Chapter 11.

 

    The next morning found myself once again entwined with a naked Sasha as the sun crested the horizon. The afternoon and night had seen us eating and soaking in the large tub. We had also spent the majority of the time preparing our belongings and sorting through them in order to get them ready for our travels.

 

    My clothes had arrived from Madam Bristol’s, and I had used the services of the marina club to order a wide selection of provisions for our journey to the capital. The fruits, vegetables, loaves of bread, and meats had all been stored in my ring, some of which I gave to Sasha as well.

 

    The last and most costly item the marina club had procured for me was a selection of manna crystals. I knew I had overpaid for them, but sometimes the luxury of having stuff delivered can’t be overlooked. Especially when you have more pleasant distractions to occupy yourself with than the hard cobblestone streets of a new city. The mana crystals came in four sizes; small, medium, large and extra-large. I had purchased three of the sizes. The small crystals cost 10 gold each, the mediums were a platinum Pennie, and the large was 1 platinum. The delivery fee was substantial as well; best to leave that out. 

 

    The reason I could not just make or drag the mana crystals from the ground was quite simple. The only place one could get mana crystals were from inside of dungeons. No amount of mining from any of the races had uncovered any, even when one was felt, as soon as mining began, it would disappear. So, to get my own mana stones, it was going to be diving into the dungeons for me or money. Lots and lots of money.

 

    [ Small mana crystal: Mana Capacity 200. Mana recharge rate: .14 per minute.]

   

   [ Medium mana crystal: Mana Capacity 800. Mana recharge rate: .55 per minute.]

 

   [ Large mana Crystal: Mana Capacity 2000. Mana recharge rate: 1.39 per minute.]

 

    I ran my hand up the back of Sasha’s neck to her head, where I gripped her and pulled her closer. Snuggling in deeper alongside her warm body. Her tongue left her mouth, and she lightly licked my cheek and kissed it. I could feel the dry cum on my leg from the night, where Sasha had fallen asleep with her leg draped over me.

 

    Her body was tone, and her skin was silky soft. I could not help myself as I reached down and began groping at her ass lightly. It was plump and round. The soft fur of her tails lightly brushed against my hands as I enjoyed the feel of her pressed against me. 

 

    One of the side effects of the body stat that books failed to mentioned back on earth, as I had the ability to be continually aroused. I could cum, and not one minute later, I would be back to full readiness, even as the waves of pleasure from an orgasm would be pulsing through my body. The natural healing effect of the world system, treated post ejaculation like an injury, trying to fill one’s tank back up as quickly as possible. I had also very easily discovered that through my healing life magic, I could easily make my sperm inactive, active, or even supercharged. I had thus ensured I would be leaving no children behind in the city.

 

    I laid that way cuddling with Sasha for another thirty minutes until her eyes opened slowly, and she said, “Good morning, Eric. Were you watching me sleep?”

 

    “I was, and it’s such a beautiful sight.” I smiled warmly down at the waking kitsune.

 

    “You’re too kind, master,” Sasha said as her cheeks flushed. She loosened her hold on me and stretched deeply. Sending long courses of tensing muscles rippling through her body. With a loud yawn, she added, “Is it about time to get ready and head to your ship? I still have not seen it, and I’m really excited.”

 

    “You bet your pretty little ass it is,” I said as I gave her backside a playful swat.

 

    “Yeep.” Sasha started as she then chuckled, gliding down my body before taking my cock in her mouth and sucking hard before getting up licking her lips. “The last one, there is a rotten egg.” She said as she dashed off to the bathroom.

 

Chapter eleven B.

 

    When we had bathed and dressed, we made our way to the front counter to settle the bill for the room and marina. Sasha wore a light blue sundress and blue flats. Her eyes sparkled almost as brightly as her smile. I wore thicker wool pants, a pair of boat shoes, and a light white tunic. 

    

    The room and marina fee were 12 gold coins, with the food and services I had used brought the total to 18 gold coins. I pulled the coins from my storage ring and the early morning assistant tucked them quickly into a drawer. “Pleasant travels, Lord Grayson. If you are ever back in the city, we are at your disposal.”

 

    After having taken care of the bill, both Sasha and I headed out down the docks. The sun had just crested the horizon, and the air had a slight chill to it. I walked to the boat slip that had been assigned to me. As I approached, I noticed Sasha was looking at the completely wrong vessel. My twenty-five-foot (7.6m) boat on the left was far less impressive next to the fifty (15m) or sixty-foot (18m) vessel on the right. Sasha stared at the larger boat and exclaimed, “Wow, it’s so big, Eric.”

