A Bright and Shiny Life

The sea is as beautiful as I remembered, all sparkly and blue. Ships sail peacefully in the distance, and I’m filled with a sudden desire to board one. Even the air tastes different.

The security at the gate is very light. The guard merely writes a name, occupation and destination before charging me a copper and letting me in. They are still checking wagons, but only a cursory inspection.

Prices are much less than Fluemberg, having the standard price controls. The meal at the inn is similar to the Flaming Goose, but only costs two coppers while a private room costs a medium.

It’s also a much brighter town. Everyone is smiling– I’ve never been to a happier place. In the cult we would go on outings to acquire sacrifices, however we always went to the poorest places as easy hunting grounds and means of indoctrination to make us feel superior for following Anar. The only place close to feeling this happy was the place I lived with Gebal before the resistance, but even then, there was an undercurrent of worry.

“How much would you say passage to central might cost.” I ask the server as she clears my plate– adding an extra copper to it.

“Oh, typically a medium to large silver, depending on how much space they have.”

“And if I wanted a private room?”

“Pffft. I don’t know. Gold at least. Maybe two.”

I nod. “And how much would I make working for passage?”

“Sailors make a large copper a day, plus shared room and board. You have experience?” She looks sceptical.

I shake my head. “I’m a mage.”

“No idea then. You’d probably know more than me. It would depend on what you can do, no?”

“I can divine routes and use combat magic.”

“Hmm, trained fighters might make a small silver a day, depending on the route and if they’re doubling as sailors. Navigator might make a medium. You might negotiate based on how many crew you can replace. It’s not just the saved pay, but saved space and food they can use for more cargo.”

“Do you know of any ships that might hire me?”

“There’s two going to central, assuming you don’t care which port you’re going to. I don’t know if either will take you. The Twisted Lilly is set to leave, but local mages say the winds won’t be right until the morning after tomorrow. The Bloated Mallard is scheduled to depart in four days. The Mallard is bigger with more cargo and crew.”

“Thanks.” I say placing two more coppers on the table.

I take my luggage to my room and leave it there except for the staff and a pack containing the books, letters, and a few light items. I go to the bloated mallard first with the reasoning that a bigger boat might be nicer and need more crew, but it turns out they already have a mage and won’t hire me.

“So, you’re a mage, navigator, and doctor all rolled into the one? At your age?” Captain Wallace Sraw of the Twisted Lilly asks sceptically.

“I have medical knowledge, but I didn’t claim to be a doctor. Likewise, while I have some knowledge of navigation, what I’m offering is to assist your navigator, not replace them. I can divine any route they select to check if it’s safe. Also, I can use magic to protect the ship if it comes to that.” I feel like I have to shout to be heard through his bushy beard and old age. Though he isn’t really that old, he just gives the impression.

“What magic?” He asks.

I motion him to follow me to the rear of the ship looking out on the bay, then cast firestream over the water where nothing might get burnt. People on the dock shout in alarm from the light, heat and whooshing air, but I ignore them.

“Aye, that can be helpful against pirates. Anything else you can do?”

“I have some ability in mundane arms, but my main utility is the divination. Detecting pirates and other danger miles, even days away.”

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it. But I’ll kill ya if you steer me wrong, understood? What are you asking for all this?”

“… I need a private room, and fair compensation.”

“A private room?!” He shouts.

“My divinations require space to work properly. I have a means that requires less space, but it’s far less reliable… are mages common on pirate ships?

“Not that I know of. Knights sure, but powerful mages might blow up the ship they’re chasing. There are a few who have fancy tricks though. There was one who could kill a whole crew from over the horizon while leaving the ship, but the empire tracked her down quick. Haven’t been many after that.”

“But there might be mages who don’t take part in combat so you wouldn’t know about them? Some whose job might be tracking their prey?”

“Yeah maybe, why?”

“Because if there are pirate mages who track rich merchant ships then the only way to prevent them is to have a mage of your own doing what I’m offering. But for me to beat them, I will need my best methods, which requires the private room.”

“…Fine. It’ll be a small one though. Let’s go over what I think is fair for you then. To start I normally keep five dedicated guards to protect against both pirates and mutiny. I already took on a squire who claims she can do the job of them. I paid the five a small silver a day each, so you’ll split what I was paying them with her.”

“You’ll also be saving on food with us, and some space as well.” I point out, thankful of the server’s advice. “And we’ll be much better at protecting you than five mundanes.”

