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Booty for the New Crew

Storm stood tall on the beach of St Elios as the reflection of the moon and stars reflected off the shimmering surface of the ocean out in front of him. A light sea breeze whipped at his captain's jacket and vest, which reminded him to grab at it and grin, chirping lightly as he reminded himself of all he'd done and earned to get to this point in his life.

Once a lowly private, he worked his way up to become navigator aboard the Gem of the Ijimulian - captain Talba and Vaulix's flagship and the largest vessel sailing this region. While life was decent enough in that role, Storm left the life of servitude to become a pirate operating under captain Ilorek Rovairre after being betrayed by the crown. He had no more interest in serving under another any longer, but still had to put in time with Ilorek aboard the Storm of the Rift before the pirate community would grant him autonomy and enough trust to put his naval days behind him.

Two full seasons later, and Storm was finally ready to break away from servitude aboard the largest pirate ship in the fleet. After a very profitable time as navigator for Ilorek, he had accrued enough wealth and loyalty to run his own ship, thus adding to the pirate fleet under his own flag and banner. His ship - titled the Chirp of Liscious - was custom built for him with a large captain's quarters, lots of cargo space, and state-of-the-art pulley technology that would allow a crew of five to seven to operate it without issue despite its size being big enough to fit two dozen. This meant more pleasure, more luxury, and more booty for he and his crew.

And now, after two seasons of accumulating wealth, commissioning the builders, waiting for its construction, and assembling a crew, he was ready to send her on her maiden voyage. All he had to do was find his crew, all of which had been lost in the seedy underbelly of St Elios, a port of ill repute on the eastern shores of Koluma.

After he had taken a moment to reflect on what had brought him to this point, he turned and headed down the trail to the nearby village, where he expected to find all five members of his crew.

The first was Urai, a black biped dragon that served as Storm's navigator - the position he regularly fulfilled on the ships of others. He, like Storm, once was a member of the royal navy aboard the Gem of the Ijimulian alongside dozens of others, all serving Talba and Vaulix. He had, however, grown bored of the life as an underling and craved the adventure that only a pirate could offer him.

Storm was reacquainted with Urai after parting ways with the royal navy by rescuing the dragon's tail in a bar fight. Urai was freshly off the boat in Koluma, had drank too much, and upset some of the locals in a seven on one fight. Storm saw this, intervened, and offered Urai a job. The two had been inseparable since then in their quest for more booty.

Like their first meeting, Storm found Urai drinking in a local tavern boasting about the riches he had supposedly acquired and the potions he had hidden under four ademane gemrocks jutting out of the beaches in a nearby island. None of it was true, but he loved telling the story to coax lesser pirates into searching for something that didn't exist.

"Urai, it's time to go." Storm said, gape grinning from across the tavern at his friend.

"Oi, it's not even midnight yet! I thought we were leaving in the mornin'!" Urai protested after taking a big swig of his jug of rum. He had a busty dragoness under his arm that was presumably hired to pleasure him before departure. Poor girl had no idea what she was getting into by taking his coin.

Storm laid his palm on the hilt of his sword, not as a threat but because he thought it made him look like he was in absolute command of the room - which it did. "We are leaving, first thing in the morning. The moment the moon is highest in the sky and midnight dawns, it's technically morning. Therefore, we're leaving in about half an hour. Get your stuff and meet me at the pier." He didn't wait for a response before turning and heading out to find his next crew member.

Therris was his deck boy, a tiny little hybrid chimera that appeared to be part ulokar, and he had actually found Storm instead of the other way around. He was about half of Storm's height, and managed to sneak up on him as he made his way through the education district looking for Ithilwen. Therris had worked for the navy as well at one point, but it wasn't the life for him. He was aboard the Northern frost of Unity, another large ship in the royal navy that sailed alongside the Gem of the Ijimulian, for only a few months before giving up that life and becoming an exotic dancer that liked going from port to port, indulging pirate and sailor alike.

Storm found him and had bought his services at one of the brothels. As it turned out the gryphon had left such an impact on Therris that the little guy chose to return to the seas just to spend more time with Storm. Now, he was the most loyal and dedicated of all he crew members, and was never far from Storm or the others for months aboard the Storm of the Rift before breaking off alongside his new captain. That's why it didn't surprise him when Therris found Storm instead of the other way around.

"Top of the evenin' to ya, Therris." Storm said as he tilted his feathered hat. "Enjoy your last day at port before departing upon the next chapter of your life?"

Therris grinned and nodded. "Indeed. Can't wait to finally see what it's like to be the deck runner on our own vessel. Ilorek was a great captain, but we were never close."

Storm curled his talons in the sand, reveling in the warmth and tenderness of it. "Indeed. You've earned it, as have I and the others. Speaking of, do you know where I can find Ithilwen? I presume she's likely in a library doing research or playing tricks on the potions guild to get free ademane for her enchantments."

"I saw her go into the library, yeah. Said something about looking at the atlas to pinpoint one of the artifacts she had heard whispers of before she joined."

"Then to the library we go." Storm commanded, grabbing his sword to point it forward. The two of them headed there together, sure to be quiet every step of the way. Port of ill repute or not, a library was a sacred place to intellectuals, and Ithilwen would bite Storm's head off if he dared make a fuss in there.

Given the time of night, she was the only one there, alone at a desk with a dozen maps and atlases strewn around and illuminated by lanterns. She hardly looked up from her position as Storm came to sit across the table from her. "Good evening, captain. What can I do for you?" She asked as she trailed her finger from a point on one map to another.

"We're leaving in about half an hour. Here's hoping you can collect your things and your research and meet us at the docks by then. I'd hate to miss out on such a well-travelled adventurer." He knew she was really only in it for the relics and artifacts, but her knowledge, intelligence, and vast experience made her invaluable when sailing and searching for treasure.

"Seems like an odd time to leave, doesn't it?" She asked, still not looking up.

Therris spoke for Storm, having already known about the plans for a midnight departure. "Captain set the date, and doesn't want to waste a single minute that he could be sailing the Ijimulian. Therefore we're leaving at midnight to get as many hours behind us as we can."

Ithilwen looked up and brushed her hair off her face. "Sounds good to me." She agreed as she gently closed the books and rolled up the maps. "I'll meet you at the docks."

"Well that was easy." Therris joked as both he and Storm left the library. "Now where do you expect to find the others?"

