It was at this moment that Velvet realized she didn’t eat anything for breakfast.

And trying to eat anything that smelled a bit tasty on the sea was suicidal. Fuaths also couldn’t be eaten raw. She could go and bother Viroa to give her some sunflower seeds, but being a problem in the middle of the sea wasn’t the smartest idea.

Sighing in self pity, Velvet went to watch the crew moving the fuath towards the ship hold, to put it inside a box filled with ice.

“Velvet,” Couger called her. “Captain Viroa is calling for you.”

“Coming~” She went to the ship’s wheel, where the captain was giving orders. Viroa was there, sometimes changing the course of the ship, listening to the radio that was making noise every now and then in Morse Code next to her.

Velvet could discern the few words ‘Lyngbakr Sighted Southeast Dodon’.

She cursed internally. Even if she had anticipated that one of the big monsters could appear, this one was one of the annoying ones. Not the especially dangerous kind, that one was dominated by the Cirein-Cròin, but the Lyngbakr had the laziest personality of them, being a roadblock just at the middle of Velvet´s journey. After all, the ferry she had to take from Dodon to Limani Island passed that zone.

The Lyngbakr was of the delusion paradigm.

A paradigm meant the basic set of abilities that any magical creature or magician had. It wasn’t an absolute description, since they worked more as guides than rules. For example, Velvet pertained to the knowledge paradigm, which was the middle ground between the greed paradigm and the apathy paradigm, same as Hyde. That gave them the ability to remember everything they read, heard, saw or smelled, without taking notes. It was also the reason for Velvet’s paper magic.

Remembering everything would make anyone crazy, that’s where the apathy did its part, making Velvet not care or notice everything she recorded unless she wanted to remember. That was considered a passive skill.

Aside from that, the initial abilities of the knowledge paradigm included the control of up to ten paper figurines that could serve as an expansion of the magician senses and the ease to make talismans and charms. That was an active skill.

For example, the prank she pulled on Celia was easy to do, since Velvet just put a talisman under the suitcase, but the spell to travel from the orphanage to the harbor, called ‘Fast stroll’ was out of her paradigm, so not only the time she could use it for was reduced, but the act of carrying someone reduced it even more.

If someone from the sloth paradigm or from adjacent ones did that spell, not only it could be maintained for ten minutes or more, but carrying someone may even only affect one or two minutes.

There were an unknown number of paradigms, some being a noble family’s secret, some being discovered because of some magician’s experiment.

Velvet knew around fifteen of them, but Hyde had said that trying to count them was meaningless, and that by mixing two existing ones, you could get a third. In the magic world, magicians usually just considered anything outside the ten original ones a subclass.

The delusion paradigm was a subclass between the sloth paradigm and the lust paradigm. In the Lyngbakr case, it faked being an island, maintaining that appearance a month or two, trying to cheat some ships to rest on it. Of course, sailors were not that dumb, no one willing to stop on an unknown island, but that meant nothing to the Lyngbakr, since its abilities not only tricked the eyes.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Seeing the island filled anyone unfortunate enough with a desire to go there, to the point of losing their minds. That’s why the sailor that acted as a look-out was usually one of the weakest, so that reducing and tying them up was easier. The effects of seeing the Lyngbakr weren’t eternal, usually just going after a few hours. Still, no ship would sail without someone watching for danger, so the emergence of it basically stopped any movement of ships in the zone.

In summary, attracting sailors just from sight was a passive skill. Camouflaging as an island was an active skill. Being a colossal monster was just a bonus that made it almost unkillable and unmovable.

That was why Velvet hated it so much right now.

“What a face.” Viroa mocked, knowing she didn’t need to translate the message. “Fate really is a cruel mistress.”

“Touché.” Velvet smiled, recovering instantly from the devastating news, at least enough to not let Viroa rejoice on her troubles. “Maybe it just stays there for a week.”

“Yes, were it to eat at least two ships and its crew, which is impossible since the sea route is closed now.”

“The air route isn’t? Then I can still pick the dirigible.”

She saw Viroa’s grin grow. “Do you even have enough money?”

Velvet smiled. “Nope! I was expecting you to lend me some!” Now it was the captain’s turn to scoff. “Sponsor this poor magician, I am but a great investment.”

“Since when?”

“Since always! I have been an essential member of the Algae since its foundation!”

“You worked here for a day. Years ago.”

Velvet didn’t give up, she knew Viroa wanted something, since she had called her here. She was just playing along until the other part stopped stalling. “You always talk about young talent. I am the youngest talent you were waiting for.”

“You are almost an adult. And let’s not forget that the day you worked here, you puked, and spent the day acting as part of the cargo.”

Changing method it is, then.

“Sniff.” Velvet cried wolf, falling on her knees. “That just means my only option is to sell my body.” She threw her hands in the air before covering her face with them. “Madam Dorna warned me about the lecherous men in the city, but to think betrayal will come from my own kin!”

“Velvet.”

“I am but a leaf upon fate’s hands, directed towards a burning forest of my own making.”

“Velvet Consestella Dobastro.”

“Sniff sniff. What do you want, oh cursed woman?”

“I want you to be done.”

“I am done, finished, ended, concluded, finalized.”

Viroa sighed, taking a puff from her pipe. “I can give you a way to board the airship free of charge.”

Velvet opened an eye, staring at her from between her fingers “Legally?”

“Yes, someone working there owes me a few favors.”

Recovering waaay too fast, she jumped to her feet. “I knew you had a heart under all that wrinkled, hard skin!”

“I am reconsidering.”

“No you’re nooot!”

After sighing again, the captain added. “Not for free. There’s something I want you to do.”

“Ask anything you want, consider it done. Need me to bless the Algae? Give you a hundred amulets? Clean some fish? Kill someone?” She said the last one as a joke, but when Viroa didn’t deny it, Velvet’s smile froze.

“You don't have the strength to do it now. Maybe never” She kept on making pauses to smoke, making Velvet anxious. “But, if one day, if one single day, even if just for a moment, you have the opportunity…”

Stop smoking and finish talking dammit! Velvet wanted to scream.

“I want you to kill Valdimar Cetus.”