{Dra drunuk, ma mikilish, ka kalinga! Karna Karnum, baka baka baka, hakem hakillium! Bakaba bakaneer, sealish seanum, tethe tring... Lines caught by a satellite when aimed at the far corner of the Universe. Scientists spent more days deciphering this, a new "WOW!" signal in their minds. Indeed, it came from the same angle as the "WOW!" signal - some even comparing the two and getting... rather amusing results despite the serious content. In the end, the transliteration only remains as those scientists are long gone... Today I finally picked up on the New Angel Saga properly and I shall admit I was delaying this but I think I gave my fair due respects to my other writing projects. Anyways, this is part of the Ashley-Saddie side-story while incorporating The Agent (named Octo) within this Saga. I shall link first the specific episodes of Ashley-Saddie and then the entire New Angel Saga below (since a good part of the New Angel Saga has The Agent in it anyways). Regardless, this story stands on its own (like every other story) despite having subtle respects to other stories. Anyways, let's see what this ship by the sea will face today... Today's music-aides: "The Path Integral" [1.] and "Kernal Panic" [2.](Project Borealis OST).}

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- Tethering -

[1.]

And so the water rocked the ship under the Cap’n’s ears, such a pirately mind figuring his due rest has came and his body deserving to be inactive. If such a curious ear was nailed onto the ship, it would hear two sets of noises bleeding the wooden walls. To then decode signifiers of jovial cackles and the noises Cupid’s followers would adore as these two, separate, Cap’ns went about on the bed. And from outside the ashore ship, the pirate mass were returning to their tents as the night’s trap laid ready to ensnare and punish those daring to lay one foot on the beachfront.

However, the night crickets would sing no song in the forest but be lured close to the ship, the waves-n-winds ever-concerned about the pirate ship despite no tempo change and the ship creaking as two sets of feet quaked about. The boards, not knowing of the runner's pains, were at an uproar of the thievish feet pounding as hard as a steady pirate's pace, much less that it was happening at night. The other set sliming quietly across the floor and walls of the ship's corridors, pleasing the angered wooden boards of the ship; yet the pace not set by the tailing of the thief but of the keen tipsiness combined with the fragility of a fine crystalline that 'twas reminded with those pointy edges. The Thief already on the poop deck, hurled herself to starboard and out expelled from her stomach came out a black bile that burned her throat. Her entire body reeling back after the last of that content being purged, her eyes began to slowly sharpen but her train of breaths only slowly increased.

A Void slowly crept in and ate away at her mind, burning each sector with first a great flare turned second to a small ember. Her body then collapsed, arms already latched on tight to the railing but her head becoming a concussion victim; however, the Void in her head all dispelled with now a spiky pain. Eyes seeing the World spin, her mouth bellied out a groan, hands already going numb and her legs twitching. Then finally arrived, though the manner less tipsy, the ol' octopoid agent, but the leg tendrils respectfully grazing the poop deck and the arm tendrils holstering the weapons to then equip the crystalline. They, this once human agent turned octopoid, had a cackle race out of their gas-mask, but soon being hush upon seeing the poor Thief's health.

"Saddie, yah okay? Methinks I heard yah belly out a black dæmon-"

"Oocto? Octo-"

"By the Rum o' Morgan, yah hast it as well! Hurry and swallow th-"

"Octo, I feel funny. I feel so empty once more, now around me entire body."

"Oj nie! Yer nae gonna fly to the Heavens, sista'. Come back 'ere yah lassie 'n' stop bein' tether'd now."

"I'm tryin'- GAH!"

And there, pierced through the right leg bone of Saddie out proudly displayed a chain-spear. Octo's eyes shrunk and the suit's OS began pumping in a cadence adrenaline after steroids after adrenaline... The chain-spear then, with tiny lil' needles rattling out, locked-on to Saddie's right leg and began the tug backwards like ship anchors being pulled up. With enough distance and enough tension, the chain-spear was pulled instead and one of Octo's arm tendrils took the chance to slip in a crystal piece to Saddie's mouth. Saddie's face wincing up but ever-more disgusted with the right leg internally burning, her throat wholesale shafted the entire crystal shard and soon an internal war began throughout her entire body. Then-n-there, the chain-spear puffed away and Saddie's body collapsed on Octo; but Octo's body immediately collapsed with her as they, despite being a giant to her, couldn't prepare for her fall and their body was still in its tug-of-war stance.

