Chapter 581 – Kashara, Island of Giants

The ships sailed slowly into the fog, which was so thick that it became difficult to see past the length of a boat. It wasn't as if there was a lighthouse out here to guide their way either. For whatever reason, Nu-hautans didn't build any. Instead, they had buoys around Masakam and Sonnae. There were none around the island of Kashara.

Fortunately, the Rown sailors had a protocol in place for something like this. They hung lanterns off the side of the hull completely around their vessels. Kanae caught the soft glow of the other ships beyond the fogs, and this allowed them to keep a safe distance from each other.

Qoro leaned somberly against the rail, glancing into the water. He traced a finger along the wooden beam and sighed.

"Thinking about what is going on with the archipelago?" Kanae asked.

"I wanted to see my home the way I remembered it as a child." Qoro lifted his head and offered a soft smile. "People happy to see each other, trading fish, dancing under the rising and setting sun to music, and sailing between islands just to say hello to their people. This… isn't the Nu-hauta I wanted to come back to. Worse, I find out my father is the cause of so many problems."

"Parents can be complicated. As a parent myself, I've made a lot of mistakes. But, Qoro. Your old man is probably doing all this for you. I'm willing to bet he desperately wants Nu-hauta to survive and pass the crown to your head," she explained.

"I don't want the crown…"

Hilde tapped Kanae on the shoulder.

"A word?" Hilde asked.

"Hey, you're going to be alright. So will Nu-hauta." Kanae patted him on the head and walked aside with Hilde.

"I have concerns."

"Such as?"

"Jhene. Something tells me my sister is on Kashara. The Island of Giants, Qoro had called it. Beasts so dangerous that natives of Nu-hauta avoid it? Jhene is a crowned Headhunter. She will be thrilled to have such a place as her hunting ground. This could be our chance to eliminate one of the Mistresses," Hilde explained.

"You make a good point, but we can't just traipse into a dangerous island on a hunch," Kanae tried reasoning.

"Whoa, whoa! What's going on? Help!" Qoro cried.

Kanae and Hilde whipped around just as Qoro lifted into the fog. They stared blankly for a second, their mouths hanging open, before giving chase.

"Qoro!" Kanae yelled.

"They're succubi! My captors are—" Qoro abruptly fell silent.

"I was right. Jhene must be here!" Hilde growled.

They pursued the kidnappers through the fog, but it was getting harder to see. And without Qoro yelling, Kanae couldn't track him through hearing alone. She stopped to get her bearings, not even sure which way was which anymore. Hilde had vanished, too, nowhere to be seen.

"Qoro? Hilde!" Kanae yelled.

A succubus emerged from the fog, and Kanae readied to cast a spell until she realized it was Hilde.

"Thank goodness, I found you. I lost Qoro." Hilde cursed under her breath.

"Did you hear what Qoro said? Succubi were the ones who had captured him. They were watching us all this time. Of course, they were. Damn it! How did I not see this coming?" Kanae threw her arms up.

They returned to the Seductress just as everyone was climbing onto the upper deck. Vesh and Motta both looked particularly stressed, surveying the ship.

"What happened? We heard a commotion." Gretchen turned to them for answers.

"Qoro just got kidnapped. It was the cultists succubi. Hilde believes Jhene is on the island, which would explain their presence," Kanae said.

"How serendipitous that they are one step ahead of us with Hilde around." Petyr folded her arms and glared at the succubus.

"You think I am colluding with them, high elf?" Hilde hissed.

Kanae came between them.

"Stop. This isn't helping. Petyr, you fought alongside her sisters in Savir. They never turned on us then, and Hilde isn't going to either. We need to get to Kashara and find Qoro, because I'm not leaving without him," Kanae explained.

"I'm going with you guys to find Qoro," Vesh said.

"Not happening. You're staying here where it's safe." Petyr shook her head.

"I'm an incubus! My very existence is to deceive succubi. I can help. Qoro's just a kid, and I'm not letting him get taken. You can tell me to stay all you want, but the second you leave, I'm flying to the island myself." A moment of standing up for himself reverted to his adult form.

