Sweet is the Nut
Prologue
His world was whirling violently as he futilely tried to gain a footing on the soaked planks. Loud claps of thunders and screams of bending wood echoed in his ears, and the sound of water rushing through tight corridors compelled him to sprint, crawl, and leap through the small waterfalls seeping through the wooden ceiling. Yet, despite using every punch of his strength, another abrupt turn of this enclosed space tossed his body around like a leaf in a storm.
"Grrr!" His bleeding fingers caught the sideway beam, the fluffy tail protruding from his lower back helping him regain footing as the room turned almost vertical for a moment. Yells and screams could be heard in all directions, only to be drowned out by the crashing waves and the terrible sounds pouring in from the darkness. This was not the plan… this was not the plan at all! Another turn of the world effectively threw him onto the floor, with his dexterity barely letting him not slam onto the planks.
The all-consuming pain almost persuaded him to pass out, but just as his consciousness gave in, another uniquely terrible shriek convinced him otherwise. It sounded almost like the death throes of a large beast being twisted and torn apart by some dreadful monster. Even if he did not know the meaning of it, something lurking in his mind warned him to soldier on, lest he shared the same fate as the beast.
It was only later that he knew it was the sound of the keel breaking. In a way, his gut instinct was correct - just that the large beast letting out its last cry was the ship as its spine shattered. With the rush pushing him out of the sinking compartment and through the tilting corridor. Climbing up the stairs, he emerged onto the flooding deck of the ship. Rain poured from the starless night, and what remained of the crew fought desperately against the force of nature to no avail. Ropes snapped as the hull was thrown up into the stormy air by raging waves, and the skeleton of the sails crackled with every gust of wind.
Before he could raise his voice, a blinding light took his vision, and a deafening roar his hearing. As a scorching warmth dispelled the chilling rain, the disoriented body was hurled from the crumbling deck and crashed into the scattered barrels. Before his mind faded into darkness, his arms managed to hold onto one of the barrels, in the vain hope that it would deliver him from harm.
Chapter 1
What awaited him, however, was not the Great Squirrel in the sky, as they said in his homeland. Instead, his body could still feel the somewhat nauseating feeling of the ship rocking. When he tried to feel his body and open his eyes, the overwhelming darkness was quickly replaced with an overwhelming brightness. The blindness, however, soon subsided to reveal the reddish-brown planks forming the ceiling of this deck. With his senses slowly recovering, the pain from that frightful night began to return as well, causing his body to twist and turn against the hammock he was rested in. His moment, however, attracted the attention of perhaps the group he was expecting - and hoping - the least.
The lack of rodent ears and tail showed that they were not his kind, but the important part was their clothes - most of them were wearing clothes made of some kind of pale, beige fibre, with some further covering them with brown leather reinforced by something pastel white. On their exposed skin, piercing and tattoo appeared common, further feeding into his still-spinning mind as he was reminded of the stories told by his family when they still lived on the other side of the coast. Since time immemorial, barbarians from across the sea had been visiting their coasts. While they indulged in raiding their food and gems, perhaps the most terrible thing was the one good they sought after above all else - people.
Their strange weapons drove unsuspecting men and women into a crippling frenzy, after which they were abducted back to their distant homeland and were never seen again. Supposedly, they would be tortured to death. Their flesh would be eaten by the raiders, and their skin and bones would be fashioned into armour for the next batch of raiders. He thought these harrowing recountings were just fairy tales, repeated by hunters who boasted their victory over these humanoid monsters, but now… he felt inclined to believe them, as he recognised the distinct shape of the bones used to reinforce the leather.
It was tailbones. From something human-sized.
He struggled against the hammock as they approached him, his movement quickly throwing himself onto the hardwood ground. They spoke in an alien tongue, one that he understood not a single word of. He understood the only thing that mattered, though - he could not stay here, trapped with these cannibals! "Get away from me!" It appeared that the lack of understanding was mutual, as they looked confused before responding with something he also did not understand. This did not prevent him from leaping forward and pushing himself through them, as he quickly balanced himself with his stiff tail and started running for his life. Sunlight shone into this place through the rows of large window frames, and he could see the light blue ocean beyond, leaving not a single hint of the terrible storm that landed him here… somehow.
It was no time for scenery, though. Without only a faint shadow of land at the horizon, he knew he would not survive such distance even if he could swim. It also confirmed that he was on a sailing ship, which severely limited ways to escape. Still, he might not be a fighter, but he would not go down without a fight. After glancing left and right, he rushed through the staircase upward and pushed the closest barrel down the stairs to delay his pursuers, leaving behind the sound of planks cracking and something spilling out in the midst of chaotic noises.
The room above was much darker, with almost no windows on the brown walls surrounding it. Apart from the stairway, rays of light seeped into the room through a myriad of small, round holes on the walls, with ropes passing through each of them, all connecting to a series of wooden and metallic cogs to form some kind of strange contraption. On the other side of the room, he could see someone apparently operating this machine, tightening and loosening the ropes as the cogs turned. Although he was originally too preoccupied in his work to notice the escaping Risuner, angry cries from downstairs alerted him as he looked up. Briefly turning his head back, he could see his pursuers running towards him, many of them covered in some kind of sticky, red fluid.
He had to run now, lest the cannibals be covered in his blood instead.
Dodging the grab from the wheel-turner, the Risuner ran and crawled through the mechanism, picking up a loose wooden stick in the process. As he turned and dashed towards the only doorway in sight, though, the shut doors began to part, letting the tropical sunlight flood in and blurring his vision briefly.
In the light, though, he could see two figures entering the darkening room. One of them appeared to be yet another cannibal, seemingly having some kind of heated exchange with the other. The other, though… he could not make out the details, but he could see the small pair of rodent ears on her head, as well as a somewhat bushy tail coming out from her behind. Even without the burly man next to her, she seemed to be somewhat short and lean.
Another Risuner here! I must save her!
Without hesitation, he raised the wooden stick in hand and swung it toward the man. It cut straight through the air between the two as they instinctively dodged the attack. Of course, he was aware that he would not stand a chance against him in an actual fight, but with hope, it would at least create enough distraction for him to escape with her -
The female Risuner, however, did not seem to share his assessment. Right as the man was about to grab her and push her out of harm's way, she ducked from his spare hand. Before he could react, a heavy blow from her landed right into his abdomen, dispersing his momentum instantly. While the surprisingly strong punch begin to push him upward, her hand grabbed onto his face and stopped his movement as well. Then, with her own leap, the Risuner was quickly pushed onto the ground, the back of his head landing squarely on the solid floor as the pain quickly filled inside his struggling body.
"- why…" It proved to be too much to handle for his already-weakened body. As his consciousness faded once again, the hand on his face was removed, and the face of the female Risuner appeared briefly before it was overtaken by darkness.
It was not a face he recognised on his ship.
Chapter 2
Following the second concussion, the Risuner had a nightmare as his mind attempted to process all the information flooding into his mind. The ancient magical forest under the starless night was in flames. Screams and cries filled his ears, and he found himself bound to a wooden stick on top of a burning campfire. The cannibals he saw were around him, chanting strange words while turning the stick to give him an even roast. As he cried out for help, the silhouette of a female Risuner appeared before him. However, as she stepped into the light of the fire, he could see the unfamiliar Risuner raising a sharp knife while rotating his body towards her. Then, with a grin, the knife dived into his unprotected throat… and his dream ended.
"Argh!" As his mind crossed the boundary back into the waking world, his body attempted to repeat the last struggle he had in his nightmare. The resistance his wrists and ankles felt, though, quickly reminded him that he was, perhaps, still in a nightmare in this world. The faint rocking feeling and the wooden walls and ceiling showed that he was still on a ship, although at the same time, the soft mattress behind his back and the sheet covering his body provided him with a modicum of comfort.
"Have you calmed down yet?" A female voice caught his attention - one that was speaking his language, although with a noticeable accent. The sense of familiarity quickly evaporated, however, as he turned his head to see the voice coming from the female Risuner that had knocked him out last time. Despite the small rodent ears emerging from her black hair, the clothes she wore shared more similarities with the cannibals than with other Risuners. Unlike them, though, her clothes were dyed in more elaborate colours… was she not only with them but also in charge of them? "Hey, can you understand me?"
"Oh, y-yes…" As she raised her voice, he instinctively answered, the painful memory she inflicted upon him causing his bound body to tighten. His body twisted against his bondage in an attempt to break free, but the tight fibre ropes tying his arms behind and legs together proved quite firm. The stretching sound from the ropes announced his action, resulting in a small chuckle from the female Risuner.
"It'll take more than someone like you to break free from that. Then, I'll have to put you in shackles." She let out a grin, one that was more mischievous than the hostile one he saw in his dream. The bushy tail behind her swung casually as the dark eyes scanned her captive's body. Even for a Risuner, she seemed to have a somewhat small physique. However, he had learnt the hard way that there must be some significant muscle beneath her clothes. "The sooner you play nice, the sooner we can release you."
"What's going on…?" While not exactly willing, he would rather not risk angering the strange Risuner and sending him into yet another agonising slumber. Even without his limbs bound, he highly doubt he would win in a fight against her, let alone the rest of the crew. With that, his body eased somewhat, and the ropes stopped digging into his skin as a result.
"I'm about to ask you that, actually." The female Risuner leant against the back of her chair, her gloved hand quietly tapping the table next to the bed. He could see some kind of map sitting on the table, but he could not lift himself up enough to see what was on it. "My men fished you out from the drink alongside some wreckage. I have an inkling of what happened, but it's probably easier to ask the survivors. So, would you like to tell me about that?"
"I… wait, survivors?" He paused for a moment, before a throw-away remark caught his attention. His upper body sprung up as much as he could, his back pressing against the wall as he inched up. "A-are others fine?"
"Well, other than you, we've found 10 alive in the water so far. Most of them are still resting or being healed at the moment." Her eyes glanced aside to the map, her fingertip tracing something on it as she murmured to herself, before turning her attention back to the young Risuner. "You know, we would have a problem if they're every bit as… active as you. Would you like to tell me more about your ship?"
"11… so one of them is still missing." He whispered to himself as he parsed the information. Then, he tried to pull himself up against the wall, while turning his attention toward his captor. Before he could part his lips, though, the light bedsheet on him slipped down, revealing the bare body before her. His sitting posture meant the sheet stopped right before his pelvis, although it still exposed his somewhat thin, but not bony upper body to her. Even without comment, he could see her reaction from the subtly widened grin on her face.
"Well, that's one mystery solved."
"What's that supposed to mean!?" His attempt to pull the bedsheet up only served to remind him of his restraints, forcing him to halt his body movement lest the sheet slipped down completely. "We were practising sailing in the open sea for the expeditions. We were trying to sail from Kenkerto to Petragrad and back. But then, a storm caught up to us. I guess what you said means our ship's sunk."
"Petragrad…" The female Risuner eyed her map once again, tracing another path with her gloveless fingers. "Not the best season to sail there without a lot of experience, to be honest, but I guess you've learnt that the hard way."
"I think… the next destination is somewhere far away in the frozen south, that's why people from above wanted the expedition to arrive before their next winter." While he had heard about the severe storms common on the east coast, he would never expect something as powerful as what he had encountered… and unlike being on land, there was nowhere to hide in the middle of the sea.
"Well, sorry to inform you that it's probably not going to happen. To you and the crew, at least." She crossed her arms as the black eyes glanced at him. "We're also going south, so it'll be months before we get close enough to your homeland to let you go back."
"Months!?" He instinctively raised his voice, although a simple glare from his captor was enough to freeze his heart and force him to calm down. "Is… is there no other way to go back quicker?"