“… Fine, four silver for fighting. Then there’s your medical service. We don’t have a doctor, but they would normally rate a medium silver a day. I’ll rate you as an apprentice and give you half. Same with your navigation role. I’d pay you more, but you’re taking up a lot of space. That brings you to a medium and four small silvers. Be that acceptable?”

“Hmm, I would point out that while the private room might be significant, besides the guards I’m taking the place of a doctor and half a navigator– both of which would have their own tools and work areas. With that consolidated, even giving me a small private cabin should save you more space than just replacing the guards.”

“…I’ll add a small silver then. Anything else?”

“Maybe. Do you have any maps and navigation tools I can keep in my room? It’ll help with the divinations.”

“The navigator has some you can reference, but they’ll be needing them all at their station.”

“Then I’ll need to buy my own. Add a… two gold to cover that expense, and then we’ll be good.”

“I’m not giving you gold to scarper off with.”

“It doesn’t have to be up front. I have enough for now.”

“Very well, I’ll make up the contract. With sums this large it’s best for the agreement to be in writing, and witnessed by the harbour master.”

Leaving the harbour master’s with the contract signed I feel that Morri would be proud of me for my haggling, and then feel confused as to why I would care about the opinion of a man I spent a mere ten minutes with.

It’s about three hours after noon, so I quickly find a cartographer and spend two gold on three maps, another gold on a compass, two large silvers on two astronomy books– one navigation, one divination– a large silver for needles, thread, bandages and physician tools, and a small silver for one hundred and twenty lead bullets.

I could have likely gotten all of this from Lindrid had I thought of it, but I didn’t have a use for the physician tools and the bullets are heavy. Besides, the rest will likely be of higher quality here in a larger town (small city really) at the sea.

The maps include: one large map of the entire western Arkothid-Hyclead sea on which we will be sailing, and two equally large ones detailing smaller areas with ‘treacherous obstacles’ we’ll be going through on the way.

I’m familiar with astronomy in divination which I’ve used for navigation, but most of my knowledge comes from Anar related practices, and I should have a broader understanding if I’m going to use it in the entrance exam. I don’t think I’ll be able to learn much during the trip, but at least they’ll serve as reference if I need them.

I’m tempted to buy a book on alchemy, since I think it might be related to what went wrong with the granary. However, I have no knowledge of that field beyond what applies to herbalism, so it would likely take too much time better spent improving my strengths.

I also looked for a divination book specializing on my rod method, but I can’t find any. There is a general divination book for a medium gold. Expensive, but not extremely when dealing with magic. I consider getting it but decide I can get better in the capital, and I’ll still be figuring out the little in the grimoire for a while anyways.

Having purchased everything I need, I go back to the inn to spend one last night on land, as well as buying two more meals at two coppers each– which still seems cheap after Fluemberb though it’s actually a bit expensive.

The next day I move all my items to the Twisted Lilly and settle in. It’s a small room, but a little bigger than expected. It has a hammock hanging high from the walls, a small folding chair and table, a tiny window, and just enough floor space for me to sit at the centre and fully extend my arm holding a divining rod and not hit the wall– making it barely large enough for the whole divination array.

Setting up the array starts with taking sheets of paper and writing a symbol on each of them. The twelve I use in this case are the four cardinal directions, weal, woe, wax, wane, wind, rain, storm, and blood.

I arrange them in a circle around the room and stand a wooden rod flat end on top of each of them. I have been engraving symbols on the rods ever since Fluemberb in anticipation of this, and one of the symbols coupled with chanting will prevent them from falling from anything but the stormiest seas or a direct blow (I’ll have to be careful when opening the door). Otherwise, they will remain upright until an event somewhere triggers a divination.

For instance, making a course change towards a storm will cause the storm and direction rods to fall over. If a significant object like a map is placed in the centre of the circle, then the rods will fall to intersect where on the map the event will occur (staying there with the same magic that kept them erect). In this way a divination can occur even if I’m out of the room.

There are more proactive divination methods usable with the rods, especially the silver one. But I think this is best for now, since it’s one of the easiest for a novice to interpret and gives me time to practice other magic. Even this I only managed to finish learning while I was setting it up– a lucky thing since I was planning on bluffing until I figured it out.

Though it wouldn’t have been that big of bluff. It turns out the crystal pendulum can be used on a boat since it uses the surrounding energy to move in the first place, and that includes waves. It can have accuracy issues in storms, but that’s more to do with the person holding it.