They stared each other down like a couple having their first fight.

"I, uh… don't mind staying on board. Me and scary things don't work well together," Motta said.

"What? You're definitely coming with us, too. Like succubi, we incubi don't leave a brother behind!" Vesh threw an arm around his orc counterpart.

"Except we're not brothers!" he retorted.

Petyr gave up. A first for her. After Kanae explained the situation to Thedia, she agreed to set a steady course for Kashara. However, these parts were still uncharted waters. The navigators estimated how close to get before dropping anchor. Crewmen dropped rowboats into the water and loaded them up with some supplies.

"You're going, too?" Kanae asked Thedia.

"Not me, no. But if we're stationed here, we might as well take the opportunity to forage. There's no telling how long we'll be in Nu-hauta, and how much longer our provisions will last. I'll stay here to manage the crew. Redmane will accompany you to shore to supervise camp," Thedia explained.

The tall lion beastman emerged from below deck. Kanae hadn't seen him in years, but he looked like a bonafide member of Rown Company now.

"Long time no see!" Redmane bowed.

"So, Redmane. You're the one getting sacced on the dangerous island of Kashara?" Kanae smirked.

"Don't say that… I'm scared enough as it is…" His large fluffy mane shuddered.

A small crew rowed forth towards the island. Vestrid and Petyr hopped into a boat to follow after. Gretchen unfurled her wings to join them until Kanae stopped her.

"I'd like you to stay here and guard the flotilla. We already know the cult is watching us. You may only be a half-succubus, but you're more than enough to overpower a true succubus' charm," Kanae explained.

"I much rather go with you to ensure your safety, but if that is your wish, then I'll stay. You already know how to signal for me. Hopefully, the fog will clear up so I can see the skies," Gretchen said.

The rest of them made way for Kashara. With the fog in their way, they used the glow of the flotilla's lanterns as a reference point. Kanae and Hilde flew ahead of the boats, reaching the calm sandy shores of the Island of Giants. So far, no signs of monsters. Just palm trees dotting the Kashara coast and a thick forest deeper in.

Kanae touched down and grabbed a handful of sand. She let the warm grains slip between her fingers. Hilde took a few steps towards the treeline when a flock of gulls fled from the canopies. The succubus rubbed the talisman around her neck and summoned a dire wolf.

The first of the boats arrived on the shore. It was the boat Petyr and Vestrid were on. They and everyone on it jumped off, wading knee-deep through the water. Vestrid grabbed a rope from the front to pull the rest of the way, while Petyr pushed from the back. As soon as the boat climbed onto land, the crew immediately unloaded cargo to set up camp.

Redmane's rowboat, which had Vesh and Motta on it, was the next to arrive. He began issuing orders to form a perimeter and scout the surroundings.

"We'll leave the exploration of the island to you all. I don't think any of us will survive going in there with you. Thedia did say… gulp… to use as sacrificial lambs if necessary," Redmane stammered.

"Stay here and leave it to us." Kanae nodded.

Vestrid licked her fangs. "So, Jhene. Mistress of Subjugation. I read the reports you gave about her after coming back from Savir, Amethyst. Not a lot of people can go toe to toe with Petyr. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in a row myself."

"Jhene did not go toe to toe with me. I won. Kanae clearly misremembered what happened." Petyr growled.

"Quiet your bickering! We're not alone here!" Hilde warned.

The dire wolf she had summoned earlier snarled at the treeline. Everyone drew their weapons. Even Redmane anxiously pulled out his saber, but he pushed Rown crewmen in front of himself. Two trees split as a monstrous two-headed reptile larger than a mammoth burst out. Each head snapped at Hilde and her dire wolf, but they were quicker to evade.

Vestrid uppercutted the lizard's left head with one mace. Petyr was about to do the same until she wedged her warhammer into the right head's snapping jaws to keep it open.