"Setsune will be gambling, and I would put money on Axial meditating in his room at the inn, if not already asleep." Storm declared, hand on sword to look regal as the sea breeze whipped the feather in his hat. "That is, unless you have any other ideas."

Therris shook his head. "Nope, that sounds about right. Split up? Each get one?"

"No. I'll see to them both myself. Can't stress how important this is enough."

"That's fair." Therris agreed. "So I guess let's go."

The two of them made their way down the cobblestone pathways of St Elios towards the shores, where many of the inns and brothels could be found. That was where they would find their remaining two crew members.

First up was Axial, a felkin known for saying few words and letting his actions speak for him. Storm had met him during the battle of Moss Depths, when four different guilds had all converged at one location to find the treasure deep underground in the belly of an inactive volcano. Axial had gotten caught up with the Potions Guild of Koluma, and was being forced to act as enforcer to their caravan.

After being exiled from his homeland by the upper elite who burned his house down and ran him out of down for his owed debts, he had lived his life as a vagrant, seeking a second shot at life. His first instinct was to travel with the potions guild, but Storm had convinced him that he was better off as a pirate aboard his ship. He would make more money, he would make better use of his talents, and he would have a lot more fun. Axial agreed and had been with Storm ever since.

He was found meditating in his room at the CumberBunny Inn, with candles on the dresser. Storm was very careful about not disturbing him when he stepped into the room, leaving Therris outside to wait.

"I've been waiting for you." Axial said quietly, not opening his eyes. "Are we leaving?"

"Yes." Storm responded with a nod. "At midnight."

"Okay." That was all he needed to say.

Storm hadn't even fully stepped into the room and the conversation was already over. He turned back around and slipped back out to rejoin Therris. "He'll be there. Let's go find Setsune."

Both gryph and chimera then made their way down the shores and past the docks to the brothel district, where both of them tried to figure out what place would most likely hold their final crew mate.

"So, I figure we've got two options. Bones or Ballast. Bones, from what I have gathered, is more about gambling - hence the name bones, for the dice - and has some dancing and whoring going in in the back. I was going to see about showing off there, but the place seemed too skeevy even for me. Ballast has gambling as well, but focuses more on sex work. I actually did work there a while back for a weekend when I needed some coin, but I'm pretty sure Setsune is too old for the tastes of the clientele there."

Storm raised an eyebrow. "Too young? She's the youngest on our crew. Barely an adult."

"Exactly, that's why I don't work there anymore. Either way, it's about an equal chance tha-"

Therris was cut off mid-sentence by a boisterous group of drakes and stallions bursting out from the Ballast, all crowded around a tiny dragoness Setune, each placing a different necklace around her neck adorned with a gem. Her tail - a sentient creature with a maw but no eyes - was moving from male to male, nuzzling at each of their crotches as they each took turns adoring her.

She paused when she saw Captain Storm and Therris, both looking dapper in their jackets. "Oh, hey there Cap'n. Were you looking for me? I was just about to go earn some shinies from these well endowed blokes." She pointed to one of the stallion and grabbed at some of his chest hair.

Storm smiled at the various males that were each grabbing at her. "Well, we're departing for the Ijumulian in less than half an hour, so if you think you can pleasure each of them and give them their coin's worth in that time, then so be it."

Setsune paused, finger to her lip as she calculated it in her mind. "Yeah, I think I can probably make that work. My tail is very efficient, and I have more than one hole if it means doing two or three at once." She seemed proud of this fact, and not in any way degraded as some might be.

With a slight bow and tip of his hat, Storm acknowledged her goal. "Very well. I'll see you at the docks at midnight, not a minute later, understood?"

"Aye captain!" She offered a salute as one of the stallions grabbed her breast, another one stroking her tail as its maw opened up and sucked on his finger. "Not one minute later."

Storm and Therris turned and made their way away from the boisterous brothel district in silence. Therris felt a twinge of jealousy that the males were so eager for her and she wasn't willing to share with him, while Storm felt a swell of desire for the dragoness, as her willingness to offer herself in exchange of anything shiny - namely coins or crystals - meant that he would always have at least one crew member he could call upon to please him.

Setsune was still young, but she had proven herself countless times with her abilities. She had mild clairvoyance akin to what Captain Valencia possessed aboard the Storm of the Rift, and she used that to make money and acquire any gems or crystals in any way she could, usually gambling. This had her driven out of nearly every town she visited, since nobody could trust her, meaning she lived the life of a vagrant, only in a wholly different way from Axial.

Storm, however, could trust her. He knew that as long as he was helping her get treasure and keep her rich, she would follow him to the ends of the ocean. Given that his ship was large and the crew was small, everyone aboard his pirate ship was going to be very, very wealthy. Her loyalty to coin and her clairvoyance made her a valuable asset to the team, even if she was still so young and immature.

Half an hour later, mere strokes before midnight, Storm stood at the pier with a bottle of wine in his hand and all his crew sans Setsuna standing next to him. Therris on his right, Urai on his left, with Ithilwen and Axial beyond them, and they were about to leave as soon as the bottle broke upon the bow, if only Setsuna had arrived. Luckily, she still had a few minutes.

"The Chirp of Liscious? That is probably the least menacing pirate ship name I've ever heard." Urai commented, glancing over to Storm to wonder if his captain had lost his mind.

"I know. The term is significant to me, and I'm sure our reputation will supercede the name. Trust me, the title will one day strike fear into the hearts of those who oppose us through sheer force and brutality. For now, however, we must christen this ship, for I am ready to begin my adventure." He raised his hand to throw the wine bottle at the bow, only to be distracted by Setsune running down the sandy path towards them.

"Don't leave without me!" She called out, tail held out behind her and a half dozen pearl necklaces draped over her perky chest. "I'm not late, I still have two minutes."

Storm nodded. "Indeed. Now let's embark!" He threw the wine bottle at the hull and they all cheered, each drinking some rum for good luck before hopping up to the deck and assuming their positions. The captain remained at the helm with Quartermaster Therris next to him and Navigator Urai in the crow's nest. Axial and Setsune climbed the rigging to tend to the sails, while Ithilwen handled the levers near the mast. They were ready.

"Quartermaster Therris! Pull the switch, and let us be gone from this land!" Storm commanded.

Therris hopped to the front of the deck and reached over the rail to yank at a rope there, which pulled out one of the many supports holding the ship in place. One after another, each one fell in line, before eventually making way for them to slide into the ocean, backwards.