"My ship's not exactly a pleasure yacht, you know. We have to reach our destination within time as well, so we can't exactly make a detour." Once she made sure her captive was no longer struggling, her gaze moved onto the map on the desk. From a distance, he could see there being two landmasses, with numerous lines cutting through the space beyond them. The script on it was too small to read, but it seemed to be something he did not understand. "Well, if you're really in a hurry, we can give you a boat and some provisions."
"If you row fast enough, you should be able to reach Bandar in… three days or so." He did not even know where Bandar was, and he knew he could not row for days straight even if he could get his bearings. Was she messing with him? Even if that was the case, though, it was not like he could do anything… before he could devise something with the rest of his crew, he was stuck here with her.
"I see…" His meek gaze turned towards her. Truth be told, despite her unusual allegiance and the circumstance, she was not unattractive. The bushy tail could use some work, but at least she did not seem to have any of the piercings or tattoo that was common among her crew. Despite having a roughly similar body size as him, she was definitely much stronger than him too. "I guess I have no choice but to stay here for now, then."
"Boy, I hope you weren't chosen as a diplomat." She let out a chuckle. "But a guest's a guest. Now, since you've calmed down, would you like to return below deck with the rest of your crew?"
"Of course!" He nodded rapidly, the motion led his gaze to remind him of something important. "… would you like to give me my clothes back?"
"Oh, about that…" For the first time, he saw a sliver of uncertainty in her expression. "We're still washing them."
Washing clothes? In the middle of the sea? He was sure it would only ruin the cloth with seawater! "… can I at least borrow some clothes, then?"
"Yes. Mine, to be specific." With that, the female gestured towards her closet. She did not sound like she was joking, at least until she read his expression. "What? I'm the only one sharing your size."
"I-is there no other ways? I don't want to walk around in your clothes or naked!" He desperately hoped that his captor would admit she was just humiliating him for whatever reason… but it did not seem to be the case. Instead, she just let out a sigh with a hint of frustration.
"You know, you're one rope away from being strung up like a sandbag. As the captain of the ship, I'm fully entitled to a personal sandbag." As the mental image appeared in his mind against his wish, his body instinctively winced from the imaginary feeling of being punched by her over and over again. However, his mind was paused when she let out a laugh at his reaction. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. Still, you should stop trying my patience…"
"Well, the only alternative is to stay here until your clothes are clean. It shouldn't take longer than a day or two." Her tiny ears perked up a bit as she pondered, and her relaxed tail could be seen sweeping on the floor subconsciously. He did not remember seeing anyone like her back home… were there other squirrel people besides Risuners? Wait, what did she just say?
"I-is that fine?" Despite everything, he was a man and she was a woman, after all.
"Well, it's the largest living room onboard, so it could hold both of us easily. No one else would dare to just bash their way in, so your secret's safe with me." She did not seem to mind the implication, though. With an impish grin, she gestured towards his body beneath the bedsheet. Connecting the dots, he could only struggle to cover himself up, with very limited success. "Jokes aside… I don't think you ever mentioned your name."
"Grr… it's Susilo."
"Welcome aboard, Susilo. My name's Cipactli." Susilo's attempt to pronounce her name elicited a small giggle from her. It sounded almost like he was about to bite his tongue. "Let's stick with Sipak."
"Al-alright, Sipak…" He nodded to the named captor and repeated her truncated, more pronounceable name. He was still not sure what to make of her and the rest of the cannibal crew… but at least it seemed she was not planning to have him as dinner just yet.
Chapter 3
Susilo could not sleep, even after his bondage had been removed. Despite the seemingly sturdier build of this ship, the rocking feeling continued to beckon the Risuner. Like a bell, every swing of the room reminded him of the nightmare that occurred on his original ship. The moment he closed his eyes, he could not help but feel that the story water would rush in and take him away. Even with the relatively comfortable mattress on his back, he barely got enough sleep - by the time he parted his eyelids once again, he could already see the rising sun peeking from beyond the horizon, its warm light seeping into the captain's quarter.
Despite their brief stay, the ropes nonetheless left their marks on his wrists and ankles. While the pain had subsided enough to not impede his movement, the marks would likely stay on for another few days. It would be difficult to explain what had happened - especially when he had nothing other than the bedsheet to conceal himself. Still, it was better than nothing, and he did not feel like trying to sleep again for now - it was not like he would be given a task in this state anyway.
The Risuner stood up and looked around. Even though the captain's quarter was probably the biggest living room onboard, the limited space of ships meant it was still pretty modest. The bed had just enough space for one person to sleep in comfortably, and a work table doubled as its nightstand. Several books and scrolls of maps were stashed at the side of the table, all secured to keep them from rolling down the table to the head of whoever was sleeping on the bed. On the surface of the table, he could see numerous tiny marks left by something hard piercing through it slightly - he was reminded of the map that was laid flat on the table last night.
On the other side of the room, a loaded hammock was swinging gently along the waves. A bushy tail was hanging from beneath, through the holes made by the netting that formed the body of the hammock. For a moment, it looked almost like an upside-down foxtail grass… On the bed, the Risuner captain was sleeping soundly, a sharp contrast to her captive. Her leather jacket was hanging by the side, leaving only the light fabric of her clothes and bedsheet covering her body. The serene sleeping face on her almost made him slightly relaxed, almost forgetting that she was somehow part of the cannibals that once terrorised other Risuners, and her unusual strength was also not common for female Risuners. How and why did she join them? Who exactly was she?
For a brief moment, his hand raised up slightly towards her face. Her skin was quite smooth… and her small physique was rather cute. Before his mind could wander to dangerous territories, though, his calmer head prevailed, and the hand moved to tuck her in the slipping bedsheet. Having exhausted all options and still not feeling keen on walking outside with only the bedsheet on him, he took a seat before the desk. He picked up one of the books and opened it, only to find the pages being filled with indecipherable symbols that probably formed their language - he remembered seeing something similar from his people, in the few shiny objects that they supposedly took from the raiders.
"I can teach you to read if you want." Suddenly, the voice of the captain sneaked up to him. Her hands rested on his shoulders, while her head rested on top of his. "Oh, it's just the logbook. It's used to keep records of things happening on the ship. It also marks the ship's route."
"Y-you're awake!?" Her sudden presence surprised Susilo, but the force put on him through her hands kept him on the seat as she let out a small giggle. "I, I don't mean to wake you up…"
"Oh, don't worry about that. It'll take some skilful footwork to not wake me up when you share a room with me." Her hands slid down from his shoulders, the place replaced with her chin as she moved to flip through the pages gently. Despite the different look, she nonetheless bore the scent of something nutty, but with a touch of butter and chocolate. "I'm just curious what would you do if I look defenceless… ehehe.
"Well, I guess I can at least say you're gentleman-like~" Sipak's impish giggle made Susilo thankful for what he chose to do… not that he would do anything improper either way, of course!
"Isn't that natural?" The young man could not help but blush from the sudden intimacy, especially given his unclothed state. The female, however, did not seem to mind it much. If anything, the widening grin on her face seemed to indicate her enjoying the tease as her hands continued to move.
"Oh, you sweet, summer child…" The captain let out a small chuckle into his ear. Her hands moved to close the logbook and return it to the shelves, before resuming their previous task. "That's probably for the best, though. It's not bad to always stay pure~"
"Ah…" Before he could respond to her contradicting actions, though, she suddenly stopped. As her eyes glanced towards the shut door, her hands quickly moved to his waist, tugging him up and back onto the bed as she covered him with the dishevelled bedsheet while taking her seat before the table. It was a swift move, and he was not harmed despite the sudden push from his undoubtedly firm grasp. Just as she rested on the seat, the sound of someone knocking on the door could be heard. It was probably one of the crew, as Sipak changed from the language the Risuner understood to the strange tongue he heard from the cannibals.
Following a brief exchange, the door opened to reveal the burly man that was talking to the captain when they first met. Unsure what was happening, the male Risuner remained in place with the bedsheet covering most of his body, while his uncertain eyes looked at the duo. The tattooed man glanced at him for a brief moment, before a word from the sitting captain turned it towards her. Their conversation was alien to him, and he could not pick up any familiar words - perhaps it was a small comfort that they were likely not talking about him or his fellow Risuners. Their relatively calm tone also seemed to suggest it was not something too serious. Soon, the sailor nodded to something the captain said, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. With that, the captain stood up and moved to retrieve her leather jacket.
"What happened?" His curiosity got the better of him, and his slightly shaky voice caught her attention. "It isn't about… us, right?"
"Not exactly…" The ambiguous answer was not really comforting, although he was unsure if he wanted to press her for answers. Perhaps fortunately, she seemed to have picked up his response as well. "Remember you told me that there's one crew from your ship unaccounted for?"
"I, um…" It was just a slip of tongue, but it was true.
"I think we found your trainer. Unfortunately, it seems his training won't be resuming soon." The implication of her words only sank in when she was ready to leave for her official business.
"Oh, no… c-can I see him at least?" He barely knew the trainer on his boat, but he seemed like a nice person. His answer prompted the captain to stop and turn towards him, though.
"Could you?" Her sharp gaze pierced through his shaken mind easily. It felt almost as if every shred of thought inside his skull was laid bare.
"Could you look a corpse in the eye? Especially someone that you know and don't hate?" Unlike the jokes and teases before, it was obvious that Sipak was completely serious. The sharp change of tone and expression stunned Susilo, as his attempt to voice anything in response resulted in only choked noises. With the answer unstated but nonetheless clear, the captain closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them to reveal a somewhat gentler gaze. "I thought so. Just like I said, that's probably for the best."
With that, the captain walked into the brightening sunlight outside, before closing the door once more, leaving the Risuner alone with his thoughts.
Chapter 4
"Does it feel good?" Leaning on the back of her chair by the bedside, Sipak eyed Susilo as he was changing into his clothes.
"Yes… surprisingly." The Risuner nodded, his hands feeling the texture of his clothes. While the disaster had left its marks that would need further repairing, the clothes had been fully cleaned and dried, with a faint scent of cinnamon. While clean clothes like this were nothing new for the Risuner, it was a luxury when sailing in the open sea, where freshwater was premium and usually reserved for drinking. He had tried to use water from the sea to wash his clothes, but it ended up only ruining them with strange white marks.
"You know, you could've borrowed my clothes and been free of this place much sooner." She rested her cheek on her palm. The slight smirk on her face indicated the suggestion was not purely out of his own good. "I bet you look cute in it too. Cuter than me, at least."
"That's precisely why…" He grumbled. Being able to leave her room sooner was a tempting offer, but he had seen her wardrobe, and the garment she offered was not as androgynous as the one she was wearing. Instead, they looked rather form-fitting… even somewhat feminine. Seeing that he had never seen her in them, he was pretty sure she was deliberately toying with him. While his body had been exposed fully to her before, her gaze still hurried him to finish dressing as soon as possible.
"Fine. Consider it a standing offer, though. At least until we managed to fish your luggage from the brine." She pouted for a brief moment, before slapping the back of her chair and standing up. "Well, feel free to go to the deck once you finished dressing up. Your friends should be waiting there already. I'll be there soon."
"Wh- alright." For a moment, he wanted to ask why would she wait until he had arrived to show up, but then he realised that he would not want to be seen walking out of her room together with her either. He knew at least a few of her crew already knew it, but it was probably for the best to keep it from the other Risuners. With that, he nodded to her and stepped out of the room for the first time in a few days.
Summer sun beamed in the cloudless blue sky, forcing him to narrow his eyes for a brief moment. As the brightness subsided, he found himself near the top of the ship, with a stairway leading down to the front half of the deck. It was not a very tall structure, but still significant compared with his original ship. The sails on this ship looked somewhat familiar - at least compared with the ones used by other foreign ships - although the sails were larger, likely thanks to the wooden bars reinforcing them against the wind. Numerous ropes connected every corner of the sails, with one end attached to the mast and the other end leading into the bottom floor of the structure - that was probably the room of cogs and tackles he saw before.
