“That looks like more than copies of a few maps.” Victoria said as she saw the stack of papers.

“We'll have two and a half days in the area, won't we?” I asked and handed her just the maps.

“Yes. If the ship does as well as you guessed.” Victoria responded and didn't even look at the maps.

“Then there's a few other things we should check out on the way back from getting that magic flower.” I said and showed her the papers with the ingredients that were rumored to be near there.

“Wh-where did you get these?” Victoria asked as she looked at the drawings and the descriptions, as well as the properties, preparation, and uses for them.

“Different places. I've been compiling lists and information on ingredients since I started school.”

Victoria's face had a beautiful smile as she quickly read the pages over, then she looked into my eyes. “David, I wish I could take you to bed right now to thank you.” She said, almost in a purr. “This is wonderful work. This could change... no, it will change our work significantly for this trip.”

I watched as she walked over to the small desk at the side of the room and put the papers down. She put a paperweight on top of them to stop them from sliding around. That was standard onboard larger ships, apparently.

“Sit here and we can look these over closely.” Victoria said and waved for me to sit in the only chair as she pulled it out from the table.

I wasn't sure how I could look at the papers on the table from that far away, then I shrugged mentally. I was sure she would sit on the table or something and we could peruse them together. I sat down on the chair and was about to ask what she was going to do, then she stepped in front of me and bent over at the waist to look at the papers on the table.

It put her very shapely ass right in my face and I got to see up close just how tight her pants actually were. They fit her everywhere and I saw every bump and curve that her tight pants highlighted. I freely admitted to myself that I had never seen a sight like it before. In fact, I had no idea that you could wear clothing that completely covered you and it could still leave nothing to the imagination.

“I can't believe what I'm seeing here.” Victoria said and wiggled her ass a little. “This is amazing.”

“I agree.” I said and she let out a soft laugh.

“I can't help but run my hands all over what's in front of me.” Victoria said. “It's almost too irresistible to be denied.”

“They are protected by a fortifying waterproof potion. You can handle them as much as you want.” I stated and her back arched a little and showed me a bit more of herself, as if that was possible. The only woman that had shown me more while teasing me was Helena, and she hadn't worn panties at the time.

“I think... that would be wonderful.” Victoria whispered. “Let me just... get in a better position...” She leaned back slightly and my nose was suddenly buried between her cheeks. “Mmm, yes, I... I think this is just perfect.”

I sat there quite stunned, with only her pants and possibly panties between my nose and her womanhood. She went over everything I had there and I listened intensely, because to do anything else besides breathing, would mean touching her inappropriately.

Twenty long minutes later, she was done looking at my things and she stood up, which rubbed my nose over her and between the cheeks of her ass. She shivered at the sensation and then she took in a deep breath before she turned around to look at my calm face.

“Now it's time for me to fill you in on everything else.” Victoria said as she unbuttoned her top and took it off. She was only wearing a small white cloth bra and her nipples were poking out through the cloth as if she wasn't wearing anything at all. She sat on the edge of the table and gave me a smug smile.

She talked for over an hour and told me all about my role in the upcoming expedition, her procedures for both the discovery of the primary plant that she wanted and its proper handling, and also what I needed to do to ensure the success of the mission. She had researched my skills and previous experience and she was going to rely heavily on me to keep her safe.

“I hope you understand how important this is for me.” Victoria said and picked up her top. She didn't bother putting it on and stepped close to me to hang it on the back of the chair I sat in. She dangled her breasts in front of my face and if I moved my head even slightly, I would hit either breast. She was that close.

“I've seen exactly how much it means to you.” I said and she stood up and gave me a sexy smile.

“I'm very happy to hear that.” Victoria responded and then she stepped to the side and waved at the table.

I knew what she wanted, so I stood and put the chair next to the table again. I sat down again and she moved around the table to bend over at the waist across from me to let me continue to look at her breasts. Just as with Mona when she did that in the vault room, the bra was little comfort that Victoria would not spill out and show me everything, because I could see practically all over her anyway.

“We'll need to carefully plan our return to make full use of all your work.” Victoria said and as she shuffled the papers around, she intentionally jiggled her breasts to show them off. She really was an accomplished teaser, because I had never seen anything even remotely close to her level of expertise. Selena's poor attempts couldn't even compare.

“If we have full use of the horse and cart, we can make better time than traipsing through the forest.” I said.

“Are you sure? Some of the terrain on the maps looks quite dangerous.” Victoria said and dug out the two relevant maps. “I'm sure this is a high ridge. I doubt there's going to be a convenient road or even a trail for us to use.”

“Not on that side, no.” I said and traced my finger over the other side. “If we approach from the west and not the east, the climb at the end will be cut significantly.”

“Hmm. It might add several hours to go around that far.” Victoria said. “Then again, if this rumored plant is there, it'll be worth it to get a sample.”

“That's what I'm hoping for as well. If we can cultivate it and get it transplanted, we could revitalize not only the plant; but, the potions it can be used in.”

