"Whoops. It doesn't take any concentration to keep that going at my level. I'm honestly probably the highest-level pulper anywhere. It used to be I'd have to get pretty hands-on with them, but for the last few decades, it's been a lot of naps while the skill defoliates islands by itself," Kuzia said.

"Is that not bad for the islands?" Elisa raised her eyebrows. "I mean, if you kill all the trees on an island, doesn't it ruin it?"

"It can. It generally doesn't. These are the outer seas, miss. Where there's space, some things tend to move in. For instance, you want to see a bit of a trick?"

"Ask my captain," she said. "He's the one who looks nervous about you still."

"Sir? I promise it won't hurt anything or anyone."

"Sure. No sir, though. I'm Marco."

Kuzia reached behind his back and came back with a handful of what looked like white powder, if a little less than fine-ground.

"This is a little soothsaying skill I picked up a while back from a skill crystal a while back. Nothing incredible, but it comes in useful every now and again. In this case, I can take the pulp like this, ask it something simple but important, and throw it at the ground. It will do its best to show me. You want to see the biggest threat in this region, right here, right now? Just get a little advance warning?"

Marco nodded noncommittally. This didn't seem particularly dangerous in a way they couldn't respond to, and this person was far from aggressive. Kuzia nodded back and let the ball of pulp fall to the ground. It splattered, then began reforming into a complex shape, presumably the worst local threat the paper spell could identify.

The team leaned in with interest, with the exception of Riv, who had an unexpected level of disinterest and was almost insulted by the whole game. Marco decided to ask why later as he watched the lump of paper slowly resolve into the rough shape of a ship, then a familiar ship, and finally refine into a ship he knew every splinter of.

"That's The Foolish Endeavor,

" he said. "My ship."

"See, I thought it might be. I've been seeing that odd ship whenever I did this for a week. Did I mention I was absurdly high level, by the way? Higher than you think is possible. I have a class that shreds trees in an endless ocean that doesn't run out of them. I've been everywhere, and I've seen everything. My guess is you've just about used up this area. There's nothing left for you here."

"That's basically right." Marco saw no downside in revealing he was strong. "But we'll just go somewhere else if that happens. Some higher-level area. It's what we've been doing."

"Well, it's going to be a bit more complex than that, I'd guess. Not least because the only reason anybody finds this island is that they’re heading back to my old hometown, or thereabouts. My inner sea." Kuzua stood up. "On that note, I'd appreciate a ride home if I can get one. If you really are headed that way."

"We can probably work something out," Marco said. “What was the other thing that made it complex?”

"We can call that my price of admission. I'll tell you about it on the ship. Deal?"

"I don't see any reason why not." Marco glanced subtly at Elisa, who confirmed it was fine. "Come along. We'll make you eggy bread."

"And just what," the man asked, "could Eggy Bread be?"

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Back on The Foolish Endeavor, Riv wasted no time setting up a hammock between the two main masts. He pulled a pair of thick ropes tight, happy to have a problem that rope was specifically built to solve. The Pulper Kuzai, tested the hammock with a dubious look before settling into it, clearly not used to such accommodations but too tired to argue.

“You’ll get used to it,” Riv said.

"Actually, no, he won't," Marco said. "I think I'm taking that for myself. He can have my bunk."

"And mine. I'll share this," Aethe said, apparently unaware of why Riv was suddenly choking on nothing at all and Elisa was doing her best not to look at either of her two involved friends. As Aethe went back to keeping watch, Elisa busied herself cooking, frying eggs, fish, vegetables, and grains with the last of their fresh island herbs. The smell filled the deck, drawing Kuzai’s attention.

“That,” he said, sitting up, “smells better than anything I’ve had in months.”

"What have you been eating?"

"Eating? Fish I could catch on a line cooked in dry vegetables. A bit of salt. At first I had more food, but it was a long time without any way to resupply."

“Well, it’s eggy bread now.” Elisa handed him a plate stacked with golden slices, edges crisped just right, with fish on the side. “We promised.”

She handed him a plate stacked with golden slices, edges crisped just right, with fish on the side.

"Honestly, just eat whatever makes sense for your stomach right now. I gave you a little of everything and I'm not sure what will ride well with what," she said.

Kuzai took one bite and nearly dropped the rest of the plate. “Gods. You people don’t know how lucky you are.”

Marco laughed but kept his eyes on the horizon, the wheel steady under his hands. “Eat up. We've got plenty.”

“Appreciate you. Now, are you aiming at any particular part of the closest inner sea, or are you just trying to get to whatever's nearest?”

"Whatever's nearest, I think,” Marco answered. “I have to spend a week there. At least. Getting there sooner would be better."

“Then you’re a day off course. There’s a nearer place that won't be on your maps. Too small, and anyone who uses it doesn't need a map to know it's there. It's an old trade hub someone established to move goods from one island to another. There's just enough business for it that it's worth keeping open.”

"Then what's the point?"

"It gets you on some sort of that kind of territory ground as quickly as possible. In my experience, that's always a good policy. You might not end up wanting to leave as soon as possible, but if you do, this allows for it. Like I said, good policy. Anyway, it's that way."

Marco adjusted course to match where the man said to go, then let him slip away to eat his breakfast in peace.

Aethe watched from the rail. She hadn't been particularly talkative this whole time. "So we trust him now?"

“We’ll trust him until we can’t,” Marco replied. “At least enough to eat with us and to be polite to him.”

"Why is that the default?" Aethe came forward. "We've certainly met enough people out here who would betray us if we gave them the chance."

"That's good thinking," Kuzai said from across the deck. Apparently he could hear a little better at his level than they could at theirs, and he wanted them to know it. "I wouldn't trust me either, captain. Why are you so quick to?"

Marco went into thinking mode. There was a reason, but reasons weren't always so easy to state. He combed back through as many memories as he could, trying to figure out why he felt this particular way about this particular thing until he had it.

"You might be evil," Marco said. "But I'm used to evil and you don't seem that way. I doubt you are trying to kill me or my crew. You might be secretly very strong, but you don't really seem like that either. Nobody is going to really stop watching you while you are here, so there's a risk, but it's mitigated."

"It's still a risk. You are still taking it," Kuzia pressed.

"Yup. But I'm also getting some benefit, right? In theory. You can guide us through a new place. That's not nothing. It actually seems like kind of a lot. I risk losing that if I don't trust you. Nothing happens in a vacuum, I'm saying."

"So I'm in for now."

"Sure. I'll even add you to the crew, if you want." With Kuzai nodding his approval, Marco added him to the most temporary of the few crew categories Elisa had set up for him. He immediately felt the ship get a bit stronger and faster, though not much. "He's crew now. For what that's worth."

Riv made a few more rope adjustments, then dropped onto the deck, eyeing the hammock one last time. “He’s crew as long as he doesn’t snore.”

Kuzai chuckled, scraping up the last few fragments of food from his plate. “I promise nothing. Old folk don't always have a choice about that”

The Foolish Endeavor cut a steady wake toward its new heading, sails full of wind provided by Marco's many unfair skills. For the first time in weeks, Marco allowed himself a bit of relaxation. It looked like they were going to take a vacation.