Staring out and into the cerulean waters, Ulgrin found himself awed and taken aback.

It was such an alien experience. Long had he lived his life in the mountains. He’d never seen a body of water bigger than a lake or river. He’d gotten a glimpse on the train journey, but that was nothing compared to seeing it in person. The Channel of the Star flowed outwards for what seemed like infinity.

Blue waves, calm and serene. Birds and reptiles soared through the sky, scuffling for dominance over the docks. Ships of all shapes and sizes found themselves moored. Sloops, frigates, caravels, galleons, longships, and more. He had no doubt he could spend hours just watching the seaside activity.

Unfortunately, he could not daydream for long. Their passage was scheduled to leave in a few minutes. A merchant vessel, carrying refined metal, one among dozens of its kind. Not the most glamorous passage, but it would be an easy trip to get to their destination. This trade route was long traveled, and routinely patrolled by naval forces.

The town of Barrin’s Bay was less a town and more a permanent caravansary for ships. What few people lived here worked around the cargo industry. No fields or paddocks could be found around the rocky cliff. Instead, the majority of its farms were underground in a tight network of caverns.

Most importantly, one of the most well traveled underground rivers conveniently deposited itself right here, making it a superb place to set up a port. That and the crescent shaped bay, which protected ships from the rowdy tides and seasonal storms.

Ulgrin took in a deep breath, salty air filling his nostrils. Right. Time to get going.

Descending from the cafe’s veranda, he found his comrades waiting on the docks. Their ship of choice, the Bunch-of-Apples, was a midsized trading vessel. Three masts filled its deck. The foremast, main, and mizzen. Ulgrin had picked up a tome of nautical terms and had eagerly absorbed the knowledge.

He could see the emblem on its side, a large painted image of three apples in a cornucopia. Portholes covered the sides, exposing wicked looking ballistae. More weapon emplacements lined its top deck, and he could see the biggest one at its forecastle was a magical launcher. Just a simple force-enchantment; designed to fling a big object at high speeds.

Sailors carried cargo up the drawbridges, working efficiently and with routine practice. Despite being a radically different ship to the one he’d traveled on not so long ago, he could tell that people of the sea were much the same. Rowdy and rough around the edges, but kind-hearted and respectful of tradition.

“Seems like they’re almost done,” Ulgrin spoke, approaching his friends. They had split up for the evening, going about their various business and seeing the sights. Mostly carousing, but he’d visited the local book stores and picked up a few tomes.

“Finally.” Raelza said. “I’m glad to get going. The faster we can get off the ocean, the better.”

“Not a fan of sea-travel?” Alyss mused with a smug look. “Let me guess. Prone to seasickness?”

The drow grunted. “My trip here was awful. Three fucking weeks on a barge that got lost. How the hells do you get lost in the channels? It’s literally just straight lines. Feel like I left behind at least twenty barrels of vomit. Wreath doesn’t like it either.”

“It is uncomfortable, Saezz agrees.” Their lizardfolk friend replied. “Swimming is fine, but riding? He is unsure how you smoothskins can become sailors.”

“For us Dunvi it’s pretty easy.” Ulgrin said. “We naturally have more resilient stomachs. I believe our inner ears are much different as well. Elves in particular are far more sensitive to such things. Ours are designed to be resistant to loud sounds, rumbling, and low pitches.”

[While it is unfortunate that I cannot feel as humanoids do, I am grateful that I lack the capability to feel nausea.] Lorekeeper spoke to them, pulsing in his bag.

“And for humans we can adapt to anything,” Alyss confidently said. “Also I’ve prepared potions to explicitly avoid such feelings.”

Raelza’s ears shot up. “Give me. Now.”

“Ah-ah-ah.” The alchemist said with a grin. “Say the magic words.”

“Ugh. Please.”

“Wasn’t too hard, was it?” She reached into her bag and withdrew a small flask. “Portion out a thimble or shot glass every morning. Don’t drink any more than that, or else you’ll experience something much worse than simple seasickness.”

Giving her a wary eye, Raelza nodded and pocketed the flask.

“Oi!” One of the sailors called out to them, a human. “You lot, it’s about time to board.” She gestured for them to clamber up.

“Of course.” Ulgrin replied, striding up the steps. “I’m guessing our berths are down below?”

“Right you are.” She nodded. “Just below the forecastle. Your room is a mite small. Was an old storage room, but y’all should be able to fit. We’ve set four hammocks.” She cast a glance towards their two animal companions. “And we set up some hay in the cargo bay for those two to sleep on.”

“Much appreciated.” Nodding, Ulgrin stepped forwards and took in a breath. He spied their captain speaking to what he presumed was the coxswain.