"I'll hold it still!" Kanae landed behind it, casted Bestial Strength to raise her STR rank, and grabbed the tail. She wasn't alone. Hilde did the same, and the dire wolf clamped its fangs down on it, too.

"Vestrid… You need to kill it!" Petyr shouted, keeping the monster steady from the front.

The left head opened its jaws and jettisoned a vile substance that drenched Vestrid. Her skin and scales burned, but she responded with a wide smile. The drakeling let her maces go, stomped on the lower jaw, and held the upper jaw with both hands. She opened her own mouth and breathed such intense fire that Kanae felt it from the back.

Eventually, the twin-headed lizard collapsed and went still. It smoked from both mouths. Kanae, Hilde, and the dire wolf let go of the tail.

"Vestrid, are you okay?" Kanae ran up to her.

Nasty burns marred the drakeling's face and body. She seemed utterly unfazed by what should be grievous wounds.

"I can heal you. It's going to cost a couple of casts though," Kanae said.

"No worries, Amethyst! Watch this." Vestrid sucked in a deep breath, so deep that Kanae wasn't sure how her lungs could hold it all.

However, the burns diminished. Skin and scales regenerated good as new. The only thing on her that didn't recover was the tabard of the Church of One. Vestrid begrudgingly shedded the tattered cloth, revealing an undamaged chainmail coat underneath.

"Second Wind, huh? Lucky you. And that chainmail must be adamantine," Petyr said.

"I forgot I was wearing this! I've gotten so used to the weight. I like it better without. I'm lighter on my feet that way." Vestrid pulled off her chain mail, too, letting fall to the sand with a heavy thud and kicking up a cloud of sand.

"Yikes. How heavy is this?" Kanae tried to lift the chainmail and couldn't budge.

Vestrid easily picked it up with one hand. She brought it over to a recently emptied crate and put her armor inside.

"Well, we know for sure now this island is crawling with monsters. I understand why the Nu-hautan natives avoid Kashara," Hilde said.

"Yeah, but we have something the Nu-hautans don't. Petyr and Vestrid." Kanae thumbed over her shoulder to them.

"My armor's better than your glorified paperweight." Petyr huffed.

"Oh, yeah? Is that why you left it behind on the ship?" Vestrid teased back.

"I left it behind because it's like being thrown into an oven!" she growled.

Both of them bickered immaturely. Hilde shot Kanae an unimpressed look.

"I trust in their combat skills at the very least, okay?" Kanae sighed.

"I can't believe I let you convince me to come to this island." Motta clicked his tongue, following Vesh as two circled the dead lizard.

"It's finally your time to grow into yourself as an incubus. We're foils to succubi. Which means we're also invaluable to helping rescue Qoro." Vesh grinned.

Motta hung back with Kanae and let Vesh walk ahead to feel full of himself.

"If I die in this world, you think the gods will grant me another life somewhere more peaceful?" Motta whispered.

"I think you're better off making the best of this life," Kanae said.

Petyr and Vestrid went to pack supplies for their journey into Kashara. Rown had plenty of supplies to spare. For the time being. Scouting parties had been sent along the coast to forage for extra provisions.

"By the way, Kanae…" Vesh turned around, looking not so confident anymore. "How are we supposed to get started looking for Qoro anyway?"

"I… didn't think this through. The island is huge. We have no way of knowing where they went. I-I'm sure we'll find a way!" Kanae exclaimed optimistically.

Hilde smirked. "I have an idea. Grey, sniff."

Kanae jumped when the dire wolf pressed his muzzle to her crotch. She shuddered in pleasure as the wet nose prodded an already sensitive clitoris. Both Vesh and Motta stared, their cheeks quickly turning red.

Before Kanae climaxed, Hilde's dire wolf Grey pulled away. He trotted up to the treeline and barked, tail wagging and eager to be of service.

"Good boy, Grey." Hilde patted the beast on the head, then glanced back slyly. "Your recent romps with Qoro left his lingering stench in your cunt."

"Glad I could help…" Kanae squeezed her legs shut.