Chapter 17:

"Where are we heading now?" one of the sailors slurred, barely able to sit upright. His breath reeked of cheap rum, and his glassy eyes swayed like sails in a storm.

The ship still soared high above the clouds, wind humming gently through the rigging. A few drunken crewmen had already toppled over the railing and Tiberius had to teleport them back aboard before they plummeted into the sea below. One particularly reckless soul had been lashed to the mainmast for his own safety, after trying to leap overboard twice. Tiberius had briefly considered letting him fall, but even for him, that seemed a bit too cruel.

I sat on the edge of the upper deck, legs dangling over the side, quietly watching the stars flicker to life in the darkening sky. My thoughts were elsewhere. I, too, was curious where Rafael intended to take us. My empire, once proud and vast, now lay drowned beneath the ocean, lost to time. What remained of the world I once ruled was a mystery. The continents could have shifted. Whole kingdoms might have risen and fallen while I was sealed away.

While the rest of the crew reveled in their drunken joy, I took the silence to gather my thoughts. Only now did I realize how tightly the amulet had pressed on my mind, like being buried beneath stone for centuries, all the while listening to the ramblings of a mad angel. The confinement had left a weight on my soul. I had dreamed of many ways my freedom might come, but this wasn’t one of them. Strangely, I could no longer sense the amulet at all. Every spell I cast toward it vanished without trace, as if it were cloaked in something beyond comprehension.

There was no one on this planet strong enough to release me fully, not without paying a steep price. And if such a person existed, they would hardly need to free me. They would simply use the amulet for their own gain. Rafael had only succeeded in partially releasing me because of his inexperience. He lacked both the magical strength and the centuries of wisdom needed to control me. Yet now that I was no longer completely bound, I sensed new potential awakening, powers drawn from both demons and angels, something I had never before encountered. Still, how to access them remained a mystery. Fortunately, if I had anything left, it was time. Wasting it would be the only true crime.

I leaned in slightly as Rafael, now swaying in his boots, raised his mug and began to speak.

“Alright, everyone, listen up! I’m not sure I’ll remember this twice, so ears open, yeah?” he chuckled, hiccuping between words. “So here’s the plan. I freed Tiberius. That’s me. And now I’m heading to Marvick. Gonna give those pirates and bandits hell for what they’ve done to the good people there!”
An admirable sentiment, perhaps, but certainly not a quiet one. I smirked. Nothing like loudly announcing your plans for vengeance to ensure the entire world hears about it. His little speech likely marked the end of his anonymity. Once he abandoned this crew, word of his identity would spread quickly—especially with the hunters already closing in.

The angels surely knew of his actions by now. As for the demons, it was more complicated. The one Rafael had met served a void god and was unlikely to share his knowledge with others. Still, it was only a matter of time. The priests of both factions were egotistical fools, constantly outmaneuvering each other in their schemes. One of them would undoubtedly uncover the truth soon.

"Does that mean you're giving us the ship?" a sailor asked eagerly, his eyes glinting with greed.
"Exactly!" Rafael beamed. "You all helped me, and I wish you nothing but the best!"

I fought the urge to groan aloud. The crew he was so generously rewarding weren’t much better than pirates themselves. Most had no idea how to handle a ship of this caliber. The first time they tried to restock supplies or trade, they would be hunted, killed, or forced to hand the vessel over. An elven airship was a prize that only a master warrior or an aether-wielding noble could defend. With the right buyer, it could buy you a title.

Cheers erupted across the deck, and some of the sailors broke into a drunken dance, their boots thudding across the wooden planks as stars wheeled above. Amid the laughter, I noticed someone moving with purpose, a lone figure slipping away from the chaos.

It was the young woman I'd taught some basic cooking skills to earlier. She crept toward the two fishwomen we’d captured, who still lay bound by thick ropes near the railing. The bindings were enchanted to prevent them from touching the aether, and without that, they were little more than dangerous animals with sharp teeth and sharper instincts.

In one hand, the woman held a ladle filled with a steaming brown liquid. Alarm bells rang in my mind, and I quickly descended from my perch, crossing the deck in long strides to intercept her.
"What exactly are you doing?" I asked, stepping in front of her.

Sarah flinched and tried to hide the ladle behind her back. “Nothing. Just… walking a bit. Isn’t it a beautiful night?” she said, rocking awkwardly on her heels.

Her wide-eyed innocence might have worked on the drunken sailors, but it wasn’t fooling me.

