26 Epilogue

Truck-chan felt like a leaf floating aimlessly in glowing blue water, and she couldn't move at all. She was fully conscious and yet completely limp and powerless. But she could hear a sound somewhere in the distance.

The sound of people talking.

"Hey!" someone shouted.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"When are we getting there?" Truck-chan recognized that voice. It was Recon!

"We're almost through the Rock Belt, so we will reach Tek by nightfall."

"Finally," Recon muttered. "I feel like shit."

"Are you seasick, Your Majesty?"

"WHAT?! NO! The Demon Lord doesn't get seasick."

"Oh… no, of course not. My apologies."

After hearing the word "seasick", Truck-chan realized that she could hear something else too. Something beyond the voices of the two men.

She could hear splashing waves.

They were on a ship.

"Captain," Recon said. "Do we have news from the army?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. One of our designated Springle Elves arrived this morning. You were… uhm… still in your cabin, so we didn't want to disturb you. It sounded like you weren't feeling well."

"I was just resting," Recon retorted. "My body still isn't strong enough to handle Melody's true power, so we both need time to recharge after a battle."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Of course."

"So, the news. Spit it out!"

"The army is encamped along the western shore of Lake Mousey. As per your request, they are preparing an expedition to Iron Island."

"It wasn't my request. I don't see the point of diverting resources to some remote island in the middle of a lake, but Melody insisted. Apparently, that island has a history of ancient magic, and it contains priceless magical artifacts."

"Yes, the locals who live along the lake tell stories about that island. And if those stories are true, then the soldiers must be wary."

"What stories?"

"Apparently, Iron Island is inhabited by a secretive cult. They call themselves the Precious Family, and they worship a demonic goddess. The people who live around the lake are terrified of that island, and no one dares approach it."

"Ha!" Recon scoffed. "My army will make short work of those cultists and their silly superstitions."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Then it was quiet for some time, and the only thing that Truck-chan could hear was the sound of the waves.

She had no idea how much time had gone by, but at some point there was a sudden loud CRASH. Truck-chan couldn't feel anything – she still felt like she was floating in glowing blue water somewhere at the end of the world – but the sound itself terrified her.

"SHIT! WHAT WAS THAT?!" someone shouted.

"I think we got hit!" someone else responded.

Truck-chan heard the sound many hurried footsteps.

"What in hell is going on here?!" It was Recon's voice.

"Your Majesty! Please take cover! We're getting hit by cannon fire."

"No, it's not cannons," another man said. "It's a ship."

"WHAT?"

"Another ship rammed us on the starboard side. It came out of nowhere, out of that mist."

"Goddammit," Recon spat. "We can't afford any delays. Destroy the other ship and let's get moving… WAIT! What's that?!"

Truck-chan still had no idea what was happening. She couldn't see or feel anything. All she had to go on were the words of the panicked men.

"The magic artifacts!" Recon screamed. "Why are they floating through the air?"

Confused shouting ensued.

"It must be a magic lure," someone said.

"A what?"

"A magical object that draws other magical objects to it."

Recon shrieked. "NO! They're stealing our ancient magic artifacts! STOP THEM!"

The commotion continued, with men shouting and screaming and scrambling across the deck of the ship.

"THE GIRL!" Recon exclaimed. "They're taking the girl. STOP THEM! Melody needs her!"

"What girl, Sire?"

"That blue cube! It's flying away from us. We can't lose it!"

"I can't reach it!" one of the men said. "It's too high."

"DAMN IT! I'll have to release her. Melody will KILL me if we lose that girl."

Suddenly, the glowing blue world around Truck-chan disappeared and the next thing she knew, she was on the deck of a large wooden ship. Sailors were running left and right, trying to grab hold of the dozens of floating magical objects that were flying away from the ship. The magical objects were all headed in the same direction: towards a smaller ship that had rammed the larger one from the side.

Truck-chan didn't know what else to do, so she just ran as fast as she could away from Recon. She expected the sailors to try and stop her, but instead they screamed and jumped out of her way. As she made her way across the deck, Truck-chan tried to slow her momentum so that she could climb down to the smaller ship without falling over.

But when she tried to stop, it didn't work. Instead, she tore right through the handrails and plummeted down to the deck of the smaller ship. The smaller ship lurched forward violently, and for a moment Truck-chan thought that she would fall overboard, but then, thankfully, the smaller vessel stabilized. It was only then that Truck-chan realized that it was daytime, and she was no longer in her human form.

