Moving past those three, no dead, rapists, I grabbed the make-shift rafts and brought them to the survivors that managed to escape to the top of the hull. Using the little time we had, I did my best to explain to the survivors where Asckbon was since it was closer to us than the Mezcla continent at this point; however, explaining was quite a pain amidst these conditions. The icicle storm and violent ocean made it difficult for anyone to hear my voice, though eventually, I remembered I had an aptitude for wind mage and created a little wind dome that enveloped us, blocking out a significant amount of noise.
Once finished, I gave them the makeshift rafts and returned to Vanye and Lazuli when the hull was nearly in the ocean.
"You wasted a lot of valuable time, Alex." Said Vanye in slight annoyance as she stared at Alexander, and although Lazuli didn't utter a word, she did nod in agreement, causing him to snort.
"Well, I apologize, but I wasn't going to helplessly leave them to die. I had to at least give them a fighting chance and some hope." Remarked Alexander as he glanced at Vanye while picking up their make-shift raft and approaching the water, which was approaching their feet.
"And how many of them will survive now that you've given them hope and a fighting chance? 1? 2? Maybe three if luck is shining brilliantly on them." Asked Vanye with a raised eyebrow as she stared at Alexander in a somewhat mocking tone, causing his face to twitch constantly.
"Vanye, do you really want to turn this into an argument right now of all times? Because I don't feel like arguing with you, I'm more concerned about surviving this." Stated Alexander with a slight frown as he placed the makeshift raft in the water while glancing at Vanye in slight annoyance, causing her to roll her eyes, though she remained quiet in the end.
Gesturing to the makeshift raft, I waited for Vanye and Lazuli to get in before pushing it away from the hull, which was now underwater, before hopping in myself.
"Careful, Alexander; you're quite heavy." Said Lazuli softly as the makeshift raft violently shook from Alexander's landing, causing him to roll his eyes as he sat in the middle, using his weight to help stabilize the raft.
"I'm like 250, relax, and besides, it's mostly muscle. Anyway, here you two go; use these as paddles and try to steer us back to Asckbon. I'll reinforce this raft." Remarked Alexander as he side-glanced Lazuli only to hand her and Vanye his greatswords while he leaned forward and pressed his palm on the floor, using [Mana Enhancement] to strengthen the raft.
'This is utterly ridiculous, Sister!' Yelled Trina in disbelief as Lazuli leaned over the side and used her like a paddle.
'I think I made a mistake in choosing our Master. I apologize, Trina.' Said Zartha coldly as she sighed to herself while Vanye used her like a paddle, not bothering to wonder why the sword faintly glowed.
"Will you two be quiet, please? You two are saving your Master's life, and to me, it sounds like you two are proving to be wonderful weapons." Remarked Alexander in slight annoyance as he glanced between Lazuli and Vanye, causing Zartha and Trina to grumble under their breath.
"M-Master? I am no one's slave, Alexander!" Said Vanye coldly as she glared at Alexander, who was entirely confused by her words.
"Huh, what the hell are you talking about Vanye? Just focus on getting us out of here alive." Asked Alexander in confusion as he glanced at Vanye before shaking his head and closing his eyes while she gnashed her teeth at his words which were akin to an order.
Ignoring whatever was wrong with Vanye, I focused my efforts on our raft, not getting destroyed by the powerful currents of the ocean, which were treating us however it wished; we were getting thrown around like a ragdoll.
This continued for quite a while, to the point where I lost track of time; I was also thankful we chose something small since if we had gone too big, we probably would've capsized already.
'Fuck me; we're not even heading in the correct direction anymore. At this rate, we're getting further away!' Thought Alexander with a tongue click as he grumbled under his breath.
I would've used [Mass Teleport], but I concluded it would've taken too much mana to get both Vanye and Lazuli back to Asckbon; maybe I could've made it by myself, but what was the point in that if I didn't have at least one of them with me? It would've made more sense to let Lazuli do it, as she has a lot of mana, which I think is more than double my own. I've never checked her status panel, so I'm probably lowballing it if anything.
