We were going back to the upper deck when we heard an explosion. Gemma counted to three, and then the ship rocked as it took the hit. I grabbed Gemma and held her close as we made our way to the deck. There was another explosion but no rocking. A miss.

'What’s going on? Are we being attacked?’ I asked quickly before another boom made it impossible to hear anything.

'No shit, sweetcheeks. It must be another ASS.'

'Another ship? But you're a scouting ship, not a warship, right? Why would anyone attack you… us?’

Another boom drowned Gemma's reply, but it didn't matter. We had to stay alive before we could satisfy my curiosity.

We finally reached the upper deck, after much wobbling. There was another close miss, but no hit. I wasn't an expert sailor, but I had seen enough pirate flicks to know we must have sailed out of their range, or turned around to give them a smaller target.

The deck was a mess of women pulling ropes and running to and fro, but in the midst of it all, there was a square of women with their arms interlocked. Larann was there, along with an ash-blonde woman, a raven-haired beauty with slanted eyes, and the Captain. Their eyes were closed and they seemed to be chanting or repeating a mantra.

'Let’s go!’ said Gemma as she pulled me by the arm. ‘We need to help them!’

We ran toward the women and Gemma carefully put herself in between Larann and the Captain, locking arms with them but being careful not to separate them. She motioned for me to approach.

I came closer to them and Gemma motioned with her head to the center of the group. I slid carefully between their arms and legs and stood in the middle. I didn't even stop to think if I was going to be sacrificed in a ritual spell or something. But the look in Gemma's eyes, now closed, had made me trust her. It very well could be that I was thinking with my groin once again, but it didn't feel like that. The part of me that was an old man told me I could trust these women.

I put one hand on Gemma's shoulder and the other on the woman opposite from her, the ash-blonde one. She shrank away from my touch for just a second, but then seemed to understand and relaxed.

Then I felt something coursing through my body, like a brain freeze from too much ice cream all over my body, making me shake. Then I heard the sound of the wind picking up and opened my eyes to see the sails catching the gust and speeding us ahead, while something akin to a wall of wind and water, like a tornado unfolded as one layer of wind, stood between the Lightwind and what I could see now as our pursuer, a ship quickly receding from us and growing smaller.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Someone squeezed my hand and I squeezed back. It was a reflex from my married life. I turned and saw the ash-blonde woman, and for a second there, I saw my wife. I hadn't noticed it earlier with the chaos, but now I saw the resemblance. The same grey eyes and gentle smile, even the same dimples. Like an alternate version of her where she had stayed young, and most of all, alive.

I realized I was staring and still had my hand on hers.

'I’m sorry,’’ I said, and dropped my hand and turned away, confused by my thoughts. That put me face to face with the Captain. I hadn't seen her at eye-level before, and she was impressive. Insanely beautiful, yes, but also tall, at least as tall as me, and with a poise and level of comfort in her own body that made you feel inadequate. I had never had a problem talking to pretty girls. This one was a whole other level. Did I measure up to her?

'I see you found the lost and found clothes chest. And become acquainted with my crew’ she said, drilling me with her stare.

'Some more than others,’’ I said, not trying to be cheeky.

'He’s a keeper, Cap,’’ said Gemma, giving me a squeeze in my bicep. Luckily she was able to contain her instincts in front of her captain.

'You always become attached to every stray we fish out, Gemma,’’ said the Captain.

'He helped us channel,’’ said Larann, speaking for the first time. She didn't look me in the eye. Was she ashamed of what had happened between us? ‘He has some useful skills. And having an emotionalky mature man among us would be a first.’

The Captain groaned. 'You too, Larann? Has anyone here not banged the man yet?’

'Look,’ I said, losing a bit of my patience. I was not a thing, recent events notwithstanding. 'I didn't choose to be here. I'm a grown man, not cut out for bullshit. I'm trying to get back to my own farm in my little corner of the metaverse. I'm stuck here with you? Fine. I'll make the most of it. Do you have things that need fixing? Need to calculate the proper trajectory of a cannonball? Count me in. But I'm a person, not a plaything. Whatever I do, I'll do it because I want to.’

The Captain looked bored at my tirade.

'Are you done asserting your rights?’

'Yes, I think so,’ I said, confused.

'Great. I have much to do. We have to stay ahead of our pursuers. We'll discuss your status in the ship later. You're all dismissed.’

The other women turned around and left. I turned too, not knowing where to go, really.

'Oh and… emm,’’ said the Captain behind me.

'Hank,’ I said, turning around

'I’ll figure you out soon enough, Hank,’ she said with an impish smile she made sure no one else saw.