"What kind o'... d-drug be that, Octo?"

"Blerrie, gave yah too strong a dose- Ow! Why'd yah slap me, yah punk."

"Silly Octo, I be wonderin' what even did the disapperain' act on that wretched alien force."

"I haven't a clue, I knew it prevented and killed Void sickness-"

"What kind is... e-e-even this barbarous force? Why does it pain a rebirth of twisted forms o' once healthy people?-"

"Saddie, yah need some rest. We shall inquire-"

"Why does it hurt all that it wants to hurt, consume ceaselessly, corrupt forever, amass-"

"Saddie, hush. In the morning, yer body needs rest 'n' the Void loves suffering even after the victims of such have left... counter-intuitive but 'tis true."

"What be th' ruckus on me poopdeck!- Octo, Saddie! What happened to ye both?"

"The Void tried tethering Saddie, she hath Void sickness mój ex-Doctor Cap'n. Cap'n Wither, we need this ship secured pronto."

[2.]

"I think, Octo, we ran out o' prep time; we got a kernel panic."

"Back to oure Science days, ol' ex-Doc? Anywho, yah woke l'Madame up 'n' told her to gather th' pirate mass?-"

"Octo, Cap'n Wither, we need to teach this VOID A LESSON! WITH OR WITHOUT THE PIRATE MASS!"

"HA HARGH! THE LASSIE'S STILL STRONG DESPITE TETHERING!"

"Fine be me, I rather take another victory away from the Void again; even if this be a reality tear or a kernel panic in yer words, Cap'n Wither."

The trio's arms began unholstering their armaments: Cap'n Wither fashioning his Jevilsknife, Saddie sliding the rapier to the forefront and Octo his PTRS-41 in hand. The air began squeaking in pain, bright dark explosions with flying chain-spears chinking in air circumambulated the trio. All of their backs hugged tightly, more rigid in form but fluidly rubbing each other; Saddie's legs began to keep up with the pace of Octo and Cap'n Wither and the three began to move with less hesitation. Then the circus act ceased, Cap'n Wither having a cackle escape from his mouth before the floor ruptured with a chain-spear; his chin saved by a few sacred centimeters by Saddie's rapier slicing in time. Their legs-n-bodies continued to shuffle around, slowly exiting the poopdeck to enter the beach shore, but soon all thrown to their backs with the wooden boards unfairly punished with their scraping bodies thanks to the innocence of the trio.

"So tell me Saddie-n-Octo, when did the Void attack yah two-n-Ashley?"

"Aye, last night. But the Void shouldn't be able to resurrect a stone wall- gah! That 'twas a close one, dzieki Saddie."

"Prosze, try to keep yer tendrils from its cross-sights. Anyways, it attack'd us with some sentinel-like bein'; are yah familiar with those servants in that empire of princedoms, Cap'n Wither?"

"Aye, the damn mechanist converted servants; a damn shaming fate I say. But yah speak clearly on that, they lookin' like that? Oj me Flyin' Dutchman, we be dealing with a New Void alright. Yet me back despises bein' like an exposed turtle, so on the count o' three we shall arise. One, two, three!"

"Alright, we be up and so begins the Void's next round o' tethering."

"Well Octo, have some optimism 'cause rescues on the way. I can see it in the hustle-n-tussle down below."

"Well, this shall scare the Void soon, but I need yah to hold on tighter. Do it for Ashley, me sista'."

