The Currents of Rage escapes the blockade thanks to help from the Yamato. Two Scorpio ships are still pursuing them through the astral. Their pursuers have taken advantage of the portals malfunctioning and begun ambushing ships in the astral.

  Mateo steps up beside Zenara pulling Garren’s rock from his inventory.

  “This is the best I have right now, any ideas?”

  “That’s a max level item, you probably shouldn’t use that on my ship, or any flame spells, we are on a wooden vessel,” Zenara says.

  “I’ll use my familiars then, I bet they’re itching for a fight.”

  Mateo holds out his hand opening several rifts from the void.

  Kobold has been summoned from the void.

  Furioso has been summoned from the void.

  Zena has been summoned from the void.

  Mateo watches as three fourths of his mana disappears.

  Terror raises his hammer letting off a loud battle cry. Zena scurries over to him admiring his form.

  “Wow, you still taking care of the goblin girl?” She asks.

  “Terror thinks you wonder about Jade, she is well under Terror’s protection,” he replies.

  “Such a fatherly figure, perhaps you could take care of a few more cubs,” she says seductively.

  “Zena, what the hell?” Mateo asks.

  “Sorry, I didn’t get sent to the void for being a good girl, where are all the enemies by the way?”

  “They are about to board the ship.”

  “How unfortunate for them,” Zena replies.

  Zenara steps back to Mateo readying herself for battle.

  “Zena?” She asks.

  “I don’t have any children Zenara, so if you don’t like someone’s name then it’s not my fault,” I reply.

  “Do you like her though?” Zenara says jokingly.

  “No, I love all my familiars, so try not to let your crew use them as canon fodder,” Mateo replies.

  “Don’t throw a fit Mateo, I was just teasing you, I know who you like, now let’s bring the pain to our new unwanted crew mates,” Zenara says readying herself for battle.

  Hooks latch against the rails and mast of the Currents of Rage. A plume of smoke erupts clouding the deck of the ship as the buzzing sound of zip lines hums through the air. The first creature to step out of the smoke points a claw to Mateo.

  The scorpios do not have a humanoid figure. They raise themselves from the ground with four of their legs, lifting two legs and their pincers off the ground. Their heads have two eyes on top and a row of eyes on either side. A hard carapace covers their back and chest. Long-armored tails ending in a sharp stinger stalk the air at their rear flank. They hold no weapons, but at such close range their claws and stinger are danger enough.

  “Mateo, I’m not going to be much use in this battle if you don’t cover me,” Beatrice says extending her right arm.

  “Terror, Furioso, cover Beatrice, Zena, Kobold, you’re with me and Zenara, it’s time for some pest control,” Mateo says raising his hands with a smirk.

  Zena and Kobold shoot forward into battle. Kobold’s splines do little against the Scorpio’s hard carapace. Zena has more luck as her crystals crack the hard shells of the Scorpios if projected with enough force.

  Mateo steps up to a couple of the Scorpios with a big grin. He casts void lightning and bolts of violet electricity slam against the Scorpio’s hard carapace.

  Then they dissipate.

  “Well shit, that’s not good,” Mateo says retreating back to Zenara.

  “What’s wrong, why aren’t you fighting?” She asks struggling with an assailing Scorpio.

  “No fire, no magic rock, and my lightning doesn’t work,” Mateo replies.

  “Aren’t you a battle mage?” Zenara questions as her blade slides under the Scorpio’s thick carapace into soft flesh spraying gore over her.

  “Yeah, but I have no weapon and no spells,” Mateo replies.

  “Use your fucking hands!” She yells engaging two more pirates.

  A pirate swings his claw down at Mateo and a half human sized winged serpent tackles it into the ship’s railing driving a barbed tail into its soft underbelly. The creature turns to Mateo giving off an angry squawk before returning to the battle at hand.

  “Zenara, how much damage can this ship take?” Mateo asks.

  “It’s immune to physical damage below dragon rank, if you want to toss some bodies around then do it,” she cries slicing through another Scorpio pirate.

  Ability activated: Raging bull.

  Mateo slams into one of the Scorpio’s ramming it into another.

  Ability activated: Wyrm’s Wrath.

  Mateo charges through the underbelly of the first Scorpio sending blood and guts spraying over the immediate area. He hurls himself into the next Scorpio launching it into the air before a large ethereal tail slams it into the deck of the ship.

  Another pirate strikes from the right grazing Mateo’s neck with his stinger. Mateo turns to him once again charging. Not to pummel this time, Mateo notices a small blinking icon at the bottom of his peripheral letting him know that another of his abilities is charged.

