Dragon Sorcerer 1- Chapter 37 (Patreon)

Chapter 37- Dock

The next three days went by very quickly. I was kept busy training and Lisella barely spoke to me. In fact, after everything had been revealed she had only said three things. One of them was a statement of the obvious, one a question, and the final an instruction. She’d exclaimed that she didn’t know how none of them had figured it out up to this point.

Then she had asked me, “Does, Modessa know?”

When I’d assured her that the rogue didn’t know, she urged me to keep it that way for now. Despite her skill set, she actually is a woman of honor. Don’t tell her I admitted that to you, though. You just have to understand that she has a harsh past, and the empire saved her. She might not be willing to keep your secret, so we have to frame this properly.”

I did get my fifty gold, which was a type of heaven all in and of its own. I had no idea that gold could feel so good. The metal was soft and warm, almost like it had its own internal heat. I’d touched one of Cami’s gold coins when we had been dealing with Daggin and it sent shivers down my spine, but this was a whole new level of bliss. This gold was mine, and that made it so much more precious.

One afternoon when I was sure that Galbrecht was out of the inn and Lisella was busy, I’d gone back to my room and laid down on the bed before slowly pouring the contents of the coin pouch onto my chest. It wasn’t biggest enough for me to roll around in it, but I considered changing myself into something smaller, maybe a duck, so I could get the full immersion experience. But no, even then I’d need more gold for it to really work.

Cami and I hadn’t been given enough free time for us to talk, but I was feeling better about things. Telepathy allowed me to tell her about Lisella and get her agreement to let my mentor help figure out how to tell her mentor. What was odd though was the way that she looked at me when I walked out of my room after pouring out my gold and dreaming of larger mounds of the rare metal.

What she said hadn’t made any sense. “That was kind of an odd experience. Uh, maybe I shouldn’t ask, but what were you up to?”

I shrugged and checked to make sure no one was in the hallway near us before I replied, “Just playing with my precious.”

She frowned but said, “I sorta figured that. This connection has some complications I hadn’t considered.”

I left confused, but at least she didn’t seem unhappy. From there, most of my time was spent training. I sparred with Galbrecht, went through various exercises, and even practiced footwork with Cami under Modessa’s watchful eye. Of course, silence was expected that way, so the only communication they could manage was telepathic.

The rest of my time was spent learning to read. Lisella’s face had gone bright red when she learned that her apprentice didn’t know how to read. Then she’d mumbled something about how it made sense. I found that reading was highly overrated. The only reason humans needed such a cumbersome device to pass on stories was because of their lack of the dragon dream. I felt sorry for them, but most especially for those poor sods who must have sat up till 2 A.M. scratching away, trying to get a few more words into these books of theirs.

I was more than grateful when Galbrecht came in and told me that we were all leaving for the docks. It was time to board the ship and head out. The winds apparently would be favorable this afternoon or something. I didn’t pretend to understand. It was just another human weakness to be subject to the elements rather than mastering them. I liked what Draconis had said in the dragon dream. He called himself the storm wielder. I certainly wasn’t there yet, but it was a target to aim for.

When we got to the dock, I found that Daggin was already waiting for us. Some of the sailors were carrying his materials onto the ship while he took a careful inventory of everything. The stuff must have been heavy for normal humans because Lisella’s gold might have bought the smith a spot on the ship, but it surely didn’t keep the complaints from pouring out of the sailors’ mouths.

I had never seen a human vessel like this and even running through my memories; I didn't think that many of my ancestors had. There was some recollection, but not much. So it was with fresh eyes that I saw the ship.

It was massive, so large in fact that I heard the captain boasting at one point that a dragon could fit inside his hold with room to spare. I kept my thoughts to myself, but laughed at the idea of what type of fool would put a dragon inside such a fragile wooden vessel.

Two masts that stretched up into the sky and an array of canvas sails that could only be seen when the wind began to fill them.

The ship had two masts that stretched up into the sky and an array of canvas sails that could only be seen when the wind began to fill them. Work had already begun on board as sailors were preparing it for our voyage. There were crates being loaded onto the deck, barrels being rolled around and shouts of “heave” as they moved things across the slippery boards.

I watched in fascination; it seemed that every man knew his job, and they worked together with a level of organization I had yet to see amongst humans. Their lives usually seemed so chaotic. No two humans in the city had been doing the same thing and yet here they all worked at though they were extensions of a single organism.

Daggin was definitely out of his element, but still managed to help make sure all his goods were tied down tightly. The ship hadn't even left the dock, but the half-dwarf had a greenish tint to his skin beneath his full beard. I heard him muttering more than once, "Stone beneath my feet. Stone above my head. So is a dwarf born. So is a dwarf buried."

