Chapter 15.

 

    When I woke, it was to sunlight streaming in on my face. I stretched and realized I was alone in the cabin. I headed to the bathroom. Sasha had left clothes out for me on a countertop, black pants, a light short-sleeved shirt, boxers, socks, and the flatboat shoes I had.

 

    The smell of sizzling bacon wafted into the room as I made my way into the gally. "Good morning, master Grayson; how did you sleep?" Came the kind voice of May. She was busy over the stove and looked at me over her shoulder.

 

    "Very well. What time is it?"

 

    "It's just about mid-morning, my lord. Here now, why don't you have a seat at the table, and I'll bring you some breakfast." May said, busying herself with a pan.

 

     I went to the table and bemoaned, not having found any coffee on the planet. I was not up late, but this morning was the first time I felt like I had a real grasp on the world I was in. 

 

    May brought over a plate with thick cuts of bacon, potatoes, and eggs. She as well set a large mug of something black in Infront of me. "Did not know how you liked your coossa. Take a sip and tell me if you want any cream or sugar."

 

    I sipped the drink, and by all the divines, it was coffee or at least close. It did not have the bitterness to it and was much richer. Closer to hot chocolate. "I'll take it as is; this is great; why have I not had this before?"

 

    "Well, not many like it, to tell the truth, usually one can only find it in the fanciest restaurants. Looks like the food merchant sold you some as a spice to drive the price up. Cheating bastard." May said.

 

    "We'll all I have to say to that is bless his soul, coffee. Or coossa. The last thing I was missing from my old world."

 

    May laughed at that and headed back to the gally, busily humming to herself. As I ate, I noticed the room was relatively devoid of, well, everyone. It was at this thought that Timothy came down the stairs.

 

    "Good morning, my lord; how's the breakfast?" 

 

    "Excellent, May really does have an amazing touch. Have you eaten, has everyone else?" I added. 

 

    "Yes, my lord, we all had a most wonderful meal earlier. I must thank you again for myself, and the rest wanted me to say thank you as well. Most of us only eat this good on holidays if we're lucky." Timothy said as he came to join me at the table.

 

    "Well, as I said before, it's no problem. Where is everyone?"

 

    "Oh, they're all up on deck, at least most of them. Few of the dryads are still sickly, as well as two nymphs and most of the fairies. They're all curled up together, resting. It will be a few days until there fully back on their feet."

 

    "Excellent; have you experienced any problems with the ship?" 

 

    "Besides being a bit cramped. No. Sails like a dream on waves of starlight. Passed a few merchant ships, but they were farther out to sea than us."

 

    "Speaking of cramped. I wanted to make the ship bigger, but was wondering about the marina at the college; will there be room? and can you all liveaboard?"

 

    "The marina is huge and could easily handle a ship twice as big, if not bigger. And yes, slaves may live abroad at the college; in fact, many of the richer nobles and merchants who attend the school keep their pleasure yachts to live out of while there. I don't see how you can make the ship bigger though, there is not a dry dock between her and the capital that could work on this vessel. The capital is the only place where you might be able to get work done."

 

    Finishing the last of my food and with a big gulp of coossa, I said, "I have my ways… I have my ways. May, I have a request, can you prepare a large lunch as a picnic for today?" I said, turning to the gally and raising my voice.

 

    "Why, of course, my lord…yes…ok…yes, Master Grayson." She said, going from accepting to confused, puzzled, then landing back on acceptance.

    

    I went up the stairs and onto the back deck. The captain's chair was to my right and behind that was a large area that was lined with benches. Zora and Holly were sitting, along with Sasha and Milly. Sasha was working on what looked like a pillow while Milly was using a small contraption to turn butter. Anya and her bright orange hair sat next to a nymph I had not met yet.

 

    "Good morning," I said as I flopped into the empty captain's seat.

 

    "Good morning, Master Grayson." Came a chorus of voices.

 

    Timothy followed me out shortly and found a spot in the back. Looking out over the front of the boat, I could see the nymphs and dryads sprawled out in the sun over the front deck. The day was just this side of warm with a pleasant chill. The waves on the lake were calm, and the wind came from the southeast providing pleasant sailing weather. 

