Coughing, I sat up from the dirt as quickly as I could, if only to fix Venix with a gobsmacked look. “Excuse me?” I asked in complete disbelief.

The Antium man finished shrugging his robe back into place, from where it had fallen off his shoulders during our duel. He then crossed his arms and fixed me with an even stare, as the crowd in the background only started to react to Venix’s words.

Mostly in the shock that I echoed.

“I concede,” Venix repeated evenly, meeting my gaze. “You may now travel to Goryuen, and thus Mt. Gorenzan with my blessing. I shall even accompany you.”

I struggled back my feet, still gaping at the Antium man. “But…but…I lost?”

“No you didn’t,” Venix immediately replied.

I looked around desperately for a moment, meeting the gazes of some of the onlookers. They just shrugged at me. “Yes I did?”

Venix actually rolled his eyes then, something I had never seen before. “No, you did not,” He said patiently. “I conceded, and thus you have won the duel.”

His words were finally starting to penetrate the post-battle adrenaline I’d been swimming in, and when they did, my core ring pointed something out to me.

I picked up my fallen spear and retracted it, sheathing the dagger at the small of my back. As I did, I narrowed my eyes at the Antium samurai. “Was…this entire duel…just a way to get me to use Vis Exactoris Maledicta?”

I couldn’t keep either the suspicion, the indignation, or the irritation I felt out of my voice at that idea.

Venix just shrugged and didn’t answer me. Still, I caught the faintest trace of a smirk on his insectoid features.

I scowled at him in response.

So that had been his game. I’d thought it was odd that the normally agreeable Antium man had objected to the trip to the isle, despite the tragic story he told. It just wasn’t like him to stand in the way of advancement.

Venix sobered up, then, as the crowd began to whisper amongst themselves in excitement. I think the drama of it all enticed them more than the actual fight had. He met my eyes. “You were the only weak link, for an expedition to that hell,” He said seriously, causing me to straighten up in response. “The Dwarf and the female Gnoll can take care of themselves. They’re strong enough to brave Goryuen in a team, if only barely. The strength of the Healer is inconsequential. He can ply his skillset safely to the rear of us and remain protected while he does. But it was you,” He said, unfolding one hand to point at me. “That did not have the strength to keep up upon the Isle of the Wyrm. Either in arm or in will. That is, if you refused to use the power of your transformation Skill. But with it?” Venix shook his head. “You will not be a burden, even if it can only be maintained for short periods.”

My scowl faded and I looked away from him, as my companions came to stand with us. “You couldn’t have just told me that?” I grumbled, with only a small measure of heat.

“Nope,” Azarus said, smirking at me. “Ye’ve got a hard head, Nate. None ‘o us have been able ta get through ta ya, so Venix took it on himself.”

Liora laid a hand on my shoulder, drawing my gaze. There was a compassionate look in the amethyst eyes of the normally taciturn Gnoll. “It is a hard lesson to learn,” She said seriously. “That strength is merely strength. It does not matter the source that it comes from. Merely in how it is used. Remember that, Nathan.”

Renauld just shrugged at me when my gaze wandered over to him. “I just think it’s too cool to never use,” He admitted freely. “I mean, c’mon, man. You turn into some kind of…werebatlizard thing. That’s awesome.”

I gave him the stink eye, while Azarus actually nodded along seriously. Liora just rolled her eyes.

I don’t know what I was expecting. That was a very…Renauld thing to say.

Still, I sighed and nodded. “Alright, alright,” I said tiredly, even though it was barely after sunrise. “I get the point. I’ll…use it, even if I don’t want to. It’s useful, at the very least.”

“Good,” Venix cut in then, drawing our attention. There was a self-satisfied slant to his face. “Then if that is all, we can leave for the isle at the soonest opportunity.”

Liora interrupted, coughing lightly into her fist. “Ah…Sir Venix, we were also waiting for Captain Isabella to return,” She said politely, causing him to blink in surprise. “You were not the only one we wished to accompany us.”

“I…see,” Venix said slowly. “Well. I have no objections to the pirate woman coming along. She is strong and ruthless enough to survive the dangers of Goryuen.”

We all stood around in silence for a moment, I think mutually lost on how to proceed before Lady Saeko approached us.

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She actually flicked a hand our way. “Shoo, shoo,” She said dismissively. “I’m not ungrateful for the bit of morning entertainment, but now my girls have to fix the yard. And we can’t do that if you five are just standing around awkwardly. I’m sure you all have better things to do.”

I looked over her shoulder then, to see a small army of the inn’s wait and cleaning staff standing around politely for us to leave. The all tended to be much more polite than the very forthwith Lady Saeko. The other guests had all filtered away by that point, and it was just us out here.

I flushed a little, straightened up, and then bowed to the proprietress. I noticed that all of my companions, including Renauld and Venix, copied me. “Apologies, Lady Saeko,” I murmured. “We’ll leave you be now.”

At that, the five of us left the yard to the staff, who swarmed over the gouges in the earth my duel with Venix had created.

…………………………….

Eventually, our group decided to give Bella a week to come back before we left on our expedition. If she didn’t come back before then, we would just set out and catch up with her after we came back.