Several sailors could be seen on the deck, where some shreds of wood and cloth could also be seen being laid bare on the deck. While some of them were preoccupied with their usual duties, some other could be seen standing around some Risuners - ones with familiar faces. They did not seem armed besides the utility knives and hatchets dangling from their belts, but the larger builds ensured that the Risuners would not win in a fight against them should it came down to it.
"Susilo!" "He's alive!" Some of the Risuners recognised him and greeted them happily. Perhaps wary of sudden movement, they stayed in their general area while waving to him as he rushed towards them, giving the other Risuners hugs while the sailors looked. It appeared they still had their original clothes, which were similarly cleaned and dried.
"I thought we lost you to the sea!" The concerned voice came from one of the taller female Risuners. Susilo recognised her as Intan, who cooked for the rest of the crew while also keeping the ship clean. "Where have you been the whole time?"
"I, um…" He was not sure how to word it in a way that would not cause concerns or alarms while still staying reasonably truthful.
"I saw him being dragged away after fighting them!" Fortunately, another Risuner answered for him, causing Intan to give him a tight hug. "Oh, poor Susilo… it might have been rough."
"Haha… yeah…" She was not wrong. Even if the cannibals did not seem to have a taste for them just yet, it would probably still be a good idea to leave as soon as possible. That said, he looked around the horizon and briefly towards the sun in the sky. The unfamiliar scenery and position of the sun showed that they were quite far from home. As for their ship… while it was a foregone conclusion, it was still strange to see their boat being reduced to scraps being dried on the deck.
The reunion was cut short by the voice of the sailors, who gestured towards the top of the staircase Susilo just walked down. Their words were indecipherable as always, but it was clear they wanted their attention in that direction as well. The Risuners obliged and looked at the silhouette slowly walking down the stairs. As her small and tailed physique became clear, most of the Risuners expressed the same surprise and confusion as Susilo the first time he saw Sipak and began talking among themselves. "Who was that?" "She looks kind of like us…" "Why did she dress like them?" A loud cough from her, though, drew their attention back to her for a moment.
While not surprised by her body, Susilo was surprised by her attire - instead of the presumably casual clothes she was wearing, she saw it fit to wear one of the clothes she offered to him instead. It appeared to be made out of high-quality cloth, with a form-fitting white top and an orange-red skirt. A short, deep blue cape was fastened with a leather belt above her chest, further enhancing her commanding aura as the dark eyes glanced at the onlooking Risuners.
"Welcome aboard. I'm the captain of this ship. My name's Cipac- you can call me Sipak." Even with the slight but noticeable accent, her ability to speak the language of the Risuners only served to induce further discussion among them. After another obvious cough, she ignored those who were still talking among themselves and continued to speak.
"Some of you might already know, but we found you adrift after your ship has been sunk by a storm." She gestured to the pieces of wreckage on the deck. There was no doubt about how total the destruction was. If anything, it was a small miracle that all but one of them survived the sinking. "Unfortunately, our route does not pass through your home, and our limited time prevents us from making a detour."
"Once we sailed through the southern straits, you'll be delivered back to - " The captain paused briefly and turned to one of the sailors. She asked him something, and his answer was recognisable for the Risuners. "- Sabatangan, I believe that's what the port is called."
"It'll take a month or two until we reach there, though. Before that, you'll be my guests onboard." The small talks between the Risuners became louder, to the point she had to raise her voice to be heard.
"I know our… reputation among your people, but we'll not do you any harm unless we have to. We'll also provide food and shelter to you to the best of our ability." She seemed genuine in her promise, but many of the Risuners did not seem convinced. Then again, it was not like there were other options available.
"We'll give you back whatever personal belongings we managed to find… but you shouldn't expect too many of them." She looked to the other side of the deck. It seemed only a few barrels and crates' worth of goods were found before the rest sank to the bottom of the sea.
"The accommodations might be rather modest… but if you happen to have anything to trade, we might have something you want." Sipak pondered for a moment. "We can lend you some spare tools for that. Of course, if you want, you can also help around the ship to make some money. I believe many of you were being trained to sail in the first place."
"Speaking of which…" After pausing for a moment, the captain said something in the exotic tongue. Receiving no answers, she said something again. While neither was something Susilo understood, they still sound different to his ears. This time, one of the Risuners raised her hand - it was Intan's. "Well, at least you can communicate with my crew."
"For the others, you'll have to go through her or me if you want to talk with us. If you want to see me, say this to my crew." Then, the small-eared Risuner read out a line slowly and clearly, which was repeated by some of the more receptive Risuners. "I'm not always available. The crew will let you know if we can talk at the moment."
"That should be all at the moment. Any questions?" With that, Intan raised her hand. "Yes?"
"Why do you talk like you're one of them?" Despite the demure appearance, Intan's voice had a certain firmness to it.
"… because I'm one of them." The captain paused for a second as she eyed her sailors to the side. "Well, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask me later. Now, though, if you'll excuse me, I have my duty to tend to."
Once the captain returned to her quarter, the Risuners were escorted back to the lower deck. Following the still-familiar path, Susilo recognised this deck with large window frames was the same place where he first woke up on this ship. Rows of hammocks were set up between the pillars, with hanging sheets that offered some degree of privacy. Apart from the salvaged barrels and crates delivered here, this part of the deck also housed piles of oars and, perhaps more importantly, fishing rods.
The moment the sailors returned to their side of the deck and closed the doors, the Risuners became noticeably more at ease and began looking through the crates for their belongings. Following them, Susilo tried his luck as well. Going through the unsorted luggage, though, it appeared that the only thing he had here was a single set of plain clothes. At least, it meant he had something to change into while the other was being washed.
"They didn't hurt you too much, did they?" Intan approached Susilo just as he moved to one of the beds with his clothes. Her emerald eyes darted around his body, seemingly looking for any injuries.
"N-no… just that I was held until now." It seemed whatever bruises Sipak left on him had subsided enough to escape her notice, and she let out a sigh of relief. She had always been a caring soul - the elder raised her well, as many would attest.
"Poor Susilo… don't worry, I won't let them hurt you and take you away." She gave him another hug, her gentle hands comforting his head. While his rational side doubted she would actually be able to deter the cannibals from attacking them, his emotional side felt Intan could withstand the whole world if she had to.
Still, yet another side of his mind - the more curious side - could not help but wonder about the odd Risuner captain.
Chapter 5
Susilo did not know what he was doing.
Despite what Intan promised, it took just a few days for his curiosity to get the better of him. After saying the memorised phrase to one of the sailors tugging a black barrel to the deck, he responded with something he did not understand before leaving. Soon enough, the squirrel girl with a bushy tail appeared before him and a few other Risuners who were similarly inquisitive. Since then, he had been dragged around the upper half of the ship for a while. The unusually excited captain even handed him an empty book and writing tools to record anything he wanted. "Think of it as a continuation of your sailing training." She explained that while their ships were not exactly the same, enough of the knowledge could supposedly be adapted with relative ease.
"- and this is the upper deck." The setting sun to the right painted the sky the same reddish-brown tone as the ship, but it did not deter the captain from continuing the tour around the ship. The recovered wreckage of the Risuners' ship was mostly gone - most of the wood was too damaged to be reused and became either driftwood once more, or further reduced to firewood for cooking. Now, the empty portion of the weather deck was instead home to rows of barrels painted black. As the ship rocked against the waves, the barrels rolled back and forth as well, although they were confined to the area above the retractable hatch.
With a word from the captain, the sailors reached for one of the barrels and stood it up to the side. As they opened the lid and tilted it towards the Risuners' direction, they saw that it was filled with bubbly water, inside which pieces of clothes could be seen floating inside. Even with the dimming light, they could recognise them resembling the clothes worn by the sailors.
"It's important to keep your clothes clean, especially if you're sailing in the open sea. The easiest way to do so is to, well, not wear them. During the day in warmer water, it's actually pretty comfortable. Of course, that might be difficult if you have guests onboard." Sipak briefly glanced at Susilo and let out a small chuckle, which he promptly pretend to not hear while his hands continued to write down the actually important part. "If there's spare space onboard, you can put the dirty clothes in black barrels filled with soap water. The warmth and rocking motion will help you clean the clothes."
At that point, one of the Risuners raised her hand. "Wouldn't seawater leave marks on clothes after cleaning?"
"It depends. There's a kind of salt we used in the desert…" While his hand continued to write down what he heard, his mind could not help but wander from the topic of laundry to the sail looming over them. As the temperature steadily fell, the ropes began to move as well, adjusting the position and size of the sail in the process. He could see the block and tackle system leading back to the room filled with contraptions. There must be how the sails and, by extension, the ship were controlled. For a brief moment when he skimmed the shaded room, though, he noticed some kind of humanoid shadow disappearing quickly. Within a blink of an eye, it disappeared before reappearing as a sailor walking out into the twilight and telling the captain something.
"Well, it seems dinner is ready." The smile on the captain's face deepened. "Why don't you join us for a meal. The chef accidentally cooked a bit too much food, and it would be a shame if it's all going to waste."
The Risuners hesitated the moment Sipak mentioned food. By this point, they were all aware of who their host was, and what they were best known for. For Susilo, though, the anxiety stirred only deeper. From what he could tell, he was the only one among the crew that knew their sailing instructor was already dead, and the body was recovered by the crew.
Are they trying to rope us into helping them dispose of the body? Supposedly, the allure of the forbidden meat was too strong to resist once tasted…
"Hmm? You don't seem too well. Are you alright?" Susilo's thought was interrupted by the captain's voice as her hand rested on his shoulder. The salty sea breeze seemed to have only made her buttery scent even more salivating, and her gentle, yet firm grasp ensured he could not escape her clutch as she looked into the half-filled journal. "Oh, is that your script? You should teach me how to read it sometime. In exchange, I can teach you how to read our writings too."
"I, um…" Susilo's eyes darted around as he felt the attention of others focusing on them, something that Sipak did not seem to mind in the slightest. As his sweat began to fall from his forehead, he could only suppress his voice and whispered to the ear right next to him. "What's the meaning of this…?"
"Hmm? What do you mean? It's just a show of our hospitality. I thought Risuners have that concept as well?" She began walking him towards the structure that would lead to the lower decks, at the same time gesturing for the other Risuners to follow. While their doubts were very much still present, they also felt dismissing the captain of the ship was probably not a good idea - especially if their fear was correct. Once they stepped into the darkened room, she gently let go of his shoulder and her body drifted away to a more permissible distance.
The impromptu dining hall was set in the middle of the main deck right below the upper deck. Multiple light, spare planks were roped together and rested on top of several barrels, forming a temporary long table. The majority of the ship, both sailors and Risuners alike, were already seated on their respective sides. Perhaps due to lingering unease, or simply because of the language barrier, the two groups mostly mingle with each other until the captain made her presence known. As she took her seat, the remaining Risuners also made their way back to their side. Susilo, being the last one to be seated, took his seat next to Intan as her hand patted the reserved seat. The green eyes welcomed him back… at the same time making it obvious that she was aware of his whereabouts just beforehand.
"Do you think they are…?" Whispers from the other Risuners were met with only ambivalent noises and guesswork. Their paranoia was only heightened as the captain began talking with the other sailors, in a tongue that even Intan did not understand. While he had the urge to leave the table, it was not like there were anywhere to run… and disrespecting the hospitality of the host probably would not go well no matter the culture.
