When Merijest finished, the companionway doors were decorated with an esoteric symbol. The demoness leaned against the side of the boat, exhausted of spare [Mana]. Thesa sat beside her.

  “So how big are we talking?” Thesa asked. A wind of wakefulness had finally hit Thesa late in the day.

  “It's got a front room with four empty rooms attached. One for you and me. One for Witmie and Durn. One for that girl, and one that will be a kitchen once I recover some more [Mana] to expand it. The front room is large enough for Yabba and the Foxtapus to sleep there for now.”

  With Layk's help, Merijest had created a dwelling that was larger than the boat's outer hull. “They're just rooms right now. We'll basically be camping in there until I can spend some more [Mana].”

  “That’s incredible,” Thesa replied. “You're so powerful…” Her freckled cheeks were blushing pink as she leaned her head on Merijest's shoulder. The Peppermint Wyrm purred from its place comfortably curled around Thesa's arm.

  “I am?” Merijest asked with a smile. “Tell me more.”

  Thesa almost held herself back from giggling, but she decided to let it happen. Of course, after the giggle came out she covered her face.

  “You just– you’re so–” Thesa stammered.

  Merijest chuckled and kissed Thesa’s cheek. The cool sensation of the demoness’s lips washed over Thesa and paradoxically made her feel like she was melting.

  “What do you say we check out that new room,” Merijest asked. She brought her mouth to one of Thesa’s pointed ears and nibbled lightly with her canine teeth.

  “I– um–” Thesa was no more articulate but she nodded.

  Merijest lifted Thesa up and carried her down. Along the way, Frostbite scampered off, causing both of them to laugh.

  Their shared tent and their adventuring supplies littered the empty room.

  Merijest laid on the bedroll while Thesa sat and added her armor, tank top, and prosthetic to the messy floor.

  As soon as Thesa climbed onto the bedroll, Merijest climbed onto her. Her feathers stood on end. She traced a claw teasingly on Thesa’s cheek.

  As they kissed, Thesa held Merijest with a desperate, yearning strength.

  ***

  So then why was she still holding herself back? It was all Thesa could think when her sleep was once again disrupted in the middle of the night.

  How much had she and Merijest been through? She’d literally given up her leg for her demoness. They shared a tent, and sure things got… steamy… but Thesa didn’t think they’d really… crossed that line yet.

  Sometime while she slept, a simple wooden bed frame had been added to the room. With their usual bedrolls atop it, the frame was only marginally better than the floor, but it gave the room a certain logic that it lacked without any furniture. Probably Layk had made this.

  Thesa rolled over to face Merijest and tried to sleep again…

  Ah! Again the sensation of falling. Again, she sat up to ease her racing lungs.

  What am I so afraid of?

  Desperate for a distraction, Thesa put out her hand and the [System] display appeared for her. She summoned a [Stylus] and clicked through. When had she last checked this thing?

  Woah! I’m almost Level 11. She’d gained more than two Levels and she hadn’t even thought to check. Things had been so… so what they were.

  She perused her options, although she wouldn’t make a firm decision without checking in with Merijest.

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  The boosts to her [Strength] and [Dexterity] were welcome. Thesa felt her muscles tighten and relax, more powerful than they’d been moments prior. Maybe this would help her sleep.

  She didn’t get a new [Knack], however, her [Bound Weapon] got an exciting upgrade. Thesa could now summon a second halberd, and the wording of the upgrade seemed like she might get more as time went on.

  How would I even hold more than two… she wondered. I guess I could learn how to juggle. I’ve never tried it, though.

  Then there were the [Spell] options. She definitely wanted access to some healing. It would never be her focus, but having something simple at hand probably wasn’t a bad idea.

  One option was [Transfusion]. Thesa had skipped over it for a previous [Spell] option. The very idea had made her gag. And sure, it was a little gross, but now that she’d given up her leg for Merijest, a drip of blood seemed so trivial.

  The other options, even now, made Thesa’s queasy.

  She couldn’t sneer at the benefits, but the thought of eating a… she pushed the thought away.

  Frostbite… the Peppermint Wyrm who had incubated beneath her skin…

  Then the CottonScale she’d eaten as a desperate child came to mind. What was her mother’s cooking really like? All she had left was the taste of an emergency meal in the worst of circumstances.

  Then her mind conjured the memory of Merijest’s severed leg. Suddenly, she wasn’t sure what to think.

  ***

  In the morning, the party discussed their immediate plans. They sat around the new dwelling’s central room.

  “If there’s any kind of border on the beach,” Durn explained, “They'll have us at a disadvantage given our boat is bound to the river. We're basically on-rails. We need to keep the boat intact enough to sail once we're past the border.”

  “You can help with your wind magic, right?” Witmie said, clinging to Durn's arms. Witmie distractedly rubbed at Durn's bicep, although what exactly her biceps had to do with her magic wasn't clear to Thesa.

  “I can give us a boost, but we're still going to be vulnerable," Durn replied. “If they outnumber us, it won’t be as easy to get past them like we did at the mouth of Blinny [Dungeon]. Or at least, we’ll need to go about it differently.”

  Thesa’s head was finally aching for sleep at the worst time. She didn’t want to delay the party’s progress. She rubbed her eyes. “The ocean will be rough, too,” she said. “Beautuk’s mother, Owtem is… in charge of it…” Her comment trailed off.

  “Kitten, nobody would be mad if you needed more sleep,” Merijest whispered. The demoness was sidled up to Thesa with an arm around her shoulder. Her breath tickled Thesa’s ear and suddenly Thesa was wide awake.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Thesa assured. “Um, Owtem isn’t as powerful as Beautuk but she’s still a major threat. I remember her being associated with the tides especially.”

  “We may be able to secure aid from the Twin Stars,” Merijest said. “I don’t know how they will measure up to Owtem, but it’s something.” With a claw, she played with Thesa’s hair.

  “But what then?” Witmie asked. “According to Vovian and Drisha, that direction is mostly unincorporated islands? I mean, I know we need to get away from Beautuk but then what? We just keep running?”

  “Precisely,” Merijest replied. “We need to get further from the centers of civilization for a while.” When everyone looked back at her with confusion, Merijest explained. “I’ve been thinking that in order to rival Beautuk, we need to get enough distance so that we can build up more power without being on the run. Beautuk and the ItherBeau region have too much sway over the neighboring regions, thanks to their military prowess and penchant for conquest. Nobody nearby wants to be on their bad side. And besides, there’s another [High Devil] I’d like to pay a visit to.”

  Thesa thought she agreed with Merijest although she’d started to zone out in the middle. She blinked hard, scrunching her eyes to squeeze any amount of focus from them.

  There was too much to do today. She needed to go over her [Spell] options with Merijest and the boat needed to take off that evening, so there was plenty more to be done.

  She just wanted to sink into Merijest’s arms. She wanted sleep but she also felt a warm comfort at the thought of being held so tightly, of being completely unguarded and maybe even being ready to–

  “Hey Thesa,” Witmie said, interrupting Thesa’s trailing thoughts. “why are all the islands unincorporated anyways. If Owtem is Beautuk’s mom, wouldn’t it make sense for them to be part of ItherBeau or something?”

  “I was told that it was out of respect for Owtem… somehow,” Thesa replied. Her answer trailed off as she realized she didn’t really know.

  Despite her best intentions, Thesa returned to her and Merijest’s room for a nap.

  “That’s an order,” Merijest had said. Which had only enhanced the vividness of Thesa’s other concerns.

  ***

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