 

    As she stood in front of me, I cleared my throat with a slight tang of embarrassment. “A hum, mine is this one,” I said, indicating mine on the left.

 

    Sasha’s face fell a little, then forcefully picked back up into a smile, “Oh… It’s so pretty… and looks nice.”

 

    “Thanks… it’s got some unique features I added when I made it.” I said as I watched a blush come over Sasha.

 

    I smiled playfully at her for a few seconds until she said, “Ummm… permission to come aboard, captain? That’s what I’m supposed to ask, right?”

 

    “Yes, I suppose it is. Yes, you may come aboard, Sasha.” I waved my hand at the sailboat. Sasha lightly hopped into the back and stood watching me untie the boat from the dock cleats. 

 

    Once the boat was untied, I tossed the ropes onto the deck, and with a flick of Magic, they coiled themselves neatly. I stepped into the back also and stood next to Sasha. I had spent some time this morning going over a few changes I wanted to make to the vessel to make it easier to handle.

 

    “I just have to make a few changes,” I said as I let my mana flow out of me. Sasha stared wide-eyed at me as I began to grow two handles near the right-hand seat by the tiller. It took only moments for two brass boat acceleration handles to take shape. Then for the tricky part, I attached the right and left handles, respectively, to two air and water enchantments; I placed three-quarters of the way down the back of the boat on the left and right side.

 

    This had the effect of acting as twin engines would and would make the boat much easier to steer. In the center of the handles, under a covering, I placed a small mana crystal. With its current mana pool, it would propel the boat for over just over three hours. I tied the mana crystal into the Enchantment for the propulsion and to what I like to think of as the autopilot. Luckily making such an Enchantment was easy for me, as I already had a working knowledge of how the propulsion should work.

 

    [Enchantment created: Hydrostatic Propulsion: This Enchantment allows for the use of water to provide high torque thrust when enchantment location is underwater. Mana cost: 1 mana per minute.]  

 

 

    “Did you just… I don’t even… I didn’t know… Magic.” Sasha said as a terrified tenor filled her voice, and she sank to her knees, pressing her head to the floor. “Forgive me, exalted master mage… I did not know…I never…” she trailed off as the quiver in her voice sent chills down my spine. What the hell had come over her.

 

    “Sasha, what the fuck are you doing? You’re freaking me out.” I asked, dumbfounded. 

 

    All she did was stay hunched over on the deck, muttering over and over, “please… please… please…” the terror in her voice was so palpable I felt sick to my stomach.

 

    I looked around, making sure no one was looking at us. Luckily the marina was empty except for some guards off in the distance. I knew we should get out of here. So, I sat in the seat and gently used the new force engine enchantments to back us out of the slip and take us toward the river. As the boat cleared the marina wall and glided back out into the river, I set the enchantments to off, sat up, and leaned over to start stroking Sasha’s back.

 

    “Sasha, will you sit up for me? Nothing’s changed; I’m still the same. Will you explain why you’re so scared?” I said in my most calming voice. The lazy rocking of the boat was gentle as the tiller began a slow path downstream to the center of the river.

 

    She didn’t move for long seconds, but finally, she managed in a small voice, “Yes, your most excellence. You are… you are a… I did not know you were of the exalted nobility.”

 

    “Sasha, I want you to sit up and take a seat across from me. Calm your mind and explain.” I said as I felt the Magic of the bond take hold and force her to do as I commanded. It made me sick to feel the terror coming from her through the bond, but I had to put her at ease. This beautiful girl should never know such fear.

 

    She sat up almost instantly and sat across from me. Her head was still downcast as she began to explain, “Most people have some magic, like myself, and we can learn a few spells. But… but, true magi have the ability to manipulate mana. They go to a school in the capital, and upon enrollment, they are given the title of an exalted lord; upon completion of their training, they are given the title of exalted baron. They outrank anyone at their same level within the nobility.” She took in a long shuddering breath, the Magic of the bond forcing her to remain calm and explain.

 

    She continued, “True magi are powerful and are the backbone of the Empire. Every slave knows to be in service to a magus is a great and terrible privilege. Slaves know we are nothing more than fodder for their spells. And it is expected that horrors are to be worked upon our flesh.” She finished.

