Chương 93: Chapter Ninety-Two: Challenge

Serena woke slowly from her dreams. Taking her time, she let her senses align to the waking world, feeling the hum of the ship's propulsion engine and the rhythmic beating of the lift engine wash over her. The Fengra wool hammock was so comfy that she was briefly tempted to doze off again. Wrapped in her arms was a familiar bundle of warmth and snugness. For a moment, Serena lay there, listening to that bundle breathe ever so softly.

Then, unable to resist, Serena used a small amount of strength to give the bundle a squeeze. It made an adorable noise.

"No… Poro…" the bundle mumbled.

"We need to visit the temple…" Serena chuckled softly. She delicately extracted herself from the hammock, doing her best not to wake Amelia. Her girlfriend had returned when Serena was already sleeping. Being a light sleeper, she'd woken up only to give Amelia a goodnight kiss before wrapping her arms around her and falling back to sleep. Back then, she remembered Amelia placing down a pile of paper packets. Now, in the early morning light, she saw what it was. A pile of coffee rations.

Looks like Officer Bright lost, Serena thought, feeling her mouth curl. Amelia had a knack for games, referring to herself as a gamer. It was a strange title, but then again, Amelia's old world was strange all over.

"Morning," came a mumbled voice from the hammock.

"I tried not to wake you," Serena replied, walking over and giving Amelia a peck on her forehead.

"I see you put a dent in Finella's stock."

"Mmm," Amelia hummed. She rotated onto her back, her eyes still closed.

"Are you sure you don't want to come to the next one?"

"Best not," Serena said. Military regulations heavily discouraged the captain from gambling with her officers. Likewise, it advised against officers gambling with their subordinates. Through trial and error, Cascadia had found that there needed to be some rigidity in the hierarchy onboard a ship. A crew that was too casual was a crew that became complacent. And a complacent crew meant death.

"Let's play backgammon together, sometime…" Amelia mumbled. Oh? Tomes must have dug out his old set.

"Sure," Serena said.

"I'm going back to sleep," Amelia said with a yawn.

"Here you go…" Before Serena could reply, Amelia's miraculous healing and cleaning magic washed over Serena, preparing her for the day ahead. Despite her girlfriend's tiredness, she'd kept the aether usage down. It was nice to know that, despite Amelia being Amelia, she took warnings seriously. Did she perhaps feel responsible at all for the ship's sensitivity? It was, after all, her magic that caused this change in behaviour.

"Thanks," Serena whispered, leaning down and giving Amelia a quick kiss.

"See you later."

"Mmm…" Amelia hummed before turning around and burrowing into the blankets. She dressed quickly and efficiently. Stepping into the neighbouring room, she set about preparing her cup of morning coffee.

"Morning, Anathor," she called out. A second later, the glassy eyes of the mounted moose head began to glow.

"Morning, Captain," Anathor replied in his usual gruff voice.

"How are we faring?"

"Bearing two-forty. Twenty knots. Leaving Cirranis perimeter any moment now. We'll be passing Ranna within the hour, Captain."

"Twenty knots? Have the winds died down?"

"Allston didn't like the look of some of the rigging, so we've furled the main port and starboard sails for maintenance. They'll be finishing up soon."

"What's our altitude?"

"Eight thousand metres, Captain."

"Alright." Serena made her coffee in silence. After taking a moment to enjoy the fragrance wafting into her face, she moved on to the difficult topic she'd been putting off until now.

"Anathor."

"Yes, Captain?"

"Amelia told me…" Serena coughed lightly.

"She told me she had a conversation with you, and that you… Apparently, you informed her you knew the Empress. Personally." She couldn't help but glance at the portrait next to Anathor, where that very same Empress looked back with painted eyes.

"Hmm… I did," Anathor replied. Serena looked deeply into the moose's red eyes, trying to decipher any underlying emotion. Unsurprisingly, her instincts didn't tell her anything. Being a Formless, Anathor was an alien existence and difficult to read. She took a sip of coffee while she formulated her next question.

"I didn't know," she said.

"You've always been so hesitant to talk about yourself. I suppose I'm surprised." Once again, she glanced at the portrait.

"In what capacity did you know her? Can you tell me?"

"Hmm…" Anathor trailed off and for a moment Serena thought he might not answer.

"I was an advisor, and I like to think, a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yes."

"I just…" Serena took another sip of coffee to calm her thoughts.

"I struggle to see her having friends. She's a higher existence. She's more. How could someone…?" Serena trailed off, her thoughts becoming tangled.

"Hmm…" Anathor grumbled.

"It should not be difficult to imagine. Were you not friendly with her recently?" Serena choked on her coffee as the painful mental imagery of her fight resurfaced. After she recovered, she took a deep breath and said, "Whatever that was, I couldn't possibly consider us-""Elana's just a person, Captain," Anathor replied.