The gentle slosh of the water crashing against the back of the hull followed by the light salty mist made Storm smile, a gape grin upon his beak. Mere seconds later, the ship was floating and ready for adventure. "Navigator Urai, tell us what your eyes see, and guide us to the open ocean! May the fair winds and flowing seas take us far, and may the lands be plundered of booty! Yarr!"

Every crew member let out a pirate's growl of jubilation as the sails raised high upon the mast, catching the first winds to take them from port towards the horizon. They were off, their first moments upon their own vessel now behind them and a lifetime of treasure hunting ahead of them.

"Land Ho!" Urai called from high above the deck in his crow's nest. Many kilometers ahead lie the first image of tall, black mountains of the Aseh'Or island cresting over the horizon. He could tell it was the right place, given how the three main mountains made a V-shape between them, with three points. He had been informed of the proper steps that needed to be taken in order to properly navigate the ship to their destination overnight, and his keen dragon eyes needed no telescope or binoculars.

"How far out?" Asked Storm, gape grinning as a breeze blew at him from behind.

Urai glanced out and did a quick calculation. "If the wind continues at this pace, five to seven minutes and we'll be ready to weigh anchor."

Storm offered him a salute as he grabbed at the wheel. "Guide us, keep us safe!" He called back to Urai, as it was the navigator's job to ensure that the ship didn't run aground or hit any stray rocks or debris. This far out from the island the water was too dark for him to see anything, but once they got closer and the sea bed was close enough to the surface - between twenty and thirty meters - their navigator could see right down to the bottom through the clear water.

The six crew members all worked together, adjusting the sails and steering the rudder to get as close to the island as they could without running aground. Axial and Setsune hung off the rigging as the sea breeze whipped at their fur while Ithilwen remained on the bow, helping Urai to spot anything in the water. Before long, they were directly in the middle of a crescent moon shaped cove with sparse palms and hot white sand all lined by the thick jungle and steep cliffs that made up much of the island.

"Weigh anchor." Storm commanded, to which both Ithilwen and Therris dove below deck to obey. At the same time, Axial and Setsune started cranking on the gears to lower the sails in order to halt their forward progress. Mere moments later, the telltale grinding of chain rubbing against wood could be felt in his talons as the anchor itself fell to the sea floor. "Very well. We're going ashore! Pack what you need, and bring sacks; if the treasure is half as good as my source claims, we'll need it all."

Urai hopped out of the crow's nest while spreading his wings, gliding around with the birds before landing delicately on the deck. He wore only trousers torn at the knees, as unlike the others the sun had no negative effect on his scales. "Shall I scout ahead, captain?"

Storm nodded. "Great idea. Make sure this island is uninhabited, just in case. I'd rather not have to kill anyone for this treasure. Also, take note of the layout, a map can only tell us so much." While the captain could have done this himself, he understood the value of delegation and needed to stay with the rest of the crew

"Aye." Urai saluted and leapt over the bannister to catch a breeze, flapping and flying his way to shore ahead of the rest of the team.

At that same time, both Axial and Setsune landed on the deck next to Storm and Therris, with Ithilwen coming up behind her. All five of the remaining crew members smiled with anticipation before grabbing their weapons, some food, and a few sacks to haul back gems and coin, and eventually hopping onto the ship's tender to row ashore.

The boat's hull hit sand, so Storm and Therris both leapt out and pulled it up onto the beach, wrapping it up to the nearest palm to ensure that even a high tide wouldn't pull it away. A flapping wa sheard as Urai soared above, flipping about in the sky and landing in the sand next to them.

"All seems clear. No evidence of locals or others in the vicinity. I did hear a large screech from the mountains as well as what appeared to be a large creature moving through the jungle, but that was over a dozen kilometers away, we're fine." He informed, proud of himself.

Storm nodded. "Glad to hear it. Should be a good and violence free first quest. I like that."

"I thought you liked conflict, so you could show how awesome and badass you are." Ithilwen prodded him with the scabbard of her sword, smiling. "Isn't that how you made such a reputation for being such a fearsome pirate?"

While Storm may have seemed a bit ruffled at that, he knew she was right so he went with it. "Indeed. I do like to show off, but only when it's necessary. There's nothing to be gained in risking life and limb for no good reason. Combat is nice, and it's a great way to remind people not to mess with you, but true leaders know that-"

"Oh cut it out, Captain. We all know you're always willin' to show off." Setsune joked. "Remember how eager you were to 'show off' that cock of yours? Admit it, you're a prideful gryphon, and that's how we like ya!"

A silence befell them all before Storm chuckled. "You're not wrong. But when you're as endowed with skill and flesh as I am, you tend to be eager to share it with others. Some you'll impress, others you'll intimidate, but all will respect you." He stood tall with his fluffy white chest feathers poking out from his jacket. "And I'm sure you all know that first hand."

They nodded in agreement, for Storm had been intimate with every one of his crew members at least once in the past. Chiryn was his personal cum receptacle, Setsune was always up for some fun below deck, Ithilwen had an odd yet pleasant fascination with gryphon cock, Urai was a nice switch of a partner who occasionally let Storm top him (and was one of the few that Storm lifted his tail to), and Axial, though more reserved, had participated in some of these encounters with the captain. Though they'd only known each other for a season, they had already grown quite close to each other, which is why Storm was so keen on keeping them alive. Normally he was the type to just run beak first into a fight, and he would usually win, which was why he was so brash about it. But with this crew, these friends, and his new ship, preservation remained top priority.

That's why he was laughing and joking with them, letting them tease him for being more aggressive than most. He wanted to make his crew successful, and he didn't want to have to deal with a coup. He'd seen what happens when captains aren't respected, and the same things happen when they aren't admired. Storm had to be both, and only wanted his enemies to fear him, not his crew.

"Come on, let's go find that damn treasure, make you all rich!" Storm announced with a growl and a raising of his sword. The others all growled and met swords with him in a unity-enhancing cheer, so he finished up with a bit of a joke. "Urai, you take point, I'll come up the rear."

After that, Storm whipped out the map and asked Ithilwen to help him with reading the runes and instructions telling them where to go and what to look for. As it turned out, they were quite away from the location on the shores that they needed to find before entering the jungle, so much of the next hours were spent walking along the beaches until they found the large rock cutting the beach in half that marked the first step on their journey.