 

    “I understand, Sasha,” I said as I moved to my knees and wrapped her in my arms. “I guess I had better explain some things to you then,” I said.

 

    As she sat in my arms trembling, I began to tell her what had happened to me over the past few days. How I had been given a quest of sorts by the Goddess Amara. Of my world and how I viewed slavery as an abomination. As I spoke to her, she began to calm until she was slightly back to normal.

 

    “So, you really aren’t a noble? And you’re not from this planet? And you took me on because I follow Amara, truly?” she asked as her courage began to build back up.

 

    “In truth, no, I am not a noble on this planet, and yes, I am from another planet in another universe, most likely. As for why I took you on, you asked, and madam Bristol did not seem to be a kind mistress, and I saw your brand.” I said.

 

    “No, she was not. So, are you going to use me for magics?” Sasha asked with a tremble still in her voice.

 

     “Never. I have had a great deal of fun with you and truly find myself lucky that you desired to be with me.” I said as I lightly rubbed her back and around her fox ears. I had spent the better part of an hour now calming Sasha down and getting her to return to some semblance of normalcy.

 

    She did not truly believe me, but through the slave bond, she could tell I was telling the truth. One of the few things the bond allowed a slave to intuit. 

 

    I just held her for a time allowing for the rest of her anxiety and fear to bleed away. “Now that we have that out of the way, beautiful. Why don’t you take a moment to go down below and explore the rest of my ship? I have to get the sails up and make a few more adjustments.”

 

    “Okay. I think I can do that. Thank you, Eric.” Sasha said with deliberate determination in her voice. Before she got up to go and explore below the decks, she kissed me. It was at first more to put her at ease than anything else, but after a few seconds, the kiss deepened, and I felt the remaining fear began to leave her.

 

    As Sasha went below deck, I turned my attention to a few more of the enchantments I wanted to work into my sailboat. I focused on the tiller and the Enchantment that I placed on it. I expanded its navigation ability, upgrading it without changing the base enchantment. Now it would scan three or 400 yards ahead of the boat and determine the depth of the water. It would also scan for any obstructions or obstacles that were in the path of the vessel.

 

    I heard Sasha’s excited giggles coming from down below and was happy to note that there was no tension coming through the slave bond. I raised the sails of the boat, and the wind that blew to the south quickly picked up the speed of the vessel.

 

    I would not say that I wasn’t bothered by how Sasha reacted to seeing the size of my vessel. It was, however, concerning, seeing as I was going to be trying to pass myself off as a noble. And of Sasha by all common accounts of this world, a common slave expected more from me than anyone in a position of power would expect a lot more.

 

Chapter eleven C

 

    The sun was about halfway to noon when Sasha reemerged from below the deck and walked around the entire outside of the vessel until she sat back on the other side of the tiller.

 

    The day was warm, and Sasha looked far more relaxed as she turned to me and asked, “Eric, how was the boat steering itself?”

 

    I chuckled softly as I said, “Magic, of course. In reality, what it’s doing is sensing where we are along the river and keeping us in the middle. It’s also looking out in front of us to see if there’s anything in the way and how deep the river is in guiding the boat accordingly.”

 

    “Wow. That seems like it’s a very powerful enchantment. How are you able to do so much? If it’s not too impolite of me to ask?”

 

    “Sasha, I want you to remember that when we are alone, I’m just Eric. And I really do not view you as a slave but an equal. Is that understood? I know when we are in public, people might overhear us, and I’ll have to act differently, but I truly do not enjoy it.”

 

    “I know you might not like it, but it’s all I’ve known. And I enjoy you being my master, and it makes me feel good and protected and worth a whole mountain of gemstones when I feel like I’m being a good slave for you.”

 

    “I understand, but as you’ve even said, it’s all you know. If it’s something you genuinely enjoy after you’ve had a chance to be normal around me, then I will continue. Until then, I want you to just be normal and do whatever you want. Is that understood?”

 

    “Yes, I do. But even when you tell me to be normal and do whatever I want, it is still a command, so I don’t see what your problem is with it?” Sasha said as she shook her head with a bemused smirk on her face.

 

    “Well, I suppose you’re right, but still, just as you’re going to have to get used to being around me, I am still trying to get used to being in this world. The fact that you have four beautiful tails and fox ears is still something I’m trying to come to grips with. In my world, all of this was just fantasy. Seeing all of this in vivid reality is still a little jarring for me.” I said as I took in the sight of the beautiful white-haired kitsune sitting across from me.