The ship had three decks, the topmost was the quarterdeck where I assumed the captain, officers, and weather mage would plot their course and keep a look-out. Below that was the main deck, which held most of the supplies and tools needed for sailing. The third deck was a series of cabins where we’d eat, sleep and socialize while below us was the ship's hold, which was full of a variety of goods ranging from wine to cloth and of course Daggin's disassembled forge.

I heard my name being called out in a gruff voice from behind me and when I turned around, I saw Daggin pointing at me from atop a large stack of wooden crates he had just finished securing the last of his goods.

He gestured for me to follow him to the lower levels of the ship and pointed out hidden compartments cleverly concealed within the walls. With a few light presses or turns of an inconspicuous lever or knob, the secret compartments opened. Inside were a variety of well-wrapped packages. I didn't need to be a dragon to recognize valuables when I saw them.

"How'd you discover these?" I asked.

"As if there's ever been a secret compartment which a dwarf couldn't find," he bragged.

I chuckled. "Ah, so you were feeling sick and stumbled down the hall using the wall to keep you upright."

He blushed a bit before nodding. "Here, let me show you how to detect the seams. It's well done, but if you know what to look for you can feel the slight variation in the grain of the wood."

Cami came up behind us, but I shushed her before she could ask what we were doing. She was every bit as fascinated as I was by what the half-dwarf was showing us.

"These are probably where the captain keeps his special cargo, so that even if he's boarded by customs officers, they won't find it. He could even use it as a bargaining chip with if he ran into pirates."

I felt a surge of excitement from Cami. "Is there much of a chance of running into pirates?"

Daggin's head bent back and he gave a belly laugh while simultaneously pulling us back up to the main deck. I imagined it wouldn't do us any favors if the captain or his crew found us near their secret compartments.

"Only very unlucky pirates," he replied. "Can you imagine the look on their faces when they realize that there are five level twenty adventurers onboard?"

Cami laughed at that. Then Daggin added, "The only real danger for a ship this well equipped even without the adventurers would be some terror of the depths."

Now I was intrigued and listened as he continued. "Those sailors talk like old women, but from what they said, there hasn't been a ship sank by one of the beasts of the deep for decades. They were superstitious about it, but it sounds like the odds are very slim."

I felt as though a weight had just settled onto me. It was that feeling when someone is watching you from behind and you suddenly realize it. I quickly glanced all around but didn't notice anything amiss.

A series of orders rang out, and I heard the clanking of heavy metal as the anchor was pulled up. Then minutes later the ship was starting to move. I saw the weather mage up on the quarterdeck.

He was weaving his hands as he channeled magic into a spell. I immediately realized I could learn it. Since it was a Tier 3 spell, it seemed like it might be useful. Especially if I wanted to be he who wields the storm as my ancestor had been.

I watched intently and started moving my hands in the same pattern that he was working his hands. I could see the weaves of magic, and then the notification came.

You may choose to add the spell Weave the Wind to your Tier 3 Innate Spells. Do you wish to do so? Note: You may only ever know six Tier 3 Innate Spells, and while it is possible to change them out later, it will cost you DKP to do so.

I triggered the choice and then received the spell.

Weave the Wind - Tier 3 spell. This spell enables the caster shape the wind within the area of effect. Current weather conditions may limit the effectiveness of the spell. This spell must be channeled to be effective.  The more mana channeled, the greater the effect.

Mana: 35.

Channeling Cost: 4 mana per minute minimum.

Cast Time: 12 seconds.

Range: 300’ + 100’/level.

AoE: 75’ radius per level

A second notification popped up a moment later.

You may choose to learn the Channel Mana skill. Cost: 1 DKP.

That wasn’t too bad, so I bit the bullet and spent it. A number of spells could benefit from this ability, so I might as well get it now. As soon as I had learned the spell and gained the skill, I heard the soft rustle of cloth behind me.

Lisella came to stand next to me and spoke in a low voice. “Did you just learn another spell?”

I nodded.

“Which one?”

“Weave the Wind. It’s just a Tier 3 spell.”

“Just Tier 3 he says and you aren’t even at the university yet. Modessa is going to be even more convinced that you’re a wild mage. How is this even possible?”

I tilted my head and looked at her with incredulity. Cami chuckled softly but tried to hide it as well as she could. Eventually Lisella walked away and I would have liked to enjoy my satisfaction at confusing her yet again, but every time I looked out across the expanse of water which spread before us, I got that eerie feeling of being watched all over again.