Currents of Rage is surrounded by a small group of dragon knights all perched upon the backs of their dragons.

  Zenara’s crew stare down Jessica’s dragon weapons drawn. The massive tiger cannons creek as they are readied to defend the astral vessel until death.

  “What, no hug for your favorite playmate?” Jessica asks.

  “I hope the elven princess didn’t leave you over an affair with this harlot,” Zenara whispers.

  “I assure you, nothing I’ve done with this woman has been consensual,” Mateo says pulling Garren’s magic rock from his inventory.

  Jessica approaches Mateo placing her hand around his wrist, and he clutches the rock tighter as she runs her off hand across his exposed chest like an eager lover.

  “What do you want Jessica?”

  “What do I want, I want to drag you off this ship and toss you in my dungeon where I can torture you at my leisure, don’t worry, if you scream loud enough I’ll even give you a little reward,” she says running her finger from her bottom lip down over her breasts in a would be seductive manner.

  Zenara’s crew become visibly distraught turning their weapons toward Jessica and her dragon spreads its wings letting off a low grumble.

  “Unfortunately, this isn’t about what I want, it’s about what Dios wants, and my godsire desires for me to assist you,” she says pulling a medium sized bag from her inventory.

  Stitches steps forward sensing the mana radiating from the bag. Magic tomes. Jessica tosses the bag behind Mateo and moves closer to him placing her hands on him like he’s her lover. She places her lips by his cheek and Mateo can feel the chill of her breath as she leans in closer nibbling on his ear and whispering.

  “Get strong my love, the stronger you are the next time we meet, the longer I can torture you, and the more fun we’ll have.”

  She reaches down grabbing his ass before strutting away in a manner that would be appealing if Mateo was a masochist. He is not a masochist however, he does have an erection.

  “Really Mateo?” Natalia says staring down from his shoulder.

  “I can’t control it, I have a thing for aggressive women, even if they are psychopaths,” Mateo replies.

  “I’m aggressive,” Natalia says with a cute smile.

  “Aggressive and annoying are two different things Nat.”

  “I am not annoying, you take that back right now!”

  The boat shakes as Jessica and her dragon disembark. The massive dragon Dios turns her eyes staring directly at Mateo and her huge maw seems to warp into a sinister grin.

  Stitches retrieves the bag opening it to reveal several spell tomes. Mateo joins her holding up the tomes to inspect them.

  Wyrm’s wrath- in the Ryukaze style execute a throw ability by charging your opponent, ramming them into the air, then whipping them onto the ground with an ethereal wyrm’s tail. Equipment that enhances charge attacks causes this ability to create three stacks of wrath. Each stack of wrath adds two points to strength. After executing an attack all stacks will be consumed.

  Flight of the Amphithere- after executing a throw in the Ryukaze style, in combat, spend ten percent mana and twenty percent stamina to summon the brilliant, feathered rainbow wings of an Amphithere shooting you skyward and increasing spell damage by twenty percent. At the cost of five percent mana and five percent stamina this ability will shoot you twenty feet into the air and negate fall damage for ten seconds. When out of combat use five percent mana to use these wings to increase your jump height or reduce fall damage, additionally this ability can be used to glide for a short period, the duration depends on your draconic proficiency.

  Tri-elemental annihilation- you lack the proficiency to use this ability. Ability is unlocked at rank ‘one tiger claw’ and proficiency with fire, ice, and void lightning level three, you do not have enough mana to cast this spell.

  You have obtained ten thousand drakes. Drakes can be used in the corelands to buy bullshit from dragon vendors.

  You have obtained a hand scrawled note from dragon god Dios.

  Grow strong young hatchling, you made a promise, and I will see everything I can done to make sure you attain the power to challenge me. Know that if you fail to deliver your promise that I will see this realm burn and build it anew from the ashes. As the tiger crouches to behold the embers and ash from which the phoenix rises, the dragon rests upon the mountain above, beholden of all creation.

  -Dios Amicus

  “What does is say?” Stitches asks.

  “Just some normal dragon bullshit about being better than everyone else and lazily written villain banter.”

  Mateo places his hand on Stitches’ shoulder as Dios and her legion of dragons fly off into the distant astral.

  “That’s the second dragon knight I’ve seen since meeting you and she was fawning over you Mateo, would you care to share with the crew?” Zenara asks.

  “Honestly, no,” Mateo replies.

  A rift opens beside him and a large arachnid woman, and a female slime emerge from it. The crew turn toward them weapons drawn. The female slime raises her hand her thumb extended with a smile.

  “Chocolate.”

  The arachnid tries to cower behind Mateo, even though she dwarfs him in size. Zenara summons a halberd from her inventory staring down the arachnid with murderous intent.

  “Did the dragons release this vile creature onto my ship,” she states taking a fighting stance.

  Mateo steps back trying to shield her with his own body. He holds out his arms.

  “She is not an enemy, this is Olivia, and the slime is Sapphire, they are my friends.”