Once they made it there, they were already thirsty and hungry, so they enjoyed some water and jerky before going forth. From there, they entered the jungle and followed along the remnants of an old, overgrown path that led them up the foothills of the largest volcanic mountain on the island. This path led them up a set of rock steps, under a waterfall, and around the peak in a quarter circle to head east. The next step was to slip between a very narrow crevasse - one so small that storm had difficulties squeezing his body through - into a series of open caves with a split in the rocks above to let sunlight and rain pour through, hence the thick vegetation within.

These caves eventually widened so that the crew could walk with ease, but Storm had to duck his head to ensure he didn't knock it on the ceiling or one of the entangled roots. These caves also took them deep underground, past a hot spring, near the glow of magma, and eventually to a hive of dozens of branching and intersecting paths. The map, according to Ithilwen, had sequential directions for where they were to go and how to make it to the location of the treasure.

"Left first, then left again. Go straight, which I presume means middle, then on the right hand side the next time we hit a breach. I also see some more commands on the runes here, but I don't think it's relevant. Up twice, down twice, then zig-zag by going left, right, left, right, and then it says we'll find our treasure." Ithilwen dictated. "But I think, if my translation is right, the other instructions were just a joke. I could be wrong, but I doubt it."

Axial stepped forward, glancing at the map. Though he was smart, he wasn't familiar with the ancient language or the alphabet on the map. "I'll go the second route. If, after those eight commands to take me from B to A after starting I don't find the treasure, I'll backtrack and follow you through your route and meet you at your destination."

Storm looked at Axial, then to Ithilwen, then back to Axial. "Do you want a companion to go with you to ensure you don't fall into a pit and die or something? So you don't get lost?"

"No worries, captain. I've got thirty lives, so I'll meet you at the treasure room one way or another." He saluted and headed off to the highest of the four paths up a stone ramp. "See you soon."

"Very well. See you soon." Storm acknowledged, then went back to Ithilwen. "You sure about this? Are you sure these are the commands?"

Ithilwen nodded and rolled up the map. "I am so sure that I don't feel I need to look at the map. Come on, let's go! Urai, are you still taking point? Remember, it's left, left, straight, right."

The dragon stood tall and unsheathed his sword, making his way towards the left most path, which was at their level. "Aye. I'll keep an eye out. Let's get this treasure." After him, in order, went Setsune, Ithilwen, Therris, and eventually Storm taking up the rear, as a captain should.

The tunnels themselves were long and twisty, with hills and zig zags weaving in and out of each other as if ravenous worms had bored holes in the rock itself. The first stretch took them fifteen minutes before getting to a branch in the road - three tunnels on left, right, and center - which allowed them to take their second step to the second left. Another fifteen minutes led them to another fork in the road consisting of a left upper, left lower, right upper, right lower, and center, much like the fifth side on a die. They took the center, which took them down another winding pathway that seemed to go in circles until it had one last branch simply between left and right. They were about to go right when Setsune noticed something that may have gotten them lost.

"Guys, I think we have a problem." She said as she pointed backwards down the tunnels. The others turned to look to see that there were two pathways that led them to this fork in the road and two that they could take that would lead them forth. "We really should have been mapping out these tunnels better, for if we go back the wrong way, we could truly be lost."

This was made painfully evident as their minds went back to Axial, who had taken the alternate route. If it turned out either of them were wrong, getting back to the source of this hive of tunnels could be fruitless. Complicating matters was the hours they had spent getting to this point even after the first branch in the tunnel. If one was lost in this environment, they may never return.

"We go forward." Storm spoke with authority. "If we need to backtrack, then so be it. However, if we've followed the instructions properly, then there will be an alternate exit that we can leave by."

Therris chirped at him, confused. "How could you possibly know that?"

"The map said nothing of that." Ithilwen added. "It just stops at the treasure trove."

Storm nodded in agreement. "I know, but that's not because we have to go back, it's because there's an easy way out from there. When we first slipped through the crevasse to make it to the caves, I barely fit. There's absolutely no chance that a huge treasure chest was squeezed through there unless those who left their treasure here hired a chest maker and had him do his work in the trove."

Urai huffed, grinning. "That actually makes a lot of sense, yeah."

"Then onward we go. Come on, we're almost there. The last command was to take the starboard side pathway, right?" Ithilwen nodded confirmation. "Perfect. Urai, take point!"

This final branch in the path was by far the longest, apparently taking them around in circles, over an open cave dotted by glowing gems that Storm had to keep Setsune from leaping out to grab, and eventually up what appeared to be carved stairs leading up to an illumunated clearing at the end. It seemed important, so they knew they were on the right path, doubly so since it appeared to be near the surface, for it was covered with dirt, had glowing white roots in the roof, and ferns lining the outer rim.

As they arrived they saw in the middle of the circular room there was a single, massive tree stump with a cavernous hole in its core. Three meters wide, at least. No alternate exits were carved into the walls, and no treasure could be found aside from a single glowing gem resting in the dirt next to it.

"Well this isn't what I was expecting." Setsune admitted as she grabbed the gem, holding it above the hole as the five of them leaned over the three meter wide, carved out tree stump. It was big enough to fit all of them. "So are we supposed to go down there?" As she held the glowing gem, it illuminated the passage down a few meters, showing no bottom.

Urai stepped up, with his talon on the lip of the tree trunk tunnel. "I'll go first. Toss the glowing gem so I can get a good look."

"I'm not getting rid of the shiny!" Setsune objected, holding it to her chest. Her tail lashed out in a biting display to scare Urai off.

"Look, if I toss it down there and there's no bottom, then we just saved our lives. If I throw it down and jump after it, that means I'll be retrieving it for you and I'll let you have it." His logic was sound, but that wasn't convincing Setsune of anything.

Storm had to intervene. "Give him the gem. Urai has taken point, and that means being the first to dive headfirst into danger. I respect that. Urai, go ahead."

The dragon grabbed the gem from Setsune and tossed it down the gaping open pit inside the tree trunk. "There we go." The five of them watched as it rebounded off the walls, then disappeared off to the side as the tunnel quickly turned into a slide at a pleasant incline. "Well, that's good enough for me. I'll call up when I land." He leapt over the side of the trunk and disappeared into the tunnel, where the walls quickly changed angle and cradled his rump to allow him to slide with ease until he met up with running water after a few seconds.

