THE MISTRESS OF AGONY

Everyone had agreed to Krol's suggestion. Even Faith seemed eager to travel there, simply because Krol mentioned that very few people knew how to get to the Temple of Agony, meaning that Faith wouldn't have to keep the ship floating in space the whole time. It would give her plenty of time to work undisturbed, and everyone else could explore the beautiful planet while Milo and Lucianna focused on training.

The only person who disagreed was Rivra. But when asked why she didn't want to go, she'd blush and fall silent. Eventually, with Krol's prodding, even she relented to the will of the group. Krol provided the secret coordinates for the planet Enov, home to the Temple of Agony and its mistress, Riosae.

Milo and Lucianna asked Krol how Riosae is, both as a person and as a trainer.

"Well, she trains only those she sees fit. Invitation only kind of stuff, right? But when we were younger, Rivra and I received an invitation. Of course, our father being more of the old-fashioned Scrapster, he insisted we go. We spent about a good year there."

Rivra rubbed her arms. "Her methods are…unorthodox. But the only reason my senses are so sharp is because I trained with her. Honestly, she might be the only one in the universe who can drastically help you two. But…"

She turned toward Milo, her lips pressed into a line. A pained expression crossed her face and Milo put a hand on her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about." She shook her head.

Lucianna draped an arm over his shoulder and grinned.

"Don't worry! He might be a little squishy, but Milo's brave and resilient! Whatever this Riosae throws at him, he can handle it."

"You're overestimating me…"

He leaned into her, savoring the warmth.

(But at least you believe in me. Thank you.)

Krol cleared his throat.

"Mistress Riosae is eccentric, mind you. But if you want her to train you, you'll need to follow her instructions. Just, uh, don't bring up her collection. Unless you're going to say something good."

Lucianna's eyebrows knitted together. "What kind of collection are we talking about?"

"You'll have to wait and see. Just…if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it."

Rivra shuddered. "It was…so cold…"

Milo gulped.

(Who exactly is Krol taking us to?!)

***

Albany brought everyone a light lunch as they were quickly approaching their destination. As they munched on cured meat sandwiches, Faith's voice crackled over the intercom.

"Attention. Approaching destination. Prepare for descent."

Everyone strapped into a chair, and Lucianna took her spot in the captain's chair. She punched some buttons and brought up an image of the planet Enov on the screen overhead.

Enov looked no larger than Mars, but possessed a pink shade that made Milo think of a certain medicine for upset stomachs. Clouds of debris floated around the planet, two moons circling in opposing patterns. Lucianna grunted.

"That's a lot of shit to fly through."

"Mistress Riosae is a neutral party. She doesn't enjoy taking sides in universal conflicts and she doesn't like unwelcome guests. That's why she built her temple here."

"Hmph. Well, anyone who isn't involved with the Federation can't be all bad. Let's go."

She pushed on a lever, steering the Herald between belts of space rocks and debris. Just getting close to one cloud made the ship groan and rumble. Milo bounced both of his knees as they slowly descended past Enov's natural defenses. The ship rocked, and Milo's fingers dug into the armrests of his chair.

"Entering planet's orbit," Faith said over the intercom.

The clouds in Enov's upper atmosphere swirled and flowed past the Herald as the ship made a smooth descent.

Lucianna sat straight in her chair, her eyes unblinking as she scanned the screens and radars for any signs of danger.

"Milo, is your danger sense telling you anything?"

"I don't think so…"

They continued their descent, the Herald breaking through the clouds and into a sunny expanse of meadows and hills.

The local wildlife looked up and watched as the giant, metallic bird soared across their skies. Some cried and scattered, while others continued to graze in the meadows.

Then the rest froze, and they too ran for cover, as another, larger bird glided after the Herald.

Inside the ship, Milo rubbed his wrist. He hadn't even been thinking of his danger sense until now and having it brought to his attention riled up the nerves he'd been fighting to suppress. He brought a shaky hand to his forehead, pressing the diamond against the bridge of his nose. The honey-scented soap from his shower still lingered on his hands.