Soon, the captain had finished her words with the sailors and turned her attention to the Risuners. "Sorry for the wait. Our dinner's ready!" With that, the captain stood up and clapped her hand, signalling the remaining sailors to come in with their food. For the brief seconds before the content of the dishes was revealed, Susilo could almost hear his heart pounding against his rib cage trying to escape. Before he could do anything, though, the dish was upon them…
… it was some kind of stew. Soaked in a pastel yellow broth, the majority of the solid appeared to be some kind of dehusked corn, although it was also mixed with beans and diced squash. The scent was not too strong, but apparently sweet and slightly savoury - a nice break from the almost tasteless porridge that they usually ate. "I'm told not many of you enjoy meat and spice, so they're served separately." Indeed, the captain's words were soon followed by dishes of ground spice and marinated meat. Their stronger scent and deep colour obscured the original appearance of the meat.
"Is… is it fine that we have it as well? I thought red meat was pretty rare on the sea." Still unsure what to eat or not eat, a Risuner raised his hand and asked. The question, following a brief pause, was met with a burst of short laughter from Sipak.
"Oh, don't mind that! It would be unbecoming for a host to not offer their best food to the guests, right?" Susilo was not sure if that was something they did, but the sentiment was not too strange to him. Still, her oddly eager demeanour was rather concerning… "Besides, we're not sailing in the open sea, so it's not too difficult to resupply."
"Just forget your worries and enjoy the meal!" Sipak proclaimed as several mugs were delivered to the table. Soon, she and the sailors began pouring themselves some clear liquid, before downing them following a cheer. The Risuners, perhaps slowly inflected by the festive atmosphere, inched their hands towards the wooden spoons. Then, Susilo got himself a spoonful of the stew and, taking a deep breath, delivered it into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he gulped the food without chewing it. As the viscous soup flowed down his throat, he opened his eyes once more… and helped himself to another bite. And another.
The corn had a mild, earthy sweetness to it, highlighted by the diced squash and mashed beans in the broth. While it did not seem to have any nuts in them, the taste was enough to sate a Risuner's appetite for now. While Susilo was still unsure if he should praise their food, the expression on his face was enough to encourage the others to try the stew as well. Soon, most of them were downing the food eagerly, with a few even reaching for the spice to enhance the taste.
Before Susilo realised, he was getting a second bowl of the hot corn stew. While he was not starving before, the fresh taste had awakened the slumbering tastebuds accustomed to plain gruel, making him want more. In fact, even the mysterious meat before him began to look tempting…
"Susilo?" Intan's voice, however, broke his stream of consciousness, and the spoon fell back into the bowl. Blinking a few times, he turned his attention towards the emerald eyes looking at him. Her gaze was warming as always, but there was a sense of firmness behind them. It might be better for him to stick to the sweet corn…
"Hehe… glad to see you're enjoying our food too!" The captain's voice drew their attention towards the approaching silhouette. Her small and round ears dropped more than usual, to the point they were almost invisible beneath her hair. The bushy tail pendulated between her steps, somehow keeping her floating steps balanced. It seemed whatever was in her mug was quite intoxicating. Despite that, her gaze still had a hidden sharpness, and it soon landed on the untouched meat. "Well, most of our food, anyway."
"Why don't you give it a try as well? Who knows, you might end up enjoying it more than you thought!" With that, Sipak strolled towards Susilo and leant against his back. Her hand picked up the spare fork on the table and began reaching for the marinated meat, seemingly trying to feed him.
"Um, I-"
"I believe that's quite enough." Intan's voice halted the captain's action, as her face turned towards the standing Risuner. "Wouldn't it be unbecoming for a host to insist against her guests' will?"
Even without raising her voice, Intan's words were apparently able to get into the inebriated mind of the captain, where she dropped the fork and pulled herself up from Susilo's back. "Of course, where's my manner? Let's try something that's more to your taste." With that, she put down her half-empty mug and reached for one of the bowls on the table. It was a somewhat large bowl, and it was filled to the brim with what looked like large, peeled nuts. Apart from the obvious nutty scent, they also bore the familiar scent of butter and chocolate.
"How about this? I've read about it." Steadying her steps, she turned to face the taller Risuner as the atmosphere around them froze once more. As their eyes met with each other, she appeared to notice something and picked up one of the large nuts and delivered it into her mouth, chewing it happily while handing it to Intan. "I know it's not exactly an exchange…"
"It's fine." Intan received the bowl and picked up a piece of nut as well, giving it a taste before putting it down on the table. "We're thankful for your hospitality… but unfortunately, us Risuners cannot really eat your meat. The vegetables are more than enough for us."
"I don't know~ I've been eating it for years, and I'm healthy as ever." The captain seemed a bit confused, her hand gesturing to the drooping ears and swinging tail. Intan, on the other hand, took a deep breath as she calmed herself before parting her lips once more.
"Just because you look like us doesn't mean you're a Risuner." The green eyes drifted to the bowl of nuts on the table as the other Risuners held their breath. "As delicious as it is, it's not actually nuts, right?"
"I-Intan…?" By now, even the sailors who did not understand the language of the Risuners began to notice the odd atmosphere between the two leaders, and the jovial sensation began dissipating into something less friendly. The concerned Susilo quickly stood up and moved towards the chilly gap between them. If worst came to worst…
The tension in the air, however, was broken by a sudden laugh from Sipak. "Of course! What was I thinking? Oh my, I must be drunk…" Indeed, she leant towards the sidewall of the deck, using a pillar to support her body as she rubbed her reddened cheek. Glancing aside to the readying sailors, she raised her voice towards them in their language, before giving them a dismissing wave. Whatever the meaning of her words was, it was enough to calm them down and, after a brief pause, they returned to their usual carousing self.
"Well, I'll be taking my leave, then. Feel free to enjoy the feast for me." With another deep breath, the bushy-tailed woman pulled herself upright once again and made her way to the table. Grabbing the Risuners' portion of meat, she strolled towards the stairs leading up while waving them goodbye. As she disappeared beneath the shadow, the standoff ended as suddenly as it began.
Susilo, however, no longer had his appetite. Noticing the shaking legs, he helped Intan back to her seat. "Had it not been for me… I'm sorry for causing you trouble." His whisper was answered by a gentle pat on the head. As he looked up, he could see her mellow, if a bit exhausted smile comforting him. Responding with a weary smile, he nodded and turned his attention back to the dining table… where he noticed the bowl of large nuts left there by the captain.
Their heated exchange played in his head once again, stirring the mind that was trying to calm down.
Chapter 6
The rest of the feast blurred together and eventually died down as the sated and partially drunk sailors and Risuners alike lumbered back to their respective half of the deck. Even without touching a single drop of the liquor they served, the atmosphere alone was enough to worsen Susilo's spinning mind. With Intan volunteering to help clean up the makeshift table, the Risuner waved to her a bit before pulling himself into his hammock for some much-needed rest.
As his mind dived into dreams, the hapless young man found himself standing in the mirage of the ship deck. Flanking him, both Sipak and Intan were armed with weapons and armour alike, their eyes filled with intention to kill. He tried to call out to them, but not a single word came out of his mouth. As the two warriors approached him, he found his legs anchored to the hardwood plank beneath. In his desperation, he raised his hands towards them, in the vain hope that he would be able to stop them… only to find his limbs being severed with a swift swing of their blades.
The nature of dreams meant he could not feel the physical pain, but that did not stop him from witnessing the two squirrel girls crossing their blades against each other, tearing their flesh and bone away with each swing as they shouted silently against each other. With both of them bloodied, they suddenly dropped their arms and grabbed his immobile body, before pulling himself apart.
His scream finally manifested in a small yelp, and his body pulled itself up from the hammock. Instinctively grabbing himself, he ensured that what he had witnessed was but a dream, a nightmare that caused him to be soaked in cold sweats. As his racing heart slowly calmed down, his widened eyes flitted around.
The festive, if somewhat tense air of the feast had long dissipated, and everyone he could see had already fallen asleep. The table made of roped planks was disassembled and piled up in the corridor, forming a new floor and wall to the other side and below. All the candles and lamps were killed, leaving the only source of light as the faint starlights seeped in through the gaps of the shut windows. While he could see no immediate danger, the creeping sense of loneliness turned his attention towards Intan's hammock below. As the ship rocked gently, he could see the empty netting swinging slightly in the stale air.
Susilo gulped, his eyes skimming the deck in slumber and reaffirming that she was not simply sleeping in the wrong place. Quickly pulling his still somewhat sleepy body onto the floor, he began looking for her as he walked. With other ways blocked, the only way he could go was up towards the weather deck… the place in his nightmare. Suppressing his quickened heart, he walked through the room of cogs and pushed the shut door open.
Under the moonless night, the gentle sea breeze dispersed the lingering staleness and woke his mind up somewhat. At the other end of the emptied deck, he could see the familiar silhouette standing by a small crane. It had been tilted into the sea, and on its ropes hung one of the ship's boats normally used to make landfall in shallow water. Several oars and a barrel were already loaded on it.
"Intan…?" His steps and suppressed voice alerted her, and she quickly turned around. The surprised expression on her face quickly eased into the usual gentle smile as she recognised him. Glancing across the depopulated deck, she returned the sword into the scabbard besides her waist, before waving at him and signalling him to her.
"I didn't expect you to wake up so soon… are the others alright?" She quickly secured the crane's position, before leaning slightly against the wooden rails across the starboard side. Like him, she was sweating quite a lot as well, but he had a feeling that hers was not due to a nightmare.
"They're all asleep. Wh-"
"I'm glad to hear that… would you like to accompany me for a bit? I could use some rest." Intan's question drowned out Susilo's, and from her expression, he knew better than to press further - if his hunch was right, he would know the answer soon enough anyway. Taking a seat on a short post next to the tall Risuner, Susilo's eyes turned from the half-raised sail to the starry sky above. Perhaps because of the cloudless sky, or simply because of Intan's presence, he could feel his mind calming down a bit. "Thank you."
"The weather's quite nice, isn't it?" Her gloved hands moved onto her waist-length hair, caressing it briefly as she tied it behind her. Instead of her usual, elegant dress, she was wearing a more pragmatic sleeveless shirt and trousers. The boiled leather armour covering her upper body seemed a bit too large for her, necessitating the use of belts to hold it against her curvature. "I still remember my first night on the sea. It was a small fishing boat, and the moon was waxing, but the breeze was just as refreshing."
"It was with him, wasn't it?" She nodded.
"My father hired him to train people on how to sail a ship larger than a jukung. Of course, it also meant there's always a place for me onboard." She looked aside towards the craned boat and smiled. "I did try my best to fit in, but many jobs on a ship turned out to be quite physically demanding. At least, I'm happy that many of you enjoy my cooking and help."
"I probably won't qualify to be a sailor if not for that, but he did teach me many things." She blinked. "Perhaps more than what the elder expected."
"Including their language?" He seized the chance to voice one of the questions that had been lingering in his mind. Seemingly a bit surprised, she nonetheless dipped her head after turning to face him.
"They're much more experienced in sailing, after all, and have words for concepts alien, but useful to us." The emerald eyes closed for a moment. "He also said… it's important to know what they were saying. Both within and without our earshots."
"I suppose he would know how they think better than the rest of us do." Susilo mused as his eyes drifted to the tower on top of the upper deck.
".Yeah.. I'll miss him." It was the first time he heard her voice waver, even if just a bit. The ponytail waving in the wind obscured her face as she turned away once more.
"Y-you shouldn't give up so soon. I thought you were going to find him?"
"… you've always been bad at lying, Susilo." Intan let out a dry chuckle. "Not that it's a bad thing."
"What do you- "
"I can tell from your expression back then." The gloved finger gestured towards the tower. "I don't know why, but I can tell she told you something that the rest of us didn't know… it's about him, isn't it?"
"I…" Despite his best effort, the only response he could squeeze out of his mind was a simple nod. "… yes. I'm sorry."
"It's fine… I guess I already knew. If anything, I should consider myself lucky that he was the only one who…" Intan struggled for the word that she knew full well. He could hear her breathing against the faint wind, rocking, and knocking from the deck. "I just didn't expect… this is how we would meet again. Looking back now, perhaps I should have."
