ALL NOVEL Chapter 52 – Floor 6: Part 5
Chapter 52 – Floor 6: Part 5
As Mathew’s annoyance with the passengers on the ship grew, so did the desire within him to play tricks on them. He could do nothing else to relieve the frustration, irritation, and growing boredom but design and implement elaborate pranks that would both satisfy his Discipline and practice his skills.
He started small. Using his control of flames, he would snuff out the candles of a room while people were in it at night, causing them to fumble in the dark. Or he would smother a hearth to the point where even the Mages on board couldn’t reignite it.
But it was on the Prince that Mathew played most of his pranks.
Nearly every time the Prince set his ever-present goblet of wine or spirits down, Mathew would knock it over as soon as the man’s fingertips were no longer making contact. Blaming the motion of the ship, the Prince would leap to his feet, cursing on the Azure Sea, and his servants would be forced to fetch his new clothing, only for Mathew to repeat the process an hour later.
Mathew would jerk the musicians' instruments from their cases, breaking strings to prevent them from playing. All minor irritants, but it was enough to keep Mathew entertained and sour the mood of the Prince’s parties.
He was getting better at controlling ‘Catapult.’ His growing experience opened up new ways to use the Blessing, and soon, no one could be in his presence without some of their belongings inexplicably moving as soon as their backs were turned.
For whatever reason, no one ever connected him to the Tricks. Whether they assumed a Champion would never stoop so low as to use a Blessing to irritate people, or they were biased in thinking that Mathew was incapable of magic at this level, he was never sure.
One rainy afternoon, when the sea was particularly rough and everyone was forced to stay below deck for their safety, Mathew lost his patience at yet another diatribe from the Prince and his retinue. This one involved cursing on the servants and the ship’s crew, blaming the latter for the storm and the former for the lack of service.
Having enough of the commotion, Mathew used Catapult to hurl a pillow from across the room directly into the Prince’s face. It was sheer coincidence that one of the Prince’s relatives, whom the man despised, had been sitting nearby.
The Prince roared in anger and began to hurl abuse at his relative, who immediately shot to his feet and responded. In minutes, the entire deck was fighting, with the Prince and his cousin rolling around on the ground, sharing blows while their respective retinues battled with fists, plates of food and goblets full of drink.
Chuckling to himself, Mathew used the distraction to slip from the cabin and returned to his small room, where he spent the rest of the evening reading one of the books about magic that Amberlith had lent him from her personal collection.
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“The ship isn’t haunted.” Mathew stated before licking his finger to turn the page of the book he was reading.
He was on the deck, enjoying the first sunny day they had experienced in a week. The Azure Sea was calm this afternoon, and the heat was contrasted nicely with the cooling breeze off the water. Blessedly, he had been left alone for most of the morning because the Prince was nursing a hangover from the night before.
The commotion he had caused led to a few days of tension between the various groups of Nobility, which was only broken when the Prince personally forgave all those who trespassed against him in what the Prince considered to be a magnanimous gesture.
That statement had led to another brawl, although Mathew suspected it was more of an excuse to break the monotony of the voyage than any real anger. What proceeded was a solid two days of debauchery and alcohol that had Mathew staying clear of that entire section of the ship.
Which is how Amberlith found him that day, tucked into a small, out of the way part of the upper deck that was shielded from sight by stacked crates and bundles of rope.
“Then how do you explain all these strange occurrences that keep happening? The Prince has practically glued his goblet to his hand for fear of setting it down and spilling his drink. Bargoth’s staff shot across the room last week and knocked him in the head, and the Captain misplaced his priceless spyglass.” Amberlite queried him as she leaned her back against the railing.
Mathew was confused by the last part. To his knowledge, he hadn’t had anything to do with the Captain or his Spyglass. Shrugging the thought aside, Mathew looked at the young woman standing in front of him.
“Maybe it's Karma? Do you have the concept of ‘Karma’ in this world?” Mathew asked, and Amberlith shook her head in the negative.
“Karma is the belief that all actions have consequences, good things come to good people, while people who act poorly get what’s coming to them. A simpler analogy would be ‘You Reap What You Sow.’” Mathew explained, causing Amberlith to smile and giggle.
He had to admit that she was stunningly beautiful when she did so. The ice thawed and revealed the loveliness beneath. Although he still found her to be insufferable at times, they had become friends.
“What a ridiculous concept. I agree that actions do have consequences, but the thought that there is a guiding force punishing those who behave poorly while looking out for the worthy is blasphemous against the gods. Only they may judge a person’s actions.” Amberlith said, her tone scandalous at the thought that the god’s Champion would broach such a subject.
“Yet you believe in vengeful ghosts?” Mathew mocked, and Amberlith blushed.
“Ghosts are real, Mathew. You have told me of your adventures in the world inhabited by the undead. I don’t see why you are so dismissive of their presence on board.”
“Ghosts may be real, but I doubt they would come onto this ship just to move the Prince’s mug or knock some sense into Bargoth. The more logical answer is that someone on board is messing around with people, probably in an attempt to alleviate his boredom and vent some of his frustrations.” Mathew commented, watching Amberlith out of the corner of his eye to see if she was catching on to what he was revealing.
Seeing that she didn’t quite catch on, he continued.
“Probably a handsome, charming and incomparably intelligent individual if I were to judge them.” Mathew finished, and Amberlith drew in a sharp intake of breath.
“It’s been you all along!” She shouted, her face turning red with a mix of humiliation and anger at him keeping it a secret from her. She kicked him in the shin with her boot, and Mathew winced as he broke out into loud guffaws of laughter.
“I should have known! Really, Mathew? You’ve had everyone on board frightened out of their minds and at each other’s throats.” Amberlith scolded him, and it only sent Mathew deeper into laughter.
“They deserved it. Honestly, Amberlith, most of the people onboard this ship are horrible! Present company excluded, of course. So what if the Prince spilled a little wine, and Bargoth got a lump on the head. It was only a few pranks to pass the time. Besides, My Discipline was demanding it of me.” Mathew said, turning earnest at the end.
“What do you mean?” Amberlith asked, and Mathew explained briefly about his Discipline and how it affects his actions. Charlatan, Coward, and now Trickster all had different effects on him, and it was becoming harder to control them as he gained levels.
At first, he could easily stop its influence, but as he got stronger, so did the impulses. It was becoming a problem, and he was worried about what might happen in the future. It made the selection of a Discipline all the more important, as much as the Stat increases or the offered Blessing.
“Why do you think it does that?” Amberlith asked, frowning as he finished his explanation.
“I have no idea. Maybe it's like fulfilling a role, or it could possibly be tied to the personality of the god that offered me the Discipline in the first place. Whatever the reason, it's just something else to be concerned about if you end up coming with me.” Mathew said, placing down his book and making the page with a scrap of paper instead of folding the corner like he would have done with his own books.
“Do you really think I can? We haven’t been offered the opportunity to enter the Tower. I would be the first person from our world to do so.” Amberlith said with wonder. She had revealed her dream to Mathew several days ago and a request for him to take her with him into the Tower.
“I’m not sure, but when the time comes, you can tag along. The worst that could happen is you can’t enter, or you’re sent to the start of the Tower. Although, that would probably be for the best. You don’t want to start on the same floor as me without a Discipline or Blessing.”
They spent the remainder of the day talking, only to be interrupted when the sun went down by a messenger from the Prince. In light of the recent ‘Haunting,’ a priest of the goddess would be holding a cleansing ritual to dispel the spirit.
Stifling a laugh and wincing when Amberlith pinched his side, Mathew agreed to attend.