"Land ho! Land ho!" Jon shouted from atop the crows nest, giving the bell one solid ring, "The Port! Look, Fuss, we're here! The Port!"
"We're on a damn river, Ugly!" Gimp shouted up, "There's land everywhere! Now get your ass down here and raise the flag to call a tug!"
Jon grabbed a rope, then jumped, swinging down and kicking his feet like he was running on air, and wasn't it awesome! Wasn't it great!
"Careful, Jon!" Eli shouted.
Jon hit the deck, grabbing the bright yellow flag held out by Gimp, and clipped it to hoist, tugging at the rope and raising it up the mast where it flapped in the breeze, waving excitedly at the nearing port city, Viar'to.
"Stow the Sails!" Captain Bry shouted as a Tug Boat changed course, heading for them, and then Jon was back to work, loosening line and stowing rigging, his attention spread to watch for a swinging boom and his other crew-mates, the minutes flying past with each one bringing them closer to land, to adventure!
Because the Port was like nothing Jon had ever seen! It rose from where the river met the sea, like a nest of seashells placed by some proud penguin. Docks made of lava rock extended from it like a kraken's tentacles, ships drawn into its grasp by the promise of trade.
"Is it magic, Eli?" Jon asked, "How do they make buildings out of sea shells?"
"A Massive Core, Jon." Eli said simply, as though that explained everything. Maybe it did?
But Jon was back to work, stowing gear, and before he knew it the gangplank was being dropped. This journey was about to end, just as abruptly as it had begun. Elijah was running his hands over the last coat of varnish he'd applied to protect his engravings, and Captain Bry was approaching them:
"You've outdone yourself." The Captain's proud voice admired Eli's work on his vessel before holding out his hand with a strange, ship shaped coin in it, the Dawnlight etched deep into the metal, "And I keep my word."
Elijah nodded, taking the coin and tucking it away as the Captain turned to Jon.
"By the size of your purse ya don't need the coppers you earned working the deck, yet work you did and harder than most I pay."
"I was just having some fun." Jon nodded, "I wasn't expecting pay."
Bry nodded, satisfied. And he didn't offer any coins. But he held his hand out and shook Jon's firmly, "Be well then, Jon. Be well."
Not Ugly.
Jon nodded, thankful, then he turned to the crew and shouted, "I'm gonna miss you bunch of bastards!"
"Get out of here, Ugly!" Voices shouted back, Gimp waved him away, "Shoo, shoo! I'm about to eat, looking at you is gonna churn my craw."
But Jon didn't, he stood there taking in the Dawnlight and her crew one last time; he was leaving his first friends of the Real(m), and that was hard. Just as it always had been back on Earth, when he was in the Army...but Eli was tugging his arm, already lecturing, already planning -
"Don't make eye contact, don't get distracted, don't show fear..."
But the Port! It was wild, and loud. People yelling, people of every color - wild haired red heads, men walking with noses up holding sheafs of paper, two women chatted, their breasts bare, nipples glittering with piercings - and Jon could see a lighthouse from here, a massive swirling conch shell, all mottled shades of blues and pinks as though it'd been plucked from some titan's beach and planted here.
And everywhere Jon looked, somebody was also staring at him; dark looks that didn't seem friendly at all, some also held fear, but so what. There was food sizzling, and oysters offered at every corner, and while the hawkers ignored Jon they thrust everything before Eli's impassive gaze to entice him. They shook necklaces of pearls, and held out warm hats and leather ponchos. Musicians played from open doors, offering bawdy tunes or more subtle entertainments.
But the place they finally stopped at seemed almost plain.
"Don't say a word." Elijah said in front of the dull blue rock building, it was framed in stained driftwood and a sign swung in the light breeze: The Merchant's Cove, a painting of a sleepy golden moon resting on a quiet beach, the surf like covers wrapping it in comfort. It was Jon's first Inn, and from what Fuss could already smell?
He was very excited.
----------------------------------------
Elijah was full, he pushed his plate away and leaned back, lifting his glass of port wine up, "To civilization and its comforts, may we never be parted again."
"I liked the Dawnlight." Jon said, "It was a lot of -"
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"It was miserable, Jon." Elijah said, "I had to relieve myself over a gangplank."
"I got shot." Jon laughed, "Nothing you went through was that -"
"I had to relieve myself over a gangplank." Elijah emphasized, and perhaps he sounded pretentious; but civilization had wrapped him back in its comfortable cloak and they were safe, both dressed in simple pajamas as their clothes were cleaned and mended, Jon's sold for something more practical. And they were cozy pajamas, very well made. And the Inn he'd found was only modestly expensive, yet still quite refined. The food prepared by an Advanced Class, and the ambiance of the establishment was both gentle and private, "But enough about the past, it's time now to plan for the future."
Elijah watched Jon still, practically holding his breath.
"And if we're going to make a run at this...Princedom," Elijah spat the word out, "Then we need to get started immediately."
"Yes!" Jon shouted.
"Ruff!"
"You're gonna do it, Eli? You're really gonna?" Jon said, bursting from his chair and wrapping Elijah in a hug, the Inn's server almost dropping everything in fright at Jon's sudden outburst and grappling of Elijah.