 

    I was almost loathed to turn to shore and give up this fine day of sailing. I knew I had to though, I had to find a spot where I could settle the ship and grow it once more. I hoped that the more impressive the ship, the fewer problems I would have. But when dealing with the nobility, or those newly ascended to the position, one could never truly know how they were going to.

 

    I flipped the switch that gave me manual control of the ship. I turned the boat slightly and headed to the coast. It took only fifteen minutes of sailing to find the perfect location. A small river ran into the sea at the location I had chosen. About fifty or so yards (45m) upstream were the sand turned to soil, and another fifty yards (45m) past that was where a coastal forest began. 

 

    I sailed right up to the beach by the river lowering the sails, and when the ship was close to bottoming out, I infused my mana into the ship. Once more, thick roots sprouted from the bottom and walked the ship to where the sand met soil. Once in the proper location, the roots grew rapidly. Sinking and spreading out from the bottom of the ship. 

 

    When the boat was fully stopped, I turned to the group on deck, who were all now standing and looking over the side. "Today is going to be a beach day; gather everyone up. I'm going to be working on the boat."

 

    "How, I've never… just…how?" the dryad Arial asked. The look of wonder and fear on her face was priceless.

 

    "Magic, what else," I said with a cheeky grin. 

 

     The roots rose to the side of the deck and created a long gangplank down to the ground with railings for the kids. It was when I walked confidently onto the beach that I noticed a grouping of boulders begin to move. 

 

    With a loud grinding of rocks, an approximation of a human, a gorilla, pulled itself from the sand and stone. It stood nearly twenty feet tall, even hunched over on all fours as it was. I heard a few screams come from the boat as I said, "can't have this ruin our beach day."

 

    I used the inspect ability on the monstrosity, and that kick off the combat. With a loud roar that sounded of boulders falling down a hill, the monster stood on its two legs, raised its arms, and tilted its head back, a screamed.

 

Rock giant. Level 28. Weakness: fire. Experience: seven thousand. Health one hundred percent.

 

    Shaking my head while its arms were still raised in the air, I held my right hand out. With a focus of my mana, I cast the spell [plasma beam: 45.1 mana]. The bright incandescent orange beam slammed into the rock giant and made it take a step back. Three seconds later, the center of its chest was a glowing molten ruin as the beam flew out of its back.

 

    As I ended the spell, I watched as reality caught up to the monster. It took a few steps forward then fell to its knees. With a muffled crash due to the sand, it fell face first. [You have killed a rock giant, seven thousand experience gained.] The soft voice in my head informed me.

 

    Sweet I leveled, I thought to myself. I'm going to have to see what Timothy knows about leveling; Sasha and I still must distribute our points.

 

     I scanned about the beach for a moment, but it appeared the rock giant had kept this area of beach clear of any other monsters. "Ok, it's safe to come down," I yelled back up to the ship.

 

    Hesitantly the others slowly disembarked. They stood in a loose half-circle around me. Some of the fairies and dryads did still look dead tired, but I figured the warm sun and relaxing day would do them well. They all just looked at me in shock. 

 

    "Well…right… you all are going to have a pleasant beach day and relax. I will be growing my boat. I will set a barrier spell up and make a few things. Sound good?" I said.

 

    "Yes, most exalted lord. We shall endeavor to have a pleasant beach day." Timothy said with newfound respect but still held a mocking air of friendly joking. 

 

    The others just nodded, and I turned to Sasha, "Why don't you armor up and stand watch while I work." I said.

 

    Sasha smiled placatingly and said, "Oh… all work and no play, very well." 

 

 

Chapter fifteen B.

 

 

    I turned my focus to the beach and cast a large shield over the area; I tied the spell to a large mana crystal. Next, along the sand, I made a large gazebo. Under it, I made quick stone benches and tables you would see at a park. I made a working counter for May and a small grill with a flame that could be used for a barbecue.

 

     The shield extended some ways into the water. It was funny to watch the section of beach calm as the waves buffeted around the shield. I made some stone outhouses a good distance away from the gazebo, and my government-funded beach amenities were done.

 

     Now for my ship, I thought, as I climbed back up on deck and began pouring all of my mana into the ship. The power rippled through the ship and soon found itself connected to every inch of it. The wood fully came alive as I felt the roots of the oak and willow tree start to absorb massive amounts of water and nutrients.