Before long, he emerged into a vast open cavern illuminated only by the single gem they'd tossed; the cave was so large that the light was swallowed by the darkness before finding the walls. After landing hard on his rump, Urai grabbed the gem and held it up close, seeing that the opening of the water slide had been deliberately carved. "Come on up!" He called. "I'm not that far, I don't think."

He wasn't any more than twenty meters down, and he was lost. Soon, each of the others followed, splashing through the water and landing with thumps behind him. Storm was the only one who landed on his feet. Both he and Urai had decent vision in the dark, so they looked for some torches or some way to illuminate the room, which they found in the form of lanterns connected by troughs of lamp oil. Ithilwen used her magic to ignite the closest, thus creating a trail that lit up the entire outer rim of the cavern, blanketing the entirety with a deep orange glow.

They were all astounded at just how big the cave truly was. Had to have been fifty meters wide, and a perfect circle with more dirt and vegetation lining the rim beyond the trickling water that formed a circle around the rim. In the middle of the room was a pile of coins, gold, gems, bars, tabs, and relics so tall that even Storm had to look up to see a single chest with a big question mark on it. The summit of the treasure pile was surrounded by a forest of weapons all stabbed into the pile of coin, including a sword that appeared to be made of water and a staff with a head that looked like a flower.

"It's so beautiful." Setsune gasped, her tail curled up to nestle under her arm.

"We're going to be rich for the rest of our lives." Urai marveled. "This is magnitudes greater than I expected."

Storm stood tall as his chest plumage pressed out against his jacket. "I confess this is larger than I expected as well, but I won't complain. There's no way we could possibly take it all, so everyone start filling your bags with as much as you can reasonably carry."

Ithilwen huffed a bit as she took one last look at the map before realizing that would be fruitless. "I think we should probably search for an exit, first." She was already walking around the perimeter following the trough of water that came in from the slide that brought them here. Then, mere seconds later, a rumbling could be heard as she approached another entrance slide followed by Axial slipping in and landing in the dirt next to her. "I see you found another entrance." She observed.

"Quite." He grabbed her outstretched hand to get to his feet, looking around to see the veritable mountain of coin and gems before him. "Seems both of the pathways lead to the same place."

Setsune giggled a bit as she started scooping gems and crystals into her bag, preferring them to the relatively dull coins. "Great news, too! Would have hated to have to wait for you to find your way back through that maze of caves to go the right way. Hours. Days, even. That's how long we'd wait, and our jerky and fruits wouldn't last us that long."

Urai and Ithilwen both turned to her to crack jokes, but were cut off by the echoing voice of Therris heard from far away. "I found our exit. It's not perfect, but it'll do!"

The rest of the group all followed his voice, finding that there was a swirling, downward pathway leading from the cavern where all the water exited. At the end was a porthole in the ground, which formed a waterfall into a pool at least fifteen meters down. "Oh, hi Axial. Glad to see you." Therris greeted, only to get a subtle nod from the felkin.

Storm broadly grinned. "Well this seems easy enough. Urai and I can fly down, and you can all hop down after us, tossing us the loot and we'll catch you."

"That's too far." Ithilwen said. "I trust your strength, but that's still not good, and it's a straight drop, can't even go down on the rock cliff or anything; even if we could, the water would make it too hard to carry out any loot with us."

While the five of them contemplated what they were going to do, Setsune walked by them with a tightly tied sack filled with her haul, tossing it down. "Water's nice and deep. Dive in!" Before anyone could stop her, she leapt into the porthole and fell with the water into the pool beneath, her slim form arching upwards and returning to the surface. She wiped her face off and waved, shouting, "It's safe! Fill your bags and lets go!" She then dove back down to grab her haul and carry it up the edges of the pool to the rock around, where she waited.

"Seems easy enough." Axial grunted, then turned back to the cavern so he could fill two of his own bags. The others all followed and did the same.

Each of them stuffed a bag with massive amounts of coin and jewel, the energy of having hit such a mother lode now buzzing between them all, with Storm even taking the sword that looked like it was made out of flowing water, tossing all of it down the porthole one bag at a time. Lastly, Storm and Ithilwen went to the chest with the question mark atop the pile, investigating it to make sure that it wasn't connected to any traps. When they were sure it was clear, they opened it up to see that inside there were dozens of vials of potions all nestled neatly in racks instead of gold or treasure. Each of the vials had a symbol etched into them in the same language on the map.

"What do they say?" Storm asked as Urai stepped up behind them.

Ithilwen took out the vials one by one, investigating the symbols. "A bunch of different things. This one says virility and this one says strength. Let me see here: Healing, growth, virility again, animal, bolt, fire, more virility, another one for size, male, female, more healing. Looks like they're all pre-enchanted spells. Do we want them? Do we trust them?"

Urai hopped up next to them. "Hell yeah, we do! Let's take it, I'll be your test subject! But lets get back to the ship, first. All this treasure has me just too excited!" He rubbed his talons together and grabbed one of the handles on the chest, offering the other handle to Storm. "We can glide down to make sure the vials don't break, okay?"

"Perfect. Good thinking, I was thinking the same! I knew there was a reason I hired you. Tally ho, and be careful!" Both Storm and Urai took the chest while Ithilwen filled her bag and tossed it down the Porthole. She dove, they glided, and the lot of them landed safely on the ground with a pile of a dozen bags of loot and a chest full of potions ready to take back to the mainland, thus beginning their pirate career.

They would have taken more had they possessed any more bags.

Six crew members, twelve bags of loot, and one giant chest filled with potions. That required multiple trips into the cove where they left their ship. Had Storm not been focused on the chest, he could have carried half the bags himself, but that wasn't the case. Plus, half of the crew were so small they barely could carry a single bag filled with coins and gems. Ithilwen, Setsune, and Therris all struggled to carry one, while Axial took two, leaving seven back at the waterfall.

Upon returning for their second wave, Storm considered scaling the cliff to make it back to the porthole, but quickly deduced that, for all his strength and skill, the frustration involved with overcoming falling water while also maneuvering up into a porthole not wide enough to fit even one of his outstretched wings while also avoiding the cave roof and carrying equipment on his back would be nearly impossible. He knew that, if they ever came back, the long easy way would be better for them.

Hours later, as the day wore on, Storm and his crew managed to get all of the treasure back to the little peninsula closest to their ship, where they collectively decided to rest and relax. Carting hundreds of kilograms worth of metal coins was quite physically taxing, even for the mightly Storm.