  Ability activated: Flight of the Amphithere.

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  Mateo grips the Scorpio lifting them high into the air before slinging them into the astral.

  Zenara loses concentration seeing Mateo dawning the brilliant wings of an Amphithere and a Scorpio pirate knocks her scimitars from her hands. A claw to the stomach sends her flying backward. She holds up her bracers trying to block another attack. Rainbow light surrounds her as she is engulfed by the Amphithere’s brilliant wings.

  Metal on carapace sounds like a gong as Mateo’s wings dissipate revealing Dulmond wielding a pot and a very large wok. Both are glowing as they absorb the ambient mana around them. A Scorpio pirate falls to the deck with a crushed skull as he turns to them.

  “Dulmond, what are you doing up here?” Zenara questions concerned.

  “I told you baby I didn’t survive on that island with those harpies by being weak, I won’t stand by as your ship,” Zenara frowns a little, “as our ship is destroyed.”

  Zenara retrieves her scimitars and Dulmond raises his wok.

  “Vestiges of the Currents of Rage, friends, crewmates, family, I die, unvanquished, Morier Invictus!” Dulmond cries.

  “Morier Invictus,” the crew call out.

  The smoke from the initial attack clears revealing both of the assailing vessels.

  “Mateo, Rayo can be a dragon now, and you can throw that rock right at those fucking Scorpios,” Zenara yells.

  “I’ll need some support,” Mateo says.

  The last bit of smoke on the deck clears revealing the Harmony Casters and their set below the mast with Beatrice. Heavy sails catch the tendrils of mana propelling them forward with haste. Azul takes the mic as Yetsu slings a guitar over his shoulder.

  The Harmony Casters have cast: Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria.

  The harpies on the vessel hearing Voidwalker melodies are immediately powered into a frenzy. Unable to control their newfound strength they begin ripping apart the Scorpios like crustaceans on the shoreline. The decks run red with blood as Mateo steps up to the stern of the Currents of Rage. He pulls Garren’s Promise from his inventory clutching it in his right hand.

  Rayo’s full size dragon head brushes his cheek with an unreal gentleness as Mateo aims the rock.

  “Zenara, I’m throwing the rock,” Mateo states loudly.

  “Don’t tell me, just throw the damned thing!” She yells back ducking through the harpies as she seeks out more pirates.

  Mateo tosses the rock, and it slams into its target sending splintered wood flying. Piercing through the entire vessel it obliterates everything in its way making a violent exit at the stern before reappearing in Mateo’s hand.

  Rayo charges an attack ready to unleash the unholy rage of the void when the bow of the damaged ship opens like the maw of a massive beast releasing a swarm of large, winged creatures. The mutated abominations have the heads of a shark and the body and wings of a harpy.

  “Sharpies,” Natalia says confidently.

  Mateo places the palm of his offhand over his face sighing loudly.

  “They are not called sharpies,” Mateo complains.

  “Well, what are they called then,” Natalia snaps back.

  “Shawks,” Zenara cries.

  “That’s not better Natalia,” Mateo proclaims still unsatisfied with Natalia’s translation.

  “Apex Skymongers, watch the venom on their talons it has a numbing effect,” Stitches yells.

  “That’s what I said,” Zenara intervenes.

  “How did you translate that as Shawks Natalia?” Mateo questions.

  “Hey, I’m doing my best here asshole,” Natalia replies.

  “You’re right, I’m sorry Natalia, let’s beat the shit out of these pirates and their asshole Skymongers or whatever,” Mateo says with a smile.

  The swarm of Apex Skymongers closes in on the Currents of Rage. Rayo lets off a loud cry and his obsidian scales begin to glow. He shoots skyward. If it can be called that in the astral, he rises above the vessel. Opening his maw, he lets out a massive horizontal beam that obliterates everything in its path. The sky mongers and both pursuing vessels are damaged too badly to continue their assault.

  The surviving Scorpio pirates retreat back to their broken vessels. Rayo shrinks back down to an ivory snake wrapping himself around Mateo’s neck.

  Zenara approaches Mateo holding out her hand, her long fingers folding inward directing him to offer his hand.

  “I don’t often do this, but I suppose I owe my vessel, the lives of my crew, and my own life to you,” Zenara says pressing her hand forward.

  Mateo steps closer to her and holds out his arms. She stares at him hesitantly for a moment, before embracing him.

  “Is it smooth sailing from here?” Mateo asks rubbing her back gently.

  “Hopefully, and,” Zenara brushes her hair behind one of her large ears with a smile, “thanks for the embrace, it isn’t common in Gottes, but my people often great each other with an embrace, I doubt you knew that though,” Zenara states.