 

    “Well, I suppose we’re just going to have to practice then. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

 

    “Yeah, about that. I know you showed me your statistic sheet, but I was wondering if I was able to show you mine?”

 

    Sasha’s face got that dumbfounded expression again as she said, “You would show me your statistic sheet. Well, I suppose it’s okay, but really you should never offer to show anyone your statistic sheet. And if a guard asks or anyone else only show them a partial one.”

 

    “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind, Sasha, here take a look,” I said as I focused on my statistic sheet. I was able to quickly grasp how I could change the display to show only what I wanted. I made a flicking gesture toward Sasha, and she appeared to be reading something in midair. ‘I can’t see it either; good to know.’ I thought.

 

    I watched as Sasha looked over my sheet and her eyes went wide, and shock overtook her. she looked at me, pale face, and smiled nervously. “What is it now?” I asked playfully.

 

    She gulped, “your…your affinity is so high. I never… it should not be possible.”

 

    “Yeah. I figured they were high.”

    

    “No. high would be forty percent. Insanely high would be sixty-five percent. One hundred percent, that’s unheard of.” Sasha said as another ghostly smile crossed her face.

    

“Really?” I questioned.

 

    “Yes. To get into the magi academy, you need at least ten percent in one affinity. Even the mages of the ninth legion, the heroes of the army, don’t have affinities this high. I bet the shadow guard of the ninth isn’t even this high. And they’re the heroes of heroes. They have songs sung about them in taverns; they kill dragons and great beasts, giants and….” Sasha trailed off. 

 

    “Well, good, I wanted all the advantage I could get,” I said, smiling.

 

    “The exalted magi, powerful and bold, in shadow the fate of the Empire they hold. Onward march the ninth, through dungeons deep and old, onward march the ninth, over plane and mountain tall, onward march the ninth, the legions fist of power they hold.” Sasha said in a sing-song voice.

    

“hum.”

 

    “Well, don’t ever show anyone this if you can help it. I doubt the emperor even has affinities this high.”

 

    “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

    We rode in silence for a long time. Sasha would look over at me, study me, then face the front quickly. Back and forth she went, mulling something over in her mind.

 

    Finally, she got up and said, “I’m going to go and try and make some lunch. Want me to make you something?”

 

    “Thanks, Sasha,” I said as I beckoned her to come to me. I pulled her down onto my lap and lightly kissed her again. Her face flushed deeper, and she softly giggled, nuzzling my neck before heading down below.

 

    She came back up later with sandwiches and a bottle of light wine we drank, bypassing the bottle back and forth.

 

    It was clear that she was still nervous. But as we ate and drank, she seemed to settle more into herself. The warm, happy energy that she had so easily exuded began to come back; she was obviously coping with the changes much more easily than I was.

 

    “Hey Sasha, I can’t help but have noticed your face when you saw the size of my sailboat. Is there something wrong with it?”

 

    “I’m sorry about that, Eric. It’s just, you spent so much money back in Laga’vast. I was kind of expecting you to have some great galleon river ship. Now that I think about it, the fact that you didn’t have any servants should have tipped me off.”

 

    “Well, I’ve thought since we’re headed to the capital of the Empire, what would normally be expected of a noble?”

 

    “About that. I don’t know if you should try and pass yourself off in the capital. You will more than likely be questioned by the guards and Royal inquisitors. And I can see from your statistic sheet you do not have any noble ranking. Laga’vast is a major frontier city, and if you had spent more time in the city, I’m sure you would’ve been questioned about your nobility. In the capital, though I’ve heard, they take that really seriously. I would suggest that at most trying to pass yourself off as a rich merchant.”

 

    “I was afraid of something like this. You mentioned that people who enter the mage Academy receive a title of nobility; do you know of any other ways?”

 

    “There are only three ways I know about. The first, of course, is the mage Academy. The second is if you do really well in the legions, but I don’t know what all that entails. The third is if you survive fifty battles in the combat arena.” Sasha said.

 

    “Looks like I’m just going to have to decide on the way to get my nobility title. How big of a ship do you think I should have?” I said as I pondered the possible courses of action.

 

    “Maybe double the size of the ship. I don’t really know, but rich people usually always have large ships.”