"She has interests, hobbies, and flaws, just like you or any other demon in Cascadia. She's also a woman, like you or Miss Thornheart."

"No normal person could achieve what she has, Anathor," Serena protested.

"I think you'll be surprised, should you encounter her again. If Elana isn't playing a character, like she did in your academy, you'll find many similarities between her and Miss Thornheart."

"Similarities?" Serena questioned, glancing towards the bedroom.

"What do you mean? Their appearance?"

"They have similar personalities. Optimistic. Playful. It took Elana a long time to learn how to be an Empress, but she never forgot her true self."

"Are you telling me"–Serena felt her forehead furrow–"the Empress of Demonkind, a Shard of Infinity, Overlord of Overlords, is similar in behaviour to Amelia?"

"Hmm… yes."

"Moons, grant me strength," Serena mumbled. She wanted to sit down and grab her horns.

"I don't know if that makes me optimistic or pessimistic about the Empire's future."

"Hey!" came Amelia's voice from the bedroom.

"I heard that!"

"Go back to sleep!" Serena called back.

"Okay…"

"Apologies," Serena mumbled.

"To both of you. It's still a lot to take in." She cleared her throat.

"Anathor, Amelia informed me about a conversation she had with her, where Amelia learned they were both shardbearers. Shards of the same soul." Serena tapped her foot against the wooden floor.

"Since we're sailing the skies to repair this soul, I want to ask… is there any risk to Amelia? She's not going to have to give up her power, is she?"

"Hmm…" Anathor hummed.

"I don't believe such a thing is possible, no. Amelia has bonded with her shard to the degree that even I cannot identify it. No wonder she was able to board the ship so easily. It wasn't that the ship was fooled; rather, it let her board. It must have recognised her as… kin."

"Kin?"

"I cannot think of a better word."

"I see." Serena took a sip of her coffee.

"And how's the ship doing now?"

"Hmm… a little agitated, Captain. But it always reacts a little to Miss Thornheart's magic these days, even the smaller spellwork. I'm sure it'll calm down in a few minutes."

"Do we need to go for a swim?" Serena asked. Every now and again, the Vengeance needed to dip into the lumina. Something about the dense aether helped calm the ship. She hadn't yet had the privilege of knowing what happens if the splintered soul was prevented from its medicinal swims. Hopefully, that was a privilege she would continue to avoid. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Perhaps while we sail the Southern Passage," Anathor replied.

"We might be fine without it. The tornadoes stir up the lumina, bringing aether into the sky. It might be enough just sailing the passage."

"Alright," Serena nodded.

"Keep me updated."

"Yes, Captain." With her morning conversation over, Serena finished her coffee and proceeded to the bridge where Dagon was smoothly handling command. After waving down her officer staff, who had leapt up at her appearance, she approached Dagon and asked, "How're the locals treating us? Any problems?"

"Cirranis perimeter ships hailed us when we were within range. Followed us for the last hour until breaking off five minutes ago. We protested their clinginess, but they claimed it was due to increased pirate activity."

"Speaking of," Serena began, "any unusual aether signatures?" She turned to the sensor station.

"Sensors?" Serena noticed Finella was looking a little depressed, but decided not to bring it up right now. She was sure Amelia would slip her a cup of Jimari later anyway, and that would make the northern demon's day.

"No, Captain!" came the reply.

"No mismatching identification codes, no strange movements?"

"No, Captain," the sensors officer announced.

"Everyone's behaving, so far."

"Keep an eye on the aetherfield, I don't want any surprises."

"Aye, Captain!" Serena took her elevated position, overlooking the bridge. Through the windows, she could see the morning mid-sky, under which lay the Vengeance's three turrets, ready to make quick work of any deserter, mercenary, or pirate stupid enough to mistake them for an easy target. While she ran future possibilities through her mind, Dagon took his position next to her.

"We won't be in any danger until we're past the Andalus Fortress and out of range of their aetherscopes," he said.

"Pirates won't come within fifty klicks of the place. They'll prefer to hide behind the islands floating throughout the passage, waiting for an opportunistic strike." Serena nodded in agreement.

"They'll be fools to try anything against us, let alone when we're sailing with the Indefatigable and its sister ship. How early are we going to be to our rendezvous?"

"Six hours."

"And how're our new softhorns?" Serena asked.

"How's their training?"

"Going well. There are concerns about their cohesion. Both as a team and with the rest of the crew. That'll come with time, though, Captain."

"Mmm," Serena hummed. She shared his concerns. After thinking for a few moments, she came to a decision.

"Helmsman!" she barked.

"Slow us down. Fifteen knots."