"I… even with him, I don't like them. Or her, for that matter. That doesn't mean I should confront her back there, though. It might endanger the rest of you…" Her voice drifted off as her hand rested on the tilted crane. "When you walked up… for a moment, I thought I was too late."
"As you might have gathered… we're leaving tonight." Intan took a deep breath and stood herself up to finish her work… only to pause and turn aside, landing her narrowed gaze on the new silhouette on the deck. Even with the droop ears and tail, her shape was quite recognisable under the faint light from heaven. The flowing indigo coat was nowhere to be seen, and she was instead equipped with something metallic and undoubtedly deadlier.
On her left arm strapped a round metal shield, its interior occupied by strange contraptions and its forward edge serrated. Both of her hands were covered by some kind of gauntlet, with her fingers wrapped around the long handle of a poleaxe as long as she was tall. A sharp contrast to the tipsy captain during the feast, her expression was soberer than ever. The faint marks of bags beneath her eyes did not dull the sharp gaze locked on the two Risuners. In spite of the circumstance, her expression was not one dominated by anger. Rather, it was an indecipherable mixture of a myriad of emotions, barely held together in her shivering body.
"… I don't suppose you're here for a walk?" Swallowing her thoughts, Intan straightened herself as she turned to face Sipak, at the same time her left hand gesturing Susilo to stay away from them. Her right hand, meanwhile, rested on the hilt of the sheathed sword.
"I could easily ask you the same." Sipak scanned the deck quickly, before returning her attention to Intan. "I see you've been busy as well."
"… let them go." With a brief pause, Intan's words turned the conversation to what was undoubtedly in their mind already. "I'm the one who violated your hospitality! This has nothing to do with the rest of them."
"I know." The cannibal squirrel approached the duo slowly. Susilo could see the wiped remnants of red and white fluid around her lips, as well as some droplets staining the form-fitting white shirt. Combined with her sharp teeth, it looked almost as if she just had a… peculiar meal. "It has nothing to do with that either."
"What do you want, then…?" As the distance between the two armed women shortened gradually, the gloved hand held the hilt tight and slowly drew the blade out. Unlike the weapons made in his homeland, the sword had an unusual gleam similar to Sipak's poleaxe. "Whatever it is, don't expect me to let you toy us around without a fight."
"A fight… right. Maybe you have a point. I'm through doing it your way… the Risuner way." Stopping a few steps before Intan, Sipak's left hand released the handle. The weight of the poleaxe caused it to naturally slide towards the right, delivering the end of the shaft to her right hand to hold as a one-handed weapon. "I'm doing it my way. Let's fight."
"Fight?" Intan stood herself against the armed warrior… but she knew full well that in a straight fight, she would be no match for her. The grip against the hilt tightened, perhaps in an attempt to suppress the instinctive shivering as she eyed the battleaxe. Still, her voice was steady and calm as always. "It would be more accurate to call it an execution, wouldn't it?"
"… fine. I'm more used to fistfights anyway." With a bit of mumbling, she lifted the axe up before tossing it aside. The spike at its tip pierced through one of the softer planks, keeping its handle almost upright. "It makes the ring more interesting."
"Just as I thought… Susilo?" Intan took a deep breath. The gentle green eyes glanced at the helpless onlooker, and a faint smile appeared on her slightly nervous face. "I trust you can take care of the rest of us."
With that, she let out a cry as she rushed towards the fighter, her hands clutching the sword pointing directly towards her torso. Facing the seemingly unmoving target, the hands twisted and pushed towards the captain the moment she felt her body was within reach. Just as the tip of the blade was about to reach her, a simple turn of Sipak's ankle slid her body sideways, pulling herself out of the blade's path. Just as she realise that, a sudden heavy blow from the metal gauntlet threw her off balance. Landing on the hardwood plank, Intan rolled aside just in time to witness the steel fist landing on the deck, seemingly leaving a mark on the material as she quickly stood herself back on her feet.
Intan raised her blade again, swinging at a wide-angle against Sipak, only for it to be stopped by the metal shield, causing a loud clank across the deck. With her momentum halted, the bushy-tailed squirrel delivered a blow right into the exposed abdomen. As the pain spread through her body, the strength she had managed to muster so far dissipated. A strong tap from the round shield forced the grip on the sword to loosen, before the metal grip on her face forced her to fall to the ground.
"Intan!" He was fully aware of how ill-advised his next move was… but he could not simply stand there and watch. Using all his strength, he pulled the poleaxe from the plank. It was deceptively heavy, almost enough to unbalance his steps by lifting it alone. Despite that, he still charged towards Sipak and swung the blade towards her… only for it to be stopped by the shield by its shaft. The trembling blade loomed over her head as she slowly turned her head towards Susilo, her piercing gaze sending a chill down his spine. The hands quickly let go of the handle, causing the poleaxe to drop to the floor once more. Yet, he was not ready to give up. He clenched his fists and began smacking against the cannibal squirrel girl, his weak blows easily blocked by the buckler. "Let go of her!"
Then, to their surprise, the metal grip released the downed Risuner, and she slowly pulled herself upright once more. As her shield-bearing hand lowered, the bewildered squirrel boy lowered his fists as well. Heavy panting echoed around them, and the disarmed Intan pulled herself up once more with caution. While the two Risuners maintained their gaze on her, the captain instead turned towards the darkness beyond the starboard, as if seeing something they could not. Mumbling something indecipherable, she turned her face back to the duo as she took half a step back. "What a bother…"
"… what?" Even before the lingering hostility abated, Susilo could feel something strange was happening.
Suddenly, the sound of an explosion emerged from the horizon. As a fireball expanded, for a brief moment he could see the searing glow illuminating the shape of a ship on its approach. The purpose of the fire was immediately made clear, with a cannonball piercing through the air far above them.
It was a warning shot.
"Pirates." The captain muttered as she stared at Intan, whose gaze turned aside instead. "I hope you still have some fight in you, as we're now on the same boat… quite literally."
"C-can't we run away from them?" Susilo was fairly sure the sails on the pirate ships were squares. From what little he knew, the ships of the cannibals were designed to outrun them in seemingly unfavourable wind directions. However, the only response he received was a metal finger pointing upward, where several loose ropes were flying in the wind.
"… truce?" Intan was hesitant, but her expression showed that she was aware of the meaning behind her gesture.
"Consider it the price of losing. And compensation for your tricks." Sipak tightened her fist and landed a blow into the other gauntlet. The grin on her face widened along with her eyes. "Count yourself lucky too… I was about to stop pulling my punches."
Chapter 7
"I'll be waiting for them to board. You two, go to the lower decks and get the Risuners prepared for whatever role they can fill." After eyeing Intan for a brief moment, Sipak moved to pick up the poleaxe on the ground. With a thud, the spike pierced into the floor once more, keeping it accessible at the middle of the weather deck. "If you have time, it would be nice for you to free my men too… but if not, they can free themselves quick enough."
"We'll handle the majority of the fighting, but if any of you want to join the fun, you're welcomed to do so as well. We have some spare slings, lead, and axes." She let out an anticipating grin as she stood before the poleaxe. She would be cracking her knuckles had the gauntlets not be in the way. "Otherwise, just keep yourself out of harm's way and maybe help take care of any wounded."
"Now, best for you to go back below the deck before they see you." The captain glanced at the approaching ship, its silhouette becoming clearer under the starlight. Judging by the three sails, it appeared to be somewhat larger than Sipak's own. Its sides were littered with something resembling cannons protruding from the gun deck, and some humanoid shapes could be seen working on the sails and waiting by the handrail. The original flag flying at the stern had been lowered, and a new flag was brandished before their eyes - a flag of red and black, with skull and heart embroidered on it.
As the Risuners retreated into the room of cogs, the captain strolled to the wooden grid covering the opening towards the lower deck. With a grin, she banged her gauntlet against the shield, letting the loud banging sound to echo across the compartment as she yelled in their own language. "Pirates ahoy! Sober up and get your arses ready for a warm welcome!" By the time Susilo and Intan arrived at the stairs in the main deck, rousing noises could already be heard from the lower decks, through the wooden planks covering the doorways and the stairs. With Intan's instructions, the boy quickly helped her to remove the impromptu struts, and the planks quickly came down to reveal the sailors. Most of them seemed to still be somewhat tipsy, but they were already armed with axes and shields in hand. Despite the circumstance, several of them were also holding a mug or canteen, filled with either clear, brown, or white liquid.
"About that…" As they marched towards the duo, Intan positioned herself before Susilo - even with their quick work, there was little doubt that they were still aware of what she had done. However, apart from a brief gaze, they simply continued their walk towards the stairs leading up… and began singing what was presumably their war song. With them focusing on the upcoming battle instead of the sabotage, the Risuners quickly made their way into their quarters and began waking up the filled squirrel people.
Soon, the pirate ship had arrived before the stalled ship. Several grappling hooks flew from their deck above and caught onto the rigging, their ropes binding the two ships together as the hardwood crashed against each other. Then, with a loud, high-pitched cry, several corsairs swung down from the ropes onto the deck about a storey below and landed right before Sipak. Taking a final sip of white from her metallic flask, she casually threw it aside and let it fell through the wooden frame.
"Quaint wee ship ye 'ave here~" While five of them were towering, muscular men, the one approaching the squirrel captain was a seemingly young woman only slightly taller than Sipak. Dressed in a somewhat elaborate red naval garment with a black overcoat, the red eye looked down at the waiting squirrel with a smirk. Even with her cheerful demeanor, the sheathed cutlass and rows of pistols attached to her belt indicated that she did not come purely for diplomacy.
"What brings you here?" Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, Sipak did not show a single hint of fear or hesitation, simply replying with a smile. The dark eyes glanced at the men moving towards the door of the steering room, before returning to the redhead pirate before her. "You're rather… well-dressed for just a tour."
"Indeed~ I come here in peace, seekin' treasures 'n slaves." She looked up on the half-raised sails and their flying ropes, and a smile emerged on her face. Her white glove patted the shiny handle of her sidearms to back up her statement. "Would ye kindly help us wit' that? T' sweeten the deal, I can even help ye take care o' whatever problems ye 'ave on yer ship~"
"Heh, I have quite a lot of problems on my ship, true." The dark eyes scanned the deck as another six raiders made their landing on the deck. As the first batch began banging on the shut door, they also moved to reinforce them, seemingly content with letting their leader handle the conversation by herself. "About a dozen so far. Don't worry, though, we'll be handling them now."
Before the eyepatched captain could respond, the bushy-tailed captain raised her shield. The metal gauntlet held the crank of its mechanism and twisted against it, the sound of metal grinding was followed by a shutter on the shield parting way. With a spark seeping from the chuubanite embedded within, a blinding light flashed before the red eye, causing her to recoil in a defensive position. Her right hand drew one of the pistols on her belt, while the left hand tugged the eyepatch aside to reveal the amber eye below.
The first thing she saw with her unblinded eye, though, was the lantern shield bashing right into her. The loud discharge of her pistol did little to stop the squirrel, and the two captains smashed into each other, forcing the pirate to fall back a few steps as her subordinates turned towards the unfolding fight. "Brave wee lad~ Guess we will be havin' a lot o' fun wit' ye." Wiping her face with the long sleeve, the redhead dropped the smoking gun and drew her cutlass, as did her followers as they closed in on the lone Sipak.
"Oh, I won't have it any other way-" One of the pirates swung his blade towards the squirrel from the side. With a wide grin, she ducked from harm's way and twisted her body quickly. Her shield bashed against his well-built body, the loud thud followed immediately by a swipe of her leg, forcing him to take a step back as she moved back… right into the grasp of another corsair as the strong arm wrapped around her neck, lifting the squirrel off the ground while the other hand grabbed her free hand. "Grr… !"