(It's probably nothing. I'm just getting worked up. There's nothing to worry about…)

The pain struck him all at once, much more intense than any of the other times danger sense had activated.

(NO, MILO! RUN AWAY!)

"Something's coming—"

He'd barely spat out the words before the Herald lurched and shook, a collection of gasps and shouts filling the bridge. An alarm cried out as Faith's voice cut through the din.

"Captain, battleship-sized threat off the port quarter!"

"Visuals!"

Rivra hurriedly smashed keys and buttons, the screens flickering until they finally caught sight of a large, pink-scaled monster.

"Is that a freaking dragon?!" Milo said.

"Shields!" Lucianna shouted.

The monster opened its mouth, and a white flame spewed from its throat, coating the ship in a torrent of white and blue. Rivra smashed her console, her lips curling back.

"Captain! Shields aren't responding!"

Krol turned toward Lucianna. "Just land the ship! If you land the ship, we'll be fine!"

"And become a sitting target for that thing?"

"You'll piss her off if you keep flying! Trust me!"

"Piss her off?! How can you tell?!"

"Just land the ship!"

The ship rocked again, the flying monster ramming its body against the hull, and another alarm joined in the cacophony.

"Captain," Faith said, "at this rate, we will crash and the probability of survival is low. Perhaps an alternative course of action is appropriate."

"Fine. But as soon as we do, Milo and I are going out there and kicking that thing's ass!"

Milo gulped. "Do you think we stand a chance against a dragon?"

Lucianna held her chin high, smirking. "Just you wait."

Krol shifted in his seat, biting down on his lips.

Lucianna mashed a few buttons and soon they were in landing mode, with landing gear extending from the bottom of the Herald. As they did this, the monster backed off, keeping its distance from them. The pain in Milo's wrist dulled to mere soreness. His shoulders drooped, and he sighed.

"It seems the enemy is giving us space to land," Faith said.

They found a relatively flat patch of grass to land the Herald. Checking diagnostics, the ship wasn't too badly damaged. Still, Lucianna shot up from her seat as soon as the ship had landed safely, grabbing Milo by the arm and dragging him toward the back of the ship, where the exit ramp was.

"Hold on," Rivra called after them. "What're you doing?"

"I'm going to give that overgrown lizard a piece of my mind!"

Krol and Rivra both protested, but Lucianna dragged Milo to the ramp, which was already lowering.

"Hey, is this really a good idea? That thing looks dangerous…"

"Relax. Compared to my power, that dragon is just a house pet. I'll straighten it out in no time."

They emerged into the meadow, fluffy clouds rolling by overhead. A cool breeze brushed the back of Milo's neck as they descended the ramp and stepped off into the lush grass. Strange flowers perfumed the air with a faintly sweet scent that reminded Milo of picnics in spring.

An enormous shadow enveloped them, and a gust of wind blasted them, Lucianna's cloak flapping in Milo's face. Lucianna gritted her teeth as she watched the dragon land with a soft impact. Its eyes blazed as it regarded the intruders before it.

"State your business, and perhaps I won't rend you asunder."

Milo's wrist throbbed, but he couldn't hear the voice in his head. The beast didn't plan on killing them. Yet.

Lucianna pointed a finger at the dragon. "Hey, how dare you attack my ship?! There's only one like this in the entire universe!"

"H-hey, maybe we shouldn't yell at the giant dragon…"

The dragon huffed, a puff of flame forced out of its nostrils.

"Then it will make a fine addition to my collection once I kill you. Unless you plan on being a little more cooperative?"

"Oh, I'll cooperate all right! But not with you!"

Her right arm folded in on itself, and Milo, by instinct alone, slapped his hand on her shoulder. The diamond glowed brightly, and in a moment they fused, the white armor of Lucianna's right arm crackling with purple energy.

The dragon's eyes narrowed.

"What kind of sorcery is this? Where did that runt go?"

"Hey, eyes on me, lizard brain!"