  Zenara stares them down for a long moment as the slime approaches her. She tightens her grip on her halberd as the female slime steps up to her tilting her viscous head.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Chocolate?” She asks curiously.

  Zenara strikes with her halberd as if to cut the female slime down. Her strike is stopped by a fist sized rock. Mateo strains holding the rock in his hand as her halberd bears down on him.

  “Why stop my attack, it wouldn’t have harmed her, she’s a slime,” Zenara states.

  “I didn’t know that for sure, and she’s my friend, don’t you protect your friends?” Mateo asks.

  Azul looks up from between them a dagger pressed to Zenara’s belly. Zenara steps back and Azul joins Mateo, Sapphire, and Olivia.

  “Mateo is a good friend of mine, as is Jade, who I care for dearly, careful the path you tread around them, for if it crosses theirs then it crosses the Harmony Casters,” Azul says angrily.

  The other Harmony Casters nod in agreement.

  “You guys really got at each others throats pretty quick,” a small voice says approaching from below deck.

  Mercedes steps onto the deck joining Mitsubishi and Stitches. The confused crew turn toward Zenara unsure of what to do. Zenara raises her hand gesturing to her men.

  “Morier invictus my brothers, carry on,” Zenara states.

  The crew lower their weapons and return to their roles on the vessel. The tiger canons retract, and Mateo stands before Zenara perplexed.

  “What does that mean?” Mateo asks.

  Zenara smiles relaxing her figure.

  “Morier, to die, invictus, unconquered, we give no retreat, no quarter, we win or we die free, it is a saying that the Aurum Sanguis have used since they broke free from the servitude of the dragons on Daedalus, where the dwarves remain enslaved, though you might not think them so for the lavish lives they live selling their technology, never mind that, I need to speak to my beloved and your neko friend seems flustered.”

  Mateo retreats to his dormitory on the ship and Stitches soon joins him. She is visibly distraught as she removes her robes and slides onto Mateo’s bed laying her arm over his waist burying her nose in his chest.

  “Um, Stitches, are you ok?” Mateo asks.

  “Mitsu broke up with me before I could break up with him for trying to distract me from Mercedes spying on you for Garren,” she replies her tail darting about anxiously.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, is there anything I can do, I was kind of hoping to spend the evening alone,” Mateo says suggestively.

  “You can play with my hair instead of wallowing in self pity,” Stitches replies.

  “I was actually just going to re-,” Stitches grabs his hand and shoves it into her hair.

  Mateo begins to stroke her soft hair gently. He twirls it around his fingers, and she falls unconscious purring against his chest. Less than fifteen minutes pass before the door creeks open. It being her ship Zenara doesn’t feel the need to knock. She enters stopping as she sees the neko girl cuddled up to Mateo.

  “Should I return later?” Zenara asks.

  “No, she’s sleeping, and even if she wakes, she’ll pretend she’s still asleep as long as I don’t stop playing with her hair,” Mateo replies.

  Zenara sits on the edge of the bed, and it shifts. Stitches clutches Mateo tighter giving off a cute moan. Natalia appears floating above Mateo.

  “My fiancé Dulmond will be making breakfast, but before I ask you to the table I want to know, who are the gods to you realmwalker?” Zenara asks.

  Mateo runs his fingers through Stitches’ long soft hair staring down at her with a warm smile.

  “I’ve only met a couple, one had me and my pixie tortured, the other took my only weapon and gave me a rock, what about you?” Mateo asks.

  “Fate rescued me, I was a slave ready to be traded when a realmwalker appeared to fulfill his quest to save me, I was a child at the time, and I still bear the mark, Fate was different back then, now the gods are all scattered and anxious, someone used divine power and now there is talk of war.”

  “I’m grateful for your help, perhaps we could talk about this more after a long rest,” Mateo suggests.

  Zenara stands smiling at Mateo and Stitches before heading toward the door. She pauses for a moment placing her hand on the doorframe.

  “You could stand to gain a few pounds; she’ll have more than skin and bones to hold onto if you do.”

  Zenara exits and Mateo lays his head back closing his eyes. His fingers run through Stitches’ hair unconsciously until he drifts off to sleep.

  The light of the day star does not reach the Currents of Rage, but light does shine over Vitas. Slivers of daylight reflect from the moons as the day star appears faintly over the horizon, mere hours from appearing fully in their region of the astral.

  Mateo makes his way through the ship noticing particles of mana creeping through it like a blue mist. He steps into a dining hall where most of the crew and his party, including the Harmony Casters are awaiting breakfast. A large husky man steps from the kitchen with several cauldrons full of food as Zenara follows him longingly.

  The dining hall is a large open space joined to the kitchen. The smell of chikus eggs and boardrel bacon fill the air dancing about the scent of freshly baked bread. Dim mana infused crystals line the walls and ceiling pulling the blue mist of mana from the air keeping themselves alight. They give the room a cool glow. The tables are a bench style with no backing able to accommodate up to six full grown adults.