The first thing he noticed was their deep blue skin; just a few shades different from Raelza’s. One of the merfolk, he surmised, given the gills along their neck. His outfit was breathy and open to allow vibrantly yellow fins along his arms and legs to fit through. A widely brimmed hat adorned a head of shortly cropped kelp-colored hair.

At his side was a female dwarf, stocky to contrast his lankiness. She brushed a long braid of hair away and turned to face them. “Ah, kinsman. You must be our passengers. Helmswoman Faris. This fellow here is Captain Seaweaver.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Blue eyes stared at them for a moment. “Welcome. I’ve been paid a pretty penny to get you there safely. You can trust this bunch of apples.” He patted a saber at his side. “Is this your first time on the open seas? She may be scary, but I do be a practiced hand at ensuring the Lady of Tides isn’t too displeased.”

“My first,” Ulgrin replied. “They’ve all been on the sea, but this is my first time. Lady of the Tides?”

“Ah. Right, landlubbers. The Lady of the Tides is the sea herself. She goes by many different names, but ultimately the ocean is her domain. I believe in your native tongue she is Oerkana.” Right, now he understood. The Goddess of the Sea. Dunvi like him didn’t pay much homage to her, being stubbornly landlocked, but she wasn’t completely ignored.

“The spirits of sea are very different to those of the land,” Saezz admitted. “There is a sense of freedom in their expressions and words.” He closed his eyes for a moment, attuning himself. “As well as vindictiveness.”

“Right you are,” Faris said. “But the seas today are in a good mood. So we’ll be setting out soon.” She cast a glance at the sailors on deck. “That means you should hurry up, you lazy louts! Come on, double time it! We need to get going before She changes her mind!” He could tell the word ‘She’ was capitalized and so could the crew. Seemingly well used to that expression, they gave a few complaints and quickened their work.

The six of them discussed details for a short time. He and his companions would be allowed to roam as they pleased, so long as they didn’t get in the way of the crew’s work. Ulgrin would once again be performing maintenance on the ship’s enchantments. Breakfast and dinner would be simple fare.

Other than that, they were left to their own devices. Faris quickly returned to the wheel, while Captain Seaweaver began final preparations. He and his fellows moved to the side and watched.

As the sails were drawn, he could feel the wind picking up. Enchantments sewn into the fabric acted as a lure of sorts. They passively drew the wind towards them, allowing it to gain speed quite quickly. The ropes and anchor were drawn, and he could feel the waves below him rocking the boat.

It was an interesting feeling to be away from solid land, but his short stature and low center of mass allowed him to adjust just fine. The Bunch-of-Apples sailed out and into the bay, passing fishing sloops and heading for the entrance to the bay. Soon enough they were out and on the open sea.

Ulgrin closed his eyes, allowing the wind to go through his hair. Yet another experience he wouldn’t forget. A calming experience, despite the cawing of birds and bustle of crew. He could feel the aether moving in great patterns, far different to that on land or underground.

That momentous experience was broken by the sound of retching. He opened his eyes to see Raelza throwing up over the side of the boat.

“Maybe you should drink that potion now?” He asked, trying to ignore the smell. A nearby crewman sighed before grabbing a nearby bucket, pulling up seawater, and throwing it at the stained wall. Ulgrin heard a mumbled ‘damned land-lover’.

“Yeah. I should.” She groaned, wiping her mouth and pulling away from the railing. She quickly poured out a small amount with shaky hands, downing it quickly. “The ocean sucks. Can we go below decks for a bit? I think I'd feel better if I didn’t have to look at the water. Feels too open.”

Alyss gently tugged her by the shoulders and soon the party was down below. They found a small dining area filled with nailed-down tables and roped chairs. Presumably to avoid losing them when the ship hit turbulent waters.

Once the drow had calmed her stomach with a few salty crackers and gulps of water, they all split up to explore.

Ulgrin found himself navigating to the heart of the ship, its aetheric heart. The enchantments here were rather intensive, forming a network throughout the vessel. All of it culminated in a hexagonal sigil on the floor of an otherwise bare room. Channels of ingrained copper wire ran out from it.

“Anything catch your eye, Lorekeeper?” Ulgrin asked, patting his bag.

[Hm.. This is a somewhat primitive enchanting network.] She paused. [I suppose to you, it’s rather sophisticated. But it has good design practices, I suppose.]

He knelt down and examined the runes. Primarily they supported a reinforcement array. The outer wood of the ship would be hardened while still remaining pliable, allowing it to endure harsher waves and impacts. Expensive to make, but a metal merchant would have an easy time arranging something like this to be made.

The secondary lines were mainly to support the sails. Not only did they attract wind, but were strengthened enough to support the extra load.

He withdrew a brush and started cleaning it of dust and detritus. Whoever had checked up on it in port had done a poor job, leaving behind dirty boot prints and scuffles. Sloppy work, he grumbled. “It’s interesting that they went with a hexagonal design. Maybe to cut costs? It’d cost more gold to have it done in an octagonal array.”