She was a now full-sized delivery truck teetering on the edge of a wooden ship's deck in the middle of the ocean.

Truck-chan screamed and rushed forward, trying to get away from the edge. The deck of this second ship didn't seem to contain any sailors. In fact, the ship didn't even have sails.

There was only a single person aboard the entire vessel: a short, muscular man who stood in the middle of the deck with a battle axe in one hand and a long glowing scepter in the other. The short man had spiky blond hair, he was wearing a tight tank top made of what looked like leopard skin, and he wore long black shorts that were ripped in multiple places. All of the magical objects from the bigger ship seemed to be floating towards this man's scepter.

"HOLY SHIT!" the man exclaimed. "IS THAT A TRUCK?!"

"GO!" Truck-chan screamed. "We need to get away!"

The man's eyes widened. "Hey, is someone in there? Come out here right now! You drove your truck onto my boat."

"There's no one in here. My name is Truck-chan."

"WHAT?!"

"There's no time to explain! That's the Demon Lord's ship. We need to get out of here!"

The man looked confused. "Yes, I know it's one of the Demon Lord's ships. That's why I attacked it. I'm a pirate; I'm trying to steal their rare magical items." As he spoke, dozens of magical objects were still flying in from the bigger ship.

"No, I mean the Demon Lord himself is on board that ship," Truck-chan said. She tried to drive herself closer to the man, moving very slowly and carefully across the deck of the ship. "You don't want to get caught by him, trust me. His kink is really strong."

"Damn it," the man muttered. "I promised Briggo that I wouldn't fight the Demon Lord on my own. But how was I supposed to know that he'd be on this specific ship? Half a dozen similar ships passed through here in the last few days alone."

"WAIT!" Truck-chan gasped. "Did you say BRIGGO?! Do you know Lor D. Briggo?"

The man laughed. "Know him? Briggo is my best friend, and my Captain!"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Truck-chan shouted. "You must be one of the Chad Lad Pirates."

The man nodded and smiled. "Yes, mam. The name's Bruno Brimstone, Briggo's First Mate."

"Briggo is my friend," Truck-chan said. "We traveled together to Animakistan and Nuxturia, but then the Demon Lord attacked us and abducted me."

"A friend of Briggo's? Well, why didn't you say so! Quit hiding in that truck and come on out. I'll protect any friend of Briggo's with my own life!"

Truck-chan sighed. "You don't understand. I'm not inside the truck. I AM THE TRUCK."

Bruno seemed puzzled. But there was no time to explain.

"THERE!" someone shouted from up above them. By the voice alone Truck-chan knew that it was Recon. He was looking down on them from the deck of his ship. "STOP THE THIEF!"

Several of the henchmen who stood next to Recon manifested fireballs in the palms of their hands, and then they launched them at Bruno.

But Bruno wasn't phased at all. He simply swung his battle axe with one arm, and all the fireballs were deflected by the swing. It was as if the axe had a powerful aura of its own, and the fireballs didn't need to actually make contact with the axe to be deflected. Just coming near the axe sent them flying backwards.

"GODDAMN IT!" Recon shrieked. "Who is that son of a bitch? And what is that truck doing here?!"

"Don't worry, Sire," one of the ship's officers said. "I'll handle the enemy!" The officer jumped from Recon's ship and landed gracefully on the deck of Bruno's smaller ship. A dark aura started billowing around him, and then his kink emerged. It was a large muscular woman wearing medieval armor, armor which still showcased her cleavage for some reason.

"PREPARE TO DIE, PIRATE!" the officer shouted, and then he began to laugh.

But his laugh was cut short as the wooden plank that he and his kink were standing on suddenly seesawed into the air, sending both the officer and his kink flying. They landed in the ocean a hundred meters away, and the plank returned into place.

"What the…" Recon muttered.

More fireballs flew at Bruno, but he repelled them again without trouble.

"Sire, why don't you summon Queen Melody? She will destroy this pirate easily."

"She's still recovering," Recon grumbled. "She needs more time." He looked around anxiously. "The girl! Did you find the girl?!"

"We're still looking, Your Majesty," someone called out from the distance. "We found pieces of her clothing on deck. She must be hiding."

Recon face twisted with rage. "Did you take her, you stinkin' thief bastard?! I'LL KILL YOU!!"

"Hurry," Truck-chan whispered to Bruno. "We need to escape."