“Yeah, sure. Why don’t you explain to me why you were sneaking up on those two?” I asked with a raised brow and a smile as I gestured toward the bound fishwomen. My voice was light, but my gaze didn’t waver from her nervous expression.

Sarah’s shoulders slumped the moment she realized she’d been caught. “Please, I wasn’t trying to set them free,” she said, her voice desperate. “I just don’t trust my own sense of taste, and I wanted to get a second opinion from them. Please don’t throw me overboard.”

She really looked miserable. While the rest of the crew had been celebrating, I had taken the time to teach her the basics of brewing. Though, thinking back, had she even paid attention when I explained that it would take days for the process to finish, even with the help of magic?

“No harm done,” I said, trying to ease her nerves. “But the beer still needs time. Besides, those two usually eat everything raw and squirming. I wouldn’t put too much stock in their opinion of flavor.”

Then again, I remembered what she had done the first time she tried to cook. Her attempt had been so catastrophically bad that it made me wonder if the fishwomen really were the better judges after all.

“You know what, since we’re already here, let’s give them a little taste of the unfinished brew,” I said, the corners of my mouth twitching into a grin. “Just for fun.”

The early stages of the beer were rough. With the way my magic accelerated the brewing process, the liquid came out bitter, harsh, and nearly toxic in strength. It was more punishment than drink. That was perfect. Fishpeople couldn’t handle alcohol. Their gills absorbed it instantly, and within seconds they were drunk beyond reason. I had avoided using it on them out of respect for elven craftsmanship, but tonight, exceptions could be made.

“Yes, let’s do it! I’m really curious to hear what they think,” Sarah said with a spark of excitement in her eyes.

She skipped ahead, and I followed behind, already feeling a bit sorry for her. Earlier, she had lit up with pride when everyone complimented her soup. This experience, however, would likely dampen that glow. The two fishwomen were lying near the railing, their bodies restrained by ropes that blocked any connection to the aether. Their eyes tracked us with a mixture of suspicion and fury.

“Hm, what should I do if they spit it out?” Sarah wondered aloud, holding the ladle in both hands.
“Pour it over the gills,” I replied, nodding toward the soft spots along their necks. “That’ll do the trick.”
“You dare approach us, human? Release us at once. What is that... no, no, stop!” the first fishwoman shrieked as Sarah began to pour the beer over her.

It took only moments for the reaction to set in. Her body spasmed, her limbs jerking uncontrollably. Drunk fishpeople were a chaotic sight. She rolled over the deck in fits, trying to regain control as her sharp teeth sank into her tongue. A shrill scream echoed across the ship, blood mixing with froth as her scales began to fade from blue to a sickly brown.

“You monsters. You’ve intoxicated her,” the second fishwoman shouted, her voice filled with panic and disgust.

“So, what do you think of the taste?” Sarah asked with innocent curiosity. “Should it be a little sweeter?”
The first fishwoman could barely respond. Her head thrashed from side to side as red-tinted saliva dripped from her jaw. Sarah studied her reaction with a tilted head and a thoughtful frown.
“Quite the dramatic reaction,” she said at last. “Let’s see what the other one thinks. It’s not fair to let just one do the tasting.”

“I dont want to drink that it will hurt,” the second fishwoman snapped, fear flickering in her voice.

“I’d love to agree,” I replied, crossing my arms, “but that wouldn’t be entirely honest.”

“You need to stop her. This isn’t fair,” she begged, her body trembling under the ropes.

“Oh? And when you tried to devour the crew alive, was that fair?” I asked, one eyebrow raised.
“You don’t understand,” she hissed, her voice tight with urgency. “That liquid is transforming us. If we consume enough, we will become males and lose our ability to control the aether.”

That was something new. I hadn’t heard of that reaction before, but before I could ask more, Sarah returned with the second ladle full.
“All right. Here’s the next sample. I’m sure this one will taste better,” she said cheerfully, and poured the beer over the second fishwoman’s gills.

The result was just as expected. The same twitching, the same helpless flailing, and the same final collapse. Sarah frowned again, clearly disappointed by the lack of variety in the feedback.

“Well,” I said, watching them both writhe on the deck, “if what she said is true, they’ll probably wake up tomorrow as fishmen.”



<author note>

Thank you for the nice feedback last chapter.

Also all those who are already joining the higher tiers to read both stories. Your insane but i like it.
Lucky for you i have some chapter in the backhand :)

I will release a few more later today.

Cheers

<author note>