    

    I called down to the group who were setting up and just getting ready for a relaxing day, "Hey, do any of you have any Redwood tree seeds, Teak, pine, cedar, or any other tree seeds or the like?" 

 

    I walked down the gangplank to the beach, and I saw Arial go to May and get a large plate. The dryads, fairies, and nymphs all went up to her and deposited seeds on the plate. When she came over to me, she said, "here are the seeds you requested."

 

    I eyed the plate and asked, "these aren't their kids or anything?"

    

    "No, no, nothing like that. These are just normal seeds." She said with a chuckle.

 

    "Good," I said, creating a small stone pillar to set the plate on.

 

    Arial was biting her lower lip and look very aroused as she asked, "Master Grayson would it be possible for me to watch you work? Seeing such plant magics being used is breathtaking. I've never…."

 

    "Of course, Arial, would you like me to make you a seat to watch from?"

 

    "No, I can manage. There are cedar, teak, pine, and ironwood seeds here. There is even a Dalbergia seed and Berchemia; they are wonderfully rare seeds and have a black and pink color. There is a selection of fruit trees, also. As well, I happened to have a steel vine. It is a strong vine that is stronger than steel given time or mana." She said, indicating certain seeds on the plate.

 

    With a nod of thanks, I went about planting the seeds along the base of the ship. I infused them with mana, and they quickly began growing as I walked back up onto the deck of the ship.

 

      So began the long and arduous process of integrating all of the various woods together. The hull grew and was replaced by the Dalbergia wood; it had a deep rich black color. That seed took the most coaxing to get it to grow, but as soon as the root system was fully grown, the tree was the easiest to work with, growing with abandoned ease. One hundred and thirty feet long (40m), and the beam of the ship was forty feet (12.2m). I kept to the cutter design sailboat, with a single large mast in the center that I grew from the ironwood Arial had provided. That type of wood would normally not be used for a mast, but since I could magically strengthen it and give it a small amount of flex, I went with the dense, heavy wood.

 

    I made the first cabin rise one-third of the way from the bow of the boat. The wood grew around four-inch-thick crystal windows that would give wonderful views and let large amounts of sunlight in. from there, I placed, just behind the mast, the second full cabin rise. This was a large third-floor lounge area that had to be reached by stairs from the back near the opening for the bow dining area. In the front on this third level, I placed a bridge that was sectioned off by a low wall. The frame of a large swiveling captain's chair was placed, and I knew Sasha would upholster it appropriately. From the back stairs as well, one could go up one more level onto the roof. There was a low wall and benches that made for a cozy flybridge. The Boom of the mast would pass just overhead if one was standing.

 

     On the aft deck level of the ship where the first cabin rise ran, I left one-quarter of the stern open. I placed crystal sliding glass doors that opened onto A large table with adjustable stools that sat in the center under a wood hardtop. The deck and floor of every level were made of thick oak wood, and all the benches, booths, couches, and counters were made from teak.

 

    There were two for stays on the bow, one of which attached to a jib boom that jutted from the front. The second is attached to the bow of the ship. I attached these with thick stainless-steel spinners to allow for the automatic rolling of the jib sails. The side shrouds and backstays were made from the steel vine. A normally slow-growing vine that, over time, was stronger than steel, with mana that time was cut down. 

 

    During this process of growing the various woods for the ship, I had a lot of time to think, as I was just acting as an oversized mana battery, only occasionally having to reassert my will on the desired shape of a growing object. This gave me plenty of time to think about enchantments and the various forms of those enchantments I wanted to incorporate in the design of the Ever Grove.

 

[structural enhancement: This enchantment weaves it's self-threw the object ensuring maximum structural integrity is reached and surpassed. Initial activation dependent on size, continued use cost dependent on size.]

 

With my structural enhancement enchantments woven through every fiber of the ship, I did not even need the stay supports but placed them for appearances anyways. Along with the small mana crystal already placed in the ship, I placed two med mana crystals and one large one as well. This brought my total mana storage on the ship up to 3800 mana. 

 

    The ship was clean and simple, yet with the amount of magic running through it, I doubted that it would ever fall apart. The main cabin was a large sitting room with many tables and booths that ran along the walls. Without the need for an engine room or tanks needed to hold water and fuel, a great amount of space was freed up.