A ball of light appeared in her hand, and with a single breath, the ball inflated ten times over, to the size of a wrecking ball.

The dragon's jaw fell open.

"S-such raw power!"

Lucianna shouted, and the ball of light soared straight at the dragon. As it drew closer and closer, the ball continued to grow until it was almost half the size of the monster.

Eyes widening, the dragon wrapped its wings around itself.

With a piercing flash, the ball of light exploded upon impact, showering the clearing in a fireworks display of purple and pink particles. As the dust settled, the dragon had vanished.

Lucianna punched the air, cheering.

"Ha! Threaten to kill us, will you? That'll show you!"

"Did you really have to vaporize it, though? What if that was, like, Riosae's pet or something?"

Lucianna looked at her palm, where Milo's face stared back at her with an uneasy look. She scratched the back of her neck with her other hand.

"Who would keep something like that as a pet? And, anyway, she shouldn't let a dragon run loose like that."

"Heh. Keeping a dragon as a pet? There's no being worthy of that."

Lucianna's eyes widened, and she turned just in time to see a clawed hand wrap around her face. The sheer force of her assailant swept her from her feet, and with a single motion, the mystery attacker pinned Lucianna to the ground with one hand while restraining Lucianna's right wrist with its remaining claw.

Milo stared up at the assailant: a tall woman, covered in head to toe with scales and armor, powerful-looking wings splayed out behind her. Two horns protruded from her head, which overflowed with long pink hair that reached to her knees. A prehensile tail wrapped around Lucianna's left arm. Steam and smoke drifted in tendrils from her mouth and nose, her yellow eyes glowing like embers.

"W-who are you?!" Milo said.

The woman blinked, her eyes darting around to find the source of the voice.

"Another trick? Where is that voice coming from?"

"Let go of Lucianna! We don't mean any harm!"

Her eyes flicked to Lucianna's right palm, and they nearly popped out of her skull as she saw Milo's face.

"WHAT IN THE DEVIL'S STILLBORN IS THIS?!"

"Ha! Gotcha!" Lucianna shouted.

Her hand pulsed purple, and a shockwave of energy whooshed out, slamming into the mysterious woman, sending her flying. Lucianna rolled onto her knees. She smirked.

"Now, we'll finish her!"

She formed her hand into a gun, and energy gathered into a pinpoint on her index finger.

The woman flipped in the air, and landed on her feet, her eyes glowing bright as she stared Lucianna down. She spread her feet into a wide stance, and her jaw dropped. White flames gathered in her mouth, illuminating the back of her throat.

"Mistress Riosae! Stop!"

Both Lucianna and the woman looked over toward the ship. Krol, Rivra, Tereine, and Albany ran down the ramp, Krol waving his arms.

"Krol? Little Krol, is that you?"

The woman's flames dispersed into hot steam, and she ran straight toward Krol, wrapping her arms around his waist and swinging him around as if he was ten times smaller.

"My goodness, how you've grown! How long has it been? Twenty years? Twenty-five? Oh! It feels like yesterday!"

She turned toward the other girls. "And are these your lovely wives?"

Krol laughed. Each of the girls, but especially Rivra, shouted their protests over such a label.

"Mistress," Rivra said. "Do you not recognize me?"

The woman squinted her eyes and gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. "Rivra? You've…wow. What a beauty you've turned into! I hardly recognized you from your old, scrawny self!"

"Was…was I really that scrawny?"

"Like a twig! But you filled out so wonderfully!" The woman slapped Rivra's ass, and the Scrapster woman yelped, bending over. "And these melons!" She groped Rivra's chest, inspecting them like someone at a supermarket. "My, my! You've grown into a fine young lady! Could do without all the muscle, though…"

"H-hey! I worked hard for all this!"

Her eyes turned to Tereine and Albany, whose faces flushed. Albany fiddled with her horn. The woman took a particular interest in her.