"A wee squirrel like ye shant learn t' pick a fight wit' adults." The pirate captain restored her eyepatch to its original position. Smiling at her apparent victory, she waltzed towards the restrained captain and eyed her struggling body, licking her lips in the process. "Any last words?"
"Yes…" With all the eyes laid on her, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. Then, she raised her voice and cried out in her tongue. "Let the red nectar flow!"
"Forward, forward!" The shut door immediately collapsed, revealing the armed sailors as they poured out into the upper deck, their chant echoing their captain's call. As the pirates turned their attention towards the axe-wielding reinforcement, the smile on Sipak's face transformed into a grin. With a twist of her waist, she lifted her lower body forward and raised her leg. With A click of her boot, a tiny blade snaked out from her heel. Before her captor could respond, the waist turned the other way, causing her entire body to swing back towards him, her momentum driving the dagger into him right between his legs, letting a painful cry join in the chorus as the reddened blade pulled out alongside the flowing red nectar.
Without his grip, the squirrel girl landed gracefully on the ground on one foot, before quickly turning with her other foot to deliver a round kick to the downed man, throwing him right onto the ground as the rest of the invaders quickly turned against the flanking enemies. Just as Sipak began charging towards the captain as she was taken aback by the turning tide, another pirate pulled the poleaxe from the floor and moved between them. With a wide swing from above, the lithe body slipped by the cleaver before the side of the shield slammed down against the shaft. Right as his momentum dissipate, the metal hands grabbed onto the shaft. With a turn of her waist, the gauntlets twisted the poleaxe aside, bending his arms into an unnatural angle before he was forced to let go, returning the weapon to its rightful owner. With a loud yell, she pushed the spike right back into his torso.
"Lay 'em low!" The command from the redhead pirate alerted Sipak, and she quickly pulled the red spike out. She had barely enough time to raise the shield against the higher deck before a salvo of lead hail rained down on the deck. The sound of rounds piercing into metal, wood and flesh filled the deck, followed by a few familiar groans. As the smoke dispersed into the wind, more raiders leapt from their deck and landed in the bloody arena. Steel swords and axes crossed against each other, their blades tasting blood with each connection against the foe.
The numerical advantage of the pirates over the sailors was difficult to overcome, though. As a sailor parried a blow from a cutlass, another one would exploit the opening and left a crimson mark on his clothes. As the axe moved to hook the incoming sword, yet another would cut into his flesh. As the dance became more brutal and fierce, the shield-and-axe bearers soon begin falling towards the tower of their ship. The hails of bullets from above rarely reach their targets, but the pistol shots from the captain were able to dig into flesh more often. Forcing another sailor down to his knees.
"Har… 'tis why ye shall 'ave surrendered when ye had the chance!" The heaving did not disrupt the victorious grin on the captain's face, with her dropping a smoking gun only to pull out a new, loaded one for her next shot. "Give 'em no quarter!"
With the room of cogs behind their back and many of her subordinates forced onto the stairs, Sipak took a deep breath between her boasts and raised her shield. With a mad dash forward out from the formation, the shield pushed aside one of the weaker pirates as the other hand turned the poleaxe. Its hammer head swung forward wildly, forcing the corsairs before her to pull back lest their skulls be smashed in. Just as she redirected her momentum to push the spike into another pirate, though, the sound of gunshot rang in her ears, and the growing pain finally began to override her bloodthirst. Standing before her was the smoking barrel from the panting captain's hand, her once-loaded belt now completely empty from the attrition of battle.
"Let's watch ye dance…!" Passing the pistol to her off hand, the redhead drew her cutlass and approached the squirrel girl, her bushy tail twitching as she was forced into a defensive position once more. Right as she was about to raise her sword, though, a distinctly new sound joined in the foray.
It was the sound of a sling.
"Catch!" A lead slingstone landed on the pirate captain's side, the sudden jolt of pain forcing her to step aside. Through the collapsed doorway, a shaking Susilo was holding a sling in one hand and a handful of bullets on the other. Before the raiders could turn their blades against him, though, another round from above landed on the chest of one of them, forcing him to pull back in pain. Several Risuners had climbed onto the quarterdeck above the cabin, each swinging a sling in their hand. Soon, stones, lead, and clay began to fly through the air, pushing the pirates on both ships to fall back. However, with another order from the captain, the pirates began advancing through the volley towards the Risuners' position.
"Stop standing around!" A coarse shout from Sipak broke the bewildered sailors from their trance, and they began pulling themselves together in the small window of opportunity. Some of the less injured fighters pulled up the stairs to position themselves before the Risuners, while the others rushed to the clashed starboard and raised their axes, cutting down the ropes tangling the two ships. Although the wind still pushed the pirate ship against their own, the waves soon broke the harmony between them, disrupting movement between the two decks.
"Right… let's watch you dance." Blood dripped from the bitten lips as Sipak readied herself. Focusing her body and mind against the pirate captain, the shield charged forward towards her, blocking the cutlass's slice while the drenched poleaxe pushed towards her, narrowly missing her stomach. Before she could pull back, the pirate held tight against the warm barrel and locked its handle against the hooked axe, halting the motion before she lifted her knee and landed against Sipak's upper torso. Her shortened breath weakened the hold on the shaft, before a yank from the pistol disarmed her.
Just as the squirrel girl was kicked back, though, a shadow emerged at the corner of her eye. The swing of a steel sword sliced through the boiling air, forcing the redhead to turn against the incoming threat. Before she could steer her blade, Intan's body clashed into the black overcoat, pushing her away from Sipak. As the pirate captain fell to the ground, though, the Risuner felt the red-stained gloves holding onto her arms… and the grasp was stronger than hers. Her momentum was guided forward away from the grinning captain, before a kick right in her stomach deprived her of control over her body. Using her arms as leverage, the captain heaved her into the air beyond the deck.
The brief distraction was more than enough, though. Before the pirate could pull herself up,her original opponent was already raising a bloody axe against her neck. She could barely let out a gasp before the gleaming blade fell towards her. Her body froze in place as she was filled with a sudden dread, recoiled in anticipation of the blow as she shut her eyes. In the pitch darkness, a loud chop drowned her mind.
Yet, what awaited her was not the afterlife, and she could still feel the rest of her warm body. As she parted her eyes, the red eye could see the axe head buried right next to her neck. Next to her, the squirrel girl lifted her foot and stomped against the other end of the shaft, forcing it down on the floor and locking her in this position. Squeezing a grin out of her tired face, Sipak banged her gauntlet against her shield, drawing the attention of the entire deck with the loud bangs as she yelld from the top of her lung. "Stop fighting now if you want your captain to live!"
"D-do as she said!" Combined with the panicked voice from the redhead, the rest of the raiders halted their attack and cautiously pulled back. As a sailor took her place to secure the pirate captain, Sipak quickly glanced across the deck and found the familiar figure, her hands holding onto the edge above the dark water.
Intan turned her gaze from the waves beneath and looked up to the racing footsteps. Between the moonless night and the hull, the shadow of the small-eared squirrel girl loomed over her. "Intan…" She muttered as her hands moved towards the dangling Risuner… before grabbing onto her wrists. As the fighting died down, several more sailors and Risuners closed in as well, their combined strength pulling Intan up and back to the blood-soaked deck. As the helpers fell to the ground, Intan landed on the captain's body, cushioning the fall somewhat.
"Argh… you're heavy." Sipak murmured as the tired face looked up to her, before a smile emerged between the blood and sweat.
"S-shut up!" Still, the pained expression caused the Risuner to quickly stand up from her… only to realise the large, red smear now marking her clothes. "... Sipak?"
"Hehe… the red nectar really do flow." The squirrel girl tried to stand up, only for her legs to give way, necessitating the sailors to help her up as blood dripped from her body. With a brief pause, she swapped back to the language of the sailors. "Get all the pirates except their captain off my ship… tell them to give us their boats and keep their distance. The Risuner has the deck."
"Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking a nap…"
Chapter 8
Content Warning: Suggestive smut
The first sense to return to Sipak's mind was, as always, agony. She could not see or hear anything - in fact, the only thing that allowed her to feel her body was the shape weaved by the piercing pain, as if her shape and form were defined by it. The numerous invisible knives buried inside her soon forced her to struggle and scream, but nothing happened - her form did not follow her mind, and she had no mouth for her to scream.
In spite of such excruciation, it was not something that really surprised her - as far as she could remember, it was something integral to her existence. Since then, she had learnt to live with it, through the myriad pleasures of the flesh that was taught to her one way or the other. What started as escapism, a brief respite from her suffering gradually became an all-consuming thirst, a lust for blood and flesh that drove her forward from arena to arena.
And yet, the hunger became harder and harder to sate, and she grew increasingly peckish. Even if she painted the ring red with gore, the satisfaction only served to make the void within her more noticeable. No amount of booze, sex, and drugs could keep the haunting sensation from sticking out like a sore thumb - just like her, perhaps. As her mind became ensnared in such thoughts despite her best effort, it felt as if the knives inside her all twisted at the same time, tearing her mind apart as the pent-up pain materialised beneath her skin, transforming her thoughts into a loud scream.
"ARGH!" The darkness dispersed and her body leapt up from the bed. The sudden flood of sensation pulled her from her nightmare, and the torment soon subsided into the physical ache spread across her beaten body. Between her loud gaspings, her flitching eyes eventually recognised the familiar view of her room. Outside the window, the dark shy was beginning to be painted in a lighter shade of blue, foretelling the dawn approaching from beyond the horizon.
"Si… Sipak?" Just as her heart began to calm down, the sudden voice from the side, caused her body to shiver and her small ears to perk once more. Her head turned towards the origin of the voice, and the surprised face of the male Risuner entered her mind. The friendly face gave her a sense of comfort… but at the same time, she also felt the serrated blade inside her wiggling from it.
"Susilo…" Sipak murmured as she looked down at her body. Her blood-soaked clothes had been removed and replaced with bandages, gauze, and strips of cloth, with the scent of alcohol and herb emanating from them. Faint bloodstains could be seen through them, but it seemed the bleeding had stopped. Upon recovering the memories of the battle, she tasted her mouth and, sure enough, the taste of blood, milk, and flesh was still present.
"… did you see it?" The captain inferred from his presence next to her blood-stained bed and rested her hand against the bandages concealing most of her torso. Even with the healing she received, she could still feel the ache from both her hand and the covered abdomen.
"Um… n-no! I wouldn't dare…" It took a moment for Susilo to realise what she was asking, and he quickly shook his head in panic.
"I see you're not good at deception either." It was quite obvious, not just because of his demeanour, but also because his eyes continued to linger on her bare breast. His startled response, though, put a faint smile on her face, and she had no intention to cover them up from him. "I was not referring to them, though."
"Wait, what did you mean?" The Risuner paused at the unexpected statement. What was more unexpected, though, was her next move, as her hand slid down from her abdomen, seemingly trying to feel something. His eyes widened, and his flustered expression failed to conceal the sensation he was feeling from such a stimulating view. "Wh-what are you doing!?"
"Heh… guess you really are gentleman-like. Maybe not as pure as I thought, though." Her hand lingered only as long as she reaffirmed the lack of his marks on her body. Despite her praise, though, the smile on her face disappeared as she mused to him. "That, or I'm not really your type to begin with."
"Are you alright…? I, I mean, it's not like I think you're ugly, but it's-"
"- because I'm one of them?" Sipak completed his sentence. It was not his intention, but he would be lying if that did not play a role in how he interacted with her. Still…
"It's not like that! Just that-"
"So you DID see it." The dark eyes stared at Susilo's wavering eyes as the remaining sentence was forced back into his throat.
"I didn't mean to peep, but there are too many wounded, so I have to help with changing your bandages…" He gulped and tried to maintain eye contact with her.
