Chapter eight A.

It took three days of sailing down the river to finally come to a large city, with me passing a large trading barge on the second day. I was not close enough to get a good look at the crew, but I definitely saw one with wings and a few with what could have only been tails.

During that time, I played around with my new powers. Creating a few more spells that had lethal effects, as I could aim them into the water. Finally, I got to use fireball and a few others to boot.

[ You have learned the Spell:

Lightning bolt: Base cost: 75 mana, error… 1 mana per second channeled lightning. Level 1.

Fireball: Base cost: Error… .1 mana per casting. Level 1.

Flame whip: Base cost: Error… .1 mana per foot of flame whip, .1 mana per second. Level 1.

Ice spear: Base cost: 35 initial mana, error… .1 mana per 1mile per hour (1.6Km an hour). Level 1.

Arcane Shield: Base cost: Error… .1 initial mana, .1 mana per second. Level 1.

Plasma beam: Base cost: Error… .1 initial mana, 15 mana per second channeled. Level 1.]

"Ah, it's so nice to be overpowered in magic, at least I think I am." I thought to myself.

On my trip downriver, I had attempted to fish, but when I had finally caught one, a huge serpent-like creature broke the surface of the river and snatched it up. I decided it was not worth the risk just for some sport and solid food. So, I stopped fishing from my small ship.

Each morning I climbed the mast to check my surroundings. For two days, all I saw was rolling hills patched by forests and swaths of grassland. On the morning of the third day, I saw the telltale signs of a large city downstream with soft drifts of white smoke and the outlines of what I thought was a wall.

It was around noon when I was close enough to climb the mast and get a good look at the city, well, at least the ports. There were two harbors; the first was filled with beautiful sailboats of various kinds. All were docked in their own berths, and it was clearly a spot for the wealthy to keep their ships. The second was downstream and much larger. I could just make out the massive forms of the river barges and fishing boats being loaded with crates. The crews of the ships were small figures bustling around and securing cargo for transport.

"Well let's see if I can't tuck myself into the wealthy harbor first." I said as I took down the sails on my boat. Using some arcane mana manipulation, I made a kinetic force; it pushed the boat easily into the harbor for the wealthy. I pulled up to the end of a dock. I secured the boat to the dock with a rope and hopped out.

I waited for a few minutes on the dock until an older woman and two guards strode down the dock from the shore. The woman had gray hair pulled back in a tight bun. She wore a blue skirt that covered her ankles and a matching jacket with white lace that spilled from the neck and wrists. She held a small old fashion traveling writing desk in one arm. The guards were well-appointed in their dress, and the scaled coats of armor they wore gleamed brightly in the light. They held a tower shield in their left hand, a spear in their right, and a sword hung from their hip. The short cape they wore was a bright scarlet red with gold embroidery along the edges.

"Good day my lord." The woman said as she approached. Her eyes scanned my ship and my attire, and though the vessel was small compared to the other ships, it seemed to pass whatever inspection she had given it. It helped that also on my travel, I had spent a good deal of time embellishing the vessel to help me get used to creating and fusing materials together. Inlays of silver leaves now decorated the railings and mast; they coiled around in the pattern of leaves and vines. Gold knotwork decorated the edge of the cabin, and a few other additions with gems dotted the designs.

At the same moment, a new ability was unlocked. [ New Ability discovered; linguist: grants the capability of speaking any language that is heard, language must be within human vocal cord range. Allows for the complete automatic translation of heard languages into one's native understanding. Allows for reading and writing of foreign languages as long as wielder of ability could read and write beforehand. Level 10 out of 10.] I don't know what being in a tornado of soft silky feathers would be like, but that's what my brain went through. I felt the system in my mind like a whirling soft tornado. Time slowed, and then as quickly as it began, it was over, and I could speak the language.

"Good day to you as well. I will be needing a berth." I stated not in a harsh tone, but I was going to try and pass myself off as a noble.

"Very well my Lord; we have a few slips open at present. The cost is five gold coins per day."

"ahh Humm." I Cleared my throat. "I seem to be lacking coins at the moment, but will this do until I can exchange my gains for coins?" I asked as I reached into my bag of holding and withdrew a gold nugget.

The woman's face shifted from a slight frown to a smile as she said, "Why of course my Lord. Let me just get some information from you and I will assign you a berth. I will mark that you will pay upon departure. If you do not pay the fee when you depart your ship will be sold to cover the cost. All quite standard my Lord." She took my information; name, level, and reason for my visit. I added the lord part to my name for good measure, lord Eric Grayson, level 19, resupply and selling goods.

I moved my ship to the birth indicated by the woman. I watched her disappear off down the dock to tend to other matters. I held a receipt for my ship, and another was magically tagged onto my vessel. All magically enchanted so I would be the only one who could remove the boat from the berth.

Upon my earlier inspection of the city, the harbor I now found myself in connected to the city by two gates. The downstream gate led to what I imagined was a merchant class district with well-appointed brick buildings. The upstream gate led to what was clearly a wealthy noble area. The polished gray stone streets that started just after the gate, lined with iron lamps and clear walkways out of the street, is what gave it away.

I walked down the dock and toward the large building in the harbor. It had a sitting area and looked to be more a marina country club than anything else.