It was relieving to learn among Ville's plethora of abilities, he could open portals anywhere on the continent. Unfortunately, he was limited by large bodies of water. It had to do with the way water can hold and store large amounts of supernatural energy. To be honest, I tuned out during the explanation because he began using some complex demon lord terminology that I didn't understand. The point was, even though we don't have to spend weeks traveling all the way to the coast, we still had to bunk up with the pirates.

The port was what you'd expect. Many small shops and sinful clubs and inns lined the boardwalk. There were a myriad of street performers, from musicians to jugglers and con men. It smelled of salt and bourbon. The majority of ships docked in harbor flew the same flag, telling me what an empire this pirate king runs. Off in a small cove in the distance, we spotted the colors of Avatar Country. Johannes confirmed a troop of Avatar citizens had laid roots here and begun building ships, along with an outpost.

While I'm sure he would've loved to have checked in on their progress, he acknowledged we didn't have time to waste. Perhaps we'll do so upon our return. You know, if we make it back alive from confronting one of the most dangerous men in the world. There's this part of me, deep down, that wants to turn to Ricky and tell him to stay here. We can handle this without him, we don't have to put him in harm's way like this. I know he'd get angry at me for insinuating he's not up to the task, just as I know standing up to Manson will be one of the most difficult things he'll ever do in his life.

I want so desperately to protect him from the one who abused him, but he's not like Yuki. He's not just my little toy. Ricky is a leader, a caretaker, a man of character. He's managed to attend meetings alongside Manson in the past. Somehow, though, I can feel it in my chest that this will be different. If he makes it through this, I'll be there to congratulate him, and if he breaks down, I'll be there to wipe his tears.

The boardwalk seemed to end in the side of a mountain. Upon closer inspection, there was a cloaked entrance along the stone closely guarded by pirates. They recognized Johannes' uniform and allowed us through. On the other side, there was a massive cove structured with wooden walkways. Ships far fancier than what we'd seen in the ports were stationed along the docks. Higher in the rocks, I could see caves that looked to be populated.

It was remarkable, but easily overwhelming for some. Twiggy's little hands tugged at my cloak as he hid behind me. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention he's taken some kind of liking to me. He imprinted to me like a duckling to its mother. Apparently he really liked the cheesecake I made him. It must be rare someone does something nice for him. Ricky also mentioned something about me resembling Manson in his younger days. I kind of wanted to act like he didn't say that, all things considered. You were sexually attracted to and later fell for a guy who resembles your attempted murderer? Not disturbing at all.

Johannes stopped before a ship with a beautiful mermaid carved into the hull. He whistled a short little song. Some kind of password or call, I'm guessing. A minute later, a disheveled gentleman popped his head over the edge to greet us. He had messy brown hair and a hat that both looked like they'd been through ten windstorms. A ribbon tied around his neck, and his silk shirt had a few slashes in it.

"Hello, new friend!" He beamed with a smile, "To what do we owe this visit?"

"We've come to ask a favor! May I speak with your older brother?" Johannes replied, chipper as ever.

"Of course! Come aboard! He's in the captain's quarters." He said.

Johannes thanked him, skipping off to the ramp. Maybe it's just me, but if someone I barely knew showed up with three rather cryptic looking beings, I'd be somewhat apprehensive. What I am saying? I'm trying to reason out pirate logic!

We followed behind Johannes as he led us into the interior of the ship. The man we'd already met had gotten ahead of us to warn his brother of our approach. Once we arrived, he jumped up on the desk, crossing his legs. He was one of those people that clearly lived in his own little world. Behind the desk sat a surprisingly well dressed gentleman. If this were Earth, I'd say he looked to be a fan of British art fashion. Speaking of Brits, in the back corner there was a guy with a real Sid Vicious vibe going on. He kept his feet propped up and a cigarette tucked behind his ear.

"This is Johannes, the demon lord of Avatar Country. I'm not sure who his friends are!" The whimsical man stated.

"And you let them on our ship?" His brother deadpanned.

"They too serve the crown. They're of no threat." Johannes clarified. "It's a pleasure to finally meet face to face. I'm also delighted to make Emerson's acquaintance again, as our previous meeting was brief. We were ships passing in the night, if you will."

"Hm, funny." He snit. The man straightened some papers and set them aside in order to give us his full attention. "Sebastian, and the one in the corner is our middle brother, Remington. Who might your friends be?"

"Ah, yes, the demon lord, Ricky, and his head servant, Chris. The small one behind Chris is a servant of the demon lord known as the God of Hate. We've come to ask if you'd be kind enough to provide us passage to Autica so that we may return him to his master."

Remington piped in, "Seems like a lot of security for one servant."

"He might be one servant, but he'll be the difference between life and death for everyone in this room." Ricky replied.

Johannes grinned awkwardly, "It's a long story."

Sebastian reclined in his seat and folded his arms. "We have time."

Here we go again. We found places to sit, but they certainly weren't comfortable. This cabin was too small for seven bodies. I kept Twiggy entertained by drawing him pictures with some stray papers and a pen Emerson was kind enough to give me. He acts more like a child than some kinky sex toy for a demon lord. By the way, I had yet to hear him talk outside of extremely short one to two word responses. I'm not sure if he even knew what was going on.