"It's alright. I should be thankful that you helped us at all." The squirrel girl turned her gaze to the other half of the room, which had been filled with emptied barrels in disarray. With their lids put back hastily if at all, the marks of red and white were left for all to see. She knew how short-handed they were after the bloody battle, so it only made sense for the supplies to be used liberally to quickly heal the survivors back to health.
"My bleeding has stopped, right?" Susilo dipped his head in response. Even with his seemingly reserved face, she could still see the hint of curiosity within his eyes as they lingered on her. "… do you want to see it again? It's not really a secret."
Against his better judgement, he nodded slowly at the question, and the captain let out a dry chuckle as her fingers moved onto her bandages. Turning her side towards him, she began to undo the wrapping on her body, and the concealment slowly but surely unwinded around her waist. It appeared that he was surprisingly skilled in dressing her, and only a bit of gauze remained glued to her flesh wounds. With a slight yank and a suppressed moan, the fleshy glue was removed, and the cloth around her torso fell to the bedsheet.
On her abdomen, apart from the red, hot wounds she just gained from the pirates, older cold scars also littered the otherwise smooth skin, with some obviously stretched by past growth as her body matured. Her fingertip traced one of the larger scars before his eyes, the slightly unusual curvature suggesting it costing her something less replaceable than simple blood. Her bushy tail, on the other hand, caressed her lower back, attracting his peeping eyes as she looked up from her rear. Instead of her smooth skin, her back was covered with more than a dozen vertical scars. They were red and swollen, but at the same time, it was obvious that they had been on her body for a long time. Unlike the scars on the rest of her body, these thick scars were aligned, almost symmetrical, and alternated between solid and dotted lines. All of these oddities hinted at them being carved onto her deliberately. "Not something you often see back in your homeland, right?" She turned her back towards him to give him a better view, his locked stare betraying his morbid curiosity.
"What happened…?" He had heard that in some less savoury places where people were treated as objects to purchase, they were sometimes marked with something similar to denote their reduced status. Even so, he never heard anything as extensive as this, let alone witnessed it on someone in charge like she seemingly was. He could not begin to imagine the kind of pain it must cause.
"I believe you're aware of the legends that us… the cannibals used to frequent your coast as raiders. Unsuspecting villages were razed, and Risuners who were not agile enough were captured back to their homeland, where they would be tortured, killed, and eaten. Not necessarily in that order." Sipak turned back to face him with a faint smile. It was clear from the initial encounter that the fame of the cannibal raiders preceded them for him. "They were true. Still is, in a way. However, not all of the captives immediately ended up on the altars. Some were kept alive for quite a while. Years, even."
"Some said they managed to escape into the jungles; some others said the raiders fell in love and eloped with them; some even said they sailed from their homeland to rescue their kind. Regardless of how, some of these Risuners eventually settled there. Funnily enough, the cannibals that caught them in the first place did not seem to mind them, and I guess eventually, that feeling became mutual as well." Sipak mused. "That was the story of my ancestors."
"So… you really are from there." In hindsight, it was quite obvious given how comfortable she was with the rest of the sailors, not to mention the peculiar food she indulged in before their eyes.
"I suppose so. Of course, we picked up a lot of their habits as well. The marks on my back were among them." Her thin tail gestured to the scarred lines on her back once more. "Every member of the community has to show their willingness to endure overwhelming pain for the sake of others. And in turn, this indelible sign will always guide us back to home no matter what… at least, that's what I'm told. Didn't seem to work for me."
"Some of us also think these marks enhance our beauty and let us attract better mates… but I see it doesn't work here either." The dark eyes lingered on Susilo as her fingertips caressed the scarred abdomen. "Well, not that it really matters, I suppose."
"Don't say that! I-I like how you look as well!"
"Is that so?" Without a warning, she shoved her hand onto Susilo, her gentle, yet firm grasp against his weak spot quickly immobilising him. As he felt her fingers' movement, she raised her eyebrow in surprise, before a small grin appeared on her face. "Well, I suppose the body doesn't lie. Especially for a man in that regard."
"It's the milk-" His retort was cut short by the sound of the door opening, quickly followed by a grasp from a familiar feminine voice.
"I, I don't mean to disturb you two…" Holding a tray with a warm bowl of herbal soup and half a bowl of large nuts, Intan's eyes quickly darted between the half-naked Sipak and her grasp. Taking a brief moment to process the scene, her mind came to a likely wrong conclusion as she quickly rested the soup on the table before attempting to take her leave.
"No! Wait! It isn't how it looks like!"
"He's right… and he's really bad at lying." Between the desperate plead and the half-joking agreement, Intan stopped her step before the door and closed it again. Still unsure what to make of it, the blushed face turned back to them. As she took a closer look, though, the older scars on the squirrel's body dispersed the impure thoughts in her mind. Once Sipak released her grasp, the somewhat relieved Susilo moved to pass the soup to the bedridden captain. Compared with what she was likely used to, the medicine had a weaker taste, although the well-balanced aroma showed that it was made with care for both the health and taste of the patient. Looking into the reflection in the bowl for a moment, Sipak took a big sip from it, gulping down the warming stew. "... it tastes good."
"I'm glad you like it." Intan dipped her head, and despite trying to underplay it, it was obvious that the scars on the bushy-tailed squirrel girl had her attention as much as it had Susilo's. Upon noticing that, Sipak rested the half-empty bowl on the side table next to a mug. As her fingertip traced one of the larger scars across the abdomen through the belly button, the brief flash of expression on Intan's face caused a faint, stiff smile on the captain's face as well.
"I don't suppose you come here just to deliver my medicine?" The tarnished squirrel girl asked, her mind already knowing the answer. "Well, you did save our skin down there, so it's the least I can do."
"... alright." Intan swallowed her hesitation and parted her lips, her voice still somewhat shaky. "You aren't really a raider, are you? At least, not originally."
"Heh… what makes you think that?"
"You don't fight like one." Intan turned her gaze past the empty barrels and onto the gauntlets and shield hanging on the wall. The blood on them had just dried, leaving their marks upon fainter, older ones. "Or even act like one, to a lesser extent. You're too…"
"Cheerful?" Sipak's chuckle made Intan realise the accidental implication of her statement. However, the captain did not seem to mind. "Unpolished… but not inaccurate."
"Meatheads do like feasts, as my men will eagerly demonstrate. That said, I indeed grew up elsewhere." The squirrel girl took another sip of the herb, steadying her breathing against the lingering ache. "Soon after I gained my marks, I left for the desert to the south. I was told that it was a country of fighters, an unforgiving scorching sea of sand. A place where you can find the true meaning of life. It is like winnowing-"
"What is winnowing?"
"- like cutting gems. Only by breaking apart yourself and cutting away the unwanted bits can you truly find what resides in the core of your heart. At least, that's what I was told." Indeed, if they ever found a way to reach enlightenment, it would be through violence. "I don't think they often see a tiny squirrel girl applying to be a gladiator, but the marks on my back ended up convincing them. That, or me breaking enough bones."
"The first few fights were quite brutal, I have to say… I earned quite a few marks along the way. I suppose in a way, I did cut away the parts that I don't see as mine." She gestured to her marred stomach. "I found my taste for blood that way too, although I suppose I would gain that on either side of the border."
"For a while, I felt my calling was to fight for my life every day and frolic in the bloodbath. It did clear many of my doubts, but… I still never felt I belong, even in the feasts." She gazed into the liquid in the bowl, looking at the blurry, unfamiliar face within. "I guess the warmth I wanted is from neither hearth nor ring. I eventually returned to my people. They don't mind my cut self. In fact, I can tell they care for me, and what I learnt in the arena was quite useful in hunts. Yet, I can tell I don't fit in among them more than the young squirrel did."
"Sipak…" Intan raised her hand towards the squirrel, only for the bushy tail to slap it away.
"Don't look at me that way!" After a brief moment of stunned silence, she lowered her voice once more. "… I hated that from them too. I ended up leaving the forest and into the cities. There, I was told that my kind ultimately came from a faraway land across the sea, so I jumped on the first ship I found and worked my way up until I could steer the sails."
"It's quite exciting to meet all the people across the sea, even though I never found a place I can comfortably call home." The captain eyed the Risuners briefly, before turning back to the bowl and pouring all of it into her mouth. "Well, at least this time I don't have to reach it to know the answer. In hindsight, it probably wouldn't have worked out for me even if I do."
"Wait, is that why you-"
"Don't get me wrong, I would've fished you out regardless, but I might've tried a bit too hard trying to fit in… or should I say, between you?" She let out a dry chuckle before shaking her face. Leaning to the other end of the bed, she reached into a barrel and pulled out a large nut-like fruit. Judging from its size, the false nuts in the bowl were likely from it. "Pathetic, right?"
"No… it's only natural. Would you like a hug-" Susilo halted his offer in the middle of the sentence, remembering the sudden volatile response when Intan tried to offer something similar. For a split second, it seemed the captain might opt for the same course of action. However, as her eyes glanced over the fruit in her hand, the burst of anger quickly dissipated, and she closed her eyes for a moment.
"You know what? Maybe I do. It isn't like I have not tried intimacy… but maybe it would feel warmer with a Risuner." Sipak looked at the fruit as her fingers tapped its hard shell. Apart from a single hole revealing the nut-like seeds within, the entire shell felt almost as hard as cast iron. For a moment, she turned her gaze towards Susilo and her mug next to him. However, the eyes soon turned towards Intan. "Unless you have someone else that you would rather embrace, that is."
"I, uh…" The sudden invitation caused his face to grew bright red. It was not like Risuners were unfamiliar with the concept of casual intimacy, but Susilo could not help but feel anxious when Intan was also present.
"It's fine if you decline. I suppose it's only reasonable that you dislike exchanging fake nuts." The captain mused and put the nutty fruit back on the tray. It was almost as large as the now-emptied bowl. Instead, she picked up another piece of nut and delivered it into her mouth. The scent of butter and chocolate could be felt as her teeth released the aroma within. "If the effect of the milky mix's bothering you, you can relieve yourself here, away from other's sight. I won't judge~"
"Is it fine for you to eat that much? You've just recovered, after all." Intan, meanwhile, maintained her calm demeanour as she took a seat by the beside. The fake nut was not something she was familiar with, but the strong scent felt it was something best consumed in moderation. The Risuner's question led Sipak to pause for a moment, before letting out a small laugh.
"Oh, you're right, but don't worry." She gestured to the large scar beneath her breast. "I guess one benefit of losing a chunk of my innard is that I can - need to, even - eat more than normal people."
"I see…" Even though she could already guess the answer, the confirmation still bewildered the Risuner. Her attention turned to the emptied barrels littering the room. Right after the bloodied Sipak was rushed in here, these barrels were hauled in as well, but they were noticeably fuller at the time. The faint red mark and the taste of iron all but confirmed the secret behind their fast recovery. Still, it seemed that even that forbidden treatment had its limits.
"Well, would you like to exchange nuts with me, despite everything?" One of such limits, perhaps, was that the aching still prevented her from staying upright for long. Her fingers caressed the fake nut on the desk, while her eyes stared at the two. As she looked back int oher eyes, a mild sense of longing could be felt through the tough and carefree exterior. "Come on, don't leave me hanging here…"
"I mean, it might burden your body if you get-"
"Oh, Susilo…" Intan interjected with a small sigh - then again, it was only natural for a man to not understand the significance of that scar. She lifted her hand and rested on the fake nut, her fingertips feeling the rough texture before touching the similarly rough fingers of the fighter. "It's an interesting fruit… I can't say I know much about it, but maybe it doesn't have to be a fake nut."
"Sipak… is that your name?" The marked squirrel nodded. "You retracted when you first introduce yourself to us."
