On the third day of the voyage, after lunch, the handsome, brown-haired Porco walked out of the lounge room, going towards his cabin. Sir Clearland accompanied him, a round-faced man in his thirties, and the father of the only two children who were travelling on Annabelle. Clearland was a rather timid aristocrat, subservient to his wife, generous to his kids. But as it turned out, he liked slipping away from his family when he had the chance, talking to people in privacy, mostly about his rock collection. His wife was a willful woman who got bored easily. According to the man, she was the one who really wanted him to accept Ike Lazarus' invitation for this journey.

“She is quite impulsive like that,” the man explained. “Once she gets something in her head, there is no point arguing with her. In this case, the kids really wanted to go too. But where was I...”

They stopped in front of Porco's cabin door, where the young man politely listened to Clearland talking for a few minutes. He was giving a bit of a lecture about the delicate care that is required for cutting the rare gem phosphophyllite. Finally, he got interrupted by a large sneeze, and Porco took the opportunity to excuse himself, retreating to his room.

As he locked the door from the inside, he yawned, then faced the two beds of his cabin. Every passenger's cabin on the ship was equipped with two beds by default, even of those who were travelling alone. As it became his habit, Porco pulled out a silver coin from his pocket, flipping it to determine which bed to pick. It was heads, which meant the right one. He lay down on his back, and stared at the ceiling.

It's exhausting to act so well mannered...

He rolled to his side and reached into the drawer of his nightstand, picking up a small object: a round, black and brown metal badge. Carved into it were the initials “V.W.”, standing for Vincent Wright. The minister's badge was found in a pile of bloody remains near Cornertown, a fact that was kept from the public (or at least attempted to). This is all that was left of him.

Porco was Vincent's cupbearer for the better part of the last three years. He was an orphan boy who grew up in Plankwelle. The minister met him in a marketplace, and took a liking to him quickly, taking him in his household. After all those years on the streets, having a comfortable life in a modest mansion with the sole job of pouring drinks and keeping his master company, it made Porco feel very lucky. What's more, Vincent himself was quite likeable to him too. The two of them were evidently similar, and they were both quick to recognize that. The boy was an opportunist, a pickpocket, a trickster, someone who was not afraid to play dirty, so long as it was with people he genuinely disliked. He also had plenty of friends, and a solid sense of honor. “Flexible, but strong morality”, as his master once said. Vincent was no stranger to living life on his own terms either – he was a mercenary in his younger years, Vincent Swiftsword was how he was known back then. The two of them could really understand each other, they got along well. They often engaged in long-winded conversations about society, philosophy, human nature, or even some of the specific political dilemmas the minister ran into.

Vincent also refined Porco's self-taught writing and reading skills, helped out his childhood friend and past lover by getting her a job at the household of an ally (Grunt Hollard), and he named the boy his heir, since he had no children of his own. In other words, he did so much for Porco that he earned his lifelong gratitude and loyalty. It was that loyalty that brought the young man here.

“They are right fucking here, Vincent,” he whispered, staring at the badge. “Right there in the forecastle. The girl Chio, and her succubus friend.”

Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. “Excuse me! Is this Porco's room?” asked an old female voice from outside. Madam Birch. Porco sat up, swiftly put the badge back in the drawer, then dashed to the door and opened it.

“How can I help you, Madam?”

“Oh, darling, something is troubling me. Would you mind if I discussed it with you in privacy?”

“Sure thing!”

The young man stepped to the side and ushered the widow in. She sat down on one of the beds in her discreet, refined manner, and clasped her gloved hands on her lap. Porco sat on the other bed.

“It's about Chio,” Madam Birch revealed. “Have you seen her these last few days?”

“From time to time.”

“Am I right to think she barely interacts with anyone since that first night?”

Yep. In reality, Porco was keeping an eye on the girl as much as he could, but he didn't want to give that away. “I guess so?”

“But she was so lovely when she played cards with us, wasn't she? And if I'm not mistaken... well, excuse me for asking this, but didn't you two have a... mutual interest in each other that night?”

“I suppose it was visible, huh?”

“Oh, I have a good intuition when it comes to things like that,” the woman smiled. “Personally, I truly think you two would be great together.”

“I appreciate your blessing, Madam.”

The widow shook her head. “I really shouldn't be so nosy, it's not my place to make such comments. But you see, the thing is, I'm worried for Chio. I considered talking to Captain Kraus about it, but I thought coming to you first might be a better idea.”