Setting up the array takes longer than it seems, since beside marking each piece of paper I have to calculate and measure the arrangement, and which rod to put on each paper since none of the rods have the same set of symbols. Then each rod takes up to a half hour chanting spells to affix them both in place, and to the divination. It’s a task that will take nearly all day.

Still half done at noon I go back to the inn for lunch. On the way back to the ship, I spot an odd food vendor selling something to nobles. The cart is a chest on wheels with some sort of metal box on top and arcane symbols. The vendor is a woman about my age in a fine (but not noble fine) blue and white dress holding a parasol while sitting down under a shady tree. When not selling to nobles she’s reading a small book, which is to say most of the time.

The nobles look happy while eating what she sells them, which looks like a white ball on a thin trencher.

“Hey, what are you selling?” I say, my curiosity grabbing hold of me.

“Ball of frozen cream on a sugared trencher: one gold.” She says without looking up.

“A gold, for cart food?” I ask, having flashbacks of Fluemberg.

“It’s the best food, tastes better on the beach, and only I can make it. One gold or leave.” She says, still not looking up from her book.

“All right.” I say, letting my curiosity win.

She looks up finally, seeming a bit surprised that someone is willing to pay for her overpriced food. Shrugging, she takes the gold, opens the metal box– letting out steam– and pulls out a conical crisp piece of bread which forms a shallow bowl. She opens the cart, mist puffing out, and spoons a white sphere with red spots onto the trencher, which she hands to me along with a small wooden spoon.

“Today’s flavour is…” she glances down, “berries. Enjoy.”

I take the food and tentatively bite the ball. It feels cold and smooth and tastes like… like I just sacrificed someone to Anar.

Everything feels better: the summer sun, the wind, the sea spray– all fantastic. It’s so sweet, the trencher too. The combination of the cold cream melting onto the warm trencher which absorbs it is the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I want more.

“Two gold.” The woman says, not looking up.

“You’re doubling the price?” I stare dumbfounded. This woman makes Anar seem like an honest merchant.

“Now you know how good it is.” She says cooly.

“You’d make more money if you had a more reasonable price.”

“But then I would have to work more. After all, I’m the only one who can make it.”

“Are you saying that was a magic item that you made?”

“Half correct. I use my own ice magic variant to freeze the cream, but you also need to know the mundane techniques.”

“…I’ll have to learn ice magic then.”

She looks up, a little annoyed. “Oh, you’re a mage? I should have charged you more. You’ll have to pay a medium gold for future scoops.” She goes back to the book.

I stare at her dumbfounded again. “… So, you don’t really seem to care if anyone buys your frozen cream. Is this a sort of rich person’s hobby or something?”

“Something like that.” She glances at me and decides that someone her age is as good of person to vent to as any. “I’m going to take the entrance exam at the imperial academy at central, but my parents didn’t want to send me saying there are too many pirates or Caethlian outlaws for me to go and they’ll just hire a tutor at home if I want to learn magic. Idiots. Well, they can’t complain if I earn the coin myself, can they? Nothing really came to mind, so I figured I’d try to monetize my hatred of summer. It’s so hot here. It’s almost worth going to the academy just for the cooler climate. Anyways, turns out I didn’t need the coin because the captain offered to hire me for protection, but it’ll be three more days before they sail so I might as well make a little money while I wait.” It is the calmest venting I’ve ever heard, spoken in a smooth steady pace that makes it impossible to interrupt, all while still reading her book.

“The captain hired you? Was that the Bloated Mallard?”

“Yeah, he gave me a spacious room with a nice bed too. Big window and enough space for my enchanted freezing box and a few cases of luggage. I was worried because I didn’t want to leave my library behind. It even has its own bath. The pay almost competes with what I make with the cream. Why? Are you going to central too?”

“Yeah, I um, tried to get hired on there, but it seems he already had you. I’m hired on the Twisted Lilly. It’s… not nearly as nice as that.”

“Ah, well I guess he just knew he didn’t need another mage when he had me. Good… Are you going to buy another cream or not?”

“Oh, no um… good luck with the entrance exam.”

She doesn’t reply.

That was unexpectedly dangerous. She was probably too absorbed in her book to recognize me if she saw me again, but if she notices me at the academy then I’ll have to explain why I was in this town in clothes that are at best middle class.

Also, so annoying. Who just tells a random person how great their job is?

When I get back to my room that I can only think of as cramp now, I see that the rods for woe and west are knocked over– being the direction she is in. I grumble as I stoop over and start the chant to reset the divination.