 

    I pondered what Sasha had said for a while and began to design the ship I wanted to build in my head. It was well past mid-day when I found an appropriate-sized river Inlet that I could sail up. Taking down the sails and using the enchanted force engines I had created, I guided the ship up a smaller river.

 

    “Where are we going, Eric?” Sasha asked.

 

    “Oh, it’s a bit of a surprise. That looks like the perfect spot.” I said as I found a shallower part of the river that I was going to be able to begin my construction on.

 

    When the sailboat was in position, I stood up and linked my manna to the ship. The entire thing was constructed out of oak except for the stays. Normally willow would’ve been a horrible wood to choose. The fact I could basically keep the wood alive added an amazing amount of flexibility and strength.

 

    I let my manna seep into the boat, began to flow, and connect to every part of the vessel. I flexed my will and cast the plant manipulation spells I knew. Roots of the two types of trees immediately shot out from the bottom of the boat and dug deeply into the mud. They fanned out in all directions and began to soak up water and nutrients from the soil at an alarming rate.

 

    Sasha sat in the back of the boat transfixed as the entire vessel began to quiver and undulate gently. It took nearly 2 hours, but I finally grew the vessel that I had envisioned. It was 65 feet (20m) long and rose 6.5 feet (2m) above the water. Wood railings lined the deck, and the mast was now easily 70 feet tall. 

 

Everything was essentially the same except much larger. I doubled the size of the rudders and added an additional one connecting them inside the vessel with stainless steel gears. The back of the boat had expanded greatly. On the left-hand side, as you exited the inside of the ship, was a captain’s chair and pilots’ station that sat on a small raised platform. This ensured that one could see over the front of the boat if one wanted to steer the ship.

 

    The inside of the boat had a massive dining table, booths as well as benches for lounging. In the back, I made a captain’s quarters with its own private bath. The galley had tripled in size and could now easily accommodate multiple people. In the front two-thirds of the boat, I created cabins with bunk beds that could easily accommodate 12 to 14 additional crew members. I had formed large windows around the dining and sitting area, and it filled them in with double panes of thick crystal glass. It was quite a modern-looking sailboat, and with the added touches of Magic, I was going to make it as spectacular as possible.

 

    As the vessel grew itself, I wove durability and strength enchantments along with repair enchantments into the very fibers of the wood themselves. I continue to add the silver and brass embellishments wherever I saw fit along the vessel. The bathrooms got faucets that would summon water, along with showers and toilets. I added soft flickering orange mage lights embedded inside of diamonds that sat within brass wall sconces. The entire thing began to become a work of art, and as I worked, Sasha watched on in slack-jawed amazement.

 

    By the time I was done with everything, the sun was beginning to touch the far horizon. I had the roots slowly undulate and move us to the deeper part of the estuary before I had them sever themselves from the ship. The sailboat slowly began to turn in the river as the autopilot I had created took over and pointed us downstream to the much larger river.

 

    Ensuring that we were on the correct course, I sat back down along one of the benches next to Sasha and said, “well, the only problem I have with this larger vessel is I don’t know if I purchased enough sail material back in Laga’vast to make sails for this monstrosity?”

 

    “I… I didn’t know this was possible. I can’t believe I just saw that. You just… I mean… You just made it grow… From nothing.” Sasha said, completely dumbfounded as we floated down the river.

 

    “We’ll just put your mind at ease; I didn’t grow it from nothing. I used plant magic to send roots into the bottom of the river and just accelerated the natural growth and guided it. Still impressive, but not formed from nothing.”

 

    “Might as well be,” Sasha said as she rolled onto her side to adjust her blue-tipped foxtails.

 

    “So, what you think now, big enough,” I said, emphasizing the big enough part.

 

    “Yeah, I would definitely say it’s big enough now. Eric, I hope you know that there is probably not a mage alive on the planet that could do what you just did.” Sasha said as her blue eyes gazed at me, and she bit the bottom of her lip, looking at me with longing.

 

    “For a slave that was working in a tailor shop, you seem very informed?”

 

    “My story is a long one, and there are not many happy parts to it. I can tell you that when I was younger, a little girl, I was owned by a noble girl who was just a year older than me. I stayed with her for five years, and that’s where I learned most of this information; from her family and the other slaves of the household. The rest of that story….” Sasha said as she began to trail off.

 

    “It’s okay, Sasha, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But if you ever feel like you need to, I’ve always got an open ear.”

 

    “Thank you, Eric; you will never know how much your small kindnesses mean to me.”