"Therris, I think it's about time we called it a day. Could I convince you to row back to the ship, and bring us back some dinner? We're doing a bonfire on the beach, so bring as much as you can. Drinks, water, the whole pig carcass, the half ulokar, fruits, veggies, spices, jerky, you name it. Bring as much as you can, because we've got enough to fund our indulgence for a year!"

"Aye, captain! Any special requests?" Therris asked, waiting for the others to add. "No? Alright, back in an hour or so! See you soon!" He eagerly grabbed at the boat and pushed it into the surf, leaving Storm, Urai, Axial, Ithilwen, and Setsune all reclining against rocks, trees, the treasure, and the potions chest.

Storm was the only one standing. Curious, he leaned over Urai and opened the chest, taking out the potion he remembered that Ithilwen had labeled as 'virility' before stepping away and taking a look at it. He took off his jacket and draped it over a horizontally angled tree and plopped down next to a rock, focusing on the insignia.

"You gonna try it" Ithilwen asked, taking a bite of her jerky over by a nearby tree. "Keep in mind I have no idea how old it is, and while potions keep their enchantments for a very long time, it might have grown weak." As the resident expert on potion enchantment, she was the one who was most likely to be right about a potion's effectiveness.

Storm continued staring at the vial before stabbing his claw into the cork and pulling it out. "Only one way to find out." He said, downing it in one gulp. "Did the runes speak to you beyond claiming this was for virility? Like, did it specify what sort of virility it meant? Is it an aphrodisiac? Does it make my cock even bigger than it already is? I'm curious if there's more to read."

Ithilwen nodded as she kept a keen eye on her captain. "Nothing more. Perhaps it's unclear on purpose. Either way, that's why you're going first."

Urai took a swig of his drink and leaned back to the chest that he was leaning against - the same one Storm took the potion from. He also found a vial with the same symbol and downed it himself. "I take point on this crew!" He boasted before gagging a bit on the flavor. It tasted almost cummy to him.

Setsune's tail started making motions as if it were sniffing at the chest, curious, so Setsune herself pulled it back and started stroking it. "No, bad tailey. We don't know what's in those potions. Here, have a gemstone." She reached out and grabbed a sea green crystal covered in muck and grime, which her tail happily gobbled up. "But I am curious to see what comes of this. I call dibs if-" She paused mid sentence to sniff at the air, curious about what she smelled.

"Everything okay?" Ithilwen asked, tilting her head. She was about to ask for clarification when the scent made its way to her snout as well. It was musk, a thick, pheromone rich musk coming from Captain Storm. She scrunched up her nose with every sniff, aiming towards him a bit more every time. "Wait, never you mind, I think I got it."

Storm was licking his beak and gulping down the potion a bit at a time, struggling against the taste and texture of it. As he sniffed, he could also smell the musk and immediately recognized it as his own, which in turn made him grab at himself through his trunks, rubbing the fabric into his balls and sheath. Given his naturally sexual nature, his first instinct was to reach out for the nearest female and force them onto his cock, but he also felt the need to hold back and not take advantage. Not a good first impression from their new captain.

Luckily for him, Ithilwen's keen sense of smell quickly brought her over to him, where she leaned over the rock with her eyes trained on his trousers. "So, I don't suppose you're in the mood, are you? I mean, it's been a whole day since you last had a partner, and I have to say, I'm feelin' pretty frisky." While her chest pressed to the rock, she slid her hand down between her legs to gently prod at her mound through her billowing leggings, for the scent of the male's musk was quite potent.

Axial, however, had remained mostly silent and still, for he was internally thanking the skies for bestowing upon him these riches. Despite his self internalized distraction, he found himself catching a whiff of the scent as well. He cracked open just one eye to glance over at his captain with a half-cocked smirk before slowly shaking his head. Though he was not interested in other males and had no interest in taking Storm's cock, the smell still managed to awaken something deep inside him, coaxing his cock from its own sheath to rest heavy in the crossed legs of his lap.

Shockingly, of the lot of them, Setsune seemed the least affected of the group. She remained over by Urai, but hadn't yet allowed the scent of Storm's musk to tickle her nares too deeply or have any impact on her loins. This remained true until Urai's scent began to start wafting up to join Storm's. She sniffed the air and aimed towards her dragon companion with a raised eyebrow, her tail seeming to purr without making sound while rubbing against her thigh.

Urai noticed this about the same time, as his own scales were starting to sweat and seep out a thick musk of his own, a bit sharper than Storm's while not being quite as encompassing. When he rubbed at his groin through his trousers, he could already feel the bulge of his member pressing out against his slit. He quickly deduced that the potion was the culprit, and was in turn also responsible for his sudden and intense sexual desires. He looked over at Setsune and glanced down at his groin, inviting her to have some fun.

She smiled and unbuttoned her shirt, letting it billow in the sea breeze before tossing it on the same tree that Storm had draped his jacket over. "Sounds like a plan to me." She whispered to herself as she stepped over Urai, straddling his hips.

In response, he grabbed at her leggings and pulled them down to her knees, exposing her crotch to him. "Glad to hear it." He growled back with a grin as he leaned in and nuzzled at her belly, using his snout to ease his way down to where her thighs met her hips. "Because I'm suddenly very, very keen on having you."

Setsune stepped out of her leggings and kicked them to the side, becoming fully nude in the process. She didn't speak, but she did lean into him while using his horns as handles to guide him lower, angling her hips and spreading her legs gently to give him access to her sex.

Since Urai was only wearing trunks, he took a brisk moment to slide out of them so he could expose his emerging, ruby red member in all its precum glistening glory. With one hand he held its shaft in place, squeezing out the fluid from deep within to have it cascade over his knuckles, his other hand up on her hip to hopefully ease her down onto him.

"Well, I can't say no to something like that." She hissed playfully, giggling and grinning as she turned so she was facing the other three, her back pressed to Urai's muscled chest as she squatted down on him, one hand grabbing at his length to help ease him into her. She was of course quite enthusiastic, so she didn't think to stop or pause before bouncing on it and making his cock pop into her with a juicy squelch. "There we go..." She gasped, smiling and biting her lip as his warmth began to fill her.

Urai licked his lips and bucked his hips, forcing his length to slip deeper into her with relative ease. The copious fluids he was producing - far beyond normal thanks to the potion - were trickling out of her and soaking his belly scales and the underside of his tail as he gently thrust into her. Still, he said nothing as he wrapped his hand around her hips to hold her down, grinding his hips to hers.

