Congratulations, Soul Traveler. You have reached Level Eleven!

Fireworks burst behind the screen’s announcement. The spark-like trails flashed and then faded away more quickly than before. Caleb felt the electrically-charged air as he inhaled. But this time the sensation didn’t threaten to burst his lungs and leave him giddy.

Thank Lir and Danu. Each time I’ve gone up a level, it felt like someone forced me to breathe the fumes from a fistful of uncapped permanent markers.

That brought an additional strange notion to mind, one that made him laugh.

“That’s just great,” Caleb remarked. “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.”

Tavia had remained standing with him on the main deck, watching the wreck of the ketch recede in the distance. She gave him a strange look.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “What was that about sniffing adhesives?”

“Never mind. It’s a joke from an old movie I once saw.”

“Ah. I understand.” The unicorn paused before asking, “What’s a movie?”

“Tell you later. I just went up a Level, and I need to see how the universe has decided to mess with me once again.”

With that, he used a finger to flip over to his updated Character Sheet. Several new items jumped out at him, mostly minor upgrades to his skills and a small debuff caused from battle fatigue. But nothing grabbed his attention more than the change to his Alignment.

Name: Caleb Ledger Level: Eleven Class: Wizard / Corsair Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Individual-Specific Specialty: XP Edge - Enhanced 37% Wizardly Sub-Specialties: Weathermancy, Craft with Iron Corsair Sub-Specialties: Charisma Boost, Dead Reckoning, Piratical Flair, Depth Sense Existing Buff / Debuffs: Innate Charisma increased 6%, Abilities Reduced 8% by battle fatigue Potential Buff / Debuffs: Corsair abilities shall slowly decrease or be revoked by an individual who does not conduct himself properly or wear appropriate attire for extended periods. Unspent XP 65

His mind went back to what the Bonus Level Mini-Quest had stated: You are about to face a choice that will test your morality. How you handle this could potentially affect your Alignment.

“Interesting,” he said aloud. “Apparently, I’ve been designated as Chaotic Neutral now.”

Tavia nodded. “Yes, and it does make a certain amount of sense. As you noted before, ‘Chaotic’ is simply an indicator of how likely one is to follow the law.”

“True. And since I wasn’t consistently following a legal code while dealing with our prisoners, by definition I’m not Lawful. Well, I suppose I’ll get used to the label.”

He then took a look at the changes to his two spellcasting areas.

Weathermancy Spells available for individuals ranked up through Level Eleven:

Call Up Mist Move Fog Thicken Clouds Wind Cast, Minor Wind Shift, Minor Dancing Lights Increase Ambient Humidity (13) Decrease Ambient Humidity (13) Squall Burst St. Agobard’s Fire (43)

Caleb considered. That last one sounded interesting. Perhaps it was an atmospheric effect similar to St. Elmo’s Fire back on Earth.

Craft with Iron Spells available for individuals ranked up through Level Eleven:

Magnetize Needle Locate Metal Shard Hold Metal Shard Mend Forge Crack, Minor Extend Forge Crack, Minor Sense Metallic Weapon’s Qualities Sense Value of Coinage Align Metal Object (18) Change Metal Object’s Buoyancy Heat Dispersion (23)

Once again, the latest spell sounded interesting. If they were approaching a kingdom with firedrakes, then something that could disperse heat could be a particularly valuable spell. Finally, he flicked over to the screen describing his latest Corsair-based skill. Unlike the spells, at least he wouldn’t have to earn any more gold to activate it.

Depth Sense: This ability allows you to sense the depth of the ocean floor beneath a ship’s keel without relying upon the use of measuring devices.

Lir and Danu’s Helpful Hints:

None, really. We think this one is straightforward enough as-is.

A thump came from a bit further forward on the main deck as Shaw landed. He went to speak to Sienna, who nodded and handed him a pair of small cloth pouches. The griffin took the bags’ drawstrings carefully in his beak and brought them over as he joined Caleb and Tavia.

“Doth there be anything that I have missed?” Shaw asked, after setting the bags down on the deck.

“Nay,” Tavia replied. “Caleb has changed his alignment to Chaotic Neutral. Also, he is lamenting his decision not to sniff certain substances anymore.”

“Hmph. ‘Tis probably a good thing. One canst only find trouble by sniffing things one should not.”

“All right,” Caleb said, as he moved the screens to one side, “Apparently, our last action against the Taipan boosted me another level.”

“Then this might be of use.” Shaw nudged the two small pouches, which Caleb picked up. Something jingled inside them. “‘Tis sixty more gold crowns for thee.”

“Sixty more? Where did this come from?”