However, since she doesn't have the aptitude for space mana like me, it would've taken her several minutes of focusing, and we simply didn't have enough time.
'We can try once this storm passes; that is if we can survive.' Thought Alexander with a wry expression as he sighed deeply before shaking his head.
___
___
Seeing signs of the storm ending, we powered through it for a few more hours until, eventually, the beautiful sun we hadn't seen in so long shined down upon us once more, causing all of us to sigh in relief.
"O-Oh, thank fucking god this raft did what it was supposed to do because if not, we would've for sure died." Stated Alexander with a sigh of relief as he plopped onto the floor while staring at the sky with a smile, only for Zartha to bounce off his head, causing him to hiss in pain.
"The heck was that for Vanye!?" Exclaimed Alexander in annoyance as he sat upright and glared at Vanye while raising his hand, summoning Zartha back to him before it fell into the ocean.
"Hmph, I'm supposed to be quiet, remember, Master." Said Vanye angrily as she glared at Alexander before scoffing, only to fold her arms and avert her gaze.
Groaning in annoyance at whatever the heck she was talking about, I looked at Lazuli for help, but she simply pointed at Trina before handing it to me, nothing bothering to actually say anything.
'Am I ignorant? What is going on?' Thought Alexander in annoyance as he shifted his gaze between Vanye and his swords, only for his eyes to widen.
"Oh my fucking god Vanye, I was talking to my swords, not you." "Hmph, and you expect me to believe that? What dumbass speaks to his sword?" Remarked Alexander and Vanye, respectively, as they two glared at each other in both anger and annoyance while the former faintly shook his swords.
"Tsk, well, apparently, I'm the dumbass. Excuse me for talking to my swords, which house a spirit artifact." Said Alexander with a scoff as he looked at Vanye, who skeptically gazed at him, unsure whether to believe his words.
"Um, L-Lazuli, is he telling the truth?" Asked Vanye hesitantly as she looked at Lazuli while Alexander stared at her with a blank expression.
Staring at Vanye in disbelief, I turned and glanced at Lazuli, who has long known about my weapons, yet, rather than instantly replying, she just sat there tapping her chin as if thinking whether she should tell the truth or not.
However, I snapped my gaze upwards before she could respond, spotting Talis and Vanimo diving right for us. I sighed in relief to know they were safe, but I also grew a little worried because Talis was a bit reckless.
'Please, for the love of whatever god of the sea, don't slam into this raft.' Thought Alexander as he infused his mana into the raft, strengthening it just in case Talis did slam into it.
Thankfully, at the lost possible moment, Talis stopped right above with a powerful flap of her wings, which distorted the water around us, but thankfully, she didn't crash into us.
"Vanimo!" "Vanye!" Yelled Vanye and Vanimo, respectively, as the two siblings hugged each other, the latter completely forgetting about the previous conversation.
"Don't hug too long, he's mine!" Stated Talis sternly as she narrowed her eyes at Vanye and perched herself on Alexander's shoulders.
'Oh, how tempting it is to look up right now.' Thought Alexander as he refrained from lifting his head and gazing upon heaven's garden perfectly above his head.
Talis wasn't really a fan of wearing clothes, so she tended to wear the most skimpy outfits possible; some thin cloth hid her breasts, and as for her waist, she had turned one of my shirts into a mini skirt, barely concealing her precious goods.
I didn't wish to have naughty thoughts of my best friend, who already has a lover, but it was hard not to when did things like this.
'Rocks. I love rocks. Same with flowers–NO! I hate flowers! Rocks only. Think only of rocks.' Thought Alexander as he closed his eyes, attempting to think anything other than what was only a foot above his head.
"Okay, that's enough touching." Said Talis as she stepped off Alexander's shoulders and attempted to separate Vanimo and Vanye, causing the former to sigh in relief.
"Felt like a boss fight." Muttered Alexander softly, only to shiver when he felt Lazuli's finger trail across his hardened member through his clothes.
"Someone's happy." Said Lazuli softly as she whispered into Alexander's ear while reaching into his pants and firmly grasping his manhood.