[That, or an octagon would require too much power.] She spoke, ghostly avatar appearing crouched over one segment. [Efficiency seems to be the goal. As it stands, the magicrystal at its center would only need recharging every other day. With a more complex design it’d require more.]

“Aye, I suppose that’s true.” He finished up his work and gave it one last check over. All clean. “Now to follow the lines and ensure they are in good condition.” Channels had been carved to allow the wire to flow through the ship, with holes drilled between walls.

Symmetrical circles had been drawn every ten feet along the walls to allow the enchantment to actually do its job. In more traveled parts of the ship he found them to be somewhat worn and dirty, but it was a simple job to brush them down. More worryingly, the wire was kept in place by strips of leather nailed over them.

In places he found the nails starting to rust and loosen. If the wire started to sag too much it would cause dire effects on the enchanting array, which he quickly sought to fix. Speaking with the quartermaster, he got his hands on a bucket of nails and leather scraps.

He spent a few hours shoring up the wire, pulling nails and replacing them with fresh ones. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it kept his mind occupied.

Returning the requisitioned equipment, he found himself back on the top deck.

Now that the land had completely disappeared from sight, he felt a slight sense of unease. His instincts told him to seek the mountains, but he couldn’t see a single sign of them. Just the sea, the sky, the clouds, and the suns above. It would certainly be something to get used to on their three day journey.

“You want to spar?” Ulgrin asked as Saezz approached him. The activity had calmed down, leaving most of the crew simply just sitting around and the deck clear of movement. “In this environment?”

“Of course. Saezz wishes to grow acclimated to such a thing.” He shifted back and forth, leaning this way and that in accordance with the ship’s movements. “It is a novel experience, no? And he has already asked. We are free to put on a bit of a show for the crew. Seaweaver said it would improve morale.”

Ulgrin thought it over for a moment. “I suppose I can allow it. My job is done for the time being.” He pulled free his bag and coat, wandering over to a mostly clear section of the boat. “Just a normal bout?”

“Saezz wishes to fight your magicks. Show him what you can do now.”

“Very well,” he said and drew his hammer and staff. The object felt natural in his hands. A very good tool to add to his arsenal, it would allow him to more quickly call upon the aether.

Saezz took up a position opposite him and silence fell over the deck. “Begin!” The lizardfolk called, violently bursting into action.

Ulgrin raised his staff and summoned power. It quickly flowed from his core to his fingertips and then through his staff. “Force. Gather. Launch!” Bolts of force formed in the blink of an eye, firing towards his companion. Blunted and weaker to prevent harm, but quick and accurate.

Saezz surprised him by launching himself towards the mast. Ulgrin’s eyes widened as his attacks were blocked, the lizard managing to leap up and spin around the pole, using the momentum to launch himself towards Ulgrin.

He raised the staff and called upon its power, forming a shield. It was more defined and substantial, which proved to be useful when the lizard collided. Ulgrin took a step back, but grinned when the shield remained whole. That grin was quickly wiped off of his face when Saezz grabbed the shield. Ulgrin’s staff was nearly yanked out of his hands, being intrinsically linked to the shield’s position, but he dispelled it in time. His hammer lashed out, glancing off of the lizard’s scaled lindwurm armor. Barely a scuff was left behind in the hardened material.

“Hey!” A voice called out to them, interrupting the spar.

He paused, turning to see Raelza and Alyss. “Erm, yes?”

Raelza stepped forwards and raised her crossbow. “You’re not having fun without us, are you? Prepare yourselves!” And with that the crew was really given a show. Their battle quickly turned into an all out brawl.

Apologies for the wait. It's been a bit of a rough week for me, and I haven't had the time or energy to sit down and write. But I'd like to thank you all for reading my work. We're just about at 100 average views a chapter. That's quite a few people! It's making me consider turning this into more of an official thing. For that, I'd like some feedback from people on the story. Are there bad parts that I should fix? Do things not make sense? I've received some personal suggestions, but the audience should get a say.

On a side note, what do people think of Patreon? I'm not sure what I could do there aside from putting advance chapters, but perhaps exclusive side stories? There are more people in this world than Ulgrin, and everyone has their own story to tell.

I'm thinking that once the third arc is done I might start consider putting this up on kindle or other bookselling platforms. If the day comes that I put this up for publishing, then I'd like to do something special for you all. I'll be posting the map of the Salvest Union on the Maps and Art page, a zoomed in version with expanded locations. Would people be interested in having more landmasses done? If so, please let me know which of the nations interests you most! One day I'll likely have them all made so people can use this setting for their own purposes, but for now I'll be working on Andire and whatever people think would be the most interesting.

I'd also like to thank my friends for supporting me along the way. This wouldn't be possible without them.