“They’re my two shares of the prize money, as well as Grimshaw’s,” Tavia explained. “I specifically asked Sienna to set aside gold crowns for this purpose. You see, Grimshaw and I don’t have a need for money at the present time. So we thought you could put them to better use by unlocking any spells you still need to activate.”

Caleb’s face broke out into a grin. “You two are the best, you know that?”

“We do try,” Tavia said, with a nicker. “What about your Corsair abilities? Any enhancements, or new skills?”

I guess I have to give Tavia some credit here. She was initially skeptical of my ‘condition’, but now she understands what gifts I get every time I go up a level.

“I just got a Depth Sense to go along with my Dead Reckoning,” he said. “I haven’t tried it out yet, but combining the two might be useful.”

“Thou shalt be able to test thy skills very soon,” Shaw pronounced. “For I landed to tell thee that our next destination lies but a jot to the east of our current course.”

On cue, the call came down from the fighting top.

“Land ho, Captain!”

Caleb waved up to the lad manning the position to let him know that the message had been received. Then he went up to the quarterdeck and saw to his surprise that Noack the line maker was manning the helm instead of Donal. The older man made a quick salute.

“Aye, I’m spellin’ a shift for Mister Sheahan.”

“Stand by for orders, then,” Caleb said. He went to the great cabin, grabbed the spyglass, and then went over to the larboard side of the quarterdeck. A quick glance through the glass, and he spotted a green-gray peak of stone jutting out from the sharp curve of the horizon ahead.

“Two points larboard,” Caleb ordered, before lowering the glass and calling down to his friends. “Shaw, are you up for one more flight?”

“Of course,” the griffin replied. “What doth thou wish for me to look for?”

“I want you to circle the entire island and report back what you see. Is the place deserted? Does it look like we might be able to forage? And most importantly, I want to know if the Sea Vipers have a warship hiding on the far side, ready to pounce on us.”

Shaw nodded. He unfurled his wings and took to the sky.

“Just to keep you posted,” Tavia said to Caleb, “Donal’s at the carpentry area belowdecks. He’s putting the finishing touches on the wood needed for our taffrail repairs.”

“Well, let him know I want him back up here within the hour.”

“Aye, Captain.”

With that, Tavia trotted forward and disappeared down the passageway below decks. Caleb let out a breath as he looked forward and shaded his eyes against the afternoon sun. The few clouds had burned off, leaving the sun to reflect off the gentle swells kicked up by the ship’s passage. The breeze was lackluster, barely filling the stitched-together remnant of the sloop’s sails.

All right. The first time I’ve had a spare moment today. Time to take care of a few issues with my spells and Corsair talents. Let’s start with my Dead Reckoning.

As he’d done a few times now, Caleb closed his eyes and saw the mass of ocean blue spread out before him. Far out at the very edge of his vision, he saw a handful of tiny islands. A gray-brown haze hinted at a much larger landmass beyond.

That might be Gilarska. Campion said it was a two-day’s sail if we had the wind with us.

Closer in, he clearly made out the single-peaked mass of the island ahead. It was vaguely circular, with a nice-sized chunk taken out of the closer edge. That chunk would make a small but reasonably sheltered harbor.

He thought about what the Sea Viper captain had said about the islands in the area: Good places to run aground at night, if you’re not careful.

A couple more entries popped up in his Quest Screen.

New Adventurer's-Level Quest Utilize at least one Corsair skill and one Magic Spell in order to bring your vessel safely to a new, previously unknown destination. New Bonus Level Mini-Quest Utilize two or more of your Corsair skills at the same time. XP Value of the next quest completed shall be increased by 15%.

Caleb envisioned himself as standing atop the very pinnacle of the mainmast. His Dead Reckoning skill remained constant, looking ever-outwards at the sea around him. He then expanded that same vision downward.

He gasped as the water below seemed to melt away before his eyes. The Spitfire’s smooth, walnut brown keel glided high above an undulating plain of boulders and craggy crevices. Caleb squinted, trying to see more detail, but he couldn’t make out individual fish or seaweed growing on the ocean floor.

All I see are the general outlines of things. It’s like looking at a computer-generated topographical map. Only with blue-green shapes instead of depth markers.

A glance ahead showed a sharp rise in the sea floor as it approached the island. The slope leveled off to a depth shallow enough to rub the sloop’s keel, especially if they tide was out. The only ways into the sheltered harbor were through a handful of channels that had been scoured out of the submerged rocks.

Treacherous indeed. We’ll have to watch that.

Caleb blinked, shutting off the dual magical vision. Then he raised a hand, feeling the breath of the wind. In a few moments, he had what he needed to boost the Spitfire’s speed.