“What makes you worried for her?”

“First of all, don't you think her absence from the shared places of this ship is suspicious in itself? How she never eats together with us in the lounge? Why would she always take her food back to her cabin?”

“Well, she has that orange-haired friend of hers, right? I assume they just prefer to keep to themselves.”

Madam Birch leaned forward, her voice turning a bit dramatic. “I ran into them last night. On the corridor in the aftercastle, our rooms are close to each other. That woman... Arabella is her name, she really gave me a bad impression. I... I think she is abusing poor Chio.”

Porco raised an eyebrow. “You think so?”

“Yes. You see, I was going to the privy, and they were standing there in the hallway, both of them. This woman sort of stepped in front of Chio, as if she wanted to hide her, and while I addressed the girl, it was her who spoke on her behalf. She said Chio is not feeling well. But then Chio did look at me, and she seemed... mortified, frankly. I think she pretended to smile, but it was almost like a silent cry for help. And she still didn't speak a word. Also, her neck, it had red spots on it. I shiver to imagine what that means.”

“That really is strange.” I do wonder what that was all about. “Could it not be the case that she really was unwell? Nauseous with seasickness, perhaps?”

“Perhaps, but there is one more thing. That Arabella, she then dragged Chio in their room quite forcefully. It really seemed like she doesn't want her to interact with me.”

“Hmmm.”

“Even aside from what happened yesterday... The woman barely talks to anyone, and she spends most of her days in her cabin. She always sends Chio out for their food, and then to bring back their empty plates to the lounge, almost like she treats her as a servant. The few times I did see her on the deck, she looked so... full of herself. And unpleasant. I don't quite get why they are friends to begin with.”

“I see. I understand your worries now.”

“What shall we do, Porco? Shouldn't we tell the captain about all this?”

“No, let's leave Captain Kraus out of this for now.” I still have to figure out what his deal is too. “I'll try to talk to Chio soon, see if I can learn anything more about her. I have to admit, I do have an interest in her, so leave this matter to me, Madam! I'll let you know how things are going with us.”

The widow nodded. “I hope my impressions are wrong, I truly do. I have trust in you, my boy. I wish you the best of luck! The both of you.”

After the woman left the cabin, Porco sat down, and fiddled with his silver coin while thinking. It was clear that Madam Birch did not suspect Arabella to be a succubus, which was probably for the best. But what she witnessed last night sure sounded like some total shenanigan. Could it really be that the relationship of those two is kind of abusive? Or were they just weirdos being weirdos? One thing he was fairly certain about now was that Chio really was no longer a futanari, just like he heard from his childhood friend/past lover (who worked at Grunt Hollard's home to this day). If Chio was a futanari, it surely would have been visible during that card game, where he paid her close attention. She looked somewhat into him in a bashful way, but she didn't give him the impression of an uncontrollably horny being. She was definitely Chio Tanaka though, and that redhead was none other than the infamous rogue succubus. Just what exactly are they up to?

But the nature of that duo was not the only mystery awaiting Porco on the ship called Annabelle, some other peculiar characters also travelled aboard her. Victor Goldman, the Cesanitian noble was giving him strange vibes, then again some people are just strange. Then there was the cynical fairy Friska, who liked to drink, laugh loudly, and who introduced herself as a scientist. The young man could swear he actually heard her name before, she must have actually been someone accomplished. He doubted that she is anything other than what she looks to be, but the little woman seemed to kind of dislike him for some reason. Most notably though, Porco noticed some strange things in Captain Kraus' behaviour, so he was keeping an eye on him too in these past days.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then he flipped the coin once more. It was heads again. He stood up and left the cabin.

 

“You are the heir of Vincent Swiftsword, aren't you?” the grey cat-man asked as he walked to his cupboard to grab some glasses.

His room was at the very back of the aftercastle, and it was bigger than the passenger's cabins. There was a round table in the middle, with a colored map of the ocean carved into it, several cabinets were standing by the walls, and there was a single bed in one of the corners. From the back of the room, a balcony was accessible – the door was kept open for now, so the daylight and the sound of waves could come in. The fresh sea breeze somewhat drowned out the lingering smell of tobacco and alcohol.

“That's right,” Porco replied. “But I'm surprised you are calling him by that name. Did you know him?”

“Not really, but I heard a lot about him back in the day. We were both in business at around the same time.”

“In business?”