Johannes and Ricky began recounting the story in its entirety, from the visit with Zombie to the crazy cult that kidnapped Twiggy. The three pirate brothers were nicer than I'd initially thought. They were interested in becoming involved, not just to save their own asses but to help out the allies they'd made in Avatar Country. They agreed to sail their ships across the ocean in order to deliever us upon Manson's doorstep. In return, Sebastian asked to be included in the confrontation. Perhaps if three great leaders stood before him, it'd be enough to convince him what he was doing was insane.

They chose to sail an armada of five ships, each with unique names. The ship under Remington's control was Ma Cherie, Emerson's was Warhol, and the one the king sat upon was appropriately named The Boom. Being that it was the largest ship, we chose to remain on it for the journey. I rested down in the bunk areas to regain the energy the sun had zapped from me. At some point, Ricky crawled in with me for a short nap. It didn't last long and we ended up laying awake, talking.

"So, Ville mentioned something interesting to me yesterday." I told him, "He said demon lords require souls to survive and I can't help but notice you haven't consumed a single one since we left."

"Unlike vampires with blood, we can store the energy we take. I'll be fine. Besides, I'm sure they will be plenty of souls to reap before we reach land. Other pirates see the mantel of king as a challenge. We'll likely be attacked, but don't worry. They won't lose. They never have."

"I got the feeling they've got their shit together. I'm not worried." I replied.

Ville told me something else. He told me you should be eating human food, but you don't. That's what I should've said to him. Yet, when I went to speak, the words just wouldn't leave my mouth. They desperately tried to crawl back down my throat, crying out quietly for me to stop while I'm ahead. I shouldn't upset him right now. I'll wait until we're home, but I won't completely drop it. It's something we have to talk about eventually.

Instead, we talked about our new friends. Ricky knew more about them than I thought. He explained that Sebastian absolutely had the power and training to become a demon lord, but refused to sacrifice his morality like that. He wasn't fond of the way demon lords fed on the souls of the innocent. Even when engaging in combat, the three brothers almost never took a life. For that, they've earned a form of gratitude and respect from many they've crossed their paths with. That's how they ended up with such a great army. Many pirates defected to their side after having their lives spared.

Once night had fallen, I was able to return to the deck and watch the stars. They were far more beautiful here than they ever were on Earth. All my duties at the castle prevent me from watching them as often as I'd like. The vicious waves crashed against the side of the ship, so harshly contrasting the calmness of the moon. I looked down, not expecting to see anything really, but much to my surprise, I did.

There was an iridescent mass glowing brightly just below the surface. It was alluring, definitely. I wouldn't go as far as to say enchanting, though. Suddenly a splash off water hit my face and I jumped back instinctively. I leaned back over the point as I heard a giggle. There was a woman there. No—A mermaid. Why would she choose to flirt with a man who's face she can't even see? I'll be honest, I was a tad pissed off at her for getting me wet. I shifted my eyes so that they glow red, like lasers cutting through a pitch black forest. That scared the shit out of her and she disappeared.

Ricky walked up behind me, laughing. "That was a siren. She was trying to eat you."

"Poor thing may never know she was barking up the wrong tree." I said, "I never found the whole mermaid thing attractive, to be honest. You can't have sex with them, and even if you could, why would you want to?"

He sighed playfully, "Is sex all you think about?"

"No. Sometimes I'm thinking about funny cat videos."

Ricky looked at me strangely, "What?"

"Oh, right. You don't have the internet here. You... You do have cats, though, right?" I asked.

"Yes, we do. I used to have one, before I had a Kuza and a Ryan to take care of. Here, let me dry you off." Ricky lit a small black flame at his fingertips and held it close to my face. It was close enough to resolve my mask of seawater, but far enough away it wouldn't hurt me.

"Now who's the cheesy one?" I teased.

"Fine," He snapped out the flame. "Catch hypothermia. See what I care."

I grabbed him by the hips, pulling him in. "You're such a drama queen."

Ricky drew down my mask, making some remark about how I'm in trouble for talking back so much and I'd be punished when we returned home. Then, he kissed me and held me tight. I nicked his lip just to get a taste. I wasn't hungry enough to fully feed, but I was feeling peckish. Ricky moaned as I sucked on his lower lip briefly. I trailed my bloodstained kisses down his jaw, tickling his ear with my breath.

He laughed, feebly trying to push me back. I only retracted to see his smile. He was so damn beautiful. I know I'm not that strong compared to others in this world, but I would do anything to protect him. I'll defend his heart and soul until my dying breath. Just as I was thinking how remarkable he was, my stomach began to turn. The small sip of blood I'd taken from him wasn't settling well. Within a few seconds, I found myself leaned over the edge vomiting.

"Shit," I heard him cuss, "Are you okay, babe?"

"Y-Yeah." I stammered, "You know how I have hypersensitive ears? And your inner ear is important to your balance and shit? Yeah, that doesn't work out well with moving vehicles like ships."

"You've always done alright in carriages and on horseback." He said.

"Horses are different, and carriages aren't... Aren't as bad, so I usually just sucked it up, but uh- fuck."

Ricky placed his hand on my shoulder, gently turning me around. "Let's get you laying down."

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. We've got another week of this, at least. Fuck my life.