"Aye aye, Captain. Fifteen knots." The helmsman manipulated his controls and Serena felt the subtle change in the propulsion engine's vibrations as it adjusted to her command. With the ship taking a leisurely stroll through mid-sky, they would have enough time to enact her plan.

"Officer Bright!" Serena called, prompting Finella to jump and hurry over.

"Aye, Captain!" Finella saluted.

"Grab your squad. Take them on deck. Let's see how effective your training is. Swords and guns, Officer. Dismissed."

"Aye, Captain. Swords and guns!" Finella nodded before hurrying them off.

"First Officer."

"Aye, Captain?" Dagon raised an eyebrow.

"Same thing. Put the bridge on half-staff. I want everyone else on deck with Officer Bright. Let's see if our new softhorns can earn their respect." At her words, a murmur of amusement erupted throughout the bridge.

"Also, let the sailors get some air. They can do some fishing while their superiors train. Standard drills."

"Aye aye, Captain. Standard drills." After dismissing Dagon, Serena left the bridge and stepped outside. Just as she took in the morning air and the rays of sun shimmering through the cloud layers, a school of fish flew past, and then another, and another. In fact, the skies were full of airborne life, including the occasional predator trying to catch an easy meal. The skies this far south weren't anywhere near as overfished as the skies closer inland.

With this many fish around, it should be trivial for any sailor to catch an easy meal. She saw more than a few schools of arkis, followed by smaller schools of winterfish and longtails. No sardis, for now. Serena crossed the deck of the ship and looked south. In the distance, perhaps twenty klicks away, the mining town of Ranna was moving by. From here, she could see the smoke stacks pumping out black smog as they processed the valuable iron ore that was so rich in the Kraken Kur archipelago.

Within a few hours, Ranna would be behind them and they would dock at the Andalus Fortress, the last port of call before the seemingly endless expanse of the Southern Passage awaited them. Serena walked to the bow of the ship, where she was quickly joined by Finella and her squad. With their equipment of swords, rifles, rounds of munitions and clay targets, they stood at attention.

"I heard Officer Bright has been using my munitions to harden your horns," Serena exclaimed.

"She hasn't been wasting my resources, has she?"

"No, Captain!" came the chorus of replies. Behind the squad, Dagon was bringing out the majority of her officer staff, carrying their own sets of equipment.

"Take them through the drills, Officer Bright," Serena commanded. She shouted the same order to Dagon. A few moments later, her officers and their subordinates, with the addition of Noburu and Seonmi as cadets, were going through the various gun drills that Serena expected her crew to know flawlessly. As they efficiently dismantled, cleaned, and rebuilt the rifles, Serena tracked down Allston, who was bringing up fifty or so sailors for some fishing.

"Don't worry, Captain," the chief engineer said, awkwardly carrying several fishing rods a dozen feet long.

"We'll catch some dinner. We'll set up from the masts. We're up there anyway. Just finished the repairs." He nodded towards the main sails where his niece was working.

"Just make sure your men are tied down properly, I don't want any of them exploring under-sky," Serena said. Even she felt a little queasy stepping onto the port and starboard masts, which stretched out into the open expanse, leaving nothing to stop you if you fell. The fact that she could Speak and levitate to the nearest island barely made it any better. The sailors who could navigate the rigging like fearless peekas had long since earned Serena's respect.

Leaving Allston, Serena returned to her officers and their drills. The main purpose of all this was to enable her crew to see that their superiors trained as hard as they worked, especially the new squad under Finella. With her ground forces disbanded, the Vengeance had lost most of her aether users, and Serena was worried some ordinary members of her crew might forget the level of difference even red aura creates.

Serena paced the deck as the drills continued, barking orders here and there, while loudly correcting some of the more obvious mistakes. Officers were expected to be better, to be above the common sailor. They were supposed to be an example to follow, and she wouldn't accept anything less than the best. She did give some leeway to Noburu and Seonmi, but only a little. Considering how little training they had and how little time they'd had to adapt, Serena was slightly more gentle in her criticism.

It didn't help that they were the only non-commissioned demons training in a group of officers, the majority of whom were capable of aura or magic.

"Let's see how they shoot!" Serena declared to the group.

"I'm sure some of you have heard the rumours that your captain has a secret stash of Jimari coffee, haven't you!?" At her words, the sailors fishing on the rigging began hollering.

"Whoever scores best…" Serena picked up a clay target, holding it high so all could see.

"Might find themselves in possession of some of that secret stash!" Her officer staff suddenly had a fearsome look of determination in their eyes. Jimari coffee really is a good motivator, isn't it? Serena thought with amusement. They settled on a tournament bracket structure. Two pairs would compete at a time, one on each side of the ship. She had two aura users use their strength to hurl the clay discs into the sky, where the competitors would try to shoot them.