  The man himself isn’t anything special. Around five foot eight inches and two hundred and fifty pounds. His skin is tan, and he seems mostly human. A short scruffy beard adorns his face and his hair is a dark amber color. Zenara is most infatuated with him so this must be her fiancé.

  The man lays out the cauldrons full of food on a table and several women resembling harpies bring out freshly baked bread and pastries. The crew line up to fill their plates with food as Mateo remains seated. After everyone has found a seat to enjoy their food Zenara leads the large man to Mateo’s table.

  “Zenara was not lying when she said you were thin, I can nearly see your bones through your muscles,” the man says taking a seat across from Mateo.

  “What’s wrong with being thin?” Natalia snipes.

  “Ah, a pixie, and she’s feisty,” he stops himself grinning. “How rude of me, my name is Dulmond Esrath, you are Mateo Ryusane as Zenara has spoken, and the sparkling beauty at your side?” Dulmond asks with a thick accent.

  “This is Stitches,” Mateo replies displaying her with his hand.

  “He wasn’t talking about her numb nuts he was talking about me!” Natalia yells.

  Dulmond chuckles.

  “I was indeed referring to your pixie, but your neko friend is pleasant as well, are you two?”

  “Waiting to be offered breakfast?” Stitches replies.

  “I’ll make them a plate dear,” Zenara says pecking him on the cheek before stepping away.

  Once she is out of ear shot Mateo leans onto the table speaking in a half whisper.

  “No offense, but how did your score a baddie like that?” Mateo asks.

  Dulmond smiles.

  “Zenara found me on an astral land mass, all I had there was a lake, and the lake was filled with harpies, I couldn’t fish for fear that the harpies would charm me and consume me, so I just visited the lake scarcely to get what I could,” he stops recollecting his distant memories.

  “One day I found one of the harpies lying in the sand drifting in and out of consciousness on the shoreline, I thought it was surely a trap, but I was starving by then and she was unresponsive, I thought that if I were to come to an end than I would rather die trying to help someone than starve to death, so I used what little strength I had left to drag her to a small cave I was living in, it turns out that though they live in salt water, they still need fresh water to sustain normal kidney function.”

  He pauses thinking deeply.

  “I had been boiling water, creating fresh water with reverse osmosis, so I gave her some and slowly she recovered, when I heard the mourning whales of the other harpies at her absence I thought they might have turned to banshees, so I carried her back to the other harpies who greeted me with open arms, or rather, wings, from then on we worked together gathering fish and making fresh water until Zenara arrived.”

  “So, the harpies on this ship, they are the ones that were with you on that astral land mass?”

  “Yes, Zenara came aground with her pirates and the intent to kill me, but I challenged her, if I could cook her a dish that made her fall in love with me, then she would spare me and the harpies, and we would join her crew.”

  “I see that worked out well, what did you cook if I may ask?” Mateo questions.

  “Fish tacos with peach aioli,” he replies.

  “Wait, are you a realmwalker?” Mateo asks.

  “No, my parents were, before the landmass broke off, they died when I was very young, but they left a shack full of tomes for me to read, a million recipes for a child born with the culinary essence,” he says with a smile.

  Zenara returns with a few plates of food laying them out before Mateo and Stitches. She takes a seat pecking Dulmond on the cheek like a giddy schoolgirl and they all enjoy a nice breakfast.

  Mateo leans over the deck of the Currents of Rage staring out at the astral. The continents of Terramundus appear as floating land masses, as do smaller islands he can see off in the distance. Beatrice joins him leaning over the rail staring off into the distance.

  “It’s beautiful isn’t it, all the mana flowing, the peacefulness of it, unlike the oceans the mana flows calmly and undisturbed.”

  “It is, I wonder how this place works,” Mateo says with a smile.

  Beatrice moves closer to Mateo placing her hand over top of his without turning her gaze to him.

  “I’m sorry things didn’t work out between you and Serenity, we’re adventurers, our romantic ventures are often short.”

  Mateo stares off into the astral watching the blue tendrils of mana.

  “Don’t tell Rayo that, he’s dead set on marrying Charlotte,” Mateo says with a crooked smile.

  “And you?”

  “I’m not going to save the realm chasing tail, don’t you think?”

  “You know, if you had a harem I’d gladly join it,” Beatrice says slapping his shoulder.

  “I know, but the kind of women I’m interested in wouldn’t agree to that, I’m an equal partners kind of guy,” Mateo replies.

  “Can you say something that doesn’t make me more attracted to you?” Beatrice asks.

  “You’re beautiful, and you’re aggressive, both are traits I find attractive, but I’m not looking for a date, the realm is in danger, and I need to grow stronger to save it.”

  “There are so many realmwalkers, why do you think you need to save this realm?”

  The day star reflects off one of the moons giving it a violet glow. The sails of the Currents of Rage blow in an unseen unfelt wind as the blue mist of mana passes through them as if propelling them along an astral stream. Mateo turns to Beatrice placing his hand on her back rubbing it gently as he gives her an unsettled smile.

  “What if I’m the only one that can, and I don’t?”