 

    I easily fitted fifteen smaller cabins into the low front sides of the ship. The main galley was there as well. In between every two cabins was a bathroom with a toilet and a small standing shower. Four additional cabins in the front were made bigger, and the V-birth room I had designed for Zora and Holly. A companionway, one on the main level, led to the below deck cabins. 

 

    In the back on the cabin level, I made a full large Masters's quarters. Complete with a king-sized bed frame, lounging benches, a table, and swivel chairs. The back had large crystal windows set into it and along the sides. The captain's bathroom was a full bath, with a large shower and a marble tub that could fit five to six people.  

 

    The front two-quarters of the main deck cabin was made into a growing area. The soil, which was only about two feet (61Cm) deep to the ceiling it was fifteen feet (4.5m) tall and started just before the mast and ended in a garden area with benches built to look out over the front of the ship. I had infused the soil with a lattice of enchantments that would keep it healthy and nutrient-rich.

 

    It had the feel of an indoor park, with the sun streaming in from the side windows and from the ceiling. The area was about thirty-five feet wide with walkways on the sides and sixty-five feet long. a companionway from the main sitting area led down to the below cabin area, and there was another at the front garden sitting area. 

 

    The top deck had a railing that ran at waist Hight and closed slats that would ensure none of the kids would slide off the edge of the ship. I made part of the railing swing out on either side, allowing for a gangplank to be extended to a dock. 

 

    The ship was beautiful and glowed with the glossy look of freshly polished wood. The sails would still need to be made or refitted once again by Sasha and me, but that was ok. 

 

    All the enchantments worked, and the mana crystals provided enough power to all of them. The rudders worked from either the flybridge or the bridge section on the third level, depending on which was selected to work. The stern engine enchantments had been increased, and I had added bow thrusters as well to help with docking.

 

    It had taken ten hours of hard magical work to complete. It was worth it as I came over the side and back onto the beach. Arial was visibly flushed as she looked at me, and most of the rest of the adults on the beach were watching in fascination as well. The kids ran around and played with Amber keeping a close eye on them.

 

    As I walked up to the group with Arial following close behind, I asked, "so, do you think it's big enough?"

 

    Timothy was the first to start softly, chuckling as he said, "aye, aye that my Lord, I think it will do quite nicely."  

 

    "I never would have thought something like this possible," Milly said, fixating on the ship.

 

    "If I hadn't already seen him, do it; I would have thought any would be lying who said they could do something like this," Sasha added.

 

    May came up alongside me and said, "you didn't forget the gally, now did you, Master Grayson." Her tone implying, I had better not have.

 

    "Of course not, you wound me May, having only eaten two of your meals, I could never overlook such a critical part of the ship," I said, feigning indignation.

 

      The sun was heading toward the horizon, and there were only eight fingers left till it sunk below the horizon. Everyone gathered up their things and headed up the gangplank back onto the ship. Sasha had foreseen the sail problem and had completed the two massive jib sails and mainsail while I had worked on the ship. I easily attached them into place and spooled them around the forestays. The mainsail attached to the mast and rolled down and around the boom, keeping it easily out of the way.

 

    I showed off the ship, and the dryads and fairies got to work quickly, planting their trees and soil plants. They would not be able to grow to full size, but the abundantly fertile soil would keep them healthy and strong. 

 

    I let Timothy sort everyone into cabins and left the sowing of mattresses, cushions, pillows, and all the rest to Sasha. She would keep to the theme of green, black, and silver; so that my ship would match the colors of my house when I had to choose such things. The sails she had made she had somehow managed to dye as well, a product of her increasing tailoring skill. The mainsail was black that had silver knotwork along the edges. The two jibs were deep forest green, and she had made the imperial flag as well so I could fly it and not run into trouble along our way to the capitol. The ship had come together, a sleek black-hulled monster with beautiful green and black sails. I wouldn't say it looked deadly, but it looked classy as fuck.

 

    The roots moved us back out onto the sea of stars, and before long, the sails were unfurled, and we were on our way. I sat atop the flybridge, checking over the enchantments and how the ship moved in the water. When everything seemed right, I set the autopilot and let it guide us.