"So that's the Demon Lord, huh? That weirdo in the purple onesie?"

"Yes, that's him," Truck-chan replied. "Please, we need to leave before his kink appears."

Bruno furrowed his brow. "Well, on the one hand, I gave my word to Briggo that I wouldn't engage the Demon Lord on my own."

"Yes," Truck-chan said. "So let's get going! Uhm… how do you sail this ship anyway? I don't see a crew, or sails."

"But on the other hand," Bruno continued, "I never turn my back to an opponent! And I never run away from a fight!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Recon shouted. "Do you have any idea who I am?! I am DEMON LORD HAVOC, and you shall bow before me!"

Bruno smirked. He took off running across the deck of his ship, and then he jumped. In a single leap he reached the deck of the bigger ship, and then he just stood there, staring directly at Recon.

"Did you just tell me to bow?"

Another officer who had been standing next to Recon quickly manifested a kink. This kink was some sort of red-skinned mermaid, and she lunged at Bruno with her sharklike teeth. However, Bruno blocked her bite with his axe, and while the kink struggled to break through the blade with her teeth, Bruno simply walked up to the kink's user and dropkicked him in the face.

The officer crumpled to the floor, and his kink evaporated.

"You filthy BASTARD!" Recon spat. "When Melody returns she'll cut your goddam head off!"

"THIS HEAD?!" Bruno shouted. He ran up to Recon and headbutted him square in the face. Recon dropped to the ground, blood spewing from his nose.

"AAAGH!!!" Recon screeched. "Melody… My Queen… please… HELP ME!"

Yet more fireballs and other magical attacks were launched at Bruno by Recon's henchmen, but he jumped backwards to avoid them. He dropped back down to the deck of his own ship, still not taking his eyes off his enemies.

"Let's go" Bruno said, and suddenly the smaller ship that he and Truck-chan were standing on started moving. But it wasn't merely moving; it was practically soaring through the waves as it left the bigger ship behind. No sailboat should have been able to move this fast, and yet this ship, which had no sails and no crew, was storming through the water as if powered by rocket fuel.

"What… what's going on?!" Truck-chan asked as the ship rocked and heaved violently. Then, in an instant, terror consumed Truck-chan as she saw one of Melody's scythes. The scythe flew from the bigger ship and affixed itself to the railing of Bruno's ship. The scythe was attached to the same long chain, and that chain must have led right back to Melody.

She was back, and she was coming for them!

But before Truck-chan had time to scream and warn Bruno, the railing that the scythe was attached to simply popped off and dropped down into the water. As both the railing and the scythe sunk beneath the water, Bruno's ship began to move even faster, and soon Truck-chan and Bruno left Recon's ship behind them.

"What… happened?" Truck-chan asked as the ship finally began to slow down. Bruno continued to face the Demon Lord's vessel until it was completely out of sight. When the other ship finally disappeared behind a large rock formation, Bruno turned to face Truck-chan.

"Don't worry, truck dude," he said. "That's just the power of my kink."

"I'm not a dude! I'm a girl."

As Truck-chan spoke, a woman bathed in orange aura emerged out of the deck of the ship itself. The woman was some sort of leopard/human hybrid. She had an athletic build, and she wore a camouflage-colored tank top and skirt combo.

"Well, truck girl, this is my kink. Her name is Panthera, and she has the ability to possess and control any inanimate object."

"Wow," Truck-chan said. "So she was sailing the ship all along!"

Bruno nodded. "Don't worry truck girl, you are safe now."

"Thank you!" Truck-chan replied. "Can you help me get back to Briggo and Birito-kun and the others?"

"Now that you mention it, it's about time for me to meet up with Briggo again. We have much to discuss."

"Can I come with you?!"

Bruno smiled. "It doesn't matter if you're a man, or a woman, or a sexy truck. Any friend of Briggo's is a friend of mine!"

"Thank you," Truck-chan said. "Thank you, Sir Bruno!"

Off in the distance, Truck-chan could see a large island. In that moment, she felt a warm aura of gratitude and happiness all around her. She couldn't wait to get onto dry land and leave the ocean behind her. And she couldn't wait to see Birito-kun again! He must be worried about her. And Briggo, too. They both must be so worried!

She thanked her lucky stars that Sir Bruno showed up when he did. And if trucks could cry, she would have cried a thousand tears of joy.

What was Birito doing in this very moment? Was he thinking about her, too?

"I'll see you soon, Birito-kun," she whispered to the wind.