"Quiet, Jon." Elijah whispered as he pulled Jon's hands away, already reaching into his purse for another tip for their server, "Sit, sit...this is serious."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Jon whisper shouted -
"Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!"
"I don't know how, but your Ability insists there is a chance." Elijah explained, "One I wish to explore, to research. But no matter the result - one thing I'm sure of is we're going to need a lot of money."
"Oh, I'll do that." Jon said, practically raising his fist to volunteer, pounding his chest, "Eli. I can make the money while you research, me and Fuss can do it."
"Ruff."
Elijah tried to keep a straight face, but - but wasn't this exactly what Elijah had planned?
"Are you sure, Jon? You know it won't be easy."
"Yes, yes, Eli. You can't do everything. While you're doing research, me and Fuss can work so you can focus."
Elijah nodded, "While I appreciate that, Jon, I actually may need your help with something even more important than money."
"More important?" Jon whispered, his eyes practically sparkling.
"Ruff?"
"You see, if we're going to truly take a shot at this I'll need a different Class. A better one." Elijah nodded, "Now I'm close to finishing Acrobat, just a few more levels, but another Agility Class won't help here, I need something on the Sage track."
Jon nodded, but Elijah saw he didn't understand.
"What I'd like to get is an Advisor Class, a Royal Advisor Class, especially - it should speed my research incredibly, while also giving me useful Abilities specifically suited to acquiring knowledge that can help you, Jon."
"But how can I help you get a Class?"
"The nature of Class Evolutions is that they are influenced by your actions. What a person does determines their next class; but it's actually even more than that - it's their actions weighted by impact."
Jon paused, and Elijah held his breath as he watched the little hamster that lived within Jon's mind begin to run, the wheels slowly starting to turn before the light bulb finally lit up.
"So I have to listen to your Advice - no, no I have to take, no. Eli, I got it, I have to make your Advice have impact, it has to actually help me for it to work."
"Precisely, Jon." Elijah nodded, "You're getting it."
"Well, this is perfect." Jon laughed, "I can still make money, and you can just tell me - no, advise me, on how to make more money."
"Ruff!"
And it was so hard, for Elijah not to bring his hands together in a slow clap, not to Jon - oh, no, but to himself. Because he'd planned out this entire conversation already, and it was going exactly how he'd intended. Still, Elijah looked up and pretended to consider for a moment - stroking his chin before finally nodding.
"That could work, Jon, if you truly do take my advice seriously and work to apply it. It will require a lot of thinking, because I won't be able to just tell you what to do."
"Of course, Eli." Jon nodded seriously, "I understand, and we will."
"Alright then. I'm counting on you." Elijah said in formal assurance, "Then to get this started, let me give you some basic advice on how to make money within the Real(m); the first thing you have to do is find a problem."
"A problem?"
"Yes, Jon, a problem. People will pay coin for you to solve problems, and the Port is full of problems, some big problems, but also an endless amount of small problems. If you can teach yourself to see the profit in a problem? You'll be well on your way to filling up your coin purse."
Jon nodded, "I got it, Eli. Don't see just a problem, look for a way to profit from it."
"Excellent." Elijah chuckled, "Next - do you know how a Barter Economy works? Good, so all these coins that I'm dumping on the table, they don't have a set value like CBDollars or Red Imperials do, they're only worth the metal they're made of. The best thing you can do is just don't deal with anything more valuable than copper, not only will you avoid counterfeits and the hassle of converting values, but a whole host of other problems as well."
"Okay, Eli. I won't. I'll keep everything as a copper or less."
"The last thing, Jon, and the most important: No job is too small if it results in a useful skill." Jon nodded, as he repeated Elijah's words. "That's right, Jon. Anything is more then nothing, and the true reward is the Skill, because Skills will help you earn far more in the future, do you understand?"
Elijah watched Jon and Fuss nod along, both of them ready to jump out of their chairs and head out to work immediately.
"It's okay to take it slow, Jon. I'm glad you're so enthusiastic but it's just as important for you to learn about the Real(m) as it is to make money. I want you to really look around, see how people live and what it would be like to be them and to rule them. I can make us plenty of money, so don't worry if you struggle at first, we won't be destitute."
Elijah scooped all the coppers off the table back into the coin pouch and passed it to Jon before adding the silvers to his own pouch, "Here, to get you started."
"You don't think we're going to be able to earn as much as you? Even with you advising us?" Jon asked innocently, taking the offered pouch. Elijah took a moment to think over how to answer. Jon's stupid Ability was truly his bane, he couldn't even lie to Jon for his own good
"It's not a competition, Jon." Elijah said, "I just have some very valuable knowledge, and - "
"It is a competition, Eli! Not to win, it's win-win, but we want to contribute. You don't need to worry about working and everything else you have to do, so we're going to do it. We're going to find a way to make plenty of money. Even more then you."
Elijah did roll his eyes at this; when Jon was stubborn there was no getting through to him, "Fine, Jon. The week you make more money then me, I'll quit working for coin, I'll fully focus on your Class."
Which brought a bright smile to Jon's face as he held out his hand to shake, "Deal, Eli. So what do people normally do, when they're just starting out like this?"
"Traditionally, Jon?" Elijah said shaking Jon's hand with a smirk, "They kill rats."