“We might not be able to reproduce the plant in its entirety.” Victoria said and stood up as she crossed her arms. Her breasts were pushed up and I was a little surprised that the bra held her in. “Depending on if we can get the whole plant or not, we might be able to splice it into a similar plant. That way, we won't have to worry too much about reproducing its proper growing environment if we adapt it for a different one.”

“I would prefer the first situation of getting it whole and will grudgingly accept the second.” I said and she laughed softly, which shook her breasts a lot more than if they were hanging down. “If it's too cost prohibitive to keep the plant alive long term to grow more of them, then splicing it to keep most of the properties will have to do.”

“That's exactly the attitude we need to keep during this expedition. Our goal is to save these plants from extinction while also bringing their benefits to the people.” Victoria said, her passion on the subject clear in her voice. “Both are important to me and if we are not able to do the one, we must do the other.”

I nodded my head and she beamed a smile at me.

“Then let's get to work.” Victoria said and grabbed some blank paper from her pack.

We spent a lot of time going over everything and working out what we needed to do and what we could skimp on, then there was a knock on the door. It was close to suppertime and Victoria gathered up the papers and stashed them into her pack. She chanted over it and she gave me a questioning look.

“We can put our packs into the closet after we change for supper and secure them there.” I said.

Victoria nodded and we took out our meal outfits to get changed. Her dress was only slightly revealing when she put it on. When she caught me looking, she took my arm and squeezed it. Just like Helena's expensive dress, you could only get a good look down her top to see her breasts when she allowed you to. It was quite the ingenious design.

“You're very cunning.” I said and Victoria laughed softly.

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“You're very accommodating.” Victoria countered as she let me go and brushed her dark hair and touched up her make-up. Her already slightly red lips became bright red and her eyes sparkled when she was done.

We put our packs into the closet and shut the door. She chanted as she held a hand over the door and applied the lock spell and added something else. She called it an alarm spell that would give her a specific feeling if anyone tried to break her lock spell.

I need to come up with something similar. I thought and used some number ten potion to seal parts of the door closed as added protection.

Victoria stared at me as parts of the door formed a solid piece with the door frame.

“I told you that I was an accomplished potion maker.” I said and tucked the vial back into my bandoleer hidden under my suit coat. She gave me raised eyebrows for several seconds, then she took my arm to let me escort her.

We left our room and I followed my nose to the food smell. Thankfully, I had nearly two decades ignoring horrible smells while living in the marsh, so I easily found the crew's mess. Of course, it was pretty noisy as well with all of the crew there and eating. When we entered the room, the entire place quieted down and became deathly silent.

“By the Son's Light, she gorgeous.” One of the crewmen whispered and nearly every head in the room nodded.

“On your FEET!” A man's voice bellowed and every crewman shot out of their chairs and stood at attention.

Victoria's face flushed red at the honor and as we passed each table, she nodded to the men. They gave her big smiles in return and everyone's eyes followed us all the way over to the captain's table.

“Mage King, I am honored to have you at my table.” The captain said with aplomb and bowed.

“Thank you, captain.” Victoria said and gave him a quick curtsy, then glanced at me. “David, thank you for the escort.”

“My lady.” I said, which meant I had to leave her there and find my own spot to sit and eat. I sat her properly, gave her a bow, and moved back across the room. The sound seemed to return all at once as all of the men sat down and started talking again. I found a spot near the back of the room and sat down at a table with three large muscular men.

“Aren'tcha getting something to eat, boy?” A big burly man at the table asked.

“I hope you don't mean 'boy' in a derogatory manner.” I said and the man laughed.

“Lookatcha! Yer as skinny as the bilge pole I use! Ha ha!” The man laughed and the other two men at the table laughed, too.

“Want to arm wrestle?” I asked and that made them laugh harder. “If I break your arm, I'll give you a healing potion.”

The three men kept laughing and one pointed to the side of the room.

“Food... over there.” He said and banged the table. “Funny, boy! You're funny!”

“Ask for the seaside special!” Someone yelled out.

I walked over to the serving window and several cooks were inside. All men. “One seaside special, please.”

One of the cooks gave me a look, saw my expensive suit, and laughed. “You asked for it.” He walked over to a large pot and took a minute to scoop out a few things with shells to add to a large platter, what looked like a tentacle from a squid, and some broth. He went over to another pot and scooped out three fish heads and added it to the platter. The last thing he added was an almost completely intact sea snake.

I knew then that what he was giving me was their version of a basic stew broth that they used to add flavor to everything. The contents weren't supposed to be eaten directly, however.

“There you go. One seaside special.” The cook said and handed it over to me. The entire room burst out laughing and banged their tables at the joke they played on land lovers. Even the captain laughed, then he explained the joke to Victoria. She didn't laugh and had a look of concern on her face. The look of annoyance on the captain's face wasn't fake, either.

“Thanks, it looks delicious.” I said and turned to walk away. This would be the third time that someone had played this joke on me, so I handled it the same way as I did the other two times.

“Wh-what?” The cook looked shocked. “Hey, you're not supposed to take it!”

I ignored him and didn't respond. The laughter died down as I walked over to my table and everyone's eyes were on me as I sat down. I didn't see a proper utensil set up, so I did the best with what I had. I picked up a fork and knife and cut into the tentacle.