Captain Kraus walked to the table with two shot glasses and a bottle of rum, and he started pouring them both a drink. Porco sat down by his side.

“I myself was a young seaman at the time,” said the cat-man. “Full of energy, and ready to take on the world,” he grimaced slightly, pushing one of the glasses to Porco. “Someone who travelled a lot back then inevitably heard of Swiftsword. When a group of drunk goons argued in a tavern about who's the best swordsman in the world, his name was sure to come up.”

“I see.”

“From mercenary to minister, huh. I heard good things about him, he was a good man. It's a real shame that he is gone.”

“It sure is.”

They clinked their glasses and drank.

“I'm sure a lot of folks asked you this,” Kraus started, “but do you know what happened to him?”

“The circumstances of his disappearance are sure a mystery. Personally, I think he was murdered.”

“Daym...”

the captain finished his drink, and Porco quickly followed his example, then pushed his glass back to the cat-man. He poured them seconds.

“So how did you meet him? I heard you were an orphan.”

“A gutter rat from the streets of Plankwelle,” the young man smiled. “My friendship with Vincent came out of pure luck.”

“Or fate, maybe?”

“Fate, divine purpose, I don't really believe in such things. God is leaving us mortals to our own devices.”

The captain gulped down his second shot and wiped his mouth. “You are sure well-spoken for a gutter rat though.”

“I would say I have a gift for such things. For example, I used to hang out with some nobles' kids, blending in like I'm one of them so I could ask them for favors.” He too drank up, and once again passed his glass back to Kraus.

“Sounds clever. Are you down for thirds?”

“For as much as you don't mind sharing, captain.”

The cat-man smirked, and poured them another. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Why are you nervous, why drink so much, and why are you so irritable with your crew? The previous day, Porco witnessed Kraus drop something in the lounge as he drunkenly stumbled to his feet after lunch. It was a piece of paper, a letter, perhaps. One of his sailors was quick to pick it up for him, but the captain grabbed it out of his hands with such force that it got partly torn. He then cursed and cussed, yelling at the poor seaman, telling him to never touch what's his. The scene caught the attention of many of the passengers, which the drunk captain did notice, so he tried to laugh it off like it was no big deal before hurrying out of the room. That moment really made Porco curious.

“Nothing in particular,” the young man said. “I just figured getting to know you a little better could be interesting. You are our trusted captain, after all, and there is just not much to do on this ship.”

“Not much, huh?”

For the following thirty minutes, they kept conversing and drinking. Porco made sure to keep up with the captain in consuming alcohol, and he tried to show that he is having fun getting drunk, hoping to urge the man to continue. It seemed to work. Initially, he was the one who talked more, reminiscing of his past adventures in Plankwelle as an orphan, retelling some of the tricky ways he managed to sustain himself and his friends. He was deploying his best story-telling abilities. Captain Kraus actually appeared to enjoyed himself, like his mind was taken off of whatever was bothering him these day. He laughed, asked the young man follow-up questions, and told him some relevant anecdotes from his own life, mostly from his recent years though. After their sixth shot, Porco asked him how he got to know the minister Ike Lazarus.

“It was nothing special. I started off as a sailor on one of his ships. Had years of experience already. Ended up second-in-command, then one time I got the chance to converse with Ike, and he liked me. It wasn't so unlike how you met your own minister, I guess.”

“Huh, isn't that funny?”

“Yea, seems like we have some things in common, boy. You know...” he shook his head. “Anyway, I've been captain of this ship of his for three years. Annabelle, she's been real good to me.”

“Only three years? Were you a captain on another ship before that?”

“No. Why, you thought so?”

“Yea. You just seem... captain-like.”

Kraus laughed, unplugged the bottle again and refilled their shot-glasses for the seventh time. “Just one more, kay?”

“Uhum.” Porco was feeling quite lightheaded by now. The image of Chio's face popped into his head, as the girl was giving him those shy, daring glances while they were playing cards. He tried his best to forget about her, he needed to pay attention.

“I'm an old fool, you know. I had plenty of ups and downs in my life, but no, I've never been a captain before.” Kraus drank up. “When I was a young man like you, I was proud to become a seafarer of any kind. Any kind... I had not much of a choice. Because I was born as a slave.”

“A slave? Really?” Porco did not expect that.

“In the damn Dwarven Isles.”

“Ah. That explains it, I suppose.”