"Susilo couldn't pronounce Cipactli, so I opted for something easier to your mouth." Upon hearing that, Intan pondered for a moment. "What's wrong?"
"Would you like to tell me your real name?" Her sudden question seemed to have stunned the bedridden squirrel, although she quickly recovered with a small chuckle.
"I suppose it's only natural that you picked that up." The bushy tail caressed her uneven back. "It does look like crocodile, right? That's why the priests started calling me that."
"That's terrible…" The gentle hand moved onto her arm, patting her shoulder gently. It seemed she was now more receptive to that comforting gesture.
"Hey, it's a proper name. Plus, I do have a mean bite." The captain grinned, showing the sharp teeth between her lips that caused the flustered Susilo to recoil slightly. "Only for those deserving it, though."
"My real name… I'll tell you when I find it. If you mean the name my parents gave me, though… it's Signy."
"Signy…" Intan's lips repeated the name, causing a dim blush on her cheeks. "Wait, do you k-"
"How nostalgic to hear that name again." The squirrel girl sighed. "I would prefer you to stick with my current name, though. At least it's one I made for myself."
"So… If you need an extra bit of help, try this drink." The captain eyed the half-full mug to the side. "It's my share of the payment from our mutual friend, and as Susilo showed, one of its effects should… help you get in the mood."
The rational side of Intan's mind wanted to press on… but the emotional side of it decided otherwise, and her fingers moved to the mug and delivered it into her.
Even if for just a while, she hoped she could share her warmth with her.
Indulgence
Content Warning: /sbg/ suggestive smut unrelated to main plot
It had been hours since the sun rose from the horizon. In the tropical waters, even the winter sun shone brightly, and the dark wooden deck was warming up as noon approached. The bloodstains from the battle last night had mostly been cleaned, leaving behind only bullet dents and cuts on the planks, each to eventually be smoothened by either fillings or a new plank.
A thick rope was dangling under the reconnected main mast, its weight pendulating against every rocking of the ship. At its end just above the upper deck, a female body could be seen hanging upside-down from it, attached to the mast through a past binding her ankles together. The weak struggling showed that she was still alive, although the combination of exposure and blood rushing to her brain had rendered her mind clouded with agony. The elegant, if bloody pirate costume she donned last night had been confiscated, leaving the only thing covering her body be the weave of ropes restraining her and limiting her action to futile wiggling. While alluring in its own right, the sailors appeared disinterested in taking advantage of the situation, instead focusing on the work at hand.
"Good afternoon, captain~" The well-dressed captain of this ship approached her, the youthful voice waking her from the increasingly delirious fog. Despite the severe injury she received - in no small parts thanks to the redhead pirate - she had since recovered from it, both physically and mentally.
"Pl-please let me down! I be dyin'!" The coarse voice yelled as the captured pirate struggled.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. We know by experience that you'll still be alive by at least nightfall-"
"Nah! Please! I be sorry fer everythin'!" The smirk on Sipak's face widened as the humiliated pirate begged with what remained of her strength. "I-I really can nah handle it! Ye promised t' let me live! I thought ye barbarians are big on keepin' thar words!"
"Barbarians, eh?" The squirrel girl's fingerless glove rested on her belt and brandished a knife made of black glass. Turning the rugged, but nonetheless dull side towards the red-eyed pirate, she soon felt the chilling cold pressing against her defenceless skin.
"Ma'am! I mean ma'am! Wit' yer beautiful bush!"
"It's true that I did promise not to kill you. However, you know what else we're known for?" The blade slowly turned, the shivering body trying its best to stay still, lest the sharp edge left its bloody mark on her. "Keeping people alive no matter what."
"Would you like me to list all the things we can take from you? Your eyes, for example. You even have your own eyepatch already." The bushy tail moved forward and tapped the redhead's face, caressing her drenched skin gently. The cold blade, meanwhile, tapped her stomach playfully, its dull bump drawing invisible shapes on the sensitive skin. "Your womb, too. In fact, we can take out a lot of things from your stomach."
"It's still quite merciful, don't you think? Considering that had your captors been others, that noose would be on your neck instead of your ankles. That, or have your head be sunk into a latrine pail instead of sea breeze." Sipak mused for another short while, until the pleading screams had turned into tearful wailing - indeed, it might be a blessing in disguise that the captive had not been given a drop of water since her capture.
"Please… cease the torments… I'll do anythin'..." As the dark eyes looked down on the weeping, the smile on her face faded a bit.
"Anything, you say?" The pirate captain quickly nodded her head despite the implication and the worsening dizziness. With a small chuckle, the small-eared squirrel signalled one of the sailors nearby. Grabbing the ropes binding her upper body and lifting her up, the black knife moved to cut the ropes on her legs. As she was dropped on the hard deck, the reddened face finally began to fade, as blood finally flowed from her pounding head to the numbed legs. Taking a deep breath in the salty sea wind, the pirate gradually calmed down while Sipak looked with a bemused face. "I hope you still remembered what you said~"
"Wh-wha' do ye wants…?" After all, the tight bondage rendered her unable to struggle. Even if she could, she was naked and unarmed while being surrounded by a skilled fighter and almost a dozen burly sailors. In her still-groggy mind, it might not be the worst thing to happen…
"Oh, just a bit of humiliation. You know, to remember me by should we ever meet again~" Sipak's grin deepened once more as a mug was handed to her. Inside the rather sizeable container, the redhead could see it being filled to the brim with white liquid. After taking a sip from it, the giggling squirrel pressed the mug against the captain's lips. "Here, you must be thirsty. Don't waste a single drop~"
"A-aye, ma'am…" The blushing captain parted her shaking lips and took in the liquid… and to her surprise, the milk was actually quite delicious. Helped by her thirst, she quickly gulped down the gift, even faster than her captor could pour the mug. Soon enough, the mug was completely emptied, its brim even licked clean.
"Har… thank ye…?" She did not pick up any traces of foul play or "secret ingredients", and her parched throat swallowed every drop of it. Not sure what to make of it, the captive dipped her head as the smiling squirrel put the mug away.
"Oh, don't mention it~ I got a few barrels of it as payment, so it's only natural that I share it with a 'friend' like you." She laughed before gesturing her subordinates to move the bound pirate onto a ship's boat hanging on a crane by the side. She quickly recognised it coming from her ship, and from a distance, she could see the familiar silhouette following this ship from a far distance. Oddly enough, perhaps because she blood had started to circulate once more, every touch and bump against her skin felt so much more significant, and the sun was feeling hotter than she remembered… then, she remembered the strange, valuable goods said to be from a distant land and realised what exactly was she fed.
"Argh, I knew ye be runnin' a rig…" Once the boat was lowered enough, the squirrel reached over the handrail and cut the ropes binding her upper body, freeing her numb hands before retracting to dodge the immediate grasp. "Jus' ye watch, I will bring others t' come 'n get yer lily-livered-"
"Of course, feel free to tell others how you get ensnared and disgraced by a bunch of squirrels that just learnt to sail the briney deep." The chuckling captain emerged from the hull again, this time tossing a large oar onto the boat, followed by the pirate's garments. Apart from the missing weapons, her clothes appeared to be intact, if thoroughly tarnished by dried blood. Then, Sipak closed her eyes, licked her finger, and raised it to the air. "Seems the wind's changing in our favour. Time to send off our guest!"
With that, the ropes loosened and dropped the boat into the calm water. As the pirate struggled to don her clothes while cursing in increasingly colourful language, the full sail of the ship soon sailed away from her and towards safer waters. After indulging herself with the view of the poorly-dressed pirate swinging the unwieldy oars against the water just a bit more, the squirrel girl turned back to her deck… where the other two squirrels were staring at her.
"Oh, good afternoon!" After last night, she did not expect them to wake up and recover so soon.
"Good morning, um…" "Is that really necessary?" It seemed the duo had witnessed at least a good chunk of the two captains interacting with each other.
"That'll make her think twice before trying to cross us again. Trust me, if you want to truly become sailors, you'll have to learn when and how to take your gloves off." Sipak sheathed the glass knife and leant against the handrail as she crossed her arms. "Even then, I was still overly nice to her. Had I dropped her off in a port, she would be hung or sold as a slave."
"Not to mention all the other stuff I could've done with her beforehand~" Sipak licked the milk off her lips as she grinned.
Epilogue
In the following months, the two crews gradually mingled together despite their different origins and language barrier. With Risuners taking the places of sailors killed or maimed by the pirate attack on that fateful night, the ship soon resumed its voyage across the southern waters. While the style of Sipak's sailors was not exactly the same as their old trainers, the voyage nonetheless provided valuable experience for the Risuners working the sails, maintaining the ship, and even learning how to fish and cook while onboard. By the time they returned to the tropical waters on the other side, life on this foreign ship had become almost familiar to them.
However, it was never meant to last forever. Soon, they came into contact with another ship inbound for their homeland and docked with them. With an impromptu ramp connecting the two decks, it was time for them to part ways once more. Barrels of preserved fish, foodstuff, and supplies were rolled to the other ship, and the Risuners bid their farewells to their host.
"Well, it had been fun while it lasted." The captain crossed her arms as she oversaw the transfer, the smile on her face somewhat brighter than when they first met. Before her, Susilo had picked up the mantle of leading the Risuners while Intan took her break.
"Most of our things have been loaded, captain." Once he ensured that all the goods had been safely moved to the lower decks of the trading ship, the once-timid Risuner returned to her and gave her a smiling nod. "I suppose… I should thank you on behalf of the rest of the Risuners. We wouldn't have lived to see this day without your help back then."
"Likewise." The bushy-tailed squirrel chuckled as she took a sip from her mug. The scent of alcohol could be felt from a distance. "Well, now you'll be less likely to sail into another disaster. Who knows, maybe next time I'll be the one being fished out from the brine by you lot."
Their small talk was interrupted by a loud thud on the weather deck. The last barrel from the lower deck had been lifted up through the opened hatch and rested on the deck. Standing next to it was Intan, who raised her hand to caress the wooden shell despite her swollen stomach limiting her movement. Once ensuring it was loaded on a small cart for transport, she turned towards the duo and waved. Slowly stepping up the stairs to the ceiling deck, Intan offered the squirrel a hug. Despite attempts to dodge it, Sipak soon found herself in the embrace, her cheek blushing as her gloved hand patted Intan's arms.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" The Risuner lady asked, her emerald eyes staring into the wavering dark eyes.
"I doubt I would fit in." Freed from the embrace, the captain coughed a bit as she turned her gaze to the deck. "Besides, I still have to look after my men."
"If you say so… how about him, though?" Intan gestured to the loaded barrel at the other end of that gaze. Inside the sealed barrel, the bones of the trainer were preserved, to be transported to whichever final resting place was chosen. "Would you want to keep his bones? After all-"
"Don't worry about it. I already got my fill." The cannibal captain laughed a bit, gesturing towards her stomach. Even after their time together, her humour was not very… appetising.
"I see. In that case…" Intan lifted her cape to reveal the sheathed sword holstered to her side. Undoing the belt, she rested it in the captain's hands. "At least have this. I think it goes well with your shield."
"As I said, I'm more used to fistfights," Sipak mumbled as she buckled the blade to her waist. "I can appreciate the sentiment, though… thanks."
Soon, the sails were full once again, and the drifting waves indicated that the time together had run out. With a final farewell, the Risuner duo escorted the carted barrel to the other ship, and the sailors moved to disassemble the ramp and the ropes keeping the two hulls together. As the cogs turned, the sails pointed in different directions, and the trading ship soon departed towards the Risuner homeland.
"They're gone, captain."
"Yes, I can see that." The captain turned her gaze from the leaving ship back to her deck and the waiting crew.
"What now, then?"
"Now," A smile appeared on Sipak's face as she raised her voice. "It's time to go home. Stop sitting on your arses, we got work to do!"