"You…you must be a unicorn, correct?" She flashed her a big smile. "Our ancestors were common allies in the escape from Earth!" She hugged Albany tightly, the poor chef yelping as the woman's scaly hands fondled Albany's tail and rear. "Mmmm, you remind me of an old lover of mine. Her horn was much bigger than yours, but don't worry about that. You're a cutie!"

She turned to Tereine and nodded. "Yours is a more refined beauty. I can tell you do hard labor, but you don't forget to take care of yourself." She wiggled her fingers, approaching her. "I bet your breasts are firm like a cantaloupe!"

Lucianna cleared her throat. "Excuse me. But could you stop feeling up my crew?"

The woman squinted her eyes, her hands dropping to her sides.

"And who is she, Krol? A stalker? A maid?"

"I'm the Captain of the Herald! Lucianna, the Pirate Queen!"

"Eh? Never heard of you. The last Pirate Queen I heard of was Hester."

"Hester is my great grandmother!"

"Hmph. That makes sense. You have her saggy boobs and poor attitude."

Lucianna's mouth flopped open, the vein in her forehead twitching.

"Who the hell do you think you are, lady?! I am the Pirate Queen, the most powerful being in the universe!"

The woman crossed her arms, her lips flattening.

"Hm, it's true. Your power is beyond measure. Against anyone else, you probably could've killed them. But…I sense a strain within you. And your power is about to go away in three, two…"

On one, a bright light flashed, and Milo fell through the air and collapsed to the ground.

She grinned. "So…you and the boy…combine? Quite interesting. The only people with a similar ability are the technophirs. But neither of you is a technophir."

Rivra sighed. "We know little about their ability, either. We came here because we were hoping you would train them, like how you trained Krol and me."

The woman dug in her ear with one of her claws and flicked whatever she dug out.

"Eh, I'm not interested."

Everyone stared blankly. Milo struggled to his feet.

(She answered so coldly and so quickly…Was this a waste of time, then?)

Krol dropped to his knees.

"B-but Mistress! My sister has a massive bounty on her head, as does Lucianna. And the boy…he saved my life. Please, for my sake, can you train them?"

She regarded him with one eye closed, and put both hands on the back of her head.

"I have trained no one in a few years. There has been no one worthy enough to train. I will train no one just because one of my former students shows up and begs me. Besides…"

She strode toward Milo and yanked him to his feet. Her eyes traveled up and down his body. She grabbed a handful of fat on his hips and stomach, her lips forming a scowl.

"This kid wouldn't last an hour under my tutelage. Find someone else."

"Hey! You leave Milo alone!" Lucianna stood nose-to-nose with the woman, and their gazes sparked with animosity.

"You might survive my training, but I doubt my teachings will get through that thick skull of yours. So I can't train you either."

Lucianna clenched her fists. "We need this. We need proper training from a master. You…you could tell when Milo and I were about to split apart. Surely you can help us strengthen our bond so we don't separate quickly."

The woman's nostrils flared.

"Honestly, I don't even know how your ability works. Besides the technophir, I've never seen such an ability. We'd both be wasting our time." She gestured to Milo. "Maybe if this one wasn't so weak, I might do something for you. But as it is, it's impossible."

The woman twirled and walked away from them.

(Useless. I'm so useless to everyone. So weak. I'm only good as an accessory…)

Shaking his head, Milo dashed after the woman and latched onto her. She looked over her shoulder, regarding him with an icy stare.

"Please! I will do anything to become stronger! I…I want to be useful!"

Tears rolled down his face, and in the woman's stony gaze, the equally uncaring stare of his mother looked back at him.

"Let me be useful! I will die to become stronger for these guys!"

The rest of the crew stood there, shifting uncomfortably. Rivra and Lucianna stepped toward Milo, putting their hands on him, gently coaxing him to pull away. But he remained latched onto Riosae.

(I won't let go until she agrees!)

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"If there's one thing I hate more than the Federation, it's a cute boy crying. Pathetic. I guess I have no choice but to whip you into shape. But…"

She smiled, revealing sharp teeth, hot steam and sulfur rolling from her breath.

"First, you'll have to pass a test. If you fail, you'll become my slave."