  “I didn’t, I’ve just been thinking a lot, what would I want to leave someone with if I just vanished, you know, if I didn’t make it, and I thought about something I never forgot, and it was everyone who has ever given me a hug, and I wanted you to be someone who remembered that.”

  “Mateo, I’m to be married,” Zenara says loudly as Dulmond approaches them.

  Mateo tries to release her, but she pulls him closer.

  “Don’t let go yet, I want him to be a little jealous,” Zenara says.

  Mateo pushes Zenara away and she nearly loses her footing, but Dulmond catches her. He lifts her into his arms cradling her with a smile. Mateo turns attempting to scurry away.

  “Wait, Mateo,” Zenara says.

  “What,” he asks over his shoulder.

  “Thank you, for giving me the push,” she replies.

  “It was Natalia’s idea, she’s just good like that sometimes, so good, it’s almost annoying.”

  “Hey, I am not annoying!” Natalia yells.

  “Anyway, Terror think you loot Scorpio pirates and and Sharpies.”

  Mateo narrows his eyes at Natalia, but she just shrugs him off and floats away humming.

  Mateo steps over to one of the corpses of the Scorpio pirates staring down at it.

  “How do I use this loot ability?” He asks curiously.

  “Ah, Terror helps, just take your hand and shove it into a soft fleshy part and pull out whatever you grab onto,” Terror says confidently.

  “Um, ok,” Mateo replies.

  Mateo leans down closing his eyes before he thrusts his fist into an open wound on one of the Scorpio pirates. Zenara struggles to mask a giggle, but Terror remains dead serious. Mateo gives a reluctant tug.

  Terror, unable to control himself, burst out laughing. Zenara falters soon after giving into her own amusement. Mateo holds up some fleshy organs before dropping them to the ground in disgust.

  “What the fuck was that?” Mateo yells.

  “I believe those where its genitals,” Zenara states fanning her face with her hand as she tries to calm herself.

  “You’re fucking kidding me right?”

  “Terror is make joke, if only Okami was here for joke.”

  Natalia appears from nowhere tilting her head as she too tries to hold back her amusement

  “Natalia,” Mateo says sternly.

  “Oh spank me daddy,” she says rolling her eyes.

  The crew of the Currents of Rage burst out into laughter and Mateo covers his face wiping Scorpio blood all over it. Which seems somehow even more amusing.

  Stitches steps past the crowd of amused pirates and grabs Mateo’s blood-soaked hand holding it over the corpse of his fallen enemy.

  “Utter the chant, ‘what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is mine, I take from my fallen enemy, the plunder which is owed to me,’ afterward Natalia should be able to loot your fallen enemies,” Stitches says.

  “What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is mine, I take from my fallen enemy, the plunder which is owed to me,” Mateo chants.

  Item obtained: Scorpio thorax.

  Item obtained: minuscule paralysis nectar.

  Item obtained: Scorpio carapace.

  Item obtained: ring of negligible healing proficiency 0.

  “Wow, I got, some stuff,” Mateo says.

  “Probably a bunch of useless trash, just have Natalia collect it all,” Stitches says glaring at her.

  “Hey, I am not a garbage collector!” Natalia snipes.

  “Natalia, please loot our fallen adversaries,” Mateo says pulling a rag from his inventory to rub blood off his face.

  “Fine,” she scoffs.

  Item obtained: Scorpio thorax, times seventy-two.

  Item obtained: Minuscule paralysis nectar, times twenty-five.

  Item obtained: Scorpio Carapace, times fifty-two.

  Item obtained: Apex tooth, times two hundred and five.

  Item obtained: Unknown currency, four thousand and sixty-seven.

  The corpses of the fallen dissipate leaving only small traces of decay behind. Mateo glares around at his compatriots before stomping off to his room where Stitches joins him.

  Having escaped from the Scorpio Pirates the Currents of Rage takes port at a small astral land mass. It is home to few, and the port is the only source of revenue.

  The small rock is hardly a land mass, maybe a secluded island. It has a minuscule oasis and little land to grow food. Alcohol seems the only trade they have as they seem beholden of what Zenara calls a Whiskeymancer. Zenara takes her crew into the land mass to enjoy themselves as Mateo remains on the deck of the Currents of Rage.

  Small droplets of water pour down from the heavens as Mateo stares up into the space beyond the astral.

  “It’s a beautiful view from here isn’t it, almost like being in another realm,” a familiar voice says joining him on the deck.

  Mateo turns around.

  “Garren?”