Both Setsune and Urai moaned and growled at each other as her tail curled around his, nuzzling against his scales as it nibbled and slurped at him. They were both having a great time as they quickly found each others' pace, her hips slamming down to his as he bucked up into her, his knot slapping to her lips and their combined fluids gushing out of her. Neither could be certain, but they both had independently come to realize that they were both far better lubed than usual, as the potion must have had an equal effect on both of them.

The musk must have been having one hell of an effect on her despite it being him who consumed the potion. This was not a problem for them, as Setsune had wanted to fool around with Urai since the two of them met. Such a strapping dragon was too tempting to avoid.

Meanwhile, Storm had been reaping the benefits of the potion's effect on his body. His musk had been billowing up around him in a thick cloud that washed over the beach, filling the nostrils of Axial and especially Ithilwen. The closer she got, and the longer he held back, the more he felt his balls swell with the seed that was destined for Ithilwen's depths. His cock had swollen in his sheath, with the knot still hiding but shaft glistening and rubbing against the inside of his trousers, which he quickly and aggressively tore off to toss to the side.

"No need to damage your clothes, captain." Ithilwen joked, still idly rubbing herself while staring at his now fully exposed member.

"I can afford new ones." He assured her, clenching his rump muscles to force his cock forth.

The image of his sheath slowly peeling back to reveal more of his member while being bulged out thanks to his knot was a view that Ithilwen could die for. In her time dealing with the captain, she could hardly say no, but this was an extenuating circumstance. Not only could she not say no, but she couldn't resist. Normally it was Storm who just grabbed her and had his way with her - something she was prepared for - but he wasn't making any moves. Strange, but she was an intelligent wolf and knew that her captain was expressing the utmost self restraint.

For that reason, she opted to go ahead and hop over the rock, straddling his waist in much the same way that Setsune had done to Urai. While there, she whipped off the rest of her clothes and tossed them to the side with Storm's torn trousers. "Go ahead, captain. I'm yours to command." She invited, tail wagging and loins stirring more with every spoken word.

Storm clicked his beak and offered a devious grin, eyes narrowing as he met her gaze. In his mind, he was beyond relieved that she was so willingly asking him to take her, because he knew he wasn't likely to last much longer holding back.

With one of his huge talons, he grabbed her around the waist and pushed her down onto his belly, forcing his cock up against the underside of her tail, the tip quickly finding her soaking pussy. He noticed just how eager she was for him, and thus opted to not hold back as he forced her down onto him, growling with desire as her warmth enveloped him down to the sheath where his knot was bulging and pressing against his opening.

Ithilwen gasped and shuddered in delight as her long hair draped over her face, masking her many whimpers. She, like Setsune, was noticing internally that the musk of her chosen drake must have been having a substantial effect on her. While she was naturally susceptible to the wiles of a male's scent, she usually had more reservations inside. Perhaps it was a combination of joy at the treasure's haul as well as the potion, or maybe she had started her heat without knowing. She didn't know for sure, but what she did know was that she wanted Storm in her more than she'd wanted him since meeting him, and could go for having Axial have a go under her tail, too. She felt like she could handle them both in one hole with ease, knot and flare and all.

"Come on, Axial." She whimpered at him as she glanced over, motioning for him to join her.

The felkin had, up to this point, remained stoic and self contained in the sand between the two sets, not wanting to interfere with their passion. As a male he wasn't as affected by the musk that came from the potion use, yet he had still grown hard and drippy as he sat cross-legged with his member on his calves. With Ithilwen's invitation he glanced over to see the glorious mess that both Storm and she had begun to make. While he was more the type to stick to himself, the combination of the visuals, the scent, and the eager invitation coaxed him to his feet, where he happily stood over his captain with a pleasured grin.

"Good luck." Storm joked, grabbing Ithilwen's rump and bucking up into her, his massive shaft stretching her flesh nicely to imply there was no room next to him.

While he was right, and there wasn't enough room, that didn't stop Ithilwen from wiggling and easing her rump back, hiking her tail up to expose her tailhole. She wanted more - nay, she needed more - and she felt like she could take all that her captain had to offer and more. Again, it might have been the potions, but the details didn't matter, all that mattered was that she felt a hunger for more flesh under her tail. Her mind was made, her intents were set. "Go ahead." She urged Axial, grabbing her tail to help hike it up and expose herself.

Axial kept an eye on Storm, as if to ask permission. He wasn't the tentative type, but he had no intention of upsetting the captain and wouldn't join in unless Storm himself was content to share. After being given a subtle not of approval, he stepped up and pressed his engorged cock tip up under Ithilwen's tail, rubbing her pucker gently to smear his precum and her own fluids against her soft flesh. Again, he looked to storm for approval before penetrating.

"What are you waiting for, Ax?" Storm grunted alongside another powerful thrust that slapped his knot against Ithilwen's pussy lips. "Do you want a written invitation or something?" He then reached past Ithilwen to grab at Axial, pulling him in close and forcing his member to burst into the canine's tenderized rump, making her gasp and whimper in a combination of pleasure and pain.

"Aaa-ah, ah, oh. Uuuuunnh..." She grunted and whimpered, biting down on her lip as she felt the felkin's thick, throbbing shaft plunge deep into her. The sudden added girth of Axial's length felt like it should have hurt, or it should have taken her past her limits, but that just wasn't the case for her. She took in another deep breath to inhale more of Storm's musk, and as she tasted it at the back of her throat, she felt her flesh relaxing more, becoming more elastic and stretching with ease. The fulfilling sensation of both her holes being stuffed made her melt and her expression go soft as she whimpered.

Storm slapped up into her while Axial leaned over and buried himself to the hilt in her tail hole, one leg up on Storm's inner thigh for balance. As they looked over, they saw Setsune and Urai having a great time, with her bouncing repeatedly on his cock, pausing to grind every few times in order to feel his knot slip into her, mimicking Ithilwen's motions.

Both females were feeling the same desire for cock and flesh in them, and were doing everything they could to make it happen. Ithilwen, though the smaller of the two, was more experienced than her dragon companion and was able to take more of her partners with comparative ease. Both Storm's massive, tapered cock slammed into her, knot grinding while Axial did the same, and the more she smelled the musk, the less pain or discomfort she felt; at worst, the twin members did little more than make her feel a little hot under the tail with friction. In much the same way, the billowing musk that came from Urai made Setsune's loins loosen and widen as if to reach forward and swallow his knot with an eagerness she didn't know she possessed.