Slavery was largely condemned these days, then again, the world's most powerful nations were more or less at peace in the last century. In the past, enslaving defeated enemies was common practice across pretty much all cultures, but the dwarves were one of the last ones to give up on the practice. Slavery was only made illegal on the Dwarven Isles twenty years before our story.

“Those were some horrid times,” the cat-man continued. “I lived as someone's living tool from my birth to my teenage years. My parents were regular farmers before they got captured, and our... master... he treated them like dirt. Drove the hope of freedom out of them before I even learned to speak. But I myself, I always had that in me. I murdered the damn dwarf when I was sixteen. I was a strong, healthy boy twice his size, so it wasn't really difficult. I'll always remember that day. He was disciplining me on the yard, and I just snapped. Twisted the whip out of his hand, and dragged him to the nearby cliffs by his beard. Threw him off. The little cunt whined and begged till the very end. I ran back to the village yelling, wanted to make sure people know what I did. So that my crippled father and my poor mother would not be suspected and punished for it. Never got to know if they were though, only God knows what happened to them. Cause I left, I ran away.” Kraus grabbed the bottle. “Just one more, kay?”

Porco forgot to drink his own shot. He quickly gulped it down, and the captain quickly refilled it.

“So I ran away. After a few days, I got to this port, and I tried to reach out to some non-dwarves I saw there. Turned out they were pirates, and when they pulled the truth out of me, of what I did, they offered me to join them. I gladly did.”

“Oh, really? You became a pirate?”

“Is that so bad? I say it's not that different from being a sellsword. Or a soldier, even. We fought, so we could live on. Pirates got a bad reputation, but not all pirates are all bad.”

“Yea, I believe that. Pirates are just outlaws on sea. I broke plenty of laws myself. Gotta do what you gotta do.”

“Exactly! But to be honest, I do regret it.”

“Hmmm. We all have things we regret.”

“We did some fucked up things, you know. It's never easy. Having to kill someone. We always tried to spare lives if we could, no senseless killing. But this raiding business, folks are not always happy about it. Sometimes they fight back. Have you ever done it? Ending someone's life?”

“No,” Porco replied honestly. “Vincent did though. He had some that haunted him ever since.”

“But I could endure all that. And again, my mates were not all bad. It was a wild bunch, many of them had similar backgrounds to mine. Life was not kind to any of us. And so I really felt like I finally belonged somewhere. But the worst of all was the captain. Warren Crown.” The cat-man clenched his fist. “You heard his name, boy?”

“Warren Crown? I don't think so.”

“He was an infamous pirate on the Southern Seas. Never interacted with his own crew all that much, but we all knew our place when he was present. Even his most vicious men feared him. From time to time, he did some really hideous things. Sadistic, sick things. And he made it forbidden for us to commit to a woman. We could fuck whores and whatnot, but no falling in love, no commitment. Not that it was likely to happen to a pirate, but it was not just for the time. He wanted us all to make an oath, to never love a woman for the rest of our lives. Even after we quit. And so naturally, it happened to me. I met this pretty girl in Murky Bay, she worked at the inn. We hooked up, then fell in love. I visited her when I could, twice or thrice a year, maybe. I got her pregnant, and wanted to marry her. So I quit. Tried to keep the whole thing a secret, I didn't even quit there, I first gone to Midridge, waited around for a month, then backtracked down south. But Warren Crown, he knew. He fucking knew.”

“What did he do?”

“He killed her. He killed the love of my life right before my eyes. My toddler son, he survived, and I picked him up, moved to Midridge. I've been trying to live an honest life since. Trying to forget.”

The cat-man unplugged the bottle of rum once more, but now he raised its neck straight to his mouth. Porco still didn't drink his last shot, and at this point, he didn't plan to.

“My condolences, captain. I had no idea you...”

“But now, my son!” Kraus blurted. “They have my only son! I had no choice, you see? What could have I done? I had to... I have to...” Tears were gathering in his eyes, but he fell silent.

“They have your son?” Porco repeated.

Suddenly, the cat-man got up, hugged the bottle, and walked to his bed, throwing himself on it, pouring a bit of rum over himself in the process. He drank some more, burped, and let go of the empty bottle, which rolled on the floor until Porco picked it up.

“Captain?”

“It was nice talking, boy. Real nice. Go get that Chicho girl while you can.” He turned to his side, facing the wall.

Porco poured back his last shot into the bottle, so that it won't get spilled if the ship starts to rock more. He plugged the bottle and put it back inside the cabinet, then he left, silently closing the door behind himself.

God damn...