Gestation by John Gold (love books to read .txt) 📗

for you. I need a map of everywhere you’ve been. I figure you can use your skill as a cartographer.”

“Everywhere? Kid, do you have any idea how many places I’ve been in my fifty years? Or how much time that would take?”

He took the bait! I have to set the hook.

“What would you like in return?”

The brigadier frowns.

“You haven’t made me an offer! And you’re asking me something like that? Give me an offer, and I’ll think about it.”

“I can offer you eighty gold.”

Caris laughed loudly.

“Sagie, did you really just ask me to draw up a record of my life for eighty gold? Even the map I drew for you out of the goodness of my heart is worth a hundred. And you’re talking about practically the entire Ocean of Terror!”

I made a mistake, insulting him with my offer, but I know how I can recover. I pull the black pearl out of my pocket.

“I imagine we can come to an agreement. Don’t you think so, Caris?”

He stops laughing, his attention locked on the pearl.

“Where did you get that treasure?” The brigadier clenches it in his hand. “It’s worth more than our entire village put together!”

“From the bottom of the ocean. So, will you make me that map?”

“Yes. Give me the paper. This will take me a long time, and we have to hurry.”

He disappears into the cabin of his boat and doesn’t come back until just after the ship shows up. That gives me plenty of time to think about what I’m going to do on my way to the continent, and finally come up with a plan for how to get back to work on myself.

The most popular specialty for mages is fire, at least, that’s according to the statistics online. When you finish your training and get to the tenth level of magic mastery, you get access to a second specialty. Most people double up on the damage bonus they get by going with the same one. Anyway, the majority of the time, I’ve been attacked physically, with poison, and with fire. I need to be able to defend myself and kill my attackers, so I need to boost my defense and attack. I want to be completely impervious to mental attacks, too. The best offense is a good defense, and the best defense is a good offense. That’s what the ancient gladiators thought, anyway. It’s a principle I can use.

The enormous six-masted sailing ship arrived right on schedule. It had three decks and a large hold, making it something like an ark. I share my opinion with Caris, getting an answer back.

“In storms, ships like that are practically unsinkable. They don’t capsize, either. Here’s the map I promised. I wasn’t able to get everything done, but it’s still my greatest work.”

I take the map and look around to find Zird, where I’m supposed to have my trial with the Hunters. It’s not here! I wonder if the city is too small or if it’s just missing.

“Caris, do you know where a city called Zird is?”

“No, doesn’t ring a bell. How soon do you need to get there?”

“In seven months. I’m trying to figure out where it is. That’s why I needed the map.”

Caris stood there for a while, lost in thought. Everything about him spoke of an internal struggle.

“There’s still time left before the ship leaves, so I’ll let you know if I think of anything. Good luck.”

He heads back to his boat; I make for the ship.

It costs just ten gold to get to Congul, the nearest continent. Another fifty gets me my own cabin in the nose of the second deck. The ship runs between Katain and Congul, taking the longest route and dropping by the small islands near Heron. Nobody goes any further out into the Ocean of Terror. Judging by the map, the ship goes between the northern continents, the western and the eastern ones.

I couldn’t be happier. The map is gorgeous. It even includes which way the wind blows at different times of year, not to mention the currents. The coastal areas around all four continents are included, while there is a large black spot in the middle of the Ocean of Terror. The captain tells me that it’s home to monsters who can swallow whole ships, and that nobody’s ever sailed to the center of the ocean and lived to tell the tale.

I have big plans for the next two weeks, and that’s why I got my own cabin in the bow. That’s where the wind carries all the smells of the sea.

The ship spends half the day at the island, giving me the chance to run around one more time and pick up the ingredients I need. I grab half a ton of freshly picked herbs.

Then, after the ship sets sail, the first thing I do is set up a lab for brewing poisons. I’ve spent the last two weeks making concentrated solutions and ointments, after all. I always have a patch of poisonous ointment on under my shirt now, and I need to stock back up.

The most poisonous fish in the ocean are the brightest ones. There’s even something like a fugu, the most dangerous fish in the sea. And collecting poison is exactly how I’m planning on spending the trip. Poisonous potions, depending on the way they act, can also bring to bear other effects, such as reducing your attributes, paralyzing you, stunning you, and causing hallucinations. My enemies are skillful! I’m better off playing it safe ten times than making one mistake. Plant and animal poisons have different effects, and I’m looking for as many different ingredients as I can to boost my resistance.

That’s the first part of my plan, and I get started right away.

Magic scrolls are this world’s best invention. There’s a magic seal on the paper, and only a human aura and the key phrase activate them. The charge they hold depends on the material, though there are occasionally mana storage stones. Those