I can’t deny being a bit relieved about it, after the…awkward way we had parted. Besides, it gave me some time to catch up on preparations for the trip, including the brewing I still needed to do. I essentially spent the next three days deep in a rented lab not far from the inn, cooking up enough potions and pills for everyone.

I finished up just in time.

Because on the fourth day, the Thorny Reef sailed into port.

………………………………

I didn’t know immediately, obviously. I’d just had another session with Elder Jinshin, and was walking back to the inn to rest up for the day. But the path that led back passed by the port of Hinaga, and I happened to cast my gaze over the sprawling complex from the upper tier of the city. I stopped in place when the familiar sight of the pirate ship greeted my eyes, far off down below me. I could see a number of people scurrying about in the distance, loading and unloading the ship. Bella had a tendency to accept cargo, legitimate or otherwise, on her voyages. The crew were probably hawking whatever they had in the hold in this port.

The sight of the Thorny Reef filled me with…mixed feelings. I almost, almost wanted to hop down a few levels and go greet the crew. I knew plenty of people who sailed with Bella by now, and was overall a welcomed sight among them.

But on the other, I could run into Bella. And that was…awkward.

Oh, screw it. She was probably already back at the inn, by now. The woman and most of her crew tended to hole up in the same inn we frequented, here in Hinaga.

I couldn’t put this off forever.

……………………………….

I was right, of course. In an almost mirror of the initial confrontation with Venix from the other day, Bella was catching up with Liora down in the dining room of the inn. It was about midday by now, and the two women were enjoying a cup of tea together. The two of them had hit up a surprisingly fast friendship, in the days after the tragedy at Elderwyck. I hadn’t initially realized quite how much they had in common at the time, but they sure had.

Honestly, I think Bella might be Liora’s closest friend, at this point.

I was happy for her.

Truly.

Said pirate Captain looked…good, honestly. She didn’t have to pretend to be ‘Captain Nicollette of the Coral Squall’, her Blueback cover persona, here in Hinaga. Kawamara was generally permissive of Herztalian pirates hawking their ill-gotten goods in their ports, as long as they weren’t ‘operating’ in their waters, so to speak. It was a point of contention between the two countries, as I understood it.

For being the only two large Human nations, there wasn’t much love lost between them.

As such, she was back in her old blue coat and black leathers, cutlass at her side. Her hat was resting on the table next to her cup, while her long, curly, salt-kissed raven hair hung around her sharp features.

Liora noticed me immediately, of course, and it only took Bella a moment to turn and follow her gaze.

The smile that had been on the pirate’s face immediately smoothed away at the sight of me, leaving only a blank expression behind. Somehow, that was more intimidating than a scowl would have been.

I internally cringed but didn’t allow it to show on my face or affect my stride. Instead, I just kept walking towards their table as nonchalantly as I could. “Liora, Bella,” I said, with a smile fixed on my face. “Good to see you’re back in tow-”

Bella interrupted me abruptly by shooting to her feet, almost rocketing up from the pillow she’d been sitting on. Around her thing form, I could see Liora trying and failing to suppress an amused smile on her vulpine features from around a teacup.

Eye to eye now with Bella, I saw her own blue eyes narrow at me. This time, I allowed a cringe to slip through my acting.

Abruptly, she raised her right arm, and I braced myself. I almost expected the woman to slap, or hell, even punch me. It wouldn’t be out of character, considering how we’d parted.

Instead, she seized me by the collar of my robe, and started bodily dragging me across the dining room, and up the stairs to the rooms above. I yelped like a struck dog, but didn’t try to stop her. If anything, I was relieved.

At least we weren’t going to have this conversation in public.

Behind me, I heard Liora speak, her words floating up to us as Bella dragged me up to the second floor. “Good luck,” She said, amusement thick in her tone.

Yeah, I’d probably need it.

Wait, she was talking to me…right?

Bella dragged me all the way to the room that was reserved for her use, yanking open the sliding door when we reached it. She all but tossed me inside once it was open, causing me to stagger through the opening. I caught my footing just in time to watch as the door slid closed with a click, and Bella thumbed an activation rune to an array I’d layered over the room at her request.

A silencing one.

I gulped when the woman narrowed her stormy blue eyes at me once again. Still silent, I held up my hands to ward her off, as the pirate stalked towards me. “Look, Bella,” I began, trying to speak calmly. “About last time-”

She interrupted me by placing one hand on my chest and shoving me. I let out an oof as I staggered backward, my back impacting the wall of the room. I didn’t get another chance to speak before Bella got up close and personal with me. I was struck silent, then, as only inches remained in between the two of us.

We were close enough that I could feel her breath on my lips.

After staring into my eyes for a silent moment, Bella let out a slight sigh. “Fuck it,” I thought I heard her murmur under her breath.

Before I could react, her hand shot up, grasped the back of my head, and pulled me forward.

Directly onto her lips.

Oh…

I see.

So she wasn’t mad, then.

I relaxed into the kiss with Bella, threading my arms around her waist as she did the same with her free hand.

Things…evolved from there.