At the same time, both Storm and Urai grabbed at the waists of their respective females, forcing their knots in with audible squelches and pops that the other could hear. Despite their bulging lobes being far too large for Ithilwen and Setsune's respective pussies, they still slipped in with ease and swelled inside, the tightness and warmth coaxing both drakes to feel that eternal pleasure building up within them.

Mere seconds passed as Storm's cock tied with Ithilwen's canine depths, forcing his cock tip to pry open her cervix and start pumping her full of his steamy, copious gryphon seed. He dug his claws into her thighs and hips to hold her in place as the pressure built, puncturing her skin in the process.

Ithilwen could feel the pain of his talons stabbing into her, yet it didn't hurt. She registered the sharpness of pain, yet she felt only a light prodding on her thighs. This was obviously quite peculiar, as she knew this should have been quite unpleasant - as even his knot was far too big for her tiny form - yet she felt no pain, just the pressure and slight discomfort mixed in amongst a wash of overbearing pleasure. Furthermore, Axial remained behind her, still lightly thrusting and holding onto her tail for leverage so that his shaft might rub against the bulges of Storm's knot through the thin flesh that separated pussy and anal passages.

Axial still said very little, leaning over Ithilwen while giving Storm a knowing grin and stare. The two drakes felt comfortable sharing the little bitch, and needed not share a word of understanding to each other. They just knew, and this was not the first time, though last time Storm was unable to knot her given her petite stature, regardless of her eagerness. The extreme tightness of her rump thanks to the berth of Storm's cock made his thrusts feel like they were into a virgin, which was the best sort of pleasure to him. This, as opposed to the musk, was what helped him to reach his own climax.

The felkin gradually picked up his pace as his flare began to swell. He knew that he would be finishing soon, so he slammed his hips to hers and paused, the tension of his pulsing member massaging her depths while every vein throbbed with the pulse of his rapidly beating heart.

All the while, Urai and Setsune had paused their fun to simply relax, with the dragoness sitting on Urai's lap while his expanded knot kept pumping stream after stream of his cum into her depths, the semi sentient tail of hers rubbing and wrapping around him as if to spread its scent. As her loins clenched down upon him, he noticed an odd pressure deep within his gonads, like he needed to release again despite still being tied tight with her. At that same time, he glanced over to the others to see that Storm's balls had inflated to twice - no, thrice - their normal size, each the size of a sport ball. "H-hey captain, I'm not sure if this is worth mentioning, but your balls are jus huge!"

"I'm glad you noticed!" Storm retorted with a devious grin, offering yet another deep thrust into Ithilwen's depths. He was being smug and cocky, letting his massive musky orbs hang out and bask in the glory of his groin, yet as he moved, he felt that familiar sensation of deep discomfort building, as if he'd not released his seed for weeks and had been teased. It felt like he'd been bucked in the groin by an unwilling mare, or had a cannon knock back into his groin. He didn't let this discomfort contort his face or else he would fear looking week, but he was lucky to feel that it didn't last long.

Mere moments later after he felt the swell of his balls to thrice their size, he felt another powerful ejaculation erupt into Ithilwen's womb, deflating his balls while making her belly swell to the point she looked pregnant.

"A-ah!" She gasped, wincing a bit as her womb was inflated with the seed of her captain's gryphon cock. Like everything else, it felt like it should have hurt, but just felt pleasant to her, as her entire torso was filled with the heat and silken pleasures that only a proper tie could offer her. However, the pressure continued to build and build until Storm's knot was being forced out of her, held only by the tense and taught muscles near her opening meant to keep a partner tied into her until insemination was complete.

Axial was enjoying every minute of this, as the pressure was building and making her rump even tighter for him. The pressing of her bloated womb against his cock tip coaxed a proper flare from him that brought him to a quick climax. As he could not hold back any longer, he offered a few deep and full thrusts against the tight depth of his bitch's twitching rump flesh, soon erupting into her depths with such ferocity that half of it sprayed out from under her tail in silken strands to splash against his groin and dribble down his thighs.

At the same time, the pressure finally built up in her pussy to force Storm out, his knot popping out with an audible pop followed by a torrent of gryphon seed that splashed out against Axial's legs and had her pussy drooling the mess down into the sand.

Her flesh quivered and twitched as it slowly closed back up in his absence, squeezing out more of his essence as her womb contracted and slowly forced the rest out with it. Then, in a moment of desperate exhaustion, she collapsed and landed heavy on his belly with his cock up between her legs and prodding at the underside of her tail, the motion pulling her off Axial's cock in the process with another deep and guttural squelch. Rather than speak, she huffed and puffed, practically tasting Storm's thick cloud of musk as she grinded up and down on his shaft, still eager to have him in her again.

Unlike those three, Urai and Setsune were more reserved in their fun, as the two simply remained in place tied deep inside the dragoness as his soreness quickly dissipated. Much like Storm, Urai was pumping Setsune full of his seed to the point he could feel the bloat in her abdomen as her womb was inflated. He wasn't as big as Storm, so his load wasn't as big, and Setsune was a dragon so her flesh was more malleable than Ithilwen. For that reason, he was not forced out due to the pressure, yet still felt the tug of her flesh on her sex as she clenched and squeezed around him.

"So how about it, stud?" Setsune chirped at him with a smile, idly petting her tail while gyrating her hips in his lap.

"I can't imagine a better way to celebrate our first treasure. And hey, would you look at that! Therris is back with our meal! Now we can have more meat!" He waved to the tiny hybrid, who was rowing the ships tender ashore, crates of meat and jerky and booze and fruit and carcass up to the shore, he hadn't seen the sexual mess that was before him.

When he finally turned, with the hull of the boat slipping into the sand, he couldn't help but spread his arms in disbelief. "Why would you start without me?" He chirped at them. "I have a perfectly fuckable tail hole same as any of you!"

Axial pushed away from the boulder that storm was leaning against and headed across the beach to meet Therris, taking a moment to clean off in the surf before helping to bring the food to the campsite. "Don't worry, little buddy. I'm sure Storm and Urai will have plenty of spare for you if that potion is as potent as it seems. Give it time, but for now let's just set up a bonfire and start dinner."