The first to score three hits would move on to the next round. Serena made sure to seed the tournament so her new squad would be mixed in against her veteran officer staff. The more she could get them interacting with each other, the quicker they would all smoothly operate as an efficient machine. As the tournament progressed, there were some interesting results. The mages, Daichi and Hinako, did relatively poorly as expected, quickly getting eliminated by their opponents who had years of real combat experience.

Mel and Ido made it through a round or two before failing to win against some of Thorne's subordinate junior officers. Exceeding expectations, Seonmi did surprisingly well, earning a few whistles of approval from Allston's men on the rigging. But the real upset was Arin Song, the Ainese sister of Ido. Serena knew the woman had excellent shooting scores from her time at the academy, but seeing it first-hand was something else entirely.

Disc after disc, round after round, Arin shot her way to the finals with a calm and serious expression. It seemed the energetic twin sister became a different person entirely once she had a rifle in her hands. Her skill with firearms earned her more than a few compliments from the crew. The Ainese demon accepted the praise with a nervous expression, even laughing once or twice. It was good to see her and her brother get along with everyone else.

With rising tensions with the Far East – the homeland of the Song twins – Serena had been worried they would face friction. Thankfully, there was none of that. Arin was finally defeated in the finals by the finest marksman Serena had ever known: her gunnery officer, Thorne. The clay discs were thrown further and further until Arin eventually missed one, while Thorne, relying on his years of experience, made the shot successfully, to the cheers of his colleagues.

"Not getting old yet, are you, Thorne?" Serena jested as the rifles were collected and packed away.

"Not yet, Captain. Still a lot of youth left in me," Thorne replied, his face a picture of pride.

"Say, Captain, is there any chance I could forgo the Jimari coffee and instead–""I'm not giving her to you, Thorne," Serena interrupted, shaking her head with a smile.

"I've got plans for her."

"Aye, Captain. Fair enough," a dejected Thorne muttered. Serena patted him on the back before turning to the rest of her officer staff.

"I can see the spirit of competition still burns in your eyes!" she shouted.

"Say, isn't it time my veteran officers taught the next generation what it means to wield a sword!? Does anyone want to challenge any of the newcomers to a duel? Jimari coffee to whoever can impress me!" At her words, her veteran officers chuckled, yelling out intimidating jeers and other taunts.

"I'll have a piece!"

"Save some for me!"

"They'll all be missing two fingers by the time we're done!"

"Let's see some blood!" The supportive shouts from the rigging only served to increase the tension in the atmosphere.

"Don't take that sitting down!"

"Show them you earned those stripes!"

"Poke 'em full of holes!"

"They can sense weakness!" Serena clapped her hands, immediately silencing the noise.

"Form a circle," she ordered.

"We'll point spar, using competition rules!" She glared at her officers.

"No playing dirty now. Keep your auras at the same level. Not all the softhorns can manifest it." She glanced towards the nervous-looking Noburu and Seonmi.

"Aye, Captain!" came the shouted replies. A few moments later and a ring of horns had formed an impromptu arena at the bow of the ship. Serena was just about to begin when she spotted a familiar face pushing their way through the crowd.

"Hello!" Amelia cheerfully announced her entrance. She approached Thorne and handed him a package of ground coffee.

"Anathor told me you earned this."

"Thank you, Miss Liona" Thorne took the package, bowing politely before raising his winnings with a look of gleeful pride. The envious looks on his colleagues quickly solidified into looks of fierce determination as they eyed their prey on the other end of the circle.

"You can still call me Amelia," Amelia whispered to Thorne, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Even if I'm Lia, Amelia is Lia's nickname!" Once Thorne apologised, Amelia glanced at Serena and said, "I'm not going to have to heal any lost limbs, am I? Oh, speaking of…" Serena saw her girlfriend glance at Noburu, and she quickly figured out what Amelia was thinking of doing.

"Afterwards," Serena instructed.

"And be careful when you do. Remember the ship."

"Mmm.. okay."

"Right!" Serena shouted, getting everyone's attention.

"Who's volunteering!?" A symphony of murmurs erupted, but no one stepped forward.

"What?" Serena shouted.

"Have your horns cooled already? If I have to pick people, you'll be on latrine duty!" Her threat quickly spurred the demons into action, and Serena sensed someone step forward. Not from the side of her veteran officers, but from her newly commissioned officers. Everyone watched Melanie Mori take a few steps into the circle. Then, the young woman turned towards Serena and bowed. Not me, Serena thought, feeling her mouth curl into a smile. Of course, she would take this opportunity …

"I challenge Lia Liona," Mel declared, her face and body filled with determination. For a few seconds, everything was quiet. And then…

"Mmm! Sure!" Amelia chirped.