Realm Wars

"So the Jewel ain't mighty thar?"

Lucian's brow rose. "You don't seem surprised."

Skull shrugged and looked over the window of his office. "I 'ave hunted treasures enough in me lifetime nah t' expect anythin'."

Skull chuckled. "That makes it more excitin'. Findin' lost treasures only t' be led t' another booty. The adventure ne'er stops."

Skull faced them and placed her palms against the table. "So, let me guess ye're goin' t' bargain wit' me wit' that map?"

Lucian, Rosa, and Cecily looked at each other and nodded. 

"It might lead you to the reallocation of the lost treasure," Cecily said.

The corner of Skull's lips rose in amusement. "That only applies if I find the other pieces o' the map."

Lucian's heart thumped hard against his chest. This was their only leverage. It had to work.

Rosa folded her arms. "Well? Do you want it or not?"

".. ." Skull didn't say anything. She looked at the map on the table. Studying it. But with so many torn pieces, she couldn't even decipher it. 

But did it stop her? NO. Her blood was boiling, and her heart was thumping in her throat. If she didn't take that map and dissect its contents, her nerves would tear her apart. 

Completing puzzles and deciphering maps, going on adventures, and finding lost treasures. That was her life's calling, and the Jewel of Tethyt's would allow her to taste that bone-chilling and soul-racking dangers and excitement for all eternity!

No one could understand her but her fellow pirates. The piece of a map might be useless to others, but it opened another world of adventure to her.

Skull grinned. "Ye've got yourself a deal."

----

Ferris was sleeping on Ryu's bed without the indication of waking up. Her face was paler than yesterday, and her skin color was turning greyer and colder than ever.

All night, Ryu was beside her, giving her warmth. Sleep eluded him at the fear that Ferris might never wake up again.

Ryu sat on the chair and held Ferris's hand. He didn't know when she would wake up or if she would ever wake up. This thought has been hunting him since yesterday. He didn't know if he was ready to let her go.

At this point, he was even fine if her demon form would appear as long as she would open her eyes.

True that he was happy that she'd given him freedom, but as long as she was near, he thought that everything would be okay. She was his support in this world and without her. . . 

Ryu stood to his feet and felt Ferris's forehead. No indication of warmth nor color on her skin, and yet the only thing separating her from a corpse was the rising of her chest in a slow breath.

Ryu didn't get an ounce of sleep because he was afraid Ferris would just stop breathing and he wouldn't be there to save her if the time came.

Ryu poked Ferris's cheek. It was hard than yesterday too. The bounciness of her cheeks was slowly disappearing, and he missed her pout more than ever.

Maybe she needed essence?

Ryu's face brightened. Ferris said that his essence always brought her energy back.

Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Ryu opened the button of his trousers and the door opened with Kai's blank face.

"W-wha. .. What are you doing?" Kai didn't know what Ryu was up to with his trousers down and his penis up, but it was a crime if the other party was asleep.

Ryu didn't look at Kai. "I'm going to give Ferris my essence. Maybe that will wake her up," he said with a serious tone and face like it was the most natural thing to do.

Kai slapped a hand over his head. "Right. .. she is a demon. .. ," he muttered, but then he rose to his skin and yelled.

"NO! That's a crime! You idiot!"

"We've done it before."

Kai's world twirled before him. Even though you already have a mate. Ryu. .. I was wrong about you. 

"Even so, she's asleep!" Kai wanted to check on Ryu on how he was doing only to find him doing lewd things on a sleeping loli.

This angered him, and he felt betrayed. He thought that Ryu was a virgin like him since Cecily didn't acknowledge the mate thing. But who knew that he and Ferris have that kind of relationship?

Though Ferris was ugly, she was still a girl. Kai knew a lot of creatures who didn't look at facial features as long as they were sated.

Was Ryu like that too?

Kai went into Ryu and stopped him from doing anything indecent. 

"Stop it! She's asleep! It's a crime!"

Ryu growled. "It might wake her up!"

"What are you going to do? Masturbate in front of her and force her to swallow your seed?"

"That's right. It might be the only way."

"You're not thinking straight!"

Kai managed to lift Ryu's trousers and hid his dick just when Rosa, Lucian, and Cecily entered the room.

"What are you doing?" Lucian was appalled when he saw Kai was hugging Ryu from behind, and both their hands were in Ryu's trousers.

"Agh. . ." Kai was sweating buckets. "T-this isn't what you think."

At the sight of Cecily, Ryu soon regained a bit of her mind back, but the next he knew, a hard slap burned his cheek when Rosa slapped them. It didn't hurt since the woman lacked the strength. So Ryu treated it as nothing but an insect bite.

"What do you think you two are doing at a time like this?" Rosa questioned with hips tilting to the side.

Kai immediately let go of Ryu while the latter fixed himself and faced Cecily.

"I was . . ." Ryu was about to tell them his plan of waking Ferris, but Kai elbowed him and signaled him with his lips mouthing the words.

"Don't. Speak."

Ryu scowled, and Rosa pushed the two of them to the side. "Move. Don't hinder my way."

A tiny coffin appeared in Rosa's palm, and Ferris's body shook before it turned into particles and entered the coffin.

Ryu snarled, "What are you doing?!"