“Boy, it was a joke.” The burly man across from me said. “You're not supposed to...”

I put the piece of tentacle into my mouth and chewed it. It was actually pretty good. I quickly cut off a few more pieces and ate them. The men at the table moved slightly away as I picked up the sea snake. I cracked the neck and popped the head off, then used the knife to slice it right down the middle. The cooks had left the guts in it, which meant that they didn't realize that they could potentially poison themselves and the crew if any of the key organs ruptured when the pot was stirred.

I peeled the skin off and used my fork and knife to remove the bones from the snake and ate the meat. The three men gagged and left the table. Everyone else had quieted again and seemed to be staring at me. I had that happen each other time, too. I ignored the stares and looked at one of the shelled creatures. I quickly discerned that it could be pried open with the knife and did so.

The inside was a nice pink color, well cooked for seafood, so I used the spoon to scoop it out and swallowed it whole without chewing it. I did the same with the other one, then the last shelled creature had a kind of twist to it. I couldn't find anywhere to pry it open, so I picked it up and it was the size of my palm. I slapped my hands together and the loud crack cut through the silence of the room.

Nearly everyone jumped and I hid my smile as I picked the pieces of shell out of the slug-like meat. It was very similar to a marsh slug, so I sliced it and dug out the little bits of guts and then chewed on the slug. No one said a word as I took one of the fish heads and cracked the bottom jaw off. Most people didn't realize that there was a lot of meat on a fish head.

I used the knife to carve out the two large cheek muscles that the fish used to operate the gills and then I popped out the eyes. I ate the eyes while I carved out the tongue from the bottom of the mouth. I dipped the three large pieces of meat into the tasty broth and chewed them up. I repeated this for the other two fish heads, finished off the tentacle, and used a spoon to suck up a bit more broth to wash it down.

I stood up with the platter that had the remains of the meal on it and everyone's eyes watched me walk over to the serving window. “You should gut snakes before cooking them. You could have poisoned everyone if the stomach or the venom glands ruptured.”

The three cooks stared at me and didn't say anything.

“Where do I dispose of the shells and bones?” I asked and the cook closest to me pointed off to the side of himself at a large barrel there. “I'll leave this to you.” I said and put the platter on the serving window's ledge.

Now that I was done eating, I glanced around for the best spot to wait. There was a lot of room near the captain's table; but, I knew from the look on his face that he wouldn't want me to come over there right now. Victoria's face was a completely blank mask, which meant she was hiding what she was feeling from everyone.

I shrugged mentally and walked over to the now empty table I had eaten the meal and sat down to wait. It took several minutes before life seemed to return to the crew and the sound returned. It wasn't as loud as it had been and I was grateful for that. A few minutes after that, two of the burly men that had sat at the table before, sat down again.

“Are you crazy or something?” One of them asked. “I can't believe you actually ate all that garbage.”

“No one believes it the first time they see it.” I said. “This is the third time.”

He gave me a stern look for a second, then he laughed. “All right, you've got balls.”

“Bigger than yours. You couldn't even stay at the table.” I said and he laughed harder.

“Arm wrestle, you said?” The other guy said and plunked his elbow on the table as he wiggled his fingers. “What's the wager?”

“If you win, I'll do your job tomorrow.” I said and the man grinned at me.

“Done.” He said and several other crewmen gathered around to cheer him on.

“Aren't you going to ask what you have to do if I win?” I asked.

“You're not going to.” The man said confidently. “Come on, let's go.”

I braced my arm the same as him and clamped my hand in his.

“On my mark.” The other man said. “One. Two. Three!”

The burly man's grip hardened and he pushed and struggled against me. I didn't even smile as I slowly pivoted on my elbow and put my hand down towards the table. The man's face became worried as his efforts didn't slow my hand at all. Just before his knuckles touched the table, the man yelped as his elbow popped and his arm lost all tension. The men around us stared at me with open mouths.

I reached into my bandoleer and pulled out a healing potion and popped the cork. “Drink half of this when I say.”

The man didn't say a word as he took it in his good hand.

I reached over and turned his forearm to face the right away and tapped it back into place. “Go ahead.”

The man drank about half of the potion and he sighed as his arm twitched and healed.

I popped the cork back on the potion and handed the potion to him. “It's only half as effective now, so it'll only deal with a dislocated bone, a sprain, and maybe a couple broken fingers. Don't trust it to heal a broken leg or anything.”

The man stared at the potion and then at me. “You're really giving this to me?” He asked, clearly not believing it. “It's a high ranked potion!”

“I said I would give it to you.” I responded and the man's face changed from disbelief to happiness.

“All right, you won. What do you want me to do?” The man asked.

“I haven't sailed on a boat bigger than a flat bottomed skimmer thirty feet long.” I said. “Show me how to do your job tomorrow.”

The man laughed. “Boy, I'll show you everything you need to know about working on this ship.”

“Me, too.” The other man said with a nod.

“Yeah, you're in good hands.” One of the others said. “We'll make a great shipmate out of you, even if we only have a day.”

I nodded acceptance of the challenge and the crew sat down and continued their meal.