He reached out, casting both Wind Cast and Wind Shift.

The breeze shifted to allow the sloop to run at a broad reach. The sail bellied out more, and he felt the ship’s speed pick up a jot.

Wish these weren’t ‘Minor’ versions of those spells. Looks like I’ll have to level up more and hope to get the Major versions sometime. And now that I’m thinking of new spells...

“Steady as she goes, Noack,” Caleb said, getting a soft Aye, Captain in return.

He returned to his great cabin and went over to the fold-down desktop. Caleb pulled out the last four gold crowns he’d kept from his triple share of the loot from the Taipan. He laid them on the wooden surface and then emptied out the two bags of coin on top of them with a series of clinks.

A thought occurred to him.

I wonder if these jewels on Campion’s sword are worth anything, or if they’re magical. Only one way to find out.

He drew the cutlass and lay the sword next to the bags. The blade was sharp and the weapon well balanced. A trio of red and green gems had been inset into the very end of the pommel, which formed a butt cap of sorts for the sword.

He called up his newly activated spell, Sense Metallic Weapon’s Qualities, and then laid his fingers on the handguard’s knuckle bow.

Instantly, a little screen popped up above the weapon.

Weapon Type: Standard Naval Cutlass.

Quality of Metal: Moderately high carbon steel. Above average compared to other weapons. 20% additional resistance to non-recoverable bending or shattering.

Magical Qualities: None.

Additional Notes: Gems inset in the pommel are made of soda-lime glass. Removing these items will negatively affect the blade’s balance.

“Well,” Caleb breathed, “maybe it was a little much to expect that a line captain in the Sea Vipers would have a king’s ransom of jewels in his sword. But at least I have some gold I need to use to give me some more magic to choose from.”

He considered the new spells available to activate and compared them against the sixty-four coins piled on the desktop.

St. Agobard’s Fire was easily the most tempting. But the high price to activate it made him pass it up. Just because it sounded good, didn’t mean that it would automatically be helpful. Instead, he spent forty-nine of his gold crowns for three spells and tucked the rest of his coins into a single pouch for later.

The first two he’d purchased intrigued him. They didn’t seem all that useful, but he’d learned that all magic could have surprising utility.

Increase and Decrease Ambient Humidity:

This pair of spells allows you to affect the amount of ambient water vapor in the air within a given area. This area starts at 10 by10 foot area for a Level One spellcaster and grows by 10 feet per level. In other words, a Level 10 Wizard could affect a 100 by 100 foot area.

The range of this spell is line of sight. However, larger distances will dissipate the spell's potency. Additionally, these spells are partially dependent on temperature as well as proximity to moisture. For example, air that is closer to a body of water or at a higher temperature will be able to hold more moisture.

So this is a form of climate control, Caleb thought. Still not sure what I can do with this aside from making an enemy slightly more uncomfortable in heavy clothes.

Heat Dispersion: This spell allows you to enchant up to a six-by-six foot piece of metal to disperse all and any forms of heat, from the mundane to the magical.

“All right, now we’re talking,” Caleb said to himself. “If we’re visiting a land where dragons exist, this sure as heck is going come in handy.”

A rap at his door made him look up. He heard Sienna’s voice. She sounded excited.

“Captain,” she said, “Grimshaw’s back. He has something to tell you!”

Caleb sheathed his cutlass. Then he pocketed the coin pouch and went back outside. Shaw sat on the quarterdeck, next to Sienna, looking pleased with himself.

“Thy mission has been accomplished,” the griffin reported. “Mine own eyes spotted no habitation of any kind. ‘Tis space for a small harbor on the near side. Forage shan’t be a problem, for the isle yonder is forested and has animals that can be hunted for food.”

“Sounds good,” Caleb said. “What about the presence of the Myrkur? Do they have a ship on the far side of the island?”

“Aye, that they do, and ‘tis a large one!” Shaw replied, with an avian chuckle. “However, it should be no problem for thee or thy crew.”

“I don’t know,” Sienna said. “We just got out of one murderous fight. I don’t think we’re ready for another so soon.”

Shaw shook his head. “Thou doth interpret my words too quickly. ‘Tis a large ship, and one flying the tatters of a Myrkur flag. However, it lies wrecked on a sandy beach a quarter-way ‘round from the harbor space.”

“What do you think, Captain?” Sienna asked.

“I think we’re going to have to check this wreck out,” Caleb answered. “But we’ll be taking this one step at a time. It’s going to be touch-and-go navigating the shallows ahead as it is. And it’ll be much worse if we don’t get there before night falls.”