Again they went back to their tried-n-true method of circle dancing as the Void began its enclosing circumambulation. But with every ring closed, the air puffed out a withered corpse that soon twitched and raised; their arms soon filled with a weapon. The circumambulation act ever-squeezing them, they forcefully holstered their gear and their minds prepared for a charge by these fallen corpses of the Void at any second if time so wished to make any real progress now. Yet ever-squeezing, hands began clutching each other's hands and began to see in greater clarity the horde they were to deal with if the Void would ever let them go. Cap'n Wither, began to see the chain-spear act fading but his tear-ducts still releasing the flood as soon as his eyes saw mangled corpses of past friends amongst the crowd. Octo, saw too these friends but also the many targets he wiped out when they, the once human, was still repaying debts in one-off missions, yet, equal to Cap'n Wither, they shed tears. Saddie, a lass who can recount only a year ago a faint mention of this alien force through its many victims, now saw one of its many faces that made cute of her expectations of the Void itself. But before her eyes's joined in the tear-jerk event, purple lightning arched amongst the various corpses and ceased the chain-spear circumambulation. Saddie's eyes peering up with a glee soon turned to fright as her eyes saw the Witch's Impish Aide flying desperately to catch up to the snapped-n-angered Witch.

"Saddie-n-Cap'n, head's down! Ashley's gonna hex!"

"Hocus-Pocus!"

If the words bellowing out from the Dæmonic bat-Witch swathed not the entire area, the ball of light certainly shook the Void in its pride. But no rest was to be given in this front, the Pirate Mass lead by l'Madame came pouring unto the poop-deck and began a merciless hack-n-slash campaign against the corrupted corpses. The trio's hands giving a sudden tight squeeze-shake soon let go and unholstered their gear to join in on the blood bath, yet Saddie's shoulders were clutched by the ashen-bat Witch and flown straight up to the sky. Saddie's body felt her shoulders squeezed harder by the Witch's hands to then be tossed, wholesale, to the air and re-positioned to be carried in holds of Ashley's arms.

"Mój Ashuri!~ We got a battle down- mm, hmm... that was so great a smooch, when did yah master this?~"

The ashen-form soon puffing to reveal the classic white-haired, red-eye burning Ashley. With Ashley's anger simmering down, the Impish-Aide last minute turned to a broom and secured them both before gravity forced them back down to the Earth. Saddie's body collapsed unto Ashley's laps, allowing Ashley's hands to caress her lil' Thief's hair and reared her closer.

"I learned... from a few acquaintances. I bet you too when you were gone."

"So how the city looked from the Moon?"

"Not as beautiful as your face, my ukochany~ Now, a fight you said?"

[1.]

A smile cracking on their lips, they soon plunged back to the fighting scene; all unholy was the act, with the Pirate Mass swatting out the tethering Voidist forces and the Voidists trying to claim one soul. But the bloodbath wasn't to be on the Voidists this time, too prideful the Void was on an easy snatch without realizing the zeal of the Pirate Mass. Making full retreat, the ship was soon vacated and the night now spent checking everywhere for any breaches; however, only Ashley, Saddie, l'Madame, Cap'n Wither, Octo and a few other Withers knew that the Void don't act like most entities. Chucking the remaining corpses to port side for the mass-grave, Cap'n Wither commented:

"Aye l'Madame, this certainly be an interesting night. I would think it impossible, but the Void really be hungry."

"Agreed, my love. But, Cap'n Wither, as one Cap'n to another, the resolve is still to find Cap'n Syrup. No?"

"Agreed, we shall find her and maybe killing off the New Angels will liberate us from the Void... yah noticed that since they came that the Void followed and became bolder?"

"Well, speaking as someone that worked with It - It told me that this Void certainly be craftier than the olden form it once presumed. Certainly more creative, gotta report that to It ASAP."

"Okay, l'Madame-n-Octo, continue that, I forget to gift this to Saddie, 'n' I know an old friend will kill me to not return this bird to her-"

"Be that bird Ticky?"

"Aye, spot on l'Madame... Saddie, Ashuri, come 'ere for I bear a humble gratitude gift!"

"While nice-"

"No, no, this is necessary. Anyways, Saddie, close away yer eyes 'n' open them not 'til yer lass-friend says so. Ashuri, please, do the honours of which I must forsake as I must help Octo-n-l'Madame now."

