As I head down into the ship I try to think of a way to make pumps using magic. That is something else I didn't think about when I was designing the ship. Then again, I didn't expect to ever have to deal with water inside the ship.

That just goes to show how little I actually know about ships, but at least it didn't sink. However, moving through the ship when it keeps changing orientation is not easy. That is another thing I didn't think about when designing it, but not as big of a problem.

When I reach the lower deck I find it almost completely filled with water. Using mana it is a simple matter to gather all of the water in the ship and control it. Then I simply float it out of the ship through the stairs and dump it back in the ocean.

There may still be a little water left, but not enough to endanger the ship. As soon as I am done with the water, I turn around and head back up to the bridge. In the few minutes I was gone the storm has visibly calmed down a lot.

It looks like we have made it through the worst of the storm with only a few problems. The sailors come back on deck once they notice things calming down. After about ten more minutes the waves have calmed down enough for the ship to cut through them.

The strange noises from the ship have also gone away thanks to the repair enchants. While the skies aren't clear yet, it is obvious that we are now on the edge of the storm. Everything is calming down, so I leave the bridge to Stillwater and return to my cabin.

As soon as I walk in Nala and Albion rush over to me, it seems they were scared. Mulan is in Lin's lap and I can see a spell around them holding them in place. I spend some time petting and calming Nala and Albion before I turn to Lin.

"Are you alright?"

Lin says "Mulan and I are, but Nala and Albion slid around a lot. After the weather spell I didn't have enough mana to help them too."

"It's alright. It is my fault for not thinking of rough weather when I furnished the cabin."

Lin says "Things seem to have calmed down?"

"Yes, we are past the worst of it. We should be out of the storm soon."

Lin says "That's good. So the crisis is over?"

"Yes it is. To continue our conversation, yes I like you."

Lin says "Good! You thought about it the entire time, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

Lin says "Did you come to some realizations?"

"Yes, and they were not very pleasant."

Lin says "They rarely are, but growing is supposed to hurt."

"Aren't you a little young to be so wise?"

Lin says "What does age have to do with wisdom? I know plenty of old idiots!"

"I guess that is true. Age hasn't made me very wise."

Lin says "Knowing that is the first step towards wisdom."

"Now you sound like a fortune cookie."

Lin says "A what?"

Realizing my mistake, I explain what a fortune cookie is which makes Lin laugh. This leads into a discussion about my old world and some of my experiences there. In order for Lin to somewhat understand I have to try and explain a lot of foreign concepts.

Lin says "The humans of your world sound absolutely terrifying."

"They are no different from the humans here. Just with no magic they focused on developing technology."

Lin says "You think we would destroy this world like your humans did theirs?"

"Eventually, yes. It is unlikely though, not with all the monsters in the world. Who knows what the future might bring."

Lin says "I get what you mean. I read in a history book that where the Magic Kingdom's capital stands now used to be a huge forest."

"Cutting down trees, digging up metals, enslaving others, these things all come from the greed of humans. If left unchecked, this world would become just like my old one."

Lin says "This world has magic and monsters, so things should be different. Even if they aren't, it won't happen in our lifetimes, so we don't need to worry about it."

"True, I got sidetracked. Sorry."

Lin says "It's fine. I got to learn more about you and why you think the way you do. Now I understand why you have such mixed feelings about humans."

"Don't worry, I understand the difference between groups and individuals."

Lin says "What do you mean?"

"I can dislike humans as a group, while still liking individuals. Not all humans are bad, but it only takes a few bad ones to ruin everything."

Lin says "So me being a human won't stop you from accepting me?"

"No, it won't. Even if I was that prejudiced, I think you could overcome it."

Lin says "Thank you. Where do we go from here?"

"Did you finish removing the impurities from your mana pool?"

Lin says "That isn't what I was talking about, but no, not quite."

"Go ahead and finish then. I've got to examine the ship and make sure no damage remains. I also need to take care of a few other things."

Lin says "Alright."

So that Lin can focus, I take Mulan from her lap and put her on top of my head. Mulan wakes up, but is completely content when she sees where she is. That's good because the fire pit slid all over the room during the storm and isn't usable currently.

Luckily, the drake egg doesn't seem to have suffered any damage from being bounced around. I doubt we will encounter another storm that strong, but I decide to make some changes anyway. I send my will into the wood of the floor and modify it to make a permanent place for it.

I don't need to worry about a chimney since the enchantments for the room deal with the smoke. I put those in just in case of explosions when I was experimenting. Once the brazier is secure I refill the coal, light the fire, and put the drake egg in it.

Even though the fire is lit again, Mulan shows no inclination to give up her spot on my head. That is fine with me, so I leave her there as I continue modifying the room. Next I make a depression off to the side to act as a nest area for Nala and Albion.

Up until now the room has just been plain and empty, I didn't bother decorating. After all, as a beast there isn't really anything I need in the way of furniture. However, now that I am not the only one living here it is time to change things.

The biggest change I make is putting an actual bed in the back corner of the room. Then I surround it with privacy screens and add a wardrobe for Lin to use. She won't be able to meditate all the time and will need a place to sleep and get changed.