Paints of red flung unto her cheeks, Cap'n Wither cackled away as his body hoisted a corpse and continued where he left off. Ashley's body turning to Saddie, soon about-faced and peeked into the present; hearing now the small ticks and gears working as her hand pulled up the heavy cloth. Settling it down, her body about faced and out came cracked from her voice-box:

"O-kay Saddie~"

"He, he, come on just say it. Yah know I hate waiting whence I know it to be close to me~"

"... Fine, take a look with me~"

"... TICKY!"

The cloth soon flying to the air, Saddie's rapier soon freed her metallic comrade-in-arm and Ticky came play-tackling Saddie. But with Saddie's body, she simply grasped it and nuzzled the old metallic clockwork of a bird. Ashley hearing a panting noise, reared her head and both hers and her Impish-Aide's eyes met. Closing the distance between each other, Ashley hoisted and cuddled her Impish-Aide, catching her aide off-guard but accepting the scene of quietly deafening catharsis. Ashley looking a last time to her Aide, she gave him a kiss on the forehead and her mouth instructed him to find a place elsewhere for the night as the hammock of a bed wasn't long enough for all three of them. The Impish-Aide saluting before heading down inside the ship, Saddie screamed for him and told him to take Ticky with him; soon with both Ticky and the Aide gone, Ashley and Saddie giggled as they went back to the secret enclave inside of the Pirate ship. Hands held together and both voice-boxes uttering a small tune.

And with the World around them, the crickets went back to the forests to sing their melodies, the winds guiding with the waves in the sea-front and directing the branches of trees on the beachfront, the waves slapping ship and beach equally which made both yelp with each slap and everything with the patrolling Withers and robo-pirates carried on the rest of the melody. Withal, the noise pervaded not inside the ship so-loudly and both Ashley-n-Saddie made easy access to their secret enclave; one would expect both to collapse with their dirtied clothes, but both took the time to dress proper for sleep. However, the night was still young for them but their lil' journey wasn't to be settled with another fight but of a long overdue act.

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Two things: finally got this pirate-accent down and also finally got back to this (Christ, did I just wrote another Connexione story but with pirates?).

Anyways, what's Comrade Professor Doctor @theironfelix been doing other than campaigning against rival revolutionary Spooky for being l'Auteur- I mean nice colloquial elections of GenSec of the entire Universe? Well I've been enjoying spending time with mój Ukochany, @calluna. To be honest, what did I do to earn a gal like her?~ She's a very great person to just spend time with and a great author as well. While she may have self-doubt, she absolutely will put in effort to wow people but then be humble. She deserves a humble brag and not get called out on it.

But of course, that's just me and we've been getting close y'all!~ <3 But I better not see yah, mój Ukochany, trying to spill my identity out to anybody - I very much love me anti-identity c: - Dobranoc, mój towarzysze!~

Other parts in Ashley and Saddie:

@theironfelix - Childhood memory

@theironfelix - Underground Complex

@theironfelix - The Spirits’ Cave Course

@theironfelix - Pretzel's apocalypse

@theironfelix - A childhood acquaintance

@theironfelix - A campfire story for It

@theironfelix - Cap'n Wither

- This story where it fits here -

The New Angel Saga:

@theironfelix - Expurgate

@theironfelix - Alienissimum

@theironfelix - Flipping the Script

@theironfelix - Adviser readjustment

@theironfelix - Shu'ualathoi

@theironfelix - Connexione

@theironfelix - The Void

@theironfelix - Portal Inferos Scriptor

@theironfelix - The Spirits’ Cave Course

@theironfelix - Feral Canine

@theironfelix - A childhood acquaintance

@theironfelix - Pirate Hunters

@theironfelix - Pretzel's apocalypse

@theironfelix - Unholy Utterance

@theironfelix - A Divine Intervention

@theironfelix - Incident 111a

@theironfelix - A new Cadaver

@theironfelix - A campfire story for It

@theironfelix - Cap'n Wither

- This story where it fits here -